"Holden Thorp walks into a men's store. The guy recognizes him - this is days before the big announcement - and asks is he's got any inside on who the next Chancellor will be. "No," he says, "but I need a jacket and 15 Carolina blue ties." So begins the story in this month's Carolina Alumni Review magazine by my distant cousin, David Exum Brown, about the selection of University of NC at Chapel Hill's 10th Chancellor, Doctor Holden Thorp. Thanks to David's colorful anecdotes, the studio hit a home run conceptualizes and executing much of the artwork for the cover story. Go Heels! For more info read http://alumni.unc.edu/article.aspx?sid=89

Bella gave a beautiful performance in her second dance recital on stage at Elon University's performing arts center. Bella is a student at B.A.D.A Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts. http://www.badadance.com/ Three of the studio shots were actually taken 2 years ago just prior to her first dance recital in April 2006 but before I started the blog. In attendance were Bella's very proud mimi and papa.

At one time I considered the profession of medicine but was mostly overwhelmed at the thought of someone's life absolutely dependent on my ability to not make a mistake. These thoughts came rushing back recently as I witnessed one of NC's preeminent heart surgeons, Dr. Randolph Chitwood, and his team execute a flawless operation at Pitt Memorial in Greenville. Chitwood helped pioneer robotic heart surgery with the Da Vinci machine that enables minimally invasive heart surgery while performed in virtual sense with joysticks and video assistance from a console about 12 feet from the patient. Business NC published a series of images in their July 2008 issue. The article by two-time heart surgery veteran patient and senior writer at the magazine, Edward Martin, features a gripping account of the writer's own experiences under the robotic scapel. For More Info Check out http://www.businessnc.com/

Experience controlled bodyflight at ParacleteXP SkyVenture's wind tunnel in the nations largest wall to wall air flow chamber designed for human flight. Business NC magazine will run my picture story on North Carolina's newest extreme sport in it's August '08 issue. After shooting Team Paraclete's indoor sky diving practice, instructor Will Pesek invited the studio to try "controlled" human flight. Joey & Jessica took to the endeavor like eager young Bluejay's. I on the other hand flew more like a ping pong ball in one of those air blown lottery machines. I flew but without much grace.

For More Info Check out http://www.paracletexp.com/

Dear Margo, Vergenico (Tio) Francisca, Sergio & Meguelina & Itxcel. Words can not do justice in expressing how perfect this place and the people here at Xamach Dos have been on our 1st vacation to Mexico. Margo, your welcoming embrace set the tone for a warm, friendly and intimate family vacation on the beach. Honestly, we have a long list of qualities we love about this place. So let me list them. Being off the grid with no TV, no news, no man made air but simply sun, sand, sea breezes, the moon, the milky way and the warm caribbean water to entertain will help keep us more centered on those simple pleasures in life that matter most. The activities you organized were a treat. Terasita's fire dancing, Kannal's jam session under the giant cabana, the fire pit on the beach, and just the festive atmosphere on such an intimate scale made us feel like we were part of a larger family. THANK YOU! Molly and I enjoyed our kayak trips to the beautiful reef and the swimming in the surf with Bella & Sawyer. Making our children feel so much a part of this slice of paradise. They loved the critter containers they filled with hermit crabs & shells. Thank You! The hot "pressed" coffee ready every morning at sunrise made us feel so pampered. Our small town Mexican circus experience in Punta Allen will never be forgotten. My favorite meal was the shrimp & pasta. Practicing Spanish with your staff was an opportunity for our kids that opened their eyes to the world outside of Elon, NC. Waking up to the sun and falling asleep with a moon rising or a star-filled night will be mental images we carry for a lifetime. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! - Steve, Molly, Bella & Sawyer.

To see more from our trip http://www.exumphoto.com/temp/2008019/
For more info about Xamach Dos Resort click on http://www.xamachdos.com/

NC is home to world renowned artist Bob Timberlake. Whether it's a water color or piece of furniture, it is backed by Timberlake's efforts to keep it all as home grown as possible. When one of Timberlake's furniture makers announced it would move the manufacturing process of a large line of case goods to China Bob stepped in. He negotiated with Lexington based Linwood furniture to have the line made in North Carolina. The studio shot a series of portraits as well as workers at the Linwood Plant for Business NC magazine. Mr. Timberlake is as a great easy going subject to work with. Your can read more at www.businessnc.com in their June issue.

And when our baby stirs and struggles to be born it compels humility: what we began is now its own. Anne Ridler, 1912 British Poet

A good place for year-end county by county economic data is Business NC's annual EDG. I photographed all of the feature stories and am posting the 2 page lead spread from some of the most visually notable: Expansion of a civilian contract airplane maintenance plant at the US Coast Guard station in Elizabeth City, NC, relocation of a California hot rod auto interior details shop to Rocky Mount, NC called "Rod Doors" www.roddoors.com, ramping up story about Honda Aero, a small jet airplane maker now located in Greensboro's expanding aviation park, a portrait of our state's Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain, site expansion for Volvo Construction Equipment in Asheville. www.volvoce.com For more information please pick the January 2008 issue of Business N.C. Economic & Development Guide Magazine. www.businessnc.com

UNC Chapel Hills College of Arts and Science's magazine commissioned the studio to make a series of portraits to illustrate stories recognizing four distinguished professors at the University. In order of their appearance they are .. William R. Ferris is a professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill and an adjunct professor in the Folklore Curriculum. He is associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South, and is widely recognized as a leader in Southern studies, African-American music and folklore. Chemist Mike Ramsey, helped establish the Carolina Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence to further develop lab on a chip technology. Ramsey predicts that such technology will result more customized DNA sequencing, meaning healthcare professionals, with fluid collected from a finger prick, will be able to tailor diagnosis, treatment and prevention to each person’s genetic profile. Peter Sherwood is the Laszlo Birinyi Sr. Distinguished Professor in Hungarian Language and Culture in the department of Slavic languages and literatures. He started at UNC in January 2008, is the first professor of Hungarian literature, culture and film at Carolina. Pam Durban, the Doris Betts Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at UNC, has won the 2007 Goodheart Prize for Fiction for her story, “The Jap Room." The 2008 Spring edition will be online soon at http://college.unc.edu/magazine

Ken Canion approached our studio in early 2007 wanting fresh energetic portraits of himself to promote a website he was planning later that year. The website has been a hit. I'm posting some of my favorite images. Ken's a great speaker, full of energy and enthusiasm. Known across America for his passion and real world techniques, Ken has earned the name “Americas Most Passionate Speaker”. As a motivational speaker, leadership, and branding expert, he captivates audiences with his energy, humor, and straight-forward style of motivation. Ken’s expertise encompasses helping to develop leaders and managers in corporate America. In addition to leadership, Ken helps professionals and entrepreneurs create powerful brands and teaches them how to market their brand in a crowded marketplace. For more info please go to Ken's website http://www.kencanion.com/