New BLOG!

I just realized that this blog what never taken down... OOOPS! Well, here is the link to my new blog.

Wedding Photographer in San Antonio

Bekahs Wedding

This weekend we went down to San Antonio for a good friends wedding. It was a lot of fun. Very beautiful, very simple, and fast....... just like our friend. : ) We also got to hang out with some friends of ours, and had a blast with them! And I spilled Blue Coconut Creamslush all over myself before the wedding........ but because I was wearing my stain resistant pants from Eddie Baeur, it didn't leave a single mark. It was so cool! Here are some pics...

Devils Sinkhole LIDAR project

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer my time and abilities towards a project down at the Devils Sinkhole. It is located in south Texas near Rocksprings. The project itself was very successful for the first weekend, and we still have two more to go! Sponsors involved include the TCMA, Bexar Grotto, TPWD, Bat Conservation International, Pigeon Mountain Industries, George Veni and Associates, Jerry Atkinson, Don Auburn, Andy Howe, William Stephens, National Cave and Karst Research Institute, National Speleological Society, and the Devils Sinkhole Society. I am really looking forward to the next time! This is a summation of what we did and what we are doing.


While I was asked to be a photographer for this project (photojournalistic photography), there were actually several projects going on at once. The first (and main project) was the LIDAR project carried out by scientist Jerome A. Bellian with Texas Bureau of Economic Geology . The LIDAR is one of the coolest things I have seen in a while. It stands for Light Imaging Detection and Ranging, and it is being used in the sinkhole to create a 3D image of the cave.
Why? So that it can be turned into a interactive 3D program that visitors can see while visiting the sinkhole. Since the general public can not enter the cave because of safety issues related to the vertical drop of 145 feet, and out of consideration of disturbance of the roosting bats during the summer, the LIDAR project will produce a 3D image of the cave for the public to see. Also, the LIDAR is extremely accurate so measurements and dimensions of the cave are taken through the LIDAR without having to put peoples lives at risk. This project is breaking ground for the future and has never really been done in caves like this.

The second project was a two part project, and consisted of the photographing of the cave and photographing the process. I covered the documentation of what went on and Photographer Kevin McGowan covered the documentation of the cave itself. He is taking extremely accurate pictures of the cave surface itself. Once this project is done, the pictures that Kevin has taken will be laid over the top of the 3D scan to create a detailed 3D map. This is also something that is breaking ground in the caving community. Kevins work can be seen at www.kevinmcgowan.com. To carry this out, Kevin brought the coolest toys ever! He had these giant stobes that where about 2400watts. In a dark hole, they left quite a permanent impression on your eyes if you accidentally looked into (or even near) them. I accidentally did this several times, and of course, my eyes were burned out of my sockets. :) Just kidding, but it sure felt like it.

These lights were powered by these giant capacitors (which you can see Don holding up above) that hold the same charge as about 10 defibrillators. When he was done shooting, I asked him if I could use that last flash (which had to be done to discharge the capacitors) and he said sure! With that last flash we did this fun picture of the shadows.

The other projects consisted of measuring water levels, biological analysis, and exploring for virgin caves. They also had to remove a rattlesnake from the bottom of the cave before we went down into it... that was cool.

It was a ton of fun! Saturday night we got to watch a 1940's film of the Devils Sinkhole. It was hilarious! Sitting in our chairs, stuffed into our sleeping bags, and projecting the movie onto a white sheet... we were all so enthralled with the movie that we began to add our own themes and words... and believe me... it wasn't pretty. It sure was funny though. If you ever go down there to visit, you have to buy the video. It is well worth it! You will a good laugh everytime you watch it.
The food was amazing and I look forward to next time! I had a blast and hope that it all goes just as smooth, if not smoother, next time.

