February 2011
1 post
Light It Up : The Public Lighting of the New...
Last Saturday on Main Street the Heritage Foundation unveiled the new Franklin Theatre sign to a very large crowd. The glowing yellow and pink neon, in all its art deco glory, fanned the flame of the cheering onlooker’s excitement for this Franklin landmark’s reopening in the near future.
Paul at Bathos was kind enough to let me (and my 6 year old son armed with my back-up camera) into...
November 2010
0 posts
Cajun Halloween
The cajun culture is particularly well-suited for Halloween with it’s swampy voodoo vibe. Therefore, we cooked up the gumbo and red beans, filled a very large cooler with beer, and had a few friends over who we knew would appreciate a down-home party.
Hats off to my pop for making some seriously tasty gumbo and mom for the red beans and rice. I was busy snapping pictures and the gallons...
October 2010
2 posts
Downside of Digital
So yesterday I shot a family photo session that included lots of candids, some fun halloween costume shots, action shots of wrestling with Dad and then some casually posed family portraits. I think I may have “over-shot” it. Had I been using rolls of 36 exp. film, I would have burned through 18 rolls in two hours… that’s a lot.
Don’t get me wrong, it is great to be...
September 2010
5 posts
tumblrbot asked: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?
Diamond Party
Last night was the first of a two night party celebrating the Tacori line of uber-beautiful jewelry that Genesis Diamonds in Cool Sprints is carrying. The event featured the amazing food of Kevin Alexandroni of Sova Catering, great classical guitar music, and complimentary portraits by you know who.
The event continues today, so drop in from 2-8 for some amazing food, a blue martini (or glass of...
7 tags
Unorthodox Macro Photography
In their newsletter couple weeks ago the ever-awesome Photojojo described a way of shooting super close (nearly microscopic) macro photography by simply shooting through your lens backwards. I was like, “NO WAY.” Then I forgot about the article… then I remembered the article, and now I’m posting my own unorthodox macro photography.
I decided to shoot some details of one...
6 tags
5x5 Camera Phone Photo Show
A few months ago I installed a photography exhibit of my work at the local Starbucks (Not the Guggenheim, but lots of people sure come through). Well, that was great, but then I realized it would be even more fun to have a photography show for EVERYONE.
Now not everyone has a fancy pants camera, so I decided it would be a camera-phone photo show. And not everyone has a camera phone either, but...
3 tags
Bye Bye Bookmarks
The bookmarks bar in safari/firefox is fine, but half the time I can’t even find what I’m looking for. I also forget to rename the bookmarks and don’t purge or re-organize enough. So, yesterday I decided that I’d simply build a “home page” for safari or firefox to go to each time I launch my browser.
This is super-easy to do… especially if you already...
August 2010
4 posts
Rome 1960 in Nashville 2010
On Friday evening (8/27/10) several olympians (most of them gold medal winners) and legendary track coach Ed Temple gathered for a fundraising event to establish a scholarship fund for Franklin’s New Hope Academy. Earlier in the day, Coach Temple’s TSU Tigerbelles gathered at New Hope Academy to have lunch, meet students and to learn about and tour the school.
That evening the group...
A Fresh[er] Look :: Website Tweak
So I’ve tweaked the website [again]. And I’ll keep tweaking. But, I’ve gotta keep the site live so I’m one of those perfectionists not being perfectionistic at the moment (in fact, far from it). I’m pretty pleased with how it’s coming considering the whole thing is done in iWeb. Once it’s nailed down - design / concept-wise - my good buddies at Spiro...
6 tags
IKEA + iPhone (Hipstamatic) = Lots of Fun Shots
Last week while visiting awesome people in the awesome city of Philadelphia, Sarah and I decided on a quick trip to IKEA. We figured the whole family could eat Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam for under $10, the kids could jump in the ball pit for an hour and we could re-stock some kitchen necessities on a budget. GOOD: kids lunches were actually free! BAD: Ellie is already too tall for...
Nala the Amazing Bernese Mountain Dog
Some dogs are just plain awesome… so it is with my parents dog, Nala. And for her awesome-ness I decided to give her a free portrait session. She was very cooperative, more so than a lot of my “people-clients” who are always asking me to use the lens that makes them look skinny - Nala on the other hand simply asked that I capture her true essence.
(AND, if you’d like to...
July 2010
1 post
6 tags
Crazy Fireworks Photos from Franklin's 4th of July...
It’s not a 500 ft. daddy long leg spider from Mars… it’s a big firecracker. It’s not a flamin’ carnival wheel spinning off its hinges… it’s a big firecracker. It’s not that massive organ-equipped UFO from Close Encounters… it’s a big firecracker.
I’m no pro at shooting fireworks displays so I decided last night that I would sit...
June 2010
1 post
The Jones Family - Father's Day Photo Shoot
Last week I got to shoot some of my favorite people - Matthew and Meghan and their beautiful girls. The rain pretty much held off for most of the time and the cloud cover provided some nice diffused light. Here are some of my favorite shots from our session. Oh… and if you don’t have Matthew’s new EP, you should get it… your’s truly had the privilege of shooting...
May 2010
4 posts
Samantha Bean and Her Roller Derby Dreams
FRANKLIN, TN- Saturday night, Samantha Bean and her Birthday Party Posse strapped on the quads at one of Williamson County’s hottest fun spots, the Brentwood Skate Center. Samantha, previously known as Uncle Sam while on the Roller Derby Circuit, decided she’d revisit her glory days on the flat track with friends she doesn’t mind “pushing around” - note, there were no...
National Geographic... really?
So I had one of my photographs selected by National Geographic photography editor Susan Welchman for her “Daily Dozen” — her twelve favorite photos of the day. Now I need YOU to go HERE and vote for my photo. The competition is fierce but I’m somewhere around 7th or 8th place out of about 200 photos right now. It would be a dream come true to be published in NG’s...
We Are Nashville [or Franklin in the case of these...
The post-flood love is still pouring down… at least as much as those rains did. The “thirst-mobile” came through our neighborhood today giving away cold drinks. My father-in-law, Joe, is working 12 hour days with Hard Bargain Mt. Hope Redevelopment organizing volunteers, pumping water out of basements, and getting houses cleaned up. Most folks just seem extra friendly these...
Flood Story #3,273 -- and it still really matters.
FRANKLIN, TN – With 48 hours having passed since the last drop of rain, most of the waterlogged belongings of residents have found their way to driveways, yards or sidewalks for drying out, or sadly, trash day. On this sunny, post flood Wednesday, I pulled my Vespa scooter off of 96 East and parked in front of the Murrey’s big red brick house. With hundreds of camouflaged items fastened to...
April 2010
3 posts
Powered by Hope and Toby Mac
This weekend I felt LAZY!! While 30,000 people (or somethin’ like that) were running in the Country Music Marathon I was standing around taking pictures. Alright, I didn’t really feel lazy, but sort of guilty. I ran the full 26.2 miles a few years back (and the 1/2 last year) and I’ve decided that I’d rather just take pictures.
So, New Hope Academy and Toby Mac (one of...
Jennifer's Party at Sambuca
Saturday night I got to shoot Jennifer’s 40th birthday party at Sambuca in “The Gulch.” Great group of people to work with and the food “looked” amazing. I hope to get back there sometime soon for a dinner with Sarah
Warning: the following paragraph might bore you to death if you are not a photographer.
The weather on Saturday was amazing and the outdoor shots...
Keeping Score... there WILL be a Winner.
Kids are never too young to keep score. I get that there are no goalies and that half the time the kids are scoring on themselves… but whatever. There must be a winner… there must! My kids, along with so many others, are growing up in a culture that congratulates them for just “being.” Forget that! I remember when there were two sets of trophies - big ones full of...
March 2010
4 posts
Chris and Amy's Engagement Party
Congrats to Chris and Amy who celebrated their engagement last night. I had the opportunity to document the joyful event. And as a bonus, I got to catch up with some old friends that I hadn’t seen in quite a long time. Hosted by Anne-Haley, in her very awesome East Nashville home, and “friend-catered” with items such as flourless home-made swiss cake rolls (Katy Bowser), all...
Buddy Green at the Station Inn
Back on March 5, it wasn’t just Buddy Green and his slew of harmonicas, but a whole rowdy bunch of stringed instrument slinging outlaws: Byron House, Bryan Sutton, Luke Bulla and Gordon Mote. Before this show I thought I was a pretty decent guitar player… nope. You all know the story of Robert Johnson and his deal with the Devil - well, I have my suspicions that some on that stage...
