25 June 2008

THE.DAN.[AND.BACK.TO.WORK.NEXT.WEEK]

i wanted to give a quick shout out to my friends, family, clients, and potential clients... due to the randomness of life on the road i will not be revisiting 'work' stuff [aka, but not limited to, post-processing, blog posting, email...] until next week. in case of emergency or anything incredibly urgent, feel free to give me a call.

and here's some shots of THE daniel jewitt of monterey. we hung with dan this morning. dan owns monterey!

24 June 2008

SOME.GABRIEL.LYON.PLEASE.

the photo-baby of ninja jeff newsom... we bring you gabriel lyon.


though we were not quite sure where the 11th member of our tour had been hiding, i guess he [gabriel lyon] had posted a link to mammothmen.com on his blog which is how this blog reader found the journal of our travels. here is the direct quote:

[June 24, 2008] April Feldt said: I am so glad that I found this blog through Gabriel Lyon's blog. You all are hilarious and I find myself checking back throughout the day for the newest antics.

22 June 2008

MAN.TRIP.

the things dreams are made of.

life on the road. diners late at night. when showers become second priority to awesomeness. and material possessions are limited to what will fit in your backpack or can be purchased at the next gas station. good music. wifi connections at 70 mph. more apple product than your local coffee shop.

about 2 hours ago, i had plans to spend the rest of my sunday with my bride and our awesome friend ashley parsons, maybe spend a little time working on photos, and then on to the rest of a normal week. and then i got the chance to go on tour.

that's right... what every guy dreams of. this week, gabriel ryan is on tour.

so, i hopped on a tour bus with 10 other guys, and am currently blogging from the road [somewhere between thousand oaks & ventura]. to stay in touch with the shenanigans to be had, check out the mammoth men blog and make sure to keep following my tweets.

in the words of the since past lyrical genius who has spent his share of time on the road, wesley willis...

rock and roll mcdonalds

19 June 2008

POST.NUMBER.101.::.THE.RETIREMENT.PARTY.

tomorrow [friday] we are going to get together at the yard house for happy hour. so please come and join us. carlie & i will be there at 4:30, and if you want to get in on the goods, make sure to show up when you can [because happy hour only goes until 6pm although i am sure we will be hanging out a bit past 6]. we would love the company.

in preparation for the festivities, i felt nostalgic as i peered back to the start of my blog over a year ago, and found this little gem...


for over two years i lived the majority of my life in an 8-foot by 8-foot by 5-foot box. but no longer.

enjoy.the.story.

15 June 2008

JOHANNA.AND.ADAM.::.THE.INTRODUCTION.

if radness were measurable, johanna & adam would easily score a perfect 100.

when a couple asks about the engagement shoot, we always tell them to put as much thought into it as possible. the engagement shoot is the time to have fun. i mean, how often do we get the chance to have our photograph taken? from the attire, to the location, to the types of shots you want... the more you put in, the more value you are likely to find in the images we capture. and johanna & adam get it.

that, matched with their natural awesomeness, earns johanna & adam their perfect rating, on the engagement-rad-o-meter. [and it only seems fitting that this particular post happens to be an anniversary of sorts... my 100th blog post]

adam distinctly remembers the first time he saw johanna [in fact, i think he said something about johanna being the prettiest girl he had ever seen], though it wasn't until later that the dark-haired girl on the dance team made recognition of adam. after developing a friendship, and when adam briefly dated another girl during college, johanna finally recognized the flutter in her spirit that belonged only to adam. and as their stories intertwined, johanna & adam were drawn together, and there journey that began as an intimate friendship, developed into something more.

johanna & adam, we are so stoked to be a part of your wedding, and we can't wait for the big day in august! thank you so much for such an awesome engagement shoot... here's some of what we captured, lingering the alleys of laguna.



i love it when clients are down to jump up onto some barrels of toxic waste in random alley ways for a good shot...

...or two.

take note... rad dress + purple nikes + couple + love = everything awesome






pop.
carlie snapped this one. rad.




have i said yet that we can't wait for your wedding in august...

rock.on.slide.show.

