PandaVision v.^1.0

A store to call my very own. It's been a long time coming, and a long time needed. I've partnered up with Zenfolio.com to bring you a variety of prints for sale. I will be uploading work constantly to the online store, though if you know of a certain piece you would like to buy, and don't see it up there yet, drop me a line The printing is provided my MPix, a printer that I've trusted for years. In the store are photographs from around the world. These are images that I want to share with you outside of the online world. These are images of life abroad for you to experience in your own home.

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I've been working with Panyijiar Community Development Services for over a year now. In that time I have met truly amazing and dedicated people. PACODES is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization geared towards community development in Panyijiar County, Southern Sudan. PACODES strives to improve facilities of education, community health care, parenting, clean water, agriculture, humanitarian, in addition to peace and conflict resolutions for the Panyijiarians in Southern Sudan. Our first goal is to construct a library for the community in Panyijar. The library is the first step in a long-term project of building and development. The library will serve as a learning center with long term goals of incorporating multimedia elements in addition to books, such as educational films and eventually computers with Internet access and digital video cameras that the Panyijiarians will be trained to use to document their own culture and create their own media.

Here's a video that I shot and acted in for PACODES:

We're trying to do a one day donation extravaganza to raise funds for the Library Project in Sudan. We're going to attempt to raise $100,000 for the Library in Panyijiar County. I need your help to tell everyone you know to go to LibraryProject.org on DECEMBER 14TH and donate whatever they can. Even if it's just $1. Skip the vending machine for the day, buy a smaller lunch, don't rent that movie for the evening.

Whatever it is that you have to give up to donate a little something on December 14th at LibraryProject.org, it's worth it to know that you're contributing towards the education of someone who never thought that goal was possible.

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Endless Eye Productions, the non for profit documentary production company that I work for, is in development for a new feature length documentary Lost Boy Library. The story of Justin Machien Luoi, a Southern Sudanese man who was educated in the US as a refugee, and his ambitions to return home to build a library with hopes of helping the community as well as the entire country. Endless Eye is working in conjunction with Panyijiar Community Development Services in a cross-promotional effort not only to see that the Library gets built in Panyijiar, but also that long-term stability and infrastructure can be delivered to the communities of Southern Sudan.

We are also hosting several fundraising walks in Chicago, Peoria, Minneapolis, and Fargo. Our walkSUDAN events aim to promote awareness for the need for education in Sudan and Africa as a whole. Check out this little promotional video we've put together. Also you can visit our CafePress Store online to support our cause and raise awareness by purchasing the graphic t-shirts I designed.

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A full six months after my return from Pakistan, I am finally closing the book on that chapter of my adventures. In the last days I was traveling through Pakistan, our crew left Lahore and hit the road North to Islamabad. There we interviewed, unbeknownst to us, the future Prime Minister Mr. Mohammedmian Soomro. Included in our northern journey was a trip up to the mountain town of Murree. I thought the van ride up the mountain was going to be my last on this earth, as our drivers sped around hairpin curves constantly competing for the front runner. We did, however, pause to meet the nomad goat herders as they took the long road to Murree. The later half of the gallery consists of our return to Lahore, the time that Shahzad's car got a flat tire, and our return to our friends in the villages.

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A recent addition to Panda Vision has been a video section . I have posted two samples of my cinematography on this new page. One being an HD music video, the other a reel of time lapse photography from my trip earlier this year. I hope very soon to have a narrative reel and an additional documentary reel posted to this section soon. Keep a look out, new media is posted all the time. Enjoy!

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Once we left the heart of the city, my camera and I got to know the population a bit more intimately. This happened mostly because I was no longer afraid to take pictures of Pakistani people. I attained a level of comfort in my surroundings. At a drum performance at the Sufi shrine Babasha Jamaal, I was able to sit back and people watch from the safety of the "woman's area," a gated off section in the audience.
Another branch of our trip was up North to Sialkot. Iqbal was born there and his parents are at rest in a graveyard in the city limits. Pakistani graveyards are an experience unto themselves. Minstrels pay tribute to the dead for a few rupees. Flower vendors sell their wares right outside the gates. I highly recommend going, if you have the means.

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After leaving Dubai, we took a red-eye flight to Lahore, Pakistan. We stepped off the plane at three in the morning and stumbled jet lagged into another world. This gallery depicts only the first days in the country before we started into heavy production. I spent a great amount of time in those first days at Badshahi Mosque and The Royal Fort. These structures were epic examples of Mughal architecture, and I was privileged to climb through, under and over them. There are also images of my first very overwhelming experience inside the Walled City in Lahore and my visit to the National Arts College.
In those first hectic days, I was becoming familiar with the people, getting used to being stared at, and learning how to navigate around the city. There are hundreds more pictures to come, but for now I'll introduce you to my Pakistan.

