In typical fashion we didn’t get our card out or printed in time to go out. So, thankfully it’s pretty hip to be green right now, so we will say that it was all in the spirit of saving the earth by not printing and mailing. In all seriousness, we are going to send the money we would have spent on the printing and postage to Compassion International toward the World Food Crisis (more to come about that in the new year). My friend Taylor put up this blog to inspire people to donate, so be inspired, give some cash!
Since I knew we would be late, and wouldn’t send it out until Christmas Eve, we decided to acknowledge we missed the Christmas greetings, and went for the Rocking New Year greeting!
Take a look at the card, but here’s the base image of it. Enjoy! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
Mandi is an incredible talent. I met her at my church after she sang one morning. I was honestly a little cynical when I saw her sit down with her guitar and set up to sing. I used to make my living doing that. I have heard thousands of people play and sing, that think they are the greatest singer in the world. With that cynicism I prepared to bite my tongue and suffer through another mediocre song, and bad guitar playing. When she opened her mouth, I was immediately embarrassed by my attitude. She is an amazing talent, and inspiring as I have gotten to know her with the desire only to be obedient to Jesus. Wow. So, I was privileged to be able to take some promo pictures for an upcoming EP, that will hopefully happen early next year. Another great thing about that day, was that I was able to gather together Celine Russell, and Kerri Bunn on one shoot. They are both amazing makeup artists, but both are amazingly hip too. So, between the 2 of them, we pulled together one of my favorite shoots in a long while. We have a behind the scenes video, as well as the images here.
One last shot. I like to continually be challenged, in skill, and in thought. I would not normally shoot something like this, but my assistant Alan, is really inspired by photographers who work in this aesthetic. So, I was challenged to consider it. I really like this shot.
I was able to go to Ireland a couple of years ago. It’s weird because a European trip when I was 16 is a reference I use frequently when people ask how I got into photography. On that trip I saw in my mind these amazing photos I was taking with my 35mm point and shoot plastic camera. Needless to say they didn’t come out the way I wanted. Still it happens. I am not much of a landscape photographer. I don’t have the patience or the personality to really do it the way the old guys do. Neutral density filters, and warming filters, and graduated filters, all the filters it takes to do it right, I would lose or break in about 15 minutes of owning them. When I went to Ireland I saw the same things I did on my first European adventure. I have been trying to figure out the way the new school of photography approaches the subject of landscapes, and people scapes. I think Erik Almas is pretty amazing at it. So, as is typical on long holidays, I am playing and trying to apply some of the techniques I have been learning on lynda.com. (If you want to learn anything about the computer, that’s the best deal on the internet.) Here’s a shot from Ireland, that hasn’t seen the light of day until now. I am also learning how to post on flickr, and link to the shot on my blog. Lots of learning and trying and screwing up…
I love BIG pictures. Richard Avedon is one of the reasons I am a photographer, he printed VERY large images which I have always loved. Today I got to see a couple of my pictures really big! I was standing on the corner outside of a great new lunch place, and the Birmingham area Habitat for Humanity van drove by. Earlier this year, I worked with Jason Bickell a great designer at Lewis Communications, on some Habitat work. Today, I was able to see some of that work brought to life-size on the side of that van. Thanks to Charles Coppedge who did the vehicle wrap for these photos. The van was moving too fast for me to grab a photo with my phone!
I love Habitat for Humanity. One of my early memories, is my dad going on trips with President Jimmy Carter, serving Habitat for Humanity. This organization partners with people to get them into homes. I hope that one day, my legacy is that I have done something to affect people based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ like this organization has.
The latest fashion series from Thicket Magazine. I wanted to do things a little different, I didn’t use electrical lights at all, just that great big one that God made for us, and a couple of modifiers here and there.
They are coming to Birmingham. So, in anticipation of that, they are doing a press tour, where 4 of the dancers travel around the country doing all kinds of media events and PR work to promote the show. One of the agencies I work with a good bit, BIG Communications, has the job of helping get the word out. So, they asked me to be a part of photographing the Rockettes in different places around our fair city. We started atop my old studio’s building, and then ended up at Sloss Furnaces, an historic part of the steel boom in Birmingham in the first part of the 20th century. The wind was quite fierce on top of the roof, so I found some very willing guys (I mean who wouldn’t want to hang out shooting the rockettes?) from my good friend Bryan’s studio, to help tether down the gear in the high winds. Thanks for suffering through that guys! And as always, my trusty sidekick Alan was right in the thick of it!
If you are smart and funny, you would love Mental Floss magazine. I am neither and I like it. I like even more the fact that they asked me to shoot a couple of portraits for the Genius issue that is on newsstands now. As I have said so many times before, I have the best job in the world. The fact that I get to do something I enjoy doing, and meet some of the most intriguing people on the planet blows my mind. For this issue, they asked me to make a portrait of Chef Homaro Cantu, of Moto Restaurant, in Chicago Illinois. I love food, I love to cook (thought not great at it), and I love photography, so this was one of the best fits for me. Chef Cantu, one of the most gracious subjects, is truly a genius. He not only has amazing food, but is using it in ways to better the world. This portrait of him is at the back of his kitchen, with his liquid nitrogen tap, that he uses regularly while cooking. You know the liquid nitrogen tap, don’t you have one in your kitchen?
The second portrait they asked me to make was of Erin Lavik. Erin is a professor at Yale, but also a fantastic wedding cake maker. Erin was tapped for this issue because of her work reconstructing severed spinal cords in rats. Yes, you read correctly. They sever the spinal cords and use a polymer and other scientific things to reconstruct the spinal cord, and the rats regain mobility in the lower half of their bodies. So, one day when people walk after having trauma to the spinal cord, you can say you read it here first. Again, I meet some amazing people.
Every one needs a donkey in their portfolio right? I was making selects from a cookbook I am working on that will be out next year. It’s really cool, highlighting the places and people that food comes from. This particular day we were harvesting wild strawberries, and naturally there was a donkey near by, so naturally I took a picture.
We are still working on getting a tour up for everyone to see, but I had to photograph the new space for my architect last night. So, here is a preview of the place.
