Gary Sinise Foundation's Snowball Express

The 2023 Snowball Express was 8 days of photography, laughs, hugs, and some tears. Put on by the Gary Sinise Foundation, Snowball Express brings thousands of military and first responder families together at Disney World to honor their fallen heroes.

The media team not only captures all of the events that take place, but they also work closely with families to document the stories of their lost loved ones. It’s one of the most rewarding photo editing jobs I could ask for. Thanks to Julia Robinson for bringing me on to the team.

Photos by:

Julia Robinson
Sol Neelman
Octavio Jones
Matthew Busch
Justin L. Stewart

Melanie Grizzel

Austin-based Melanie Grizzel has an authentic and warm approach to portraiture and storytelling. Her images exude a connection with the people she is photographing.

For her website update, we focused on showcasing the best of her portraits, food and tourism photography. The updated site is well-suited to editorial, corporate, non-profit, and travel industry clients.

Visit California • Luxury Travel Guide

It was the middle of an endless summer in Austin when AFAR reached out asking if I’d be interested in working on a travel guide for Visit California, one of the nation’s largest and most successful tourism boards.

With the blazing sun and 90% humidity beating down on my home office, I happily said, “yes!”. If I couldn’t spend the summer in California, at least I could distract myself with a deep dive into some of the most beautiful images of its mountains, beaches and beautiful cities.

The brief:

• Source unique, stunning, and high quality imagery from over 500 points of interest across the state. Find images that evoke a sense of quiet luxury, focusing on unexpected experiences.

• Manage permissions, model releases, and licensing.

The sources:

• Favorite California-based lifestyle photographers, including Amanda Friedman who captured the beautiful poppy field moment featured on the cover

• PR firms

• Hotels and restaurants

• Regional and city tourism boards, including Visit Palm Springs, Visit Anaheim, and Go North Lake Tahoe, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, and many others

The results:

A beautiful, antiqued copper wire-bound source book, as well as a stunning digital experience.

The bonus:

Appreciating the beauty of the images alongside the playful and fun illustrations of the amazing Libby VanderPloeg!

Vivian Johnson

Oakland, California-based interiors photographer Vivian Johnson works with some of the west coast’s top designers and architects. Every time we collaborate on a project, I get serious inspiration from the gorgeous spaces and thoughtful details.

Angie Webb

Angie Webb is an Atlanta-based commercial photographer with a bold, graphic style and fun, lighthearted approach. Her new website features food, brand stories, motion, people and travel.

https://angie-webb.com/

Kate Benson

Kate Benson is a New Hampshire-based product, lifestyle, and fashion photographer with an elegant style that feels fresh and modern while giving a nod to timeless beauty. We updated her website to showcase the variety of client work she’s produced and tell the story of the kind of work she is passionate about.

Texas Tribune Festival, 2022

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Texas Tribune Festival since 2016. Of course, Covid really put a damper on large scale events like TribFest, so I appreciate the event even more now that it’s back in full force.

For the 2022 festival, I focused on producing all of the sponsorship and marketing-related photography coverage, managing the budget, scheduling and photo assignments for the team of photographers and photo editors.

See more of the photos, including those produced by the editorial team.

Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune

Erika Rich for The Texas Tribune

Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune

Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune

Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune

FHI 360 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DC-based photographer Rebecca Drobis was awarded a contract by FHI 360 to create a custom image library for the CDC to use for its diabetes prevention campaigns. CDC realized that traditional stock photography just wasn’t connecting with their users, and wanted to focus on real people talent and situations that would resonate.

I served as the project’s creative director. My priority was ensuring that the CDC’s missions and goals were furthered through Rebecca’s photography.

I reviewed CDC focus group findings, brand guidelines, and other marketing documentation in order to arrive at a list of key themes the photos should touch on.

We approached the project in phases over the course of 14 months, collaborating on what locations, talent, and situations would help the CDC achieve its goals. I created mood boards to help hone the creative direction, and once that was finalized, I created shot lists with location, art and talent direction.

Rebecca and her rock star producer Nancy Swenton took the months of prep and turned into shoot day magic, creating relatable, authentic imagery.

