Wakeboarding

Oh no, not me, but Ken of Alyson and Ken, one of my June wedding couples. When Ken called me up a month ago and asked if I'd come up to the Sandusky River to photograph him doing wakeboard tricks, I admit I was nervous. While I shoot fast-moving events for a living, I'm not usually on a fast-moving boat while I'm doing it. I'm also not a swimmer or a sports shooter, so that's three strikes right off the bat. However, Ken's a man with a plan and it was all smooth sailing, you could say. We warmed up with Ken's brother and friends, and then Ken took his turn. It was a really great time - I had an absolute blast - and would do it again in a minute. I loved being out on the boat and the river was beautiful with the golden sunlight, even if it was in the 90s!

Here's a look at my foray into sports shooting while bracing myself on the engine compartment of a chase boat:

Going green

Today, I am canceling my lawn service. I can no longer in good conscience continue to treat my grass with chemicals considering the turn my life has been taking over the last few months.

I guess it actually all started with a bout of gastritis in late January that perpetuated a necessary - and much needed - wholesale change in my diet. Before then, if it wasn't a processed and pre-packaged foodstuff, I generally didn't eat much of it, and certainly not on a regular basis. But there's nothing like a little gastritis to change that though! Considering that I spent the majority of February and March being able to eat nothing but cream of rice and bland pasta, making the change to a cleaner, healthier way of eating was easy (and welcomed!) once I was able to resume a more normal diet.

One thing led to another and by April I had started a garden in earnest. (Funny, a few months before that I was just going to plant grass in that bed, and now I'm planning to turn a sizeable chunk of my backyard into raised beds for next year.) To say I've never liked yard work is an understatement of massive proportions. I still don't really like anything with the word "work" in it, but vegetable gardening has become very rewarding in a lot of ways. It's exciting when something new pops up - although a little less exciting the more and more zucchini I have to pick every day! I've so far enjoyed weeks and weeks of fresh leaf lettuce, spinach, red potatoes, Italian flat green beans, and yes zucchini, along with cucumbers I just made pickles with the other day. I've never canned anything in my life, and I feel so proud to have actually made pickles from cucumbers I grew myself! I've also been making my own yogurt, which is not only economical but fun and extremely delicious (and easy).

I've also decided to start recycling, with the goal of not needing to put my big garbage can out at the curb any more frequently than once a month. So far, I'm exceeding that by a week and probably have a good two or three weeks more before I'll need to put it out. Luckily, there is a big recycling center at the fire station in my neighborhood, so about once every couple of weeks I take my bin of paper and glass up there.

A lot of my recent turnaround has come about from reading Michael Pollan's book, Omnivore's Delimma. I won't bore you with details, but needless to say it's caused a sea change in the way I view what I eat and in the bigger picture of how that food actually gets to my plate. Last Sunday, I went on a sustainable farms tour in Yellow Springs and was delighted to see how many people came out for it in addition to learning so much about four very different farming methods, all of which are designed with the health and happiness of the earth, their animals and their customers in mind. It makes me feel really good to be traveling on this path and I look forward to getting more and more into it.

So, I won't be having a weed-free lawn for much longer, but I don't care. I never really liked having a lawn service in the first place but felt I needed to for the neighbors' sake. I've always LIKED clover, so don't be surprised if you come over and find my yard is dotted with beautiful little white flowers and buzzing with bees.

Murray the Lion

Murray, my ordinarily fluffy long-haired kitty, has been shaved like this for a week now and I still can't stop laughing. He looks like a cartoon character. It took him about a day to get used to not having so much hair, but it took him right back to his not-so-long-ago days of little kittenhood and he's rediscovered all the things he used to like to get into but had grown too fluffy to manage, much to my chagrin. All the old things he'd mess with that he'd literally outgrown are now fresh and new and very enticing to him, like winding his way through all the items on my nightstand, which invariably ends up with him knocking over my water glass onto whatever library book happens to be on the floor by the bed. It's like having a new kitten all over again.

