Ortiz Family

I'm going to include a couple more photos from the photo shoot now, and then come back to them in a little while. I love these three because they have a dreamy, nostalgic quality to them. Enjoy!

Ortiz Family Photo Session

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of making photos for the Ortiz's. They are a fun-loving family and photogenenic to no end! We started downtown and made our way over to the Riverwalk. Once there, the sun slowly started to set. These are three of the photos they kept; three of my favorite photos as well. I'll be posting more soon!

Camera Testing

Another couple of test photos with color film to make sure the camera was working properly. 

The girl was kind enough to strike a pose for me! 

Cool Kid Swag

As usual, feel free to live a comment or say hey!

An Opportunity (Long Story)

My wife and I get out of the car at Wal-Mart, just another day. I look up and see an awesome classic car sitting all by itself. I have my film camera with Tri-X, the perfect pair to capture this fine automobile. I walk up, inspect the best angle with a nice, clean background. I set my guess for the exposure, bring the camera up, and click up the metering button. With a gentle "snick" I cock the film lever and press down the shutter. To my everlasting dismay, the mirror came up and did not come down. This shot was ruined. Snick.. nothing. Snick.. nothing. No luck. We walk around the store and I'm on my phone searching the internet for what the problem could be.

Once we get home, on exposure 30 of 36, I have to remove the film. I mess with the camera and it manages to starting 'firing' correctly. So, I used this opportunity to start fresh with a color roll to make sure the camera is still working. With this in mind, I decided that I would shoot the roll as fast as I could (versus a couple of months of being super selective). And because of this, I got photos I would never have gotten but wanted to try something different just to get the photos made.

I'll be posting a photo every couple of days showing what I ended up with, so make sure to check in to see what's new!

Autumn Sketches

 

JapanFest

I'm a realist and a dreamer. This difficult dichotomy permeates how I interact with others and my photography. On the one hand, I like saying things how they are. My choice of words are blunt; the image I may make has no underlying statement. Likewise, I also want to hope for the best and create images that move others; to create images that make me proud to have created them.

With that said, visiting JapanFest was a chance for others' words, actions, and art to move ME. Part of it was the welcoming culture. As if I were a close friend, the people there gave off a positive vibe. Their body language was kind and comfortable. Their smiles were genuine. It was a completely different pace than most day to day encounters. Most people, even at work, barely notice your "Good Morning" and "How are you?", let alone even acknowledge you with a response; so I was at ease being submerged in this setting.

And the art, wow. I don't mean art in the quote-unquote drawings and images. It's... style. The way one man shot an arrow at a target. How, with care, vendors made and served food. Kids dressed in traditional clothing while their faces were painted as Japanese cartoon (anime) characters that would bring an instant smile to my face. Then there were the photos of the devastation in Japan. It was, honestly, surreal. They inspire me to document what I see. They inspire me to appreciate what I have and move past what I've lost.

I had a wonderful experience at JapanFest and hope that next year my wife and I have more time to spend there. Whether you go for the color, the culture, or the culinary delights, it's worth the trip.

Trip to the Aquarium

Over Labor Day weekend we had a chance to go sightseeing, and one of our stops was the Tennessee Aquarium. It was pretty incredible! There were ocean and river creatures from tiny plankton to sharks and sea turtles. I felt like a little kid: captivated by all the interesting colors, shapes, and textures. Here are a few photos: