I woke up at 4:30 this morning to go take some shots of the sunrise, as it’s been a long time since I last photographed a sunrise and since I woke up this early. It was real refreshing and a nice start to a long day. I loved the smell coming across the grassy field and the cool of the air at that time of the morning. Here’s what I took.
The morning dew.
The sunrise.
An old house in the field.
That old house again.
Here lately I’ve been thinking more and more about getting back into shooting portraits again. I have been avoiding portrait sessions for a while now, mainly so I could focus on wedding photography and because I just didn’t want to do them. But here for a while now I’ve been brain storming on ideas and even considered getting a studio several times. So today I decided to take a small break from all the wedding photo-editing I’ve been doing non-stop and go shoot some photos of my daughter while she played and shoot some photos I can use to further promote portraits.
It was nice to get out and shoot some photos of her, since I haven’t done so in quite a while. I tend to put off shooting extra stuff during wedding season because I spend almost all of my time focused and working on wedding photos outside of spending time with my wife and daughter and it leaves me no time to ever do anything with the photos I do take. So I am going to try marketing portraits again and hopefully get into doing kids and even some senior portraits. Shooting weddings have really developed my shooting style and abilities, as I refer to weddings as “extreme” photography, as they tend to push the limits and test one’s abilities every time. Weddings are very fast-paced, challenging lighting conditions, and never the same as the one before. I love shooting them and that is why I have been focused on just them, but I’ve began to realize the shots outside of weddings that I do tend to turn out really good as well.
I’m not certain yet as to if whether or not I am going to start a studio, just because as a wedding photographer, a studio is more costly than beneficial and if I’m not doing enough portrait sessions, then I’m wasting money by investing in the equipment for a studio and spending it on a lease space that serves no purpose. So I’ll see how it takes off and if it turns out to be promising, I’ll find a place and start up one. I’ve got a lot of fresh ideas for a studio as well, which is one of the conditions I told myself I’d have to have before starting one. I want stuff that really stands out, that’s different, and not boring or resembling what everyone else with a studio is doing.
So anyways, I figured I’d share that with everyone and let you know I’ll be doing a lot more with it once I get finished up with all of my current wedding stuff. Feel free to give me a shout if you’re interested in having some done and I’ll gladly schedule you in where I can. Thanks for everyone’s support!
Well, as many of you know, I spent the last week in Ottawa, Ontario Canada to shoot a wedding this past Saturday. It was my first international wedding, so now I guess I’m officially an international photographer. Ahhh, Ottawa was such a beautiful place and I really enjoyed my time there seeing the sights. Some may be wondering “Where are the photos of Ottawa”? Well, I didn’t take a whole lot and right now I don’t have time to edit any of them because I’m so freakin busy right now with editing weddings.
I’ll try to post some at a later date, but no promises. I met Julie and Caleb from Missy and Andrew’s wedding, which Caleb was a groomsman in their wedding. Missy was the bride standing in the water holding her dress up incase you were wondering. Caleb and Julie were impressed with their photos and with me, so they decided to fly me up to Ottawa for their wedding which was totally awesome. They are a really great couple, completing one another perfectly. I had a great time visiting with them and seeing Missy and Andrew again.
Their wedding was incredible and I was even alloted quite a bit of time between the ceremony and reception just for photos, which is where the ones at the barn came in.
I also met with another couple and shot their engagement photos, which I will be heading back to Canada next year to photograph their wedding as well and hopefully get a few more weddings in between now and then.
All in all, I had a great time seeing different places and spending time with the people there and concluded my trip with a wonderful wedding to photograph and a nice flight back home to my family. I anxiously look forward to my next trip up there, because it’s such a beautiful place and I would even live there if I could.
Thanks you all for everything and those of you from Canada, I’ll be seeing you again soon!
Well, for the second time, my wife got to celebrate mother’s day as a mom. I didn’t know what all to get her for mother’s day(typical guy dilemma), so I thought a special mommy/daughter photo session would be a great start. I hired a friend of mine, Amy Kelton, to shoot some photos of the two of them as a surprise. I chose to not do them myself because I wanted a different perspective than mine and an expression I personally don’t get as the “always around” photographer.
