no loitering...

Another few photos from our weekend trip to Gruene. Got up early on Sunday morning and headed down to the Guadalupe river to capture a few photos. It was a cloudy, but warm morning and the mosquitos were out in full force. Needless to say, I didn't stay long. But I wondered; if they didn't want me to loiter, why do they have a stool sitting by the river? Just a thought...

a little baking...

Pyper helped me bake some Lemon Cooler cookies tonight...

am I dreaming...

Sherri and I never really go on vacations to just take photos. Sherri has never been a fan of that type of vacation. She generally tells me to go and have fun without her. Well, that all changed this past weekend. We went to Austin and Gruene Texas to see a few things we have never seen and TO TAKE PHOTOS. After getting some coffee and relaxing, we took these photos of each other taking photos of each other. This really makes me smile...

growing up before my eyes...

A photo of Pyper leaving our house today with her umbrella, backpack and dog "Felicia"...

Little miss Pyper is literally growing up right before my eyes. Seems like yesterday I was photographing her as a newborn on a set of antique scales in our living room. I am so thankful for being blessed with so many types of cameras to take an incredible amount of photos of our family and to be able to look back and see every milestone on my multiple blogs. Photos like this truly inspire me to continue to photograph... 

film wins...

I can't get over how beautiful this camera looks. It has been a dream to shoot with this weekend. I am already looking forward to developing the roll of film that is currently in the camera. Sherri doesn't believe I will have the patience to keep shooting this camera since I have to wait on the film to get developed and scanned. She said that I am way too accustomed to instant film. I am determined to prove her wrong...

an afternoon at the park...

Spent a cool afternoon capturing some warm photographs as the sun set on us at the local park...

tri-x test roll...

Here are a few of my favorites from last night and today. The first six photos were all shot in low light with shutter speeds of 1/15th or 1/30th. Not bad for my first roll of film through my Leica M6. This is also the first roll of film that I have developed since I was in high school. I would have to say that this camera is a dream to shoot with. I don't think that I have done it justice with these photos, but I plan on shooting the M6 regular enough to get to the point where I truly know the camera. The only way for the camera to become second nature is to shoot it often. That being said, I am already half way through my first roll of Portra 400. I plan on having it ready to send out to a lab by mid next week...

more than just joshua trees...

You can only shoot so many joshua trees without adding people. Found a grove of joshua trees and added Juli, Will, Toby and Jessica...

happy birthday to you...

In this image, I love how Maci is isolated in her own world enjoying Pyper having fun at her own gymnastic birthday a little over a week ago. 

I have to tell you there is nothing like the joy of a father capturing his daughter in a moment of happiness just watching her daughter have fun.  

With that being said, I am using this image & my blog as just another way to wish my beautiful daughter Maci a VERY happy birthday. Your mom and I are so very proud of the daughter, wife and mother that you have become...

in action...

Met up with Tyler to assist with trying out the Fuji 4x5 Instant Film for an engagement shoot. Seemed like a waste not to pull out my Canon 6D and get some BTS photos of Tyler in action.

before she left...

Sherri took this image before Sadi left to go back to college today. So many things that I love about photography, but the memories that are left behind is right at the top of that list. Nothing like having a memory like this as a reminder of our precious time spent together again...

waiting...

Our lives seem to partially consist of waiting on something. Above is an image of Pyper standing at the door of the gymnasium waiting on her friends to get there for her party. I love it when I can capture moments like these. Pictures that have more to say than what is going on in that moment. How many times in our lives do we let "waiting on something" consume us. How many times do we miss what is actually going on at the moment because we are waiting on something better. This is true for photography and every other area of our lives... our family situation, our job, our happiness, our faith and our stuff. The list goes on and on...

My prayer for my family and friends is that we can enjoy what we have, when we have it, for as long as we have it and we can minimize the time in our lives that we spend waiting on something better...

no cake, but candles...

Pyper's birthday party with cake, candles and most of her presents will be this coming Saturday. Maci had to let her blow out candles on her birthday tonight. Just in case I miss the photo on Saturday, here is Pyper giving her all trying to blow out the candles...

leaving my handprint...

As I age, I sometimes become concerned with what happens after I die. Dying is an inevitable part of living on this earth. Knowing that really doesn't help. I still have the questions... Will my family be alright without me? Will they miss me? Will they remember and treasure the things that are important to me? Will my love and mercy that I tried to share outweigh my faults? The photo above was inspired by the lead-in photos of the most recent Kinfolk magazine (volume 10, the age issue). The photos made me rethink what I want my handprint to look like when I die. My handprint will be reflected in the memories that I leave behind. The memories that do not fade with time, much like a handprint. My focus is to concentrate on the little things. The little things that make life special. I look forward to all the little things that I get to share with my family and friends for the rest of my days...

morning light...

Our kitchen/dining area has windows on the east, north and west sides. Morning and evening sun, when diffused with our blinds, provides the perfect lighting for portraits. As always, my main problem is finding a willing participant. Nothing like catching someone right before they are leaving on a trip. Sherri was about to leave for Childress this morning for a few days so I knew she would feel sorry for me. :) 

on the other side of the camera...

Spent a little time with Tyler this afternoon/evening scouting out a location for an upcoming photo shoot of his. Since he spends so much time shooting photos of others, I thought I would capture of few of him to remind him what it is like to be on the other side of the camera...

it all starts with curiosity...

Nothing like the curiosity of a child. Pyper saw me and Tyler working on a camera tonight and she wanted to do the same thing. Tyler let her "work on" a parts camera. It was funny how she kept wanting more tools. Being both an engineer and a photographer, seeing her in this photo just makes me smile from ear to ear...

somewhat inconsequential success...

Mixing up my camera types/formats tonight. I spent a little time with my studio equipment and multiple cameras set up in the garage to practice with different lighting setups. The first image was shot on my 6D (processed with VSCO Fuji Neopan 1600+) with the lighting on my right at twice the intensity and height of the lighting on my left. The second image was shot with my 6D (processed with VSCO Fuji Neopan 1600+) with the lighting on my right at four times the intensity and twice the height of the lighting on my left.  The last image was shot on my 600SE with the lighting and height equal. 

All that being said, my main purpose was to just shoot and create something tonight. Creativity in the inconsequential. I guess I at least succeeded at that... 

hope for tomorrow...

Took this photo during our short weekend trip to Childress. Sometimes an accidental occurrence, such as this lens flare, can make the photo. It also helps that the crop on the sign just leave the one phrase for the photo. 

The year 2013 has been a good year, albeit with many mountains and valleys. I look forward to the year 2014 and all of the hope that it brings for my life and the people's lives that I will have the opportunity to influence...

as a child sees it...

On the day before Christmas, Pyper was all excited about what was to come. As I photograph her, and see her expressions, I can't help but to think of the premise of seeing the world like a child sees it. I wish I would have approached more things in my life with the innocence of Pyper. Reflecting about this on the eve of the birth of the One that told us that "we must be just like children to see the kingdom of God". In 2014 and beyond, I want to see and make a difference in the world around me with the eyes of a child...