5 days in Jeff. Park

My last week of being in Oregon, I decided to go up to Jefferson Park, which a beautiful area at the base of Mt. Jefferson. Now I know what your thinking... "Oooohh, that sounds fun!"... but when you have luck like me that is not always the case. You see, God has blessed me with a life that is bound to be eventful. Don't ask me why... I guess he just has more memories for me or something. If you go on a trip with me, usually you will have a freak snowstorm, problems with the road or car, or just plain wierd stuff happen to you. I have had it all happen to me.... I have even been attacked by a prairie dog before! How many people do you know that have been attacked by a prairie dog?!?

Day 1
To get a layout of the trail, and to kinda see what I was up against, my sister and I decided to hike up there. It was rough. 75% of the trail was uphill... and when you are not used to hiking it tends to be even worse. We had fun though. We made it up to a point just before the park, but didnt know we were so close. We were really about a 1/4 of a mile from the park. After that though, I knew what I was going to have to do in order to get up there, so it was worth it. We were pretty sore by the time we got back. :) I think Sarah cried some on the way up, but she was a trooper.

Day 2
So a couple of days later I decided to go back and spend the night. I knew that it was supposed to rain, but I wasnt prepared for what was going to happen. I booked it up there! It took about 3 hours when I was with my sister to get up, and it took me two hours to get up that day. In fact, I was sweating so much that it looked like I was in a terenchal downpour! But... then again... that is why some people call me Rainman... becuase I do not sweat.... I RAIN!
As I was working my way up, it started misting... then the mist slowly turned to small drops... (this was fine with me)... THEN as soon as I got up to the actual park the clouds closed in and it started raining! And this was not just little rain... it was BIG rain! I thought, "This bites!"... but I still maintained some enthusiasm.
It was about lunch time, and the temperature was starting to drop a little... so I found a big tree to sit under to cook my lunch. As I was cooking my lunch, just my luck, guess what happened!?! The temperature dropped suddenly about 15 dgrees, and it began to snow. Not just little snow flakes. These were the big, clumped together kind! The ones that when you get hit in the face with your whole face gets wet! If I was at home they would have been a lot of fun to play in.... but that was not the case. I was huddled under a tree, trying to stay dry, and trying not to get my camera wet. It was after this change in the weather that I really started considering not spending the night.
I finished my lunch and checked the snowfall, and it dropped about 1/2 inch of snow in 40 minutes! It didn't look like it was going to let up either. Visibility was about 50 ft, and what was supposed to be Mt. Jefferson was just a cloud...... so I decided to go back. I am glad that I did it too, because when I went back the next day, about 5-6 inches had fallen.

Day 3
Knowing that there was going to be a good amount of snow there... I decided to just go up for a day. There is one spot that I scoped out in my cloudy, blind wanderings the day before. It was just before the park, and I made it up there pretty fast. I could see the mountain just before I went up and man was it pretty! Snow covered with clouds hanging at the bottom of it. I thought, "This is going to be awesome!" Well... I got up there, and it was cloud covered. I actually think that it was only cloud covered where I was at... because when I got back down to the Jeep at the end of the day, it was clear and shiny again. This image is the most of Jeff. that I saw... I think though that it turnout ok. The I just stayed in the one spot and really picked apart my location photographically. I think that I got some good shots.

Day4 and 5
So now knowing that this is going to be my final plug to try and conquer Ol' Jeff., I decided to go up and stay the night. I get up late, booked it up there... and whalah! Beautiful! Finally all this work paid off! I was up there for a sunset and sunrise.... and no four-legged animals came to visit me in the middle of the night. I had a wonderful time while I was up there, I even climbed up Park Butte to look over the entire park. I haven't had much time to look at these pictures... but I know that they are going to be good! Here are a couple. I relaxed some, read my bible, and went back later in the day.

Final results
So altogether I backpacked about 50 miles that week. I lost 12 pounds, and one inch off of my waist! I had about 50% of my time as frustration...... and wore myself out almost everyday. All this for a couple of good pictures! Was it worth it?.... Definately.

