Portraits

This semester I have had the wonderful opportunity to work on a photo story about a senior here at SU named Dacey who is raising her 20 month old daughter, Bryce, as well as working 30 hours a week and taking five upper level math classes in order to graduate next month. I was asked to take some family portraits of her with Bryce and boyfriend, Carl. They have been really awesome and open to me being around documenting their life so I definitely wanted to do some portraits for them. Usually I'm not the greatest when it comes to posed portraits, but I was able to find some good moments between the portraits, usually it was when Bryce would run away and needed to be chased down. Anyways, I will post the finished story about Dacey a little later, but I just wanted to share these for now.

This really reminds me of a Ralph Lauren ad or something.

One of the best things about being small.

Birthday!

So this past Saturday was my lovely wife Sara's birthday. Also, our good friend Tim Fescoe visited us from Massachusetts. Also, it was Easter on Sunday. Pretty busy weekend. For Sara's birthday her wish was to go out to eat for every meal, which we did, and go to some bookstores, which we did as well. I feel bad that I didn't plan some big elaborate awesomely fun thing for her this year, but my mind has been so preoccupied with stupid school stuff I couldn't get inspired for her birthday. Maybe next year...if she still loves me.

Sara on the phone with her Grandma.

Tim trying to figure out what to order at the Sugar Pearl Cafe

At What the Crepe for dinner

Our friend Stephanie looks confused, or mad, I don't know.

Sara doing something interesting (sleeping? on her birthday? in public?)

baby goats and grown up alpacas!

So last Thursday I was at my friend Janet Ambrose's house, where she raises goats and alpacas. One of her goats had babies the week before, so we went into the barn and took some photos. Then we went to her friend's alpaca farm and looked at them. They're kind of funny creatures, but cool nonetheless. Word.

Snow!

In honor of it snowing in April I'll post some photos of snow from this past winter. I kind of like how it snows here in the Spring and freaks people out. People complain too much about the weather here in Syracuse (if you don't like it then leave or deal with it) and I think it's Mother Nature's way of saying "hey, calm down, at least you're alive." Or something like that.

Colin Powell ow ow

So my assignment yesterday for the Post-Standard was to photograph Colin Powell during a speech he was giving at Colgate University. I was kind of nervous because I've never covered an event of that magnitude before. It was kind of a big deal I guess. There were security guards and cops and secret service and green berets and navy seals and sea lions and everything. I wish I could've stayed and listened to the whole address, but I had to get back to Syracuse (which is an hour from Colgate) and get the photos in by my 10pm deadline (which I made this time!). He is a very engaging speaker. The crowd was cracking up and applauding and all that. I'm not quite sure what he was talking about because I was working, but it sounded important (you can read the story here). I liked photographing him because he's very expressive and dynamic. So yeah, that was fun, good times.

a rare studio shot

So one of the many things I learned last semester is that I do not like working in the studio when it comes to photography. I feel trapped and uncreative/motivated. I like being in life and having that influence me. I don't work well in a vacuum . I probably wouldn't be a good painter because 1.) I can't paint and 2.) I can't create something while staring at a blank canvas, which is essentially like being in a photo studio. Anyways, this was the only decent photo I took last semester in the studio class, and it's not even that great. But at least I'm figuring out what I'm not good at so I don't try to do it again. I thank my friend Drew who had to wear my tight painter pants and small boots for an hour or so while I did this. He also added the phone, which was brilliant. rock n roll.

BAM!

Second day in a row that I'm blogging, trying to keep up with my March 31st resolution of posting something everyday. This is not an April Fools Day joke. Sorry, I'm not really a jokester type of person. Maybe next year. These are just some photos of my lovely wife Sara reading in bed on a cozy Sunday afternoon. She likes to read and she likes to sleep, so her two likes come together at last. That's all I have to say. Yo yo bye.



Maybe I'll make March 31 my new New Years. But then Sara would get mad at me because Dec. 31 is our anniversary so she wouldn't like it if I didn't recognize the day as my true New Year. Maybe next time.