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Field Notes

The Portrait I Didn’t Plan

Blog, Creative Matters, Editorial, On Assignment, Portraits, StorytellingBy BrianFebruary 18, 2026Leave a comment
This past fall, I had the opportunity to meet and photograph Danny Hillis—renowned inventor, engineer, author, and scientist—for the Financial Times. Hillis is cofounder of the Long Now Foundation and the designer of a 10,000-year mechanical clock.

Spending Time with Jason Wilbur

Blog, Client Work, Creating Spaces, Editorial, Light Matters, On Assignment, On Location, StorytellingBy BrianNovember 13, 2025Leave a comment
  As a New England based editorial photographer, I get the opportunity to meet and photograph some amazingly talented people.  People like Jason Wilbur, an automotive designer turned luxury watchmaker.  From a laptop and a desk in his Vermont home,…

Transforming Global Health with Data and AI with Dr. Joan LaRovere

Behind the Scenes, Work MattersBy BrianOctober 29, 2024Leave a comment
Last month, I had the chance to photograph Dr. Joan LaRovere, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Transformation at Boston Children’s Hospital, for The Financial Times of London.

The Funny Farm: Fighting for What Matters

Projects, Storytelling, Video, Work MattersBy BrianSeptember 24, 2024Leave a comment
Stories are everywhere—real, human stories about people fighting to find a home, keep one, live their lives, and take care of their families. I love working with clients who make a real difference.

A young construction worker with a red hard hat and safety vest smiles slightly, standing in a sunlit industrial setting.

Coal Miners, Coding and Coffee in the Age of AI

Business Matters, Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianAugust 29, 2024Leave a comment
I met with the marketing director of a non-profit for coffee this week to discuss a pending project. Face-to-face meetings like this rarer now, even more than a year after the WHO pronounced the Covid-19 Pandemic officially over.

Industrial workers

Understanding Photographer and Videographer Rates

Business Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianJuly 31, 2024Leave a comment
When hiring a photographer or videographer, rates can be confusing. Some photographers don't provide day rates, while videographers often do.

Laugavegur Trail Iceland

Lessons from the Trail: Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail

Behind the Scenes, ReflectionsBy BrianJuly 25, 2024Leave a comment
This week, I returned from hiking the Laugavegur Trail in Iceland. The 34-mile (55 km) trail winds from Landmannalaugar through the Fjallabak Nature Preserve to Thorsmork (Þórsmörk).

Weaving Art and Function at Heide Martin Studio

Projects, Storytelling, VideoBy BrianJune 12, 2024Leave a comment
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Lone Hiker on rocky cliff

2023: A Year On My Feet

ReflectionsBy BrianJanuary 9, 2024Leave a comment
Last year, I set a personal goal to walk or hike 2023 miles. It was a last-minute decision, sparked by a desire to shape up before a five-day backpacking trip in Iceland.

David Moses Bridges

Redundancy and Creative Resilience

Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianOctober 17, 2023Leave a comment
Redundancy has a bad rap.  It conjures images of lost jobs, of being the expendable one.  But as a creative, redundancy is my secret weapon. It makes me and my creative work resilient.

Maine Cops

Cut it Out: When Less is More

Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianOctober 4, 2023Leave a comment
My default mode seems set to Acquire: Get more gear, more software, more skills, new stuff. But more isn't better. It's often a trap. Over time, the act of acquiring can become the goal itself.

Bridging the Gap

Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianSeptember 12, 2023Leave a comment
In the classic "South Park" episode featuring the Underpants Gnomes, a straightforward but fundamentally flawed business plan is unveiled: Phase 1, collect underpants.  Phase 3, reap the profits. This presentation humorously omits a crucial element — Phase 2.

In the Room Where It Happens

Brand & Marketing, Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianSeptember 5, 2023Leave a comment
During my years as a newspaper photo editor, I often invited myself into any meetings I saw that included an editor and writers.  Leaning into the doorway I'd ask, "Should I be in here?"  Early involvement in story development leads to better visual opportunities, benefitting the story and ultimately, readers.

Rituals That Preserve Energy and Creativity

Creative MattersBy BrianJuly 18, 2023Leave a comment
With years of commercial and editorial photography under my belt, I've learned that the devil is truly in the details. Never mind the big stuff, like bustling locations or fickle weather. It's the little things that make or break a shoot. Like the old proverb goes, "for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost", small errors can lead to big problems.

Dirty Jobs, Good Pay: Photographing Blue Collar Workers

Projects, Work MattersBy BrianMay 30, 2023Leave a comment
It's hard to miss the rising star of blue-collar work in this world reshaped by a pandemic and advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.). Anyone struggling to hire a plumber, a carpenter or other tradesman since 2020 has seen the effects of this first-hand.

Five Tips For Better Outdoor Portraits

Creative Matters, StorytellingBy BrianMay 23, 2023Leave a comment
Outdoor environmental portraits offer a blend of human emotion and natural beauty and can elevate a simple portrait into a compelling visual story.

The Art of Location Portraits: Conquering Constraints

Creative Matters, Light Matters, Work MattersBy BrianMay 16, 2023Leave a comment
Throughout my career as a photographer, from my earliest days as a newspaper stringer to the present, one thing has always been necessary:   the capacity to create impactful, engaging portraits on location, quickly (if not sooner).

Master your Content Calendar in 5 Steps

Brand & Marketing, Business Matters, Creative MattersBy BrianApril 4, 2023Leave a comment
Ready to level up your content game?  Craft a killer content calendar to keep your audience hooked.  Streamline content creation, ensure a steady flow of engaging material, and support your brand's marketing objectives with these five steps.

The magic of creative constraints

Creative Matters, ReflectionsBy BrianApril 27, 2022Leave a comment
One of the best ways to engage one’s creativity is to first strip away options.   Constraint, not necessity, is the mother of creativity.    For portrait photographers, the focus of the image is the subject.  Yet background elements and interesting locations…

Want better portraits? Work on your backgrounds.

Creative MattersBy BrianMarch 1, 2022Leave a comment
To most photographers—those whose focus is on people and portraits, certainly, but also those who specialize in structures, food and products on location—the subject is the star of the show.
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