Franklin Brew Fest
Main Street in Franklin was the place to be Saturday night. Live Celtic music, Irish food, street vendors, and of course, BEER. This was the 7th annual Brew Fest, formerly known as Feilé Franklin. The event sold out at 1500 and proceeds are going to the Downtown Neighborhood Association… hope my low-income, “off the beaten path” neighborhood sees some of that cash.
I...
Cousin Danny Gets [Ready to Get] Married
Last week the family and I got to escape the chilly Nashville weather to be part of a wonderful wedding celebration in Miami. My cousin Danny, who use to say stuff like, “I’ll cut your yoke out with my Swiss army knife,” was betrothed to a beautiful young woman named Gina. There were no yokes cut out, but I got to take a few photos as a renegade wedding photographer. Danny and...
February 2010
1 post
the TWINS
Back on January 16th our dear friends Brad and Stacey, brought Micah Braud and Henri Wilberforce into this world. We were there for all the excitement. Here are a few of the images I captured that day. The real photo-shoot is forthcoming, but these seem to capture the joy and goodness of the day.
welcome!!
did she really just give birth to two babies?
wrinkly feet
big sister sophia
...
January 2010
3 posts
Our Friend and Her Lovely Wee Ones
So after our MLK field trip we drove down the road and spent the afternoon with a good friend from bygone years. Natalie and I worked together at Brentwood Academy last decade. Her and her husband Alan, with their three kiddos, live on Lookout Mountain.
photo by Ellie
Letting Freedom Ring
Last week a pack of freedom loving families set out for Lookout Mountain, TN in an effort to realize, in some small way, the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Kristen Odmark has fearlessly organized our annual MKL day field trip for the last two years.
On the way to Chattanooga, each family listens to Dr. King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. Our kids are 9 and 5 - old enough...
Good Looking People Sure Make Taking Pictures Easy
Here it is - my first post of 2010.
Last week (or so) I got to take pictures of Rayna and Sonia, their kids, and some of their extended family. First, the Stewarts are some of our best friends so that was cool. Second, as you can see from the photos, they aren’t ugly folks. That makes taking pictures way easier. Come to think of it, they might be vampires. I’ve seen both Twilight...
December 2009
6 posts
1 tag
Help-Portrait (part 2): Giving Photos, Not Just...
So December 12th was the big Help-Portrait day. Photographers, Sytlists and Make-Up Artists all over the world participated - I was one of 6,000 people volunteering!! 60 countries and nearly every US state had help-portrait events… and to think the idea was birthed just months ago. Hello Internet. Hello Jeremy Cowart. Jeremy would be the first to say this event wasn’t about...
1 tag
Paint Yourself Purple
Last week some amazing songwriters and recording artists from around Nashville put on a great show for a great cause. The 2nd annual “Paint Yourself Purple” benefit concert showcased the music of Cyndi Thomson, Danielle Peck, Ray Scott, Kent Blazy, Stacy Widelitz, Cory Batten, Karyn Rochelle, Casey Kessel, Natalie Hemby, Maile Misajon, Christy Long Hoskins and others. The event...
Sarah's Juniper Tree →
If you don’t follow my wife’s blog, you should. She is very witty, compassionate, relevant, controversial and very beautiful. She writes about family, community, vocabulary, immigrants and our farm fresh eggs.
1 tag
Bonnie the Labradoodle
Last week I had the rare privilege of shooting a black adrenalized labradoodle puppy named Bonnie. It was cold, daylight was fading and I suspect the daisies that Bonnie was eating added to her energy. Ellen and Rick - next time we’ll pick a brighter, warmer day. It was a good time nonetheless and we got some great shots!
1 tag
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1 tag
Help-Portrait... Giving Photos, Not Just Taking...
Friday I had the privilege of being part of the Help-Portrait shoot at the Sudanese Community Center in Nashville. Wonderful, beautiful people who seemed to enjoy having their pictures taken almost as much the photographers enjoyed taking the pictures. This time we had printers on site and so the gratification was almost instant. Actually, my new friend Andrew, had his old school polaroid out,...