One of the funnest weddings I shot last year was Rob and Linden’s Wedding. It was at that wedding that Micah and Ashley met and started their journey together. I can’t express how privileged I have been to have been able to be a part of these amazing weddings!

Micah and Ashley, Congratulations on your new life together!! Thank you for letting me be a part of your day!

“Ideas”

“Creativity”

“Uniqueness”

These are all words that at times can describe me, but more often than not, these are words that I use to beat myself up with. As in, “I wish I had his inspiration”, or “I wish I had that idea” or “If only I was that creative”… It’s a battle all of us creative types go through. Finding, admiring, envying, mimicking each others work, seeking something different, something unique, something that hasn’t already been done.

The simple truth is that there is always someone more inspired, more creative, more unique with more ideas than you. But that shouldn’t stop you, it should motivate you. But not to be more like them, to be more like YOU.

Help-Portrait is a movement that was started by a well-known photographer named Jeremy Cowart. The idea is simple, you find someone, you take their picture, and you give it to them. Everything else that gets wrapped around that simple idea is a bonus. That idea has grown into a huge movement with Help-Portrait volunteers around the world putting on these events – here are some numbers from last years Help-Portrait Event :

2012 EVENT STATISTICS (AS OF WED., DEC. 26TH)

76,527 PORTRAITS GIVEN, 3,491 PHOTOGRAPHERS, 7,740 VOLUNTEERS, 384 LOCATIONS, 47 COUNTRIES

That is a huge movement, and one I hope continues to grow. I remember when I first heard about Help-Portrait, I remembered thinking what a great unique idea it was, but what I didn’t understand until last November is where the idea came from… Yeah, I knew this Celebrity Photographer, Jeremy Cowart started Help-Portrait, and I knew he did a bunch of volunteer work in Haiti and Uganda which I had been following for awhile. But to be honest, you just never know about that stuff, you hear of celebrities going to these countries, “helping out” and you suspect deep down that most of it is for PR more than anything, and I think I felt kind of the same about this.

What does any of this have to do with a wedding??? Everything. Because I was able to witness something first hand that sent a wave of lightbulbs off (or “on” rather) in my head. I was able to assist Jeremy Cowart at this insanely gorgeous wedding here in Atlanta. First, he is an amazingly nice guy, incredibly genuine and down to earth. Second, he approaches weddings/photography a lot more like I do than I anticipated. I had this crazy idea in my head that he was going to be directing this cinematic presentation for the next 4 hours and I would learn all these amazing secrets…

The big secret, his approach and your’s or mine are probably much more similar than they are different. Lastly – and most important because it ties all these things together, and also left a lasting impression on me…. Jeremy loves to show people pictures… I usually am pretty guarded about showing people the preview images on my camera, they’re not edited, processed, I don’t know…. its just they way I have always been… But Jeremy was quick to show people their picture, and it lit up his entire demeanor when he did, he loves it. And then it clicked, Help-Portrait wasn’t the concoction of a brain trust of photographers trying to start a huge photography company. It was the byproduct of a guy that loves showing people their pictures, and knows that a picture is worth, and wanted to share that with other people, nothing more.

Creativity, uniqueness, inspiration, ideas…. They are all a part of  you, and what drives you. Your greatest success will come when you are pursuing and doing the things that naturally flow out of who you are, the things that inspire you. And now I am really talking to myself, but hopefully it speaks to you too.

Jeremy, thank you so much for letting me assist and be a part of such an awesome day. Travis and Claire, you two are rock-stars, and I know you will be used mightily, I pray that you will have a long lasting, fulfilling marriage, thank you.

From a strictly photography standpoint, this year felt a little slower than 2011. I shot a few less weddings, mostly because I was in some major transitions at my day job that caused a bunch of upheaval in my ability to commit to more photography. But, as I looked closer at this past year, I had to agree with my friend. Not because it was my busiest year, it wasn’t. Not because my pictures were better – which I hope they were and will be the same next year, but I decided it was my most successful because it was the year in which I came to a good understanding of myself and what I want from my photography, and I wasn’t afraid to setup and work within those parameters, and that makes it incredibly successful.

One of my big goals for this year was to spend a little more time doing music and concert photography, and I have not only been able to shoot a handful of concerts, but I was able to work with my good friend Brad Ewing and work on the photography and layout of his new CD’s covers. I was also able to shoot some weddings this year that I previously may not have considered because of the couples budget, because I decided that the money was less important to me than the fun and fulfillment I get from shooting, and that is huge for me.

