Hey, let me put this fire in your mouth, no really, its cool, trust me.

Hey, so guess what Leslie and Robert taught me this past weekend; apparently, Canadians like to light their drink on fire before swallowing. I had to work this scene a bit before the shot finally came out, good thing there was no shortage of folks interested in lighting their mouths on fire.

Help Wanted: Photo Editor

I have at least ten weddings that I have yet to really go through with a fine tooth comb and find the images that I think really shine. There could be some gems in there, in fact, I am absolutely sure there is. Like this one from Erin and Eric's wedding a few weeks ago. I really like it, but I'm not sure it reads well for someone who was not there. For me, it is clearly Eric wiping sweat from his brow moment before his bride appeared. But, I can see how it might be too abstract for that story-line to communicate to someone who was not at the wedding.

First Dance, Last Dance

Another couple images from Tara and Craig's wedding up at the Grant Humphrey's. I like the contrast in styles of the first and last dance...

Deep Red Levels

Tara and her friends enjoy the cocktail hour musicians. This particular image has great levels, as they are known in the biz. There are seven story-lines going on in the same frame, at different levels, foreground, background, mid-ground, etc. I also like the deep red color from the band's light.

Strong Emotion

Tara was a beautiful bride to photograph because of her unveiled and honest expression of emotion. Evan at a distance, you can empathize with her emotion. At first she looks a bit scared, then, I'm not exactly sure, but I think maybe she was a bit overwhelmed. The day had been fairly hectic, and all of a sudden, there she was, walking down the aisle with her dad.

Bee Stings are Good Luck

Ouch! I have been to many weddings, but Tara was the first bride I have seen stung by a bee. Her sister, a professional wedding photographer as well, was taking some portraits on the lawn of the Grant-Humphreys Mansion when a bee crawled up in her bonnet. Tara's bridesmaids have now decided to make it known, that, like rain, bee stings are good luck.

WPJA & Brides Magazine Awards

It was announced today that two of my images have placed in the Bride's Magazine WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) contest. Here are the links:


http://www.wpja.com/wedding_photography_galleries/contest/07/wedding-photo/05-07.htm

http://www.wpja.com/wedding_photography_galleries/contest/07/wedding-photo/09-08.htm

I am telling you, this wedding photojournalism is really taking off. It used to be, that if you were a talented photojournalist, you would work for the top magazines and newspapers of the world, but I think we are seeing a shift in this paradigm. The fact is, it is near impossible to make a living working for the top magazines and newspapers of the world. Talented photojournalists are learning that weddings are fun, the pay is better, and the images are just as moving. I got into photojournalism because I wanted to make outstanding images, and it turns out that weddings are the place to do that. Heck, pick up a Nat. Geo and the best images are of weddings, just in other parts of the world.

The WPJA just sent me a link yesterday about sponsoring the latest VII photo agency seminar. I have had a link to VII on my blog since I started it. I thought I was one of the few wedding photojournalists who look to VII for inspiration, but it appears I am just one of many. This is a trend, it is bigger than I thought and it is getting bigger. I love it. Maybe, when all us photojournalists are shooting weddings instead of working for the magazines, they'll wise up and starting paying decent wages.

Good day today.

So, you think you can just start posting again, as if you weren't gone for over a month?!?

It has been over a month since my last post. If there exists anyone out there who actually subscribe to my blog, (I have heard rumors of a few) I apologize. I hope you were not too put out by my absence. During that time, DeAnna and I purchased our first home, and that has been the cause of the distraction. My every free moment has been put into closing on the house, and subsequently moving in. I now have my new home office somewhat set-up and the rest of the house is coming along so the blog should be updated more frequently once again.

I should also note, that September was the busiest wedding month I have had yet, so I have loads of new photos on top of the already large heap of "unpublished" work.

I am going to open October with a little attitude from Melissa and Brady's fab wedding from mid-September up at Cherokee Ranch. I think these two shots are hilarious. The opener is Brady trying to figure out the ever elusive male flower. The second, I'm not exactly sure what the flower girls were discussing, but clearly it was not well received.