I’ve been meaning to publish new info for some time, but so many great things have been happening with DSP that I’ve managed to keep putting it off.  The fact is, if I have a photo shoot to do or images in the studio to edit, I simply don’t make time to sit down to write one of these little missives.  But I have a little time before the season takes off in earnest, so I thought I’d do a quick run-thru on what’s been up here at DSP, and share with you some exciting news about what’s in store this summer.

I had the pleasure of flying to Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona in April to shoot a few Marriott properties.  One of my favorite courses, Ambiente, at JW Marriott’s Camelback Golf Club, has fully grown in so I was asked to capture a few new images of the signature holes to go along with the full collection I shot prior to its opening in 2013.  What a gorgeous Jason Straka-designed course!  I also had the opportunity to photograph the Faldo Course at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott’s Desert Ridge Resort, a course that hosts an LPGA Event each year.  This photo shoot was an afterthought, and the client only asked to have one hole shot.  It became a 30 image package, though, after I got carried away and photographed the entire back nine.  I presented my friends and clients at Marriott with a large number of images and they decided they wanted them all.  I love Marriott!

Along with the golf shooting, I also did some architectural photography at the Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains and Marriott’s Old Towne Suites in Scottsdale.  All in all, it was a great trip.  If Terri Worthington and the folks at Marriott were any nicer, my head would explode!

As anyone who knows me is aware, I’ve resisted getting into drone photography.  I love the solitude of my on-course work, and I love the quality of the images my Nikon D810's help me produce, so there were two things keeping me from dipping my toes into droneville.  First, I needed a drone that allowed single operator handling of both the drone and the camera.  And second, I needed a drone with a good enough camera to enable me to provide my clients with quality images.  The DJI Phantom 4 Pro+ fills both requirements, so I have spent this Spring learning how 1) to keep my Phantom out of the trees and 2) to take good photos from overhead.  And even though I’ve shunned the idea of drone shooting for years, I’m finding that it’s a lot of fun!  Go figure.  So, from now on, Drones ’R’ Us!

May

Now that May has arrived, my year really gets underway.  As you read this, I’m in North Carolina.  My first stop was at Quail Hollow, in Charlotte, the highly regarded PGA Tour stop and this year's host of the PGA Championship.  I'm really looking forward to spending time on this great course. 

Then it's on to Leland, North Carolina to shoot the new Rick Robbins-designed course at Compass Pointe.  Rick is a great designer, who has spent most of his career working in China.  He’s the man whose courses I photographed a couple of years ago in Beijing and in Wuhan.  He’s also the man who designed one of my favorite courses in the Southeast... Canyon Ridge, in Rising Fawn, Georgia.  So I’m heading to North Carolina with a smile, confident that I’m going to be photographing two exceptional properties!

When I return to Atlanta, I’ll be doing some aerials for reference purposes for the Bobby Jones Golf House project.  I’ll also be shooting some new images for the great folks at East Lake… both on East Lake Golf Club and at Charlie Yates, the nearby executive course run by East Lake.

June

This is where the fun kicks into hyperdrive.  On June 12th, I’m flying to Hong Kong to spend two weeks photographing The Hong Kong Golf Club, one of the oldest golf club’s in Asia.  I’ll be shooting their 3 championship courses, their par 3, nine holer and two clubhouses.  I can’t express how happy I am to be returning to Asia.  I guess I’ll have to show my gratitude to Ian Gardner and his team at the club by providing them with the best images possible!  Stay tuned.  I’ll probably devote the next newsletter to this trip alone. And there will be stories!