Children of the Corn(y)

I'm still in Ohio and really loving my time back here. Today I went out to lunch with my dad and then spent the afternoon hanging out at my friend Schrode's house with him and his wife, Preston. They have a big corn field back behind their house, so Michael (Schrode) and I decided to do what any two responsible 34 year old men would do and jump in it. Maybe I shoulda called this post "Corn Flakes".

Home Sweet Home

I'm back in Ohio this week spending a couple days in Columbus, and it's always good to be back home. Maybe it's being away from it for almost 11 years now, but I really like Columbus; it has such a down home feel to it with a side of coolness. Here's a funny picture of my friend Matt from Dallas in front of this huge mural on the side of a building.


Tonight I got to meet up with one of my good HS and OSU college buddies, Jason, and his wife, Melissa. We ate a cool little place called Betty's in the Short North District. I love this area of town with all the small shops and local restaurants and galleries. I miss this place.

I wish I was cool...

Ahhh... summer in Texas. Mother nature's version of a microwave.

I came home this evening after finishing up a family photo session, opened up the front door and thought, 'Hmmm... what's wrong with this picture? Everything looks to be in order. No mysterious, unidentifiable smells. Yep, the TV works. Oh, I know what it is... it's freakin' 400 degrees in here!!'

Okay, 400 degrees is a bit of an embellishment, it's only 87... forgive me for rounding up, but when you are as hot-blooded as I seem to be, there's little distinction between the two. So the AC's out and apparently the apartment office's view is that non-working AC is only an emergency if it goes out while the sun's still up. We obviously have different views.

I hate hot. Hot and I go together like Sanjaya and American Idol, like McDonald's and "fat-free", like Bill O'Reilly and [insert any democrat here]; there's simply no room for (peaceful) coexistence.

I'll stop ranting now; I need to peel my sticky elbows off the desk and head to bed. Besides, this 30" Mac display is like a heat lamp... time to turn this puppy off, crank up every fan I own to "wind tunnel" mode and think cool thoughts.

The Patel Family [slideshow!]

Check out this slideshow from a recent session with the Patel family!

T(ackett) Time

Earlier this week my buddy Jerry (light green shirt) celebrated his forty-something birthday. (No one's really counting, Jerry... promise). Jerry's wife Tina planned a mini-surprise for him earlier this week by lining up a couple of the guys (myself, Ed and Mike) for a little guys morning out with a round of golf. Jerry was just planning on going into work for a couple hours today but found out this morning he had a tee time waiting for him... great idea, Tina. Next year could you surprise all of us with a few lessons first?

As for the golf... well, let's just say Tiger's not worried about us challenging his current PGA reign just yet. But hey, if you're gonna pay that much money to play, my theory is you should get as many strokes in as you can. Mission accomplished.



Happy birthday, Jerry.

P.S. This is one of the times I wish I had a simple point-n-shoot camera. People get a bit intimidated by all the buttons on a big camera when you ask them to take a group photo for you. Bless her heart, I framed out the picture in the camera for this sweet lady at the golf course before joining the other 3 guys, told her where to stand and asked her just to push that little shutter release button for a nice tight shot of the four of us. I had to laugh a little as we watched her keep backing up saying something about wanting to make sure we were all in the window until she finally took the picture with the four of us being very small in the lower left hand corner of the image. As you can see I just did a little cropping and it turned out fine, so thank you sweet golf course lady!

Jessica and Brett [engaged!]

Jessica and Brett recently got engaged and are taking the plunge (in matrimony and then into the ocean) in Tahiti this fall. We went down to the canal district in Las Colinas and spent a little time capturing some fun memories from this exciting time in their lives.

It's getting a bit more challenging to do outdoor photographs this time of year, but both Brett and Jessica were a ton of fun and troopers all the way to the end. Who knew it could get so muggy just standing there... in the shade?? And it's not even July yet!

Thanks so much guys, I can't wait for you to see the rest of your images. Very cool!

Extreme Image Makeovers

I am swamped today (who isn't?) with a thousand things to do and no free time. In these types of situations I do the only logical thing and - what else - take a break and play for a few minutes. Keeps me sane and sometimes even helps get the creativity flowing for the "real" work.

I decided to do a little exercise around the "one man's trash is another man's treasure" theory, so I picked 2 random images [and when I say random I mean the kind of random where people ask me 'why in the world are you taking a photo of that??'] and thought I'd see if I could turn them into something I'd hang on my own walls. The first image in each group - and hopefully this is apparent or I've failed miserably - is the 'before' image.

Here's the first series. I've tried to make the 'after' image convey a bit more of a vintage contemporary feel with a dash of nostalgia thrown in.

