Thursday, July 29, 2010

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 30

365
Hosted by Chris




PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and Caitlin






Day 203


July 23: Bachelorhood: It's not my thing.

My wife was out of town, my kids were out of town, and I had taken myself to a movie (Knight and Day -- don't bother). Afterward I just drove around, listening to music, taking pictures of my hand, and praying for red lights, so I wouldn't have to go home to an empty house.


Day 204


July 24: Kelsey's Bridals.

These were taken at an amazing place here in Salt Lake, called The Garden Park Ward. It's a church yard full of bridges and columns and ponds and arches and little pagan gypsy stages.

I see no reason for any of these things to be on the ground of an LDS Meetinghouse, other than for the benefit of photographers.


Day 205


July 25: Fifty shots later...


Day 206


July 26: When you go visit my sister-in-law Pam's blog, you'll see that she took a picture of a Dr. Pepper can today.

And her's is much better than mine.


Day 207


July 27: Pam is visiting tonight as I throw this blog together. As she was helping me choose a picture to post for Tuesday, she said she liked this one because you can see stars in the sky.

Turns out that was just the dirt on the computer screen.


Day 208


July 28: Blank.

I've got nothing.


Day 209


July: This is my nephew Cooper. He's half nerd, half beaver.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 29

365
Hosted by Chris





PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and Lolli


Day 196


July 16: This is a terrible picture of a great memory.

What you're looking at here is a shot from a family reunion we attended last weekend.

The blurry figures are my uncles -- cowboys to the bone -- sitting around the campfire, with their guitars, serenading the family in a two hour impromptu concert.

I live for times like these.


Day 197


July 17: La Luna.

I was comparing this moon shot, to the last one I took. It's amazing how different the moon can look, considering we're always looking at the same side.

If I was thinking, I would have shot this picture on the twentieth of July -- 41 years to the day that mankind took that giant leap.


Day 198


July 18: Annie was having a hard time blowing the bubbles -- my theory is that she has so much power in those giant cheeks, that she just blows the bubble into oblivion.


Day 199


July 19: My sandals are held together with Gorilla Glue and wishful thinking.

The soles are cracked and lopsided. The pad under the sole of my foot is completely worn away. They are ugly.

I've had them for about three years, and I've replaced them at least twice, but I still haven't been able to make myself throw them away... it took too long to get them just right.


Day 200


July 20: I always forget about these milestone days.

After the Daffodils and the Day Lilies (and the Dandelions), I constantly forget what these flowers are called.

They're daisies -- and they're fading fast in the summer heat.


Day 201


July 21:  Jordan is already a great student, a world class baby sitter, my best model and an award winning photographer -- so why not add clarinetist to the mix?


Day 202


July 22: Sometimes the sky is just blue.

No clouds to add contrast and chaos. No streaks of scarlet and flame to sear into your memory. Just blue.

Plain old, ordinary, beautiful blue.

And somedays, that's just fine.

Incidentally, do you know why the sky is blue?

(And have you ever tried to take a picture of the blue sky with your camera set on auto focus? Mine won't do it)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 28

365
Hosted by Chris



PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and Momma



Day 189


July 9: Sometimes you just HAVE to stop and watch the sunset.

And then take a picture of it.

And if you don't have your camera handy, you HAVE to pull the car over to the side of the road, and get it out of the trunk.

And if you can't stop on the freeway to watch the sunset, you just HAVE to shoot it out of the moon roof, as you drive.

Okay, maybe YOU don't have to do that...


Day 190


July 10: If you like fireworks, then Farmington, Utah is the place to be in July. We get them three times!


Day 191


July 11: It started out as an innocent game of badminton...

Of course, that's how it always starts out with Emma...

(Did you know that badminton had an "N" in it?)


Day 192


July 12: I'm continually surprised by how many new angles I find to shoot pictures of my guitar.


Day 193


July 13: A photo of a photo.

These are my in-laws.

They are about as straight laced, buttoned down, by the book people as you will ever meet.

They are also converts to the LDS church -- which means no smoking, no drinking, etc...

Which is why I find this rarely seen photo from their more hedonistic college days so funny.

This is also why my mother-in-law is going to kill me...


Day 194


July 14: The latest addition to the "Crap in my backyard" file.


Day 195


July 15: So I asked Cecily -- you know, THE CECILY -- what I should take a picture of today, and she said to shoot a picture of something shiny that showed my reflection. I tried, but ran out of time (I do have a cool idea, but it's going to take some work).

But, in honor of her suggestion, I took this shot of my shadow on the backyard fence.

I was going for the cyclops look, but really it just looks like I have a hole in my head.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 27

365
Hosted by Chris




Day 182


July 2: The pleasant surprise was good chinese food, and the kids sleeping over at Grandma's -- and, you know, other stuff.

My favorite thing about this picture is that the left piece of the fortune cookie looks like a nose. :)


Day 183


July 3: Cross Brigham Young with Uncle Sam and Farmer Brown, throw in a little Jimmy Buffett for good measure, and what do you get?

By gosh, you get America!


Day 184


July 4: On your birthday, you should be able to do whatever you want -- and Emma wanted to spin around in the sunshine, in her new tutu.

Truthfully, Emma's birthday is July 3, but we were busy celebrating the Nation's birthday on the 3rd (because that's when all the parades and fireworks were), so we celebrated Emma's birthday on July 4.

Or something like that.

Now I have a headache.

What a weird year.


