Read the Stories
Behind the Pole
Salina Turda, Romania
Last November, Marlo and I headed to Romania for photo shoots in Transylvania (yes, it’s a real place!) and Salina Turda. It was a whirlwind of a trip and was after we’d already been on the road for about two months; it was our ninth country out of twelve. We’d been planning Romania for a long time. Between the castles, the forests, and the salt mine, there was just so much that screamed – EPIC photo shoot! In a little more than 30 hours, we were able to get 5 photoshoots completed in 4 locations, with about 6 hours of driving and 2 hours of sleep before a red-eye flight. The shots we got turned into this beautiful contrast of the romanticism of an abandoned castle against the sci-fi likeness of the salt mine-turned-museum of Salina Turda.
Jordan, Part 2: Petra & Wadi Rum
I have been home for over a month, but between other projects and going through footage, it's taken me time to get to part two of our journey through Jordan. In Part 1, I covered our trip from Israel to Jordan, and then our last moments in Jordan. Part 2 covers the middle portion of our travels.
In the early planning stages of our Fall Tour, we knew wanted to experience Jordan in as authentic a way as we could, and after some research, we booked the Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp. A bedouin, in its simplest meaning, refers to tribes that would travel together (or sometimes were stationary) and live off the land in tents and caves. The backdrop of Jordan against a village of tents drew us in, and we had a memorable experience.
Jordan and Israel: The Dead Sea (Part I) 360 Immersive Experience!
We were under the impression that the Dead Sea, coming from Jerusalem, was only thirty or so minutes by bus. Technically, it is--but it's more like a couple hours before the bus stops. After much confusion, and a hyper-aggressive bus driver, we finally made it to the town of Ein Gedi, but with only about one hour before sunset. It was quite cold when we got there, so there was virtually no one else on the beach.
A Day in the Life of a Photographer: Korea Location Scouting
One of my goals in finding a location is choosing something that's entirely unique to the location. Sometimes that means finding a plant, a style of architecture, the color of sand, to represent the uniqueness of a place. I've found, however, that this is particularly difficult in cities. Not because the architecture or the culture isn't strong in various cities, but because anything that is particularly unique doesn't allow random photoshoots, or, there are way too many people around. The trick, then, is to find a location that is "overlooked" by the community. A place that isn't special. This Seoul, Korea album has some touristy photos, but they were all taken during the scouting phase prior to my photoshoot.
The (Unofficial) Catacombs of Paris
It's the behind the scenes of a photo shoot inside the Catacombs - -the real ones, not the tourist ones.
It was a 5 hour trip, from 10pm-4am. We had to crawl through holes smaller than our shoulders, work our way through thigh-high muddy waters, explore abandoned war bunkers and sub-cultural phenomenons (Did you know the Catacombs has a secret movie theater in it? And 3 breweries that you have to be acrobatic enough to get to?)
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“Behind the Pole”
This was an idea for a book I had several years back.
It was to be a short story anthology based on interviews collected from pole dancers all around the world.
Police detectives, lovers, cancer survivors, drug recoverers, a woman sold into sex slavery—
There are pole dancers who are professors and doctors. There are Japanese business men who who use pole to close business deals. Pole dancers fighting for the right to dance in Arab countries where, if caught, they could be executed.
Each story is incredible in its own right, and the truth is that it isn’t about pole as much as the human behind the pole.
I’ve realized that, as each interview was conducted differently, I needed a structure to tie them all together. The only common thread was…me. I met them all, and I got to hear their stories.
So, I decided to make it a blog series that may take several different forms—sometimes audio, sometimes written.
My Story
It always feels strange to talk about yourself, but it’s the only story that you truly have the “authority” to tell. Thus, if you’re interested in the parts related to my personal story, this is where you’ll find it.
Pole
Most of my community is rooted in pole, and so whether they be stories, discussions on health, photography, or otherwise—everything is likely to have an aspect of pole dance in it.
Photography
Tips, how-tos, gear talk, post-processing, stories and BTS on photoshoots. I’ll discuss how I got the shot, the preparation, working with models, and why I made the decisions I did.
I find that the shared adventure in creating art matters more than sharing the photo itself. The photo is merely the keepsake that can speak to others, but the life experience that I’ve had with other people is where the magic truly is.
Travel
Meeting people of all different walks of life, with differing perspectives and cultures, is one of the most valuable aspects of traveling. I’ve found myself in so many unfamiliar and sometimes frightening (unbelievable) situations that it would be a shame not to share them.
Writing
Anything about my fiction and the craft of writing, from announcements to musings, will go here.
Health and Education
This content will be geared towards dance and pole, however much of the information will cross over and be applicable to any mover. Most my patients are active and healthy individuals, but rest assured that pole dancers still remain the minority.
Product Reviews
Here is where you’ll find my objective thoughts on any product, book, or sponsored content that I’ve found or have been asked to review. Please use any affiliate links to help support the reviews!
Crypto and the Economy
I’ve been involved in crypto since 2016, watching tho booms and busts, and booms again. At the same time, I’ve kept a close eye on all things related to the economy. Until now it’s been a private part of my life, quietly running a cryptocurrency news team for more than a year, now—however, since COVID-19, and the monetary actions being taken by the fed—my concern about the financial future of friends, fellow citizens, and the structures of the world have made it important for me to share.
I am not a financial advisor, and my knowledge is specialized towards cryptocurrency, so take what I say with a grain of salt.