Oh well, he's too cute and funny to be mad at for too long.

Here is my favorite shot of him to date. This picture makes me laugh and laugh. That tail just cracks me up.

Cakes for a Cause - Sassafras Bakery

Last night, I attended my very first silent auction, and boy did I pick a tasty one! My wedding planner friend Emilie Duncan and my new wedding planner friend Kasey Conyers hosted Cakes for a Cause to benefit Mid-Ohio Foodbank during their annual Operation Feed campaign. What a great, successful evening it was. Lots of bids and lots of money raised to provide meals for those in need.

And I'm happy to report that after much stalking and hovering, and a last-minute sniper bid, I won the coveted Signature Apple Pie baked by the fabulous AJ Perry of Sassafras Bakery. Yum Yum.

While there were lots of photographers shooting away last night, I left my camera at home to concentrate on fun conversations with friends and colleagues, but today when I broke out my prize, I had to take a couple of snaps as I munched the first delectable piece (the first of many, I might add!). This is one sweet pie, so if you're ever in need for a homebaked fix, look up Sassafras Bakery.

Feast your eyes:

Self-Portrait Contest - You Can Vote!

The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers, of which I'm a member, is sponsoring a self-portrait contest where the winning entry receives paid registration to attend the Foundation Conference in Dallas in November. While I'm already signed up to attend this amazing conference (http://www.fconference.com/), hosted by the world's best wedding photojournalists, it would be super nice to have my registration fee refunded by winning this contest!

How can you help, you ask?? Well, all you have to do is following this link: http://www.ispwp.com/win-free-registration-for-foundation-conference-self-portrait-contest.html and state in the comments field that you'd like for me to win! Easy as pie!

Here's the image I've submitted:

I know y'all would love for me to win this, so hurry on over and vote, vote, vote!

Attending this conference will be nothing short of awe-inspiring for me and will contribute to my growth as a photographer, which I'm always striving for. It's my goal to be the best photographer I can, so please hop on over to the ISPWP and cast a vote!

Thanks a bunch!

I am a Photographer.

I knew I wanted to spend my working life photographing weddings about midway through the very first wedding I was asked to help shoot back in 2002. It was one of those "aha" moments, as they say, and "the rest is history", as they also say.

I also knew immediately that I did not want to shoot for another studio or play second fiddle; I had my own ideas and vision, and wanted my own clients I could take care of and make things for. And I had my own thoughts on the style I wanted to shoot, or so I thought. There are lots of styles out there, to be sure, and, just starting out, it was difficult to find my own voice and easy to climb aboard the train of trends, so I tried that for a while. A long time ago. Ages, it feels like. But then I came to a crossroads a few years back where I felt I needed to make a bigger decision concerning the work I wanted to create and the question became: do I want to be a trend-follower or do I want to produce the kind of work that defies trends? I mean, which style is going to last longer? Which style is going to speak the loudest and for the longest period of time without obviously shouting "I was created in the year ____, back when (insert trend here) was all the rage"?

When you look at the types of images I study to inform my own photographic voice (and I hope you will), it's clear that those images stand the test of time and have nothing to do with trends (unless you consider impactful, meaningful, emotion-filled, gimmick-free images a trend). The images I choose to study come from "oldies but goodies", such as Elliott Erwitt (my personal all-time favorite for his delightful sense of humor), and from the amazing photojournalists who shoot for Magnum and the Wall Street Journal.

I look at that kind of work because it speaks to me - it speaks to anyone who looks at it - and that's exactly what I'm after with my own work. There's not a day - hell, not an hour or a minute - goes by that I'm not either thinking about or studying images in an effort to distill what about them works so I can incorporate those nuggets into my own work - the work I create for you. Because, you see, I do not define myself as just a wedding photographer, but as a Photographer. I am a Photographer. It's not a job for me, it's a calling. I do this because this is what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing. And I've chosen weddings as my platform because it's absolutely the perfect thing to shoot. Every week, I'm given a plethora of emotions and action, amazingly stunning beauty, and all without risking life and limb. When people say to me they think I have a really great gig going here, I have to totally agree. How could I not?

