A two-disc album, nineteen tracks, seven musicians, and a deeply Pittsburgh story. I designed the package artwork for the Pittsburgh Jazz Collective, bringing together photography, liner notes, history, and a full-circle collaboration with longtime mentor and friend Mike Tomaro.

Social media rarely begins and ends with a caption. A single post can depend on photography, web, email, design, timing, and a small army of collaborators. Other times, the entire strategy is simply making something that looks good above the couch.

A season of rehearsals, lessons, and performances culminated in one unforgettable event as the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras took the stage for its 2025–2026 season finale. The concert showcased the talent, discipline, and passion of Pittsburgh's next generation of musicians.

While photographing the private opening reception for The Frick Pittsburgh’s French Moderns exhibition, I made one photograph that had nothing to do with the assignment. A baby bird at the base of a nearby tree became an unexpected reminder that photography is not only about documenting what was planned. It is also about staying open to the moments hidden in plain sight.

Sometimes a love story is best told through the places that matter most. For Zack and Candice, that meant two venues that reflect who they are as a couple: the quiet intimacy of a theater and the endless possibilities hidden among rows of vinyl records. Their photo sessions became more than a collection of photographs. They became a glimpse into the interests, experiences, and shared moments that have shaped their relationship.

A recent Etna Heart & Soul event brought residents together for an evening centered around conversation, reflection, and community feedback focused on the future of the borough. Rather than feeling like a formal presentation or public meeting, the atmosphere throughout the evening felt far more personal and conversational. At every table, discussions naturally drifted between memory and possibility.

You’d think the hardest part of writing a blog is the actual writing, and well, sometimes it’s just not. Turns out, most of the time, it’s everything that happens before you even open up Microsoft Word.

Last time I wrote, I said the dial was about to turn. Spoiler alert: It did. I mean, come on. I went from a metal show in a barbershop to a community band concert in a high school auditorium. That should be night and day, right?

Well…

Within a matter of weeks, I went from photographing a fully staged musical, to an opera performance ten floors above downtown, to a hard rock show packed into a barbershop in Etna. Same camera. Same me pressing the shutter button. Three completely different environments, and three wildly different musical styles.

Duquesne University Opera Workshop was getting ready to put on their production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and I was on hand at their dress rehearsal to capture photos. So when I arrived at Pittsburgh’s historic Union Trust Building, I was already in that “stage” mindset.

There are certain productions where you can feel the energy before the curtain even goes up. This year’s Laurel Highlands High School musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was one of those shows.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store for just a couple things, but then you leave with a trunk full of stuff that you didn’t even know you needed? Yeah, that’s what this one’s like.