Winter Months and Travels

Winter is usually really quite for us. (Though here in Cincinnati, I can’t say that we have gotten much of a winter. Seriously!). I usually take the time during winter to have a break, reflect, and maybe actually cook a homemade meal. I normally vow to take a couple weeks off. It’s ironic though, because that sabbatical usually lasts about a week and a half and then I get anxious to pick up the camera again.

If I could I would become a travel/nature photographer. It is hands down the best job in the world -- a professional tourist! There are some amazing travel photographers out there that I could only aspire to be as good as. To be a travel photographer you basically have to take photos that people think are photoshopped because there is no way they can pull off that shot. But I still like to try my hand at it – and I have to use photoshop. :)

Almost a year ago Melanie and I had the wonderful privilege of visiting Italy. We toured Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, and Venice for a total of 10 days. Absolutely incredible scenes, I would just close my eyes and start shooting wildly and prove that you can’t take a bad picture in Tuscany. We took about 2000 shots if you are curious, which is less than we shoot for a wedding. Hey, it was my vacation! Here are a few:

Fiesole looking down on Florence

Tuscan hills.

Pisa

I forgot where these two pictures were taken... Winking smile

That last picture on the left is from San Gimignano. Oh my word that was one of the most enchanting cities that no one knows about. It’s like you stepped back into medieval times. A castle on a hill surrounded by vineyards where it is golden hours all day long.

Just last week I flew out to San Francisco. I was so excited to shoot the first morning I woke up at 4:00am to venture into the city. Of course, I realized quickly that not many things are open at 4:00 in the morning. It might have been a bit a bit overkill, but you can be the judge. I did hit the golden hours at the golden gate bridge.

A baker at the Fisherman’s Warf

Waking up at 4:00am, highly recommended. :) This next is my favorite picture of Alcatraz. I just love the simplicity of it with the fog.

Rented a jetpack to get this shot…

And of course, the picture of Melanie and I. My favorite person to travel with. Wish you all a blessed February! Make sure to give someone you love a big fat sloppy kiss this month!

Comments

Quarters of Beauty

I love the whispers of Autumn. They bring me back to memories of my childhood. There is a certain feeling; it is the smell in the air--that cool crisp smell which freezes your nose--and the colors on the trees--those rustic oranges and ruddy splashes of the drapery--that remind me of when I was young. I am always inspired to recreate that feeling in photos, I suppose artists always do. However, photos or paintings fall short of replication only achieving a mere appropriation of the beauty; only borrowing from the text instead of scribal rewrites, for the text is too hard. Perhaps it's like the little boys who make a snowball to store in the freezer to remember come summertime. But yes, the sublimation laws of physics always seem to destroy our fun. We try anyway. We try because we love to hold on to that which dies or that which is temporary. So much so that when the first snow falls and we get out the snow shovels and Mother's Christmas pudding, we furtively look at the pictur...

My first experience with a Mexican wedding

This past weekend I got the priviledge to shoot a wedding, and it just happened to be a Mexican wedding! The wedding was very fast paced, as I just found out that I was the photographer 9 days before the wedding. But the couple, Gaby and Fernando, were very fun to work with and it was a fun wedding. Some would say that there aren't a lot of differences between Mexican and American weddings. Of course they have a lot of the same things: a church, a bride, a groom, a priest. I mean there isn't much to that. I have never been to a Catholic wedding, so I don't know the differences and similiarites there. But let me just say that I think there are a lot of differences, Mexican weddings are crazy (good crazy)! After the bride finished getting ready, we headed off to the church. They didn't have a driver, so I quickly switched from photographer to chaufer in a matter of seconds. So I drive to the church with 15 minutes until the wedding. I was worried about getting t...

Joe and Heather

What an incredible time celebrating with Joe and Heather. And who would have thought that a rainy April morning day could have turned into such a beautiful afternoon. Which is good because I promised Heather sun! I can’t begin to say how much fun we had with the whole group at the reception. So much fun! Here are a few shots of the day. These next pictures are my favorites, the dress was amazing and that bouquet was out of this world! And I’m not kidding - right before Heather walked down the aisle, a beam of light from the majestic church broke its way through the window and followed Heather all the way down. I just turned off my flash and let Heather and her spotlight work the magic. Ha! Cracks me up. This reception was a party! Thank you so much you two for letting us be a part of your day! We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Composing the Vision

Search This Blog