Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published March 27, 2020.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I’m from Connecticut by way of Jersey. When I was living in D.C., I met a girl from Rochester. We moved back here and started a family. It was supposed to be a two year stint in Rochester, and it’s been 12 years now! Rochester has a lot of the cultural things that DC had--great food, great art, great people--without all the hustle and bustle.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

There are a couple of murals tucked behind things that are off the beaten path. One is a mural called “We’re All the Same” by Icy and Sot; it’s right behind the Highland Park Diner, it’s from WALL\THERAPY in 2013. I love finding those very cool hidden murals that are just not front and center. Sometimes you just take a turn and find one. 

I always think to myself, “carry a camera, you never know what’s gonna happen.” I carry a small pocket camera in addition to my phone, and sometimes I’ll take the same picture on both. I’ve been taking photographers since I was 15 or 16; a mentor of mine is a photographer who runs a newspaper in Connecticut. He always told me, “document these moments.”

If you had $100 and two hours to kill in Rochester, how would you spend the money/time?

I would definitely eat. When my grandmother came to visit in December, there were two things I made a point to do: 1) driving tours of my favorite murals and art places and 2) going out to eat. We ended up at Gate House that day. I love places like Old Pueblo Grill, Neno’s, and Dogtown. I also like nice sit-down places like Nosh. I’m happy with tacos and lattes

If you could only eat one Rochester food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The Cali swag burrito at Old Pueblo- it’s so good! I get heartburn every time I have it, but I’ll still enjoy it over and over. Often after First Friday I end up at Old Pueblo because they’re open late. 

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather?

Indoor activities, like visiting the MAG or the Strong with my son. Gray days are great for black and white photography. Rochester has cool places to go inside, which you don’t get in a lot of other places.

What's your favorite Rochester memory? 

My wedding day- we planned it in three weeks. It was a snowy day in December, with the light, fluffy, beautiful kind of snow. We got a perfect photo outside in the snow with the MAG behind us. We had an awesome time at the MAG and they were super accommodating. We had thirteen people total including our siblings and moms, the officiant, and our photographer.

What makes Rochester unique? 

The people make Rochester unique. You have a lot of different types of people that are here, and here for different reasons. That brings a lot of uniqueness to Rochester. You’ve got people who were born and raised here, those who came here because of a spouse, and people who came here for school and never left. People are creating amazing things here. Some have left and come back, gotten a different perspective. The groups work together for a different, new, better Rochester. That’s why I gravitate towards the old catchphrase, “I’d rather be in Rochester- it’s got it!” I think that’s a common theme for a lot of people. You’re here and always been here, or you’re here and don’t want to go anywhere else.

What would you like to see change in Rochester over the next year? 

It’s important that we continue to embrace the arts in Rochester. There’s a lot of great things happening. I’m just a guy with a camera who documents things, but from my perspective on the outside looking in, we need to continue to fund, support, and grow the arts. There are groups working really well individually, but we can consider how other cities are supporting their arts scenes and find ways to adapt the models to make them Rochester-specific. Some other cities have an arts administrator. We have a lot of great things happening and great potential; it would be nice to continue to work towards making Rochester a city of the arts.

I don’t think people realize all the work that goes into a piece before and after. Like Shawn Dunwoody’s new piece at MLK Park, that took four weeks and had lots of people involved in it. The wall isn’t free, and you need to get paint, labor, and artist assistants. That’s why we need to pay artists what they’re worth. Just because they can do something doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be compensated for it. Work doesn’t just magically happen. It’s not free.

Tell me about your experience photographing Composers Crossing. 

Shawn Dunwoody and I had been following each other’s work for about a year and a half. When I saw he was doing Composers Crossing, I came out to document it. I was there for five hours; I have the first photo and the last photo. Several local news outlets came and captured about 15 minutes of it, but I have 400 photos of it. I went through them all, found the good ones, and synthesized them for social media. One of my photos ended up in the Washington Post!

If Rochester was an art form, what would it be? 

I think it would be a photograph. To be nostalgic for a second, Rochester has some of the best photographers. It might be weirdly related to being the home of Kodak and George Eastman. 

What's the best Rochester-related meme you've ever seen?

The Inner Loop blog has some great ones. There was one a little while back that showed Democratic candidates as various suburbs/neighborhoods of Rochester. It was right around the time when Bloomberg was paying for memes. The comments section made it even funnier- people kept saying certain ones should be switched, and the Inner Loops said they wouldn’t unless Bloomberg paid them to!

What advice would you give to up and coming creatives in Rochester? 

Show up to things that are important. The one thing that started everything for me was just showing up. Get off the couch, go to things, and connect with folks. After my Cocktails with Creatives talk at the MAG, one guy asked me, “I’ve been here for six months, what’s your advice?” My advice is “just go to stuff.” I show up either as someone who enjoys those environments, like First Fridays, or as someone with a camera who likes to document.