My video storytelling is an extension of my career as a still photographer. I am comfortable creating short docs for business and non-profit clients and individuals that would like me to give voice and movement to their story. Below is a sample of my work.
After 12 years working in a pottery studio in Iowa, Liz Spear packed her pickup, and headed off to find a new direction. She eventually landed in western North Carolina, where she studied fiber arts at Haywood Community College. "I had no idea I'd end up making clothes for a living," Liz says. She found help and inspiration through professional crafts organizations in the state, including Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc. Liz weaves enough fabric for about 100 garments a year, and her work incorporates fibers made by friends. She prefers to work in solitude, but the materials made by friends provides her with what she calls "a tactile sense of community." This video was made in conjunction with Piedmont Craftsmen's 50th anniversary. I collaborated on this project with my team, Michelle Johnson and Phoebe Zerwick.
Shraaven Purnima is a river ritual practiced by Hindus. Our team went to one of the most iconic rivers in the United States, the Niagara River, to find a small group of Hindu men that practices this ceremony on the full moon day each August. They use a state park just up-stream from the falls. The contrast of the tranquility of this flat section of the river compared to the power of the river at the falls and tourism was an interesting one. This is part of a bigger project called Sacred Rivers, where we explore religious and spiritual rituals practiced in U.S. rivers.
A traumatic brain injury changed the shape of Cecelia Henry's life when she was just six years old. This video is one of six stories about residents in group homes in Forsyth Co. You can view the entire project at http://shawneestreetmedia.wix.com/story-of-my-life
In episode 2 of the Ken's Bike Shop Series ; ("life behind (handle) bars" ) you'll meet Robert Jordan. You might already know Robert from his loud, but contagious laugh on group rides. Or maybe you've seen him flying down Reynolda Rd, feet moving impossibly too fast for a bicycle. My mental image of Robert is him riding into Winston in a pouring rain, with a strange grin on his face.. some cyclist's "grin" is more about the effort they are putting into the ride.. comfort or un-comfort. But I'm pretty sure Robert's grin is all about being in the present. Rain, heat, freezing temps- those are what makes his daily commutes different, all with a fixed gear bike. Robert is one of the most genuine and positive guys I've been lucky to pedal with, and one of Ken's Bike Shop's most unique customers. This film was chosen for Filmed by Bike film festival in Portland OR in 2018
The dead are still partying at Vaughn's Bar, in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. As the bands begin to march through the streets during Mardi Gras, they will soon join the living on their final parade with the St. Anne's Krewe to the banks of the Mississippi. Their family and friends will gather to honor them and spread their ashes into the river.. and they will float on the river that they loved and their spirit will “end up everywhere.”