Monday, March 10, 2008
texture
I've been experimenting with texture lately. I think it's important to keep up with the trends happening in wedding/portrait photography, and I'd definitely say texture (among other things) is now trendy. Some of it I like, some of it I don't. I think it fails when it becomes gratuitous - not contributing to the photo's value, but instead becoming a distraction. I guess I'm opposed to texture for the sake of texture. There are, however, some photographers that use it successfully and artfully. Jesh de Rox comes to mind. There's hardly an image this guy doesn't texture the heck out of. And he's made it his signature style. I guess maybe I'm still finding my "style." Right now that seems to be borrowing everyone else's techniques and ideas. So with that said, I'd love some feedback on the texture issue. Is it actually enhancing the image?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
ACU makes news...
Texas University Giving Freshmen iPhones and iPod Touches
Unbelievable. Apparently, now ACUers can worship God and Steve Jobs. And what more could an incoming freshman want? Ha ha...
For those of you out of the loop, I attended Abilene Christian University, a fairly small school in west Texas that is now giving away an iPhone to every incoming freshman. While I'm sure this is built into tuition cost, I kinda think it's cool. I know the idea isn't new (Duke's been doing this with iPods) but the product is. And I think there are more educational applications with the iPhone than with an iPod. Although, I imagine there will be more distractions as well. Can you imagine everyone with an iPhone at chapel? Utter disarray.
Anyway, props to ACU for implementing what I think could be a really neat idea. I just hope they realize all the implications for the campus.
Hmmm... wonder if I can get one retroactively?
I'll have to pray about it.
Unbelievable. Apparently, now ACUers can worship God and Steve Jobs. And what more could an incoming freshman want? Ha ha...
For those of you out of the loop, I attended Abilene Christian University, a fairly small school in west Texas that is now giving away an iPhone to every incoming freshman. While I'm sure this is built into tuition cost, I kinda think it's cool. I know the idea isn't new (Duke's been doing this with iPods) but the product is. And I think there are more educational applications with the iPhone than with an iPod. Although, I imagine there will be more distractions as well. Can you imagine everyone with an iPhone at chapel? Utter disarray.
Anyway, props to ACU for implementing what I think could be a really neat idea. I just hope they realize all the implications for the campus.
Hmmm... wonder if I can get one retroactively?
I'll have to pray about it.
Monday, February 25, 2008
bowling league, here I come
Over the weekend I BOWLED A 132!!!!! Holy cow! Maybe breaking my wrist actually made my bowling skills improve. Maybe it's sorta like Peter Parker getting bit by a spider and becoming Spiderman. Who knows, I could be the next __________ (insert name of famous bowler here... I don't know any)
Hmm... another thought... maybe all of my Wii bowling is paying off.
P.S. For you anonymous readers (if I have any), I'm very well aware that a 132 is not exactly phenomenal in the whole scheme of things. It is, however, pretty darn good for me. If you've ever bowled with me before, you know what I'm talking about.
P.P.S. For inquiring minds, NO there were no bumpers.
Hmm... another thought... maybe all of my Wii bowling is paying off.
P.S. For you anonymous readers (if I have any), I'm very well aware that a 132 is not exactly phenomenal in the whole scheme of things. It is, however, pretty darn good for me. If you've ever bowled with me before, you know what I'm talking about.
P.P.S. For inquiring minds, NO there were no bumpers.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
an observation
Tonight I realized I am getting old.
I consciously planned my grocery store trip around watching Jeopardy.
I consciously planned my grocery store trip around watching Jeopardy.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
2008 Books I've Read
So, inspired by my fellow blogger/friend John, I've decided to keep a list in 2008 of all the books I read. AND include a rating of each book on a scale of 1 to 10, just to clue you in on what I thought about it. I'll be updating this regularly. (John, I'm totally pirating your idea. Hope you don't mind.)
43.The Shack - 6.5/10
42.In Her Shoes - 8/10
41.Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin 8.5/10
40.Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult 9/10
39.Election - Tom Perrotta 8.5/10
38.Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller 7.5/10
37.Captain Alatriste - Arturo Perez-Riverte 7/10
36.The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 9/10
35.The Green Mile - Stephen King 8.5/10
34.False Impression - Jeffrey Archer 7/10
33.Empire Falls - Richard Russo 8/10
32.The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch 9/10
31.The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran 8/10
30.The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy 9/10
29.Little Children - Tom Perrotta 8/10
28. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving 10/10
27. Dry Ice - Stephen White 7/10
26. The Know-It-All - A.J. Jacobs 8.5/10
25. Good Poems - edited by Garrison Keillor 9.5/10
24. Skinny Legs and All - Tom Robbins 6/10
23. The Appeal - John Grisham 7/10
22. Sideways - Rex Pickett 4/10
21. Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller 9/10
20. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta 8/10
19. The Twits - Roald Dahl 10/10
18. The Nasty Bits - Anthony Bourdain 7/10
17. Cherry - Mary Karr 8/10
16. On the Road - Jack Kerouac 7/10
15. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez 9/10
14. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson 8.5/10
13. Possible Side Effects - Augusten Burroughs 7.5/10
12. The Liar's Club - Mary Karr 9/10
11. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini 8/10
10. Coal Run - Tawni O'Dell 6/10
9. Must Love Dogs - Claire Cook 8/10
8. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen 8/10
7. For Men Only - Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn 9/10
6. Back Roads - Tawni O'Dell 6.5/10
5. For Women Only - Shaunti Feldhahn 9/10
4. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer 8.5/10
3. The Tender Bar - J.R. Moehringer 9.5/10
2. Tara Road - Maeve Binchy 7/10
1. Crossing California - Adam Langer 8/10
43.The Shack - 6.5/10
42.In Her Shoes - 8/10
41.Love the One You're With - Emily Giffin 8.5/10
40.Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult 9/10
39.Election - Tom Perrotta 8.5/10
38.Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller 7.5/10
37.Captain Alatriste - Arturo Perez-Riverte 7/10
36.The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 9/10
35.The Green Mile - Stephen King 8.5/10
34.False Impression - Jeffrey Archer 7/10
33.Empire Falls - Richard Russo 8/10
32.The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch 9/10
31.The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran 8/10
30.The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy 9/10
29.Little Children - Tom Perrotta 8/10
28. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving 10/10
27. Dry Ice - Stephen White 7/10
26. The Know-It-All - A.J. Jacobs 8.5/10
25. Good Poems - edited by Garrison Keillor 9.5/10
24. Skinny Legs and All - Tom Robbins 6/10
23. The Appeal - John Grisham 7/10
22. Sideways - Rex Pickett 4/10
21. Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller 9/10
20. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta 8/10
19. The Twits - Roald Dahl 10/10
18. The Nasty Bits - Anthony Bourdain 7/10
17. Cherry - Mary Karr 8/10
16. On the Road - Jack Kerouac 7/10
15. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez 9/10
14. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson 8.5/10
13. Possible Side Effects - Augusten Burroughs 7.5/10
12. The Liar's Club - Mary Karr 9/10
11. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini 8/10
10. Coal Run - Tawni O'Dell 6/10
9. Must Love Dogs - Claire Cook 8/10
8. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen 8/10
7. For Men Only - Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn 9/10
6. Back Roads - Tawni O'Dell 6.5/10
5. For Women Only - Shaunti Feldhahn 9/10
4. Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer 8.5/10
3. The Tender Bar - J.R. Moehringer 9.5/10
2. Tara Road - Maeve Binchy 7/10
1. Crossing California - Adam Langer 8/10
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Texas sunrise
Student of Clouds
by Billy Collins
The emotion is to be found in the clouds,
not in the green solids of the sloping hills
or even in the gray signatures of rivers,
according to Constable, who was a student of clouds
and filled shelves of sketchbooks with their motion,
their lofty gesturing and sudden implication of weather.
