Issac + Grace Linville Falls Engagement Session

ClaCC

Hey all and welcome to this entry. I would start by admitting that this session was very special for me. I have been photographing Grace for years now so it feels very natural that I had the honor to capture another timeless moment for Grace and her family. I have been lucky to not only photograph her but to meet her family, and her mom specifically. Julz is amazing and I feel very connected to her though our sessions as well, so when she text me a few months ago asking if I would be interested / available to photograph a surprise proposal, I couldn’t say no! ( NOT THAT I WOULD ANYWAY) Isaac, who is now Grace’s fiance had asked Julz to help plan the entire event, and what an event it was. The weather, cars breaking down, and them finding me without letting her know what was going on were all speed bumps we had to navigate on the day but we are resilient. The day was perfect and she said yes and that leads us here. Well it led us to Linville, North Carolina and to chasing waterfalls. Linville Falls is stunning and the weather was fantastic. All of the images in this post of from time together capturing their official engagement photos as we count the days, and Grace knows to the day, until we capture another special moment for these two. The wedding is coming fast!

I know, I know. Thats ALOT of photos for one post right but how do I choose? How would I narrow these down further. Yes further, because I have more still. It was a magical afternoon, recording moments between these two, and watching as they silently connect over and over again. I love adventures like these and I am ready for the next. Who has next??? Email me and lets plan your adventure together.

J

The photo community is truly special

If you are reading this, you may or may not know my story. I think I may make a video about me in the future so just know I have been a photographer for almost 2 decades now. Through this art form of capturing moments in time either on film or a digital sensor, I have made the most incredible friends. I have made things that broke my heart, but also made things that fill me with joy as well. I have captured so many things in this time but one of the things that stick with me most is the connections created. The friendships formed over a mutual interest. Shared meals, coffee, and drinks to talk or collaborate. The list goes on and on and on. I hope to be a part of your story as well. Please take a few moments to watch me talk about this in the video above and please consider subscribing to follow me on this journey that is Youtube.

Shoot film with me and the Hasselblad 500c

Continuing to share my work from Youtube here to help generate traffic and honestly to help motivate myself to keep making them. What should I make next?

Anyone?

I have since traded my beloved Hasselblad ( missing it dearly ) for a camera I have always wanted, the Roleiflex TLR. My friend Joshua had one and we traded for a period to try them out and we never traded back. The world of photography is special!

Screen shot from when my beard was cooler than it is now LOL

Long Term Leica SL2S review.

I am a lucky guy to have owned a couple of Leicas over my career, the m240, M3, M6, SL2S, and now an M10 Monochrom so what do I think about the SL2S from a professionals perspective? Well Ill just cut to the spoiler, I love it. Everything about it, almost. I would recommend you check the video below for a more in depth conversation on my thoughts and feelings of this beautiful piece of machinery.

Thanks for being here and I look forward to seeing you over there, on Youtube.

A photographers take on journaling

What’s up everyone! Mixing it up today and digging into one of my favorite tools as a person who makes stuff daily. That isn’t always a video or a photograph, even though it mostly is. Sometimes its just making lists of To Dos or wish lists and I might put down other creative ideas.

This is why today I wanna touch on journaling, and putting thoughts to paper. I want to admit up front that I am not great at this but, its something I am working on. Some days are heavier than others, and on those days maybe I will jot down how I am feeling or whats going on in life, but mostly I pack the stuff away in my mind somewhere deep but instead I catch myself writing down anything else I can think of. I mostly use a journal or notebook for my daily To Dos. Having a place where my tasks can live, help me remember them but also gives me a quick reference when my memory takes a crap and I cant remember what I needed to do. This can be as simple as putting down that I need to do some laundry today, or take out the trash. These types of things rarely need reminders because I run into them physically when I am home for the day right but what about the others things? I write them down.

