I've known Stephanie and her family for at least 15 years... I think it's closer to 18 to be honest. I probably would have never met my wife if there hadn't been that connection with Stephanie and mutual friends. Over the past few years I've come to know Gary and his circle of friends quite well and I consider them some of my favorite folks to hang with.
Congratulations!
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Comet Pan-STARRS, Lake Murray, March 12, 2013I really needed a bigger lens, but I like the flat, sharp look that the 100mm macro provided. The comet was tough to see, even with binoculars. I only managed to see it with the naked eye using averted viewing, and even then I only saw it for a split second. The comet is the smudge to the left of the Moon.
For me, the Moon was the real spectacle of the night. It was the thinnest sliver I've ever seen and the way the camera picked up the earthshine is really magical.
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Jenny and I went up to the Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival near Charlotte today. I tried to reprise my Dragon*Con portrait effort, but the mojo wasn't working. So I just took it easy and enjoyed the afternoon. The festival grounds were very dusty -- particularly in areas with a lot of crowd traffic (virtually everywhere). I used the dust in the air to my advantage on the above image to capture the setting sun beaming through the trees.
I only saw one item I really wanted to buy -- one of these steampunk-styled satchels. I thought it would be nice for cosplay, and I could use it to carry my photo gear around. The price tag was hefty, so I didn't buy one. Plus, I can already see all that brass stuff falling off or snagging on something.
The shopkeepers above sold walking sticks, brooms and wands. Jenny bought a carved wand with an owl on it. Very nice.
Another shot with that nice afternoon sun. I wanted to get a character in the scene and I happened to walk by these monks. I figured they would look decent with a heavenly light behind them.
]]>Last Friday I journeyed to Aiken to photograph Justin and Tracy's wedding at The Outing Club. Justin and I worked closely in the online department, where he was an ace developer. Tracy worked downstairs in advertising if memory serves me right. Anyway, these folks have gone on to do some great things, moving from Columbia, to New York City, to Seattle and now finally, Portland. I was very honored to be selected to photograph their wedding, which featured a traditional Jewish service at sundown.
I believe the photos below will indicate how lovely this ceremony was: Wonderful details, a unique location, and a bluegrass band! Such a pleasure to spend the evening with these folks.
I've known Williesha since 2004, when I went to work at The State newspaper here in Columbia. I guess I looked bored or something sitting back in the online department, so she texted me on our interoffice network and a great friendship was born that day. Naturally time passes and even friends lose touch from time to time. We change jobs, some of us move away. I must have just missed seeing Williesha and her fiance, Jason, at Dragon*Con this year, but we finally caught up at Hilton Head for the wedding. Williesha indicated to me that one of her wedding day wishes was to have ME photograph her wedding. No pressure, hah!
Actually, there was reason to be concerned, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky on the day of the ceremony, and the noon sun was brutal for photography. Fortunately, we got most of the good stuff done before it became a nuisance.
The heart-shaped group shot, admittedly, isn't something I'd consider ever doing at a wedding. But the bride saw it on Pinterest and fell in the love with the concept, so the video guy and I worked with the wedding planner to coordinate moving the guests into a heart shape. I don't think it could have turned out much better!
This was my first wedding with the new 5D Mark II rig, and it performed wonderfully. I also made more of an effort to get good detail shots -- 100mm macro FTW!
New gallery! Dragon*Con 2012 street portraits!
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