Golf Magazine | Nick Faldo

Golf Magazine Article Here

What an honor to meet Sir Nick Faldo, a retired professional golfer and television commentator. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time he holds a whopping 41 professional wins and, for a time, maintained being number 1 in the world for 97 weeks. Thanks, Wikipedia!

As for my experience with Nick, my assistant and I rolled up to his house in Scottsdale, AZ to find a happy face saying come on in boys wobbling with a limp. He let us know he has a bad hip and is waiting for surgery, all while wrangling his dog with a high-pitched doggy voice (apparently, we all do it). Happily, he gave us the tour to set up a setup and make it easy for him to jump in and get a shot. Besides being extremely accommodating, It was great chatting with him about his career and how amazing Montana and the surrounding areas are.

I wish Sir Nick Faldo a speedy recovery and a healthy living in his retirement!

Sir Nick Faldo Phoenix Arizona Sports Golf Photography
Sir Nick Faldo Phoenix Arizona Sports Golf Photography

Bad Birdie | In Studio

Bad Birdie has carved their name into golf history by showing up with a bold attitude that’s telling the world what golf can be. When you watch athletes like surfers or skateboarders, their style is always progressing and taking its natural course while remaining true to the core style. Similarly, when you see Bad Birdie in the wild, you know it’s Bad Birdie. Their style is bright, fun, never too serious, and inclusive to all that are ready to hunt down those birdies.

Read More

Tempe Community Arts | Tempe Playlist 2023

The goal of Tempe Playlist is to uplift local artists and inform Tempe residents of the music being created in their own backyards.  Beginning in 2017, the Tempe Playlist has grown into a program for the professional development of musicians and for sharing their work with the community. This project opens calls for music from musicians who live, work, or play in Tempe. Each selected artist is paid to have one song placed on the 'Tempe Playlist' on Spotify. In addition to this, selected musicians receive professional development opportunities including a professional photoshoot. 

That’s where I come in! I’ve been working with the City of Tempe for years, and this beats most projects in uniqueness. Because the playlist has 44 bands, we decided to bring in photographer David Blakeman to assist in conquering the mass. Logistically we had 30 minutes with each band to meet, gather ideas, light it up, and shoot. I’m sweating while typing this just thinking about how we did this so quickly. The great people at Tempe set us up with Dream Factory Studio A studio that has cyclorama walls and a multitude of sets. Because of the set diversity, bands had the option to choose where they wanted to be photographed.

Overall I had an amazing time working on this project and really enjoyed the practice of being creative on the fly. Check out the playlist on Spotify or on the Tempe Website.

Golf Magazine | Ping Historian Rob Griffin

Rob Griffin’s office isn’t a normal workspace, but an organized chaos library stacked to the ceiling with all things PING. When you take a look around you start realizing that the collection holds original clubs dating before PING’s establishment in 1959. Rob was hired at PING in 1986, not as a historian, but as a staff photographer traveling around the world photographing professional golfers and advertising material. As you could imagine, we shared some great conversations about old cameras and our love for working with the analog medium. Walking around the campus you see all of these amazing historical advertisements and displays of PING relics. These displays are just the tip of the iceberg of Rob’s work as a historian. Rob worked with writer Jeffery B. Ellis on the book “And the Putter Went… PING“ supplying around 1000 historical documents and images never published before. A day in Rob’s office is always different, often attracting engineers seeking inspiration from old designs and innovations. Rob continues to build the collection to maintain the history of this all-American Company. Full story available in Golf Magazine July 2023 issue.

Rob Griffin, PING Historian

Enchantment Resort | The Canyon is Calling

The Canyon is Calling | Enchantment Resort in Sedona Arizona.

Sedona, Arizona is more than a city, it’s a vortex changing your perception of landscape. A shapeshifter that presents new sights with every step you take. Monoliths are staggered through the region providing a strong presence. Nestled into Boyton Canyon, Enchantment Resort host a retreat of casitas, dining, and activity. Wake up to hear the birds chirping while deer feed on grass outside your patio. The wind whispers songs off the canyon walls while you hike among wind-scalped caves.

Stephen Denton harnessed all of these sensations into the creative to build a tactile experience for the viewer. Heightening senses, he focused on the sound design to enhance the feeling of the visuals. Working through this project was extremely exciting. As a partner working as the Assistant Director and Camera Operator, we worked together through his creative, attempting to harness just a fraction of what Enchantment and the Canyon have to offer.

Special Thanks to all the Crew.