Well the surprise was slightly blown. A friend of mine called me Friday night needing me to come shoot some of his art pieces before he installed them Saturday afternoon, so I headed off Saturday morning to go quickly do those. I took off without my phone and didn’t fully explain to Amy that I was trying to surprise my wife by pretending I was going to be the one taking photos and just drop something off to Amy right quick, only to hand over the task to her and surprise my wife. Well, Amy called my phone and my wife answered, only to be completely confused as to what was going on. They managed to put 2 and 2 together and figured out my plan by the time I got there.
It was a really nice session and fun to see someone else behind the camera and having the same difficulty getting shots of my daughter. (I thought I was the only one). Turns out it’s pretty standard protocol with 2 year olds. I edited the two photos above right quick, as I just simply don’t have time right now to do any more.
After watching the session, I am starting to get my desire to have my own studio again. I opted out of one a while back because studio stuff just wasn’t quite what I wanted to do, but I’ve had some really cool ideas lately and I think I want to start working towards portraits again. Originally I started off doing portraits only to build up towards shooting weddings all of the time, which worked great and I was able to finally quit doing portraits all together since I prefer weddings, but I’m starting to reconsider doing some portrait sessions again.
Below is a sample shot of a setup I was experimenting with. Instead of boring backdrops, I want to create the appearance of being in a room with whatever color walls and flooring type I choose and the ability to add decorations to the wall that will enhance the photo. Once I get the concept down and feel comfortable with it, I will start looking for a studio space to rent and begin expanding into studio portraits that rock and aren’t the same junk you get from Wal-Mart or similar studios. Nah, these will be awesome and fun and I’ll always be expanding on what I offer with the ability to choose what setup you’d like.
Anywho, that’s a little off the subject of mother’s day, but just a little update of what I have brewing for the future.
And about that mother’s day, we had a good one and definitely made our mom’s feel appreciated, loved, and special to us. I filled in the blanks for my daughter, as she has a rather strange way of expressing that and needs a translator. It was such a beautiful day and I hope all of you had a great one as well. Thank you moms for doing the stuff us daddies just aren’t designed to do and having that special touch and tenderness we came short of in the creation process.
(TITLE: “Portraits with a 2 year old”)
Hey everyone, I won’t bother going into trying to explain why it’s been so long since I last posted, but I’ll break the silence with a recent event that was nothing short of amazing.
I was attending our churches baptism this past Sunday, because a couple I had been their wedding photographer for attend there and the bride was getting baptized. I hadn’t charged my battery from the wedding I shot the day before, so I didn’t intend on shooting more than a few shots because it was going to go dead at any time. Our preacher informed me he would be baptizing his daughter today as well, so I figured I’d try to get a few shots of that as well.
There was around 60 people getting baptized that day, so it was an incredible number and an incredible day to say the least. Aundrea was accompanied by her husband as she was baptized and it was wonderful to be there for them and see her husband, Zach, standing there by her side. That’s one of the coolest things about my job is I sometimes get to be an ongoing friend and keep in touch as they grow and develop in their marriages and share life together.
It was really cool I got to be there when they shared another great moment together as well. The preacher got to baptize his youngest daughter, pictured above, and it was heart-touching. How cool is that for a dad to get to be there and perform the baptism of his child professing their faith and belief in Christ as their Savior.
The baptism when on and on it seemed and I was getting ready to put my camera up when I noticed something emotional taking place across the way from me. I recognized the elderly gentleman as our preacher’s dad, but didn’t know right at first what was happening. I seen him start kicking his shoes off and I instantly knew exactly what was taken place then. It was a very emotional moment for their family, as it’s been a very long and rough road leading up to this point.
They have all attended church for some time except for him until here recently from my understanding. I won’t go into personal details, but a moment they all had spoke many prayers for was coming true in front of us all. Not only that, the preacher, his son, was the one that not only got the privilege of baptizing his daughter just earlier, but was now fixing to be the one that performed his own dad’s baptism. Him and his brother (on the right) helped their dad into the pool and kneeled by his side as he was asked of his belief in Christ as his Savior. I’ll never forget the sound of his dad’s voice as it trembled as he said “YES” to his question. I continued shooting and found myself in aw that I was able to be there to capture that for them.
