Bonus points here if you can tell me what book they’re reading! (One of my favorite children’s books of all time.)

She has some of the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen! Isn’t she adorable?!!

Kris and Bobi (and kids!), thanks for a great time! I can’t wait to show you the rest!

Share This

Did you catch the two sneak peeks I posted earlier? If not, check out part one and part two, then come back here for the rest! (By the way, you’ll notice in the previous posts that Fossil’s “real name” is John, but everyone calls him Fossil.)

I had a blast with Claire and Fossil in Columbia Park as we made some fantastic images! They’ve had a chance to see them all, so now I get to share them with you. Here are a few of our favorites; check out the slideshow for more – make sure to turn up your speakers!

I posted this one before in the second sneak peek, but I love it so much that I’m sharing it again here. Besides, it’s going to look awesome on the big gallery wrap canvas it’ll be printed on!

Make sure to check out the slideshow if you haven’t yet!

Share This

Share This

Share This

My wife Athena and I went to downtown Kennewick last night for an impromptu photo date. We had a lot of fun and made some great images! Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Share This

I went to the library the other day and glanced at the new books. One photography book was on the shelf and I took a quick look at it. It looked like a potentially good book of documentary work and the library was closing soon, so I checked it out.

Boy, did I make a good choice! The book is The Places We Live, by Jonas Bendiksen. First off, Bendiksen is a Magnum photographer, which places him in the category of world-class. Secondly, the prints in this book are both phenomenal and heartbreaking. There are a few photographers whose work I love for their ability to make beautiful photographs of terrible things. Bendiksen has just been added to that list. His use of light, composition, and his saturated colors make these images fantastic!

For this book, he spent time in the slums of four cities: Caracas, Venzuela; Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; and Jakarta, Indonesia. He visited people in their homes and photographed the four walls of each home. The heart of the book is these series of photographs – the pages open so you can view all four photographs at once. The remainder of the photographs are from the neighborhoods these homes are in.

Bendiksen interviewed one member of each family and allows them to tell their own story as a preface to each set of photographs. He writes:

“Tell me about life here,” I said. I hoped that they would talk about whatever they felt like—their homes, families, dreams, hopes, jobs, frustrations, or fears. This book is a collection of their voices and reflections on living in the world’s fastest-growing human habitat—the slums. These are the places we live.

Make sure to check out his Magnum portfolio and a few images from the book.

Share This

Share This

I love the irony here:

I really love the motion in this one!

Share This

I’ll share more soon!

Share This

Did you see the sneak peek?

The Arc of Tri-Cities asked me if I would document the annual March for Respect this year. I was delighted to, and I had a great time photographing it (and keeping my cameras dry in the rain)! According to the official flyer, the March “is a public rally honoring citizens with disabilities on Saturday, March 28th, 2009. The rally will feature inspirational speeches that show respect and honor for those that live every day with a disability. This is a day to celebrate abilities.”

Here are some of my favorite images from the event.

If you’re on the main blog page, click the link to read the rest of the post – there are a bunch more photos!

Yes, I know this type of shot has been done a million times and it’s not very original, but I’ve always wanted to do “the heroic firefighter shot.” I like it, so I’m posting it!

I think this is my favorite from the day. Click the picture to see a larger version.

Thanks for looking!

Share This

In 2007 Nachtwey won the TED Prize. His wish (what he used the prize money for) was, “I’m working on a story that the world needs to know about. I wish for you to help me break it, in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”

That story is the emergence of Extremely Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, or XDR-TB. From the TED website, here is what he did:

For 18 months, James Nachtwey went around the world to capture images of the scourge of extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis. On October 3, 2008, his wish became a reality with the launch of the website XDRTB.org, a series of global projections and LED screen showings, and a 7 page spread in TIME magazine. In response to James’ wish, both candidates for US president responded with support for working to stop the spread of TB. Media outlets around the world picked up the story and hundreds of thousands of people viewed the slideshow in the first two weeks after its release.

Here is the slideshow, featuring Nachtwey’s haunting photography:

I’m inspired by someone who sees something in the world that shouldn’t be, and uses his or her unique talent to do something to bring change.

For more information, check out xdrtb.org.

Share This

Share This

I’ll have more for you soon!

Share This

Here are Josiah and Kefir’s more traditional “faces forward” portraits:

My goal with this set was to show a slice of preschool life. These are the ones I really love!

Share This

Nephew Skye:

Josiah:

Kefir:

Niece Raven:

Share This

Share This

I’m taking the time to go through my images and pick out some of my favorites; I’ll be posting them here. Here’s the first:

I think this may be my favorite image from the entire wedding. It was taken just a couple of minutes before Jovelle walked down the aisle with her parents, and I love how there are several moments going on at once within the photograph. To see more detail, check out the larger image here.

Share This

Below is the original post:

Today I start a new series of posts about photographers who have inspired and shaped my own photography. The first was one of my earliest influences, and he remains one of the most important today.

Way back when I took my first high school photography class, my teacher introduced us to a photographer by the name of Galen Rowell. The only thing I remember from the Rowell video that we watched was his story of photographing the Potala Palace in Tibet. As he was shooting, he noticed a rainbow that seemed to touch the ground some distance from the palace. Being a quick thinker, Rowell took off running as fast as he could until he had lined up the rainbow and the palace, so that the rainbow seemed to be landing on the palace. The resulting photograph was stunning and stuck in my mind, but I didn’t encounter or think of Rowell again for a couple of years.

Some time later I was browsing through the photography books in the library when I ran across a book of his, Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, and remembered the Potala Palace image. I checked it out and quickly devoured it, then read it again.

Rowell was a master photographer, equally adept at capturing expansive landscapes and intimate portraits. He termed his style “adventure photography,” and not only documented the adventure, but lived it as an avid climber and hiker. Through his books I enjoyed images of subjects ranging from Torres del Paine in Chile, to mountaineers in the Himalayas, to rock climbers in the eastern Sierras of California.

Through Galen Rowell’s images and text, I learned for the first time to see light. He taught me to anticipate it, how to look for it, the necessity of patience to wait for it, how to use it to create an amazing photograph. Because of this, Rowell was and remains one of the biggest and most important influences on my own photographic style.

Several years ago I was curious to see what Rowell had been up to lately – the last book of his I had read was a couple of years old. I found his website (appropriately called Mountain Light) and was saddened to discover both Galen and his wife Barbara had been killed in a plane crash a few months earlier.

To see some of Rowell’s work, visit his Mountain Light website, and spend some time browsing through the gallery of fine art prints. The Potala Palace image I described above is featured in the Tibet and China gallery – it’s the photograph in the middle of the first page. For more information, check out his Wikipedia entry.

Share This

Share This

Here’s my mom – “Grandma Pam” – with one of her Valentines on Christmas Eve.

