Wholesome Blog!

new blog.

2010-05-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

Transitioning to a self-hosted wordpress blog. For current updates, please visit, www.wholesomeblog.com

Fun Shoot - Sister

2009-12-17T23:52:00.009-06:00

Last weekend, my sister Megan and her boyfriend Adam came to visit. Saturday night we decided to take out my lights and have a little photo shoot in my tiny apartment. With no planning and no room, I think we did pretty good. Now that she knows how to set-up and break-down my lights, she's turning out to be a pretty good assistant!

By the way, to all of you who did not know, I got a dog. His name is Mordecai.

First Fashion Shoot

2009-12-11T00:12:00.006-06:00

Last week I had my first fashion shoot with a very talented designer from the University of Alabama. I got in touch with Savannah through my friend Lydia who works with Savannah's brother. Shad to get her portfolio together and asked me if I could help. I've always wanted to go on a fashion shoot and was very glad I did. I love working with people. You have to have trust with the model/client and vice versa. Even though it was 35 degrees during this shoot, we all had a blast! I look forward to seeing where this might take me!

I wonder why my fav. shots were with the models looking left or straight ahead. Some things i'll never know.

David+Stephanie Engagement!

2009-10-05T01:19:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to get sick. Since that isn't very interesting, I'll refrain from telling you about that and tell you about my amazing photo shoot which I had on Saturday. Back in April, my friends David King and Stephanie Bulle became engaged. I had the opportunity to be "hiding in the bushes" with my camera while it was happening at the Vulcan statue. Now that the big day is getting closer, I was able to shoot their engagement photos in downtown Birmingham. Somehow, we chose the best day imaginable for downtown shooting. Not a cloud in the sky. For some reason, they believe they are not photogenic. I believe I am the one to make that claim and it definitely does not apply to them. I love shooting great couples. It makes my job less a job. Thanks David and Steph for allowing me to take part in these big moments in your life!

Bagpipes and Golf

2009-09-24T01:42:00.005-05:00

A friend of mine is a bagpiper. Steven has been playing the bagpipes ever since I've known him. While at Samford, he would march around campus playing for everyone. He was even known to come play for us while we were at track practice. He now plays at Ross Bridge Resort a few times a month at dusk. Today, I joined him with my camera. I love outdoor photography. Its so easy when you have a great subject and a great background!

Flood!

2009-09-22T13:58:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was very entertaining and memorable. A nice change from the norm. My 1st cousin got married (I was the photographer), my college roommate had his bachelor party and my table got dominated at a local Atlanta trivia hub. Although each of these things seem very writable and interesting, nothing compared to what happened after trivia.

As I was minding my own business driving back to Birmingham from Atlanta, it began raining. Not just the rain we are used to but the rain which seemed to be coming from above, below and sideways. I sometimes felt like I could turn off my headlights and navigate by the lightning it was so frequent and expanding. I later pulled over to the side of the interstate like 80% of all the partially insane drivers of Sunday night. After about 10 min. of sitting on the side of the road, I became bored so decided to join the 20% and try to drive 30mph in the center lane. That worked for approximately 2 minutes when I came to a complete stop behind a large SUV with an LA Los Angeles sticker on the rear window. I had no idea I would be staring at the thing for 3 and a half hours. For the first hour, I was trying to guess how many car pileup happened in front of me since there were an abundant amount of police lights 300 yards away. The Georgia DOT's hotline did not help at all when I called to check on accidents. After my 3rd call, I was finally directed to a real person. He informed me that the road was CLOSED because of a flood. Who closes an interstate? Better yet, who builds an interstate that floods!? By this time, it was 2:30am and most cars had gone to sleep. Engines off, lights off and drivers asleep. Since I still had a little hope for the DOT to clear some of the water, I stayed awake...with help from the lightning and my sister who couldn't sleep that night (and about 3 exits down the road in college). Behold, one lane started moving. The outside lane. Of course I was in the inside lane. Luckily, it did not take long to make it over the 3 lanes because most people were asleep and so many people had turned around through the night, many holes were created in the interstate parking lot. Afterward, I made it home and had a great mornings sleep.

To pass time, I edited photos from my cousins wedding shoot and took self-timer shots of myself. This is what it was like:

Grilled Cheese and the Art of Experimentation

2009-09-16T13:30:00.005-05:00

Some days I just need a grilled cheese sandwich. I've tried them pretty much every way possible. I normally see what I have around the kitchen and try to add unusual things to the mix just to see if I'm missing out on something. I've tried things such as basil, paprika, tomatoes, cayenne, green tabasco, Sriracha sauce, turkey, okra, etc. This past creation I made is probably one of my favorites. It consisted of American Cheese, cayenne and a Banana Pepper all on Oatmeal bread while cooked in a skillet soaked with Amish Butter. (ive tried other cheeses but nothing has compared to American yet).