Director - Stephen Denton
Assistant Director - Michael Williams
Camera Operators - Stephen Denton & Michael Williams
Producer - Stephen Denton
Gaffer - Alex Miller
Key Grip - Dale Cooke
Editor & Colorist - Brian Tooker
Wardrobe Stylist - Abby Ripes
Drone Pilot - Josh Lambeth
Mountain Biking Footage - Chris Burkard
Production Assistant - Mike Tindle

Golf Magazine | Dewars Bar Cart

Automotive photography is something I deeply enjoy, so I was through the roof to get the call for this assignment! Golf, booze, and a drink cart with a twist, this is not the typical cart that rolls around the holes. No, you roll up on this bad boy and the music is going, a tasting of three different years of Dewars Scotch, and a putting game for some golf swag. I would love to see this gem every time I hit a turn! This cart isn’t just a golf cart, the manufacturer Garia designed these to be street-legal and get up to 60mph! Although, since it’s loaded as a bar they keep it under 10mph and only drive it around locations. The tour manager, Jeffrey Pearce, transports this bad boy around the country stocking it and making sure it is loaded up to sling free samples and highball scotch sodas. For anyone who doesn’t mind a sip of fire water, I highly recommend looking out for this cart.

Smash Burger | Javante Williams

Javante Williams, #33 on the Denver Broncos, partnered with Smashburger to promote the introduction of wings to their menu. I was happy to get the call to fly up to Denver to shoot Javonte for an hour in a Smashburger location. Javonte was all smiles, jokes, and just having fun the whole time! He has the energy that I’ve experienced before with other sports players. They really love what they do and they perceive life similarly to playing a game. Games are challenging, but in the end, you want to make sure you had some fun. I love looking at life this way, and it gives me so much joy to meet people with a similar vibe.

This shoot was a month after tearing my ACL, and was my first job back from injury. So there were a lot of obstacles and pain to get past to make sure I get everything we needed in the short time frame. I’m beyond happy to see how great these images turned out because by the end I could hardly walk! Two months after this shoot Javonte tore his ACL as well, benching him for the season. Coming into the 2023 season, he is no longer on the “physically unable-to-perform” list and is starting training camp without any restrictions. It should be interesting to see how Javonte and the Broncos do this next year, hopefully, he recovered well and starts the season with a win that’s even better than the win he gave me!

Escape Adventures | Trail of the Ancients

I’m really not sure how to write this post without making it a love letter to my dear friend Carson, so I’m going to tell you about this shining star of a human being. We met when were around 13-14 years old and we both had long 1970s hair, me looking like a young Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and Carson looking like Mowgli of The Jungle Book. We had this bond where all we wanted to do was have the best time adventuring and just being curious kids. For his birthday one year, he called me and said all I want to do is go ride Jet Skis, and that’s exactly what we did. His dad rented two Jet Skis, and we spent the day at Saguaro Lake going as fast as we could, turning as fast as possible, and ejecting our bodies like a stone across the water.

Life around Carson is always an adventure, full of surprises, smiles, and the absolute best energy. As I write this post he is currently on a cross-country hike pursuing the CYTC, one of his many feats of cross-country hiking and cycling. It makes so much sense that this adventurous soul became a mountain bike guide for the company Escape Adventures. When we caught up about his job, he couldn’t stress how grateful he was to be able to ride his bike and see some of the most amazing places the West has to offer. After hearing this and feeling the FoMO, I was absolutely floored when he invited me on an upcoming tour.

After working out the specifics with the company I was all signed up and ready for the week to come. The ride I joined was a six-day ride in Moab, Utah called Trail of the Ancients. Escape Adventures is a one-stop shop with the way they run their tours. The cost of the trip covers all your food and beverage, the guides prepare every meal for you, and the truck carries all of your baggage, camping gear, water, snacks, and any other beverages you’d like to bring. As for bicycles, you’re encouraged to bring your own, but they also have options for rentals. I can not express how satisfied I was with the meal being handled, the dietary options and variety of meals that they prepared during the six days were just amazing. Besides setting up and tearing down my tent, I felt like the only thing I had to worry about was drinking enough water, riding my bike, and enjoying the beautiful landscapes.

After some last-minute repairs to my bike, I drove to Moab with my Trek Roscoe 8 hardtail strapped on the back. I camped out in the Sand Flats Rec Area which is only $15 to camp, with restrooms, and is only 10 minutes from downtown. Meeting up the next morning at Moab Cyclery was like the first day of school meeting the attendees, being reunited with my old friend Carson, and meeting the other amazing guides Matt + Roy. After packing up, going over everything, and sending our last emails, texts, and calls, we headed to Newspaper Rock to check out some petroglyphs and start our ride. The two days of the ride were so hard climbing up Horse Mountain. Coming from Phoenix, which has an elevation of 1200’, to Moab at 5000’, then climbing the mountain to 8200’, I had my ass handed to me. After the last climb on the second day, we descended into the valleys and it was smooth sailing through some sandy valleys of Canyonlands, into Needles, and along the Colorado River. Finishing up on the last day with a big climb up Hurrah Pass and rolling back into Moab Cyclery. Rolling into town, I had the biggest smile thinking about everything I’d seen and experienced. On the last stretch I was greeted with a phone blowing up because I reached service, so obviously, I face-timed Claire to tell her I was alive and that it was one of the most amazing trips.