And on a romantic note, here’s Pierce Pettis with “Song of Songs” (Note: There is some mild discussion here of the content of the book of Song of Songs, so you may not want to play it if you have young children about).

Pierce is a folk singer I discovered several years ago, and I’ve really come to enjoy his music. For more, check out his website or enjoy an entire concert online at Front Porch House Concerts. Beautiful stuff.

Share This

According to Wikipedia,

War photographers Robert Capa, David “Chim” Seymour, William Vandivert, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and George Rodger founded Magnum in 1947, responding to their World War II experiences. Magnum is one of the first photographic cooperatives, owned and administered entirely by members. The staff serve a support role for the photographers who retain all copyrights to their own work.
The Magnum cooperative has included photojournalists from across the world and has covered many historical events of the 20th century. The cooperative’s archive includes photographs depicting family life, drugs, religion, war, poverty, famine, crime, government and celebrities.

Robert Capa (Magnum portfolio, Wikipedia entry) was the first Magnum photographer I discovered. When I first started learning photography in high school, I was absolutely taken with war photography. I spent a lot of time in the library just looking at book after book of war photographs. Out of all that I looked at, Capa’s images are still the ones that stick out in my mind. He is famously quoted as saying, “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” and his work embodied that ethos. He landed on Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion, and made his most famous image of a soldier crawling through the water (number 32 in the Magnum portfolio). Grainy and blurred a bit from motion, that picture has an intense emotional impact and it remains one of the most iconic images from World War II. Capa died with a camera in his hand after he stepped on a landmine in French Indochina – now Vietnam.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (Magnum gallery, Foundation H.C.B., Wikipedia entry)was a documentary photographer who influenced me most through his street photography, impacting my style of wedding photography and street photography. He coined the term “the decisive moment” – according to him, “the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression.” I’m not sure what else I can write about the man other than to encourage you to spend some time looking through his body of work. You’ll be rewarded.

Share This

Share This

Athena relaxing:

Grandma Lil playing with Josiah:

Share This

I had the pleasure to be asked by Allan Tuan to shoot a wedding with him at the beginning of this month. Allan shot with me at the first wedding I ever photographed professionally (part one, part two) and I was glad to be able to return the favor. We had a great time and you can see some of Allan’s images on his blog. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

The bride and I grew up in the same church (her dad was and is the pastor) and my previous memory of her was as a little girl. Boy, do I feel old!

I know I’ve said this here several times before, but one of my favorite things about photographing weddings is being able to quietly document the bride and her dad in their last moments together before he walks her up the aisle.

If you’re on the main blog page, hit the link to see the full post and the rest of the images!

The bride’s dad also conducted the ceremony:

The lighting setup made for some really beautiful colors:

The groom hugging his new father-in-law:

I think this is my favorite series of images from the wedding. The groom was greeting guests in the foyer when his dad came up and grabbed him. I could hear him choking back the tears as he said, “I’m so proud of you!”

After his dad let him go, the groom’s grandfather embraced and kissed him.

The bride’s dad has always been into classic cars, so I expected something really cool for the getaway car. I wasn’t disappointed!

A few of my favorite moments from the reception:

Thanks Allan for the chance to shoot with you!

Share This

Here’s Josiah:

And Kefir:

Share This

Share This

Did you see the blog post with a teaser from Cari and Kevin’s portrait session? Well, now that Cari and Kevin have had the opportunity to see all of their images, I can share some more favorites with you! The slideshow is up as well – enjoy it here!

We had a deliciously colorful fall day (and it was quite warm, too – looking at these is making me long for spring!), and we got to include their “kids” in the session. This session was just so much fun!

We started out with a walk in the park:

Then we spent some time by the water.

We let the dogs chill for a little bit while Cari and Kevin got some time with just the two of them:

We hung out in the leaves for a bit.

Leaf fight!

We finished off at a nice spot on the water – how sweet!

Cari and Kevin, thank you so much for a wonderful time. I had a blast, and I know you did!

P.S. If you didn’t watch the slideshow yet, click here to see it!

Share This

Here’s a quick favorite for you – I’ll share more once Cari and Kevin have the chance to see them all.

Share This

I’ll start out with one of my absolute favorites – Alexis peeking out the window:

The mansion:

The girls got ready in one of the rooms in the mansion – there was such beautiful light in here!

Alexis’ mom enjoying the portrait session:

Again, I love the light in this room!

And the groom, Chris – I love his expression here!

The rest of the images are in the full post, so if you’re on the main page, hit the link to see them!

The groomsmen, hanging out:

The flower girl:

Isn’t she cute?

Yeah, I love window light!

A couple of details:

More window light:

Alexis, ready to go!

Aren’t these callas beautiful?

The shoes!

Alexis heading down for the ceremony:

Chris, waiting for Alexis to step out of the limo:

A few groomsmen waiting for the ceremony to start:

Alexis and her dad:

Some ceremony images:

Signing the marriage certificate:

Alexis and Chris’ son was the ring bearer. So cute!

Married!

I love watching the kids at weddings!

Cake!

I love this topper!

I love this one!

A chance to get away from the reception for a moment and just enjoy being with each other:

The toasts, given from the balcony:

Chris and Alexis enjoyed watching:

And while they were cutting the cake…

…everyone else was taking pictures!

The first dance:

Alexis and her dad:

Chris and his mom:

I love this image – so tender!

Back into the mansion for some portraits. It was so awesome to have the chance to photograph in here!

Crazy dancing time! Here are a few favorites:

The reception kept going late into the night:

And I’ll leave you with one last dancing shot.

Teresa, thank you for the chance to shoot with you again! Alexis and Chris, I’m so glad I had the opportunity to help document your day. Congratulations!

Share This

On August 16, which turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year (I think it was 106!), I had the opportunity to work as a second shooter with Teresa Anderson and help her document Lindsay and Bryson’s wedding. What a fantastic time! If you didn’t already see it, make sure to check out the sneak peek I shared.

I’m noticing a trend – I keep sharing more and more images. I can’t help myself. This time I have 51 for you! I can’t bring myself to whittle it down any further. Sorry about the load time, but I hope you enjoy them!

I titled this post “A Story in Pictures,” and I hope these live up to that name. My goal when I’m working as a documentary wedding photographer is to visually tell the story of the day, in the tradition of the great photo essays that used to appear in magazines like Life. I hope I’ve succeeded in doing that.

Here is the same image I shared before, this time in color. I like both versions so much that I decided to post this one as well.

The girls started out at Nouveau Skin Care & Day Spa – what an absolutely stunning place! This is in the room that was provided for the girls to hang out in while they waited their turn in the hair and makeup chairs. Beautiful!

Again, such an amazing place! The light and design in here is a photographer’s dream!