Our preacher use to be a professional photographer himself, so he knows and shares the value of a photograph. I found myself blessed to be there at that point in time to capture the moment for him and his family to cherish for years to come.
As a believer in Christ, it’s so easy to get discouraged and to feel like giving up when prayers don’t seem to be heard at times and you think all hope is lost. But it is that continuing and unwavering faith we’re expected to have regardless and when the moment is right, we will witness some really amazing moments in our lives. I know they felt like giving up on their dad all those years, but now they know he’ll be there with them in Heaven some day and they know God does hear and answer prayers, not in the time we think they should happen, but at a much more perfect time God decides on and the impact is tremendous.
Anyways, I wanted to share that with you all and I’m going to try to do better to post here and get back on track of keeping this thing updated.
Ok, so I’m left wondering just what happened to me in Arizona? This was my first bridal shoot since I got back and I am amazed I took them. I think there was something in that blue-green water or in the dry air that abducted me. Haha. I shot these of Brandis this afternoon and I had fun. I’m shooting her wedding Saturday, so these were a last minute thing. Chances are, she won’t even see them before her wedding. I just couldn’t wait to share them! She makes a beautiful bride and lets her personality come out in her photos. I can’t wait to see what Saturday’s photos look like. I can relate to my customers, because I’m just as anxious to see how they come out as you all are. I’m like the little hyper kid on Christmas Eve. Ok, maybe not that bad, but you get the point.
I’ve gotta go to bed, because I have a day of getting ready ahead of me and final preparations to make. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Overlooking Phoenix from Papago Park.
Phoenix sunset.
Mooney Falls in the Grand Canyon. 200 ft.
Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon. 100 ft.
The Grand Canyon lit by full-moon light.
Route 66 lit by full-moon light.
Me shooting in Paradise. Taken by my brother.
Me on my hike into the Canyon. The red is from the sunlight bouncing off the Canyon walls.
Ok, so I’ve been back for about a week now and I’ve had several people ask me how the trip was. It was incredible! And I appologize for not sharing any sooner than now, I just had so much work waiting on me when I got back. Sadly, the blog gets put on the back burner and that’s just not right.
Phoenix was a pretty cool place to visit. It definitely wasn’t my idea of a big city, because I think of Dallas or New York when I think of big cities and Phoenix doesn’t have very many high rise buildings. Phoenix is big because it’s really wide. The weather there was amazing! I left Arkansas at the beginning of 4 nasty days of rainy, cold weather and instead enjoyed clear blue skies and very comfortable temperatures. The only complaint is how dry the air is there. It’s nice in alot of ways, but it’s really tough on the sinuses. I won’t go into details, but it sure hurts to breath through your nose. My brother and I drove to the Grand Canyon Thursday. We stopped in Sedona, the “Red Rock” country, and got dinner in Flagstaff. Both were awesome places and a sight to see. We even drove up old Route 66 for a short ways and reached Supai at the Grand Canyon around midnight. It was incredible looking into the canyon under the moonlight. I put a couple of photos from the trip below to give a small glimpse of what I saw, but they really can’t tell it like experiencing it for yourself.
We hiked down to the village of the Havasupai Tribe early Friday morning. It was such an awesome experience, but I had carried way too much weight and paid dearly for it. But being a photographer with the goal of capturing some great shots, I wasn’t going to spare anything that might hinder me. Next time will be a completely different story. We camped for two nights and hiked out Sunday at midnight, walking and admiring everything by the moonlight. It was a full moon, so we never had to use our flashlights and could see very well. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it out though, cause I was so exhausted and sore and the weight of my pack was on the verge of crippling me. Obviously, I made it out and survived, but those last couple of miles like to have killed me. We ended up hiking about 30 miles in all in those three days, far more exercise than I’m use to.
Fortunately, the majority of the soreness was gone by Monday and the good memories of what I experienced were the focus instead of the agony of the hike. I also got to meet up with a photographer who has been an inspiration to me for quite a while and he was just as awesome in person as he is through his blog. www.jeffersontodd.com is the guy, go check him out. I really enjoyed the time with my brother and the trip was very refreshing and much needed. But I couldn’t have been more glad to get back home to my daughter and wife, both whom I missed dearly while gone. I got back to Little Rock at 11:30 Tuesday night and teared up when I seen my two ladies waiting on me to take me home. That pretty much summarizes the trip, check out the photos to tell the rest.
