In looking through my older photos from years past I realized that I need to find a goal for my work. So much of what I do has been personal work up until mid-2007. After that time almost all of my photographs had been centered around work or assignments. So in the spirit of revitalization I have decided to publish a photo book with the help of a few other photographers in the Winona area.

What exactly the book is about I am not sure yet but I know that I need to participate in more personally motivated work to instill more creativity into my wedding photography and beyond. I have had a few ideas for books but I am not sure if they have been completed yet. I would like you guys to vote for your favorite ideas and let me know if you want to help at all or be featured in it. So here are the ideas:

1. What is your greatest desire? The feature photo for this entry was taken during one of my Visual Communication classes in College. The assignment was to have a short conversation with someone about their greatest desire in life or their greatest goal and to convey that in the photo. Pretty interesting stuff. I think I had about 10-15 really interesting portraits using the cardboard method suggested by my teacher. I think I might keep using my friends and family to keep building an interesting group of photos. In this case I had Pete Boysenpose for probably one of my favorite photos of all time.
2. Time Perspective This one is a bit harder to explain.. And possibly a bit more ambitious as well. Basically I am interested in how things change over time. But this is not limited to time as we know it. I was also thinking about exploring Day and Night and the 4 seasons. So basically I would take the same photo at the same location at two different times / seasons / or conditions to demonstrate the power of our planet and mother nature.

I know I had a few other ideas but I cant remember them right now. I will add them as I remember. As always feedback is always appreciated

With everything going on in my life right now it is hard to answer open ended questions like: “What are you going to do over summer vacation?”, The fact of the matter is I don’t have the foggiest idea yet. What I mean is I am planning on one thing and one thing only – Revitalization. It is a term that my good friend and colleague Scott Werley uses a lot in his speech and also his fantastic work as a DJ. This goal is not something that is put into a day planner and simply checked off your to do list. There is a lot more to it.

My goal this summer is to help myself understand how I work. Why I feel the way I do and what I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. So much of my life has been focused towards others needs that I have severely neglected my own. Even in the past where taking care of myself was a weekly assignment from my boss called “sharpening the saw” I seemed to find a way out of it. Or use a lame example that wasn’t true to myself. I think at the end of the day there is only one thing that will allow me to keep doing what I am doing.. Vacation. Now my father probably won’t be all for this idea but I need to start living my life instead of letting it slip through my fingers. I plan on spending a great deal of time outdoors and taking photos for myself and my business. Keep in mind it won’t be all fun and games. In the evenings I plan on working with High School Seniors on their Senior Photos and also taking photos for local amateur sports teams. Summer leagues should provide ample opportunity to make some money and relax at the same time.

Now about the photo. One of my favorite memories from the last year was going kayaking with my good friend Andy Hamilton on the Mississippi River near Winona Minnesota. This photo was taken with an old Mamiya 645 Medium Format camera and a 35mm lens. The spots and specks you see on the film itself is residue from the river when I fell in camera and all. After this day I got insurance on all of my equipment and decided to be a bit more careful when getting out of the water. Thanks again for stopping by. Keep looking for more updates.

Looking through the rest of the pictures I had taken with the 300mm f/2.8 lens from Sigma i found one that really stood out to me. Just after dusk there was a cat walking though campus. Curiously and cautiously poking around the freshly fallen leaves it found its way into the bike racks around Phelps Hall. I followed the cat for a bit to see how close I could get before it would notice me. After it scampered away the first time I saw it stop on this window well on Somsen Hall I snapped this photo. Pretty cool looking with the fall colors… Anyway.. Just thought I would share a bit more from my latest misadventures. It always pays to have a camera with even if the girls on campus think you are a creeper. hehe.

Over Halloween my good friend Tom Wilder came to visit us on his vacation from vacation… He recently spent a few weeks out in North Dakota and Northern Minnesota duck and pheasant hunting with his dog Ranger. Don’t be fooled, last summer he worked his butt of so he could enjoy life a bit after he graduated. I have to say that he is one of my greatest role models in the sense that he is enjoying life to its fullest extent. I am glad he started to miss all of his friends in Winona because it was a blast having him back in town. I happened to snap this portrait of him while he was checking his Facebook profile no doubt. In the near future he plans on heading to New Zealand for a few months. You better take pictures Tom!

I have been working so hard on my school work I haven’t had time to post lately. I apologize for that and I want to share some more images that have slipped through my filters the first time through them. This image was taken a number of years ago in Thomas Lake Park. There was one little patch of Tiger Lilies that really caught my Fathers eye and he showed me where they were. I love looking through older images because it almost always brings back all of the wonderful memories that I have from the last few years. Thank you to everyone who has helped me both make and remember those memories!