On this day, I had just set up for a photoshoot for the Waterproof Bible and decided to try my hand at food photography. I'm pretty happy with the results, I would just love to have one right now.

The Watermelon Farm

2009-08-18T15:21:00.002-05:00

For the past 12 years, my family has been in the watermelon business. Business is a very loose term in this case being we normally just give away over 100 watermelons a year. This is something my granddad loves to do. We grow them in very sandy soil (Little Sand Mountain). Sandy soil has more nutrients and accepts water more frequently (if it rains). The roots easily grow in sand because it is of course not as dense as soil. This makes it perfect for our watermelon. The downside is that dry seasons really take a toll on the crop since sand cannot hold water as well. Since watermelon require full sun, it is best for them to be in a field (which is pretty difficult to manually water), so we depend on rain every summer. Here are a few photos I took from our last gathering of the season. Im already looking forward to next years crop.

Charles + Ellie Beck

2009-08-12T15:36:00.003-05:00

This summer, I was privileged to shoot Charles and Ellie's wedding. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, St Mary's on the Highlands Episcopal Church was a beautiful venue while the reception was held outside at Vulcan Park. The reception turned into a 4 hour dance party celebrating the marriage of these two great friends. Thanks for allowing me to be in the middle of your big day!

Car for Sale

2009-08-04T22:28:00.004-05:00

Its been a good 3 years Saab. After much delegation, I have decided to sell my car. I am ready for a new toy for my life. Over the past few years, I have noticed that luxury cars are not my cup of tea (i prefer rooibos). I do not like leather, I want tight suspension and good gas mileage is a plus. My saab has 1.5 those. If anyone is looking for a luxury car and doesn't want to break the bank on a mercedes that will die in 2 years or an audi that costs a million dollars to work on, please check out the saab. You will not be disappointed.

New layout

2009-07-31T15:02:00.003-05:00

New blog layout coming soon! Larger photos and more posts with added sweetness.

Getting Back in Shape

2009-05-31T00:43:00.002-05:00

Time to get back in shape. Now thats its June, its nice and hot and sticky here in alabama. perfect weather for running. I know most people are probably turned away from that but I think thats perfect for exercise. Not because I love hot weather (i can't stand it!) but because I feel like I get more of a workout in afterwards. I know, I know, I actually just sweated off 5 pounds instead of having worked it off but im ok with that. There isnt a much better feeling of accomplishment than running a couple miles and coming back not being able to breath, sweating terribly and needing to stretch your over exerted calf muscles. That, my friend, is living. Here is a shot of a 10 YEAR OLD boy competing in the xterra southeastern championship. Just so you'll know, thats 750m swim, 29k mountain bike, and 5k run.

Memories of the Past

2009-04-06T00:41:00.002-05:00

Lately, I was asked if I would like to visit Melbourne, AUS again. ummmm...YES. I would definitely move there again in a heart beat. I have yet to find a city in America that could compete for its title of "best city in the world". The only city ive found that is remotely as cool is Victoria, BC. Melbourne has everything going for it. Its clean, friendly, cultural, safe and artsy. Is there really more you can ask for in a city? At some point in my life, I plan on visiting again. Hopefully sooner rather than later. After a bit of digging, i found one of my old photos from Melbourne. I am still amazed at this building. www.theartscentre.com.au/

Just hit me

2009-04-01T01:17:00.004-05:00

Well it just hit me. It has been 3 full months since ive had a full-time job. Why is the economy so bad? Why are companies wanting a designer to be a programmer? Why do amazing photographers want UNPAID interns? These are just a few questions I ask myself every day. I want to use my skills that God gave me for the good of his kingdom but where in this economy can I do that? Non-profits/Missions don't want to pay expenses for me to go overseas to document their trips and I have no money to do that. I don't even have to go overseas, we have places here in alabama who could use the same treatment as people are giving Africa. People seem to not even want to give me a retail job. Aparently, since I have no experience, I would suck at it. They dont seem to understand Ive worked with clients/print executives for the past 4 years on a daily basis. If thats not customer relations then I dont know what is. I also learn that I cant work in a kitchen because I have no restaurant kitchen experience even though I cook almost every day at home. How can I get restaurant kitchen experience if no one will hire me? Well, these are my questions and my rants that I am dealing with now. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to toss them my way. I accept every little bit. I leave you with a photo from my trip to charleston, WV. I would love to live here one day.