So, what I create for you, I hope, will be timeless and not merely reflective of the trend du jour. OK, that might be a little trite, but you know what I mean. It's my fervent desire and my ultimate goal to make images that will always have impact for you and your loved ones. And it's my promise to myself and to you that I will never stop looking and learning so that I can be the very best photographer I can possibly be. I have to. It's what I am.

I am a Photographer.

Dear sweet Howie

Well, it's hard to even see to write this, but today was my sweet Howie's final day as an earthbound cat. And what a cat he was. I think every client I've ever had who's been to my house has met Howie. He probably sat in your lap or whapped you with his tail, or even - as in one case - licked inappropriate body parts while lounging on your coat. Or maybe he dug around in your purse or just darted out the door when you came in. Howie was just a cat like none other. I think he acted more like a dog than a cat, really. And he certainly was not afraid of Hildy, even though she outweighed him by 50 pounds. They played together often, although not so much this year, but I remember a time when Howie chased the dog into her crate and then sat right in front of the door so she couldn't get out. Hildy always gave Howie a wide berth, but Howie would just walk right under or jump right over the dog.

So, what kind of tribute blog post would be complete without pictures? Here are only a few of the many I've taken of Howie over his incredibly short lifespan. He lived for only six years and I was lucky to have him for five of those.

Please, if you do nothing else, have your cat checked for heart disease. It's a certifiable killer and takes them way too early.

12 pounds of cat stuffed into a box no bigger than a loaf pan.


Not taking any crap from the dog, no matter how close she gets.

Uh, excuse me, we'd like to go outside now.

A basket full of cat in the sunshine.

Watching the birds at the feeder.

It's not a good nap if you're not all sprawled out on your back.

What's a little snow.

Just realized I had this image on a card in the camera. This was taken on Friday.

Howie

Not everyone is a friend on Facebook but there are probably a lot of you who read my blog, so I thought I would post here about my dear sweet Howie boy. A lot of you who've been to the house have probably met Howie. He might've dug around in your purse or rolled around in your lap or sat next to you on the couch. Howie is a great cat, without a doubt the best cat I've ever had. Here's a picture of him sitting in the rain:

Howie is a Maine Coon and, as such, is genetically predisposed to developing heart problems, specifically hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ("HCM"), which is a thickening of the heart walls. If you're interested in learning about this disease, click here.

On Saturday, February 7, after shooting a fabulous wedding all day, I came home to find Howie in total distress. I rushed him to the emergency vet where it was initially thought that he'd ingested some sort of toxin. They kept him overnight for observation and to receive fluids, with the idea that I would come the next evening to take him home and all would be great. When I called to make arrangements to get him, the doctor said he'd suffered another "episode" about 15 minutes prior and that an EKG showed an arrhythmia in his heart. It turns out the episode then - and on Saturday - were actually little kitty heart attacks.

Yesterday morning, I transferred Howie from the emergency vet to the cardiology department at the OSU Vet Hospital where he's been in the intensive care unit receiving anticoagulants via IV to keep clots from forming in the afflicted heart chamber that because of the disease is unable to fully pump out all of its blood.

As of this morning, his condition is improving. His temperature and other vital signs are at or very close to normal and it's thought that I will be able to bring him home in the next couple of days. HCM is very very serious and there is no real cure, so treatment will consist of twice-daily injections and probably some pills, most likely for the duration of his significantly shortened life expectancy. Cats with advanced HCM, especially with secondary conditions such as the arrhythmia, are expected to live anywhere from a couple of months to under a year, with sudden death a real possibility at any moment. My hope is that we can work to help Howie enjoy the rest of the time he has in comfort and happiness, although his days of prowling the neighborhood might be over, absent a leash. I tried Howie on a leash once and it did not go well, so we'll see!