If you’re on the main blog page, hit the link to see the full post and the rest of the story.

Lindsay and her maid of honor:

The hairstylist’s artwork:

And into the makeup chair:

Another shoe shot. I had fun taking them around to cool spots within the spa.

Lindsay and Bryson’s first meeting before the wedding. They are such a sweet couple!

One of the things I love about being a second shooter is the ability to catch the action on the periphery that most people don’t see. The following series of images were all taken during the time for family and bridal party portraits.

I love being a witness to these tender moments!

The flower girl was the best man’s daughter. It was so obvious how much she loves her daddy!

Waiting:

Lindsay is a photographer herself, and had a great time posing!

Lindsay and her dad had a little bit of time together before it was time to walk down the aisle.

Giving her away:

Such a beautiful location! The ceremony and reception were both held at Ambiance Gardens.

You might not be able to tell in this small image, but Lindsay has tears welling up in her eyes here.

I love using lens flare! I really love how it makes a rainbow right over the couple’s hands here.

Yay!

Bryson being congratulated:

Lindsay and Bryson took the boat out on the pond at Ambiance. How fun!

I love this!

Mmmmmm…..I love Jones Soda! They had these as favors for all their guests – with their engagement pictures on them!

The centerpieces were so awesome!

Mmmmm….cake!

I think this is the sweetest, most romantic cake topper I have ever seen!

Some of my favorite moments from the toasts, as night fell:

And some of my favorite dancing images:

Bubbles! The DJs were Dave and Boomer from Riverside DJs. They did an awesome job – and their bubble machine was really, really cool!

The last dance:

I can’t leave this post without mentioning the wedding coordinators – Chrystal and Katy from Forever and a Day. The way they took care of things so that Lindsay didn’t have to worry was phenomenal! They really went above and beyond the call of duty, and I was really impressed. I hope I get to work with them again!

Lindsay and Bryson, thank you so much for allowing me to document your day! Teresa, thank you for the chance to work with you on such a beautiful wedding!

Share This

Share This

After the wedding, Teresa asked me if I would like to second shoot with her again for a wedding the following week. So, I had the opportunity to photograph my fourth wedding last Saturday. I am loving this! I get the opportunity to document one of the most important days in these families’ lives and help them remember what happened on that day. I’m able to stretch myself creatively and make beautiful, emotion-filled images that they will cherish for years. What an honor and a privilege! Teresa, thank you for asking me to come along!

Here is one of my favorite’s from last week’s wedding:

Share This

This post also marks my announcement that I’m redesigning my blog to allow for larger images! Woohoo! This is the first, and as soon as I have the design done, I’ll post large images regularly. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Share This

Here is one of my favorite images from the day. I’ll share more next week!

Share This

I had such a wonderful time photographing Jessica and Mac’s wedding! I’ve already posted a few of my favorite images from the day here. If you haven’t seen them yet, go check them out, then come back.

Here are just a few 25 of my favorite images for you to enjoy (yeah, I know – I can never whittle it down to just a few shots – there are always just too many that I love). For even more images, check out the slideshow!

Alright, on to the images! I’ll start with a few of my absolute favorites.

Mac, waiting for his cue. I love the anticipation on his face!

Emma loved being in the wedding!

Jessica, waiting for her ride:

I think kids have more fun dancing than the adults do!

If you’re on the main blog page, hit the link to see the full post and the rest of the images!

Back to the beginning of the day! Getting ready:

The guys got ready in the youth room in the church. They couldn’t resist the Foosball table!

Mac and his dad:

Moments before the ceremony:

A quiet moment. This is one of the reasons I love being a photographer. No one else gets to see a father’s last moments with his daughter before the wedding. I stayed for a short time, then left them alone.

I love this! Right in the middle of the ring exchange, Emma decided to join the ceremony.

Heading to the reception. I love the light in this image!

Mac and Jessica leaving for the reception:

Mmmmm….cake!

The topper was the same one that graced the top of Jessica’s parents’ cake!

Some moments from the reception:

The garter. I love their expressions!

While watching her daughter and her new son-in-law dance, Jessica’s mom started to cry. A friend came over to talk to her, and I love all the emotion and love for her daughter that you can see in her face here. To see an image of the first dance, check out my first post from the wedding if you haven’t yet.

Emma loves to be in the action! During the father-daughter dance she ran over and jumped into Grandpa’s arms.

I love the tender look on his face as he dances with his daughter.

Thanks for looking! If you haven’t yet, check out the slideshow to see even more images!

Share This

Good eats!

These look really cute! If you’re a scrapbooker, you need to stop by.

Cathy, the owner of Scrap Happens, cuts the anniversary cake while her husband, Jim, serves up the food.

The store held a raffle to win a Cricut cutting machine – those things look really cool! This is Cathy, calling the winner.

The drawing for a portrait session and 30×40 gallery wrap canvas print from me is going to be held tomorrow (Saturday) at six, so if you’re a scrapbooker, or know someone who is, make sure to head over to the store and put your name in! You also have until then to spend some money with Scrap Happens and save on a session with me. Check out the previous post for details!

Share This

Mmmmm…..pizza!

Kefir loves to ham it up!

Share This

Here’s the first set of images, taken while Athena was giving the kids a haircut just before Christmas. What I find funny here is how much our kids enjoy getting their hair cut!

Here’s Kefir:

Josiah before:

And after:

Share This

Dad and the kids blowing out candles:

Kefir cuddling on Mommy at the end of the night:

Share This

The print is a gallery wrap. It’s printed so that the edges of the image wrap around the stretcher bars, and it’s designed to be displayed without a frame. The size – a whopping 30″ x 40″!

Here’s a shot to show some perspective. The framed print next to it is 20″x24″.

Here’s a detail shot to show how the image wraps around the sides:

If you want to see how big this print really is, you need to go check it out for yourself!

Here’s where the promotion comes in. The print is currently on display at Scrap Happens in Kennewick, along with a few other framed prints. The reason why this print is special (other than just being so awesomely big that it dwarfs the big 20×24s I have displayed next to it) is that you have a chance to win a gallery wrap this size of your own family, plus the portrait session that goes with it.

Here’s what you need to do: Go visit Scrap Happens between now and Saturday (July 12th). If you’re a scrapbooker, you probably already know where it is. If you’re not, find a scrapbooker and get him or her to go with you. Here’s a map if you need it. Check out the store and see all the cool stuff they have. Underneath my display, fill out an entry form and drop it in the jar.

By the way, this is Scrap Happens’ one year anniversary, and if you visit on Wednesday (the actual anniversary date) between 4 and 6pm, you can get some barbecued goodies, and say hi to me.

