The Dowdys take New Orleans

I met my sister Bethany and her 4 kids--Wayne, Beth, and twins Wilkins and Jacks--in New Orleans last week for a session in the French Quarter. What a blast ! The kids were great and mom was a trooper as well. I wish we could do this every week as we don't see them nearly enough.

Next up is a fun trip with sister Emily's daughters Meredith and Caroline. Then brother Tom and his beautiful daughter Lila. There is nothing better than traveling to great locals and create awesome images--well, maybe doing all of that and doing it for family.

The Laskers and the Longs

Two of the best friends Jamie and I have are Aaron and Mary McKay Lasker. I went to college with both of them, and was very excited when they decided to move to Cleveland just a few years after Jamie and I had moved back. Mary McKay works with Jamie and they are slowly taking over the office (kidding. . .but it would be very hard for anyone to argue that they aren't very good at what they do). Aaron and I took a very memorable trip to California together (thanks, Aaron!) last September and the least I can do is help them capture the early years of their children. We spent a Saturday morning creating images of their two kids Hill and Kay Ann, along with their nephew Cliff (son of Mary McKay's brother Cliff and his wife Allison). The parents (and grandma) even got nudged into a few of the photos.

Mary McKay wanted to make sure we got some good pics of Aaron's dog. Mookie is nearly 16 and obviously is moving a bit slower these days, so it was great that we were able to get some great shots before it becomes a lot harder for Mook to get around. He reminds me alot of my "college" dog, Socks (who I miss tremendously) so I was especially happy that I could do this for Aaron.

All-in-all the morning was a ton of fun. We had a blast! I love this job!

Here are a few images. Here is the slideshow.

Cotton Classic

June 2 I spent a Saturday morning a little differently than normal. On assignment for a local magazine, I photographed the Cotton Classic a 10k race held in Greenville. It was the third leg of a series of races held in Greenville, Tupelo, and Oxford. The male and female that accumulated the most points over the three races each received $5k--not a bad payday for three Saturday mornings. The winning time was right around 28 minutes--I'm not sure I could eat a pizza in 28 minutes much less run 6.5 miles!

For the main event I was stationed in the back of a pickup that traveled just in front of the leaders. It was expected that one of two Kenyans would win the race, which is exactly what happened. It was amazing to watch these guys at it barely seemed they were breaking a sweat despite 90+ degree heat.

Later that morning was a "fun-run" for the kids, and I REALLY had a fun time photographing this event. The kids were really into it and that makes things that much more fun for me. I saw several old friends that I hadn't gotten to visit with in a few years so I received an extra bonus for an already interesting morning. Plus, after the awards ceremony a local Blues musician played for a while and there is nothing better that Mississippi Blues near the Mississippi River!

Cindy & Michael

Cindy and Michael were married recently here in Cleveland. The weather was absolutely perfect. It is not uncommon for us to have 90+ degree days in May, but for Cindy and Michael the weather stayed very nice around the low 80's. The sun was out and the light was beautiful.

Here are a few images along with the slideshow.