Today was such a great day. It was beautiful outside, especially in contrast to yesterday. It stormed like crazy and even had a few tornado warnings. But today was beautiful blue skies, a nice breeze and some fresh air, all at the right temperature.
I met up with Kristopher and Stacy this afternoon to shoot some photos of them. These two were fun to work with and we got to try out a location that’s been on my laundry list for a while, the Argenta area. It turned out to be a pretty awesome location. We even hopped aboard the street car since they had never been on it for a few shots as the sun went down. We rode the full loop, then returned back to the north shore and shot a couple of more night shots before calling it an evening.
They make a really sweet couple and are planning on having their wedding at a plantation home in Georgia in a couple of years. I wish them both the best and I can bet they’ll have one rockin wedding from what she’s described to me so far. Thanks you two for the great afternoon!
My wife, her sister and niece, and myself all went to the Casting Crowns concert here in Little Rock tonight. It was amazing to say the least. I’ve been to rock concerts back in my teen years, but this was far better than any of those. Casting Crowns is a really phenomenal Christian band in my opinion, because they address many common issues in modern day church and the Christian followers in their music. Read their bio and you’ll find they’re a pretty incredible group of people doing some amazing work. Their album “Lifesong” is very powerful and one of my favorites, as well as their new album “The Altar And The Door” which has some nice songs on it as well. They talked about an organization they back called World Vision (www.worldvision.org) and it made me think about some of the conversations we’ve had in our small group at church in the past few weeks.
I realize by hearing others talk about their jobs just how incredibly blessed I’ve been to have the job I have now. I don’t work around a bunch of people cracking nasty jokes or saying hateful things about others any more. These are the tasteless junk most of us have to deal with in the work industry, especially some of the jobs I’ve worked in the past. Instead I am self-employed and between my daughter and the Backyardigains, Blues Clues, and Barney, I’m pretty safe from any of that. And my bosses (my clients) are some of the best people I’ve ever worked for and it’s nothing short of an honor to get to work with them.
One of the coolest things about owning your own business is you being able to choose what your business is about and show who you are through it. I believe in giving back and helping others and photography is where my ability to do just that comes in. I believe God is who blessed me with this amazing opportunity, so doing my best to make my business about helping others is one of the least things I can do to repay the blessing.
I usually don’t like sharing with others when I give or help someone because of two reasons. 1) I don’t do it for others to think highly of me. I don’t want anyone to think I’m a good guy for it or give me any credit whatsoever. That’s not why I do it. 2) It’s between me and God. I do it so I may find favor with Him. It’s a personal thing between us. You’ll never hear me talk about it or see me write about it.
With that being said, I was half hesitant to mention this. But I decided to share this one time because after all, you’re here reading because you want to know who I am and I think it’ll be ok to share just this one. I decided to sponsor a child through World Vision with my business. I chose a child close in age to my daughter and who lives in India, because I want to go there some day. My hopes are as the years go by, I teach my daughter about this little boy who lives in a place far worse off than anything here in the US and our giving provides clean water, medical treatment, education, food, and a few other things that he otherwise wouldn’t be able to have. As we correspond with him over the years, I eventually would like to take her with me and go to India to visit him and his family.
This way she can see how a very small contribution into someone’s life can make a much bigger difference than most of us ever realize. As a dad, my goal is to do everything I can to teach my child the more meaningful things in this life and to try and teach her how to be selfless, when our society teaches just the opposite. The potential each of us have to impact peoples lives for the better if we get beyond “self” is limitless. If I can instill this in my daughter, I believe she will find joy and success in this life as well as purpose.
You want to know what your investment goes to? It gets you great photos and a pleasant experience, but it goes to not just providing for my family, but to helping others in need and reaching those who need help. This is the heart of who is behind the photos you see and what my ultimate purpose is. I would love to one day be so successful that I am able to contribute on a large scale, to make a huge impact on this world before leaving it.
I will keep you all posted on Asif, which is this boy’s name. You all are the ones who fund him through my services to you, so I figured I’ll keep you updated as we communicate.
