Family Weekend

We had a great weekend! Shot a wedding on Friday, a football team on Saturday, my sister and her husband came in from Phoenix, we ate all the good stuff...Hibachi steak, fish n chips, Krispy Kreme (you got to try one someday Rog), and polish dogs and burgers on the grill. Alec also played a lot of flipflop baseball with a baloon with "Uncle".

Here’s a little something that Erin doesn’t like me to talk about. When I use someone else’s pillow I have really “foreign” dreams. Like when we stay at a hotel or whatever, I have these vivid dreams about people I don’t know and places I’ve never been but are supposed to be familiar. Now, I should say that I usually remember something from my dreams and I suppose that makes me a little bit of a freak. So my theory is that somehow, some way, we leave a little bit of a dream imprint on our pillows that can have some kind of impression on someone else’s dream. Erin’s always telling me, “You aren’t Joseph and you sure aren’t living in Bible times”. I think it really bugs her that I keep bringing it up because I sound like such a nut-case. But every I use a “foreign” pillow, I have a “foreign” dream. Does anybody else ever get that or did I just eat too much paste in grade school?

Lake Dreams

Sunday morning at Greer's Ferry Lake in Arkansas. I woke up before everybody and had some coffee and went out and got some sleepy shots. The condensation on the lens was from the change in temp but I decided I kind of liked it for a shot or two.

Say hello to my little friend...

Anna

Billy and Alison's new bundle is wonderful and even though she slept through most of her first shoot, she didn't blink or cry so I didn't have to throw out too many shots. That's always a big plus in my book. It's weird to think my little ones were so small not too long ago, time really does jump on you...not like Adam Sandler in Remote but pretty stinkin fast.

Remember when you were 3?

My son turned three and it seems about that age that I kind of can remember some stuff. Nothing really before that so from now on I'll have to be careful what kind of garbage I tell him like the moon is really an eyeball that watches for kids who refuse to potty train how Mickey Mouse is sick in the hospital and if you clean your room he'll get better but if not....(I'm just kidding, maybe).

Ranger Rick and World Magazine

When I was a kid my sister had a subscription to Ranger Rick and I had a subscription to World. On the back of World, (or maybe it was the inside back cover or something) they had a section with photos of things you’ve seen before, but they were either so magnified, or had so little context clues, that it was a visual puzzle to figure out what it was. I loved those shots. I always had fun trying to figure them out and I suppose that might have some influence on how I like to see the world. I think if you can isolate a subject to it’s core values and remove background distractions, you can discover beauty of line in the ordinary. I know this sounds really artsy fartsy, and most people could care less but I think it’s fun. I think the curving lines of a giant fuel tank can be beautiful in a way, but we usually see them as simply utility steps and peripheral. Not “subject matter”.
Anyway, I’ve had a few people tell me they didn’t understand the last blog entry image so I thought I’d back it out and show it in color…in “normal conditions”. But honestly, I like the way I showed it first much better. Especially since it’s unclear where the stairs lead and how high up they are and all that. OK, enough artsy fartsy, I’ll try and drum up some more Ansel-esk images for you guys stuck in your cubicles.

Fuel Tanks

Rick and Diane are here for a visit from Ohio and I’m finally getting a little bit caught up. I shot in Branson twice this week and the heat was really intense, that kind of intense heat that makes you sleepy in a dangerous way, like being in a sauna in northern Minnesota just a bit too long. So we dropped by Bass Pro and fought the crowd and we checked out some $16,000.00 shotguns. I didn’t buy many.The photo above is three fuel tankers. This is actually my 3rd attempt to capture it just right over the course of 3 or 4 years. I still think I want to try it again a little different

Lauren

So Adam has helped me a bunch this summer…and as photo assistants always end up having to be a lighting guinea pig and grey card holder, I thought I’d put together some of those “light test” shots. But I also threw in the shots of the day at the park with Jillian and Adam and Adam’s sis Carrisa. So anyway, click here to see the madness.
Also today, I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Lauren. She is a model but she doesn’t know it yet. Here’s a shot from today.

Story-Friend Wedding Images

The Story-Friend photos are now all online and ready to be viewed. By the way, the images you see are low resolution; the lab uses the high resolution version of each file you see to make the prints. Click anywhere here to go straight to the gallery. If your computer prompts you to search, enter “Story” to find that specific gallery.

Happy Birthday Mom!

It's hard to believe your finally 25!!

They shoot canoes...

...now I understand why. We went camping with our Church group this weekend and we brought the kids aboard. It was a little hot for camping, and the water was a little low for floating, and the current was a little non-existant, and Alec was a little less than chipper, but we still had a blast. Harold and Freida took some pictures that they graciously gave me so now you can see the beauty that is: The Buffalo River just outside of Yellville, Arkansas (infamous hometown of Justin Florio).

Story-Friend Album Pages

So I finished up the Story-Friend wedding album last night and today I took an actual nap since I was up so late. It was one of those weird disorienting naps that make you confused about what day it is and whether it’s morning or afternoon. Actually, that can be a little fun sometimes. Anyway, I can hear some drama from the kiddos in the next room so I’ll wrap this up. Click anywhere here to see the wedding album.

Cody

Just so you know, you can now go back to the old posts in case you want to. For awhile now you couldn’t go back and see stuff that was too long ago like this post but now you can. Yay.

Jenny and Adam

I've had the pleasure of meeting Jenny and Adam who are planning their wedding the smart way.....early. They are a terrific couple and I know their wedding will be a lot of fun! You will hear more about these two down the road...

Signs

Some of you may have noticed that I like signs. I think it's really funny to see signs out of their context and maybe in a totally different context or juxtapositioned by something else that changes the meaning. I know it's kind of silly but it cracks me up.

Exotic Animal Paradise

Last week we went to feed some water buffalo, elk, deer, donkeys, zebras, camels, ostriches, longhorns, bison, sebu, gazelle, emus, and other critters. If you get a chance to go, go soon…they are closing for good Oct 1…golf is more popular than fat lazy deer around here.

Mr. and Mrs.

Congratulations Casey and Marquita! Your wedding was very cool....even though it was a scortcher!

Tigerlilly

I think this is a tigerlilly...anyway, it's one of the cool flowers that we inherited without doing any of the work when we bought the house. The light was hitting this one just right this morning and I had to snap this shot.

Redheads

I took this shot the other day and I thought it was neat how the pump and little Nathan's hair are the same color. It's one of those shots that's not technically perfect but I keep going back to it and looking at it. Anyway, I thought I'd share it. It just needs a good caption....any ideas?