Camera and Flask
The Photography of Steven Gray

About

Camera and Flask // Steven Gray: Photographer. Storyteller. Artistic journalism and storytelling around the globe. Based in Pensacola, Florida.

In Ireland.

I am a photographer and videographer with a sincere passion for the art and science of visual communication.

Since graduating from the University of West Florida in 2012, I have worked for and with top performers in both the real estate and hotel industries.

My experiences as a transaction coordinator, marketing manager and staff photographer for different companies taught me the value of client service, clear communication and only making promises I can keep.

My wife and I founded our company, Move Media, LLC, to provide commercial photography and video services for businesses, brands and individuals, and we pride ourselves on exercising high levels of detail and follow-up with our clients.

I am addicted to adding value, and I am always ready to serve.

 
Chaos fascinates me. Growing up, life was chaotic because I refused to write things down. I persisted in the delusion that I could commit to something verbally and somehow remember as much as days later. This lack of written reminders led to unintentional procrastination as I remembered things last minute and raced to complete them before the other party was aware there had been a delay. Unintentionally, I normalized procrastination. It never ended well. ∙ For the last few years, I’ve been on a mission to bring order out of chaos whenever possible. Phone reminders, written reminders, my ever-faithful handwritten notecards. I’m not perfect at it, nowhere even approaching perfect if I’m honest, but I’m better than I used to be. ∙ Photography has become an extension of that urge to bring order. After finding my way into architectural photography at the professional level, I take great joy in the ability to arrange complex shots and bring them together in post to create hyper-realistic images that showcase my clients’ design or construction. ∙ But, deep down, there’s still that small part of me that relishes the idea of taking all the safety labels off the appliances, painting all the speed limit signs white, and watching how nature might take its course. ∙ Garden of the Gods was one of those places where the millennia of weather and tectonic activity intersected to create beauty. Maybe that’s what nature wants. Maybe when human beings get out of the way, even chaos becomes calming. ∙ People tell me I can be a control freak. The natural seriousness, near-autistic focus and resting bitch face with which I approach projects often makes the people around me ask if I’m okay, or if I’m having a good time. I nearly always am, I’m just involved in the moment, in the bringing of order. ∙ Then I stare at those rocks and it made me think, maybe it would do me good to allow some slack in the reigns. ∙ But only a little bit. 🙃 #coloradothoughts #gardenofthegods travelphotography
“I wonder, I wonder what you would do, if you had the power to dream at night any dream you wanted to dream, and you would, of course, be able to alter your time sense, and say slip 75 years of subjective time into 8 hours of sleep.” - Alan Watts ・ This week is going to be a series of long-form posts. One half personal challenge, one half working through some thoughts for my own benefit, because 2018 was ridiculous. As the year winds down, I’m almost numb from the speed at which it flew by. ・ I remember the first time I traveled outside the US. I flew into Munich and took the train from the airport to the city center. People don’t remark upon this much, but the countryside of Germany always reminds me of the mountainous parts of Tennessee or even parts of Montana. Green hills that rise up into gorgeous mountains around the edges. For that reason, the full effect of being international didn’t fully set in until I stepped out of the train station and looked across the Bahnhofplatz at the Karstadt building. Built in 1905, it’s a fairly young building by European standards, but still pre-war German architecture that loomed overhead to solidify that “not in Kansas in more” feeling. ・ I felt that again last year. First time in a while. And, surprisingly, it was in my home country. I’m not sure why Colorado hit me between the eyes the way it did. If I were to guess, in addition to the obviously gorgeous landscape(s), I think it is because the state is deceptively small, but packs a half-dozen ecosystems into its boundaries. As a photographer, I was in a different light and terrain every other day, and it was… a delight. ・ 2017 was exhausting. Working full-time for a hotel marketing agency that represented nearly 30 properties was the kind of professional challenge I craved, but it took a lot out of me. @annierosecreates was in a similar boat with her job in the non-profit field. We both needed a break. Ascending from sea level into a paradisal landscape, was the break we needed. And it turned out to be more than a break. It was more like a time of rebirth. #colorado #travel #thoughts #travelphotographer
New work for @dalsalarch. Showcasing some of their sumptuous design on the residential side. #architecturalphotographer #commercialphotographer #upsideofflorida #luxuryrealestate
I finally finished editing pics from last year’s trip west. Stand by for extreme Coloradoposting over the next couple of weeks. That trip was another heavily formative part of last year’s emotional and professional journey. #colorado #loveco #adventurebilt
Flow and crash.
The mystic and mysterious @kat_a_tat_tat, electric in the dark light. Concept and paint by @annierosecreates. #creativeinterlude #model #blacklightattack
“Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear.” #TBT to Jaisamand Lake from the motorcycle. #incredibleindia #travel
Happy #RepealDay and welcome to @districtsteaks. This new #DowntownPensacola restaurant is absolutely gorgeous. • Big thanks to @brookepolicicchio, @annierosecreates and the staff of The District who made these pics happen. #finewinesbigtimes #restaurantphotographer #hospitalityphotographer #upsideofflorida #downtownpensacola
Chase it. #orangebeach #hotelphotographer #architecturalphotographer
Y’all know what day it is. [My favorite part of shooting at @yumfishchewfish is the texture of the tables] #tacotuesday #commercialphotographer
About today... #goldenhour
Happy Monday. Stay hungry. #shutupandexecute #flowandcrash #apalachicola
OMG @mollysriseandshine is finally open. Yesterday afternoon, Molly’s announced their surprise soft opening on Facebook. 6am this morning, we were out the door to drive from Pensacola to New Orleans for one of the most amazing breakfasts we’ve had in a long time. @annierosecreates got a breakfast plate while @tsstrickland1 and I opted for the Grand Slam McMuffin. I highly recommend getting freaky and adding the extra sausage patty for optimal ‘MERICA. AND GET THE COLLARDS! Kudos to @turkeyandthewolf and his team. They’ve made magic again. #neednewpants #neworleans
Dark dance. ✨: @brodricktodd of @ballet_pensacola #heylookanartproject #weshotthisayearago #ballet #dancer #pensacola
Weekend vibe.
#FBF to sunrise Friday vibes with the immortal @kat_a_tat_tat.
#TBT to shooting the menu at @westbaybeach for @innisfreehotels earlier this summer. I was losing weight pretty consistently that month until roughly 30 seconds after this photo was captured. #walkinrollout #commercialphotographer #hospitalityphotographer
New podcast day is best day. @restaurantiron's own @deltachef joined me in the new place to discuss leadership, cuisine and the weaponization of food in culture and politics. Links are in my profile to listen on iTunes and Spotify, check it out for your podcasting pleasure. #disciplineequalsfreedom #podcast #alexmcphail #restaurantiron #upsideofflorida
BRB. #roamnorth #puremichigan #jeeplife
Another week and nearly a decade with this backpack. 📸: @jillianglenn #puremichigan #maxpedition #flowandcrash