Dan and Heidi

A few favorites from an engagement portrait session with two lovebirds named Dan and Heidi.

Had a blast guys!

Lavender Buzz

There is a small field of lavender near my condo that seems to lately be a haven for bees. In my continued effort to photograph more and with a renewed interest in nature, I clicked off a few frames and tried not to get stung. It was a nice retreat. Bzzz.

Disney Geometry

Went on a family vacation to Orlando, Fla. earlier in the summer to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Snapped a few photos. It was a wonderfully relaxing trip. Can't wait to go back. Maybe Christmas?

After The Rain

Here are a few that I made of some backyard flora after a brief rainstorm Friday evening. A bit funky and abstract - a good match for my mood of late. I don't pick up my cameras nearly as much as I should, but I'm trying. Hopefully I'll get back to the habit of carrying a camera with me during my daily romps to class. I guess I'll see what happens. For now, cheers ...cll

Starting Anew

For the most part, I have neglected my cameras for a long time. I got out today to clear my head a little by spending some time in the viewfinder of my Nikon. Playing with light and lines.

It was fun. I'll have to do it again ... tomorrow.

Love Portraits

My great friend Josh met Kristin about five months ago. In that time, he's been having a blast while falling head over soles. He lives in Colorado and she in Pullman, Wash. while she finishes up a commitment as a veterinarian. It was a little more than 14 days ago that he popped the question on the snows of Mt. Ranier in the Pacific Northwest. As typical as it sounds, these two were made for one another and have an anything-but-typical future ahead of them.

I was honored to be asked to make some engagement photos for Josh and Kris this evening.

Tonight was about some people who are really important to me. Josh because he's always been there for me, pushing me to be better than I thought I could be--as a photographer, as a ball player, as a human being. Kris because she is such an important part of Josh's life and a natural friend that I look forward to getting to know over the years.

Now for those pictures. Here are a few of my favorites.

Two Wheels and Perspective

I [HEART] quad rugby. A few years ago--when I was still in newspapers--I got the opportunity to do a two-part story on a local man who went from being a regular suburban husband and father to a quadriplegic in 24 hours due to a condition that attacked his spinal cord. In the wake of his injury and rehabilitation, he discovered wheelchair rugby and feel in love.

It's a story that still inspires me, even years later. I hadn't been out to shoot the sport or hang out with the athletes since completing the story, so I took the opportunity to get out this weekend for the Mile High Massacre tournament in Denver. What an awesome display of punishing metal on metal collisions.

Looking at these pictures tonight makes me realize how insignificant the challenges of my Monday truly are. Life is all about choices. Sometimes these decisions are in your control and sometimes they are so beyond your grasp. It's all about perspective, right?

Baseline Sitting

Got out to shoot some high school basketball a few days ago. It had been a good long while since I pulled out the gear to shoot sports. It was a lot of fun and I think I could still compete for column inches in **most** newspapers. Too bad newspapers are dead. Hopefully this is the beginning of me spending more time tucked inside the finder of my cameras. On a side note, these are all shot ambient with the amazing Nikon D700 and 70-200 combination. In the past, I would have pulled out my speedlights to throw a little light around. That approach would have added some separation, but I'm pretty pleased with the nat light (read: cycling mercury vapor lights of death) results.

Happy New Year

Here's to good fortune and great light. See you in 2009.

Visual Morsels