Boone, NC :: Ship Rock

I especially like this photo because I'm pretty sure I squint when I look at it. I give you permission to stare at the sun. Just this one. Try if you dare. This particular evening we hiked up in a furious gust of wind, but the payoff was priceless. Mountain sides of luminous color challenged our previous perception of reality. Seriously, it was gorgeous. Today, most of the color is gone. We are heading into winter and all I've got to remind me of those colors is this post... well, and a few other photos. Maybe if you ask I'll put up another.
*update*
Due to requests I've selected two more photos to post. There is always some sort of journey on your way to adventure and the first photo shows my friend Chad working through the underside of the beauty you see in photo two. Photo two was taken after the sun had dipped below the mountain to the left and the remaining light caused the trees to glow in a strange and beautiful way.

Boone, NC :: Fall, Fetch, Explosives

Kristen and I went for a walk with our dog, Chai, on a beautiful, foggy day. Seriously, we love the fog. Even the rain is fun for us. Our house is surrounded by woods and the mountains and hills serve as a pretty decent backdrop. Okay, it's amazing and we love every bit of it. Going for hikes through the woods is becoming a favored activity for us, and Chai continues to tell us she's pretty sure she is part Australian Shepherd. Seriously, Chai. She chases deer on a daily bases and has yet to be challenged. Her ego is huge. Today she posed on a ton of explosives kept in a vault in the woods. I think this whole outside dog routine is really getting to her.

Boone, NC :: Step Outside And Look Up

Sometimes I just have to step outside and look up into the heavens, take a deep breath, talk to God and jump back in to whatever I am doing. Late last night I wandered around outside our home, camera in hand. I have a thousand things I want to do, updating this blog being one of them, but through all the spinning items in my head I could not seem to focus on even one. Looking up into the vastness of the universe has a way of loosening the tightening strap around my list of things to do, my worries, my fears. Sometimes even my desire for the greatest endeavors get pushed into a box, and the once beautiful wrappings begin to take on a more ominous color, and the bows and ribbons turn into ugly vines. So many things requiring so much time I cannot seem to provide. "Stepping outside" seems to put everything back in to perspective. God is my King, I am his servant, whatever it is that I am able to do I want to perform for the service of Him. The heavens have a way of restoring my will and encouraging my spirit. Praise be to God for being such a wonderful escape.
Psalm 16:11 says,
"You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

WonderDog :: Boone, NC

I'm back from Boliva and am quite pleased with my first international assignment. I regret to say that, unlike what we would like to believe, it isn't possible to blog from every corner of the world; well, unless you can pay for satellite. Since I cannot afford the luxuries of world blogging the photos I have taken over the last ten days have added together to form a very large number. So, for now, I give you "WonderDog." Chai is capable of leaping over tall buildings and small people when on the prowl for tennis balls. Here is a rare capture of this athletic creature in mid flight.

Wedding :: Catherine & JM

Saturday was a beautiful day for love. Catherine and JM are two very sweet people who wear their hearts on their sleeves. It was a privilege to photograph their wedding day alongside the talented Matt Powell.

Assisting One of the Best :: Weddings

Matthew Morgan gave me a great opportunity to shoot two weddings alongside him as his assistant, and I am very grateful. These are a few frames, from my camera, that I enjoy the most. Thank you Matt for being very gracious with your knowledge, for teaching me the ropes when it comes to wedding photography. I admire and appreciate the way you serve your clients. Also a thank you to the pair of brides and grooms: Katie and Mark. Krissy and Daryl. Your days were beautiful.

Kristen :: the best smile

Millenium Park Fountain :: Chicago, IL

On this particular day, July 22, 2006, we all gathered in Chicago, IL to celebrate the year in which we were all in our twenties. It has always been a somewhat difficult task for all four of my siblings and I to gather in the same location. Life has a history of taking us in different directions. I am hoping for a pause. I hope that we can pause long enough to reacquaint ourselves with one another and live life side by side. Even if just for a while. Kristen and I will be moving to Wisconsin, in May, to do just that; to live with family we usually travel so far to see, to reacquaint ourselves with people we love.
This decision we have made comes with great excitement and wonder, but leaving those we have come to know and love has produced some of the most sobering moments we have known. To life and all of its adventures.

Through the Fog :: Off-Roading Part II

Through the Fog :: Off-Roading

My good friend, Troy, asked me to go four-wheeling in the mountains and I jumped in without hesitation. I hope to post a few more photos of our trip in hopes that you may also feel the absolute thrill of traversing gnarly terrain in one of the coolest jeeps ever...