These galleries represent some of my favorite images from each category. To view more, and my most recent work, head up to "All the Photos" and check them out!
Also specializing in Commercial, food, architecture and travel.a boutique wedding, portrait, and event photojournalistic experience.PhotographyPhillipsJonathanThanks for stopping by and welcome to Also specializing in Commercial, food, architecture and travel.a boutique wedding, portrait, and event photojournalistic experience.PhotographyPhillipsJonathanThanks for stopping by and welcome to 
It’s PRIDE month and Denver has been ramping up it’s inclusive game with all sorts of related events. From Drag Queen Bingo, to a PRIDE inspired Colorado Rockies party at McGregor Square before the game, to a fashion show entitled “DCR Studios & DeMarcio: Creating the Glamor on Center Stage at Denver PRIDE,” featuring local LGBTQIA+ models as well as Mayhem Miller from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Denver is hosting a plethora of parties to celebrate.
Four times a year, the McNichols Civic Center Building in downtown Denver is transformed into the city’s center of fashion as models make their way down the runway in conjunction with some of the current artwork being exhibited within the building’s halls. The first iteration for 2022 featured the Japanese concept of mottainai, encompassing the idea of respecting resources rather than excessive waste. Local designer Rachael Levine’s studio ARAE exemplifies this practice through her design development. Levine is a textile artist with a focus on shibori and fabric dyeing techniques that she uses for her signature, one-of-a-kind art-to-wear collection. This sustainable fashion runway show will also showcase vintage kimonos from the Nikkei Treasures collection. The show ran in conjunction with two art exhibits, Zen Gardens from Kyoto to Denver: The Photography of William Corey and Scott Dressel-Martin as well as Tomorrow is a New Day: The Artwork of Lauren Iida and Morn Chear
The evening included, food, drink, a wabi-sabi vendor marketplace featuring local Colorado artists and a Taiko drumming performance but the real star was of course the fashion…
Coloradans love to be outdoors even in the dead of winter. I think it’s because of all the skiing and snowboarding but that’s just an educated guess. So it makes sense that McGregor Square would plan an 80s, ski-themed silent disco when temperatures were hovering around seven degrees because neon snow suits love the cold…. Three deejays pumping tunes through the evening, remnants of snow on the ground, alcoholic hot chocolate and dancing to stay warm. What else can you ask for on a cold winter’s eve?
There is so much to say about San Juan del Sur. Some come for the surf. Some come for the sun. Some come to visit and never leave… I come to explore a Nicaraguan Pacific Ocean beach town through food and friendship.
San Juan is located on a crescent-shaped bay in the Rivas department of the country about 90-ish miles south of Managua. What used to be primarily a fishing and shipping town has blossomed into a tourist mecca, touting a strong surfing community, colorful buildings and of course a bay full of sandy beaches.
The town is also home to The Mirador del Cristo de la Misericordia or The Christ of the Mercy statue. Standing at 25 meters (82 ft) tall, the statue towers nearly 400 feet above the bay below and rivals the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro or the Christ the King statue in Poland. In fact, it is one of the first things visitors see when they arrive in San Juan and the hike to the top is a right of passage of sorts. The cobblestone path leads from the town and shoots up the surrounding mountainside steeply. The thought of that, albeit short, hike still makes my calves ache years later.
The view however is worth its weight in gold…
A hike at sunrise is a great way to work up an appetite and San Juan can deliver on the food. The smell of Nicaraguan cuisine wafts through the streets mixing with the salt air as if the ocean itself were handing over her precious minerals to enhance the already vibrant information reaching my nostrils and tempting my taste buds. The ingredients of said food are usually grown in gardens, gathered from family farms or milked fresh that same morning. Whether it’s a version of plato tipico (typical plate) with rice, beans and plantains, or freshly made tortillas stuffed with your favorite meat and topped with chilero (pickled veggies) or a Nicaraguan chilaquiles your belly will stay full and happy like mine.
Now that you’re stuffed, it’s time to work off all of those calories. Surfing is a big draw. It seems that everyone I met was either on their way with board in tow or just getting back from a day full of catching waves, again with board in tow. But surfing isn’t all there is to do. Rent a boat to do a little deep-sea fishing or whisk away to one of the many secluded coves along the shoreline. In recent years there’s been a push towards eco and agro tourism with local farmers trying techniques such as hydroponics drawn from family wells. Then there are all of the volcanoes. Yes volcanoes. A short-ish drive away from San Juan and you can stare into the depths of the earth as liquid magma churns in any one of the 19 active volcanoes that dot the surrounding countryside.