Outdoors, he must have looked up thousands of times,
his pencil trying to keep pace with their high voyaging
and the silent commotion of their eddying and flow.
Clouds would move beyond the outlines he would draw
as they moved within themselves, tumbling into their centers
and swirling off at the burning edges in vapors
to dissipate into the universal blue of the sky.
In photographs we can stop all this movement now
long enough to tag them with their Latin names.
Cirrus, nimbus, stratocumulus-
dizzying, romantic, authoritarian-
they bear their titles over te schoolhouses below
where their shapes and meaning are memorized.
High on the soft blue canvases of Constable
they are stuck in pigment, but his clouds appear
to be moving still in the wind of his brush,
inching out of England and the nineteenth century
and sailing over these meadows where I am walking,
bareheaded beneath this cupola of motion,
my thoughts arranged like paint on a high blue ceiling.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
looking up
Well, I think fall has finally arrived. I've been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, but with our rain showers today came a cold front. Winter here we come... ugh. It's been one of those days where I feel like I won't be warm again until next May.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Day 29
Someone asked me this evening what day I was on, and I was thinking it was like day 27 or something. I just now realized that I only have ONE DAY LEFT of my 30 day photo project. Wow, it all went by so quickly.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Day 28
As I near the end of my photo project, I feel like I am getting more and more desperate for new and original ideas. I know that photographing matchsticks is probably one of the least original things I could do, but I tried...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Day 27
I ate at Cracker Barrel tonight, which was nice for something different. (I don't go there too terribly often.) But they have these addicting little games on the tables you can play with while you wait. I finally solved this one... after about 15 tries.... yikes...
I'm almost a bit sad to say my photo project is nearing an end. I have three days left in my designated thirty, and I must say, I've been quite impressed with the response. I went from having about zero people reading my blog on a regular basis to having close to four. Maybe. That's a generous estimate. :-) It's got me thinking about other possible photo projects I can undertake for next month. Maybe.
Any ideas??
I'm almost a bit sad to say my photo project is nearing an end. I have three days left in my designated thirty, and I must say, I've been quite impressed with the response. I went from having about zero people reading my blog on a regular basis to having close to four. Maybe. That's a generous estimate. :-) It's got me thinking about other possible photo projects I can undertake for next month. Maybe.
Any ideas??
Day 26
A wedding on a Monday? Sounds crazy, but that's what it was. The couple wanted to get married in a pretty cool playhouse place, but the only day it was closed was Monday. So Monday it became...
The ceremony was a little different, but I liked it. They had two different poetry readings, and a great soloist who sang from up on the balcony of the playhouse. Cool stuff.
The ceremony was a little different, but I liked it. They had two different poetry readings, and a great soloist who sang from up on the balcony of the playhouse. Cool stuff.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Day 25
Can anyone tell me if these are alpacas or llamas? I've googled it, but so far the only real differences I've read between the two are height and ear shape. (And the texture of their fiber, but that was hard to tell because they looked pretty well shaved to me.) But based solely on ear shape and stature , maybe the little guy on the right is an alpaca and the other two llamas??
For some reason when I look at this photo, I think of the three wise men...
This over-achiever was hamming it up for the camera. Which (I'm not gonna lie) I loved, because I think I got another image for my farmyard/barnyard noses calendar. Those of you who know me know that I talk about making a noses calendar with all of the animal noses I've shot over the past few years. (I think I'm up to about 6 different animals now.) So nobody go stealing my idea cuz it WILL happen one of these days!!
Anyway, the shy guy behind him cracks me up, because it kinda seems like he wants to get in on the fun too, but he's too scared.
For some reason when I look at this photo, I think of the three wise men...
This over-achiever was hamming it up for the camera. Which (I'm not gonna lie) I loved, because I think I got another image for my farmyard/barnyard noses calendar. Those of you who know me know that I talk about making a noses calendar with all of the animal noses I've shot over the past few years. (I think I'm up to about 6 different animals now.) So nobody go stealing my idea cuz it WILL happen one of these days!!
Anyway, the shy guy behind him cracks me up, because it kinda seems like he wants to get in on the fun too, but he's too scared.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Day 24
I went to the Andre Viette Daylilly and Wine Festival in Fishersville, VA, today. There were absolutely gorgeous gardens and flowers, not to mention a TON of arts and crafts and wine vendors. It was way fun, but a difficult place for pictures just because I didn't spend a whole lot of time near the flowers, AND it was quite bright and sunny most of the time. (I grabbed this shot in the shade.)
Friday, July 20, 2007
Day 23
A get-together at my cousins' house yielded this image... a tiki torch candle thingy at night...
It has become more of a habit for me to carry around my camera everywhere I go. As I evaluate myself as the project nears an end, I think I've actually sort-of accomplished a few of the goals I set out to accomplish. Cool stuff.
It has become more of a habit for me to carry around my camera everywhere I go. As I evaluate myself as the project nears an end, I think I've actually sort-of accomplished a few of the goals I set out to accomplish. Cool stuff.
Day 22
I went over to my friends' (Sara and Nathan) house this evening, and they were kind enough to let me take a few pics of their son London as he was getting his bath. I'm loving the hair-do in this shot, and the classic London expression. Bathtubs are a great place to do portraits because of the wonderful white walls everywhere. I have to confess, this is my first ever naked-child-in-the-tub photograph.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Day 21
Just driving around, looking for my photo as usual, and I happened upon this. The perfect fence for photographing at night with my lensbaby.
What I find amazing about this photo is that I didn't saturate it at all. I swear. Not a bit. The only photoshop tweaking I did was to adjust the levels and add a slight vignette.
