I'm a Business, Man...

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... I chose not to attend the South Sound Wedding Show this past weekend due to printing issues with the new business cards that I designed. I wasn't satisfied with the print quality and didn't feel using the card would be optimal to promote myself as a Seattle wedding photographer to the various wedding vendors in the Seattle-Tacoma region. But printing quality doesn't matter online and that doesn't mean that I can't show them here. I designed both horizontal and vertical cards, so leave some feedback. Show some love!

Sheyla and Justin, Happy Anniversary!

About this time a year ago, before I moved to Seattle, I was hard at work on editing the wedding photography for Sheyla and Justin Norton's mid-September wedding in the Orlando LDS Temple. The joyful Norton couple was sealed together in the House of the Lord in a sacred ceremony among family and close friends. After the ceremony, they then celebrated their marriage in style along the Jupiter, FL beach front with a reception among dozens upon dozens of family, friends and acquaintances. A year later, the Nortons are still in love with each other as they were on that special day they were married a year ago. Here are some wedding photography highlights from their wonderful day down in Florida:

Highway 90

One of the eeriest things that I noted while I in Mississippi during the weekend of my photographic journey was how quiet the place had been. One of the impacts of the hurricanes that hit the Gulf coast in 2006 was the displacement of local wildlife. There were no birds singing, no squirrels scurrying, no frogs croaking in the night. Nothing. Just a mute silence attesting to the devastation wrought by Katrina and Rita.

I shot a brief night-time series with prolonged exposure along Highway 90. This area was all but flattened by the power of nature and a lot of the man-made buildings and landmarks were gone. I would have loved to continue the series, but when it comes to 30-min to 1-hour exposure times in the middle of the night... well, even I have my limits!

So the fine art photography posts will come to a brief end for now. This weekend is the South Sound Wedding show in the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. I'll be working on making some new business cards and getting ready to do some networking during the event. For now, I'm beyond burning the midnight oil, so I should get some sleep...

Spawning Recognoscere

So I've finally posted several of my fine art images online. Here is the link to the full medley of images from my 2006 photographic journey through coastal Mississippi post-Hurricane Katrina. I spent a total of three days in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis, and the resulting imagery spawned the Recognoscere series. Prints are available in varied sizes. Vitamins for your optic nerves. Email me for details.

Below are three images that comprise a triptych of just a piece of the destruction. For this shot, I managed to climb up to the second floor of a building that was only a strong gust of wind away from falling over. I'm sure that I shouldn't have been in there -especially since the floor felt like it would fall out from under me- but the photo turned out amazing. Take a look. Vitamins for your eyeballs.

The Ballad of Johnny Pete

A close friend of mine in NYC has been requesting prints of my fine art photography. For some time now, actually. Since her birthday is approaching, I felt it best to post some of my artwork online for easy browsing. I also thought it best to post some digital scans that I pulled from found object slides that I discovered while shooting a photo series in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina wrecked the landscape. Arranged in sequence -though the found object slides did not belong to the same person- the series is called "The Ballad of Johnny Pete." The images are open for you own interpretation. Enjoy some found object vitamins for your optic nerves!

Cautionary Tales: Believe (You Better Believe It)

Sometimes I'm amazed at what can happen with print media. Fierce spelling and grammar mistakes + lack of a good copy editor = national distribution of a laughable DVD cover. I found this gem of a blunder while flipping through an old magazine of LDS Living a few days ago. The tragic thing is that the person who created the DVD cover actually managed to follow the "I-before-E" concept twice before failing horribly on the third try. Take a look for yourself, and always remember: keep your friends close, your enemies closer and most importantly, leave the spellcheck on!

the Patriot

I remember where I was eight years ago during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. I was a missionary for the LDS church, working in Recife, Pernambuco -one of the northeastern regions of Brazil. The most that I saw that day was quick news clips of the planes entering the World Trade Centers followed by rapid commentary in Portuguese -which I didn't understand too well at that point. The confusion and anger that came from those attacks only served to heighten the love I have for my country.

Eight years later, I understand all too well what Patriotism means to me. I love my country and abhor the type of hatred that led to the loss of so many lives on that day and since. Today I am blessed with a young daughter who thankfully will never have to experience the horror of 9/11, but I plan to raise her with a love for both her country and the history of this nation. I may not be able to teach her much at this stage in her life, but she can certainly learn by example. That is the best teaching tool of all.

Cautionary Tales: Lighting Tests and Googly Eyes

Sometimes there are moments where it's best that I work behind a camera and not in front of it. When in front of a camera, there are too many temptations and impulses that compel me to make a fool of myself. Today I encountered one of those moments. Setting up a lighting test yielded this moment of ridiculousness. Alas, I couldn't get a copy of the original image, so I had to settle for my grainy camera-phone. Enjoy!