dreaming the impossible

be young! live free! laugh hard! play with abandon! do all this please!!!

Now don't think me a modern day peter pan, I'm far from it. I've embraced my adulthood with vigor and am living life as purposefully as I can. I pay my bills, I try and answer the phone by the third ring, and I attempt to make wise investments with both my time and money. All that being said, I also strive to dream the impossible, play with abandon, think young (think, stay idealistic) and learn lessons I've forgotten by watching my sons.

I'm not saying do one of these more than the other, I'm saying "just do". Do them all. Practice them daily. There's two sides to many things. Our brain, our money, our views, our philosophies. Yin and Yang, light and dark, analytical and creative, and the list goes on... Whatever your natural bent is, practice the other, as if your life depends on it. I believe if you do, your life will be more full for it.

The pictures of me below are taken by my oldest boy ,of three years, Asher. The idea of giving him my camera was just a touch daunting, however, he did go with me on a photo shoot, and was obviously looking forward to the experience, so I couldn't disappoint. :) And so with my hands over his, and letting him push the buttons, I posed a few funny faces that I knew would make him laugh, giving him a good memory with him and his dad.

turtle time!

"playing hard." what does that mean to you?

Does it mean you tire yourself, running after a ball toward a common goal?

Or does it mean chasing laughter like a butterfly on a windy day?

Maybe it means abandoning yourself to that inner child where laughter dwells and dreams collide with hope, colliding yet again with impossibilities?

For me, playing hard is finding that area where you push the worries, the grown-up fears, the hassle and stress, and run headlong into the life you want; the life you desire!

It's a journey, rather than a destination. And though it changes with you, it stays the same in the spirit of what it is.

It's that non-judgmental voice that frees you from the burden of your fears.

I believe playing hard is worth fighting for and worth having. Why don't more of us play hard? Why don't we run after it like it's our last chance at finding freedom?

My son in his turtle costume is playing hard. His focused energy colliding with his little dreams, manifesting itself in the form of" play." He yells, "daddy, play with me!" and promptly runs to get the broom so I can sword fight with him as he grabs an old plastic window rod. "let's wrestle!" he exclaims with more vigor than i felt I had all day. And yet, when I do listen and play, running through the parking lot, screaming at the top of my lungs, jumping through mud puddles in the rain, and catching him as he falls, I find true joy and I find myself playing hard.

fountain of youth

It's an honor when someone asks us to do their wedding. For me, people in love is a promise & vision of something special; something that still exist from the days of eden. And I think it's that indescribable "bigness" that fills me with wonder, BECAUSE it is something larger than myself. Here we celebrate Josh's and Amy's love, in front of the fountain at Poinsett Hotel. I love my job. I love creating art. And remember, don't hire us because you want a photographer, hire us because you want an artist!

the story

When a couple asks us to shoot their wedding, they're asking us to tell a story. But just not any story, their story. And we're not telling it in any ol' fashion, we're telling it in an artistic fashion, using our unique creative "lens".

What amazes me, is you don't always need a fancy place to tell that story. Look at the two photos below, and you'll see what I mean. It's true, the train adds an element of interest compared to a plain wall, but even if it was a plain wall, the other elements in the shot create a fine drama, even in the absence of a strking background.

I'm not going lie, a nice background will add to any photo. All I'm saying is, all of us can look at the "majestic" and easily find beauty, intrigue or mystique. But sometimes all you need, is what you have around you—and a good idea.

Stretching the mind purposely, and not looking for the best backdrop can keep you from getting lazy. I encourage any photo enthusiast to focus on the idea using a plain background, so that your photos will shine that much more when you have the chance to shoot with an incredible background!

NC Cover/Fashion Shoot