I just returned from Whitefish, Montana and my yearly trip to go fly fishing. One of my best friends and I fly in and meet his son, who just happens to be a local fly fishing guide. We fish, camp out and party. This year we explored the North Fork of the Flathead River and the Thompson River. The picture below is the Flathead River from our camp site. The rains came in that night so we moved on to the Thompson and fished for 3 days on the upper, lower and middle sections of the river. It’s a stream that cuts through the mountains with lots of grass lands. We are always joined by Tully who watches out for us. One of our fishing friends happened to get married the weekend we arrived and I was on hand to capture my first Montana wedding. That’s Stillwater Lake in the background. I love this state at any time of the year. By the way the picture of Tully has Glacier Park in the background which is closed since Congress can’t get their act together.

Meet Sonya Robinson, jazz violinist and violist. I can’t wait for the upcoming release of her new music that has some country and a mix of sophisticated jazz. We came up with the concept of using the same location with two different looks for her upcoming CD. The third photo is a modern day homage to Pam Grier’s 1970 look. Many thanks to Karen Sherwood who found the clothes and Chuck Jensen for the hair and make-up. My wonderful neighbors also lent us their porch. A great way to spend a day.

The sun and heat last week was oppressive in NYC but with the help of my crew and cooperative subjects we were able to still shoot on Thursday for this years campaign. The pictures don’t show the 100 degree temperature, it’s seems like an oasis. Pastor Phil from Trinity Church on 9th St and Avenue B, let us use his roof for the shoot. Many thanks go out to him and his organization for their support. We had lots of cold water and good will from our volunteers. These portraits get used for the annual gala invitation, gala program and posters at the event. Please join us in October at Chelsea Piers for the gala or donate to an organization that really goes to bat for the youth of our city.

Over the years, it has been a pleasure to get to know the youth in the program and see the progress they have made through hard work. To see more of my images from the past years go to the AGYP website. Thank you to all who helped make this years pictures happen.