MEET JALAL ARIQAT

This is a piece I did for Jo magazine about artist Jalal Ariqat. Jalal is one of the most friendly and accommodating people I've met here in Jordan. He was so patient with my assistant and I during the shoot. To get the look I wanted, we wreaked havok on his studio, including covering the entire floor with the recyled materials he uses in his art. Squint and read the article here, or folllow this link.

MEET HANI ALQAM

Hani Alqam is the kind of artist that can inspire you by just being around him. Hani grew up on the other side of the tracks in a refugee camp, and his artwork finds its inspiration from a profound admiration and respect for the people he grew up with. One of his greatest joys is wandering around downtown Amman and having bizarre conversations with people. He is a self-taught artist who is continually experimenting with form and technique. His style has influenced many in both the older and newer generations of Ammani painters.

As I don't like to be associated with complete crap journalism, I've included a tear-sheet from a magazine I used to work for that has disintegrated into total rubbish in the past year, after their fantastic editor Eddie Taylor left. I took the picture of Hani used in the article, but the writer/editor was too lazy to bother calling Hani to interview him for the story. There is even a made-up quote in the article. When I showed the piece to Hani he translated it for me and was almost as pissed about it as I was. Do yourself a favor and stick with magazines in Jordan with some journalistic integrity (look hard!). Post-script: The middle picture was an idea I had that nobody seemed to like where I Photoshopped Hani to look like one of his paintings. Check out Hani's website by clicking here, and collectors, do yourself a favor and buy one of his paintings.

TOO GROSS TO PUBLISH

I recently did a photo essay for Jo magazine highlighting some of the more unusual food choices in downtown Amman. A few of my favorite pictures were deemed "too gross to publish". Thank God for blogs! My favorite picture is the top one, which features a stew of lamb intestines. Something about it almost always turns my stomach. Now that's the sign of a good photograph.

MEET BADER MAHASNEH

Bader Mahasneh is one of the more interesting artists I've ever met. After graduating from college with a degree in law, he decided to become a full-time visual artist. He knew then that just dabbling in the arts was a slippery slope that few can negotiate with any success. His major original influence, Francis Bacon, created work so much like the art that he wanted to produce that in the beginning he considered quitting. Bader is completely self-taught, and moves through mediums whenever he finds himself heading toward a definitive style. His newest approach is photography, though at first glance you might think it was a canvas. I bought one of his painting after I interviewed him and I can't stop looking at it. Check out his website by clicking here.

MORE PHOTOS FROM LAOS

Thought I would post a few more pictures from our trip to Laos. I always love discovering small details in a photo that I didn't notice when I was taking it. A good example is the boy's shirt in the bottom photo. It reads US Army and has a picture of military planes dropping bombs on two teddy bears. From 1964-1973 the US dropped over 2 million tones of bombs on Laos. Since the bombing ended, over 5700 Laotians have been killed by unexploded bombs, and about as many have been seriously injured. Laos is still in the process of locating all of the bombs and disarming them. That shirt says it all.

HOSANNA, A COVER

I have been trying since the inception of Trendesign magazine to get one of my photos on the cover. Every month I pitch a photo, and every month they go with something else...until this month. The fitting irony is that this is also the first time I didn't advocate a photo for the cover. The shoot above was for a company that provides furniture for special events. We did the shoot (which ended up being 10 pages inside the magazine) at night with special LED lights. I augmented that light with my lights-which was a pain in the ass-but in the end provided a result I was happy with. So with this goal accomplished, I move on to securing the cover of Lamb Meat Monthly.

BACK FROM CAMBODIA & LAOS: FANTASTIC!

I don't think I've ever needed a vacation more than our recent trip to Cambodia and Laos. Being in a culture with cheap beer and endless photography opportunities was just what I needed. We spent 4 days in Cambodia and then 2 weeks in Laos. It was great! Whenever I travel in this area of the world, I'm reminded how little we need to survive happily in this world. Several times in Laos we rented a scooter and took it out into the country. The people there, who mostly live in thatched huts and eat fish, never stop smiling the whole time you're with them. Some of the kids in one village were playing a game they invented that involved throwing their sandals on a dirt court. The kid in the bottom photo was on heading off to fish with his home-made spear gun when I stopped him and took his picture. People with less sure seem happier. Well, I'm off to watch another episode of Lost on my flat screen.