Pensacola Beach Photo Walk - Fort Pickens Winter

Just a day on the beach with my wife and our friends.

Together in Pensacola, FL: The Edwards Family

Cooler weather in Pensacola means family portrait season. And one of my favorite families to capture is the Edwards/Tipton/(soon to be) Coker clan. Long-term followers of my progress will recognize Karena as a multi-trip compatriot in trips to India, and her daughter and son-in-law Brittney and Brandon from their beautiful beach wedding that I photographed two years ago, as well as their daughter Piper, whom I photographed last Christmas.

When discussing what they might want to do for their family portraits this year, Annie threw out the idea of a paint fight. With a slight alteration to colored chalk, we stuck with that idea and ended up with some incredibly fun shots. This is how you do it, folks. Matching outfits on the beach will get the job done, but if you plan to block out an afternoon to get the whole family together for photos, do something unique!

AND

Courtesy of my lovely wife, a behind the scenes video of the shoot in progress.

Married in Pensacola, FL: Dillon and Jennifer

Dillon and Jennifer, wed June 6, 2015.

Dillon and Jennifer contacted me early in the year. This wedding was special in that their decision to engage me as their photographer based on the missions work in my portfolio. Jennifer has also experienced missions in India, and that shared experience turned out to be the deciding factor in their choice of photographer. Pretty cool.

With Dillon in school at West Point, the guests came from all over the map, many of them cadets in school with Dillon. I love shooting military weddings. In addition to the clean symmetry and fun traditions that dress uniforms and close brotherhoods lend to a wedding, military guys are just fun to shoot and tend to pick up on most of my Monty Python references.

That kind of closeness was also visible in Jennifer and bridesmaids. The cheers for Jennifer as she emerged from the dressing room in her dress for the first time was heartwarming. As an individual who finds it difficult to maintain consistent contact with more than two or three friends a quarter, I respect and am amazed when I see large groups of friends exhibit similar intimacy.

Dillon's father, Pastor Chris Aiken, officiated the service with the sly wit that only a father can dish out to his son. The ceremony included communion and music provided by one of Dillon's classmates on the violin. The reception convened with the requisite food and cake, plus an ice cream sundae bar.

Festivities concluded with Dillon and Jennifer exiting through a sword arch. All in all, a fantastic day.

This wedding took place at Calvary Baptist Church in Pensacola and officiated by Pastor Chris Aiken. Catering was provided by the family.

Pensacola's Proposed Commercial Film Ordinance

I was up late last night writing an email to my city councilman, Mr. Larry Johnson. There is a piece of legislation coming up for a vote at the next City Council meeting that could do a lot of good and a lot of harm to the professional photography and video community here in Pensacola. PNJ Article: http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/pensacola/2015/05/08/hayward-pensacola-film-commissioner/27017229/

Proposed Ordinance: http://philbaker.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/PensacolaProposedFilmOrdinance.pdf

Here is the letter I sent to Councilman Johnson in its entirety:

Councilman Johnson,

Good morning! I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you in regard to the proposal regarding "Commercial Filming on City Property."

To preface this email, I would like to provide context on my background. I am a lifelong resident of Gulf Breeze and Pensacola. I attended Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida, graduating with a bachelors degree in Communication Arts, with an emphasis on film and telecommunications. Throughout high school and college, I photographed weddings and participated in independent film projects with other local creatives. I now work as a proud member of Mark Lee's real estate team at Levin-Rinke Resort Realty, and still make time to photograph weddings, portraits and editorial photography, as well as assist with independent films for creative enjoyment.

I saw the recent news that Mayor Hayward will most likely be taking on a new responsibility as the City of Pensacola Film Commissioner. That is exciting, as I believe the Greater Pensacola Area has much to offer as a location for film, television and music video production. My enthusiasm increased when I read the council memorandum evoking memories of "Wings of Eagles," "Jaws" and "An Officer and A Gentleman" to help spur Pensacola on to claim its place as an active part of the film industry in the near future.  With that said, my enthusiasm waned when I saw that the definition of "commercial filming and photography" in Chapter 7-12 was left extremely vague.

The ordinance, stated in Sec. 7-12-2 as applicable to "all parks, streets, sidewalks and other rights-of-way, parking lots, buildings, and the grounds adjacent thereto," and going on in Sec. 7-12-3 to say that "no person shall film, digitally record, or take still photographs on city property for commercial purposes without first applying for and obtaining a permit from the Film Commissioner" has put myself and other photo and video professionals very ill at ease.

