golf balls

three pears

spring leaves

julian

The soft skin, the bright eyes, the drool... does it get any better than this?

windblown

stocksdale park IV

Here is another frame from Stocksdale Park (other frames can be found in this gallery).

This was a striking find for me. As I walked along the woodland path I spotted this crazy old tree, going off in a dozen directions. I was immediately attuned to its freeness, its lack of inhibition (if a tree has that sort of thing). It was riveting to look at, and I found myself staring at it for a few minutes before I thought about how to capture it in a frame.

But I didn't spot it alone - when I saw it, it was framed by the two straighter trees on either side. I'm not sure if those trees are "attempting to hide" it, or if they are "providing a safe space" for it. All I know is that the tree could not be shot on its own - it had to be shot "in community," so to speak.

Not to read too much into it (but I am a pastor, you know), but isn't that the way it should be? When we are a little crazy, there should be others there "framing us." And when we are "straighter" or "more usual" we should provide a place and contrast in which to show off the eclectic nature of others.

Hmm... I'll stick to theology.

prairie grass

Here is a completely untouched frame from my photo walk that occured during my son's soccer practice. The light was so sweet that night.

Sorry for the long delay in posting. With hectic work schedules and a round of freakish spring frost, photo making has taken a back seat.

More to come!

one year old

My baby turned one yesterday. I don't care who you are, kids and cake is funny...and damn cute!

serial photographer

It's been cold, rainy, and holy (week, that is!) around here lately so I've not gotten out to shoot in a while.  However, I do want to direct your attention to serial photographer.

If you enjoy looking at photographs on a daily basis, this is the site for you.  I don't know the photographer's name, gender, or age (but I prefer to think of "her" as a 40-something woman).  All I know is that I check my feed reader everyday hoping that another frame has been posted to "her" photoblog.

Every shot is golden.  The use of negative space is outrageously good.  There is a calm, contemplative tone to each of her shots, and I find myself soaking everything of her's in that I can because of the inspiration that comes from it.

I've got her listed on the right under the "Good Eye" section, but add her to your feedreader for a daily dose of Eternal goodness.

bennett park

My latest attempt at a "tree portrait" that includes more than just a tree.

Click here to buy this print.

flowering dogwood

Click here to buy this print.

crazy harry's fireworks

I spotted this gem yesterday while taking the boys to the park. I wanted to stop then, but I didn't want to be that guy encouraging his kids to "go play in that parking lot over there while Daddy takes some pictures." Sans children, this was a great place to shoot some frames.

I tried not to mess with it too much. As I look at photo magazines/blogs/online galleries, I continue to notice that the great photographers I like are not afraid of middle greys. I have usually leaned towards high contrast. I had felt like that was the best way to grab detail out of the frame, and make it pop. Crazy Harry's Fireworks has given me an opportunity to work on getting comfortable with letting the middle tones be middle tones, as well as letting them speak for themselves.

I also shot the following frame, an excavated area behind Crazy Harry's.



I'm not sure what I think of it. I've decided I want to branch out in my composition of the "tree portraits" I've been shooting by adding other elements to the mix besides the sky. The excavated wall was the original reason I wanted to shoot Crazy Harry's Fireworks, but I wasn't able to frame a shot that I liked with both elements included.

What do you think? Would this hang well with the other tree portraits I've been shooting?

courtney ridge

I took my big boys to a park down near the river today. As we were winding our way to the playground, I spotted this row of baby trees up on a ridge. I love the "Dust Bowl" era look I got with this shot.

double date and cattails

Double Date is certainly not the greatest photo that I've ever taken, but there are elements of this frame that I love. Compositionally, I like what I was trying to do, but I have not yet figured out how to seperate the similar tones that exist in the foreground and the background.

Double Date was taken at Bernheim Arboretum, south of Louisville, KY. On my last day there I asked my friend Will where he would like to go, and this is the place he picked. I had never been, and I had a great time.

It was a peaceful place, with lots of nature to shoot, including this frame, called Cattails:



To see the other shots I took at Bernheim, click here (they are title Bernheim Arboretum I and Bernheim Arboretum II).

woodland steps

photo set: signs of spring

I've learned to shoot photos during winter months. That suited me well - lots of high contrast moments, subjects tending toward isolation, stalking the world in black & white. You know, all the introverted, reflective crap.

But now it's spring. Whole different ball game. Whole different sport.

Yesterday I tried to go out, drive around, and find some inspiration - standard winter modus operandi. I don't know about you, but I can't find frames of springtime to shoot from the driver's seat of a 2001 minivan. I have to walk. After I had come home discouraged (I never even got out of the van), I strapped my youngest to my back and we walked Liberty for 1.5 hours. Fantastic. Spring is here, and it was only by walking up to it that I got to find it.

I'm not a botanist, so I don't know the names of anything I shot yesterday. But, boy, do they look pretty!

motel

I went back to Louisville this past week for a conference, and decided to fly in a day early to walk the city and shoot frames.

As I was coming down 2nd street, heading towards the river, I spotted this motel. I had George Tice in my head as I shot. I hope he's not offended.

little boxes

Six months ago I moved from the urban core of Louisville to a suburb of Kansas City. To say the least, the adjustment has been...odd.

Street after street of cookie cutter houses are making me want to vomit (apologies if you live in one and like it). Everytime I drive past a sub-division (which is all the time), I sing gently in my head,

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky -
Little boxes on the hillside
and they all look just the same.
There's a yellow one and a green one and a pink one and a purple one,
and they're all made out of ticky tacky,
and they all look just the same...

Thanks, Malvina Reynolds. It felt good to be self-righteous for just a moment.

trees on hospital hill

I went out for a landscape shoot today, and returned with four really pleasing (to me anyway!) images of trees. I had recently read an article about Paul Kozal which had some stunning shots of fog laden treescapes that I felt inspired by. As I was driving past the hospital here in Liberty, I saw four trees and a stump up on the ridge line and knew that this was my chance to work out my own vision of trees.

I did not even come close to Kozal's style, and that's okay wih me. First of all, he usually shoots in foggy weather and today was the brightest that ol' Mizzou has been for a while. Second, Kozal echos the pictoralists and I am more of a "straight photography" guy (think Ansel Adams and Edward Weston). His shots are so dense and textured. I preferred a more airy feeling. But the guy is a great eye, and I'm glad his work has pushed me a bit.

I'm very partial to this one, called hospital hill I. I liked the composition when I was standing on the side of the road, but I liked it even more when I got home and looked at it on the computer. I hadn't noticed the birds when I hit the shutter release. What a stroke of luck!

Anyway, if you want to see the other three in the series, click here.

scripture prints

Part of the work that I have posted for sale are the eight prints below. Each print is accompanied by a passage of scripture (except mother+child). I hope they are a non-cheesy way that folks can keep scripture and theological truths in front of them in a helpful way.

All prints in this series start at $18.49, and if you would like it framed, you will find no better quality than what the good folks at ImageKind can provide.

Click here (or any of the prints) to access the gallery.

prints for sale

Many of the shots that have been featured on this blog (and several others) are now for sale in my galleries at ImageKind. To access and purchase, please click here.

photo set: storm clouds gather, 02.28.07

Here is the complete set of decent shots taken during Wednesday night's storm.

6:25pm


6:29pm


6:34pm


6:36pm


6:41pm


6:43pm


6:47pm

liberty, mo; 6:34pm; 02.28.07

eight year old

consider (matthew 6:28-30)

And why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the flowers of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

photo set: ...and the sky

sweetgum tree...


smokestack...


gable I...


gable II...

three tree trunks

safety first

senior center