A brief mid-project evaluation: Not to brag, but I am very pleased with my performance so far. I have only skipped ONE day so far, and I feel much closer to accomplishing my goals. I can't say I've shot anything extraordinary from this project, but I can say that I've shot some great things I would never have found otherwise. Bringing my camera everywhere with me is (slowly) becoming more of a habit. I feel (strangely) more self-satisfied when I am shooting things on a regular basis. And I certainly feel more accountable to this project due to my (very few) blog readers. If I take a crappy photo, I am ashamed to post it, and continually search for something to impress. I guess popular opinion is a good incentive for me after all. :-)
What I find amazing about this photo is that I didn't saturate it at all. I swear. Not a bit. The only photoshop tweaking I did was to adjust the levels and add a slight vignette.
A brief mid-project evaluation: Not to brag, but I am very pleased with my performance so far. I have only skipped ONE day so far, and I feel much closer to accomplishing my goals. I can't say I've shot anything extraordinary from this project, but I can say that I've shot some great things I would never have found otherwise. Bringing my camera everywhere with me is (slowly) becoming more of a habit. I feel (strangely) more self-satisfied when I am shooting things on a regular basis. And I certainly feel more accountable to this project due to my (very few) blog readers. If I take a crappy photo, I am ashamed to post it, and continually search for something to impress. I guess popular opinion is a good incentive for me after all. :-)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Day 20
This was one of those days I had my camera with me when I wanted it. (This seems to be happening more and more lately - a nice result of this photo project.) I went to eat with my cousins tonight, and parked outside the restaurant was this firetruck. I liked how the coat and helmet were just sitting inside (and the window was down - nice!) I realize this is not an award-winning photograph, but who knows when I'll be able to be that close to a firetruck again. So I was glad to have my camera.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Day 19
Yay! I'm finally caught up with posting all of my previous days. Now it should stay pretty current through the rest of the month. I really can't believe that I'm going on Day 20!! This whole month has just flown by.
Anyway, I made a batch of snickerdoodles..... yum! Okay, well I can't claim all the credit because my mom did some of the work. Let's be honest... probably more work than I did.
Anyway, I made a batch of snickerdoodles..... yum! Okay, well I can't claim all the credit because my mom did some of the work. Let's be honest... probably more work than I did.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Day 18
So yesterday, my mom and I hiked (yes I hiked, believe it or not) down to this waterfall in Shenandoah National Park. Dark Hollow Falls, I believe it was called. The hike wasn't bad at all distance-wise (only about 1.7 miles) but the elevation gain was wicked. Okay, wicked for me at least, but I survived.
Day 17
A nice picture (well I think it's nice at least, and I don't care if you don't agree with me on this one) of my mom. She is such an awesome person - I am truly blessed to have a mother like her. She stopped on her way back home to TN this weekend to visit me for a few days.
Day 16
I actually went to the arboretum to try and find a photo for Day 16 (July 14). Found this little guy, who ended up being almost tame. I could approach him within about 3 feet before he scampered off. I'm not a big fan of squirrels but there was something about this one that was almost kinda cute. He's eating a piece of popcorn in this picture. (And no, I didn't feed him.)
Day 15
I belatedly realized on Day 15 (July 13) that I hadn't yet taken a photo and it was almost pretty much night out already. As you can see, the results are not so great. Photos like these will encourage me to find better stuff to shoot because I'm a little embarrassed of how bad this is.
Day 14 (July 12)
An interesting view on some church doors here in Harrisonburg. It's been hard getting back and not having all the awesome mountains and scenery everywhere to shoot. These last 15 days are going to be much more difficult than the first 15...
Day 13
Well I'm ashamed to say I took my first mulligan on this day (July 10.) It was a day full of traveling - I spent ALL of it on airplanes and in airports. That's no excuse, I know, but I didn't take a single shot. I guess that's not too bad... I made it thirteen days so far!
Day 12
A scene along the side of the road on my drive back from Montana to Washington. I just couldn't get over all of the beautiful scenery.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Day 11
I spent an entire day in Glacier National Park on Sunday, July 8, doing nothing but driving and hiking around. It was awesome. There were fabulous views like this one everywhere I turned. Waterfalls, streams, mountains, trees... spectacular stuff.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Day 10
Day 10 of this photo project was Saturday, 7/7/07. I spent the lucky sevens day driving from Coeur d'Alene, ID, to Glacier National Park in Montana. SOOOO incredible. It was gorgeous. I had an awesome time just sitting on the pebble beach on the edge of the lake staring at the scenery.
Day 9
Ah yes, a photo from the day of the wedding. Lera and AJ were such a great couple. They were fun and friendly, which made my job much more pleasant. It was so easy to tell how much they love each other, which was really refreshing. AND they were up for trying any of my ideas, even in the scorching heat.
I had plenty of great photos to choose from for my day 9 shot, and I'm not saying this one's my favorite, but I do like it. I think it's nice for something a little bit different than your traditional rings shot. Thoughts??
Oh, and by the way, I'm having serious computer problems (as in my computer won't recognize my external hard drive and wouldn't even start this morning) so I'll be in and out of blogging for the next few days until I get it all figured out. But no worries for you wedding people - I have everything backed up elsewhere!
I had plenty of great photos to choose from for my day 9 shot, and I'm not saying this one's my favorite, but I do like it. I think it's nice for something a little bit different than your traditional rings shot. Thoughts??
Oh, and by the way, I'm having serious computer problems (as in my computer won't recognize my external hard drive and wouldn't even start this morning) so I'll be in and out of blogging for the next few days until I get it all figured out. But no worries for you wedding people - I have everything backed up elsewhere!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Day 8
I tagged along and shot a few things while Stacie did her sister's bridal portraits. Stacie is a friend of mine and an awesome photographer, so I was a little intimidated shooting her sis' wedding. I loved this totally unscripted moment though, when the bride crossed her feet to mirror her shoes. Nice!
Day 7
As some of you know, I spent the 4th of July traveling to Spokane, WA, renting a car, and driving to Coeur d'Alene, ID. I went to photograph a wedding on Friday. I got there Wednesday evening and went up to watch the fireworks over the lake at the Coeur d'Alene resort. Pretty place. Anyway, this is Lera and AJ, the couple who got married, watching the fireworks together.
More stories and photos to follow...
More stories and photos to follow...
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Day 6
Well I was originally planning on taking a photo of my neatly-packed suitcase for my Day 6 image, but then I looked out my living room window and saw this. We had another thunderstorm this afternoon, and the sun came out right afterwards. I thought the way the water pooled up on my freshly-stained deck and the way the sun left shadows made for a nice patterned image.
I leave for Idaho, Washington, and Montana tomorrow, so I'll still be taking my photos of day, but they probably won't get posted until I get back next week.
