we are wizards ::: documentary

I've got a few projects I'm working on right now. They require me to do quite a bit of reflecting and pondering. Each one addresses elements of our lives, and the interconnectedness of it all. I have no idea what the finished products will be -- which, really, is a big part of what attracts me to these things. Of course, when they are done, or when the time is appropriate, I'll certainly update everything here and let you all know what exactly is going on. Let's just say I'm very excited, but I don't want to jinx anything -- so that's all I'll say about that.

Anyway, part of my process when working on any project is taking time to write, to think, to change a few small parts of my daily routine so that I am forced to see the world just a bit differently. And I really, really enjoy exploring the work of any and all artists I can find. You just never know when something may trigger the perfect thought needed to take an important step.

With this in mind, I spent much of my down time last weekend writing and searching one of my favorite websites -- snagfilms.com. It's a website devoted to sharing and promoting documentary films. I've written about this site perviously on my blog.

With a mindset of trying to find a film that could trigger some thoughts -- and this is going to be fairly melodramatic, so fair warning -- of what it means to live in this big ole' world of ours, I stumbled upon an Harry Potter documentary.


"Ok," I thought to myself. "We'll get back to the deep thinking later. Right now I'll check out this Harry Potter brain candy and just not think for a while."

And I found myself initially chuckling at the "characters" in this documentary. But about a half hour in, I realized I was watching a very poignant example of a need we all have -- the need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and the need to fit in.

I have never read a Harry Potter book, though I have seen all of the films (except the most recent -- maybe soon). And I admit to chuckling at the rampant fanaticism some people have towards this franchise. That's actually what drew me to watch this film in the first place -- a chance to have a little entertainment at the expense of some folks that just seem to be a bit too into this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to mock them, just stare in wonder at the devotion they have to this young wizard.

But this film is incredibly well directed. Once I got over myself a bit, and stopped judging and gawking, I began to see this film as a beautiful display about a group of people who want to lead extraordinary lives. Isn't that what we all want to do?

Wether you find the people in this film odd or not, I do thing there is one thing that should be admired -- their willingness to push their lives in a direction that is their own. They refuse to live they way "society" says the 'should", and instead have found a community of comfort -- all because of this Harry Potter character. And, of course, they do it whether or not the rest of us think it's a cool think to do.

And in the end, it's is just that kind of living that -- I think anyway -- IS pretty darn cool.

So give this film a watch. Keep your mind open. Then come back and tell me your thoughts.

~wj

the ludwigs ::: portrait

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The Ludwigs drove down from the memphis area a few weeks ago for a family session. Since summer is in full force we stayed inside for most of the session, but we were able to get out for a few minutes at least. Here are a few from the session.

Andrea, thank you so much for driving all the way down here. I hope you guys enjoy your images!

~wj

seeing the world with no agenda . . . .

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I've been working on our upcoming Contrast show today. Our official deadline for submissions was this past Friday, but if any of you would still like to send a few things in, please do. We'd love to see them.

It's really shaping up to be a wonderfully diverse event, with over 30 photographers invited to participate so far. We have 15 states represented and 3 countries. It's been a blast looking at all the personal work everyone is submitting. Very inspiring for me.

After lunch today my wife came by the studio and gallery with two of our nieces and two of our nephews. Ages 9, 7, 7, and 7. (the nephews are twins). They were looking for something to do, so I decided to put a camera in their hands and put them to work. I wanted to see what they would come up with regarding our theme of "Contrast".

None of them really understood the term, so, one at a time, I had them in my office. I didn't want them all teaming up to solve this problem. I was curious as to how they would do on their own. Thus, I met with them each individually to talk about "Contrast", then let them run around our gallery and downtown area for 15 minutes each, exploring with my gear.

We then all sat down and went through the images. Uncle Will did the editing, of course, but I really didn't do much more than convert them to black and white. This is what they came up with, and I have to admit, I'm a proud uncle.

Are these technically sound? No. Barely close. But that's not always the point. These children, with only a 5 minute conversation about what contrast means, and with no understanding of the technique involved in creating a photograph, saw the world around them in some very interesting ways. Mainly, because they were unencumbered by what they thought they should be doing, and therefore, did only what they felt like doing.

Here are a few of the images. I know they aren't for everyone. But when you look at them, consider what might be inside these images that is more than technique. Ask yourself if just maybe there might be a bit more here than what you see at a glance.

There might not be. But just as possibly, there may be tons of knowledge we can gain as well.


~wj

anderson, matthew, & emma grace ::: portait

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I spent a couple of hours recently with some of my oldest clients. My friends Ryan and Heather have invited me to photograph their children Anderson, Matthew, and Emma Grace since Emma was just a baby. For the longest time this family lived in the house where I grew up, so it was always tons of fun to go back to my old stomping grounds. They have since moved and become "country folk", but that doesn't make our visits any less enjoyable.

Here are a few images from our most recent session.

Thank you Heather and Ryan for being such great supporters of mine. And give the kids a good noogie for me.

~wj

owen & vaughn ::: portrait

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I visited Dallas recently, and while I was there I had the great pleasure of meeting Owen and Vaughn. We spent an hour or so together seeing what type of images we could create. So much life and energy in these two!

Here are a few from the session. I'd love the hear your thoughts.


~wj

ivey & dean ::: wedding

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Ivey and Dean married at the Tunica RiverPark Museum a couple of months back. I love working at the museum. The grounds are just gorgeous and the architecture is really dynamic and unique. And, or course, the view of the Mississippi River is pretty incredible as well.

I met Ivey as she was getting ready at the Veranda Hotel, which is part of the Harrah's Grand Casino development in Robinsonville, Mississippi. Yes, for all of my non-Mississippi visitors, the casinos in Tunica, actually aren't in Tunica. They're in Robinsonville.

Ahhh, but I digress.

Ivey and Dean, thank you for letting me be a part of your day. I had a great time with you and your families.



~wj

andrea & chris ::: congrats

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I'm headed back down to New Orleans this weekend for a wedding. This time, I'll be a guest though. My buddy Chris is finally marrying and I'm really looking forward to seeing all my old college buddies. We just don't see each other enough anymore. We've all be chatting a lot recently, and we're anxious to get together again. But I have a feeling at this wedding we won't be quite as rambunctious as we were about 15 years ago where the first of our crew married. I highly doubt I'll be playing bongos with the band this time around. But you never know.

I was in New Orleans a few months ago and spent a fun day with Chris and Andrea. Hanging out. Enjoying the city. And we created a few images for their engagement session as well. Here are just a couple of images from the day (and night!), and the last one is just a little dig at my buddy.

Congrats Chris and Andrea. Can't wait to see y'all this weekend!

~wj

pushing the boundaries a bit . . .

I love creative use of photography, and this stop motion video is one of those instances. It's an ad for the 50th anniversary of the Olympus Pen camera, and it's just brilliant. Stop motion within stop motion.

Take a look, I think you'll enjoy it as well.

~wj

todd snider - talkin' seattle grunge blues

If you were raised in the mid-eighties to mid-nineties, I bet you'll get a kick out of this song.

I love the simple, truthfulness to Todd's work. But perhaps more importantly, I really admire the way he makes quite poignant insights without taking himself too seriously. But don't let that mislead you. Head over to iTunes through the link below and give him a listen. If you pay close attention, I bet you'll come to find that while he may not take himself too seriously, the way he approaches his craft is no joke at all. Even if we all have a good laugh while enjoying it.