Trouble with horse breeding industry in Maryland

Horse breeder struggles, blames slots

In advance of the Preakness last Saturday, I worked on a story about the declining horse breeding industry in Maryland. Breeders like the one I focused on, Bill Boniface of Bonita Farm, blame their troubles on the fact that surrounding states have slots at their racetracks while Maryland still does not. The video is here and you can also check out Ian Shapira's story here. 

Finding solace in the Virginia countryside

Choosing the Holy Path

I visited Holy Cross Abbey for a day to shoot a video, called Choosing the Holy Path, about what life is like there for the monks. This small group of men spends their day praying and working on their fruitcake operation, which is the source of their livelihood in addition to the guesthouse donations they receive. At the guesthouse, individuals can visit for a few days of near-silence, experiencing the services the monks hold in the chapel and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Vacations can make for the best projects

India in Motion

In January 2009, friend and colleague Kat Downs and I traveled to India to visit a college friend and to pack as much adventure into eleven days as we could manage. We visited over seven cities including Mumbai and Delhi and took in vibrant sights and sounds along the way. I shot with the Canon 5Dmkii for the first time on this trip, gathering hours of scene footage and collecting ambient sound. When we returned to the US, I worked on editing the video together little by little when I had extra time, eventually putting together India in Motion with the help of Kat's fabulous design. In addition to what I gathered in the field, I put together lots of loops from Soundtrack Pro to create a soundtrack that I felt matched the mood of the visuals. The project is intended to immersive and interactive with short scene videos that demonstrate how colorful, intense and vibrant this country really is.