I leave for Idaho, Washington, and Montana tomorrow, so I'll still be taking my photos of day, but they probably won't get posted until I get back next week.
Day 5
A shot with my lensbaby, taken in my cousins' front yard.
This project is harder than I thought. I'm already struggling to find unique things and unique angles and I'm only on the first week. I think it is (so far) successful in one of my aims: it truly is making me look for photos ALL the time. It's hard to find time to just go out and shoot (especially after a long day at work) and this forces me to find new things in my everyday routine.
This project is harder than I thought. I'm already struggling to find unique things and unique angles and I'm only on the first week. I think it is (so far) successful in one of my aims: it truly is making me look for photos ALL the time. It's hard to find time to just go out and shoot (especially after a long day at work) and this forces me to find new things in my everyday routine.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Day 4
Today was such a great day for some much-needed R&R. Jamie and I laid by the pool for a considerable portion of the day, just reading our books and chatting. The weather was soooooo perfect for it.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Day 3
I visited my friend in D.C. this weekend, and we managed to make it up to Baltimore on Saturday. This image was taken from the top of the World Trade Center Observation Tower in Baltimore, cropped considerably, and rotated 180 degrees to make the shadows right-side up. My idea for this shot was inspired by Vince Laforet's spectacular ice skating image which completely blows mine out of the water. Of course, he gets to use a helicopter, whereas I have to make do with an all-enclosed observation tower. The complaint I have about my own photo is that I only brought my 50mm lens and my fish-eye with me, so I had to take this photo much farther away than I wanted. I'm afraid I lose a good deal of sharpness and resolution with the severe cropping. But now I guess I'll know what to do differently for next time.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Day 2
Lucky... or not. Just an ordinary lotto ticket.
I'll be back with more after this weekend. I am headed up to D.C. to visit a friend and (hopefully) find a few more interesting photos.
I'll be back with more after this weekend. I am headed up to D.C. to visit a friend and (hopefully) find a few more interesting photos.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Day 1 - June 28
Today was a tad stressful for me, so I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to finding something interesting to take pictures of. BUT, I am committed to this project for a month, and I figured I sure can't quit on the first day. After all, I have at least one reader to hold me accountable. Thanks Jamie!
So I was driving around, trying to wind down from a hectic day, and it started raining. The neat part about it, though, was that the sun was still shining off in the distance. I came across an empty gravel lot where a large pool of water had collected. I parked my car and sat there for a few minutes, just staring at the rain dripping into this oddly beautiful puddle. What a great reminder - to see that beautiful things can come from a nasty gravel puddle on a rainy day.
So I was driving around, trying to wind down from a hectic day, and it started raining. The neat part about it, though, was that the sun was still shining off in the distance. I came across an empty gravel lot where a large pool of water had collected. I parked my car and sat there for a few minutes, just staring at the rain dripping into this oddly beautiful puddle. What a great reminder - to see that beautiful things can come from a nasty gravel puddle on a rainy day.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Photo Project: Rules and Goals
Wow, so I've been looking back over some of my previous posts from, well, almost two years ago now. I've noted the steady decline in my readers, the clear decline in my quality, and the obvious decline in my posts. What conclusions am I left with? I have been a horrible blogger. I have no hope in trying to regain my once-loyal fan base, but I do have hope for the future of my blog.
Along with the installation of my new cable Internet, I also acquired a few new ideas. One of which is a 30-day photo project, creatively titled "My Photo of the Day" project.
I hereby pledge to take (AND post!) at least one photo a day for the next 30 days. Here are my rules:
1. I can use any sort of camera, any sort of lens.
2. While I do have to take a picture every day, I don't have to post once a day, although that would be ideal. (This rule was constructed with my upcoming trip next week in mind.)
3. I am not allowed to post two too-similar pictures, even if they were taken on different days.
4. I am allowed 3 mulligans - or exemptions - from 3 days during the month if something unforeseen comes up. I will do everything in my power not to use them.
5. Begin date: June 28. End date: July 27. Exactly 30 days.
Here are my goals for this project:
1. To discipline myself to be constantly searching for photos and photographic opportunities.
2. To stretch myself by meeting new people and venturing outside of my comfort zone.
3. To become in touch again with the thing that I love, photography - not bogged down by everyday chores and routine.
4. To find the extraordinary in my ordinary life.
5. To generate new ideas and further develop my creativity.
Along with the installation of my new cable Internet, I also acquired a few new ideas. One of which is a 30-day photo project, creatively titled "My Photo of the Day" project.
I hereby pledge to take (AND post!) at least one photo a day for the next 30 days. Here are my rules:
1. I can use any sort of camera, any sort of lens.
2. While I do have to take a picture every day, I don't have to post once a day, although that would be ideal. (This rule was constructed with my upcoming trip next week in mind.)
3. I am not allowed to post two too-similar pictures, even if they were taken on different days.
4. I am allowed 3 mulligans - or exemptions - from 3 days during the month if something unforeseen comes up. I will do everything in my power not to use them.
5. Begin date: June 28. End date: July 27. Exactly 30 days.
Here are my goals for this project:
1. To discipline myself to be constantly searching for photos and photographic opportunities.
2. To stretch myself by meeting new people and venturing outside of my comfort zone.
3. To become in touch again with the thing that I love, photography - not bogged down by everyday chores and routine.
4. To find the extraordinary in my ordinary life.
5. To generate new ideas and further develop my creativity.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
change?
Well God certainly has a sense of humor.
I'm not sure a broken right wrist and the possibility of surgery was what I had in mind in my last post when I expressed a desire for change, but that's what I got.
It'll be awhile before I ask for any more change.
I'm not sure a broken right wrist and the possibility of surgery was what I had in mind in my last post when I expressed a desire for change, but that's what I got.
It'll be awhile before I ask for any more change.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
change
Starting this year has been hard for me.
I look back on the past 23 years and I am suddenly very afraid that my life has become stagnant. 2006 was the first year since 1983 that things haven't changed significantly for me. When you're little, life is full of changes - eating solid food, crawling, walking, potty-training, speaking, writing, starting school, reading, etc etc etc. Just when you think you have being a kid under control, you have to learn how to be a teenager. Your body changes, your friends change, you learn how to drive, and how to be a general pain in the butt. But it doesn't stop there - suddenly you're whisked away to college where you have another solid four years of change. Moving into and out of dorms, new roommates, a whole new set of friends, new diet, new classes - a whole new lifestyle.
Anyway, I've been out of school now just shy of two years. The first year was satisfying - completing an internship, starting a new job, living in a new place. The second year was fine too - I finally felt like I had a chance to catch up and take a breather; I had an opportunity to start this thing called the rest of my life.
But now, as I look out on the year 2007, I'm craving that change. That sense of something new and exciting to look forward to, another landmark in my life. And I don't see it.
