A message from my old friend Tara led to this great opportunity to photograph Mortiz, a high school senior here from Germany. So I packed up my gear and met them down at one of my favorite spots to shoot, George Rogers Park.

Mortiz has a ton of charisma and, as you can see, was super comfortable in front of the camera. Mortiz was spot on with every direction I gave, making for a smooth and productive photo shoot. 

During the shoot, it was very interesting to find out that Mortiz was a photography student back home. I'll be honest, I felt like I was kind of under a spotlight at first but after conversations about the fundamentals of photography, I quickly dispatched that feeling. Mortiz said that my philosophy on photography was very similar to what his teacher believes, which put me even more at ease... WHEW! Hahaha!

After sorting, I came out with many great photos that Mortiz was super pleased with. The photo above was one he selected which I retouched in my L.A. Style. He's getting a ton of Facebook "Likes" on this photo and its one of my personal favorites.

Cheers to you Mr. Mortiz and enjoy your time here in the states!

(Nikon D700, 50mm f/5, 1/125)
Organized and base retouch in Lightroom
Final retouch/color in Photoshop