At the end of every year, I go back and look through all my photos to remind myself what I did that year. Generally, I feel like I’m not doing enough in my career. My old solution to feeling inadequate was to scroll through Instagram for a couple of hours comparing myself to colleagues. I don’t recommend this approach for better mental health. However, looking through photos from the year help me to have a perspective adjustment. I’m surrounded by incredibly talented filmmakers. We each have our own path to follow and it’s what gives us each a unique perspective in storytelling. Even as I write this it’s a reminder to myself more than it’s advice to others.

THE WELL (short)

I kicked off the year shooting a short film with my friend, Miles Orduña. The Well is adapted from a play he wrote in grad school. It’s about a man driving to a bar after hours to confront his childhood sexual abuser. After months of bar location scouting and a COVID rescheduling, principal photography began in Kingston, NY February 3rd. I love collaborating with first-time filmmakers who have unique perspectives and stories to tell. A big part of my job is bridging the creative and the technical. I’m proud of the work on this film and look forward to seeing it in festivals in 2023.

From Left: Olaa Olabi, Andy Whitlatch, Shira Hadar, Kevin Deming, Luke Carquillat, Dino Davaros, Robert Lee Leng, David Fagbenro, Sarah Young, Miles Orduña, Daniel Abeles, Tori Ernst, Simon Guzman, Janet Huey, Rhiannon Hastings

DEAR SIMONE (short)

Jenny Piersol wrote, starred, and co-produced Dear Simone. This film explores the unbreakable bond between siblings and what it means to honor our personal wounds on the way to healing them. Principal photography began June 6th at an apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Dear Simone was directed by Kevin Deming.

Jenny Piersol is a childhood friend from my hometown Lancaster, PA. She reached out to me in early 2021 to ask for notes on another short film she shot with her iPhone. The conversation led to working together on her next short film. 9 months later she sent me the first draft of Dear Simone. This is the second film I’ve shot for the director, Kevin Deming. Jenny and Kevin allowed a lot of space for me as the cinematographer to try things and elevate the project visually. Building trust with your collaborators is important to make a film. We worked with a tight budget and were able to rent a Fisher 11 that our team carried up a long staircase to the second floor.

UNI & THE URCHIN - “DOLL PARTS” (music video)

At the end of July, I shot a music video for a band called Uni & The Urchin. “Doll Parts” was directed by band member Charlotte Kemp. The visual style was heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s, A Clockwork Orange. Kemp has a highly energetic and creative mind for visual storytelling and I’m stoked about the images we were able to make together. I shot on the ALEXA mini with vintage Lomo anamorphic lenses.

MACY’S CHRISTMAS PROMOS

I did a lot of work for Macy’s this year helping them to find their footing with a live home shopping network show. One of the highlights was getting a chance to work with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa who has been the Santa for over 30 years. He embodied the spirit of Santa Claus and it felt like what I imagined working with Mr. Rogers was like. He was generous and kind and stayed after wrap to record private messages for crew people’s family members.

PANDORA | WHAT’S YOUR STORY

Anytime Andrew Watson calls me about a job I know my answer will always be yes before I even look at the treatment. The people are what makes this career so exciting and fun for me. It’s nice to have relationships with people who are so talented and creative. It makes my job easier when I’m deciding what to work on.

It’s refreshing to work on commercial projects that have a heartbeat. We shared the story of a group of women battling cancer who passed around a charm bracelet as a symbol of strength and support. Each woman took turns with the bracelet during a moment of need. I was inspired and touched by the vulnerability and strength of these women. It reminded me of my Aunt Annie who died over a decade ago after a 12-year battle with breast cancer, I think of her often. Working on this project was a way for me to honor and remember my aunt.

Left: Amy Capello, Jennifer Moore, April Curtis, Ashley Johnson-Fernandez, Nikki Upton

Kyle Schuerger sitting in on the location scout.

Stills photographer Jeffrey Rose jumping in to take a few shots.

Andrew Watson keeping me focused on the shots we need for the edit.

ROW 7 | DAN BARBER

This was the first job I ever had a crew meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. This one was also personal for me because my wife and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary at Blue Hill so I was happy to return, this time making money and not spending it.

MTV NEWS | QUEER FEAR IN FLORIDA

Sean Devaney is another one of those directors who I will pretty much say yes to on any project. This one was a return to my journalism and documentary roots. The aspect ratio was a little different (we shot 9:16) and the form was a little short as it was meant to be a series of short-form pieces to be rolled out over MTV News Social. We filmed down in Tampa for a couple of weeks interviewing parents, teachers, politicians, and students about the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation introduced by Governor DeSantis.

AMAZON MUSIC | WARREN ZEIDERS

I’ve enjoyed shooting multi-camera live shows for the past couple of years (Cirque du Solei & Tom Ford). I hope 2023 throws a few comedy specials my way (I’m ready John Mulaney). I worked with MALKA media for Amazon City Sessions on a 6 camera live show featuring Warren Zeiders (PA native). Special thanks to producer Jason Cyrano for fulfilling some last-minute camera requests. I have a special place in my heart for people working long hours in production and who bend over backward to fulfill the wishes of their creatives. I promise to continue to be speedy in getting paperwork back to y’all in the new year.

SONGS FOR A SLOTH (feature)

This is a few years late, but it deserves a final shoutout. I shot my first feature film in 2019 called Songs for a Sloth, directed by Brad Hasse. It’s about a guy on the edge of a nervous breakdown, Maxwell is shocked to find he has inherited a sloth sanctuary from his father. When a talking sloth (voiced by JACK MCBRAYER of 30 Rock) visits his dreams, Maxwell becomes obsessed with saving the animal's habitat in his waking life by returning to his first passion, music. Songs for a Sloth is a film about the struggle to be both the person you want to be and the person you feel responsible to be, and about being motivated to realize that it is never too late to pursue one's dream in life. Songs For a Sloth had a successful festival run and is available to stream on Amazon.

This year I’m currently in the process of writing my first screenplay and my wife and I are buying an apartment in Jackson Heights. We will miss Clinton Hill, but are excited for the next chapter.

It was a fun year to be back in person for film festivals. Here I am presenting award for best cinematography at the Nordic International Film Festival at Fotografiska in New York City.

Thankfully, 2022 turned out to be a much busier year for production. I have a greater appreciation for the days on set coming off of a pandemic the last couple of years. The future seems bright for film production in 2023 and I’m excited to see what new projects, adventures, and friends I will meet.