And here's the 2nd set. By now you're probably thinking, "Wow, Matt- a lawn mower, some tall grass and a run down house? And now old rusted barrels in a vacant parking lot? Could it get any more exciting?" Hey, this is my exercise... feel free to do this yourself, Picasso, and use something a little more interesting. Besides, taking a seemingly mundane and often overlooked scene and making it into something interesting to look at makes the challenge that much more fun.



So, I think the takeaway from this exercise is that art really is all around us. All you have to do is look for it.

Okay, back to the stuff that might actually bring in some income.

Angel Eyes (x2)

Now I've seen some cute kids, but this dynamic duo had some of the most incredible eyes you'll ever see. Mom and dad certainly passed on some good genes.

Jai was such a sweet and polite little guy. He - like many of the kiddos - wasn't quite sure about that big lens pointing at him at first, but he eventually warmed up and even decided it was time for him to dawn his proverbial cape and show us his Superman powers (with just a little help from his uncle).

Jai's little brother Rishi, on the other hand, was just glad to be at the party. He was content to take it all in and didn't care whether we were there or not; he was going to be happy and adorable either way 'cause that's just what he does. He did look a little nervous for a second, though, when I asked his big brother if I should sing him a Barney song to make him smile.

Thanks for making my job look easy, fellas.

In Remembrance: Mac (February 2007 - June 2007)

Today is a dark day for the Mac community. Somewhere Bill Gates is smiling, but I, on the other hand, have shed a deep and soulful tear. I did a terrible, unthinkable thing today, something that may cause the faithful Macintosh cult to do the unheard of and revoke my lifetime membership. Yes, it is that serious. No, I did not buy a PC (I may be occasionally absent-minded, but I'm not that crazy and do still have some dignity).

Today, I... I ... I'm sorry, this is very difficult for me. Today I [gulp] killed my beloved Intel Duo Core MacBook Pro laptop. [insert image of tear trickling down cheek here]. Yes, I have been forever labeled a Mac murderer.

It started off like any other Friday morning... I was running a little late and trying to do too much at once. As I reached the car with my hands full and my keys buried deep in my front pocket, I realized I left my phone in the kitchen. It was then I unknowingly made a seemingly insignificant decision that would ultimately lead to the untimely death of my trusted friend and companion. I placed my titanium buddy and a couple other miscellaneous items on the top of my car while I ran back inside to grab my phone. I distinctly remember thinking as I was walking away from the car, 'Surely I'll remember to grab everything off the top of the car when I come back before driving off, right? Yeah, no problem... there's no way I can forget that. Go on, genius, go get your phone.'

Do I even need to finish this story? To spare you a drawn-out version of the obvious impending doom and to spare me from any more trauma than I've already endured, I'll give you the Cliff Notes version. So I got to my destination a little more than 10 miles down the road, got outta the car, opened the back door to a barren back seat and had an instant moment of heart-stopping, mind-numbing revelation, the same type I can only imagine Pete Best had when he quit a little-known band named the Beatles just before they became the biggest music phenomenon the world had ever seen. The crime had been committed, and all that was left to do was backtrack for a reconnaissance mission to recover the body of my fallen comrade.

Unfortunately the ending to this melancholy story comes without any sense of comforting closure that usually initiates the healing process. No body was ever found... only an envelope and a photo that was accompanying Mac on his final journey.

I miss you already, Mac, and I'm sorry I failed you. You deserved better. I will always cherish our brief $3100 friendship. You were my workhorse, my lifeline, my wizard behind the curtain. Well done my good and faithful silicon servant. Rest in pieces.

Thanks for Nothing

I had to laugh when I opened up today's mail and read this 'appreciation letter' from Atmos Energy. (click on the image to see a larger view).

So, if I've got this right, Atmos paid for a designer's time to create this mailer, paid for the card stock and printing, and paid $.26 to mail this to me... all to tell me they're rewarding me for being a good customer with nothing. Hilarious.

Image of the [Last Couple] Week[s]

Okay, so I'm a bit behind on the Image of the Week installments. Chalk it up to Microsoft. Being a Mac loyalist, I find it easy, convenient and simply comforting to make Bill's nest egg the scapegoat for all my shortcomings. I'm certain they had something to do with my tardiness.

In any case, I've been experimenting quite a bit lately with some different techniques for texturing and layering in Photoshop to create some really interesting looks that help to draw out a story in an image. This was one I created recently that I love because of it's simplicity and understated richness and the emphasis it puts on Maia's sweet and natural expression.

Brand Building

This is such a cool time in my life to be able to do something I love and feel like I'm learning and building and creating and refining something new almost every day.

It's humbling to see something you've put so much time and effort and heart into finally start to grow and take on a life of it's own. Sometimes I feel like I'm just fortunate enough to be doing everything I can to hang on and enjoy the ride.

