Recent Work in the News

Some of my recent images were included in the news story about the bridal show on Channel 13. My photo tree was shown at the beginning of the story. There is also a still from the video at the bottom of the page. Just click on the title of this post to see both. Too bad my name wasn't somewhere.

I actually missed the story, but the mother of the bride in the images called to let me know. Thanks Kathy!

What Makes a Great Artist?

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
— Scott Adams

I have always said that the difference between a bad photographer and a great photographer is the great photographer throws away the bad ones. There is more to it than that, but it is a interesting idea.

Inkjeteuos Home Printian Period

One of my daily rituals is to read What the Duck. It is an online comic strip about a duck who is a professional photographer (I think I actually blogged about this once before). It is really funny. Well, it is really funny if you are a photographer. The most recent strip is actually appropriate for non-professionals.

I have always said that printing on your home inkjet printer is a futile endeavor. I won't even do it. Fortunately, there are several labs locally, that will print your digital images. USE THEM!

Anyway, here is the strip.

Bridal Show

I wanted to remind everyone of the Macon's Wedding Ring Bridal Show on August 10th at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry. There are some really amazing things being planned by some of the members, so you won't want to miss it. The best wedding vendors Middle Georgia has to offer will be showing what they can offer to make your wedding unforgettable.

Even better, there will be a grand prize drawing for an outdoor living package (everything you need to throw a great backyard party) worth almost $1000.

My booth will be a small preview of the studio remodel I'm planning for January, and I'll be offering a great show special. You'll have to come by the booth to see what is coming and find out about the special! I really look forward to seeing many of you there.

SUPER GEEK ALERT!

I am a visual person.

Words are secondary, but FONTS are great! For me, the look of the words is at least as important as the meaning. I know it is a bit strange. I have been obsessed with fonts for a long time. I have spent days searching font websites for cool fonts. I even looked into creating my own font, but it was HARD. You needed special software and...talent. That has come to an end. Talent is still helpful, but not necessary.

To prove this, I have created my own font in about an hour. The tools work in your web browser so there is no need for software. You can sign up for a free account and start creating your own. I love this cloud computing stuff.

Click on the title to see my font. You can download it and try it out. It is only the capital letters, but I'll be tweaking it in coming weeks.

Second Anniversary!

Two years and counting!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the last two years. I'm blessed to have the best customers in the world. I am constantly amazed by the people who walk through my door, and I'm excited to see who walks in next.

As a thank you to all of you, I'm introducing a new product in the newsletter this week. Best part...it's FREE! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Here's to many more years of fun and wonderful people coming through the door.

St Simons at Last

Our week got off to a fantastic start with dinner at 4th of May and swimming until midnight. Being of Scottish descent, going to the beach has always been a day of fun followed by days of suffering from a sun burn. Swimming in the dark has its advantages. Unfortunately, it is hard to make a beautiful portrait on the beach in the dark, so hopefully the sunscreen will do its job. We have a full week planned, but there are a few open sessions available, so don't hesitate to call if you are interested (478)361-2500. We'll be here until Saturday. Hope to see many of you around.

iNSPIRATION

It comes from strange places. While researching a new album I'll be offering soon (don't you love a good tease), I found this quote from Dr Seuss.

Did you know he started off doing political cartoons at Dartmouth...a far cry from children's books.

Anyway, here is the quote.

Be who you are and say what you mean because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -Dr Seuss

What an interesting place it would be if we all lived that way.

Melissa:Matt Matrimony

Here are a few of my favorites from Melissa & Matt's wedding at Houston Lake Country Club a couple of weeks ago. It was quite hot, but the wedding was beautiful and they never let us see them sweat...sorta. It was 100 degrees!

San Diego Part Trois

Here is a slideshow of images taken by Michael Andrew at the Shootshop in San Diego. I thought you might like to see a little more of the workshop, and I really appreciate him for offering this to all of the other photographers. He did a great job!

Picture Time

Here are a few images from my time in "sunny" Southern California. The first four are from Carlsbad. Enjoy!






GEEK ALERT!!!

San Diego's airport is known as Lindbergh Field because the famed "Spirit of St Louis" was built in San Diego by Ryan Aeronautical. To pay tribute to the airport's namesake, a replica of the "Spirit of St Louis" hangs over the baggage claim area. The original plane hangs in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Oddly, I just saw it in October.



Sorry for the geek out, but I was raised around airplanes. To this day, I cannot resist.

"Sunny" Southern California

I'm in San Diego for a photography workshop called Shoot Shop given by the amazing Kaisers at the image is found. I've followed their growth and success for several years. I'm constantly amazed by the fun, creative images they create. When I found out they were offering workshops, I couldn't wait to attend. Unfortunately, I wasn't alone. The spots were harder to get than Rolling Stone tickets. I finally got a spot last month and have been anticipating it ever since. The up side is that they were well practiced for my class.

