baby Avery

Jamie and I did wind up staying in today and I decided to catch up on some editing. So here is a bit of it. More to come the next few days.

About two weeks ago I went down to Laurel, Mississippi to create some black and white images of the area for an interior designer client. While down there I met April and her daughter Avery for a portrait session. I didn't realiuze it beforehand, but after meeting April I learned that her father-in-law is one of my Cousin/Uncle (long story) Roy's best friends. I've met Grandpa Tony many times and played several rounds of golf with him as well, and he is one of my favorite people. Always smiling, always laughing, I don't think I've ever seen Tony in a bad mood. So it was a pleasure to create the first "professional" photos of his granddaughter. I can't wait to see him again so we can talk about it.

We created these images at my friend George Bassi's home. George is the executive director of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel. If you ever get the chance to visit, definitely do so. It really is a little gem of a museum, and the town of Laurel is so lucky to have it there.

Oh, and we did go see Juno tonight. Wow. It is a very smart, funny movie. Ellen Page absolutely deserves her Oscar nomination. If you enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine, you'll love this movie as well. Which, now that I think about it, is not surprising considering they are both Fox Searchlight movies.

And now, a few of Avery's images.

Snowed in?

A winter storm is headed in to Colorado tonight. It was great skiing
this afternoon, as the snow hit around lunchtime. By three o'clock it
was coming down pretty good. Visibility was low, but it was worth it
for the powder.

We're scheduled to return on Wednesday, but we're hearing that we
might be snowed in. Needless to say we'll be watching the weather
channel quite a bit the next few days.

First day on the slopes.

Jamie and I are spending a long weekend in Colorado with her mother
and step-father, as well as two good friends of ours, Aaron and Mary
Mckay. I promised my niece Meredith that I would blog everyday while
we were out here so she could keep up with the trip. So here you go
Meredith!

Today was our first day skiing and at the end of the afternoon I
convinced Jamie and Aaron to make one last run down Longshot. I
blogged about this a few weeks ago, so if you saw that you might
remember that Longshot is a run, just on the edge of the mountain at
Snowmass. It run from the top of the mountain all the way to the
bottom. An elevation of over 11,000 feet. The kicker is that you
have to hike up the mountain about 300 yards just to get to the start
of the run, and once you're on it, there's no getting off.

We were all pretty worn out by the time we got to the top, and Jamie
and Aaron were about ready to kick me, but they did great and we all
made it down. Here are a few pics. Hope you like them Meredith!

It wasn't really dark, but it sure seemed that way as we were walking the 300 yards uphill to the top of Longshot.

My beautiful wife Jamie taking a break while we caught our breath before heading down the slope.

My buddy Aaron catching his breath as well.

Me and Jamie trying to work up the energy to get started.

Aaron trying to decide if we're still gonna be friends when this is all over.

baby Anderson

I spent most of last week working on a commission in Laurel, Mississippi, but the morning before I left I met my friend Heather to photograph her son Anderson. Anderson is Heather's third child, and I've really enjoyed photographing his sister Emma Grace and brother matthew over the years. Another neat thing about going to their house is that it is the house I grew up in! Granted, it's been nearly 25 years since I lived there, but it still kinda feels like home to me. Is that weird?

Anyway, here is Anderson at about 3 months.

Nancy & Roger : Engagement Session

I met Nancy and Roger this past Saturday for their Esession. They both live in Birmingham, but will be marrying in Nancy's hometown of Inverness, Mississippi. It's one of our wonderfully beautiful small Delta towns. The wedding is in April and I can't wait to see how gorgeous Deer Creek will be that time of year. If this first run (in January, no less) is any indication, the images from the wedding should turn out great!

Natalee -- take 3

This was my third session with Natalee. Her parents, Robert and Jasmine, first asked me to create images of Natalee when she was about 6 months old. She's now just past 2, and it's unbelievable how quickly she's grown (but don't they all!) We met in December just before Christmas, and I was so excited to see how well the fallen leaves matched her beautiful auburn hair. And of course, Natalee's fun little personality makes create great photos of her so easy.

Thanks, Nat !

Heaven must look a little like this. . .

I spent this afternoon skiing with my wife, my father, and my brother-
in-law. We managed to catch the last lift to the top of the mountain,
and once we were there I stubbornly decided to hike another 200 yards
or so--uphill--to a "secret" run that culminates at the bottom of the
mountain. Even after much pleading on my part, the others elected not
to join me. The extra hiking was not something they really wanted to
do, especially after a long day of skiing.

I admit the run was a bit harder than I anticipated, and the walk
uphill had me breathing pretty darn heavily. But once I got to the top
of the hill I realized why it is worth it to walk to spots like this
on the mountain. I was the only one there and the view was incredible.
I took a seat, caught my breath, and absorbed all the wonder and
beauty that was before me.

So the hike was worth it. Taking a beating in my legs and my ego as I
skiied down the slope was worth it. Doing this alone was worth it.

Sometimes we just need to take a moment--however brief it may be--to
observe, reflect, and realize how awesome our journey can be.

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Posted from my iPhone