Most wedding and editorial photographers in this area, myself included, rely on easy and free access to city streets and parks to capture photographs and video of both local and destination weddings in downtown Pensacola. Use of city parks like Seville Square, Plaza Ferdinand, Plaza De Luna, and even the city streets themselves (on calm days) is standard practice among local photographers and videographers. The results of such common practices have been nothing but beautiful imagery of Pensacola and its people circulating on the internet and in wedding and lifestyle magazines across the country. The same can be said of local professional videographers who shoot their own stock footage of this beautiful city in order to better edit commercial pieces for local businesses.

In its current form, the proposed ordinance is terrifying for these aforementioned creative professionals. As of today (May 11th), no details have been given on possible permit costs, how frequently they will need to be applied for and what criteria will need to be met for approval. It is also not yet clear how soon the ordinance will be implemented if it passes the May 14th vote in its current form. As you can imagine, this many lingering questions has many in the local photographic community very concerned.

I fully appreciate the need to regulate large productions that require the use of equipment trucks, tents on city property, drone flights, use of city utilities and the coordination of large equipment in public areas, and I firmly believe that my peers in photography and video do as well. With that said, there is a great difference between large-scale productions involving multiple people and large equipment versus an individual videographer, wedding or portrait photographer with a single camera.

Without a more specific definition for "commercial photography" and allowances made for the photographers and videographers who already rely on free access to city parks and streets for the events they shoot every weekend, this ordinance could cripple dozens of going concerns that add value to our community at large. Local, long-time photographers like Jeremy Cook, Rick Schamberger, David and Jessica Marshall and Josh and Sara Thurber all come to mind, just to name a few. Their bodies of work are more than a means to their own living. Their images help define Pensacola far and wide as a beautiful place. The same can be said of the numerous video production companies who have, until now, freely shot their B-roll footage in public spaces for use in local commercials.

Ultimately, I hope that you will oppose this ordinance in its current form. Before it comes to the table, I would ask you to please, if you have not done so already, look at some alternative models that could be incorporated into a new draftof the ordinance for a vote. The City of New York has a very solid system in place, the details of which you can find here:http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/permits/permit_required_fee.shtml. In short, the system they have in place has a very accommodating set of rules stating a permit is not required when "hand-held cameras or tripods are used and the person filming does not assert exclusive use of City property." This exception has allowed for individuals and small businesses to thrive in New York City while still nurturing a profitable and active film industry under the purview of the city's film commission. Closer to home, the City of Tallahassee has a near-identical set of rules that you may find here: http://www.visittallahassee.com/industry/media-film/

It is my sincere hope that Pensacola could look to those above two cities and adopt a similar model to the benefit of all concerned.

I am writing to you, my District 4 Councilman, in hopes that you will take these thoughts into consideration as this ordinance approaches the vote.

In summary, I believe that reviving the film commission is a tremendous boon to our community, and I believe that Mayor Hayward's active and dynamic personality will utilize the potential of that position to its highest extent. With that said, the current, broad definitions and requirements pertaining to commercial photography and video are toxic to the photographic and video professionals already working hard in our city. As a voter and as a photographic professional, I ask that you oppose the ordinance in its current form and urge the rest of the City Council to do the same.

All the best, Steven Gray East Pensacola Heights, Pensacola 850-712-5730 stevengrayphotography.com

Old Hickory Whiskey Bar - Pensacola Photographer

Old Hickory Whiskey Bar, photographed by Steven Gray

Where to begin?

Old Hickory first earned my affection on the strength of the name. I grew up with my grandmother telling me that her side of the family was descended from President Andrew "Old Hickory" Jackson, the historical bad@$$ who invaded Spanish Florida twice and generally Honey Badgered his way through into historical record.

Long story short, Pensacola, for its own quirky reasons, reveres Andrew Jackson. There are several sites around town dedicated to his memory and my ears perk up when I hear about a new one.

Two years ago, Old Hickory opened its doors and I was absolutely floored by the atmosphere of the bar, the number of whiskeys in stock and the incredible friendliness of the owners and staff. It's a place that keeps the music low and the cocktails perfect. It invites slow drinks and long conversations with both friends and strangers. And, like any good craft cocktail bar, the signature drinks often involve bursts of flame.

Old Hickory Whiskey Bar

123 S. Palafox St., Pensacola, FL 32501

https://www.facebook.com/OldHickoryWhiskeyBar

Owner: Katie Garrett

Bar Manager: Jeff Knott