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Oh, if this little camera could talk the stories it could tell. It's taken time lapse steadfastly in Germany whilst I was enjoying beer and salmon near the Glockenspiel. We both enjoyed Mojitos near the Burj in Dubai as it passed for a home movie camera with no permits. I've slept next to it on a mountainside in Pakistan. I've lugged this little camera halfway around the world and it's not done yet. Check out where this camera has been in the Bolex Gallery!

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I'm not sure if it's a well known fact that I spend many summer weekends back in the 18th century. I at least pretend to. Since acquiring my digital Canon XTi, I've taken it back in time with me to the American Revolution. I've posted a gallery where you can see first hand what it was like to be in the middle of a battle with cannons and muskets. If you are interested in learning more about our country's revolutionary war, come and see one of our reenactments. Our schedule is viewable at the North West Territory Alliance website.

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I've taken some time off after coming back alive from my trip to Pakistan. Admittedly, perhaps a little too much time off. But fear not, I am at the grind stone again. It is a daunting feat going through thousands of photographs from a life changing journey. I am finally stepping up to the plate and reliving my month overseas this week. So far, I have sorted through my time in Germany and Dubai. I have two new galleries to show for it, one for each country. These two were easy, I only spent two days in each place. Pakistan photos will be up within a week. I promise!

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One of my side projects once more wedges its way further into my life. I've photographed several bands this year already, and have loved every minute of it. Working with only the venue lighting is always a challenge I enjoy. Feeding off the energy of the crowd, I've been able to get some great pictures. If your band would like to be photographed in concert, for use on your own website or albums, please contact me for rates at pandavision@gmail.com

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As many of you know I will be leaving the country in 8 days for my adventure into the East. Three months ago it seemed so far away. Today, a week before the trip, I am scrambling to see everyone before I go, organize all of my equipment, and still be in production for the documentary while in Chicago. In the past few days I have aquired some time lapse shots in this city that revealed the beauty of Chicago. Adam and I strapped the camera to the hood of my car and cruised Lake Shore Drive, hung out on a bridge over the highway, and watched the sun rise over Millennium Park. Check out the photos in the Urban section of my gallery. Keep looking for updates from my time overseas. I should be able to access the internet at all of the places I'll be staying. Photos and stories will be posted in my blog while I'm gone.

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Head shots are a brand new service that I have recently added to the site. They are available in either digital or film and prices are on a sliding scale regarding the medium. Black and white or color are available at the client's discresion. The complete package includes three different looks or outfits, three-four hours of studio time, and a picture cd with selects, color correction, and picture side typeface with your name. Perfect for actors or business professionals looking to put their best face forward.

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I processed the rolls of film I took earlier this winter of the abandoned church and air force base I explored with Josh and Thom. There are 17 new pictures in the Urban gallery as a result. There are also new pictures in the people gallery from my birthday celebration last week. Enjoy!

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Recently, I've taken to digging out some of my photo albums to review some of my older work. I stumbled upon the pictures from my trip to China in the Spring of 2002. I was eighteen and not exactly armed with the most technically superior equipment, so forgive the quality. In addition, all the negatives are wound up in 'advantex' rolls,(seemed like such a good idea at the time...) so I have to scan the prints themselves. I've begun to sort them and found a few good ones. They've fallen into each of the three galleries. Take a look, enjoy!

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I just wanted everyone to know that I've started a blog of my adventures and wanderings on Blogger.com. It is entitled 'Death or Glory: adventures of a photographer. Life on the road, stories from the field, and everyday musings of a photographer in transit.' The page can be accessed above on the control bar or right here, for your convenience

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Today I found out that I'll be working on a film in Pakistan this May. The film is a biographical documentary about the poet Iqbal, one of the founders of the Pakistan state. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to photograph the region and its people. In the time before I go I will be learning as much as I possibly can about the culture and history of the country as well as learning some of the local dialect. I cannot find the words to express how elated I am at the prospect of this trip. Now I just have to find a way to break it to my mother that I wil not be walking in my college graduation ceremony, as the trip is going off during that time. If my photographs get into National Geographic it might ease the blow a bit.

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I want to say just a few words on the history of this site. I have been a photographer for a number of years now with no prospect of promoting myself. The very idea of creating a page on my own was a lofty and unatainable goal. I owe my confidence entirely to my good friend Josh Gibson. Granted, I speak wholly without authority on the topic of web design, but he made me realize how easy it would be to create a space of my own. I hope you enjoy your stay and return in the future for current news and updates.

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