Photos I did not take, but instead are in.

(you are not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition).


Here are the photos that should go with a blog 2 blogs deep.
I am so sick! My face probably weighs 7 extra pounds with all the fluid that is in there.
Newport, RI was my destination vacation and it's cold, rainy, and I am sicksick.

But I got to see the Brothers Bloom last night which is a great movie!
I am attracted to big noses on boys.

Brother/Sister/Colter/Kylene

Kylene (fellow Hallmark 09 graduate, whoopwhoop!) and her brother Colter-Wolter came over today for some photo making. they are cool. Kylene is one of the nicest girls I have ever met. she is a great baker too. good times have been had with her...shoot man! i am going to miss the people in my life!







i love kylene's eyebrows!










these were shot with the new Canon Mark Deuce (baby!)
the camera makes my eyes shine with happiness & joy.
i used to be able to flow through the 5D menu without even looking...my fingers knew the dials so well! and now, i have to read and learn it. this only serves to excite me about when me & the new 5D know each other inside and out.


things I love (the first thing being lists, of course):
rain, humidity, strength and honesty (because that is what girls are attracted to), heat, green grass, shooting wide open, sticking my feet out while riding a motorcycle and wearing Tom's, being a graduate of the best photo school in the world (actually, it really is), my brother, hugs, beards, how funny i am (really, i have so many stories), fake moustaches, skeleton keys, my brother (really), breakfast foods (especially everything bagels), sleeping on the floor, giving people mnemonic-ish names in my cell phone, external harddrives (not Western Digital), Del's lemonade, Williamson, Jimmy, Gabe (my three favourite teachers), and having short fingernails. oh, and that iphone update was nice as well.

tomorrow i go to Newport, RI for a week of whatever the heck i want, and then a beeeeautiful wedding!

End of Phase Four, now it's time for real life!

alright, so a lot of big deals have been happening in my life as of late.

one- my car was broken into & the mamiya, light meter, 2 lenses,&2tripods were gone (as mentioned earlier).
two- i graduated.
three-i don't have a permanent residence lined up for when i move to TN.
four- i purchased the canon 5d mark deuce.
five- i rode a motorcycle. twice. it was awesome.
six- i have packed up my belongings and am starting the trek to TN soon.
seven- i met my brother's girlfriend and i really like her. finally.

it's one of those things where people say "no big deal" frequently. nope. not here. my life is full of really big deals.


this is my brother & becca (girlfriend)

clint (fellow Hallmark graduate) made these heads and was going to throw them away, so i adopted them.



so i realized that i loved moving around as a kid because it was pure adventure. all i had to do was get in the car (or airplane) when my parents told me to. and now...now i have to get boxes, make plans, schedule, pay money, etc. etc. in order to move. and now, it's not as fun.
my body has been so tired&stressed lately that i'm worried. i think it will get better (especially when i spend a week doing noooooothing in Newport, RI this week).

last night there was a big hoo-hah party with all the teachers and students and i realized...i like these people. my teachers have been CRAZY. they have changed my life. they've raked me over the coals, made me shoot &re-shoot, told me their stories, listened to mine, helped me define my business plans & life goals, and one of them even drove me home on a motorcycle.
what's great is that they are no longer my teachers, but my friends.

last night everyone was taking photos with little point&shoot digitals. but i do not have one of them (unfortunately), so...i have nothing to show.

um,
this photo is of my friend Chayanne and i at a party a few weeks ago (he is an amaaaazing photograher)

Shamus&Co.

This evening I got to hang out in Shamus' basement while the band practiced.
They sound soooo good! This harmonica player tore it up!










Tonight I ordered the 50mm f1.4
Prime lenses make my mouth water.
I have to keep swallowing every few seconds.

Black and white and gestture and catchlights and tones and of course magic.

My love for black and white photography has increased immensely in the past few weeks.

There's something so subtle about it...I like it very much for my personal work. Maybe because things have been so crazy in my life lately that it's nice to just immerse myself in the quiet details of black and white tones.

I feel like gesture becomes much more important in black and white images,
because sometimes colour can be a distraction.

These are some of my favourite black and whites. Some are old. Some are film. Some were taken with a Canon, and some with a Mamiya. All of them are rock and roll. And they are all loved ones.

O'Neil Wedding!

This is an outrageous couple.
Their love is so dynamic and moving to see...they blow my mind and I love it!
This wedding was in Wilmington, VT and it was a perfect day.
I had two wonderful assistants (my first wedding where it wasn't me solo) and the day went smooooothly.



Michelle&Ryan....!!






This is us doing a test shot for the shot above.
It's difficult doing long exposures with a self-timer!
















Basically, one of the best nights ever.

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHING WEDDINGS.
Fact!

The difference between going back &going home.

Last weekend I went to Tennessee to photograph a wedding (more to come on that later).
I was able to spend a few days there...tooling around, going to shows, cliff jumping, swimming, meeting new neighbors, etc. Below are some portraits I took on the fly. Some use a reflector, some don't. I really like silver reflectors. A ton. That little extra catchlight they add is killer!


This is Heather and Zachary Paul.
I love the portraits of Zach.
They were just the way I saw them in my head.










This is Tylere, who is clearly the fourth Jonas Brother.







Andy Goodner (who made me a killer mix cd...and then they guy who smashed into my car the other day ruined all my Cd's)





Lyton, who resembles Orlando Bloom...






Andy wanted to show the dangers of using a reflector...blinding!







I just got home from a travel stint around the NE....Boston, Jersey, NYC, and Maine. Some crazy times were had. I ate a ton of good food, was able to hang out (and meet) the nicest people ever. I got to stay with my cousin who is a great guy. I had my car broken into (Mamiya with digital back, 2 lenses, lightmeter, and GPS stolen). Attended a wedding (which is very strange after only ever photographing weddings).

Portraits are awesome. I looooove making images of people. Very rock and roll.
While I was back in Cleveland I scouted out some great locations for portraits and engagements! This excited me. I CAN'T WAIT TO BE BACK IN THE SOUTH! I love the heat and humidity! And I love swimming in the river (it makes my skin and hair feel soooo good).

This was sooo funny to me:
While we were in Boston, I spotted a Lush. Now, if you have never experienced a Lush (hand-made cosmetics/soap), you MUST go! I sort of freaked out and ran inside. The boys begrudgingly followed...next thing I know, they are giddy about all the stuff! It was hilarious! A employee gave us the hand treatment, and we all bought the stuff. It is SO GOOD! No joke, I felt like I had baby skin. It's important to take good care of your skin and hair (and teeth, etc) because you can't replace it.

These are the boys in Lush.

I highly recommend you follow me on twitter
so you can see these fun photos I take throughout the day.


I have so many photos to sort through! I love it! I love the entire process of making photos, from the concept to the editing! Whoop Whoop!