Helping family...

I have spent about a week to week and half of my time here in Oregon helping my grandmother. During this time I cleaned, organized, tried to help sort some things out, and hopefully encourage through love and support. In the process of this time, and the entire month that I have been away, my prayer for this month has been that the Lord would move me towards something. It has been that as I follow Him, not only would my pictures bring glory to Him, but that He would clear some things up in my mind that seemed to be dim. I did not know what these things were specifically, but I could feel them there. Somewhere in my internal, moving and speaking. I think that those things are beginning to be answered.

Through talking with my grandmother, or Granny Grump as I effectionately call her, I have started to see something in life that I so simply missed. Love. In a way that has never been defined in me before. You see, my grandfather died suddenly right before his 70^th birthday and although it has been 3 years, we still talk about him as if it were yesterday. His fingerprints are all over this place, this family, and our minds. We can spend our entire lives living, talking, and working with someone… and then one day they are gone. And what are we left with?… memories and emotions. A mere shadow of the things that once were. No more touch, no more voice, and no more presence… And is it not these things that we miss the most when someone is gone, but totally take for granted while they are on this earth? The old phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder points to this very truth, because while we are away those are the very things that we long to have again with our family members. Not only to see them, but to touch them and to feel their spirit… and when we get back to them our thankfulness for them is rejuvenated for a time. I feel sorry for those people who are dead to this, or have never felt what I am talking about.

We all seem to fall into this trap though, not everyone but many. We spend so much time with a person, that for some reason we get used to them and they lose value. And although they never lose value in our mind, because we would lay our lives down for them in a heart beat, we seem to lose value in them emotionally. It is as if we show joy for everyone else but the ones that we live with. And then, without us realizing it, that connection is gone. Unlike a child who eagerly waits for his dad to come home, day after day, we merely greet them with an unemotional hello. We ask them how their day was, and although we are interested somewhere deep within, we emotionally do not care. It is like a car that we have had for years. We still take care of it, we still value it, but we are not excited about driving it like we were the first month that we had it. We get used to it.

Even in the movies we see actors showing this affection for each other. After watching this heart moving movie, our hearts are rekindled for a night, or maybe a day or two, and then we wake up and go back to the same emotional death among our family-members… and don’t really know why.

I have at times fallen into this same trap. A mindset passed down to me by my forefathers… For this I am sorry Kristi. I do not have a desire to be unemotionally interested in you. I do not want to share my spirit with everyone around me… and you get the rest of what is left. I do not want my time and energy to be poured out to everyone else around me… only to come home tired and uninterested. I know that we cannot really be close living that way, and I will try my hardest to not do that. I want to greet you with interest everyday, and show you that I value you. I want to show you that I want to be a part of your life…

To all those reading this… if it has touched you or moved you… open your eyes. Look at the people closest to you and love them. Realize that one day all you may be left with is memories and emotions. That’s it. No more touch, no more voice, and no more presence. Make everyday with the ones you love like it is going to be your last day on this earth.

Love… with many other definitions… to be emotionally interested.

Car sleeping and thanks...

The final day I was pretty burnt out, so I drove around alittle bit, but mainly just headed back to manchester. I watched a movie to pass the time..... and slept a couple of hours in the car. THen at 6:00 in the morning I headed off to Oregon. I just wanted to take this blog to thank the Lord...You don't have to read this... it is mainly my personal talk with Him....

Thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity and providing me with the funds to carry this project out. Thank you also for keeping me safe and protecting my equipment and vehicle. I know that anything could have happened to me, even falling out of a Gondala :), but you had your hand of protection over me. Thank you. I praise you for giving me a heart to follow the desires that you put inside me, and I just give you all the glory. I know that I would not have any beautiful shots if you didn't guide my eyes. And I know that you are the one who brings my creativity to me... so I just thank you for that. Please continue to guide my eyes and mind. I hope and pray that the images that I take for the rest of this time will bring total glory to you, and that people will see the beauty that you cause me to see. Thank you for who you are and who you have made me to be.