Only one person is going to win the drawing, but you have a way to guarantee yourself a deal. Up through 6pm on Saturday, if you make a purchase of $50 or more from Scrap Happens, you will receive a complimentary portrait session from me. That’s a $150 value – sweet! Even sweeter – spend $100 or more in one purchase, and you’ll receive a session and $150 credit toward your finished portraits. If you’ve ever thought about getting into scrapbooking and haven’t done it yet, now’s your chance!

Here’s one more detail shot for you:

By the way, this isn’t the largest size I offer. One of these days I’ll show you a 4×6. That’s four feet by six feet! I love big prints!

Share This

Share This

I photographed Jessica, Mac, their daughter Emma, and Jessica’s immediate family last September. When Jessica asked me if I would cover her wedding, I said yes. All I can say is wow! What an amazing experience! I feel so privileged and honored to have been able to document Jessica and Mac’s day for them.

I titled this post a “sneak peek,” and I figured I’d just choose a few quick favorites to share for now. Well, I ended up with fourteen for you to enjoy!

Jessica getting ready:

Some more getting ready shots:

I love mirrors! They make such wonderful compositional devices.

The beautiful dress:

Mac’s dad helping him get ready:

Finishing touches. Jessica was putting her makeup on, and attracted the attention of the ring bearer. He is so cute!

I love bubbles!

Okay – I have to tell you the story behind these two images. When it came time for Mac to go into the church, Emma did NOT want him to leave her. He picked her up to comfort her, and just held her for awhile.

As I shot this, I heard Mac whispering to his daughter, “I love you, Baby. I love you.” As a dad, it brought tears to my eyes.

The ring bearer and flower girl, both being carried. I love it!

Capturing moments, relationships, and emotions is my favorite part of being a photographer. Sometimes they all come together in one image.

Of course, Emma tried to steal the show!

Married!

I love this image!

The first dance!

I’ll have more images up in a bit. In the meantime, check out Allan Tuan’s blog! He shot the wedding with me, and he’s got some great images posted.

Jessica and Mac, thank you for the opportunity to document your day – it was wonderful!

Share This

Share This

Okay, here’s another hint for you:

These images were in preparation for something I photographed yesterday. It was an amazing, wonderful experience. I’ll share more with you soon!

Share This

Two weeks ago, Athena, the kids, and I had the chance to go to Calista’s birthday party – she was turning two! A lot of fun was had by all, and Cali got a huge pile of loot! I didn’t shoot the whole time, but I did shoot a lot – I can’t help myself! Here are a few for you:

Yum!

One of Calista’s new toys was a fishing set, complete with fish!

Josiah had to get in on the action!

Yeah, those cupcakes were good!

Kefir makes the funniest faces!

Calista being photographed (note Grandma on the right):

Kefir looked so jealous watching this little girl push around the stroller…

…but he decided to bide his time. As soon as she was done playing with it, he grabbed it!

I love this one!

The slideshow is online, but it’s private. If you know the family, hit T.L. up, and she’ll give you the link.

Thanks for looking!

Share This

Here are a few more images for you from my Trash the Dress shoot in Fort Worden. I’m really a photojournalist at heart – I go to a model shoot and some of my favorite shots end up being of other photographers! Ha!

These two are husband and wife by the way. Ninja photography!

Share This

I had the opportunity this weekend to hook up with some other photographers for an amazing photo shoot in Fort Worden (just outside of Port Townsend, Washington). I’ll let the images speak for themselves now, and I’ll share more later!

Share This

(A quick note – James Nachtwey is a documentary photographer best known for covering wars all over the world. Some of the content I discuss and link to in this post is disturbing. The subject matter isn’t very inspirational – I know. What inspires me is Nachtwey’s photography and his attempt to document and change the way things are.)

I’ve known of James Nachtwey’s work for a few years now. I first discovered him when I discovered a documentary called “War Photographer” at my local library. “This looks interesting,” I thought, and I checked it out.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but whatever preconceptions I had of what a war photographer does were taken away by this film. I’ve heard the idea that war photographers don’t do anything about the atrocities they witness. It quickly became clear while watching the film that this is not the case, at least not with Nachtwey. He comes across as a gentle, soft-spoken man – not at all what I expected of a war photographer. Yet he also comes across as very driven. He writes, “I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.” Not only does he seem to be attempting to change things through his photography, he has directly intervened. The film contains an interview with another photojournalist who recounts a time when Nachtwey attempted to save the life of a man who was being beaten by a mob. Simply as a person, Nachtwey inspires me.

And the photographs! They make me weep sometimes. I don’t know if I can say much about them – they are visually stunning, masterfully composed, unobtrusively captured, tragic, horrifying, heartbreaking. You simply need to see them.

One of my favorites of Nachtwey’s images is this one of a boy in Chechnya (it’s also on the cover of “War Photographer”). Another favorite (warning: somewhat graphic) is this image of a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. I love this photograph of a child playing on an abandoned armored vehicle in Nicaragua. This picture (warning: very disturbing) of an orphan in Romania makes me weep. This is a beautiful photograph of a tragic scene – a family mourning the loss of one of their own. Perhaps the image that has moved me the most is this photograph of a pile of what must be at least hundreds of machetes in Rwanda.

For more, check out James Nachtwey’s web site. Be warned, though. The galleries there contain photos of horrific subject matter, including a few of dead children. They are not easy to look at.

You can also see more of his work at the photo agency he co-founded: VII. Click on Nachtwey’s name on the left, and it will bring up three pages of galleries. VII also features a three-part photo presentation and interview with him here. Scroll to the bottom – the clips are in the second-to-last row.

If you live in the Tri-Cities and have a Mid-Columbia Library card, one of the libraries has “War Photographer.” If you have a Richland Library card, the library has Inferno, a book of Nachtwey’s black and white photographs. Appropriately, the title is borrowed from Dante. To give you yet another warning, the photographs in Inferno are often horrific. This is a very sad book of very real tragedy. (The previous links are to Amazon, by the way.)

I’m unsure of how to end such a sad post. Looking at these images inspires me photographically, but also leaves me thinking about how screwed up the world is. I’m grateful for James Nachtwey – someone has to show us. A quote from the Bible comes to mind: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Share This

Yes, that’s a real bear skin.

Share This

For some more street photography, here’s a gallery of some of Garry Winogrand’s work. Winogrand was one of the best and best-known street photographers out there. Three of my favorites of his are here, here, and here.

Popular Photography Magazine did a piece awhile back on street photography – written by my instructor. It features interviews with several current street photographers and includes links to their works. Good stuff!

Share This

Zack Arias has been doing some cool stuff. Here’s how he did it. I’ve got an old twin lens reflex lying around – this would be fun to try!

Bob Hyatt has some good thoughts on homelessness and on the hard parts of life.

