The planet Venus (upper right) transits across sun as viewed from Munster, Ind., Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The next transit of Venus will not occur until December, 2117. 800mm (400mm + 2X) ISO 50 @ 1/5000th @ f45.

I had a sinking, sobering moment when I re-read the above photo caption earlier after I wrote it, namely, the last sentence. “The next transit of Venus won’t occur until December, 2117.” That’s right, the next time Venus flirts her way past our main-squeeze of a star, I’ll have my own headstone somewhere. Every stress or worry I have now will be inconsequential. Sheesh! I’ll spare you and myself any further depressing discourse, though I will say that there was something quite therapeutic about photographing something this evening that my eyes will never see again.

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Microwave truck towers on display between the central and south halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the NAB show held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

There’s a certain, unmistakable camaraderie that exists among people involved in all of the fields that I work in. Even if I’ve just met a fellow photographer or lighting designer, working with them on a complex show or shoot within minutes of a first hand shake, there’s always a mutual respect and understanding right off the bat

Waves crash onto rocks surrounding the Michigan City Lighthouse as the Aurora Borealis luminesce in the sky over Lake Michigan in Michigan City, Ind., Monday, April 23, 2012.

There’s something special about photographing fleeting, natural occurrences that are completely out of your control. Lightning, sunsets, interesting cloud formations, they all rank up there with beautiful things that I enjoy capturing with 0’s and 1’s. I suppose I find it liberating that Mother Nature’s fleeting spectacles fly in the face of the rigorous control necessary to create clean, photographic images. Successfully capturing them, as a result, is immensely rewarding.

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Acrylic paint spreads through water during an experimental shoot, Friday, March 16, 2012.

Sometimes, when people ask what I do for a living, I respond, “I get paid to play with my toys.” And, while I’m sincere in this credo, the toys are often in use to realize a client’s vision, or to complete a client’s project. It’s not frequent that I have the time to take on a personal, just-for-fun project, even though there’s tons of ideas swimming around in my brain at any given moment. Unfortunately, many of those ideas would amount to long-term projects that my schedule just won’t accommodate.

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