14 June 2008

FREEDOM.AND.A.TRIBUTE.TO.TUPAC.

it's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes
change the way we eat
change the way we live
change the way we treat each other...


that's just it. it is time for change. and as of this past wednesday, the 11th of june, the year 2008, around hi-noon, change is in order.

i quit my job. retired my cubicle. cut the chain. over the past year, the scales have shifted from part-time business owner, to full time professional photographer.

it is something i had thought thru with great intention. i had many conversations with my bride, with mentors, with friends, with fellow photographers, and i settled in that now was the time. having been incredibly blessed by the clients that have chosen to invite carlie & i into their stories, and by the friends & colleagues that have been there to spur me on, i felt the direction of my heart shift. and the only thing holding me back was fear. fear that the handful of clients that value me & my work would be the last on the planet. fear that a steady paycheck is the only way to stay on top of the bills. fear that God would not show up.

so i faced my fear, and i couldn't be more excited. so again, thank you to my amazing bride, for your support, love, and creative inspiration. thank you to my clients, for letting me in. thank you to my family & friends for being there to simply know me... to really 'know' me.

i plan on leveraging this change to create the most possible value. my intent is to thoughtfully make decisions because they are the right decision, and not just because the task may seem urgent. i think what excites me more than anything is the new freedom i now have, to choose.

because even just enjoying the story, is a choice. enjoy the story.

and make sure to check back tomorrow for a very special blog post...

12 June 2008

MICHELLE.AND.JASON.::.THEIR.STORY.

if you were to step through the front door of wachovia and make a deposit with him on a normal business day, his name badge would read 'Don.' but don't be fooled... after meeting 'Don's' father [Don] and 'Don's' grandfather [also Don] i was informed [after 6 months of calling him 'Don'] that 'Don' goes by his middle name... Jason. All three generations happen to be Donald J's, each with a different middle name, though all beginning with the letter 'J.'

michelle and jason are full of life. it is evident in the way they interact. i love watching from afar, as these stories unfold in front of my lens. the random cha-cha line on the dance floor. a special prayer from a grandfather. the telling of stories from a father giving away his bride. and a groom on his tip toes, leaning out to see his bride for the first time on their wedding day. these are the moments that make up the story. and with my motto, michelle & jason knew exactly what to do...

enjoy.the.story.

carlie & i were stoked to hang out on your wedding day, to steal you away for a few moments in an empty parking garage, and to have the chance to play part in such an important part of your story. here are a few moments that told the day...



the groom's posse.

all the planning.  all the dreaming.  all the preparation.  all leading to this moment...





i love watching people, well... watch people.

mister and misses.

we loved the light streaming in from the side.  isn't she stunning...



i absolutely freaking love this one.


and here is the highly anticipated slideshow...

10 June 2008

STEPHANIE.AND.MIKE.::.THE.INTRODUCTION.

a few months ago, when we first met, it seemed to just click. from there it was just a matter of getting to know each other. i rambled on about my love for story, even shared a bit about carlie & me as i sipped my chai. stephanie smiled as she spoke about mike and how they were now planning their wedding. she said how important a photographer was to her. and i felt blessed at the invitation.

then last week, we all met, stephanie & mike, carlie & i, at salt creek beach in dana point. we could tell the excitement hadn't faded... in fact i think it has grown. with every step, every click of my shutter, every moment of interaction, stephanie beamed with joy. and mike responded to his bride to be with an underlying and steady tone of loyalty. mike loves stephanie. and stephanie loves mike.

we can't wait for their wedding later this year. until then, check out their awesomeness here...

i knew what i was looking for. but i didn't know the words.  i think i spouted out something like 'give me super-sassy-sexy-rocker-face'...  despite my lack of clarity in communication, stephanie knew just what i was looking for.



i love how salt creek is set up.  a huge lawn to soak in the awesomeness of the last hour of light for the day.






just another day at the park.



yes.


for sure, you need to check back later for the slide show...

07 June 2008

CAROL.AND.GREG.::.THEIR.STORY.

simple. classic. real.

upon our arrival to glendora united methodist, carlie and i bounced back & forth between the boys & the girls. simple. classic. real. these words spoke out of each passing moment on carol & greg's wedding day.

only a short couple of weeks after shooting their engagement, i found myself behind the lens again, getting to know what made up carol & greg, and their love for each other; the love that would now bind them forever. and what i found was beautiful.

carol & greg, you are both incredibly genuine people, and it was so great getting to know you, even if our time was brief. your family was so kind. your church was warm to welcome carlie & me. and we wish you a life filled with laughter, blessing, and strength.

here are a few moments from the telling of their story...












the much anticipated slide show... enjoy.