CityMatCH
August 26, 2008 | Filed Under Community, PR Headshot | Leave a Comment
This morning I photographed the hard working staff of CityMatCH, a non-profit organization with the mission “to improve the health and well-being of urban women, children and families by strengthening the public health organizations and leaders in their communities.”
CityMatCH is grounded in the philosophy that all children and families deserve to be healthy and achieve their optimal growth and development in the physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their lives. The responsibility for assuring this is shared by each individual and his or her family, the community, and government at the federal, state, and local levels. Children and families in urban areas have unique needs and deserve special attention. These needs must be effectively addressed in order for all children, and ultimately our society, to achieve full potential. Local public health agencies are a critical component of the collaborative effort that is needed to improve the health of children and families in urban areas.
Hospice Care
August 19, 2008 | Filed Under Community | 1 Comment
As an AseraCare volunteer today, I had the wonderful privilege of photographing the very real connection between a mother and her daughter. It was a blessing to be in their presence; they were both so full of joy…
It seems the more comfortable we are with the coming of death, the greater appreciation we have for life, and we are truly able to live.
Mother’s Day
May 12, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Daily Life, Family Portraiture | 1 Comment
For Mother’s Day, we tried to take Mom out to the Olive Garden - but it was an hour and half wait. So we headed over to Camille’s Sidewalk Café instead and couldn’t of asked for a better time together! I’m so glad we brought the camera along to capture our fun together - although the 20D is starting to show its age (darn that noise!) - the real treat is that Heather shot most of these. She’s keeps denying it, but I think she’s going to be a photographer someday.
Happy Mother’s Day! I’m really grateful for my lovely mother and all she’s done for me throughout my life (as well as the rest of my family!); I’m really proud to be friends with her now as we mature in years. And just in case you don’t hear it enough, Mom - I love you!
Pioneer Days
May 10, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Daily Life | 2 Comments
Last Friday, I went back to my home town of Waverly, Nebraska and spent the day with my little sister’s elementary school for the tradition of Pioneer Days. Everyone dressed up like old pioneers and the kids learned about the culture of the times. They made their own candles, threw horse shoes, learned how to knit, and ate pioneer lunches (a cup for water, sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, apples and potatoes - but no bananas or tropical fruit because it wasn’t available). It was cold and rainy but everyone had a good time. And after the old fashioned color treatment, the images really felt like a part of history.
Weekend to Remember
March 16, 2008 | Filed Under Communication, Community, Conflict Resolution, Daily Life, Engaged Couples | Leave a Comment
Sometimes, I am overcome by spontaneous laughter - an eruption of joy springs forth from the belly of my soul. It comes from a moment when life suddenly makes sense or from a subtle reminder I am loved or from a simple thought that God is good. And this weekend, I was given many more reasons to smile at life. Heather and I went to the Family Life marriage conference, Weekend to Remember. It was held at the 4 diamond Hilton Hotel next to the Quest Center so the lobby was filled with hundreds of Bruce Springsteen fans the first night (the guest speakers even met a few of the E Street Band members on a trolley ride).
The event was a wonderful and healing time for us. Mostly because it gave us tools and space to talk about a few small weeds that have crept into our relationship. Without which, I don’t think we would of noticed. It also gave us an inspiring vision for parenthood. Greg Speck, a speaker Heather saw years ago in Spain when she was a kid, brought me to tears when he talked about the good man his father was and the kind of father he has now become.
He used to always put the kids to bed and for the first few years he was annoyed because they wouldn’t stop asking him questions. He always wanted to rush through it so he could spend time with his wife. But something clicked one day and he realized he was missing out on a great opportunity to really get to know his children. For the little ones, he crawled into bed with them and started asking them questions like, “If you were an animal what kind would you be?” or “If you could get anything at Toys ‘R’ Us right now, what would it be?” and even deeper questions like, “Is there anything you wish Dad wouldn’t do?” For the older ones, he sat on the edge of the bed or grabbed a chair and talked about how they were feeling about various things in their life. During these interactions, rich moments were shared throughout the years, and his children never doubted they were loved. Wow - I want to be the kind of man my children could freely trust with their hearts.