I really admire the work of wedding photographers Nate and Jaclyn Kaiser of The Image is Found. They’ve put up some irresistible images of their kids recently – here, here, and here.

Jeff Ascough – a UK wedding photographer whose work I really admire – shares his philosophy on shooting weddings, along with a few quotes from renowned documentary photographers Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Bresson, by the way, was perhaps the most famous practitioner of street photography (and certainly one of the best).

Share This

I’ve been taking a class in street photography, a style of photography that focuses on seeing “the unusual in the everyday.” That quote comes from iN-PUBLiC, a site devoted to promoting and showcasing street photography. My instructor, Mason Resnick, came up with a good description when a friend of his daughter pointed to one of his images and asked if it was a play. “Yes it is,” he replied. “Only the people in the pictures are real people, and they don’t realize they’re acting.”

Here are my favorites from my first assignment. They were taken at the Cinco de Mayo parade in Pasco.

I’m really enjoying this – it’s very difficult, but the challenge is pushing me photographically, and that’s good.

If you want to learn more and see work by some established street photographers, make sure to check out the iN-PUBLiC site, and Mason Resnick’s images.

I’ll share some more with you soon, and I’ll give you some more links then.

Share This

Did you get the chance to see the images from Jared and Charmane’s portrait session? If not, make sure to see them here, here, and here. Then, check out the slideshow!

Share This

Kefir after “ants on a log” today. Here’s two more with Jos – I hope they make you smile!

Share This

Jared and Charmane got to see all of their images for the first time last night, so now I get to share them with you here. Yay! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the first two teaser posts here and here – some of my favorites are in there. Now, on to more favorites!

We started out next to Monterosso’s Restaurant in Richland, which is a 1947 Pullman Dining Car – on its own tracks! The staff was so gracious in allowing us to shoot outside the restaurant, and it’s really cozy inside. Based on that and the recommendation from Charmane, I’m going to have to take Athena there sometime. Anyway, I really love the color and look of the train car – it made a perfect backdrop for us!

Some details – Charmane made the bouquet from fresh roses just for our session. Doesn’t it look awesome?

I really love the emotion here!

We headed down to the dock at Howard Amon Park – I really love the images we made!

I left them to themselves for a bit and stepped off the dock, but kept shooting from a distance. I love the reflection!

So peaceful!

I really love these two images!

Thanks for looking! I’ll have the slideshow up soon – make sure to check back! Update: it’s online. Enjoy it!

Share This

Way back when I took my first high school photography class, my teacher introduced us to a photographer by the name of Galen Rowell. The only thing I remember from the Rowell video that we watched was his story of photographing the Potala Palace in Tibet. As he was shooting, he noticed a rainbow that seemed to touch the ground some distance from the palace. Being a quick thinker, Rowell took off running as fast as he could until he had lined up the rainbow and the palace, so that the rainbow seemed to be landing on the palace. The resulting photograph was stunning and stuck in my mind, but I didn’t encounter or think of Rowell again for a couple of years.

Some time later I was browsing through the photography books in the library when I ran across a book of his, Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, and remembered the Potala Palace image. I checked it out and quickly devoured it, then read it again.

Rowell was a master photographer, equally adept at capturing expansive landscapes and intimate portraits. He termed his style “adventure photography,” and not only documented the adventure, but lived it as an avid climber and hiker. Through his books I enjoyed images of subjects ranging from Torres del Paine in Chile, to mountaineers in the Himalayas, to rock climbers in the eastern Sierras of California.

Through Galen Rowell’s images and text, I learned for the first time to see light. He taught me to anticipate it, how to look for it, the necessity of patience to wait for it, how to use it to create an amazing photograph. Because of this, Rowell was and remains one of the biggest and most important influences on my own photographic style.

Several years ago I was curious to see what Rowell had been up to lately – the last book of his I had read was a couple of years old. I found his website (appropriately called Mountain Light) and was saddened to discover both Galen and his wife Barbara had been killed in a plane crash a few months earlier.

To see some of Rowell’s work, visit his Mountain Light website, and spend some time browsing through the gallery of fine art prints. The Potala Palace image I described above is featured in the Tibet and China gallery – it’s the photograph in the middle of the first page. For more information, check out his Wikipedia entry.

Share This

This is becoming one of my favorites from this session. The light is fantastic, and I love those stockings!

Here’s another favorite. I really love the satiny look of that gown!

Share This

Jared and Charmane got married five years ago, so this evening they got dressed up in their wedding clothes and we went out on the town to get some fun images that they never had the chance to make on their wedding day.

I’ll post more later next week once they’ve had a chance to see them all. Enjoy!

Share This

Here’s Josiah, caught being still for a (split) second:

My lovely wife:

I love the emotion that comes through in these two images! They were just playing around and wrestling in the yard.

Thanks for looking!

Share This

Actually, it was more like “really strong, freezing wind!” Athena braved the cold the other night to model for me at Uptown in Richland. She lifted the scarf up, and the wind just blew it to the side – that tells you how strong it was! This is my favorite image from our short session.

You might notice – I’ve edited the format of my images to allow them to appear larger on the blog. Yay!

Share This

Alright, here are the images of my first family portrait album that I promised you yesterday. I am so excited to share these with you, and I am delighted to be able to offer such beautiful books to my wonderful clients!

By the way, if you haven’t yet, make sure to turn up your speakers and enjoy the slideshow I put together of the design. Okay, back to the images of the album!

Yes, the images are printed directly on the cover (and yes, the family’s name is blurred only on the web, not on the actual book, for their privacy).

Some more images of the outside of the book.

Now let’s open the album. The front and back inside covers are classy black.

The first spread.

And the last spread.

Here’s a close up of the last spread, showing the fine art matte texture of the pages. Beautiful!

Another spread – I love the images on these pages!

And a close up of that same spread, showing the detail of the crease. I love how the pages are seamless, allowing perfect panoramic images without a gap in the middle. Can I say it again? Beautiful!

Here are all of the spreads at once! If you want to see what they look like, make sure to watch the design slideshow.

I’ll leave you with an image of my favorite spread. Thanks for looking!

Share This

Do you remember the portraits I did of Antoine and Rocio’s family in Cannon Beach? If not, here are parts one, two, three, and the slideshow. I’ve designed an album for them, and now I get to share it with you! Here’s one of my favorite spreads (opposite pages that together make one design):

And a slideshow of the entire design – the cover and 23 spreads.

The book is on its way to the family now, but I snagged a few images of it (Okay, “a few” translates to “over a hundred,” but what can I say? It’s gorgeous!) before I shipped it off. I’ll share them with you soon (Well, I’ll share a few – not all hundred!)!

Share This

Share This

This is my favorite image from this series. I caught him off guard for a moment, playing with my son.

