Broadway Bridge | A River's Eye View

I was asked to photograph the Broadway Bridge construction project by Arkansas Business. The current bridge, nearly a century old, will close to all traffic for up to six months while the new bridge is installed. The new bridge which is being built by Kansas City-based Massman Construction Co., is being built in sections. Many drivers only get to see the construction of the bridge as they commute over the current bridge, the Main Street Bridge to the east or other outlets.

I spent a very hot afternoon on a steel barge in the middle of the Arkansas River to get a unique view of this long overdue project.

Project for Hot Springs Guest Guide

Once again, I teamed up with Arkansas Business Publishing Group to shoot a few new and fresh photos for the 2016 Hot Springs Guest Guide.

On your last vacation, have you ever noticed the local magazine in your hotel room that provided info on where you should: Shop? Dine? Experience the local nightlife?

Of course you have. Just about every major city around the country has something like this.

Hot Springs, which is Arkansas' top tourist destination is no exception.

This years trip was mostly a gastronomical one: Beer, Pizza and Cupcakes

Got Beer?

A flight of beers from Superior Bathhouse.

My first stop of the day was at Superior Bathhouse. I've been here on several occasions for dinner either by myself or with friends or clients. This place is great. I loved LOVED working with and photographing their owner and head brewmaster, Rose Schweikhart. She's the first person I've met that's more high-energy than me!

Rose Schweikhart, owner and head brewmaster at Superior Bathhouse.

Roasted Barley

I could have spent all day here, but there were other projects to get to.

I loved these taps. Two of their Superiors taps are topped with bathtubs which are actually vintage soap dishes that Schweikhart bought from eBay.

Got Pizza?

Tony Valinoti, owner of DeLuca's Pizzeria.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to DeLuca's Pizzeria to photograph their owner Tony Valinoti. This is some of the best pizza you'll eat anywhere. The only thing bolder and better than the pizza was the time I spent photographing Tony. His lively and big personality and just as wonderful as his pizza.

He made us a pizza and after one bite, I could not get it in my mouth fast enough. And neither could he. Tony only uses quality ingredients imports from the motherland...AKA Italy. You name it, he imports it: semolina flour, meats, cheeses and sauces. You can taste the difference.

Got Cupcakes?

My last stop of the evening satisfied my sweet tooth. I photographed Mackenzie Simon, the owner of Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes and a few of her namesakes. 

Mackenzie Simon owner of Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes.

If you've never had these cupcakes you're missing out. We photographed, and sampled, a few of their favorites including their best seller, the Ooey Gooey Buttercake. As you started to unwrap the parchment wrapping, you can smell it. This cupcakes simply melts in your mouth.

They are simply perfect....every. delicious. bite.

Ooey Gooey Buttercake from Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes.

For your next trip to Hot Springs, check out these local eateries. Skip the boring chains and eat local. While you're at at, shop local too.

Recent Executive Portraits | Arkansas Portrait Photographer

This is a very sad photo to see.

In September, I photographed Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth for Arkansas Business in front a pile of rubble. Literally, it's a pile of rubble. Today it still stands. And it will likely be there for months to come.

According to the article, "The city of Pine Bluff debated for months about what to do with the rubble from the privately owned buildings that collapsed in downtown earlier this year. Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth said the owners of the buildings were willing to walk away from the properties instead of paying to remove the debris that had spilled into the street."

So the debris sits. And sits. And it's a very sad sight.

When I first moved to Arkansas in 1996, I moved to Pine Bluff. The daily newspaper, the Pine Bluff Commercial, was my first full-time photography job out of college. When it came to the ins and outs of the daily grind of a newspaper, I learned more in three months on the job than three years in college photojournalism. And I don't regret one single bit of it. I met many wonderful people, friends and reporters in that time. Many of which I still see and work with today.

But in the nearly 20 years that has passed since I first drove into Pine Bluff, things have changed. And not for the better. Over the years, Pine Bluff has seen a slow and steady decline in population and signs of urban decay is more common.

And it's very sad to see. Because when you look closely, you can see signs of the beauty in the architecture of what once was.