Of Ballerinas and Road Cones....



Just got in a few days ago from a weekend trip to Atlanta, GA
to shoot Jeremy and Liz's wedding... Shockingly enough, this was
my 9th weekend on the go with just a few days at home between
them. It's been such a crazy summer!!

I'm home now for a few more days but I'm thinking seriously about
taking a car trip up the Coast toward Northern Cali, OR one down
South to Mexico... We shall see!

In the meantime... (And before I pass out from exhaustion)
Let me share a few images and a video from this weekend's shooting.
It was SUCH a blast! Plus, some of the images I captured I'd have to
say are certainly in my list of all time favorites.

I liked them so much in fact, that I made my first EVER video slideshow...
I think I'll be making a habit of this... Whaddya say, do you like it?

Pretty darn cool, eh?!

And now, the photo highlights for those of you who want to see
things a bit larger (in no particular order )



So Happy Together!!






All Smiles...
(And ready for her dress!)






See?
Told you she was ready....





And now for her close-up(s)...




Don't you just love her pointe shoes?!
But wait.. Let's see 'em in action.





As you can see, the Church had an awesome parking garage
attached... AND it had reasonably good light that was just begging
for a little contrast / off camera flash work...







A Bride with Attitude...



Doesn't she just look so stinkin' saucy?!
(She really is a bit of a sharp one It's awesome!)

As I looked around the garage we tried to find a few cool props
that might make for an interesting shot... We found 'em, though
they came with their own complications


Push!



The golf cart... I had this great, crazy shot in mind, but ya' see...
The Church was smart enough to pull the keys out of the carts
before they parked them, leaving our wedding party to push it up
the slope... (Luckily, they're all incredibly good sports, haha!)

And this is what came of it...








Other fun props...
"Dunces?"



I absolutely love Andrew (the groomsman on the far left)'s expression...
Priceless!


Of course the girls loved the Groom as much as the guys liked the Bride:



*Time And Location Swap = Over*
And yet, a few of them got this wild idea that it might be "cool"
to climb on the wires (in their high heels) - Who ever could have
given them THAT thought?!




See it Larger.


*Time Shift*
The best man happened to be the Groom's brother... Summarily:


"Brothers and Sisters - Husbands and Wives"



Pretty cool, eh?


Of course, I shot a bunch of headshots for everyone involved,
hmm let me pick a few:

 


Purty (and wonderful) people!


*Time And Location Jump*
The reception was held in a beautiful little art gallery in Marietta, GA.
Was a perfect venue for this crowd too






We had lots of fun
"Peanut Butter Jelly!"





Departure:





"Oh ya' the rings"




And this was the first time I've ever been asked to shoot the Groom
carrying his new Bride across their threshold... Was a cool shot, and
well worth chasing the limo into Atlanta I think




(But then, I just love the mirror!)


And that's all for now folks....
Could really use your prayers for Wisdom, endurance, love, hope and kindness
in my life right now... How can I be praying for you?






P.S. Alright... Fess up... Which was your favorite photo?!

What I've Been Up To...
(this week)




Sunday, I promised my readers over at BlueShoePhoto a post...
A real one this time, and one that would reveal all the mysterious
tales behind this photo:



And, well... here goes nothing


Since my last post, life has been a bit of a blur...
I've taken up surfing, and golf, as well as traveling coast to coast... Twice.


See, since July of last year I've dabbled in currency trading to augment my
other investing and since the beginning of the year and the wild swings of
the markets I've been putting more and more of my time into it. Why should
this matter?

Well, one of my best friends and mentors is a full time currency trader, and
he lives here in Sarasota, FL with his wonderful family so I've been doing
all I can to soak as much market knowledge as I can into my lil' old brain...
Not just once in the past two months, but twice!

It's been a blast, I must admit... Golfing, playing poker, taking photos, and
trading like a mad man... Quite a time!


But... all this is only a prologue to the tale I must relate to you next.



Some of you know of my "past life" as I call it.
Growing up, all I really cared about were airplanes, flying, and doing
whatever it took to get my head back in the clouds.