Thank you for reading.
Hey everyone,
I want to let you all know I will be in Pheonix from October 23 - 30th visiting my brother. I figured it was a good idea to inform everyone so if you find yourself trying to get in touch with me and I can’t be gotten ahold of, this is why. I will have my phone on me and do my best to help you all in any way I can, but I will be limited and out of reach for a few of those days. Anyways, have a great day!
Fully alive certainly describes the way I’ve felt today. You know those days you just feel exceptionally good for some reason? Mine couldn’t have came on a better day. I mean, I would’ve hated wasting it not doing much of anything, instead I got to spend it working on a Saturday! And I loved every minute of it. Haha. It was a great day from the time I got going early this morning. I headed to Lake Quachita to meet up with Missy this morning and it was the beginning to a wonderful day. Missy and Andrew are a really amazing couple. These two started off as really good friends and before you knew it, love took over. Not only that, they both have some incredible families that were there to support them on one of the greatest days of their lives. They had several family members who drove and flew in from Canada to attend their wedding. Andrew is from Canada and Missy is originally from Arkansas, but they both met while attending college in Australia. She later moved to Canada to be with the man she loves so dearly and they all journeyed out to Lake Quachita for one of the most spectacular weddings I’ve attended.
The bridal party on both sides were a really fun group. The guys weren’t the least bit hesitant to act themselves and have a blast, but I guess that’s no surprise after the photos they showed me from their visit to Tennessee. Missy had some really beautiful and sweet bridesmaids their in support of her. This was also a wedding far from ordinary in many ways. The first big surprise was the guys traded in the shiny dress shoes for some new Converse shoes. That’s putting an original spin on it. And Missy’s dad, Mr. Dexter grilled up some delicious chicken and hamburgers to top off the wonderful array of food for people to eat. One of the things I found very profound about their ceremony is they washed each other’s feet being symbolic to Christ and how they are to be servants to one another. This was a first time on me and I thought it was an awesome idea. They have started their marriage with God in the center of it and I believe they’ll have a very blessed marriage because of it. The people attending were such sweet and kind people, making me have a real appreciation for our neighbors just north of the border and those that are from here. To sum it up, it was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day. And I also felt fully alive, which I must say is such an incredible feeling especially on such an incredible day. It was one of those days I felt deeply blessed and one I wish for many times again in my life. Thanks to all of you and I hope to see ya sometime soon when I come to shoot a wedding up in Canada!
I’ll try to post some more photos in a few days.
I had the pleasure of finally meeting Andrew this afternoon. I met Missy last weekend when we went to Fort Smith. These two are here from Canada to get married tomorrow at Lake Quachita, where I shot their engagement photos this afternoon. Andrew was a cool guy and we had fun shooting their photos. They both play guitar, so I grabbed mine out of the closet and decided to include it in their photos to represent a little bit about them. We made it fun and as we were walking along the banks of Lake Quachita, we came across a boat dock and my eyes lit up. Oh the way this was going to make a great setting for some shots. We played around there for a few minutes and then called it an afternoon. I wanted to share a few quick shots from their session and tell you all how excited I am to be shooting their wedding tomorrow! Enjoy!
Ok, so I did something that’s very rare for me . . . I shot some baby pictures today. I normally don’t photograph babies, because I always highly recommend my friend Amy Kelton (www.amykeltonphotography.com), who does so much better of a job at it than I and loves it, but on the rare occasion I make an exception here and there for a special few. I’ve known Mindi for 11 years now, as we met back in high school. We’ve kept in touch throughout the years and when she finally got pregnant, it was time to step in and take some photographs. You all may remember a previous post of her with her best friend when I shot some maternity photos of the both of them. Well this is the beautiful little girl that was hiding inside.
My daughter and I went over to Mindi’s today to visit and shoot a couple of photos of Haven. Abigail started off focusing her interests in all the new items Mindi’s house contained for her to get into. She then came back and gave Haven a bit of attention. Haven was adorable. She is a very balanced combination between her dad and her mom. She strongly resembles her daddy until she smiles, and then her smile and all strongly favors her mommy. She was just as sweet as can be and was such a great sport at being photographed. It was a blessing to finally meet her and I was a little disappointed I wasn’t able to visit any sooner.
