The city of Provo made some commercials with a handful of local business owners as a way to promote the business opportunities in this town. They've been showing on BYUTV, so if you've watched a BYU football game, maybe you've seen one or two.
It's hard to watch myself, but I'm always happy to herald the great things about Provo.
Thanks Cjane, for suggesting they include me.
Here's the very fun Slighting Family, photographed in Provo Canyon.
Here's Connor. He's pretty cool.
(Click on any image to view it larger)
Founders of Chatbooks, Vanessa and Nate Quigley
I'm so impressed with Vanessa and Nate. They're started a remarkable company and continue to grow it, and I like that, but it's also so nice to just be around them. They are very good at making people around them feel important. And I like that, too.
Oh, and have you seen their hilarious commercial?
For six years I have done these birthday self portraits, inspired by my friend Brett Howell. The idea is that throughout the day I take the same number of self portraits as I am in age. This year: 49. This year, I was visiting my parents in St. George, Utah, so I got some fresh scenery from the previous years' birthday self portraits.
Come with me on a journey of romance and adventure through these 49 self portraits and see how I spent my 49th birthday.
St. George, at my parents' house
Not a complete breakfast.
My sister Kristi, the good Dr. Rose, was in town.
My other sister, Jenni, the good Dr. Fisher, was also in town. My sisters live in Virginia and New Mexico, so I was so happy to spend time with them.
On the campus of Dixie University. No idea who this is.
We went to hear my parents speak. They gave a talk to retired professors about their time teaching in China. I'm proud of my parents. My mom didn't mention it to any of us kids, but my dad told the group today that my mom was awarded teacher of the year at the University where they were teaching. My parents are really great.
Kristi, Jenni, Me, Amy
At my parents' house.
Packing up, headed home.
Until next time...
"If you don't mind me asking, why'd you take my picture?"
You can also see how things played out when I turned 48.
Some notes about the project -
This is hard. First of all, I have to try and take 49 unique pictures. Obviously, not all of them are home runs. In fact, most are not. I hope at the end of the day I get a couple of really fantastic stand-outs. I think this year there are a couple of those. Also, it takes all day to do this. And then of course, I don't want to repeat what I've done in previous years, and the truth is, that's impossible. And there are some repeats. In fact, I want to do one particular repeat every year. That is, the first picture is me, in bed, at the beginning of the day. I like that as a starting point.
It was nice being in a different town this year, as I had some new environmental elements I could include.
How long will I do this? Beats me. But for now, I'm having a great time doing it. And if nothing else, it's a really pleasant record of my birthday.
Why do this -
Well first of all, why not? It's fun! But beyond that, I'm a big believer that working photographers, professionals, people that make their living creating images for other people, should always be doing work for themselves. (In fact, in a few weeks, Trevor Christenson and I will be speaking at a very cool photography conference, Photo Native, about this very topic.) There is value in doing something just for pleasure. So that's one reason. Another reason, is because trying to make an interesting self portrait 49 times means I have to push myself beyond the obvious, past the cliches, past the pictures I've done before. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I do not. But that act of trying will always translate into making better pictures when I'm hired by a client. So this is fun, but I also see it as a necessary step in trying to be a better photographer than I was last year.
Upward and onward! 2017!
Jimmy Osmond, photographed at his home for the London Sunday Times.
This job was great fun to shoot. Last year, Jimmy was on a cooking show in the UK, so the Sunday Times wanted him pictured with one of his favorite meals. We arrived at his house and were welcomed in by Jimmy who was gracious, friendly, and funny. And after the shoot was over, he even helped me carry my gear out to my car. Now, that's a classy move.
I like outtakes. For me, they are pictures that don't work, but then, on some level, they do. Maybe they just didn't fit the intended purpose, but there's still something interesting (strange? compelling? unanswered?) at which to look.
Here are a handful of images from 2016 I didn't show the client. But I didn't get rid of them, either.
Click on any image to view it larger.
I collected these as I was reviewing my favorite images from 2016. I'll be posting those pretty soon.
Christine Durhman, associate justice on Utah's Supreme Court, photographed at her office, The Matheson Courthouse, for Dialogue Magazine.
Here's Emily + Eric, they're married, now, but they weren't when I took these pictures. I'll post some of their wedding pictures soon.
Best voice in the world, Brooke White.
Photographed at my studio in downtown Provo.
Here's the vow renewal ceremony of Sherrod and Emily in Bakersfield, California.
One the best parts about being a wedding photographer is witnessing the happiest days in someone's life. I leave the event feeling good about the world, about life, and love.
Emily and Sherrod's vow renewal ceremony felt just like that, except newlyweds often have no idea what they're getting into and have a wonderfully optimistic, yet untested sense of hope. Emily and Sherrod, on the other hand, after being married for 20 years, knew just what that marriage road looked like, and they loved what they saw. The whole event was very inspiring.
(Click any image to view it larger)
The best vendors were involved, of course.
Flowers: Amanda, from House of Flowers
Band: Lonely Avenue
Caterer and Event Location: The Padre Hotel
Event Planner: Cassandra from The Fairy Godmother
Cake: Anamie Mahanke
Photograph of Rexburg, Idaho on December 31, 2016.
Marlin Jensen, photographed for Dialogue Magazine.
Just as beautiful and kind as she is funny, here's Mallory Everton from Studio C.
This might be my favorite Studio C sketch of all time.
Mackenzie and Dylan wanted to get married in the mountains. Mackenzie's family cabin seemed an ideal spot, and getting married in September would be an ideal time. So, it was quite a surprise when Mackenzie woke up on the morning of her wedding to see snow on the ground. No problem, they decided, they'd just scramble and get everything ready to have a party inside. Then the power went out. A family member drove into town and picked up a couple generators. Mackenzie took it all in stride, and by the time I arrived, was laughing that classic Mackenzie laugh. And by the time the group pictures were taken, about 30 minutes before most of the guests arrived, the power came back on.
Oh, sure there were a few hitches along the way, but mostly, it was a perfect wedding. Certainly memorable.
It looked a little something like this. (Click any image to view it larger)
Bikes play a pretty big role in how Austin and Elise met. The first time he saw her, she was stopped, trying to fix her broken bike. He knows a little something about bikes (he started and runs the Provo Bike Collective, after all) and stopped to help, to see what he could do. He fixed her bike, but more importantly, got her number. They subsequently started going on bike rides, fell in love, and got engaged.
Meet Austin and Elise.
I was in Bakersfield for a couple days this week to photograph a vow renewal ceremony. (More on that, later). I had some time to walk around, just to see what I could see. It's one of my favorite ways to pass some time in a new town. Reminds me of this quote by Robert Adams. "No place is boring if you had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film."
Bakersfield environs
Kern County Fair, Bakersfield, CA
Kern County Fair, Bakersfield, CA
I photographed two weddings last week. Both, originally intended for outside. After all, it is still September. But, cold weather forced a change on the days of both weddings. Here's a photograph from my friend and former UVU student, Mackenzie's wedding. I'll post more from this happy day once I have them all edited.