The best part is that we could share this experience - a couple of our friends and clients came too!
ACI Conference in Cedar Falls, IA
March 4, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Studio News | Leave a Comment
Heather and I spent the weekend together with a bunch of other photographers - we had great talks with our friend Tammy from Creative Images by Tammy and met Judy and Joe of Joseph G Johnston (true masters of the craft!). It’s truly an amazing encouragement to be involved with the larger photographic community! We were grateful to hear Jeff and Julia Woods speak and share their experiences growing their studio. It’s like Henri Nouwen once said, the best teachers are those who can articulate the inner realities of their own experiences and allow their words to become a sort of road map for their students to do the same - but only with the students’ heart, mind and soul instead of the teacher’s.
I’ve been a fan of the Woods’ work for a long time; it was great to meet them both in person and discover we share more than an obvious love of the craft. We also share similar values for how it should be done, by incorporating a priority for family and relationships (even though it’s tough sometimes and we fall short more often than not), and by maintaining a view of the world that believes its foundation is built on agape Love itself (perhaps best described in 1 Cor. 13).
Democratic Caucus of Nebraska
February 9, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Daily Life | Leave a Comment
Heather and I voted today! And my-oh-my was it an experience! Although it felt a little like a high school pep rally, overall it was a positive and exciting event. Out of approximately 1,500 people, 1,100 were for Barack Obama, 350 were for Hillary Clinton and 35 were undecided. When it was time to “realign,” all but one (and several Clinton supporters) pledged for Obama. In the pictures above, you can see a former Clinton supporter peel off his sticker in exchange for an Obama one as he is welcomed with cheers and applause.
On a personal note, I like Obama because he talks about issues in a way that encourages dialogue and discussion as opposed to the traditional way of polarizing debate. Debate stops the conversation in the middle and eliminates the possibility for genuine understanding because the goal is to prove you’re right and the other guy is wrong. Such positioning stops us from truly listening to one another and keeps us in a gridlock of distrust. Dialogue, on the other hand, can actually unify us despite passionate disagreements, and it allows the freedom for discovery, renewed perspective, learning, growth, and dare I say - hope.
And I think hope is what the future needs most.
Caedmon’s Call & Derek Webb
February 9, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Daily Life | Leave a Comment
Last night, Heather and I saw Caedmon’s Call and Derek Webb live in concert (Lincoln, NE). We had a great time; we enjoyed the performance, we were inspired by the music, and we were challenged by the lyrical content. We even bought matching T-shirts!I have to tell you, I’m always amazed how art can connect complete strangers by speaking to our own inward and private realities. Somehow, an artist who is honest and vulnerable offers hope and gives us permission to do the same. Or at least their artwork provides us with another point of view - a new perspective that might change the way we think of ourselves and view the world around us.
For me, the most challenging aspect of the evening (besides Webb’s pointed political opinions - often told with sarcasm and humor) was information about the Dalit Freedom Network, an organization to support the Untouchables of the Indian caste system. These people are among the poorest of the poor in the world. “If even a Dalit’s shadow falls on an upper caste person, that person is polluted according to caste rules. The Dalit Freedom Network partners with the Dalits in their quest for religious freedom, social justice, and human rights by mobilizing human, information, and financial resources (www.dalitnetwork.org).” As the band shared stories about their trip to India and the relationships they’ve built with these beautiful people, it reminded me there’s something much bigger out there in life I don’t want to miss out on!
Barack Obama Wins South Carolina
January 26, 2008 | Filed Under Community, Humor | Leave a Comment
In case you haven’t been following the campaign trails, Mr. Obama just won South Carolina for the Democratic Primary. Regardless of political views, I’ve got to hand it to a guy who can talk intelligently about the issues and still be a little silly with David Letterman. Check out his top ten presidential promises…