Alive

To those of you who base my existence on this blog, I understand that you may think that I have vanished. I assure you, however, that I am very much alive and I do, in every sense of the word, "exist". Allow me then to expound on my interpretation existence, and my current state therein. Amid the constant barrage of studying, editing, photoshoots, and classes, my wife and I enjoy a happy and healthy relationship. We often reminisce about next summer when we may be able to spend more time together. We laugh about what the future will bring; jobs, a house, kids? We'll start with a dog. Lynn is ok with that. As the fall turns to winter, the shroud of leafy trees is blasted down to frail skeletons and now our home is filled with sunlight and the air outside is freezing. As now the temperatures are approaching freezing, I can no longer get by heating the house with a fire in the fireplace. My wife and her cold hands and feet requested that I call Questar and have the gas turned on. It was only a matter of time.

Who needs a bonus?

This is the view out the window of my office. It gets a bit tiring sitting at the computer all day, but when I turn and gaze out at the beautiful mountains that surround me, part of me wonders why I'm not out there. The rest of me remembers that my time is as valuable as my money. As the corporate executives across the country sit on their golden thrones and await with open hands the shavings of my meager living, I am so grateful I only work in six digit numbers.

I Miss Eureka

I'm so grateful for my ability to capture such serene images of the north coast, however, when I go through my pictures, it makes me miss it a lot.

Treading new ground

In the past I've advertised online and used word of mouth to get business. After a complete overhaul on my website, and a year and a half of solid wedding photography to speak for, I decided last week that it 's time to step my business up a level and compete with worthy rivals; I payed for a booth at the Thanksgiving Point Wedding Expo. It's a two-day event where local brides are invited to come and receive a barrage of advertising puked at them from all directions. My booth was in the upper-most tier, away from the noisy festivities on the main floor. People made their way up there when the main floor became too crowded. I discovered that with the correct balance of personality and beautiful photography, there appears a light in the eyes of the young bride-to-be that her mother also recognizes, that says, "the search is over". 

I can tell it's winter by the lump in my throat

So good to be back where I can free myself on the steep slopes of the Wasatch Mountains. This is what my car looked like at the airport after I'd left it there for a week. I really do like this part of Utah.

The Quest Continues Still

Crouched  in the door of a twin prop modified skydiving plane at thirteen thousand feet, I am strapped to Joe Johnson, a member of the golden knights, but more importantly someone in whom I have trusted my life, as it is perched in the doorway of the loud plane. I feel for a moment that I am staring at a huge map that has very clear detail. I am at that moment thrust into a surreal, impossible leap into emptiness. Nothing I have ever done in my entire life could be compared to jumping out of an airplane while looking at the ground thirteen thousand feet below. This is truly a unique feeling. Only a second or two of my stomach pushing on my throat, then the hurricane of wind pulled my arms and legs upward. We were flying. I'm not moving my hands and arms very much while we're falling. The day before, we stopped at the indoor skydiving building and I watched how the slightest movement of the arms or legs sent the jumper bouncing and tumbling through the tunnel. I'm a bit wary of flailing my limbs while in a real free fall. The video tells the rest of the story. I contained my excitement well, but this was by far one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

A plane, a Team, and Gravity

The sky is perfectly clear and and the air still as we watch the painted black and gold plane climb, circling higher and higher above the small crowd of people standing at the edge of a huge drop zone at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The people attending are close friends and family of the newly inducted members of the U.S. Army parachute team- "The Golden Knights". The plane, barely visible makes the third of its precise 3 minute 15 second passes as a small stream of white smoke appears from the plane. Murmurs race through the crowd and fingers point upward. The source of the smoke drifts slowly behind the plane and it becomes obvious that this is Rachel, free-falling with a smoke canister strapped to her heal. At the precise moment the smoke appeared, the P.A. system began playing loudly the song, "I'm Proud to be an American". Mom gazed upward at her plummeting daughter with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wet, repeating to herself, "not this song". From thirteen thousand feet away, I could feel the same sense of ultimate satisfaction and pride beaming from my sister as she continued her free-fall at over one hundred twenty miles per hour toward the earth, her smile visible from over two miles away. Her parachute opened at what appeared to be the last second and she glided and spun gracefully, and as the smoke from her heel painted beautiful pink swirls in the sky, she made her way to a perfect pin-point landing on a large red "x" placed on the field for the jumpers to aim for. She walked solemnly and proudly to the narrator's podium, shooting a glance and grin at mom and I as she walked. She then proceeded to narrate the 15 minute presentation verbatim and without written aid. The show was inspiring, but as I watched her fall, it made me realize once again that Rachel will always make me pale in my attempt at a life of true thrill and satisfaction. What can possibly tie you down when your job requires you to be thirteen thousand feet above the ground?