Firstly, congratulations to this mother to be! Secondly, Thank you for allowing me to capture another wonderful moment in your life!
 
This is the second opportunity I've had to photograph this wonderful person. The first was at her wedding in April of 2010. This lovely mother is due to have a girl in December. I can't wait until I get to spend more time with her and the addition to the family. We had a lot of fun during the shoot. I shooting with her because of she lets me test new ideas and push my creativity as far as I can. 

A Book...Maybe I should.

I've had several people tell me that I should put all my Project 365 images in a book. You know, I should. I should put one together just to see what kind of response I get from it. I guess you don't know unless you try. The 365 images would be nice to have all together in a book, but I'm also thinking of taking a second book one step further. I don't know why, I'm not even sure where this came from, but as the above image shows I've always had a draw to the more creepy side of photography. It's a reoccurring theme that I'm not able to stay away from for very long before I have to come up with something creepy. I just have to come up this haunted view into the twisted side of my mind. So I think that I should also put together another book that is just those types of images. The more I've thought about doing this book the more I've become excited about doing both. As I said, I'm not sure where this came from or why I have this reoccurring theme. But, since I do, I might as well utilize it. It makes me wonder if I should try to get into shooting Gothic weddings. I really would love to shoot a Gothic wedding in a cemetery. It would be so fitting for me. Maybe I will get that chance one day...just maybe. For now, I'll just begin working on the books waiting for that opportunity.

Final Project 365 Portrait

Well, it’s complete. I’ve spent the last year shooting a portrait every day. This has been an incredible journey and a very good exercise in creativity. It’s been a full year for me also. I’ve gone from being a husband to being a husband and a father. Where most photographers I’ve seen, who have done this, start on January 1. I keep putting it off and then decided on my birthday I would start it. It just so happened we had snow on the ground and a friend called me to go to Springer Mountain with him where there was 12” on the mountain. What a better way to start a project than one, on your birthday and two, on a snow covered mountain. So it began.

I tried to keep it original with every shot. I expected some similarities, but tried to make each one unique. The funniest part is there were so many nights where I can up with the idea in about five minutes. And then there were the nights that I realized at 11pm I needed to shoot my photo for the day. There was only one day I almost messed it up. I had intended shoot that one in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park at night. The park ranger had another idea. Some friends, my bride and I were shooting for a little while and just before I could do what I intended, we were kicked out. I did make it into one that night, even though, you can physically make me out, I was in it light painting with a flashlight.

I’ve looked back over the images and I can’t believe the ideas I’ve come up with. It’s so great that there are several life changing moment that are represented in these photos.

I have a photo from the day I found out I was going to be a father.

The day we found out the due date.

The day he was born.

There’s our sixth anniversary. 

Birthdays (including the first photo)

A few trips including our first pacific sunset in San Fancisco.

A wedding we shot.

A beach at 4am (http://4amproject.org/). 

The end of one year and the beginning of the next.

Friends.

Family.

I have to say a very big THANK YOU to those that have not only had to deal with me doing this, but those that have also been a part of my photos. I know I can be so detailed it takes time to get it correct. I have had nothing but the best support from my family and friends. This include my Twitter, Flickr and Facebook fans. I appreciate all the comments you’ve made on my photos. The feed back you have given me and the constant encouragement from day one has been amazing. I never expected to receive that much.
I have to say a special Thank You to my wonderful bride who has had to endure this day after day. There have been several nights where plans had to work around me being able to get my photo that night. She has been a great sport through each of these. Even spending time helping me to put 364 images all over our living room so I could get my last photo. It took almost 30 minutes to set up and pick up all them up and all that for about one minute of actual shooting. You have been the best through this and your support has been incredible. I know you are too small now, but thank you also to our son who has already had to deal with me and this project. It is great you were able to be a part of this.

I appreciate everyone taking time to follow this wonderful journey for me.

Kayla’s Senior Portraits and an Abandoned House

These portraits are of Kayla (the ones after the house), a senior in high school and a student who found me on Facebook and asked would I be her senior project facilitator. It’s been great to spend time working on her project together and helping her learn basics of photography. She is a very sweet person, full of life and is a joy to be around. She also asked could I shoot her senior casuals. Looking at some photos I took in an abandoned house, knew that was the location she wanted to start with. So we ventured out to it and then drove around the local back roads looking for spots to capture some great moments. 

Creepy place. It does look like the residents just left. It reminds me of the movies where people just vanish and things have just sat for years. They took the furniture, well, except for a work bench, sofa and I think a chair in the basement. And the creepy chair at the window in the attic.

There was so much stuff just laying around that it made for a fun exploration into a life this house once held. Shoes, clothes (children’s included), a pillow if you needed a nap were included in the find. The floor was also littered with school papers, books, notebooks, magazines, checks, prescription, bank statements, and a few family photos of a rafting trip. 

And you could find some lingerie too; bras, panties, stockings and some things you couldn’t tell what it was. At least they were nice enough to provide a hanger for my use.

Looking back to both times I’ve been here, I had a completely different mind set for shooting. The first time I didn’t think much about the life this house once had. I wanted to show the state that it was in and make it as foreboding as possible. The second time gave me the opportunity to bring the life back and make it look like there was more than just deterioration.

But enough of the portraits of the house...on to the portraits of Kayla.

Just think, at one time a family went up and down these stairs. There were coats, shirts, maybe toys in this bedroom closet. And this fireplace once warmed the living room. Someone was, maybe still is, a Korn fan.

Once I was able to get the front door open, the ambient light through it and setting sun light that filtered directly through a bedroom to the left made the shots on the stairs just beautiful. It makes this house look like a home again.

Like I said, a joy to be around.

Then we went upstairs, in the attic, where the chair had been moved to face the window overlooking a long since functioning pool. Once again, coming through this window was the best light. It made for some beautiful portraits of her sitting in the chair.

Once we left the house abandoned again, we headed out to drive around some of the local back roads. Our first find was an abandoned (see a theme here?) subdivision that only had a paved road and  plumbing stubbed up where houses were to stand. It gave us the perfect place to shoot with the sunset behind the camera, it’s last rays of light shinning on the hills in the background.

The only non-abandoned place we stopped. Although that could be debated with as little that was actually around at this location. We made a quick stop at this three rail fence we found while driving around.

On our way back, thinking we were finished, we saw this gorgeous field of yellow flowers on the side of the road in an abandoned lot where only the foundation remained (told you there was a theme). We pulled in, and spent what time we could with the last light of the day fading very quickly. Being so late it did make the yellow flowers standout from the darker surroundings and made for a incredible place to complete the session that day.