Taking notes like this, or journaling, isn’t a new practice for many people. Its therapeutic, its historic, and its just a nice tool to help organize all the thoughts in one place. There are many other videos about this but what I want to touch on is getting started. It can be hard if you are a guy especially, or just someone who doesn’t access your feeling and thoughts often. I am that guy. So for me the best way to get started was just making these To do lists. Daily. For me, getting into the habit of the act of writing down makes the next day easier, but it also makes writing easier because its not so foreign anymore. I know that there are other people out there like me so trust me when I say ,start small and with things you KNOW you can accomplish. The reward of checking those boxes off makes it much more enjoyable to attempt the process the next day, and then the next. As you get into a rhythm then write it all down. Whatever you want. There are NO rules here y’all. This is your notebook. This is your property, and this is your safe space. Share it with anyone you like but keep it close to your chest if that makes you feel better about being free to write for yourself. Peter Mckinnon talks about how he uses his notebook and I found it be be very inspiring so if you haven’t seen that then I will link it here. I tried to keep a notebook in my pocket daily to start but quickly, and I mean lighting fast remembered, I hate having shit in my pockets. I love knives but they better have a pocket clip or a belt clip. My phone goes in the back pocket and my keys stay magnetically out of the way and out of my pocket thanks to my Alpaca clip. I tried carrying my chest pack daily ( still try to ) and this helped because then I could add my Kindle to the bag and have my books readily available as well but lets face it. Im old and chest packs are probably for the younger man, and Im not small so I sweat, so this is also an issue. When I do carry my chest pack I still keep extra notebooks and pens just in case though.

So what have I found as my solution? I went to the Google in search of a notebook cover that would also double as my new wallet. After a little looking around on Etsy, I took a chance and picked up a great solution though Im afraid it will be short lived but only because I think I will upgrade to a higher quality leather option. Having my wallet is a necessity and having access to my notes is as well. So having them combined is incredible. It is larger than I prefer but its winter here so hoodies are back. This makes carrying it easy. Once summer comes this may have to be switched up, but for now I couldn’t be happier. For my notebooks, I found these on Amazon that are bulleted and makes checking the box even easier and they were affordable as well. For the pen I currently use, the kid in me is pumped to use this pen I found on Amazon as well. I find it interesting for a few reasons. To start the metal design gives me hopes that it will last longer than a plastic option. Its is a red, and black pen combined with a mechanical pencil all in one. Thats not unusual obviously but what is interesting is how it works. Its gravity fed so basically, whichever option you are looking at, say black ink for the example, is what is dispensed when you click it into action. If you have a better option or something that works for you that might also work for me I would appreciate your input. I would also like to know what works for you even if its similar to my approach. I also just love pens and paper so any tips and tricks for your favorites would be well received.

Arizona on Medium Format

Painted by light

Today is November 17th, 2023. Atlas turned 12 yesterday, Jaryn got accepted to TCAT and will start trade school in January, and Austin is working and going to school full-time. Proud is an understatement but proud I am. I woke up today to a notification that my little YouTube channel hit 500 subscribers and I am beside myself about it. So thats the short version of me catching you up to whats new at least this week. Oh Natasha also bought a new car yesterday and it’s amazing.

The texture in the desert is truly majestic

So as I mentioned above, Natasha and I finally took time to have a honeymoon of sorts this year. We have been married 13 years as of August and while we wait for our matching tattoos to commemorate the milestone, we took a trip. She was already in Arizona for the Brave Enough Conference so we decided that I would fly in solo to Phoenix to meet her. From Phoenix we grabbed a rental car and headed 2 hours North to Sedona and my goodness I wasn’t prepared for the desert and the majesty of it all. I have seen photos and videos but seeing it in person is truly something different. I shot tons of film and those wont be on this post but I wanted to share my images from the Hasselblad X1dii and the 45mm lens. I honestly do not think these do it justice but at least you can get an idea of how I tried to capture what I was experiencing. I plan to make a Youtube video talking about the trip but here are the images!

Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading, and thank you for supporting my small business and dream of creating daily.

Walking around Bays Mountain with a new camera

Hey, has anyone told you how difficult it is to work full time, run a business full time, and manage ALL THE SOCIALS? It is dumb. Really dumb. I post to Instagram, Vero, Threads, X, Facebook, and try to make content for Youtube as time and life allows. Todays entry is one of those attempts. I picked up a camera I have been eyeballing for years, and made the most of a hot ass, humid Southern morning and went out and shot all morning. This video is me taking you with me on that morning. I would love and appreciate if you saw it, to subscribe, like, and comment on the video. I get little feedback so its hard to know what to do differently for you all! Roll the video 3….2….1…..

CLICK ME TO SEE THE NEW VIDEO :)

Faces of Knoxville

Welcome!

Contemplation

I often catch myself staring at things

that catch my attention. This can he

a painting. a culinary masterpiece, features

of certain people, but most often in photos.

At first I thought this happens because of the joy it brings me. I am a very visual person.

Then I found myself wondering ,why though?

Why does this thing, or person, or image capture my attention?

As creatives, our job is to tell stories. In words, music, photos, or however we feel we can express ourselves.

Lets dig a little deeper though. Why? Why do we stop and look?

I believe the driving factor is simple. We are curious to our core.

Curiosity is baked into our D.N.A.

Being curious keeps us moving forward.

Progressing, inventing, mastering, but

more importantly, I would argue, learning!

I truly enjoy learning more about those things they have my interest. I never want to look back and wonder, what if?

What if I took more chances? What

if I slowed down more? Learned to be present? what if I use my camera's less

like tools, but more of an extention of

my curiosity? Maybe say NO more to things that don't pour back into my life and yes to things that scare me?

I never want to be less than I am designed to be. Why would we settle?

Do you?

Late night thoughts- .

Jg

Failure is not an option, its critically necessary

That is a dark way to start a post probably but I truly believe it. We can only grow in the hardest times. These times can be in a season of doubt, they can show themselves in a time of conflict, and sometimes we find ourselves in a dark state when things seem to be going exactly as planned. So how does that make any sense? Well I should start by saying anything written here on my site, is my opinion alone and either from my experience or observation. I think its pretty easy to know when shit has hit the fan and when we are in a time of doubt but how does this express itself when everything seems to be going well? This is a personal experience and one that takes us removing some distractions and hearing ourselves truthfully. We have to listen but honestly listen. We have to take our guard down even to ourselves. We have to be open to seeing how we can improve our work, our situation, and our circumstances. Only when we are open to the idea of growing even when things seemingly are going our way. When our work feels the way we want it to, When we are open to the idea of growing, forever looking to improve can we then extend ourselves to be what we truly are capable of. 

So go make something, mess up a lot, and make it again. Only then will you grow and I want to be there for it!

Senior Session for Dalton

Im learning that writing is not exactly a strength of mine. Attempting to do so daily or regularly in my case, is showing me a lot but this post doesn’t need many words. I went to school with April, Dalton’s mom and have been blessed to not only watch him grow up but capture lots of photos of him in that time. These are my favorite of them all. He is a fantastic young man, respectful, photogenic, and also a 2 time ( currently aiming for #3 ) State Champion in football. He has the rings to prove it, but all the gold did not go to his head. I truly hope my boys can leave such an impact on those around them. I t think they are pretty great myself :)

Dalton is mid way thru his last year of high school. He is coming into himself and knows exactly who he is. He is always fun to be around and to work with but he also listens extremely well and trusts that I have his best interest in mind and hes right about that. His girlfriend Morgan always joins us and vice versa as I have been honored to work with her multiple times in the past as well. This session was even sweeter when Luke, Daltons little brother joined the fun.

All of the images are shot with my Canon EOS R3. Review coming pretty soon on that but lets get to the goods.

This last shot though..

What a weekend!