I guess the realization I'm coming to is that now, at this point in my life, I must create the change for myself. It's not going to simply happen anymore. I have to make it happen.
I'm gonna work on that.
It seems like when you get accustomed to change, change becomes the norm. A sudden lack of change, then, is a huge change.
I look back on the past 23 years and I am suddenly very afraid that my life has become stagnant. 2006 was the first year since 1983 that things haven't changed significantly for me. When you're little, life is full of changes - eating solid food, crawling, walking, potty-training, speaking, writing, starting school, reading, etc etc etc. Just when you think you have being a kid under control, you have to learn how to be a teenager. Your body changes, your friends change, you learn how to drive, and how to be a general pain in the butt. But it doesn't stop there - suddenly you're whisked away to college where you have another solid four years of change. Moving into and out of dorms, new roommates, a whole new set of friends, new diet, new classes - a whole new lifestyle.
Anyway, I've been out of school now just shy of two years. The first year was satisfying - completing an internship, starting a new job, living in a new place. The second year was fine too - I finally felt like I had a chance to catch up and take a breather; I had an opportunity to start this thing called the rest of my life.
But now, as I look out on the year 2007, I'm craving that change. That sense of something new and exciting to look forward to, another landmark in my life. And I don't see it.
I guess the realization I'm coming to is that now, at this point in my life, I must create the change for myself. It's not going to simply happen anymore. I have to make it happen.
I'm gonna work on that.
It seems like when you get accustomed to change, change becomes the norm. A sudden lack of change, then, is a huge change.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
On Morality
Why is morality a big part of my life? What has made me choose a moral path and given me the desire to follow through with it? Morality is not exactly fun, or even easy, but somehow I've taken it on. What is the driving force? Why does my desire to be good outweigh the natural inclination to be bad? Sure, it's good for society and all that stuff, but on a personal level I'm not always sure that being good is enough of a reward, in and of itself. And am I really even that good? I am often afraid my perceived "goodness" is more a result of good upbringing and a privileged life than serious decisions to be the way I am. Let's face it, my life would be much more difficult if I were leading an immoral sort of life. I would have parents chastising me, friends berating me, and general conflict against me wherever I turned. I'd like to think I'm good because I work at it, but I do think my raw material (or whatever you want to call it) certainly makes my job of being moral a whole lot easier. I haven't had to try so hard, and that worries me. I think God rewards effort and sincere desire more than how "good" you are compared to everyone else.
It is also worth mentioning that doing the right things for the wrong reasons is not a true sort of morality. God wants me to BE virtuous; it is not enough to merely perform acts of virtue. There seems to be a good deal of confusion among the two with Christians today, which is probably why so many are accused (and guilty of) hypocrisy.
I believe morality is a series of choices that make up a lifestyle. Each individual situation or choice is not necessarily inherently black or white. Asking the question "Is this right or wrong?" doesn't get me nearly as far as asking the question "Is this the wise thing for me to do?" The key is to make the wisest choice possible and it will add up to be part of my morality. Rationalizing something by saying "it's not wrong" doesn't exactly make it right. The individual choices I make have a sneaky way of snowballing into situations I suddenly find myself a part of. There are points in my life I've stopped to ask "How in the world did I get here?" without realizing that it was a series of choices - not necessarily wrong choices, but certainly unwise ones. It's a like a really long staircase or something - wise choices are steps up and unwise choices are steps down. It is so easy to stay at the bottom and be happy there because you can't see the top from the bottom. It's not until you start climbing and get closer to the top that you start to feel like you'll never get there because you still have so far to go.
It is also worth mentioning that doing the right things for the wrong reasons is not a true sort of morality. God wants me to BE virtuous; it is not enough to merely perform acts of virtue. There seems to be a good deal of confusion among the two with Christians today, which is probably why so many are accused (and guilty of) hypocrisy.
I believe morality is a series of choices that make up a lifestyle. Each individual situation or choice is not necessarily inherently black or white. Asking the question "Is this right or wrong?" doesn't get me nearly as far as asking the question "Is this the wise thing for me to do?" The key is to make the wisest choice possible and it will add up to be part of my morality. Rationalizing something by saying "it's not wrong" doesn't exactly make it right. The individual choices I make have a sneaky way of snowballing into situations I suddenly find myself a part of. There are points in my life I've stopped to ask "How in the world did I get here?" without realizing that it was a series of choices - not necessarily wrong choices, but certainly unwise ones. It's a like a really long staircase or something - wise choices are steps up and unwise choices are steps down. It is so easy to stay at the bottom and be happy there because you can't see the top from the bottom. It's not until you start climbing and get closer to the top that you start to feel like you'll never get there because you still have so far to go.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Books, books, books
I was inspired by Steve to write this post. Books are something I've always enjoyed and never minded talking about. My hope is if I write about them in this pre-formatted list form, then I will somehow seem like less of a nerd and people will think it's cool. (That is the point of these things, right?)
A book that didn't change my life: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or my motivation was too low. I guarantee you it changed Warren's life though.
A book I’ve read more than once: My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. One of my all-time favorites. It gets better every time I read it.
A book I would take with me if I were stuck on a desert island: SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John Wiseman. I've never read it, but I'm thinking a desert island would be the prime place to start.
A book that made me laugh: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. If you've never read Sedaris, you've been missing out. He's genuinely funny, unlike a bunch of authors who just pretend to be. The recent trend seems to show that growing up homosexual in a disfunctional family situation will somehow make you funny. Or totally screwed up. Or maybe they're synonymous. (Read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs if you don't believe me.)
A book that made me cry: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I bawled. 'Nuff said.
A book that I wish I had written: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. If I were a novelist, I would want my style to most closely resemble Tyler's. It's real without being pretentious, it's interesting without being far-fetched, and it's extraordinary while still being ordinary.
A book that I wish had never been written: Can I pick two for this? I'm still bitter about these books being on "everyone's reading list" in school. I would burn them and not look back. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Don't even try to defend them. I know what you're thinking, "But they're brilliant coming-of-age novels." No, I think they suck.
A book I’ve been meaning to read: The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. I finished Mere Christianity and thought it was phenomenal so I'm expecting great things from this one too.
I’m currently reading: At Home in the Heart of Appalachia by John O'Brien. Since I live at home in the heart of Appalachia, I thought it was only fitting to read about it. So far, not too enlightening.
A book that didn't change my life: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Perhaps my expectations were too high, or my motivation was too low. I guarantee you it changed Warren's life though.
A book I’ve read more than once: My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. One of my all-time favorites. It gets better every time I read it.
A book I would take with me if I were stuck on a desert island: SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John Wiseman. I've never read it, but I'm thinking a desert island would be the prime place to start.