I just figured I’d share these right quick. I hope you enjoy!
My wife, daughter, and myself all took a road-trip this weekend. We left Little Rock Friday night headed to Fort Smith, where we stayed the night. I met with my bride getting married next weekend, Missy, who was such a delight. I can tell they’re going to have a very unique and fun wedding, as her and her fiancee are going to be a blast working with. I had a great visit needless to say. My family and I then headed to the National Historic Site to check it out. It was pretty interesting. We didn’t have any cash on us at the time, so we weren’t able to get into the museum. Oh well, maybe next time. The photos at the top are of the old military barracks/federal courthouse that the famous Judge Parker, aka the “Hanging Judge” ruled in. The photo of the soldier is of a guy who was dressed up and out on the lawn with his camp setup. I did a little editing to give it that really old look in case you’re wondering.
We left there and headed to Eureka Springs, stopping in Springdale to grab a bite to eat for lunch at the Cracker Barrel. We got there just in time and I met with Cori and her fiancee Charlie along with their three kids to shoot some family/engagement pictures in Eureka Springs. They were a great bunch and I enjoyed it. They’re a good looking couple and have some great kids to top it off. The kids had their best time when we went to the playground, where they were free to play and have a big time. On the other end of the see-saw was Charlie, who by the expression on his face, looked like he was having as good of a time as they were. Thanks you guys for the great afternoon.
After shooting their photos, we headed back home. After driving for a little over an hour, my wife and I decided to get a motel for the night. We were both exhausted and figured it was better to get a room and hit the road in the morning after a good night’s rest. We stopped at a motel in Marshall, which I must say was quite an experience. There’s a certain adventure to a small-town motel, one that holds all the unique amenities of an old almost vintage motel would. To put it simple, wood paneling walls and 1980’s furniture can’t be found in just any motel. Oh well, what’s life without a little adventure? We got our rest and made it home just fine.
It was a by all means a really great weekend.
It dawned on me the other day, I don’t ever write about the weddings I’m a part of. Honestly, I don’t have a real good reason why, other than I guess I have a hard time picking out photos to post for it. So I decided I’d start with a wedding I did at the end of July.
Brett and Elisabeth are such a great couple. These two definitely go together and were made for one another. I had my first experience of working with them when I did their engagement photos. They wanted to include their dog, Bailey, who was a significant animal to especially Brett. The decided they wanted to shoot them in a park in Little Rock, which was a really great location. Well, while walking down to the main area, Bailey went dashing through the woods, as a dog normally would. She came back and had cut her ear on a thorn bush or something, which caused it to bleed profusely. I later learned a cut on a dog’s ear usually does bleed a lot. Well, there was no way to get the shots with Bailey because of the incident, so they tied her up and we shot pictures of just the two of them. I really felt bad they weren’t able to get the shots with her, so I told them we’d meet up one afternoon and shoot some quick ones of them with her so they’d have some.
The shoot went well and we got some great captures from it. On their wedding day, I started with shooting them getting ready in the motel they were staying at. It was here I noticed what wonderful friends and family they had there for them. I knew by being around the groom and groomsmen, they were going to be a fun bunch. These guys even attempted to get a limo at the last minute, which the bargaining process didn’t go quite as planned. Brett was still working on finishing up his wedding vows, getting in his best words at the last minute. They met in the motel prior to the wedding and the looks on their faces were priceless. They both looked great.
We left the motel and went to the park they were holding the Ceremony at. It was SO hot, but worth every minute of it. It actually seemed to cool off some when the ceremony was beginning, a rather strange occurrence. They had a very beautiful ceremony, each reading their own vows to one another. They proceeded on to their reception at the Albert Pike Hotel, where they had a blast! Upon arriving, I had a bit of a reunion myself, seeing a DJ I haven’t seen in a while. It was DJ Ugly Ed, a local DJ for Alice 107.7 in Little Rock which I always recommend. The guy does a great job and really gets things going and keeps them going. The reception was beautiful and the guests sure knew how to have fun. They did such a great job at setting it all up and over all, they had a beautiful wedding and a very fun reception. It was a wedding to remember and these two were fun to have worked with. Thanks you two.