Share This

Warning: Photographer humor is often nerd or geek humor. Many of us spend a lot of time drooling over cameras and lenses that cost as much as used cars. We can sit for hours and debate the merits of one file format over another, or talk about how many aperture blades a particular lens has. Our humor is often full of inside jokes and is likely to induce groans. If you’re not a photographer, there will likely be parts of the following that you just won’t get. That’s okay. You’ll enjoy it anyway. Consider yourself warned, though.

The back story to this is Joe Photo (yes, that’s the name he goes by) and Michelle Celentano, two well known photographers, hosted the awards dinner at the WPPI convention two years in a row. Last year, they didn’t. Joe was crushed. “Confessions of a Disgruntled Awards Night Host” tells the story.

Now, a year later, we find Joe, one of the top wedding photographers in the nation, working at a one hour photo place. Check out “Diary of a Washed Up Rock Star Wedding Photographer” – Episode 1.

If you enjoyed that, Episode 2 is here. Note: Episode 2 contains a bit of language; it’s mild, but enough to make me not want my four year old to hear it.

I’ll let you know when Episode 3 is released. Until then, enjoy!

Share This

This is an image I took of Athena and Kefir at my birthday party a few days ago. I liked it so much, I thought I’d share it with you, and use it as an opportunity to get back into regular blogging!

Let’s see, my last post here was….uh….December 15. Yeah, I’ve been kinda busy! Taxes are done now (yeah!) and I’m getting caught up on work, so I’m going to make the time to get some images here on a regular basis.

Speaking of taxes, allow me to put in a plug for the IRS. Yeah, I really mean that. Bear with me a second. The IRS has a system called Free File. If you have an adjusted gross income of $54,000 or less (remember, that’s adjusted gross income, not your total gross) and haven’t done your taxes yet, you need to check this out. It works through different tax software companies (I chose H&R Block) to prepare your taxes and file online. Even with my somewhat more complicated business taxes, it was easy to understand and easy to do. Filing didn’t cost me anything, and neither did the software. Okay, that’s the end of the shameless plug.

The image above is one shot out of a series of cool images that I made while playing around with some light. I’ll share some more of them with you over the rest of the week.

Share This

Brother Maynard is part of a group of bloggers who are blogging through Advent this year, and I’ve been reading along a bit when I have time (which isn’t all that often). A recent post caught my eye – it’s a look at “O Holy Night” as an Advent carol. He writes:

The carol I’ve selected for the week is, strictly speaking, not an Advent carol, but a Christmas carol. However, this being the start of the second week of Advent, the theme is Peace, and I’ve selected a carol about peace: O Holy Night.

In the past few years, “O Holy Night” has become my all-time favorite Christmas song, and it definitely ranks as one of my favorite hymns. Regarding the last verse, part of which reads, “Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother / And in His name all oppression shall cease,” Bro. Maynard (a pseudonym, by the way) writes:

…the last verse I’ve quoted here is in no small part what makes this a radical hymn… and a call for justice. This being the peace-themed week of Advent, it seems to me there is no peace without justice. Justice was a bit of a theme for Jesus… loving our brother, breaking chains, the end of oppression. Isn’t that the thing for which we wait? Isn’t that a theme for Advent? The theme?

He goes on to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

Bro. Maynard ends with this: “This Advent, whose doors do we stand outside with the power to open?” I like this progression: From contemplation on the fact that we are helpless, powerless to open the prison door ourselves, to reflection on this – if I have been freed, what do I do now?

Good thoughts.

Share This

I’ve been so busy with clients’ images lately that I haven’t really had a chance to work on any of my own. I took a few minutes today to play around with an old image (Kefir was 7 1/2 months in this shot; he’s almost two now) of my wife and son, trying out some texture and tone. I really liked what I got, so I’m sharing it here. I hope you like it!

Share This

Such a precious moment!

I said this in the last post, but I love the bright, vibrant colors in Calista’s room!

Riding the rocking horse!

Ice cream time – look at that HUGE cone!!!

I love this…Rob and T.L. in the background, having fun watching their little girl…Calista just enjoying eating.

Sneaky, Rob!

The aftermath. She looks disappointed that she couldn’t finish the whole thing!

I love this image!

Bathtime!

I love these details!

Time for washing…

…and rinsing!

Calista is just so stinkin’ cute!

A quick towel-off…

…and it’s into PJs to play a bit before bed:

Such cute little hands!

I absolutely love these last two images!

Thanks for looking through all of these! I hope you enjoyed them, and I’m sure I’ll add more images of Calista throughout the year when our families hang out together.

Share This

I’m back with more, and I’ve got so many favorites that I’m going to have to divide it into two posts! Make sure to watch the slideshow after you’ve enjoyed these!

Getting ready for the session:

We started out with Calista in diapers – she did not want to get dressed after this!

T.L. did manage to get Calista dressed, and we went to the kitchen for a bit.

I love the colors in Calista’s room!

Calista spent awhile with Rob…

…throwing sugar packets!

They played “catch” with Rob’s wedding ring:

I love the colors of all the toys in these images!

Clapping!

High five!

This is only the first half of our session! Check back tomorrow for some fun images with ice cream and then bath time! In the meantime, enjoy the slideshow!

Share This

I’ve got a few more images to share with you from my family portrait session with Antoine and Rocio’s family that we did in beautiful Cannon Beach! If you haven’t yet, make sure to check the previous posts here and here. After you enjoy these images, make sure that you don’t miss their awesome slideshow!

I love the reflections here!

Don’t they look great?!!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these! This ranks as one of the best (and most fun!) photo sessions I have done – Antoine, Rocio, and kids, thank you for the opportunity!

If you didn’t already click on it, make sure to watch the slideshow!

Share This

I got to hang out with her for a couple of hours and do a portrait session on Tuesday evening, and we had so much fun! Here are a few of my initial favorites for you to enjoy:

Make sure to check back, and I’ll post more soon!

Share This

I’m having such a fun time with these gorgeous images! I’m not quite done working on them all, but I wanted to share some more of my favorites with you. I hope you enjoy them!

Can you imagine a more beautiful backdrop for a family to hang out and play?

I had no idea how many awesome locations the Cannon Beach area has! I’ve been here several times with my family when I was a kid, and a few times as an adult, but I don’t think I ever made it outside of the Haystack Rock area. We started out at Ecola State Park…

…and moved on to Hug Point:

I love reflections!

Have you ever seen a waterfall right next to the ocean? Beautiful!

I love this image!

We ended at Haystack Rock, just in time for the sunset!

A few of the kids…

Aren’t they a great looking couple?!

I still have some more favorites to post for you – check back soon! We made a lot of great images – too many to share only a few!