A book that made me laugh: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. If you've never read Sedaris, you've been missing out. He's genuinely funny, unlike a bunch of authors who just pretend to be. The recent trend seems to show that growing up homosexual in a disfunctional family situation will somehow make you funny. Or totally screwed up. Or maybe they're synonymous. (Read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs if you don't believe me.)
A book that made me cry: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I bawled. 'Nuff said.
A book that I wish I had written: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler. If I were a novelist, I would want my style to most closely resemble Tyler's. It's real without being pretentious, it's interesting without being far-fetched, and it's extraordinary while still being ordinary.
A book that I wish had never been written: Can I pick two for this? I'm still bitter about these books being on "everyone's reading list" in school. I would burn them and not look back. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Don't even try to defend them. I know what you're thinking, "But they're brilliant coming-of-age novels." No, I think they suck.
A book I’ve been meaning to read: The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. I finished Mere Christianity and thought it was phenomenal so I'm expecting great things from this one too.
I’m currently reading: At Home in the Heart of Appalachia by John O'Brien. Since I live at home in the heart of Appalachia, I thought it was only fitting to read about it. So far, not too enlightening.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
A collection of thoughts written during my visit to Gulfport, Mississippi
I sit down to write at the old lift-top wooden desk, the same desk my father used once upon a time. It's a desk that calls the boys room home - the room my brother and I stay in when we visit and the room my father and his brother at one time shared. There are remnants of their childhood here: an assortment of foreign currency framed and hanging on the wall, a musical instrument oddly resembling a wooden shoe with a handle and pegs, brass knuckles buried at the bottom of a dresser drawer. The desk I sit at bears scars from aged pencil stabs and slices, worn corners and a slight wobble. This desk, this room, this house on Kendall Avenue - they have a history. It's the history of a family, a story of 4 lifetimes - a delicate inheritance passed down to me through dinner table stories, dusty drawers full of treasure, and timeless tradition.
It's my history, too.
I think these things as I sit at the desk to write, my parents breathing contented sounds of heavy sleep in the next room, my grandparents in separate beds now, sleeping in the best positions they know how.
History builds a place, anchors and roots it.
And now it's gone for so many people. This town has suffered immense loss in the last year, but more than the houses, more than the casinos, more than the fishing boats and souvenir shops, this town has lost history. I almost feel insulted personally as I drive past places I've frequented for years, now utterly destroyed. The devastation is immense, and nearly unimaginable an entire year later. It has been 14 months since Hurricane Katrina, and I am appalled by the amount left undone. I drive past countless homes, boarded up and unlivable, with small trailers parked in front yards. FEMA trailers, I'm told, for those lucky names on the list that actually got one. The trailers are everywhere, literally sitting in the middle of halfway cleared now-empty lots.
People here, they are now defined by the hurricane. It's a clean sharp-blade cut through the fabric of their lives. Two separate pieces, divided into "before Katrina" and "since Katrina." Life goes on, but it's different now. There is nowhere to go, no corner to turn where the devastation isn't evident. There's no way to ignore it, and no chance at forgetting it. Acceptance is the most prevalent approach at this point, laced with guarded hope and the occasional bitter sense of humor. "Camille was a lady, but Katrina was a bitch" reads one bumper sticker, referring to the 1969 category 5 hurricane that also wreaked much havoc on the Gulf Coast. Katrina was the true bitch, though, destroying or majorly damaging over 90% of the structures within a half-mile of the coastline. Katrina also ranks as the costliest natural disaster to ever occur in the U.S.
But there's hope, too. Hope for a new history, a second-chance timeline of reconstruction and future. I see it in the countless "now open" signs printed on plastic banners and hung proudly across storefronts and restaurants. I see it in the lives of the teenagers tossing a football back and forth along the almost clean beach. And I see it in my grandparents who drive us 30 miles to eat at a newly-relocated previously-beachfront seafood restaurant.
I hope for a new history for the people of the Gulf Coast. It won't happen quickly, and it won't ever be the same. But I think time is probably history's best friend.
************************************************************
A lone flower grows in the yard of an abandoned house on Second Street in Gulfport, Miss. The utter destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was far greater than I ever could have imagined, even more than a year later. Katrina ranks as the costliest natural disaster to ever occur in the U.S. It is estimated that over 90% of the structures within a half-mile of the coastline were destroyed.
A spray-painted message is still visible on the side of a destroyed and damaged abandoned building in Gulfport, Miss.
A man walks past another abandoned building bearing spray-painted messages to tresspassers in Gulfport, Miss.
What was once a home is now a pile of rubble along the beach in Gulfport, Mississippi.
A staircase leads to nowhere at a destroyed homesite on Second Street in Gulfport, Miss.
It's my history, too.
I think these things as I sit at the desk to write, my parents breathing contented sounds of heavy sleep in the next room, my grandparents in separate beds now, sleeping in the best positions they know how.
History builds a place, anchors and roots it.
And now it's gone for so many people. This town has suffered immense loss in the last year, but more than the houses, more than the casinos, more than the fishing boats and souvenir shops, this town has lost history. I almost feel insulted personally as I drive past places I've frequented for years, now utterly destroyed. The devastation is immense, and nearly unimaginable an entire year later. It has been 14 months since Hurricane Katrina, and I am appalled by the amount left undone. I drive past countless homes, boarded up and unlivable, with small trailers parked in front yards. FEMA trailers, I'm told, for those lucky names on the list that actually got one. The trailers are everywhere, literally sitting in the middle of halfway cleared now-empty lots.
People here, they are now defined by the hurricane. It's a clean sharp-blade cut through the fabric of their lives. Two separate pieces, divided into "before Katrina" and "since Katrina." Life goes on, but it's different now. There is nowhere to go, no corner to turn where the devastation isn't evident. There's no way to ignore it, and no chance at forgetting it. Acceptance is the most prevalent approach at this point, laced with guarded hope and the occasional bitter sense of humor. "Camille was a lady, but Katrina was a bitch" reads one bumper sticker, referring to the 1969 category 5 hurricane that also wreaked much havoc on the Gulf Coast. Katrina was the true bitch, though, destroying or majorly damaging over 90% of the structures within a half-mile of the coastline. Katrina also ranks as the costliest natural disaster to ever occur in the U.S.
But there's hope, too. Hope for a new history, a second-chance timeline of reconstruction and future. I see it in the countless "now open" signs printed on plastic banners and hung proudly across storefronts and restaurants. I see it in the lives of the teenagers tossing a football back and forth along the almost clean beach. And I see it in my grandparents who drive us 30 miles to eat at a newly-relocated previously-beachfront seafood restaurant.
I hope for a new history for the people of the Gulf Coast. It won't happen quickly, and it won't ever be the same. But I think time is probably history's best friend.