If you have been here at all in the last few weeks you may have read that I am trying- key work try- to write here daily for a month to experiment with this as a constant form of creating. I hope that it helps new and incredible ideas emerge by shifting my focus temporarily. Have I succeeded in writing every day? Big ole negative. As a matter of fact, I have missed the last 2 days because I am cranking the session out and the art in tow. So just as I hope you would, I am giving myself some grace ( again ) I am just here to summarize the weekend. Thursday night we worked late creating a hype video for a a local high school, followed by a fall festival at Atlas’ school. Friday night starting with sending the mountain bike through the woods with friends. I didn’t realize how much I have missed this. After a successful ride, Meaning not wrecks, but not in the sense that I am in any kind of physical shape these days LOL. The dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurants before coming home to crash. Saturday was making breakfast, followed by a meeting with Trent and Shelby to discuss wedding plans for next year, then only a few hours later I was off to photograph one of my favorite subjects. Senior session that was sports inspired with a couple of state championship rings to show for it. Today, we woke up for church, were I also photographed service, baptism, and our chili cook off. Then Atlas, Natasha, and I ended up at ETSU to play basketball for a few hours. I hate I didn’t get to see Austin or Jaryn all weekend but other than that I don’t think I could as for much more. Trying to slow down some and live life to the fullest but also create and create some more.. Photos below, are just for fun. No point, just photos. Until the next one.

Keep it simple in photography

I love all things photography, from film to digital to printing and the tech behind them all. I love following photographers and interacting with them and their work on social media. I would love to see your work so please drop links to your accounts in the comment section. One thing I really enjoy is shooting wide open, and seeing images, portraits in particular, shot at fast apertures. I have even owned a f.095 lens and wow.  Shooting wide open creates a beautiful dreamy look to our imagery. It also lets us decrease the clutter around our subject and isolate them solely but what if we couldn’t shoot wide open? I think we all, myself included, lean into shooting wide open almost as a crutch. So in this headspace I want to propose a challenge to anyone watching this. For the next 2 weeks, set your camera at f8 and leave it there. I am not suggesting you do this for your paid work but for yourself. Take one camera, one lens, and shoot at f8 for this time for a period of time.



Why in the world would anyone do this? Well in my opinion to stretch your skills but more importantly to re adjust how we see the world.  How will you compose your shot if you know the background will be in focus?  How will you stage your model? I love shooting this way more and more. Think about this. When you are shopping for a new lens how important is the sharpness of that lens? Does it help sway your decision? If you choose a lens like I do often, that offers character wide open then thats a different conversation that I would love to have later but if you like your images sharp wide open, imagine how much more detail is available at f8? Yes this makes editing a bit different because you don’t have the option of shooting wide open thus having more detail which in turn means more imperfections  ( particularly in skin ) as well. I want you to try this because you might see the benefits of often shooting this way but it will also push you to shoot differently. I hope you try it, and I’m hope you grow and I hope you tag me on your socials so I can see the work your making.




#F8only

Let’s go!

Branson Senior Session

Well, its official. Fall is kicking my ass and I love it. I have got to meet so many new incredible people and I am grateful for that. Branson already knew exactly what he wanted for his senior session and where he wanted it. We decided to meet before all the leaves were gone for the year and head over to his spot in Poplar, NC. He rolled up in his classic Bronco, thumbs up and ready to get to it. As soon as we left the parking lot, my gas light came on and I had no idea where we were headed. Luckily I made it there and back and didn’t have to walk around to find gas. His mom said he had a tree that he loved and wanted to use. The only photo was in the dark so when I got to see it in person, it was a wonderful feeling. Massive strong arms reaching outward over the hill top.

canon r3, RF16

This is THE tree!

Its 11:15pm as of writing this, so a few more photos then I gotta get some sleep. So many great photos to edit, and memories made. Who’s next?

His Grandfather had the same hat. Super rad

This is his signature pose he said

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