My friend Tina - who btw was voted Dallas Art Director of the Year in '06 - has been helping me [read: doing 95% of the work] to craft new brand identity materials that align with the vision I have for my photography work and where I'd like to steer the business. I'm excited about rolling out these first pieces over the next couple months, including this new, hot-off-the-press brochure. Not only did she do the design work and coordinated the printing, she and her husband Jerry willingly offered to spend last Friday night helping me fold 750 pieces. How cool is that?!

Click for the Cause

Last night was a lot of fun and all for a good cause. The Alzheimer Junior Women's Association hosted Bright Lights Big City, a charity auction event at the Star Light Room in downtown Dallas to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association, and I was fortunate enough to be asked by my friend Amy (pictured) to do some photography. Thanks Amy!! And to top it off there were a lot of friends there I hadn't seen in awhile, so that made it that much better.

There was a ton of cool stuff up for grabs (including a couple photography packages - grin), casino tables, good food and a live band that was a lot of fun. Check out the image of the guitar player; he was walking around during a song and came over to the photography area and stepped in for a quick photo while he was playing.

Most of the photography I do is in a non-studio environment, so it was fun to break out the lighting equipment again and just play a bit. I think sometime soon I want to take a day and set it all up and invite a bunch of friends and the kids and anyone else that wants to come and just order up some pizza and have a little party where we just have fun, experiment and create some really cool images. Now, if I could just find time to make that happen...

Party of 5, please...

Okay, actually it's 7 if you count mom and dad, but when you've got that many, who's counting? Over Memorial Day weekend, Kylie and I stopped in to visit Rob and Emily Wright, a couple of friends of hers from Indiana. Rob and Emily are the proud owners of 5 brand new, shiny, beautiful babies. Yes, 5... as in quintuplets... as in ohmygosh... as in "Uh, honey, what do we do now?"

When we stopped in only 3 of the little ones, Peyton (named after who else? - a little-known Colts quarterback and Super Bowl MVP), Sydney and Ethan were at home. Landon an Jenna were still at the hospital until they get a little bigger and a little stronger, but they should be joining the rest of the party in the next couple days if they haven't already.



Now, I know plenty of families that had 5 or more kiddos, but none of them all at one time. Can you imagine? How do you even keep them all straight?? Even with just 3 of them home when we were there, it's a round-the-clock operation with volunteers coming in at all hours of the day and night to help feed, change, do laundry, bathe and just generally pacify & entertain these rookies. I was blown away by the whole scene. How cool, though, that they live in a town with so many people who are willing to help out and do whatever is needed. That's what community is all about... people helping people.



God bless and best wishes, Rob & Emily... just think of all the presents you'll have coming your way on Mother's Day and Father's Day in the years to come!

Breakin' the law...

Seems my internal police radar has been a bit on the fritz lately. After going 6 years without so much as a hint of a parking ticket on my driving record, I've been pulled over and ticketed twice in the last 6 months for - ahem - "traveling at excessive rates of speed." Some might call this bad luck. Others might call it reaping what I've sewn after years of practicing "shortened drive times." Well, since I don't believe in luck and I live in a metropolitan city where anything less than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit is practicly begging for someone to commit road rage against you, I call it a shame.

Did I deserve the tickets? Depends on your perspective... mine tells me no. "C'mon, you were going 73 in a 40!" you say. True, but I was on my way to serve at church on a Sunday morning, and doesn't that negate any incidental infraction I may have committed? I know what your thinking. "Okay, fair enough, but what about the 2nd ticket for 82 in a 60?" Touché. I wasn't going to church when that one occured. BUT... I did just drive 3 hours from College Station to Dallas where the speed limit was 70 the whole way, and it wasn't until I just crossed inside the Dallas county line where apparently the speed limit changes to 60 (even though you're still on a highway in the middle of nowhere) when I was zapped by radar from a deputy who couldn't have been parked more than 100 feet inside said county line. That's just wrong in my book, and it should be in yours, too. To add insult to, well, insult, the officer that pulled me over warned me that there were 5 more of our city's finest just up the road pulling people over left and right, but - and I quote - "As long as you keep it at about 10 miles an hour over the speed limit, you should be fine."

Maybe she meant, "...you should be fined."

Legacy Series Prints

I love creating these Legacy Series images. These prints allow me to be a little more creative in developing a finished image that is layered with rich textural elements that really create an elegant art piece, (Click on the images of my friends Paige & Colin and the Kacines family to see a larger, more detailed view) and it's a ton of fun to create a vision and see it come to life. You can click here to see a few more samples on the opening slideshow on the website home page.

One of the cool things about this is that it allows me to offer my clients something more than typical photographic images. It's critical to differentiate yourself in such a competitive market for photography - or in any business - and hopefully this is one of many ways to do that.