We completed around 145 miles in six days through Canyonlands experiencing temperatures from 45-98 degrees. Everyone made it safely and we were greeted at Moab Cyclery with showers for us and our bikes. It was a bittersweet farewell looking at everyone with smiles and laughs as we all packed up and dispersed after a final meal. I can not wait to join another ride with Escape Adventures, the whole experience and hospitality were next to none. I feel so grateful that Carson invited me to “take your friend to work” for a week. It was too cool connecting with him again and being given the opportunity to create new laughs and memories together. I wish him the best on his last legs of the Appalachian Trail, and on to his completion of the CYTC.

Cell Shots

KC HiLiTES | Gambler 500 | Hooptie X

When the people at KC HiLiTES reached out to me, it kick-started my off-road heart. During our conversations, I could only smile thinking of the KC “Smiley Faces” from all those vehicles that have passed by me throughout my life. KC was created in 1970 and has been a symbol of outdoor freedom, adventure, and performance ever since. On the conversation of adventure, freedom, and performance, nothing could encompass these three attributes more than the “Gambler 500”, “Sons of Smokey”, and “Hooptie X”.

The “Gambler 500” was started in Oregon in 2014 by Tate Morgan and the OG Gamblers, a small group embracing cheap fun in all forms. Now dubbed "Gamblertown", the original event in Bend, Oregon is the global meetup for what Gambler has evolved into as a brand encouraging people across the world to go have adventures using Gambler 500 as a call sign. Gambler creator Tate Morgan, has also created “Sons of Smokey” which is an application that coincides with the stewardship ideals that The Gambler embraces. This app is used to report trash in the wilderness and provide that location to the treasure hunting stewards who volunteer their time to clean debris. This App is open to all, and reports assist samaritans, Parks Rangers, and BLM in cleaning up illegally dumped waste.

“Hooptie X” is known as the most accessible racing on the planet. They strive to make automotive racing exhilarating, fun, and easy welcoming all, and I mean all makes and models. Whether it’s squeezing the life out of every corner, Hammering down straightaways, or just sending it over a jump. Hooptie X is all about being inclusive to all and building a healthy community of people who just want to push their pedal to the floor.

I headed to Bend, Oregon to meet up with the KC team to cover these events and create some content for the brand. Since this event is all about being outdoors they wanted me to camp with them. So with my tent, sleeping bag, and camera gear, I arrived in Gamblertown to endure dust, constant rain, and crazy “gamblers” everywhere. The weekend was underway and the town was booming! Mini bikes, go-karts, and Hoopties, oh my lawd! I mean, seriously, it's hard to explain how interesting this event is! Large mountain people rummaging around the town in costumes or banana hammocks, the strangest vehicles, serious racers, and do-gooders rummaging trash from local trails. Everywhere I looked, I was shocked at this alternative lifestyle festival that brought in so many different kinds of people.

I highly encourage people to look into “Sons of Smokey” and “Gambler 500” to report trash and support cleaner outdoors. Resources like this can change the way we travel and respect the beauty of roads less traveled. And for those looking to go fast, look no further than “Hooptie X”, where everyone and everything is welcome, as long as it runs and rolls!

Motorcycles | Million Dollar Highway

Beginning to write about this trip is hard because it feels like a perfect dream. No lack of smiles or laughs and when it was over, it was confusing, What just happened!? My friend Ben Thompson always has a wish for his birthday, for the boys to escape on motorcycles and just be boys. This year he planned to camp in Durango with rides through Ouray, Silverton, Pagosa Springs, and the twilight zone. The mountain range is a perfect playground for groups of motorcycles to enjoy the scenery and the small historic touristic towns.

The location alone is enough to make one happy, but having an amazing group of people made the trip so much better. When the doors opened at the campsite and we caught our first breath of mountain air, everything was different. It was as if we were 14 again, the future or the past was of no concern. We were fully in the present, the open space, and the opportunities that lay before us. The events of this weekend might be insignificant stories to others, but for me, they’re warm memories that I’ll hold for years.

