The Walk-Through, 2006

On a summer 2006 trip to Chicago I was walking around on a rainy day with my dad's 3.2 megapixel point-and-shoot, taking pictures of anything that looked interesting. At first I was irritated that a pedestrian had walked through this shot, oblivious to my attempt to get a completely boring image of the Chicago Theater District logo. But as I looked at the results, it occurred to me that the blurred figure made the image infinitely more interesting, maybe even "artistic." In a lot of ways, I consider this fluke of an image Ground Zero for my "serious" interest in photography. In that sense, I guess I owe this guy a big thanks.

Waiting, 2007

For several months in 2007, I spent my Mondays up at my grandparents' house in Farmington, hanging out with my grandfather while my grandma went to dialysis. I'd always arrive to find them somewhere in a morning routine as my grandfather would help my grandmother get dressed in a pink fleece, then wait patiently by the door with her sitting at the bottom of the stairs until the UTA FlexTrans bus arrived. It seemed so symbolic of their mutually-supportive relationship, and initially I was worried that taking a picture of the moment might be an invasion of their privacy. But one morning I stood at the top of the stairs with my little Canon point-and-shoot and took a photo anyway. They both passed in 2008, and I've never been more grateful to have taken a picture.

The Puddle Portrait, 2008

It's kind of a stretch to call this one a self-portrait, but I've always kind of liked the interplay between the leaves in the puddle and the shadows of the tree branches above me. I took this while wandering around downtown Salt Lake City one afternoon. Or at least I think it was afternoon. It's been a while.

Happy Parents, 2009

I rented a wide-angle lens to get a few pictures of my roommate Rhee and his new bride after their marriage in the Bountiful Temple back in 2009. While taking a routine shot of his parents, I suddenly stepped up into their faces to inspire a little spontaneity (literally inches away), and got this reaction. Between this experience and another event I shot two years later, I decided that the Wedding Photographer scene just wasn't for me, at least in part because I'd be much more interested in getting shots like this than the standard stuff everyone wants.

Big Sur Sunset, 2009

In the summer of 2009 I took an epic road trip to see my longtime friend Brandon get married in San Diego. After the wedding I started making my way up the coast, spending a couple of days outside Los Angeles before picking up the Pacific Coast Highway on my way to San Francisco. Just as I approached Big Sur--where I tried to spend the night sleeping on a picnic table in a campground--the sun started to set, and I grabbed some beautiful images looking out over the Pacific Ocean.

The Laugh, 2010

Anyone who knows my sister knows she has an intoxicating laugh. One day on a visit to the Gilgal Sculpture Garden in Salt Lake City, I talked her into giving me her best impression of a headbanging Metallica fan, thinking an action shot of her hair might be interesting. I was right.

Jozef's Windmill, 2010

On a spring night in 2010 I tagged along with my longtime friend Randy to see his brother-in-law Jozef's band play a benefit concert at The State Room in Salt Lake City. I had so much fun shooting the event that the night more or less kicked off the concert photography phase of my "career." Here Jozef puts some flash behind a lead guitar performance for Heather's Headache.

Main Street Parading, 2010

Late one night in the spring of 2010 (at around 11:09pm, apparently), my longtime friend (and photographic influence) BretO and I were experimenting with some long exposures in downtown Salt Lake City. This shot of a streaking UTA Trax light rail line was the visual highlight of an evening that saw us get chastised by no less than three different security guards, which was probably why we referred to our activity as "parading," after Ringo Starr's behavior in "A Hard Day's Night."

Ruins and a Sunset, 2010

The graffiti-covered ruins near The Great Saltair were such a popular portrait destination that they pretty much became a cliche. Even so, it's clear why they were so popular, resting at the edge of the Great Salt Lake in their wretched glory up until they were finally removed a few years ago. I got this sunset shot while fighting off a nasty wave of bugs back in 2010.

Delicate Arch No. 1, 2010

This is the first image I ever shot of Delicate Arch, one of Utah's most distinctive landmarks. Even after looking at photographs and paintings and other renderings of this iconic arch throughout my first 30+ years of existence, the experience of seeing it in person for the first time was staggering. Maybe it undercuts my work as a photographer, but there are places in this world you just have to see in person, and Delicate Arch is one of them.

No Pictures Please, 2010

It was incredible to see Delicate Arch in person for the first time, but my sister had a much tougher go of things. She and my brother-in-law weren't too interested in getting their picture taken in the shadow of nature's immaculate beauty, and a few days later, I learned that she was in the early stages of her first pregnancy (which they announced on a memorable afternoon with some custom fortune cookies). Though this particular moment might have been a bit awkward, the joy it foreshadowed makes this one of my most cherished images.

4.01K Jubilation, 2010

The 4.01K was one of the strangest events I've ever photographed, which of course meant it delivered some of the best pictures. It's a footrace between Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City and the fountain at the Gateway Mall that requires participants to wear business attire (hence, 4.01K, get it?). I shot the event two years in a row, and especially enjoyed this celebratory image from the 2010 race.

