Pastor "Goat" seems unusually restless, even tormented this morning. Known in the circle as the "Yuppie Biker" for his choice in sportswear and high-tech gadgets -- an iPad sits in front of him and he's wearing a voice-activated Bluetooth link with a bright blue blinking LED -- Goat is the assistant pastor for this flock. He wants to get the group out walking the streets today and spreading the word. It's known as "rolling prayer" or "ghost riding" but Goat prefers to call it "spiritual warfare."

The group departs Man Time and by 11 a.m. is standing on the main street of Winnsboro. The media team is setting up a camera and testing microphones. Goat seems at odds with this endeavor and announces to the group he intends to "prayer walk" instead of help make the video. Another biker joins him as they head in the opposite direction, past faded storefronts and abandoned buildings in search of people who need help.

Barely a minute has passed when Goat approaches a resident, introduces himself and gives her a "Blood of Christ" pin from the stash in the side pocket of his leather cut. The red glass pins are a signature device for this group and they reportedly passed out more than 500 of them at a recent bike rally. The woman is grateful and gestures down the street to "a dark area" that needs spiritual help.

Effortlessly, he continues walking. He claims he's guided by the holy spirit, and before lunchtime Goat has prayed with half a dozen residents. 

I've had the honor to photograph many weddings for friends, co-workers, strangers, friends of friends, both of my sisters, and even my grandmother when she re-married. I started doing weddings back in the late 1990s when we still used film. It's always been a side-job/hobby for me, and it's never been about making money. But I feel like I've reached the point where I need to step back and focus on my personal work.

So this is my final wedding, and I'm glad it was my sister's. 

I ran this batch of images through the new DxO Filmpack 4, mostly using presets for Portra 160 and Tmax CN for the black and white. The last couple weddings I've posted have been run through a variety of film-emulation programs (VSCO, DxO, Nik, etc.) and I'm starting to believe that the images straight out of Aperture look better than the results I'm getting from the emulation programs. But anyway, it's something I enjoy messing with.

I greet him and he asks me what I'd like for him to play tonight. That's easy: "Ain't No Grave" ... I'm more familiar with the Johnny Cash version, but it's a traditional song and he's more than happy to oblige. 

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!

Comet Pan-STARRS, Lake Murray, March 12, 2013

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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