Thanks for an amazing ride guys!
Ben Thompson - Ben and Bluebird

Brinton Colburn - Hooligans Barbershop

Chris Epperson - Wellness Dental

Eric Jenson- @kidds_dad

Werner Transportation | Trevelino + Keller

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” ― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

From leaning my head against the window, watching the landscape change on a family road trip, to pumping my fist in the air in desperation for that blaring horn of a passing truck, the romanticism of America’s open roads has always inspired me. These roads inspire ideas of freedom, choice, and possibility, ideas that continue to intrigue me to this day.

I had the opportunity to work with the incredible folks at Trevelino + Keller for Werner Enterprises. Together with producer Andrew Benson and DP Brandon Sullivan, our team captured and created images that reflect the various elements of the company’s portfolio and mission. In order to achieve more dynamic shots, we also partnered with local Arizona crane company, Reel Bros Media. Working with these behemoth trucks and swinging camera cranes is not an easy task and local law enforcement was also on-site to help with traffic. The entire shoot was a blast and an exciting glimpse into the industry that I’ve been fascinated with since childhood and the employees who make it all possible.

Protiviti | Matt Fitzpatrick X Jennifer Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho | Michael Williams Phoenix Arizona Photographer
Matthew Fitzpatrick | Michael Williams Phoenix Arizona Photographer

Arizona is well known for the beautiful winters and springs which host the perfect weather to get outside and enjoy the landscape. Many events come into phoenix during this time like MLB Spring Training or the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This year I was lucky to work with an agency to photograph PGA Player Matt Fitzpatrick and LPGA Player Jennifer Kupcho for one of their sponsors, Protiviti. Working alongside a video crew, we ran around splitting time with the players and getting some amazing shots at the base of the Superstition mountains at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club. It was such a fun time photographing and enjoying the course with these amazing players.

Jennifer Kupcho | Michael Williams Phoenix Arizona Photographer
Matthew Fitzpatrick | Michael Williams Phoenix Arizona Photographer

Erthos | ERTHBOT Automated robot

Solar energy has always been so cool to me, especially seeing the farms that are an OCD dream. I had the opportunity to work with a frontrunner in solar innovation, Erthos. This company specializes in flat, on-the-ground solar panels which provide less water consumption, less material, and a more sustainable array of solar panels. I was given the opportunity to photograph their new automated robot which cleans these panels to maximize the panels’ efficiency of solar consumption. I look forward to seeing the future of solar and how Erthos helps shape that.

Erthos Erthbot Phoenix Commercial Photographer

Mod Kids | Dirt Sports World Magazine

Growing up I always had a dirt bike and loved the off-road experience. It has always been so interesting to watch the growth of off-road racing, especially UTV’s. I like thinking back to seeing the Honda Pilot’s of the late ’80s cruising around the imperial sand dunes. No not the grocery grabber SUV, the UTV that didn’t fit into a class of racing, it created one. It’s not a surprise that the creation of the UTV would take off and become so popular that multiple classes and races would be formed like short course, deserts, and rock crawling.

Ali Easton Off Road Racing Photographer Michael Williams Automotive

Mod Kids USA reached out to photograph SXS 170 driver Ali Easton for the “Kids Korner” article that they sponsor in Dirt Sports World Magazine. Photographing Ali was so fun because she was everywhere and faster than I imagined. Without hesitation when asked about her favorite spot on the track, she quickly pointed to a jump. Ali follows after her Father Todd who competed in offshore racing in Florida, as well as her older sister Zoe who races in the RS1 class.

On the day i photographed Ali, she was accompanied by her family and friends at a track in Blythe, AZ that they rented out to practice. It was great to see the camaraderie within the group, something familiar to me growing up with dirt bikes. Everyone was there to have a great time and help out with whatever needed to be done. Among the crew was young TJ Siewers a three-time champion who’s podiumed more than 100 times. Fearless at 11 years old this kid was clearing 60-foot tabletops without hesitation. It was insane seeing such focus and dedication TJ had with his racing, constantly charging into corners and ripping through without any reservations or question.

TJ Siewers Off Road Racing Photographer Michael Williams Automotive

Photographing these kids was a great experience and I look forward to watching their career in racing. I hope we cross paths in the future.

Petco | San Diego Padres

I was given the opportunity to work with Petco and the San Diego Padres creating social media and internal videos for Petco. I was super excited when I found out it would be with Padres stars Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado. We worked through some scripts and played with some doggies. It always helps when you’re working with talent that is down to earth, and Tatis was just that. He really felt like he was happy and living in the moment with no reservations. I think I would be that way if I had his contract though!

Cruise America | Motion Project

In August the good people at Cruise America put me, @stephendentonphoto, and @miketindlephoto in an RV and asked us to go make them some work. Three pals, two weeks, 3,500 miles, four national parks, and an unhealthy amount of gas station coffee. It was the trip of a lifetime.