No matter the reason for visiting or who you are traveling with there is adventure to be found in and around San Juan del Sur. For myself, I wanted to enjoy the company of my chosen family in an exotic locale and experience a wonderfully friendly and vibrant culture together…
There is something that stays with you the first time you see a live performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I popped my virgin cherry when I was in high school many years ago when the callbacks were very different. Alas, time marches on even if the silver screen freezes moments in time.
The movie itself, starring Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, the late Meat Loaf and Susan Sarandon, is a cult classic but something magical happens when you throw a live cast like Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient, into the mix. Starting pre-show “the virgins”, people who had never seen a live Rocky performance before, are picked out of the crowd and marked with a lipsticked red “v” for everyone to see. Before the show starts in earnest all of the virgins are brought on stage to have their cherries popped (their words, not mine) with an auction of sorts. Then the lights go down and the show really begins. The shadow cast of actors mimic the movie as fun additions of audience participation are peppered throughout the next hour and 40 minutes of 70s-style shenanigans.
Colorado’s Elusive Ingredient usually performs at The Esquire Theatre the last Saturday of every month but were invited to wow audiences at The Studio Loft inside Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Center over Valentine’s Day weekend this year. Damnit Janet Enjoy the show…
Although Colorado isn’t technically the Southwest, it holds a lot of similarities to those states. There are cowboys, open land, desert climates, cattle, horses, wild terrain, Native Americans and a whole host of other parallels that bring to mind olden days of cowboys riding in to rough towns, driving cattle across the desert, buffalo grazing on plains and native people surviving and thriving in great number.
The picture I am painting comes to life in art each year during the Colorado Indian Market and Southwest Art Show. Usually held at the Denver Mart, the art show has moved slightly south to the Event Center in Colorado Springs for the first time this year where 130 or so painters, metal workers, musicians, jewelers, potters, weavers, photographers and other artists came for a long weekend to sell their wares. Not only art, but the weekend was full of performances from Eagle Dancer Larry Yazzie, Fabian Fontanelle, singer-songwriter Syd Masters, Red Feather Woman, and the band Injunuity . A full sized teepee was set up for attendees to explore authentic Native American life, live birds of prey were on display, and food, including Navajo fry bread, was enjoyed by those attending.
The biggest snowfall of the year and single digit temperatures wouldn’t stop revelers from celebrating the demise of 2021 on this New Years Eve. Hundreds of people came out to McGregor Square and The Rally Hotel for food, drink, music, dancing, fireworks and a chance to countdown the end of another pandemic year while at the same time welcoming in 2022 with the hope that the future will be better.
It’s New Years Eve, the final day of 2021, and late in the afternoon I received a call from a panicked sister. Her brother’s photographer for his surprise proposal had to cancel and he was mere hours away from popping the big question. What is a photographer to do but hide out in the snow at the Dairy Block in Denver and capture the moment….
Denver’s Union Station is the Mile High City’s major public transportation hub situated in the heart of downtown’s LoDo neighborhood. Originally built in 1881 and designed by architects William E. Taylor, Aaron Gove and Thomas Walsh, the station underwent a revitalization and redesign in 2014 by the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill firm. It is one of the most iconic buildings in the entire city and it absolutely glows at night…
The Christkindl Market in Denver is back in full swing! After a weird and muted 2020, the market has bounced back stronger than ever. From right before Thanksgiving until right before Christmas eve, Civic Center Park has been transformed into a wonderful German holiday market to shop, drink, eat and get into the festive season. For 21 years the Christkindl Holiday Market has been celebrating all things Christmas with a German twist. Craving some gluvine (hot spiced wine)? Or some stout beer? Or hand crafted ornaments, garments and toys? The market has you covered.
Want to hear some live music? Members of Denver Symphony Orchestra have been spotted up on stage in years past. So have polka bands, accordionists, and some local celebrities such as the mayor, radio personalities and newscasters. Hungry? There are plenty of authentic German food vendors serving salmon, sausages, and so much more.
You get the idea….
For those of you who are wondering what is a Christkindl I can be of some help. In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and other countries of that region the Christkindl is literally translated as the Christ Child but thought of more as a sprite like child usually depicted with blonde hair and angelic wings, dressed in white. The Christkindl ushers in the holiday season with the help of St. Nicolas who, on December 6th, brings presents to children in the same way Santa Claus visits on Christmas Eve. The market is regularly visited by the Christkindl, as well as St. Nicholas and Krampus.
