Members of the group Mariachi Acero pose during a promotional portrait shoot on Frenchman Mountain in Las Vegas. The group, based in Las Vegas, is comprised of area youths led by instructor Erik Ramirez (third from right).

Just to my left, the view outside the window of the 737-700 aircraft I’m currently flying aboard offers a never-ending view of white, flat-topped clouds. Some 40,000 feet over Denver, the sun is fast on its way to setting, leaving the tallest parts of this cloudy expanse dabbed with crisp, warm light. As with the last time I traveled to Las Vegas, nature is once again reminding me that the visuals out this way are just a little more special.

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A fireball rises from an explosion at the scene of a structure fire at 526 W. Chicago Ave. in East Chicago, Ind., Saturday, March 9, 2013. The initial fire call came in at 4:33 pm. The fire eventually spread to a neighboring building to the east.

Just as I was leaving home last Saturday afternoon en route to the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater concert in Chicago (for a rare evening out as a spectator only), I stepped outside to smell the unmistakably heavy odor of a burning building. Anyone who’s ever experienced a structure fire in person knows exactly what I’m referring to. It’s a smell that immediately latches onto your hair, your skin, your clothes, and anything else you might have on you if you’re unfortunate enough to get caught in the smoke plume.

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Snowflakes lit through color gels accumulate on a sheet of glass during an experimental shoot in East Chicago, Ind., early Friday, February 22, 2013.

Despite measly 5″ snow accumulation forecasts disappointing the snow lover in me, Chicago is expecting its largest snowfall of the season so far today. In the past weeks, unseasonably devoid of snowfall, I’d caught wind of a few great examples of snowflake photography online. Today’s storm brought a great opportunity to try my hand at lighting and photographing these microscopic gems first hand.

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World War II veteran Dr. Quentin Smith holds a replacement congressional medal honoring the Tuskegee Airmen awarded to him during a ceremony held at City Hall in Gary, Ind., Friday, April 20, 2012. Smith, 93, fought in World War II as part of the famed 99th Fighter Squadron. Smith’s original medal was stolen when his home was burglarized last summer.

I’m a nostalgia junkie. As many of my close friends can attest, I have a very keen memory for events I’ve experienced and special people I’ve met throughout the years. In fact, part of the reason I enjoy photography so much is that, other than allowing others to see the world through my eyes, I get to freeze my life