Seattle Crossing, 2010

A summer 2010 expedition was the first of several trips to Seattle in the coming years, and for all the time I spent trying to capture the perfect fish-throwing image up at Pike's Market, this spontaneous image of a couple of guys crossing a city street with the city's iconic Space Needle looming in the distance is probably my favorite image from the trip.

Chocolate Politics, 2010

If I had taken this shot a few years later, I might have tried to set up some kind of composition that included a motion blur from a passing car or a nearby pedestrian. But in a way, I wonder if the bland simplicity of the shot lets you just focus on the quirky juxtaposition of a local chocolate maker voicing its political stances. At any rate, these kinds of messages don't pop up on the Cavanaughs sign anymore, so this one will have to do.

The Wayne, 2010

In the summer of 2010 I swung by the Davis County Fair to see my old high school classmate Dustin play a set with The Wayne Hoskins Band. I hesitate to argue that I knew what I was doing, but this image of Dustin with his acoustic guitar is still one of my favorite concert shots. The band wound up using it on their T-Shirts and posters.

The Tower Sanctuary, 2010

In August of 2010, I set out early from Island Park, Idaho at the conclusion of a quick trip to Yellowstone National Park, hoping to make it across Wyoming in time to catch Devil's Tower before sunset. The unexpected peace and tranquility of the iconic grasslands monument was a much needed respite on a trip that came immediately after a very difficult stretch at the day job I was working at the time. Once I got a few sunset images, like this one, I headed for the campground, where I put my tent up in the dark and watched "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" on a laptop in the shadow of the tower.

Zooey, 2010

After finishing an English class for Salt Lake Community College one night in fall 2010, I grabbed my camera and zipped over to Pioneer Park to catch She and Him at the Twilight Concert Series. Towards the end of their show, the crowd thinned out enough for me to get a little closer to the stage, where I got this melancholy look from Zooey Deschanel.

Dragon Jam, 2011

The pinnacle of the concert-shooting phase of my early photography "career" saw me stationed at a corner of the stage through four different acts of the Velour's fifth anniversary show back in January of 2011. The headliner was an about-to-blow-up Imagine Dragons, who were a lot of fun to photograph, thanks to the enthusiasm of guys like lead guitarist Wayne Sermon, pictured here.

The Yawn, 2011

In January of 2011 I became an uncle for the first time. After getting word from my sister, my parents and I headed to the hospital in record time, and I met my new niece when she was all of about 20 minutes old. Naturally, I brought my camera along to capture moments like this, when my parents tenderly tried to adjust her hospital-issued beanie in the middle of an extreme yawn.

I Love Daddy, 2011

The birth of my first niece inspired a barrage of candid photographs, and the purchase of my first external flash. My poor niece (and her poor mother) had to endure my unbridled enthusiasm for months, especially when, as pictured here, emotions ran wild. I always thought it was a funny addition to an already interesting juxtaposition that my niece's onesie read, "I Love Daddy."

Holi Slide, 2011

The first time I photographed the Holi Festival of Colors, down in Spanish Fork, Utah, I got the requisite images of people doused in colored chalk, tossing colors in the air, and crowd surfing. But I also happened to attend on a morning when the long expanse north of the Krishna Temple was covered in a thin layer of snow, which quickly turned the surface to mud once the festival got started. Just after the first throw of the morning, a group of kids started taking turns sliding down the hill in the mud, which gave me something a bit more unique to shoot. This girl in particular, with a mane of blond hair that offered a striking contrast to her muddy surroundings, must have taken about a dozen turns on the slide just on her own.

Home, Help, Anything, 2011

It snowed for about five minutes right as I arrived to take a few pictures before an April 2011 session of LDS General Conference, just long enough for me to catch this shot of a panhandler waiting near a downtown Salt Lake City intersection. After submitting this shot to the Utah State Fair later that September, the image was selected to tour the state with the Utah Arts Council.

Sunny Sunday, 2011

On a clear Sunday afternoon on my second visit to Seattle, my friend Randy and I stopped by Gasworks Park, where I found this cyclist enjoying a little sun and a book.

The Chocolate Factory, 2011

Between the serene woman with the plump cheeks behind the window, the globs of chocolate in front of her, the American flag on the window, and of course, the eager young boys with the matching haircuts, I've always felt like this image, taken at the Mrs. Cavanaughs Chocolate Factory in North Salt Lake City, managed to channel the ghost of Norman Rockwell.

Parade Girl, 2011

Over the years I've taken all sorts of pictures at various parades in south Davis County, most often at the annual Days of '47 Parade in Bountiful, commemorating Utah's Pioneer Day holiday. It's pretty rare to find something out of the ordinary, but this image of a young girl skipping along in the middle of the street, only yards in front of the military procession at the beginning of the parade, makes for a compelling image. It almost seems like a weird riff on the famous Tank Man image from Tianamen Square. Fortunately this circumstance was considerably less confrontational.