BTW, these two images will be on display at Bright Lights Big City charity auction benefiting the Alzheimer's Junior Women's Association of Dallas. Alzheimer's Disease affects 5 million Americans, so I encourage you to visit the Alzheimer's website to see how you can help.

Image of the Week [bonus contest!]

Ok, gang, here's the deal. I captured this image (click on it to see a bigger version) when we were all up at my brother's earlier today for Mother's Day, and I thought it would be fun to try a little experiment. I think this scene just looks hilarious for some reason, but it's in desperate need of an appropriate title or caption. This is where you come in.

Have a little fun with this and submit a suggestion by clicking here or on the blue "comments" text at the bottom of this post and then type in your proposal and select the "other" or "anonymous" option to post it as a comment on this blog entry. You don't have to sign in or have any special account to enjoy the fun, and you can leave as many comments/ideas/gems as you want. The only rule is that any suggestion(s) should be appropriate for this PG-13 rated show. Just use a little common sense here. Okay, actually one more rule;

All entries must be submitted by 5pm on Sunday, May 20th.

As a little added bonus (seems I've always heard if you want people to participate, you've gotta give 'em some incentive), the winner will receive a personal "atta boy/girl" from me. Enticing, isn't it? Okay, okay, I'll figure out a fun little prize for the winner, but in the meantime, have fun and start submitting!!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, those are potatoes resting on the shoulders of those little birds.

Happy Mom's Day

Mom, I wanted to take this opportunity on this day - your day - to tell you 'thank you' for so many things.

Remember the time you let me borrow your car in HS on a Saturday night with zero visibility in the worst fog I'd ever seen? Yes, of course you do. By the time you got it back it had two flat tires, a missing front bumper, and a moon roof that was stuck open. Well, thank you for not holding that one against me by never letting me borrow the car again. BTW, I'm still sticking to the story that it was just a little rock that I hit. And remember that summer when I was in college and you were out of town for the week and I asked if I could "have a few people over" and it turned out to be 40+ 'friends' (not sure I even knew some of them) and a party that got a little outta hand? Thanks for being cool about it once you realized the house was still in one piece, the dog was fine (terrified, but otherwise alive and well), and your (repaired) car was still parked in the garage safe and sound.

Oh, yeah, and I hesitate to mention this one publicly as it's not one of my finest moments, but neither of us will forget the American History paper you 'assisted' me with the last two weeks of my senior year at OSU while I was swamped finishing my senior thesis project. Thanks for the help on that one... as much as I enjoyed my time in college, I didn't wanna have to stick around another quarter just to re-take that class if I didn't get the paper turned in. I'm sure it was a bittersweet moment for you as well. I mean, on one hand, only 8 A's in a class of 220 students... how proud you must've been. But on the other hand... well, you know. Let me just say thanks again.

Seriously, though, thank you for making so many sacrifices as Jas and I were growing up to make sure we had every opportunity to successfully find our paths in this crazy world. Thanks for being so supportive in everything we did even when we made mistakes. Thanks for being there to help me pick up the pieces and get back on my feet when I was going through periods of darkness and uncertainty. Most importantly, thank you for loving me unconditionally as your son.

Today I honor you and celebrate you as a courageous, dedicated mom. My mom. You have given me much and taught me more, many things you may never know. Thank you, and I love you.

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To all the mom's out there who have selflessly given to their children and husbands, you're the best. Thanks for all you do.

And to those whose mother's may have already passed from this world to be reunited with Christ, I pray that God would comfort you and smile upon you on this day as you remember the wonderful mothers you were blessed to have for a season.

What ever happened...

... to Tickle-Me Elmo?

Dream On

I'm not a huge reader which is to say more often than not I have the attention span of a 3 year old when it comes to reading books. I'm trying to get better about it, though, and one book that even I really enjoy reading and highly recommend is Leadership Promises For Every Day by John C Maxwell. It's perfect for quick, easy reads each day (ideal for limited attention spans like mine) with great insights, suggestions and motivation based in biblical principles for becoming a better leader.

Here's a little excerpt from May 5th's reading titled "Dream On":

"Many people discover their dream in a flash of insight after working in an area for years. Some receive it in a time of prayer. Others are motivated by an event from their past. If you haven't already discovered your dream, read the following five steps that will help clear away the clutter and discover your dream:

1. Believe in your ability to succeed. You must believe in your ability to succeed if you are to succeed.

2. Get rid of your pride. People full of themselves usually don't have much room left over for a life-changing dream.

3. Cultivate constructive discontent. Discontent is the driving force that makes people search for their dreams. Complacency never brings success.

4. Escape the habit. Don't accept what is without considering what could be.

5. Balance creativity with character. When it comes to their dreams, truly successful people have enough creativity to think it out, and enough character to try it out."

Now go start dreaming.