************************************************************
A lone flower grows in the yard of an abandoned house on Second Street in Gulfport, Miss. The utter destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was far greater than I ever could have imagined, even more than a year later. Katrina ranks as the costliest natural disaster to ever occur in the U.S. It is estimated that over 90% of the structures within a half-mile of the coastline were destroyed.
A spray-painted message is still visible on the side of a destroyed and damaged abandoned building in Gulfport, Miss.
A man walks past another abandoned building bearing spray-painted messages to tresspassers in Gulfport, Miss.
What was once a home is now a pile of rubble along the beach in Gulfport, Mississippi.
A staircase leads to nowhere at a destroyed homesite on Second Street in Gulfport, Miss.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
some recent work
My friend Pam gets a little help putting on her wedding dress.
This was one of the images I shot for a friend who wanted a portrait calendar made for her husband's birthday. She had the idea of wearing a nice dress to sit in this lovely bulldozer.
My friend Katrina, posing again for another month of the calendar. We took photos at an old abandoned factory/warehouse in Abilene, Tx referred to as "hobo jungle" because it's where the hobos like to hang. The colors on the walls were so great for taking photos.
A nice silhouette shot of the bride and groom at their July 15 wedding in Abilene, Texas.
This was one of the images I shot for a friend who wanted a portrait calendar made for her husband's birthday. She had the idea of wearing a nice dress to sit in this lovely bulldozer.
My friend Katrina, posing again for another month of the calendar. We took photos at an old abandoned factory/warehouse in Abilene, Tx referred to as "hobo jungle" because it's where the hobos like to hang. The colors on the walls were so great for taking photos.
A nice silhouette shot of the bride and groom at their July 15 wedding in Abilene, Texas.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Gone again...
Alrighty, well I've had a few requests to see some wedding photos from the wedding I shot in Abilene in July. I thought I'd share a few images before I'm gone for two weeks to Europe. :-) I'm shooting yet another wedding (this time in Holland) and then doing some traveling with my cousin the week afterward. Woo-hoo!!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
My parents are cool
When I was the age of piñata parties and first-time sleepovers, my parents were cool. Not for normal reasons, like letting me spend the night at friend's houses on weeknights or granting me my wish of a white rabbit creatively named Bunny.
No, they were cool for other reasons entirely.
For one, my mom could cook. (And, coincidentally, still can.) I used to love to eat at friends' houses because it was the only time I ever ate pizza or hot dogs. My friends loved to eat at my house because it was the only time they ever ate things they couldn't pronounce.
At my request, my mother cooked lobster every year for my birthday. The cool part? She let me call the neighborhood boys over to listen to the live lobsters' last squeals as they dropped into pots of boiling water. And for this, I was the most popular girl on the street. We watched, fascinated, as the grey shells flushed pink in the hot pot. To this day, I can still remember the sound of a dying lobster.
"Hey Emily, when's your mom cooking lobster again?"
Yup, my parents were cool.
While my mother occupied herself in the kitchen, my father occupied himself with a few rather unusual hobbies. Normal fatherly things we might have shared - maybe kicking a soccer ball or watching the Cowboys on a lazy Sunday afternoon - were never a part of my childhood. Ask my dad how to play a game of golf and you might as well have asked him how to read the Rosetta Stone. Instead, he was explaining HAM radio magazines or we were in the park learning what dials on the metal detector returned the best results, given the terrain.
Sometimes, if my friends and I were really good, he'd let us look at the latest animal he'd trapped in his cage in the backyard, and maybe even let us poke it a little bit. The cage was a medium-sized contraption, a perfect fit for a can of tuna and small animals like possums, racoons, skunks, and the neighborhood cat. And as anyone who has ever met my dad knows well, he has quite an affinity for cats. (Well, at least the ones that taste like chicken.) Okay, maybe not, but I do think he enjoyed (perhaps a little more than is healthy) catching the local cats in his cage and releasing them a mile or two from home. The rest of us feigned ignorance as the missing posters went up around the neighborhood.
Things were hunky-dory until a skunk unexpectedly showed up in the cage. A skunk with working stink glands, I might add. Having had an unfortunate skunk experience previously that year (somehow our garage ended up smelling like skunk for months) my father had a different plan this time. He elicited the help of a neighbor down the street, and before sunrise one morning they bagged the whole cage (skunk included) in a black garbage bag to take it to the end of the road where the pavement met dirt.
That's when the unplanned part started.
They never counted on encountering an early-morning jogger who gave them a frightened look and crossed to the other side of the street upon seeing two men carrying a black plastic bag and a gun down the street in the middle of suburban San Antonio.
The orginial idea was for my dad to open the cage door, and the neighbor to shoot the skunk as it ran out. The problem was the skunk didn't want to come out. It had grown accustomed to confinement, or perhaps suspected its imminent fate. So it took considerable poking and prodding, but the skunk finally slunk out to meet the firing squad.
Which missed. Twice. Three times.
My dad grabbed the gun and finished the job.
What they had tried so hard to avoid happened instantly. Almost as a dying attempt at regaining some dignity, the skunk released all of its stench simultaneous with its last breath.
I mean, how many kids' parents get sprayed by skunk? That was definitely cool.
No, they were cool for other reasons entirely.
For one, my mom could cook. (And, coincidentally, still can.) I used to love to eat at friends' houses because it was the only time I ever ate pizza or hot dogs. My friends loved to eat at my house because it was the only time they ever ate things they couldn't pronounce.
At my request, my mother cooked lobster every year for my birthday. The cool part? She let me call the neighborhood boys over to listen to the live lobsters' last squeals as they dropped into pots of boiling water. And for this, I was the most popular girl on the street. We watched, fascinated, as the grey shells flushed pink in the hot pot. To this day, I can still remember the sound of a dying lobster.
"Hey Emily, when's your mom cooking lobster again?"
Yup, my parents were cool.
While my mother occupied herself in the kitchen, my father occupied himself with a few rather unusual hobbies. Normal fatherly things we might have shared - maybe kicking a soccer ball or watching the Cowboys on a lazy Sunday afternoon - were never a part of my childhood. Ask my dad how to play a game of golf and you might as well have asked him how to read the Rosetta Stone. Instead, he was explaining HAM radio magazines or we were in the park learning what dials on the metal detector returned the best results, given the terrain.
Sometimes, if my friends and I were really good, he'd let us look at the latest animal he'd trapped in his cage in the backyard, and maybe even let us poke it a little bit. The cage was a medium-sized contraption, a perfect fit for a can of tuna and small animals like possums, racoons, skunks, and the neighborhood cat. And as anyone who has ever met my dad knows well, he has quite an affinity for cats. (Well, at least the ones that taste like chicken.) Okay, maybe not, but I do think he enjoyed (perhaps a little more than is healthy) catching the local cats in his cage and releasing them a mile or two from home. The rest of us feigned ignorance as the missing posters went up around the neighborhood.
