ivey & dean ~esession

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Ivey and Dean will be marrying next spring, but we recently met for their engagement session. We had a great time wandering around the fields of the Mississippi Delta and the streets of downtown Memphis.

I had a blast you guys. Thanks for being such great sports.

~wj

Thank you.

Friend. Mentor. Brother.



I should have told you this more often.









~wj

. . . we're all in this together . . .

Jamie and I watched the presidential debate last night.

Oxford looked great. Ole Miss was stunning. I'm really proud of Mississippi right now.

In the midst of this tug of war, though, I think we sometimes forget that we're all in this together. We pretty much all want to go to the same place, we just have different routes we prefer to take. And, man, how hurtful and spiteful we can be if it's not our route that is chosen.

Yes, I understand there are many, many more details, and I am simplifying things. But the gist is still there.

My mother writes a column for several newspapers here in the Southeast. She recently wrote the column below, and I thought it would be a great idea to share it with all of you today. I think her words are very wise.

Thanks, Mom, for letting me share this.

As we go forth in this uncertain time, I hope we call can remember our neighbors. That we can remember that none of us can make it alone, and we all need to work together to create the world we envision. Compromise and compassion are the two greatest traits we can have in my opinion. I hope our leaders not only realize this in the coming months, but they practice it and inspire it as well.

~wj


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"SNIPPETS
by Beth Boswell Jacks



Beliefs: Trying to figure it out


“Before you can begin to think about politics at all,
you have to abandon the notion that there is a war
between good men and bad men.”
~ Walter Lippmann


Raise your hand if you’re all fuzzed up over the presidential campaign. Now take that hand and scratch your head while you ponder these words of conservative philosopher and author Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University: “We all have visions of how the world works. They are the silent shapers of our thoughts.”

That quote is from Sowell’s book titled “A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles.” Sowell says our visions are like “maps that guide us through a tangle of bewildering complexities” in this topsy-turvy world. He claims we base our beliefs – political, social and religious – on these visions that form our hunches or gut feelings.

We can no more dismiss those feelings than we can fly to the moon.

Oh, wait. We CAN fly to the moon. Well, let’s restate that. We can no more dismiss those feelings than we can change the nose on our face. Darn. We can do that too.

Shall we say it is very, very difficult to change one’s vision of how the world works?

Last year, in fact, National Public Radio broadcast a program [Oct. 25, 2007] during which the speaker stated he was researching the theory that our deepest beliefs are programmed into our genes. In other words, we can’t really help it if we’re flaming liberals or rigid right-wingers. We’re just made that way. It’s genetic.

His research was being done on identical twins, separated at birth. How many thousands of identical twins separated at birth could there be? I can’t imagine his test group is legion. Anyway, that’s something to think about.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to blame something else on our parents?

The editors of Volume III of “Public Women, Public Words,” Keetley and Pettegrew, have another idea about the factors that contribute to our deepest beliefs. They write in the introduction to the book: “One’s politics are determined by and, ultimately, confined to what one opposes; [one’s belief system] is defined in other words, in the negative” – by what we’re against, not what we’re for.

Okay, this is getting deep, but I can’t help my mind’s twists and turns. I’m curious about how and why I’ve arrived at my political, social and religious beliefs. So where am I going with this?

Just here.

No matter which way this election goes, no matter what our theology is, no matter what we believe about social and philosophical matters, we’re going to have friends and family who are just as ardent on the other side of the fence. Does this mean somebody’s good and somebody’s bad? Does this mean somebody’s going to heaven and somebody’s going to … umm … a warmer locale? Does this mean we have to hate and demonize one another? Does this mean we can’t discuss issues without blowing up at each other with, yes, sometimes permanent alienation?

No, no, no and no.

Eric Hoffer, sociologist and writer, maintained that “the capacity for getting along with our neighbor depends to a large extent on the capacity for getting along with ourselves.” We’re quite tolerant usually of our own shortcomings and “quirks”; shouldn’t we extend that same courtesy to others? Is this not what we must do to attempt to promote civilized discourse in this “bewildering and complex” world?

“There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson, “that it behooves all of us not to talk about the rest of us.”

Besides, it’s probably our mamas’ and daddies’ fault."

sally & brian ~esession

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I met Sally and Brian a few weeks back for their engagement session. We had such a blast! The day started outside of Como, Mississippi along some of our awesome Delta backroads. We then headed up to Memphis for some night shots. And then we wrapped things up at one of the best oyster bars around. Pearl's Oyster house. I know. Hard to believe that there would be such a great place for oysters that far from the gulf, but it's true! The place is awesome. I'm so glad Sally and Brian introduced me to it.

So here are a few images form the session. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sally and Brian, thanks so much for a wonderful afternoon and evening. See you guys soon!


~wj

carla & chad ~esession

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I recently spent a few hours with Carla and Chad for their engagement session. They'll be marrying in New Orleans in November but we created these images back here in the Delta. It should be a blast; can't wait to spend the weekend with the two of them and their families in the Big Easy !



