auction, school ties, and giving back

I was recently asked to donate a few items for an auction benefitting a scholarship fund at my alma mater, Millsaps College.

I donated three wood transfers from New Orleans. This is actually a new product I've been working on, and I'm getting really close to introducing these into my regular product line. These are 6"x6", printed on a japanese art paper and transferred to wood blocks, then coated with a gesso and varnish to add texture. I really like the unpredictable results these produce, and I'm excited to get things finalized and begin offering them next year. I'll post some photos soon, but for a quick glimpse you can take a look at the photos the auction folks at Millsaps produced. (They're a little dark, but you get the general idea, I think) You can also see these prints at the Attic Gallery in Vicksburg (along with several others)

Up for auction are three of these prints. They are studies from New Orleans -- fleur de lis from different spots around the city. I believe the bid is for all three prints, but if you have any questions you can email me and I'll be happy to check on it for you. All proceeds for this auction go towards an annual scholarship in the name of Don Fortenberry -- longtime Millsaps faculty and incredible mentor to many.

I'd be honored if you took a look around, and considered bidding.

You can see the items HERE.

~wj

wow

If you've read the "about me" section on my website you know that I love baseball. I spent the first 20 or so years of my life playing the sport, and I'd give almost anything (sans family and friends) to play just one game in the outfield for a big league team.

That being said, my dad sent me and my brother this video earlier today. (My brother is a baseball guy, too) Some of you may have seen it already. It was my first time and I immediately came over here to my blog to share it with all of you.

What a catch! Enjoy !

~wj

Meetings are over for the day . . . .

. . . . and guess who gets his way now.

Driving home from New Orleans

This is Sam. He's my co-pilot today. Normally he likes to sit on my
lap as we ride, but I've got another appointment before I get home and
don't want to be covered in dog hair when I get there. So I have to
put my computer bag between us to keep him from crawling over. He's
been giving me sad faces like this the entire trip though, so I'm not
sure I can keep this up.

Any ideas on what I should do?

~wj

tara :::: graduate

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Most of my portraits are of kids, but every now and then I get a request from a soon-to-be graduate. Tara is one of those exceptions. I was flattered when her mom asked if I would mind working with Tara, and I had such a blast creating these images.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more creative, genuine, well-rounded and mature senior out there.

Congrats, Tara. I wish you all the best and hope that every one of your dreams come true.

~wj

Fire Department Duties

Fire Inspector Gene Bishop and I took one of the firetrucks to a local
Headstart. The kids were so cute asking questions about the truck and
about firemen.

They knew fire safety so well. "Stop. Drop. And roll. And don't play with matches!"

this stuff is HARD :::: sports photography

I'm asked quite often how I became a photographer. The truth is, I never really intended to do this for a living, though I did know that I wanted to do something different and I wanted to be involved everyday in creating something. I was always interested in art, and I painted and drew quite a bit while growing up. But I never felt comfortable in those mediums, and I wasn't very good at them either, actually.

The majority of my early life was spent on a ball field somewhere. I played four years of college baseball and one year of college football. I still keep up with sports quite a bit. The St. Louis Cardinals are one of my major loves, as are the New Orleans Saints.

After teaching junior high English and coaching football and baseball for a year after college I went back to graduate school. I wound up the the journalism program at the University of Mississippi and that's where I found photography. I took a job with the school yearbook which required me to make sure we had all our necessary photos. Eventually that led to me creating a majority of those photos. And the best part? I had access to nearly every event on campus, including all of the athletic contests. So many of my first photographic images were made at the sports arenas at Ole Miss. And I can say with certainty that sports photography is TOUGH. It seems quite easy, and it isn't. Not at all. I've been humbled more than once when looking at my images after an event. It's not something I'm very good at. I have a great deal of respect for the guys and gals that do this for a living.

I don't do much sports photography anymore. Recently, however, I had a free Saturday and decided to head out to a football game at our local university, Delta State. It was fun to be on the sidelines again, and I had forgotten the rush of being so near the action.

Here's a few images. Hope you like them.


~wj

nancy margaret & andy :::: wedding

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And now for the wedding day images !