I learned too much to process. I have pages of notes to review on the flight home and new ideas to try out on all of you. If any of you are up for something different, give me a call. I'll be doing to test sessions to experiment. It will be a great fun, and you're guaranteed to be on the website and blog.

So, I've been here for almost 48 hours and I just saw blue skies. Ironic.

I'll be back to the studio tomorrow, so I'll be returning phone calls and emails then. I'll also post a few pictures of "sunny" California.

Two Loves

So, I've mentioned my love of TV...or obsession, but I don't know that I've mentioned my love of cooking. You might have guessed from the Simple Pleasures posts. Naturally, cooking shows are a big part of my day. I used to fill my need for cooking shows with PBS on Saturday afternoons, and they still have some quirky offerings (America's Test Kitchen being a prime example). Then Food Network changed everything. If you love supper slick, well produced cooking shows, Food Network will give you your fill. I do have many favorites, but it is refreshing to find a guy cooking in his kitchen with one camera and no fancy lighting. Sam the Cooking Guy fits the bill. Up until recently, you had to watch clips of the show on his website. Now, Cox has started airing his show on channel 15. They used to call 15 "Locals Only", but Sam is from San Diego. I guess local doesn't mean what it used to. If you haven't had the opportunity, visit his site. It is filled with great, easy to make recipes. He proves that you don't need a commercial kitchen and staff to make great food.

What are your dreams?

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
— Walt Disney

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Walt was so smart. He started with a mouse and created an empire. Who could of know that swamp land in central Florida could become the vacation destination for the world? He did.

I was just commenting that my bold (stupid) moves have reaped great benefits...thanks to all of you. When I've made great leaps, I have been greatly rewarded. THANK YOU!

BUT, I'm not going to rest on my laurels, so stay tuned.

The Internet Giveth

I was recently lamenting that you can't search for something on the internet with a drawing (This was spawned by a cryptic t-shirt my mother-in-law saw). Well, now there is a service to do just that...sorta. Retrievr offers the ability to search Flickr images based on a crude line drawing. Best of all, you can draw right in the browser window...you don't have to scan your drawing. It is far from perfect, but it is fun. I drew an apple and got an image of a little girl with her hair in a pony tail. I drew a capital letter "N" and got an image of a pug. It is an amazing idea that I hope is improved. Yet another way to waste time on the company dime!

Part of a Winning Team

I found out recently that the work I did for Wesleyan College's Annual Report was recognized with a Gold Addy award. Addy's are given by the Central Georgia Advertising Federation in a variety of areas from print, audio, and video. The images I captured were composed of alumnae and students. It was actually very interesting to see the interaction between the generations. The alumnae were quite accomplished women, and the students were some of the brightest Wesleyan had to offer. Thank you to Susan and Brandi for asking me to be a part of the project. They give me the opportunity to push myself to create images which are decidedly different from my normal work. I'm looking forward to doing it all again.

Image Editing for the 21st Century

Adobe has released Photoshop Express. It is a free online image editing application. Simply put, it is a simply version of Photoshop available online for FREE. You can upload your images, edit them, and then email or download them. It provides commonly used tools, such as color correction, brightness correction, cropping and red eye removal. You can even retouch ZITS! If you are thinking of purchasing Photoshop Elements, look at this first. It won't do everything, but it will do more than I could have imagined.

What to do with the $100 you just saved?

Seasonal Quote

I read this today and thought it appropriate of the season. Especially, considering my allergies are coming on strong.

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

- Anne Bradstreet

It also speaks to the idea that life is all about perspective. We often become wrapped up in our daily situation, and forget that many have it so much worse. We should all be thankful for what we have.

I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.

-Chinese proverb

A Little Bit Nerdy

So, more about the tricks your eyes/brain play on you. Below is a classic example of how difficult it is for the human eye to discern color and tone. The eye is very well equipped to notice differences, but not absolutes. Squares A and B seem to be vastly different shades, but as you can see in the second image, they are exactly the same tone. B seems lighter because it is surrounded by darker squares, and vise versa for square A. Here is a link to the "explanation" by the scientist at MIT, Edward H. Adelson, who created the figure. I say "explanation" because I need the explanation explained to me. This is why I love photography!

How cute is Ella?

I'm actually quite lucky to photograph some of the cutest kids around. It is also quite an honor to photograph the children of couples whose weddings I photographed. It is so much fun to watch the transition from bride and groom to parent. I photographed Robyn and Casey's wedding a few years ago. Here are a few recent images of Ella. Also, the great outfit is from The Lillipad. Amazingly cute clothes! You might even recognize some of the images on the website.