~wj

Pictage PartnerCon Presentation

I've gotten a few emails this week asking for the link to the materials form my presentation at PartnerCon a week or so ago.

I thought I'd post it here. If you have any questions or comments let me know. I;d love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks again to all who attended.


The link:

http://www.wiljax.com/partnercon08



~wj

Barge headed to New Orleans

Via iPhone

Back home

Sometimes we need to remember what it is we love about home. I've been
in LA for the last four days. Tonight I'm at the 60th birthday party
of my friend Dr. Hugh. We're right beside the Mississippi River and
the breeze is keeping things very nice. Hugh swam across this river
two days ago. Just to prove he could.

I hope I'm lucky enough to do that when I turn 60.

Happy birthday Doc. Thanks for reminding me of home.

"scary" isn't so bad after all . . .

I did something scary this week. I stood in front of a room full of people and did my best to keep them from throwing things at me.

But I get ahead of myself. Let me digress just a bit.

This has been one hell of a year. So many ups and downs for both me and Jamie (especially Jamie). We have felt every emotion possible. And we've grown because of it. It was during one afternoon that was extremely trying, that I decided it was time to get better at just that . . .TRYING. And that's not always easy.

Trying requires that we extend ourselves. That we do things we're not used to doing. That we put ourselves out there for ridicule, embarrassment, criticism, and . . . . growth. Quite often it's fear that keeps us from doing new things, and I was determined to look eye to eye with that fear and see if I could beat it.

So when I found out that Pictage was accepting abstracts for presenters at it's annual LA Partner Conference, I submitted one. I figured it was a pretty long shot for me to be selected, but hey, at least I was trying, right? Well, they did pick me, I was stunned, and I spent the better part of two months thinking, fretting, writing, rehearsing, sweating, working, practicing, trashing, accepting, and yes, trying.

And on Tuesday I marched down the aisle to the little podium where I was to give my presentation. I stood in front of some of the best photographers in the world. I recognized so many of them right away. I just knew they would call my bluff at any minute, and I wanted quite badly to just run out of that room and never come back. Who the hell am I ? What the hell am I doing sharing my thoughts with this group?

And that, of course, is the point. I got through my presentation. I tackled my fear. And I found out just a little bit more about who I am.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who came to hear me speak. It really was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I hope you gained at least some small nugget of information that can help you down the line. Thank you to all of the wonderful folks at Pictage for giving me a chance to do this. Thank you to all of the wonderful photographers that I met, and friends that I made, for inspiring me to continue to push myself to become the best photographer -- and best ME -- I can be.

And thank you Jamie, for listening patiently while I whined about not being able to do this. You were right.

All I needed to do was try.


To all of you. Go try. Do something new. Do something you've always thought about, but were scared to attempt. Make time. Don't wait for it.

It's a pretty good feeling when you do it.



~wj

the day after gustav

On the tuesday after Hurricane Gustav made landfall I met my buddy, and fellow photographer, Chris Williams in Vicksburg. Chris lives in New Orleans and he and his wife had evacuated to Jackson. I figured he might want a break from the walls of his hotel room, so I gave him a call.

On my way back home I fully intended to get back as quickly as I could. But I kept seeing things I wanted to photograph, so what should have been a ninety minute drive turned into about a four hour exploration. And it was one I've been wanting to do for quite a while. I'm glad I finally took the time, and I think I'll be releasing these images as a new collection soon.

More will come later. For now, I wanted to share a few of these with you. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts.


~wj

thank you all

Gustav has made it past the coast and will slowly dissipate in-land.

I want to thank all of you who contacted me directly, as well as the many of you who sent warm thoughts our way. My wife's family is fine, their homes are fine, and they will return to life as usual in a day or two. We were very lucky, and I could never properly explain the joy and relief we all felt last night.

After several days of worrying about what might happen, and remembering what did happen, the anxiety in all of us was quite high. We were glued to the television for most of Sunday night and Monday morning. We didn't talk much, and we tried not to dwell on things we couldn't control. At least not too much.

By mid-morning we felt pretty good about things. Our nerves were easing. We were feeling a huge sense of relief. It came pouring out in one of the most enjoyable afternoons and evenings any of us has ever had. We sang, we danced, and we embraced the night for what it turned into -- a serendipitous moment that had brought us all together.

But even though our family came out of the storm in good shape, many others have not. I fear that in all the joy of Gustav not repeating Katrina, many will forget the destruction that was caused. Over two million people evacuated Louisiana. 45,000 people in Mississippi were housed in shelters during the storm. While many of them will return to their homes as my in-laws will, some of them will not. The insurance costs will come nowhere near those of Katrina, but they will still be high.

So I simply ask that you not forget those who are feeling the brunt of Hurricane Gustav. Keep them in your thoughts. And if you feel inclined, send a little money to the American Red Cross. It can never hurt to help another in need.

Again, thank you all for your warm thoughts and wishes. They helped more than you probably realize.


~wj