Bombshells everywhere…
Why have I never known how awesome/disturbing Skittles commercials are?
I love shooting engagements for people I know. Lulie and Harrison are fun goofy people like me and that always makes for a fun time. Lovely day, lovely couple.
A portrait I took of my roommate Matt. Part of a series I worked on this winter called “Conflict.”
I had today off work so I set up a little studio in the kitchen so I could practice for a product photography shoot I have in a couple of weeks. I hung the sheet, pulled out the flashes, but then realized I didn’t really have anything in mind to shoot.
Here is a bottle of rum my roommate has had forever and never drank.
Then I grabbed my Diana camera.
Here’s my beloved radio.
Note to self: I am almost out of pepper.
Here’s a crusty old bottle of Family Dollar brand Pepto Bismol. That’s how I roll.
Some toilet paper that just happened to be sitting there. I wanted to see how difficult it was to shoot something that is mostly white.
And of course, a cheap air freshener. This is the best smelling kind. The others make your place smell like a public restroom.
2009 has come and gone. It was a tough year for a lot of people, and judging by Facebook statuses it appears that I might have been the only person that had a pretty decent year. I wish everyone a hopeful 2010. Be strong, work hard, have faith, and live for something.
I was reflecting this morning on some of my favorite things of 2009 and decided to make a little list. It’s pretty random and not necessarily what I consider “best,” but just personally favorite.
Meal: Magnolia’s in Charleston has an incredibly original southern cuisine menu, and I had the best steak of my life there this year. If you are in Charleston and have $100 or so to spend on a meal with someone special, spend it at Magnolia’s.
Pizza: D’Allesandros in downtown Charleston has some of the most delicious pizza I have ever tasted. I love to ride my bike there after work and get a slice or two and a beer.
Drink: The Irwin Special, invented by my roommate Matt Irwin. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, Gingerale, and a splash of orange juice. Don’t drink more than two though or you’ll regret it.
Beer: I’ve come to realize that there are a lot of expensive and rare beers that I occasionally drink that are amazing. However, I keep coming back to Sweetwater’s 420 Pale Ale when I am in the grocery store, deciding what to buy. It’s not too strong or filling, but it’s smooth and delicious, and won’t leave you feeling crappy the next day.
Magazine: Good Magazine is a magazine for people that give a damn. It’s like the best professor I ever had, but in magazine form (with good design too).
Book: Decoding Love, by Andrew Trees. I didn’t read many books this year (I read magazines 30 minutes to an hour a day) but I really enjoyed this one. It’s a nonfiction book that uses the latest studies in economics, neurology, chemistry, game theory, and evolutionary psychology to examine what love really is.
Blog: My old pal Justin Scott had another great year of insightful contemplation on his blog, Guesswork Theory. He maintains the kind of blog that we all wish we could. He has updated almost 400 times in the last two years, and we’re not talking links to stupid videos, they are actual thoughtful posts. Highlights include End All Youth Groups Now, The Mixed-Up World of Movie Economics, and Living the Simple Christian Life is HARD.
Technology: My iPod Touch didn’t leave my side all year. Since there is wireless internet almost everywhere I go, it’s like having a tiny laptop in my pocket all the time where I can check my email, surf the internet, and do a million other things, all for no monthly fee. The least common thing I used it for is to actually listen to music.
Album: My favorite release of the year was Kings of Convenience, Declaration of Dependence. I wrote about it a few times so I won’t keep going on about it, but I appreciate non-conforming melodies with thoughtful lyrics. You can’t find stuff like that on the radio.
Song: The Welcome Wagon, Up on a Mountain. This song speaks to me, it’s a refreshing reminder that we’re not alone. The music is absolutely beautiful and the words are uplifting. It always puts me in a good mood.
TV show: LOST. I won’t be one of “those people,” (you know what I mean) but it really is a mind-blowing show. Looking forward to the last season starting in a month.
Pop Culture Moment: Not that I condone humiliation, but the backlash against Kanye West for his Taylor Swift fiasco was strangely satisfying. Famous people get away with too much, and it was nice to see someone of his popularity getting put in his place.
Political Moment: Not so much a moment, but I’ve been carefully observing President Obama’s words and actions since being elected president, and it’s really fascinating (in good and bad ways) how he has handled himself. He promised so much that a backlash was inevitable. For someone with such uplifting words and plans in his candidacy, I couldn’t wait to see how he translated everything realistically into his presidency.
Personal Moment: Hands down, my proposal to Rita, the love of my life. I woke her up at 6 am as the sun was rising, took her out to the dock behind her parents’ house in Florida, played her a song on guitar, and pushed her into the river. Just kidding, I proposed. It kicked ass.
Trip: My Christmas Colorado trip with my family and fiancee. The Rocky Mountains just stay with you. This world is a giant amusement park with wonderfully amazing natural beauty, and the Rockies just seal the deal.
Facebook Status: Last night, from my always hilarious friend Jason Underwood: “Happy New Year everybody! I’m going to make the same resolution I always do. Kill.”
Sufjan Stevens - Away in a Manger
Kings of Convenience - Freedom and its Owner
from their new CD Declaration of Dependence
Kings of Convenience’s new CD is finally out and it’s great. It keeps growing on me. They especially kicked it up a notch with the lyrics. They have subtle but beautiful words and phrases that often require some pondering. This is one of my favorite songs for the harmonies and guitar work, but also the lyrics.
We’ll be rich in memories of all the places
We’ve captured without camera
We’ve seen the pyramids
We’ve seen the Louvre
We’ve seen Orion upside down
Total eclipses and the moonlight shadows
We’ve seen dolphins jumping waves
We’ve ski’ed the mountains and we swam in the rivers
And let the sunlight dry our skin
But freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
Freedom is the mastery of the known
Freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
No view is wider than the eye
Show a view to someone who chose to live his whole life in a cave
He’ll raise his arms to protect his eyes from burning
And the blindness to which he belongs
This time it’s me, it’s me
Cascades of chances I’ll just let them be
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
Don’t look for what we know
The unfamiliar is right below our eyes
Freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
Freedom is the mastery of the known
Freedom, freedom never greater than its owner
No view is wider than the eye
Jenny & Tanner were great to shoot, they are one of the coolest couples I have ever met. They were up for hopping in the car and exploring, which is my favorite way to do engagements. It was a perfect day in a perfect place. I love Charleston more and more every day I live here.
Isiee was in town for just a few weeks to get married before he had to ship back out to South Korea. They are an incredible couple.