Been awhile

2009-03-25T16:17:00.003-05:00

Ok, i do realize that its been over a week since an entry. You would think not having a job would mean i would have all the time in the world to do everything. well, i do but i now have no initiative to do the stuff i need to work on. its hard to explain unless you are in the same situation. in other news, my college roommate adam finally swallowed his pride and ordered a macbook pro. after a few phone consults he made the plundge. now, he has called me, emailed me and texted me how much he loves it. in college, we had many long debates about what is better, a mac or a pc. looks like i won! this is the 3rd post that features him in some way shape or form so i dont think ill add another picture of him for awhile. i leave you with a shot of a wedding gift package designed by the talented and famous Sonia Davis Design. this was one of those ghetto shoots that turned out better than i could have imagined.

Babies!

2009-03-16T01:15:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days where a seemingly unfamiliar situation became familiar again. I helped keep the nursery at my church. Every 3 months or so, its my community groups turn. I had the privilege, no, joy to keep the 0-1 year olds. Joy isnt really the first thing that pops in your mind when you are holding a 5 month old crying his head off. Helplessness would be a good first thought (esp if it isnt yours). There are a few things you learn while in this situation with the kids...
Not all babies cry ALL THE TIME
Some babies cry ALL THE TIME
Some like eating everything they see
Some don't know what they want
Some enjoy being carried
Some want to sit
Overall, the lesson seemed to be, not all babies are the same. There is something empowering about the idea of getting someone to stop crying and laugh of all things. This got me thinking that they ARE actually fun to play with. Im slowly seeing why so many of my friends want one now. For me, it will definately be awhile but I am at least starting to see the other side. I leave you with a shot of my friends' baby, Kelsey Arp.

Photographer Inspiration

2009-03-13T01:47:00.005-05:00

I was wondering what I was going to blog about tonight when I started checking my blogs that I keep up-to-date with. After reading the 2nd one that popped up, I had a topic. These guys, The Parsons, just got back from a trip from Rwanda. I know a few photographers who have been there but no one has captured the pure emotion that they captured. They said "the hope of Rwanda is in its kids". Thats amazing! I do wish the elders could somehow have a taste of the hope but maybe thats to come later. Who says kids cant teach adults? Why do many people not have hope? Why can't everyone believe in something better to come? I do not know Jeremy or Ashley Parsons but id like to thank them for allowing me to feel as if I participated in their amazing journey. I leave you with a shot which I took of a Ukraine orphan on his trip to Birmingham.

Mashup's and Me

2009-03-12T00:30:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, I stumbled upon this http://www.illinoize.biz/ a producer mashed up sufjan stevens songs with rap songs. Some work beautifully together, others... dont. Please take time to enjoy this EP? then try to mash up your own 2 songs. Speaking of Rap, here are a couple shots from a photoshoot I had a couple months ago. The group is called the Goodfellaz.

Waiting for the tiredness to kick in

2009-03-09T02:09:00.006-05:00

This week has been a entertaining week. I am a track coach at homewood high school. every weekend, we seem to have an all day meet. this week, hoover was the place. nice weather, out in the sun for 9 hours. got a great suntan, that is, by 10am. afterward, i think it was just overkill. my skin doesn't seem to like me anymore. it tends to hurt whenever i move. glad i have an aloe plant. just cut off a chunk and squeeze it on the redness. works like a charm as long as you can get over the stickiness it leaves behind. anyway, today ive been battling the gift from the sun and a great sermon on sloth from Red Mountain Church. who knew a sloth was actually named after what it does (actually doesn't do). i am leaving you with a photo of one of the top brother/sister duo's that Birmingham has ever seen, andrew and lydia.

new site launched

2009-03-06T00:35:00.004-06:00

to honor the unveiling of my new website, i will start blogging! to all 2 of you who will actually look at this, thank you. i have high hopes with this blog. i am planning on updating it every day or every other day with at least 1 photo to show. today, i will start by putting up a photo from my college roommates engagement shoot that i had on valentines day. these turned out wonderful. you can see more at www.wholesomecreative.com/bridge

the beginning stages

2008-12-01T23:55:00.000-06:00

Well, i guess i have to start somewhere. A wise man once said "reality continues to ruin my life." I agree Mr. Watterson. i am answering this statement with a rule for this blog, "reality shall not always be present". Enjoy what's to come.

Savor the Small Things