See the post below for photos from Nancy Margaret and Andy's rehearsal dinner. And thank you again to Deb Tracey for your wonderful images and assistance. Many of the shots you see here were created by Deb, so be sure to go visit her and leave some blog love as well.

nancy margaret & andy :::: rehearsal dinner

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I've been editing photos this week from Nancy Margaret and Andy's wedding. I first met Nancy Margaret and Andy earlier this summer at their engagement session in Oxford. I also spent a few days with them in D.C. as we did another session up there. I've really enjoyed getting to know these two, and I really look forward to working with them in creating their album once they get back from their honeymoon.

I was assisted in this wedding by a wonderful photographer from the Los Angeles area, Deb Tracey. She was such a help, and we had a blast working and visiting together. Thank you so much for all your help Deb. It was an honor to work with you.

We began the weekend at Nancy Margaret and Andy's rehearsal dinner, so we wound up with lots of images. I've decided to split the posts and do one for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding. So here is the first one!

Kate Barron of A Bash Events coordinated the wedding and did an outstanding job. She really had a lot on her plate, and she and her team handled everything beautifully. I was also excited to see my buddy David from Oxford Floral. David was like a little brother to me when we were younger. My brother and Dave were best buddies, so he was always at our house. This was the first time we've had a chance to work together, and it was really nice getting to visit with him a bit as we started our day. And I'm so glad to see him doing so well. His work is absolutely beautiful.

So here you go. A few images from the dinner at City Grocery. I'll be posting pics from the wedding day soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts!


~wj

lucy kate & bryant :::::: round 2

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I have the pleasure of photographing Lucy Kate and Bryant every three months for the next year or so. I'll be documenting their growth during their first year, and it's been such a pleasure so far! Their mom, Lesley, is always wanting to try new and different things. It keeps me on my toes, and I love it . But the best part is getting to know Lesley and her husband Charles, as well as their beautiful twins.

We met recently for their second round of photos and will be scheduling a session again right after Thanksgiving. For this session we decided to not only create a few images in their christening gowns, but also head out to the backroads so that we could have some images made in the environment where their daddy works. Thus, the cotton fields and gravel roads!

We started sometime around 1 PM, and before we knew it, it was dinner time -- 5:30 ! You know the saying -- time flies . . . .

Well it certainly did on this shoot!

Here's a few images. Hope you like 'em.

~wj

emma grace, matthew, & anderson

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Well, I'm a little bit behind on a few blog posts.

And this is one of them. I recently met Heather and her kids at their new home. Their old house was the same home where I grew up years ago, so I was a little sad to not be visiting there again. But the new home is gorgeous! And such a great playground for children.

So we spent a few hours wandering around and watching the kids play, and they're always such a joy to photograph. Here's a few images from the session.

Thank you, Heather, for being patient with this post, and thank you for being such a great cheerleader of mine.

And coming soon -- photos from Anderson's 1st birthday party !

(and don't worry Lesley, your pics are next !)


~wj

elizabeth & david :::: portrait

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A couple of weeks ago, I met Ruth King to photograph her children. Her friend Leah was quite gracious in allowing us to use her home, and as we were creating images of Ruth King's kids, Leah asked if I would mind working a bit with her children afterwards. I was honored and humbled to do so, and I look forward to plans for a longer session a bit later in the fall when the colors begin to change.

Thank you Leah, for allowing us to use your home. It is quite stunning, and certainly a child's wonderland. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

~wj

john haga, luke, & annie

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I received a call a few weeks ago with an inquiry about my portrait services. Ruth King had seen an article that Delta Magazine had written about my work, so she called from Oxford to see if I could meet her to create a few images of her kids. We chatted for a while, and in one of those "wow-this-is-a-small-world" episodes, we came to realize that her husband John and I had played ball together waaaaaayyyyyy back in college at Millsaps. And I have to say, her kids, especially the boys, really favor their dad.

So we met in Clarksdale, almost in the middle for both of us (but a wee bit further for Ruth King). We made our way out to the home of one of her friends, which made for an incredible setting. River banks, open fields, country roads -- you couldn't ask for a better place to photograph kids at play.

Odd the paths we wander in life sometimes, isn't it? We just chug along, meeting and befriending others along the way, only to drift apart as we continue on our respective journeys. Then, some years later, those paths converge yet again, and we are greeted with so many wonderful memories.

This session was one of those moments. I got to make new friends, and reconnect with an old one.

Here's a few of the images. Hope you like them.


~wj