Thank you to everyone for making 2012 my most successful year yet, I can’t wait to see what 2013 holds, and I can’t wait to include you in my 2013 year in review pictures

Thank you

That being said, I haven’t had a chance to share some of the weddings I have second shot this year… I have been so privileged to work with Whitney Huynh Photography, LeahAndMark.com and Amanda Summerlin. They have all been amazing people to work with, I can’t say enough about them. If you don’t hire me for your wedding – you should definitely hire one of them – and maybe you will get me along for the ride anyway

Not to say there isn’t trials, hardship, sadness, pain, anger, confusion, any other attitude or experience that you could insert here that would seem to contradict the idea of a blessed life. Unfortunately, those go along with the territory, and some experience more than others, I can’t speak for anyone else experience except for my own, but all those things considered, I am still happy to be here, I am still amazed that my wife and kids love me and see good in me, I am amazed at the friends and family that surround me, and the people that bring love and joy to my life, even through the up’s and downs of it all..

I am thankful beyond words… I am also thankful that I have the opportunity to share in so many other people’s lives, and bless them with the gift of memories. It is a gift that is often taken for granted in our society. One that is so commonplace, that it is sometimes overlooked.

I am so excited to be joining a movement this year that is all about doing just that, bringing the gift of memories to people that might not otherwise have them. If you don’t know what I am talking about, it is called Help-Portrait. This past week they were in New York, doing free portraits for some of the victims of Sandy, some who lost all of their photos in the storm. You can check out a video about that here (http://www.indiegogo.com/HelpPortraitSandy)

Dec 8th is the national Help-Portrait day this year, and there are still tons of volunteers needed, photographers and non-photographers alike. (I am attaching several links to Help-Portrait resources at the bottom of this post). I will be helping with Help-Potrait Cherokee County, and I know they still need a ton of help at that location.

As you remember the things you are thankful for this week, also remember those in need, those less fortunate than you…  I encourage you to find ways to give back, be the blessing in someone else’s life…

I’ll get off my soap box now, but really, giving back, even in the seemingly small things, like taking someones picture, can have an immeasurable impact on someones life…. Why would you not want to take advantage of that opportunity?

You may have seen some of these pictures from Krissty and Jamie’s wedding recently, but after several requests for more boat photos I decided to dedicate a whole post to them. Hope you enjoy, but more importantly, don’t just be thankful this week, find a way to make someone else thankful for you….

Help Portrait (www.help-portrait.com)

Help Portrait on Facebook (www.facebook.com/helpportrait)

Help-Portrait on Twitter (www.twitter.com/help_portrait)

This has been a very interesting year for me photography wise. I have done almost no marketing to speak of and have been keeping busy with non-photography work and trying to balance everything out as much as I can, which can sometimes be a balancing act of epic proportions.

In spite of that, this year has kept me fairly busy with weddings, and perhaps far mor interesting is a strange trend I seem to have fallen into. This is now the third wedding I have shot this year as a result of a photographer having to cancel at the last minute. I am not sure this is exactly a business model I want to advertise, but I am glad to be able to step in and be able to share in the lives of these couples.

I have truly been blessed to be able to share in so many weddings over the past few years. I was reflecting on this over the past weekend and just had to count my blessings and realize what an awesome privilege I have been given. It is pretty awesome to realize that your photos will be cherished by so many people for a lifetime to come.

That is what makes this worthwhile. That and the amazing people I get to meet and work with on a regular basis – I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

This past weekend I had the privilege of sharing in Krissty and Jamie’s wedding day. This couple has been through more than most. This was their second wedding, they had previously been married and divorced (to eachother!), and through a series of truly incredible circumstances they found their way back to each other, it truly is a unique and awe-inspiring love story.

Krissty and Jamie – thank you so much for letting me be a part of your incredible weekend, I pray that you enjoy each others love without ceasing throughout the rest of your lives. May God bless you and your household abundently!

Thank you

Since that wedding, I have only photographed one other wedding for a couple that I knew personally.

This weekend me and my wife returned to the beautiful state of Colorado for the wedding of April’s cousin, Caroline. Me and my wife have been together for 12 years, so when we started dating, Caroline was just a kid. Seeing her grow into an amazing young woman has been an incredible experience, and being able to celebrate her and David’s wedding was awe inspiring to say the last.

David and Caroline, you truly are an amazing couple. I am so glad that you two found each other, and I pray that you have many, many years of happiness together. I am excited to be able to share in those years and can’t wait to see what the next season of life brings you guys. Love you!

Brian and Emily welcomed their son, Caleb, into the world just two weeks ago. Brian is a pretty amazing photographer/videographer in his own right, so I approached this shoot a little different, knowing that he will probably amass a pretty awesome collection of his own photos of baby Caleb, I really focused on his involvement in the pictures, because I know for me, I have a huge collection of photos of my kids, almost none with me.

Congratulations Brian and Emily – I pray that God will continue to lead and guide you, give you peace, strength, and lots of grace, as you raise your son!