Share This

Oh, I want to make sure to put in a plug for the business Antoine and Rocio own here, Haystack Lodgings. I am so enjoying the house they’ve put us up in – I’ll try and get some images of it to share with you before we check out today. If you’re planning on staying in Cannon Beach, you should definitely check them out!

My family will be hanging out at the beach for a while today, and we’ll take some of our own family portraits. Make sure to check back soon, and I’ll have a bunch more of Antoine and Rocio’s images to share with you, as well as some of our own!

Share This

Oh, and of course, make sure to watch the slideshow!

I just love the warm light at sunrise!

Again, I just love this light!

I love shooting by the water!

Doesn’t he look so cool here?!

When the light got harsh, we started shooting among the trees. I love these!

This was just such a cool looking building.

This is one of my favorite images from the shoot…

…so I decided to give it a cool cross-processed look. Doesn’t he just look awesome?!

There are more great images in the slideshow – don’t miss it!

Share This

Back in the middle of July, Jared and Charmane and their three kids got together with me and we had an awesome photo session! A while ago, Charmane called to let me know that Jared’s family was coming down for a week from Canada, and they wanted to do a portrait session with the whole group. It turned out to be such a fun time, and I have so many beautiful images, that it’s hard to whittle it down to just a few for you. Enjoy them, and don’t miss the slideshow!

We started out with the whole group…

…then moved on to some smaller groupings. Here’s Jared, Charmane, and their kids, along with Chloe, Jared’s younger sister.

Jared’s brother Andrew and his fiancée Ivy are getting married next year. Don’t they look cute?!

I love this shot!

Colleen and her husband Mike are such a great couple!

Coleen sure has fun being a grandma with baby Keely!

Chloe hanging out with her dad:

Doesn’t this look like fun?!

This is just so cute – I love it!

Chloe with her future sister-in-law:

That’s Rory on Jared’s shoulders.

Chloe’s only pretending to be camera shy!

Victor and Chloe had fun goofing off for me!

Colleen, Mike, and Chloe took a walk along the beach.

I saw them eyeing the geese, but I had no idea…

…what they were planning!

Andrew and Ivy took a walk along the beach as well, but they didn’t chase the geese!

I love these images.

Especially this one!

Chloe ran in while we were shooting. This one is so cute, with her hanging on her big brother!

Colleen and Mike with their grandkids. I just love the light at sunset!

Colleen with her boys. Don’t they look great?!

And the final group portrait of everyone together on the beach:

Thanks, everyone! It was a wonderful time!

Oh, don’t forget to watch the slideshow if you haven’t yet!

Share This

Check back soon! I’ll post more as soon as he and his family have a chance to see them all.

Share This

We had such a fun time in Leslie Groves Park – it’s been one of my favorites since I was a kid. Now it’s one of my favorite places to shoot family portraits! Here are some of my favorites from this session for you.

Oh, by the way – make sure to watch the slideshow!

We started out among the trees with the family dog:

Then moved down to the river. I just love the light here!

She really likes her uncle!

She had so much fun playing peekaboo!

Absolutely adorable!

If you didn’t already, make sure to go check out the slideshow!

Share This

If you haven’t already, make sure to take a look at Emilee’s first set of images.

We started out behind the library. We had such fun trying out different poses in this window!

We moved out to the demonstration gardens near the library. What a beautiful place!

I tried experimenting with some sun flare. Both Emilee’s family and I love the results!

“Do you want to jump?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah!”

If you missed it, make sure to check out the slideshow!

Share This

Oh! Make sure to watch their slideshow!

Playing with their adorable cats at home:

Walking and playing in the park:

I love this spot in the park!

Some really dirty feet after all our hiking around! Can you guess who had been wearing shoes and socks, and who had been wearing sandals?

You wouldn’t believe how dark it was getting by the time we took these last ones. They had to hold really still for me!

If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss the slideshow!

Share This

On Saturday we headed out to the Demonstration Gardens near the Kennewick Library, and just had a blast! Here are a bunch of my initial favorites – I haven’t had a chance to go through all of the great images yet! I’ll have more to share with you once Emilee and her family get to see them all first. Enjoy!

Wow! What a fun time!

Share This

Here are a few of my favorite images from this session – I’ll share more with you as soon as the family gets to see them all.

Isn’t she just adorable?!!

Still to come are lots more images on the river, and some great ones with the family dog among the trees!

Share This

I’m still working on the images – there are a ton of really great ones! Here are a few of my favorites to whet your appetite. I’ll post more of my favorites once the whole family has had a chance to see them all.

What a fun time!

Share This

Here are a few of my initial favorites. I’ll post more once they’ve had a chance to see them first.

Share This

In addition to my Portraits in the Park special, I want to let you know about another opportunity!

Beginning September 4th, my price structure is changing. Prices for wall portraits and gift prints are increasing, as is my session fee.

Here’s the implication for you: You have one week left to get in on my current prices! Shoot me an email or give me a call any time through Monday, September 3rd to schedule a planning session, and you will get your portrait session and prints at my current rates.

A great way to take advantage of this is to combine it with Portraits in the Park. Contact me through September 3rd to set a time to plan for your session, and you will get my current prices, as well as a complimentary session and a $60 credit!

Share This

Wow! Can you believe summer is nearly over? I’m sure going to miss the warm weather! To take advantage of the time we have left before it starts getting chilly, I’m offering you an awesome deal – Portraits in the Park!

During September, I’m going to have several dates set aside exclusively for creating some wonderful memories in some of my favorite parks in the Tri-Cities. This is a chance for you to bring your family, your friends, or just yourself and have a fun time while creating some great images! Here are the details:

1. The session is on me! Not only is the session complimentary, but I’ll also give you a $60 credit toward your final order.
2. You have a choice of four different days in September on which to schedule your session: Wednesday the 5th, Saturday the 8th, Wednesday the 12th, and Saturday the 15th. All four days we will be shooting during the evening, and on Saturday the 15th we will also shoot in the morning.
3. There will be two sessions for each time slot; the evening sessions will be at 5 and 6, and the morning sessions will be at 7 and 8.
4. The first week (the 5th and the 8th), sessions will take place at Leslie Groves Park in north Richland, and the second week (the 12th and the 15th), sessions will take place at Columbia Park in Kennewick. Check out the examples of portraits in these parks below.
5. These sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so give me a call or an email to reserve your time!

Columbia Park:

Leslie Groves Park:

Share This

I’ve been having fun making slideshows lately. This session was so fun, I figured I’d make another. Enjoy it!

We started out at the Richland Parkway and worked to get a variety of interesting locations:

We then walked over to George Washington Way…

…and Athena danced for me alongside the busy street!

We saw the sign and both of us had the same idea:

We then walked down the hill to Howard Amon Park — this was one of my favorite places to play when I was a kid!

We walked down to the water, and I asked Athena if she wanted to get her feet wet. She did, and thought it was a blast!

