Overexposure marries Radical

Amanda+Jason

WOOHOO! For two beautiful people!!!
If anyone has the "look of love" about them, its Amanda and Jason. The gentle, steady gaze, with an intense sort of communication... if I wasn't a hopeless romantic, that look, their look, would have forced me to make octopus faces and throw snowballs at them in true Calvin and Hobbes style. Lucky them.

This is take #1; stand by, good people, for more radical awesomeness!

Hello, Mr. President

This little gilded portrait of George Washington, makes me happy. Really happy. It hangs in my powder room and I go to the restroom at least one extra time per day, just to say hi to him. It's like having a dog.

I'm going to start a foundation, built to rescue all these misused prints of our first president and educate the public on proper care and the ills of abandonment.

This is a serious issue, and people need to know about it.

Before I die, I want to...

An encounter -of the wonderful variety

It's really of no consequence to you, I suppose.

I met a good friend at church today. A really good friend. He said it warmed his heart to see me. I said I missed him.
I hadn't recognized him at first; he was wearing civilian clothes -I had only once before seen him out of uniform; he had also procured a respectable amount of facial hair since our last meeting -he is normally clean shaven; and he was at church -I had never before seen him in church. He was passing out the "elements" of communion, and I must have been staring at him for a good while, my mind unable to bridge the gaps, because he suddenly turned from the people he had been assisting, caught my eye, and winked.
Chuck. Chuck Barry. He's a firefighter and an extraordinary guy. He's saved me on scene, he's saved me off scene.
He made my morning. No, more like my hope.

Black. and White.

In the words of Scott Kelby, taken from his book, "Lightroom 2: book for digital photographers":

I don't know many photographers who don't just love black and white. Well, actually the color black. You see, once you become a serious photographer, you want to sell your prints. Of course, once that happens once or twice, you're no longer satisfied with what you wold your first prints for, so now you have to find a way ot charge more. But here's the catch: you can't just sell the same prints and charge more, right? You'd have to shoot new stuff, better stuff, in fact, better stuff then you can actually shoot, which is tough because in reality you can only shoot as good as you can shoot. So, what's going to make up for your lack of talent and vision? Black clothing. You need a black shirt, pants, socks, coat, shoes, etc. Black clothing on a photographer is like magic because that tells the wrold you're not just a photographer, you're an artist and obviously mourning something deep inside your soul. Perhaps an emotional loss, but you're so tortured by it that you can't talk about it. The only way to express your inner angst is through your "art," which is now worth a whole lot more because you're no longer some schmuck with a camera trying to make a buck, you're a deep, mysterious artist they could never understand. This makes your irresistible to people who love buying the work of tortured artists (which is just about everybody). So now you're living in a luxury apartment on the Upper East Side and you've decorated it al in just one color -white. Why white? Because you needed to make a personal statement about monochromaticity, corporate plundering, and man's inhumanity to man. That, and you're really sick of black.

Thank you, Mr. Kelly.

There. Do you see the conflict? The struggle within? The agnst developing in me for the earth and mankind? See the magic.

Sneak Peak: Rachele

R is an incredible lady and an amazing friend. I LOVE every photo I took of her.

Yet, none of them do her justice.

Sneak Peak: Haley

How lucky am I? Totally.

Not only did I have the honor of shooting ONE of my cousins' senior photos (see Lauren), I was able to shoot a second cousins' pictures!!!

Meet: Haley.

If all senior's were this fun and easy to photograph, I could definitely, easily, no-maybe's-here, make a career out of this!

The Website is up, peeps!

WOOHOO! The PHOTO BOX now has a website! Check it out, here: www.thephotoboxsite.com

Self Control

I don't want coffee.

I say to myself as I pass a sign leading me to Mellolo's Coffee Roasters.

I don't need coffee.

I say to myself as I swerve around a car turning into the Human Bean drive-thru.

I don't really need coffee.

I say to myself as I catch Starbucks from the corner of my eye.

I want coffee.

I say to myself watching a group of cars surrounding Black Rock Coffee's coffee hut.

I need coffee.
I say to myself as I run a yellow light while staring at Dutch Brother's coffee.

I'm out of coffee.
I say to myself as I unlock the front door to my house.

The Fan Base BBQ: PHOTO BOX madness

Sneak Peak: Lauren

Beautiful. Intelligent. Fun. Totally awesome. And she is my cousin.

BOOYAH!

Portrait Practice

contact me please

At times, I live for eye contact, I think. The connection makes me feel alive, vital, beautiful.

The man with the reddish, blonde pony tail in the VW Van across from me at the stoplight.

The crazy (take it literal, kids) lady on my gurney with the startling gray eyes .
My partner over our patient's head, while he (the patient) happily munched a peanut butter/butter sandwhich I had made him (his choice of sandwhich, not mine; and btw, he thought it was quite yummy).
A friend in the middle of an argument.

Often I hold on a second too long; just long enough to see the polite "eye-contact acknowledgment" fall away, revealing their thoughts. Which normally entails varying levels of annoyance at my brazeness. I know, I'm so wild.

This on the other hand is just creepy:

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the thrid had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. (Revelation 4:6-8)

IMAGINE. HE must be into eye contact I think.

Look deep into mine eyes, peeps.

COLOR

Chelsea and Denver

I am...

...in need of fresh wit.
...wishing I could call in sick -just once.

Mastering the Portrait Workshop

Spent the last weekend immersed in the art of photography. Many many thanks to Missy of Melissa Rae Olsen Photography and models Billie and Lea!

28

The number of years these two incredibly amazing people have been married:

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad!

You two mean the world to me.
Oh, wait. You pretty much ARE my world.

Mucho love.

Your perfect middle child,
J

As of today ...no, this today. Ah, that was yesterday.

My thoughts are running, running, running. I try to slow them down, so I can sort through them, or count them, or organize them, or identify them, or... whatever; but, they go faster, faster, quicker, like a merry-go-round that ceased being merry twenty spins ago.

So many ideas. So much I want to do. So much I want to be.

How? When?

Now?

I have no clue.

I blunder ahead.