I guess it makes sense, really... After all, I AM a third generation pilot, and
I grew up living 100 yards from a little airfield... But I must admit, I took it
to an extreme there for about 5 years... I lived flying. I sold airplanes, I became
an instructor pilot, I started test flying, I flew skydivers... I even built planes.

It was a rush!


But then, somewhat tragically (but obviously within God's will) I got in an
accident that took my mind of flying for the past 4 years and left me with a
broken back... Of course that opened the door to building my photography
business, motorcycles, marketing and even more traveling. But in my heart?
I REALLY miss flying

That's why I was ecstatic when I heard that I'd be back in Florida in time for
the annual Sun-N-Fun fly in... See, this event for YEARS was my favorite
time of the year. A full week of flying, selling, and hanging around thousands
of airplanes and tens of thousands of pilots... Way cool!

Luckily, I was able to talk my cousin into flying down to Sarasota to pick me
up for a day or two, it sure felt nice to be calling "my" private plane




A short while later, we arrived back at my family's place in Lake Wales
and the festivities for their annual Pilot's bbq had already begun... Nearly
a dozen antique aircraft roared around the pattern, several of them giving
rides, and a few biplanes could be seen off in the distance practicing their
aerobatic routines.

So, without further ado... Here are a few of my more favorite photos from
my 48 hour caper




Break Away....



Upon entering the pattern over the Chalet, my Uncle joined up with
us in his aerobatic Pitts Special for a few moments before breaking
away for a bit more fun.



Another...



Almost looks fake, doesn't it?
I LOVE the clouds in Florida




Cousin "It"...



My cousin Audra was excited to see me, lol.
She's actually moving to New Zealand this next week, she'll be
stopping by California for a few days to visit with Bri and I



"Jr's First Airplane Ride"



Did I mention the rides they were giving?
Each year they become a bit more of an attraction... As this little one
can soon attest too, getting their first ride in a friend's '46 Cub.




In The Family...



35 years ago, my Uncle had his very first solo flight in the
exact same Cessna 140 you see above. About ten years ago
he found it stashed in someone's barn. A whole heck of a lot
of work later and you get to see his son flying it like mad!




And Your Point Is?



Talk about a priceless expression to go with that shirt, eh?




Priceless....



There's nothing like a 70 year old airplane taking a young person
on the ride of their life [Check this one out LARGER, it's lovely!]



Then, I got to shoot a few quick portraits of some beautiful friends...
They're so stinkin' cute together





But now it's time to...





Wrap Up...



The flying for the day... Tomorrow's going to be a long one....
(And the next day is even BETTER - Here's a little preview )



Topsy Turvy....

 



See You Here Again Soon?







P.S. I'm traveling tomorrow, but I'd love to know which photo
was your favorite... Fill me in!!

And LOVES It!!



So, way back in December I got a wild hair and finally bought
myself a Canon 5D. I'd been searching for months and finally found
"the one". It's owner put it on a plane with a flight attendant the next
day and a few hours later I picked it up at Long Beach airport

Of course, as you might imagine... This is far from my first camera,
in fact it's the fifth in my current stable!! (You might even call me
a bit of an addict, haha) But... Outside of film this was my first FF
camera and I must admit, I'm an addict.

The depth of field is incredible, here... Let me show you a few photos
from my very first day with it



"First Shot"



This is also a first look at my new digs here in Laguna...
You're looking out the window from my little office desk
and over all my Pre-Christmas trash if you stare REALLY
hard in the top left corner of the "view" you can see the ocean
about a block and a half away

I met Matt and Mary downtown for a quick shoot which
turned into a rather full evening quite rapidly!



Greenpeace?



I think Matt might have even signed up.



I also bought a new surf kayak...



But no, that's not me... Haha.



Did I mention the depth this camera offers??



70-200 Shot @ F2.8... Not even a prime!



Mary liked the fact that I could now let her use my 30D...






Got to Love the Chrismas Season





And then I got to capture Matt doing what he does best... You have
to see his last posts with the images from this shoot!






"Pink Sunday"
(Thanks to Scott for the action!)



He's totally in his element there.




The moon rose just before sunset, and it was beautiful!






And then.... My first crazy sunset shoot with the 5D




And that's all for today folks...
The whole point is that I like my new 5D very much...
Though I cannot WAIT for an update, I NEED better AF sensors!