Lately, we have been spending some time together enjoying some “Trash the Dress” images from other photographers. This is a style that is becoming popular among photographers and brides right now. The idea behind these images is that a bride can show her new husband that she won’t be needing her wedding dress again. Rather than put it in a box or bag in the closet, a bride and her photographer can make some wonderful, fun, classy images by putting her, wearing her dress, in some unusual locations. She might wear it in the ocean, lay on the sand, climb a tree, or any number of crazy, fun, creative ideas!

For more about the philosophy behind Trash the Dress, check this out. As part of the philosophy of focusing on creating wonderful images as opposed to merely destroying an expensive dress, some of the photographers involved in this are now encouraging their brides to donate the dress (it’s usually salvageable) to Brides Against Breast Cancer!

The moniker “Trash the Dress” applies to more than just brides. I’ve seen grooms underwater, bridesmaids trashing their dresses, even seniors jumping in the water in their prom dresses!

I suggested to Athena that we try a bit of the style in our shoot. Not necessarily getting her outfit wet; but more of creating some fun, energy-filled images in an unusual location. I’m afraid she took me literally, and headed out into the Columbia!

We both thought this was a lot of fun!

“Are you ready?” she asked me.

I was.

I really think my wife looks gorgeous when she’s dripping wet!

Don’t miss the slideshow! I think this is my favorite yet (but then again, I’m rather partial to the subject)!

Share This

Amanda (my sister) and her husband Andy recently moved into a cute H-house. After our photo session we went back to their place and made some images with the new house as a backdrop.

After a few images with just Andy and Amanda, we let Charlie out of the house:

Charlie had a blast!

Yeah, Charlie is a very friendly dog!

Can you tell they are really dog lovers?

Share This

At some point in the future I hope to move into wedding photography. This is an image that makes me think, “I can’t wait!”

I just wanted to make sure you were able to enjoy it as well.

Share This

I thought this was so funny! Josiah stopped running around for about half a minute to psych himself up, then suddenly took off running through the water:

The next evening Athena made some awesome enchiladas! Kefir ate until he was full, then started laying tortilla strips on top of his head — I couldn’t resist taking a few shots!

Bath time!

Share This

I saw this yellow sign against the red garage door on our way back to the car and thought it could be a fun graphical element. I asked them if they were up for making a few more images — I’m so glad they were!

Share This

I tried as hard as I could to narrow down the image selection, so as not to overwhelm you with pictures on the blog. I cut it down to 19. I’m sorry, I know that’s a lot, but I just couldn’t let any of these not make it on the blog — I love them too much!

I’ve just gotten a brand new slideshow program and I am loving it! I stayed up last night (okay, until 4 a.m.!) tinkering with it, and I have a slideshow of Jared and Charmane’s family portraits to share with you. I am stoked — I love this so much! Check it out!

We had so much fun on this shoot, and the family had a blast playing soccer:

These are some great moments of the family enjoying time in the park together!

This gazebo is actually the spot where Jared and Charmane got married!

Isn’t their baby girl adorable?!!

While he was enjoying being photographed…

…his brother was off to the side playing peek-a-boo!

He had so much fun!

Charmane’s baby is just so cute!

He sure loves the camera!

My wife Athena came along to play with Jared and Charmane’s kids so they could have some time alone (well, with me shooting them, at any rate)!

I already mentioned that this gazebo is where Jared and Charmane married. It was their idea to shoot here (at the Demonstration Gardens in Kennewick) and the fact that they got married here made it so sweet! Awesome idea guys — I love that!

We finished the session off at the water play area. The water came on unexpectedly at one point and surprised them:

I just love the colors in these two images!

This moment is so sweet!

She looked so cute and peaceful in her daddy’s arms…

…and then fell asleep.

I hope you enjoyed these! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Jared and Charmane’s slideshow for even more images.

Share This

Share This

Bon appétit!

I had forgotten her name in the last post; this is Betty:

Share This

We had a fun time, and I asked one of my sister’s coworkers if she would like some images for the Arc to use. Happily, she said yes, and I spent the last half of the barbecue having fun, making some great images. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Arc had need of a certain image for an upcoming newsletter, and my sister helped me find some people who could help me make that image. She first thought of this wonderful lady (whose name I can’t remember — I’ll have to get it from Amanda) but when we found her she was in the middle of eating. I came back a bit later after wandering around and taking some more images, only to find that she had gone. Just as everyone was packing up, we saw her getting on the bus, and Amanda saved the day by introducing me to her. I’m glad she did — she was fun to photograph, and I made a bunch of great images! Here are two of my favorites:

Here’s Amanda, holding Kefir. He loves his auntie!

Kefir tends to get all the attention!

One of Amanda’s clients surprised her from behind and gave her a hug. I loved these images as a series, so I combined three of them into a collage. The small size of my blog images doesn’t do it justice, however, so click the image for a larger version.

Thank you to all those who helped me make these!

Oh! I almost forgot! Here are two more for you of Athena and Josiah playing after the barbecue:

Share This

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know that Athena’s nephew and niece, Skye and Raven, have been living with us for a little over the last three months. If you missed the introductory posts, they are here and here. You can see other images of them by scrolling through the blog.

Anyway, the kids left to go home just under an hour ago! I feel relieved — taking care of four preschoolers is exhausting! I’ll look forward to likely seeing them again in a few months on Josiah’s birthday.

Knowing that this was going to be the last time I’d see them for awhile, I took some images of the kids yesterday and this morning to share with you. Enjoy!

I think our life can now return to normal — whatever “normal” for us is!

Share This

Kefir: “Hey, Daddy’s taking my picture again!” Okay, he didn’t actually say that. But I’m sure his babble meant something like it!

Share This

Share This

Raven, as usual, tried hard to stay dry.

Calista took an interest in the neighbors’ dog:

We went inside for pudding popsicles. Yummy (and quite messy)!

Share This

Josiah and Skye had a blast playing on the slides:

Kefir ate. And ate. And ate, and ate, and ate! Sometimes I think he eats more than me!

My wife, looking lovely as ever:

My sister Amanda and my brother-in-law Andy goofing off:

A split-second after I took this image, Kefir disappeared from my viewfinder as he fell on his rear!

We had some fun getting wet at the water fountain!

If I didn’t know better, I’d think Kefir could read that sign!

My mom and Raven:

Raven was pretty nervous around the water and stayed as far away as she could. This is the same girl who can’t wait to get in the bath and splash everyone else!

I love this image!

Andy decided to get in on the action:

Kefir decided to go check out the rest of the park by himself. Grandma Pauline went to go bring him back.

Yeah, my brother-in-law is a goof!

Amanda and Raven:

I hope to see you again soon, Grandma!

Share This