Kate Medley

Kate Medley is a fantastic, North Carolina-based documentary storyteller and filmmaker. Her work is focused on social justice, the environment, agriculture, and life in the South. We worked together to revamp her website to feature the kind of work that she is most passionate about doing.

Texas Book Festival, 2022

I got to work with the rock star photo crew for the Texas Book Festival again. Everyone was so happy to be IN PERSON and enjoying the beautiful, fall weather. Thanks to Bob and Janis Daemmrich for having me be their photo editor and to the amazing photographers: Laura Skelding, Stephen Spillman, and Bob Daemmrich.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Attendees pose on Congress Ave / Laura Skelding
Xelena González / Stephen Spillman
Volunteers / Stephen Spillman
Sandra Cisneros / Bob Daemmrich
Jacques Pépin / Laura Skelding

Texas Writer Award boots / Bob Daemmrich
Beautiful weather and good eats / Bob Daemmrich
Chef Chris Scott / Laura Skelding
Rabia Chaudry poses with a fan / Laura Skelding
Capitol rotunda / Bob Daemmrich
Omar Epps / Laura Skelding
Capitol / Stephen Spillman

Aaron Dougherty

Aaron Dougherty is a Dallas-based interiors and architectural photographer. The spaces he photographs are so beautiful, and he lights them with the most gorgeous, luxurious light. His attention to detail and collaborative working style make him a favorite of designers, developers, and showrooms.

Jasmine Anwer

Jasmine Anwer is a Dallas-based interiors, food and product photographer. Her work has a bold, graphic sensibility and was a joy to curate.

Melanie Grizzel

Melanie Grizzel is an Austin, Texas-based portrait, travel, and food photographer. Her work has a sophisticated but approachable approach, and she makes the people she photographs feel comfortable and confident.

Big Weekend Calendar, 2023

Hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since I joined the Big Weekend Calendar team as their photo editor. The 2023 edition was a joy to produce. From vintage clothes shopping in Austin’s North Loop neighborhood to hot rods and chihuahuas, this year’s calendar had something for everyone.

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

Kim Raff

I’m excited to share Salt Lake City-based Kim Raff’s updated website. Kim is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Ilana Panich-Linsman

Ilana recently launched her new website, featuring a variety of her commissioned work as well as personal projects. Visit at ilanapl.com. Ilana is based in Austin, Texas and works with clients around the world, frequently collaborating with the New York Times and Netflix’s hit show, Queer Eye. Follow her on instagram for all the latest!

Rebecca Drobis

Always a pleasure to collaborate with DC-based Rebecca Drobis. Rebecca creates image libraries, custom stock, and marketing imagery for healthcare, education, agriculture and public sector clients. I especially enjoyed editing her ongoing Farmer Girls project. Visit her site at rebeccadrobis.com.

Big Weekend Calendar, 2022

One of my favorite annual projects is the fun, quirky, and always visually delightful Big Weekend Calendar. This year we licensed and commissioned photography from some of my favorite Austin photographers, including Thomas Meredith, Bee Creek Photography, Lori Gola, and Kenny Braun, among others.

Gary Sinise Foundation's Snowball Express

Photo editing for the Gary Sinise Foundation’s 2019 Snowball Express was an amazing experience. The Foundation brings Gold Star Families to Walt Disney World for a week of uplifting activities. Many thanks to Julia Robinson for bringing me on to the team.

Dell Technologies, Winter 2019

New work for Dell Technologies’ magazine, “Realize”. The theme of the issue was optimism, which is something I need a daily dose of. Sometimes when you look at the headlines and all the terrible things happening around the world, it’s hard to remember that there are really smart, creative people solving big problems.

A few highlights:

For a story on how emerging technologies are helping solve the planet’s plastic problem, we chose this intense image of people rowing through a river of plastic by Dimitar Dilkoff of @AFP / @theblindkolcho. Lettering by @joelholland_studio

Tony Luong made a beautiful portrait of Dell’s Chief Responsibility Office, Christine Fraser, in Boston.

Photo by @_tonyluong
Lettering by @joelholland_studio
Art direction by @alison_wilkes