Day 185


July 5: Augusta and June, my five year old twin nieces, in town from Georgia. They're the very picture of innocence right?

Ha.

They're nuts.

These are All Star Wrestling-kill and clean their own chicken-trying to catch and cook a squirrel-Crimson Tide lovin'-absolutely fearless-southern fried maniacs.

But they're so dang cute.

(And I'm June's boyfriend)


Day 186


July 6: I love my daisies almost as much as I love my tulips.


Day 187


July 7: Emma and I on the Sky Ride at Lagooon (a local amusement park), looking very cool.

Emma just about lost her shoes on this ride, and I nearly dropped my camera.

For a very slow ride, it was rather breathtaking.


Day 188


July 8: I hate Play-Doh.

I know it's fun, and I loved it as a kid, but as an adult...

Eventually it all gets mixed into one big gray blob, and then it dries out and breaks down into smaller and smaller crumbs which get everywhere. Not to mention the stuff that gets mashed into the carpet and the upholstered furniture (even though EVERYONE knows it's ONLY supposed to played with at the table!)

Other than that, I have no strong feelings on the subject.

Did you know that they have a Play-Doh scented cologne?!

(Whoever THEY are...)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Equality

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thirty five of the most important words ever written.


This is the American Revolution. 

Not Bunker Hill, or Valley Forge, or Yorktown, or the ride of Paul Revere. Not George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. Not Minutemen or tea parties or fireworks or any of the other things we think of when we think of July 4, 1776. 

Universal equality is the shot heard round the world. 

What the Founders of our nation said to the world was something every man born on this earth already knows deep inside -- that he (or she) is as good as anyone else. Since the beginning of the world, mankind had segregated itself into classes and castes, arbitrarily privileging some and denying most. 


It was time to begin the world all over again. 

Equality is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp. It doesn't mean that you're as big or strong or smart or attractive as anyone else. It doesn't mean that you are born into the same conditions as others. It doesn't mean that the portions of life's bounty will be distributed to you and everyone else with equity and fairness. 

The truth is, the principle of the equality of man is defined by Jefferson in these thirty-five words. 

You have an equal right to live upon this globe. Your life is your own, to do with as you wish --to become as great or menial as you have the capacity and the will to achieve. 

You have an equal right to live free of the subjugation of another -- to move, to think, to act and to speak independently of the influence or coercion of others. 

You have an equal right to pursue those things that bring joy to your life. 

And never forget, though it remains unwritten, with unalienable rights, come unalienable responsibilities. 

The price of equality, like that of liberty, is eternal vigilance. 


My equality is dependent upon your equality. The best way to ensure the safety of my unalienable rights, is for me to see that your unalienable rights are not infringed upon. 

Happy Independence Day!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Photostory Friday: 365 Week 26

365
Hosted by Chris







PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily


Day 175


June 25: These are the shots I miss taking, as a wedding photographer.

When you are the principal photographer at a wedding, you have a certain responsibility to capture certain images. And I love beautiful pictures of brides and grooms, and their most beautiful of days. But shots like this picture are the ones that the artist in me longs to take -- and I find myself with less time to try and capture them.

I find them very evocative and meaningful.

The little things that happen unexpectedly on a wedding day, like a forgotten corsage or a missing earring, are like a microcosm of the life these two are about to embark on -- full of trials and missteps, but also opportunities to be the answer to each other's needs.

I just love that.


Day 176


June 26: When this project is all done, I'm going to post all the pictures that I took this year, from this point of view.


Day 177


June 27: Passing it on.

Before you become a parent, you think that life as a parent will be full of teaching opportunities, but the truth is, parenthood is mostly about surviving another day. Most of the teaching we do is by example.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when my son asked if I would teach him how to play "Over the Rainbow" on my ukulele. Sometimes it comes as a shock to find that our children have an aptitude for something. Matt picked up the chords rather quickly, and he and I sat out on the porch swing and played (and sang -- but only with each other) a little duet.

I'm not handy. I don't do woodwork. I can't fix anything. ANYTHING. But this was one of those rare moments where I actually felt that I had something to teach my child.


Day 178


June 28: We saw Toy Story 3 tonight, and I loved it. But I didn't cry at the end.

...I just had something in my eye, Okay?...

The touching ending of the movie made me think of the toys of my own childhood. Nearly all of them were Star Wars related -- and nearly all of them are gone (most were destroyed by my own hand, with a golf club), but these three remain.

They are ragged -- C3PO is nearly silver now, Han Solo was buried in my front yard for ten years, and got his face caught in the lawn mower, and Luke Skywalker's  a little stiff in the joints -- but they are original. Han Solo and C3PO are from the original toy line, in 1977, and Luke Skywalker is from 1980.

But, they are old, and dear friends.


Day 179


June 29: This is my nephew Cooper. He's two and a half, and visiting from Germany. He was over having a water fight with the other kids on Tuesday night, but there was a slight problem...

Cooper is kind of tiny, and he doesn't have the strength to squirt the gun, unless he stands directly over it, and pushes down with all his weight (such as it is), which, as you may imagine, results in Cooper mostly shooting himself in the face.

And then exclaiming "Oh! I gotted mysewf in my own face again!"


Day 180


June 30: Yeah, that's the high dive.

And yeah, that man can displace some water.


Day 181


July 1: And finally this week, I have another in the series I like to call:

"Crap that I can shoot on Thursday afternoon as I'm walking in the front door, so I can get this post up before midnight."

It's my new, giant Sharpie marker.

I could paint the house with this thing.