I'm encouraged by the news from the vet this morning and appreciate all the words of support I've received from family and friends and my client friends. Thank you to everyone for that, it means a great deal to me, and I will be sure to keep everyone posted on Howie's progress.

So, everyone, go give your kitties a nice big hug and a smooch, and keep a close eye on their little kitty hearts. One thing I learned from the various vets I've spoken to over the last few days is that cats are very very adept at hiding any kind of illness, usually to the point of it being too late, so keep an eye on your furry loved ones.

Cross Country

I've always wanted to take a driving trip across the middle part of the country so that's what I did last week. I crammed in so much that by the time I got home I almost felt like I'd never left; like what I'd seen was really just a movie viewed in slow fast-forward. That's the way I like to travel, though - warp speed, hitting the highlights. I don't need to live in a place to get a feel for it and I'm not one to spend hours browsing museums or hitting all the shops. So I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear all the states and towns I visited in my five-day trip.

It started in Colorado, one of two places I spent the most time. I saw Denver, Golden, Red Rocks, South Park, Buena Vista and St. Elmo, among others. Then down to New Mexico, where I stayed in a mineral springs resort at Ojo Caliente. Drove through a harrowing canyon on the way to Taos then south through the state to Amarillo, Texas to see Cadillac Ranch. Then it was on to Oklahoma City where I saw the memorial to the Oklahoma City bombing. Up through Oklahoma into Kansas, and all the way across to Kansas City, Missouri, which was a pretty happening town. Had to have barbecue there, but I have to say that I like City Barbecue here better.

Then on to St. Louis and a sharp right down to Memphis to see the March of the Ducks at the Peabody Hotel - which I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for the guys at Winslow's BBQ in KCMO. Every day at 11 and 5, the ducks are marched to and from the fountain in the center of the Peabody's lobby. A red carpet extends from the elevator to the fountain, and the ducks march down a set of movable steps out of the fountain, onto the carpet and straight to the elevator where they go upstairs to their penthouse for the night. It's a major production, complete with a Duckmaster. The crowd in the lobby was unbelievable for a ceremony that lasted maybe 10 seconds once the ducks hopped out of the fountain. Worth seeing though just for the cuteness factor.

After Memphis came Nashville, which I liked quite a lot and will definitely visit again. The best meal of the trip was at BBKing's restaurant in Nashville, where I had chicken fried chicken (which had been marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce!) and the best white cheddar macaroni and cheese ever. I will not soon forget that scrumptious meal!

So, without further delay, here are some highlights of the trip:

Red Rocks. Nice, but the altitude about did me in.

This is an outdoor art installation in Buena Vista, Colorado, right alongside the Arkansas River. I liked the tumbleweed hung up on the coffee table. I'd never seen tumbleweeds before and when they blow in front of your car when you're doing about 80 it's hard not to think you're going to hit an animal, it happens so quickly.

Aspens lining the road on the way up to St. Elmo, Colorado, a ghost town up about 10,000 feet, which proved to be about 2,000 more feet than my body liked.

A feed mill beside a gas station somewhere in New Mexico.

Arrived in Amarillo at the perfect time of day lighting-wise for pictures at Cadillac Ranch. If you're not aware, Cadillac Ranch is an art installation in a cow pasture off Route 40 (old Route 66). Ten real Cadillacs buried nose deep and spray painted by numerous visitors. I did not partake of the painting. It was freezing out there and because it was a wide open space, the wind was wicked. I have to say this is my favorite image from the whole trip.

According to the guides at the Oklahoma City memorial, this fence had been erected to keep people out while the memorial was being constructed. Visitors started decorating the fence with their own personal memorials and the powers-that-be decided to leave it up once the memorial was finished.

This looks simple, all these chairs in rows, but it's actually quite a complex set-up. The rows are designed to represent the floors of the federal building where people worked or were when the bomb went off. There is one chair for each person killed on the site (168), with some smaller chairs representing the children in the daycare and five chairs off to the side representing those who were killed on the street outside the building.