Things were hunky-dory until a skunk unexpectedly showed up in the cage. A skunk with working stink glands, I might add. Having had an unfortunate skunk experience previously that year (somehow our garage ended up smelling like skunk for months) my father had a different plan this time. He elicited the help of a neighbor down the street, and before sunrise one morning they bagged the whole cage (skunk included) in a black garbage bag to take it to the end of the road where the pavement met dirt.
That's when the unplanned part started.
They never counted on encountering an early-morning jogger who gave them a frightened look and crossed to the other side of the street upon seeing two men carrying a black plastic bag and a gun down the street in the middle of suburban San Antonio.
The orginial idea was for my dad to open the cage door, and the neighbor to shoot the skunk as it ran out. The problem was the skunk didn't want to come out. It had grown accustomed to confinement, or perhaps suspected its imminent fate. So it took considerable poking and prodding, but the skunk finally slunk out to meet the firing squad.
Which missed. Twice. Three times.
My dad grabbed the gun and finished the job.
What they had tried so hard to avoid happened instantly. Almost as a dying attempt at regaining some dignity, the skunk released all of its stench simultaneous with its last breath.
I mean, how many kids' parents get sprayed by skunk? That was definitely cool.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Shameful... It's been way too long since my last post. I'm not exactly sure when I stopped being the blogger who posted twice a week, and started being the blogger who posts once a month. Oh yeah, maybe when I stopped having as many things to blog about, for whatever reason.
But anyway, this seems to be the summer for weddings. Everybody's getting married. Don't know what the rush is, but my guess is by the time I'm actually ready, the pickin's will be slim. So I seem to be losing friend after friend to this strange "love and marriage" thing, but the good news is I'm gaining job after job. I've shot one wedding already this summer, with four more lined up, three of which are out of state, and one of which is out of the country. Certainly helps to ease the pain.
All of this to say, I wanted to share with you a few of the pictures I took at my friend Camille's wedding (with plenty more to come.)
This was outside of University Church of Christ, in Abilene, Tx, where they were married.
We were doing some nice window-lit portraits when she laughed at something funny and glanced away. That's when I caught this moment.
But anyway, this seems to be the summer for weddings. Everybody's getting married. Don't know what the rush is, but my guess is by the time I'm actually ready, the pickin's will be slim. So I seem to be losing friend after friend to this strange "love and marriage" thing, but the good news is I'm gaining job after job. I've shot one wedding already this summer, with four more lined up, three of which are out of state, and one of which is out of the country. Certainly helps to ease the pain.
All of this to say, I wanted to share with you a few of the pictures I took at my friend Camille's wedding (with plenty more to come.)
This was outside of University Church of Christ, in Abilene, Tx, where they were married.
We were doing some nice window-lit portraits when she laughed at something funny and glanced away. That's when I caught this moment.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Things I Learned at the Southern Short Course in News Photography (yes, from back in April)
There's no such thing as a lucky shot. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
A good photo will:
1. Show people something new they've never seen before.
2. Show people something usual in an unusual way.
Photojournalism differs from photography in that it is primarily about access and follow-through.
My goal? To make people see pictures, not just look at them.
A good photo will:
1. Show people something new they've never seen before.
2. Show people something usual in an unusual way.
Photojournalism differs from photography in that it is primarily about access and follow-through.
My goal? To make people see pictures, not just look at them.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
checkmate
myheritage.com is a funny site. You can upload a photo of yourself and it compares it to over 3,000 celebrity faces and finds the one that most closely matches yours. Guess who my match was?
Judit Polgar. Who is this celebrity I resemble, you ask? Well, apparently I look like this world-famous Hungarian chess player. No joke.
This is the most attractive photo of her I could find.
The other ones were pretty scary. Okay. Really scary. I was not too flattered... thank you myheritage.com.
Please, people who know me, tell me it's not true.
My second closest celeb look-alike? Christina Aguilera.
Judit Polgar. Who is this celebrity I resemble, you ask? Well, apparently I look like this world-famous Hungarian chess player. No joke.
This is the most attractive photo of her I could find.
The other ones were pretty scary. Okay. Really scary. I was not too flattered... thank you myheritage.com.
Please, people who know me, tell me it's not true.
My second closest celeb look-alike? Christina Aguilera.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
What might have been...
Last week, Martin offered me his extra Arctic Monkeys concert ticket. I said sure, even though it was two-and-a-half hours away in D.C., and on a weeknight. But hey, the show was supposed to be great, and it was sold out. We left after work and ate dinner at a Chipotle in the city. I drove.
The club was a little sketchy. It looked like a rock club from the movies, one I might turn down any of 57 scary hallways and find a dude with a needle stuck up his arm. But I guess that's just how rock clubs are.
The place was kinda empty for it being such a sold-out show. We frowned at that a little, then turned our attention to the opening band. It was strange, because the band wasn't who we thought it was supposed to be either.
Martin suggested we check out the merchandise booth. No Arctic Monkeys gear.
I pulled the ticket out of my pocket. Monday, March 27.
Then I laughed hysterically because it was Tuesday.
I'm not sure what was funnier - the fact that we missed what was probably the best concert of the year by a mere 24 hours, or the fact that they actually let us in at the door.
The club was a little sketchy. It looked like a rock club from the movies, one I might turn down any of 57 scary hallways and find a dude with a needle stuck up his arm. But I guess that's just how rock clubs are.
The place was kinda empty for it being such a sold-out show. We frowned at that a little, then turned our attention to the opening band. It was strange, because the band wasn't who we thought it was supposed to be either.
Martin suggested we check out the merchandise booth. No Arctic Monkeys gear.
I pulled the ticket out of my pocket. Monday, March 27.
Then I laughed hysterically because it was Tuesday.
I'm not sure what was funnier - the fact that we missed what was probably the best concert of the year by a mere 24 hours, or the fact that they actually let us in at the door.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Say what?
Driving home this evening, I noticed a marquee advertising Caribbean Auto Repair.
Caribbean Auto Repair?
So I admit it. I thought about the stupid phrase for what was probably an inordinately long time. There can only be a few plausible explanations, right?
1. The people who repair the cars are Caribbean.
2. The auto repair is intented for Caribbean vehicles.
3. The auto repair is done in some unique Caribbean fashion.
Or it could just be the name of the place.
Beats me.
Caribbean Auto Repair?
So I admit it. I thought about the stupid phrase for what was probably an inordinately long time. There can only be a few plausible explanations, right?
1. The people who repair the cars are Caribbean.
2. The auto repair is intented for Caribbean vehicles.
3. The auto repair is done in some unique Caribbean fashion.
Or it could just be the name of the place.
Beats me.
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