Gondala of Death

So I woke up the next morning, and froze my rear-end off! I was fine in my bivy, but soon as I got out... MAN! It was cold! I had to rub myself constantly just so that some of the friction would provide some ounce of warmth. I got going and headed to a spot that was recommended to my by a local. It was pretty cool. No one was there. It was a waterfall called silver cascade. Here is a pic of it.From there I really didn't know what to do, so I went to an Appalachian Mountain Club Lodge. It was fancy. :) And I asked them where to go to get away from people and see some animals. I tried to go where they told me to go with no success. I kept driving by these border signs for the Wildlife Preserve, but I could not find a parking lot or a trailhead. I was looking for an hour! I knew that I was on the edge of the preserve, that is why I did not give up earlier. It was a little frustrating to say the least. I gave up and headed back to the main part of the mountains.

It was midday and I knew that the pictures where not going to really turn out. The lighting was too harsh and shadows too strong. So I decided to pass the time and ride a Gondala to the top of Wildcat Mountain. It was a lot of fun! The only problem? I almost fell to my death. [True story] I was so excited about the chance to take pictures from a gondala that I didnt see all of the signs inside the lower part it that said, "Caution- Do not lean on the doors. They will open." Guess what I did?... That's right... I leaned on the doors.....AND ALMOST DIED! Luckily I had my camera strap wrapped around my wrist.
In that moment my life flashed before my eyes and I thought of another headline.... Texas man dies today after falling out of a gondala... and rolling all the way down the mountain! Eye witnesses say that despite his arduous journey down, he still had his camera in his hands. (Actually, I didn't think aobut that when I almost fell out, I just thought that would be funny to say.) ;) I really didn't think about anything. I just tried to not die.... :)On my way down, I rode with this cool couple from Wales. We joked and laughed, and talked about stuff. I gave them a card, and when we got down the coolest thing happened! The lady asked me if she could take my picture! That way when I was famous she could say she met me! How cool! I asked her if I could take a picture of her taking a picture of me taking a picture of her... if you got that... and that is just what we did. There is a corresponding picture of me somewhere out there.... :)
After that, I headed south to a KOA, knowing it was going to be my last KOA in a while. It was in Woodstock, NH. which I thought was cool. Now I can say I went to Woodstock when I was 24. ;) Not like anyone would believe me.... maybe when I am older and the kids dont know anything about history. I stayed the night there, and just slept. By this time I was getting pretty worn out.

Commercialization in the wilderness

I woke up the next morning and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast in the walmart parking lot which was.... Nothing! (ha ha ha.... I crack myself up)... anyways. It was pretty earlier, and that night while I was driving around I saw some really cool stuff... so I went down and checked it out. I think that I got some pretty cool pics. It was good, super cold, nice and foggy, and unique. Here is one of those pictures...From there I went north again and took a scenic route. It was cool. I got some cool beaver dam pictures that I am going to have to experiment on. AND! I waded through water for the first time in my gortex-lined boots! They rock! A while back I was going to settle for non-gortex lined, but I am so glad that I didn't. It has been great!Finally making my way down to the White Mountain National Forrest in New Hampshire, I went right on in not expecting what I saw... Commercialization! I thought that it was going to be like most of the other national forrests that I have been to.... lots of wilderness... low cost... free camping... etc... Nope. There were like three or four theme parks there. It was really pretty, and there was lots of forrest... but it was like $20 a night to camp there. And there was no free camping what-so-ever! It was very discouraging. I guess I am more of a purist when it comes to things like that. I dont really like going to the wilderness to be around the city. It doesnt seem right, and for me it makes me really stressed out. I like having to deal with lines, traffic, money, and the works. I got some cool pics... went to a KOA that night..... and went to bed and slept beautifully in my bivy... even though it was 24 degrees out. :)