The Honorary Duckmaster watching his charges exit the fountain at The Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

They're like little feathered celebrities.

Some interesting sights on the walk back from The Peabody.

There were some amazing neighborhoods in Nashville, this one being near Brentwood. I loved the design of this home. Most of the homes in this neighborhood were massive and on multi-acre lots.

On "live venue" row, Broadway, in Nashville.

I don't know who this band was but they were awesome. That guy could really sing. The interesting thing about this was that the live bands start playing in the bars first thing in the morning and go all day and night.

Thanks for sharing my vacation!

Yee-haw

Well, this isn't something I do everyday. Continuing my recent county fair kick, I headed up to Bucyrus - the bratwurst capitol of the world, in case you didn't know - for the Crawford County Fair where the night's feature was bull riding. Yep, bull riding.

I've never seen bull riding in person, only snippets on TV. So when I saw there would be bull riding at this county fair, I was actually pretty excited. My hope was that I could get down into the riders' area and shoot the story of the bull riding. Luckily, it seems that the smaller county fairs don't have as beefed (sorry!) up security as the larger fairs and I was able to do just as I'd hoped.

I got in on the action just after the children-riding-sheep intermission so I was able to tell the story from start to finish. I am very excited about the images I was able to make and hope you'll enjoy them.

The night's bull riders, waiting to start. Because of the low number of entrants, each rider was able to have two rides.

Casting a wary eye. I learned that some bulls, such as the one on the bottom, have horns that turn down and are actually floppy, like an extra set of ears.

Getting the order in which they'll ride.

There is an elaborate process of stringing up the bull in various places, which invariably makes them a little testy, but I guess that's the point.

Donning the chaps.

And practicing the moves.

Time for a prayer.

More fancy chaps.

More bull strapping, which includes a cowbell.



More praying. This bull riding stuff is serious business. The emcee told of new security measures and how the hardshell vests and helmets have saved lives. Still, for some, a little added protection is in order.

The helmet, which, actually, only a few of the riders wore. Hence the prayers, I guess.

Now, onto the action. Eventually, they all end up on the ground.

I certainly don't envy this guy's job: pull the gate open with a rope and run for your life. Makes weddings seem like a breeze.

I simultaneously love and loathe the look in the bull's eye.

The way the light is hitting this rider and bull just makes it look eerie.

Uh oh. Some bulls definitely seemed more aggressive than others, and this one wasn't fooling around.

The guy next to this bull is a bull fighter. The bull fighter's job is to distract the bull from the rider when he's down.

This guy was looking dead at me, with "dead" being the operative word, I'm sure. I shot this at 35 mm, so he was actually extremely close to me. I'm glad I was behind the fence.

Oooh, and here he comes.

I've included this shot so you can see just how close I was shooting and how close the bulls come to the fence. For most of the shots I took, my 24-70 mm lens was through the fence rails. At one point, a bull came to a screeching halt in front of me and threw a big load of dirt right in my face! They really know no boundaries. The guy to my left had been sitting on the fence just a few seconds before and jumped to safety just in time.



I love the bull's long tail standing straight up. Those white "lines", off to the right of the bull's head? Yep, that would be snot. Like I said before: best viewed from a distance.

See ya.

A small break in the action, so I walked around in the pen area for a few minutes. The bulls look so sweet here.

This guy did an amazing job riding and staying on.

Strapping up the next bull in line.

OK, keep an eye on this guy.

Oh no.

He's headed right for the fence where I'm standing.

Ooooh, ow.

Holy cow. (ugh, sorry again!)

The bull seemed satisfied that he'd put the rider in his place.

These guys dragged the bull rider from under the fence. He hit the fence pretty hard and seemed a little shook up, but he got to his feet rather quickly considering.

EMS was standing by and called in right away, although the orange board proved to not be needed. Thankfully.

Show's over, time for autographs.

Winding down yet another fun day at the Crawford County Fair.