Sarah, The first click of the shutter on our first photo shoot. August 10, 2006.

Today is a red letter day! 20 years ago today I did my first photo shoot with Sarah, a terrific model and a fine photographer. I did not know it 20 years ago, but our artistic relationship and our friendship would dramatically change my life as a portrait photographer.

Sarah, Columbus Ohio. August 10, 2006.

The only reason I met Sarah was a coincidental meeting several months earlier. I was photographing an apartment complex for their web site when I heard a voice behind me say, “Are you a photographer?” I thought my tripod mounted camera kind of made that obvious, but I turned around and said “Yes.” I was talking to a young woman who was at her basement apartment window. She said, “Can I come out and show you my portfolio?” I said “Sure.” I had no idea what to expect.

Sarah, Downtown Columbus Ohio. December 13, 3006.

I was not prepared for what she showed me: images of her with chains, leather, spikes, and whips. That is not my thing. But I was nice to her and looked for things to complement, like the lighting or the camera angle. She gave me her business card and said she would like to work with me. I thanked her and she went back inside.

Sarah on a boulder above Bear Lake. Rocky Mountain National Park. October 4, 2007.

Back at home I downloaded the apartment complex photos and sent them in. Then I pulled out the young woman’s business card. There was a link to “One Model Place”. I had no clue what that site was and looked it up. Models and photographers go there to create accounts and meet each other.

Sarah, Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington. June 21, 2007.

And that is when I had the idea. I knew my portrait skills were lacking compared to my landscape images, and I had been wanting to do something about that. What if I worked with some models to improve my portrait skills? So I created an account at One Model Place and looked for “Columbus”, “models”, and “all experience levels”. Dozens of Columbus models showed up. I picked two who were “amateurs” and contacted them. We had fun working together and we created some nice images but it was more due to luck than skill. I decided it was time to take the plunge and work with a professional. I found Sarah and contacted her. She would not book a shoot without a face to face meeting first.

Sarah warming her feet after standing outside in the snow, Michigan. April 5, 2007.

We met at a public place and a guy I assumed was her escort was hanging around nearby. After a short while she gestured and he walked away. I knew I had passed some kind of test. She agreed to work with me and we booked shoots for August 10 and 15. I booked two just in case I botched the first one and needed a second chance to redeem myself.

Sarah, Columbus Ohio. December 6, 2006.

When August 10 arrived, I was hugely nervous. Some of the photos were not so good (that was not Sarah’s fault), but there were some good ones too. August 15 was even better. She gave me advice and I learned.

Sarah, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. October 6, 2007.

We continued to work together. When she thought I was ready, Sarah started sending other models my way. And those models sent more models my way. I learned a lot and my portraits were getting better. Sarah and I shot all over the place.

Tiana, Columbus Ohio. July 20, 2008.

I knew I had made real progress when Sarah called and told me that Tiana, a first rate Chicago model, was coming to Ohio. Sarah said “Tiana is one of the best of the best. You HAVE to work with her. Do whatever it takes!” So I booked a shoot with Tiana. She was every bit as good as Sarah said.

Tiana, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. July 15, 2016.

Several years later Melissa and I were in California visiting family and Tiana had moved to the Bay Area. So we met early one morning at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and we did another photo shoot.

Anoush, Park Boulevard Park, Worthington Ohio. August 31, 2018.

At the end of that shoot she said, “Do you know Anoush? She is right there in Columbus and she is one of the best of the best. You should work with her.” Back home in Columbus I looked Anoush up and booked a photo shoot with her. And then another and another.

Anoush, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Michigan. July 19, 2024.

And that’s how it went, one shoot after another, one model recommending another. As a result, I am a much better portrait photographer today, and it all really all took off with the shoot 20 years ago today with Sarah.

Anoush, Sarett Nature Center, Michigan. October 25, 2025.