Jeff Zilm

His are by far some of my favorite editorial pictures I’ve shot  for Patron Magazine and other similar projects. Jeff Zilm, the American visual artists and Dallas resident, was featured in Patron’s (latest) issue, and I had the pleasure of photographing him for this feature. Zilm’s art is very unique – he makes paintings that are so minimalist at the surface, but are created based on a very creative and complicated process using film stock, where he transfers cut-up film from reel to canvas. He does that through a chemical process he created that mixes paint with an emulsion base he strips from film to pain his art pieces. The end result is a captivating blend of grays and whites that has a very intriguing and, at times, ”ghostly presence”. Jeff is a highly sought after artist, at times selling pieces that haven’t yet been painted, and his works has been showcased in numerous gallery and museum exhibitions. I thank Patron’s Terri Provencal for the opportunity to capture Jeff and his art at his studio in Dallas.

Roar

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am fascinated by big cats. Any opportunity i have to see them, i will not say no. Unfortunately, i have not been yet to the lands of Africa and tour it to see those gorgeous animals in their natural habitat. However, i have been to quite a few places, mainly rescue places, that take care of neglected or abused animals. I shot this image at the InSync Exotics Rescue & Education Center. Such a wonderful cat. Meet Dinari. Dinari and his brother Malikai were both rescued in 2002. You can visit them at InSync Exotics in Texas.

JR Martinez

William Bichara, the renowned Dallas fashion and celebrity photographer has a distinctive talent at delving into the depths of his subjects and bringing to life their innermost self. On top of being distinctive and captivating, his end photographs are tasteful and true to character. Every personality, artist or otherwise, who has been photographed by William Bichara was nothing less than overly pleased by the experience of working with William the person, and enjoying the product of William the photographer. The lasting working relationships and often personal friendships that are forged by fashion and celebrity photographer William Bichara with every new shooting experience, make him one of the most unique and sought after photographers in Dallas.

In an event for Smiles Charity in McKinney, TX, William had a brief yet valuable one-on-one photo session with a very unique personality who has been described by executive producer of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning daytime drama, ‘All My Children’, as representing the “best of the human spirit”. JR Martinez, a celebrated actor on the show and also a soldier and a motivational speaker is an inspiration to anyone who crosses paths with him. Having been injured and experienced severe burns to over 40 percent of his body while serving as a United States Army infantryman in Iraq, JR has found an exceptional power to turn his tragedy into hope. During his time in recovery, JR had the opportunity to discover the positive impact he had on his fellow patients and decided to use his experience to help others. Since then, JR Martinez has travelled the country, sharing his experience and spreading the message of resilience and hope, thereby becoming one of the highly sought after motivational speakers in the country.

Martinez’s life journey took him in a new direction as he joined the cast of “All My Children” where he brilliantly plays the character Brot Monroe, a US army soldier injured in combat and battling the implied fate of his love. Since then, he’s been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, PEOPLE magazine, the New York Times, and New York Daily News, has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes, The View, CNN, Inside Edition, FOX News, Good Morning America, Univision, along with other major national news outlets.

Touched by JR’s journey, and inspired by his charm and zeal for life, William Bichara quickly saw beyond the wounds and let his camera do the work of capturing JR’s wonderful spirit. In a series of images very telling of what JR Martinez stands for, William Bichara yet again came through as a photographer with the very unique talent of connecting with his photographed characters on a very deep level and translating his treasured discoveries into images that tell a captivating yet very true version of the character’s story – in this case the inspiring story of the brilliant JR Martinez.