Lately, I’ve been tied to my computer, editing photos, researching projects, wrapping things up from this year and preparing for next year. Everyone that runs a small business knows that we can get so caught up in running the business, we can lose sight of why we started it in the first place. Then something comes along and whacks you over the head to remind you.

Last week I got a call from AZ ASMP chapter president, Steve Dreiseszun. He was calling about the last minute need for a photographer for a Flashes of Hope shoot. The ASMP has partnered with Flashes of Hope to provide the highest ethical and professional standards. I was free and jumped at the change to help.

Flashes of Hope is a nonprofit that according to their website, “changes the way children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses see themselves through the gift of photography and raises money for pediatric cancer research.” It is truly an amazing organization and I was honored to be asked to help.

It’s hard to put into words how profound the experience was for me. The kids were great, most were a little shy at first, but there was that moment when they let go and were just kids having fun. Seeing that change was amazing. Thinking back on the day brings tears to my eyes. Everyone was very thankful that I was there and could help at the last minute, but I felt that I should be thanking them for allowing me to be part of such a special experience.

Being a professional is less about what gear you have and more about how you prepare for a shoot and how you handle yourself during the shoot.

Whenever I shoot a wedding, I scout the location several days in advance, at the time the wedding will take place. This shows me how and where the light will be at the wedding, and I know to prepare for sun or shade. I get familiar with the venue layout which helps me find good angles to shoot from and move between locations faster. Scouting the location also allows me to start thinking about the photos several days in advance. That way I can go into the day with a game plan. I know all the cool, interesting spots for photos and how the light will be for the ceremony. On the day of the wedding, I show up early, and I can change my plans to work with any changes at the venue. Spending the extra time preparing allows me much more freedom to make great photos on the day.

Scouting the location allows me to become familiar with the venue and aware of any environmental obstacles I’ll have to deal with. As a professional photographer you should always be aware of your environment. I repeat, always be aware of your environment. I did some volunteer work for a community theater several years ago and getting the shot often required me to shoot from the edge of the stage. One wrong move and I’d fall anywhere from 6 to 10 feet. So I’ve learned to always be aware of my environment. I don’t think I can stress how important this is. I can take a quick glance at my feet and see what’s a few feet behind me. Being aware of my environment puts me at a huge advantage when navigating around guests, aisles or other obstacles as I get the shot.

I’ve seen this video circulating around the internet of the past couple days.

My first thought was, “Wow! I would never allow that to happen to me.”

When I was in college, I never thought about data management, I just wanted to make pictures. Over the years, I’ve switched from an unorganized stack of DVD backups to using a very organized RAID and online backup system. This has been a life saver when trying to find old photos. Over the past 2 years, I’ve started keywording all my photos. This will help in the future and my archive grows. My current archive for the past 3 years comes in at just under 200,000 photos. This year, I’m expecting to add a between 75-100K photos.

When I returned from Vancouver, I jumped into the start of wedding season. I did a quick check of my gear and realized there was no way I would make it through my first wedding before my hard drives filled up. So, I needed more hard drive space. My 1TB Raid had filled up. I checked out B&H and ordered the 4TB version of my current external drive. This should get me through the fall before I’ll need more space.

Click for more unboxing photos.

This morning I left early to get some photos of workers taking down the fences. The fences that have kept me away from the venues since I’ve been here. Fences and lines seemed to be two themes for the games. I took photos of that, but they didn’t feel right. The tone of the city had changed. It wasn’t an Olympic city anymore. It was a city recovering from a huge two and a half week party. Some people went back to the lives they had before the Olympics. Others it was their job to help restore the city to it’s previous state. Tourists were leaving, very few were out on the streets. The mood I wanted to capture was one of loneliness. When the crowds were around, I never felt alone. I felt part of something greater than myself. While wandering the same places I’ve been many times in my time here, they were empty and cold. I felt alone.

My last full day in Vancouver. I’m filled with emotions as I reflect on this trip. I’ve been here long enough that this is my new normal. Phoenix seems like a lifetime ago. When I think about this trip, I feel opposite extremes at the same time. It seems like I just arrived, but I also feel like I’ve been here a very long time. I can’t express how much fun this has been. It’s also been one of the hardest assignments I’ve shot. I’ve questioned myself many times. It seemed kind of crazy to head up with about a month’s notice and no guarantees of work, but it also seemed like a no brainer. How could I not go?

Interacting with people from all walks of life has been a great joy on this trip. I feel like I missed many more photos than I captured. I’m confident in what I did capture. I’m glad I had today to reflect on the trip and gear down from Vancouver. I’m already gearing up for a busy couple months when I return to Phoenix. I’m excited about making prints and going through my work with Arielle and other photographer friends. I feel my work is done in Vancouver and I’m ready to leave. I’ll also miss the city. I’ll miss the amazing time I had hanging out with Seth, Vickie, Margo and Dale. All of them are very special people. I’m excited to return home to my wife, Arielle. I’m excited about the thought of coming back to visit.

I went to pick up Arielle from work last week and while I was waiting it started to rain. I didn’t notice much, since I was answering emails on my phone while I was waiting. She comes down and asks, “did you see the rainbow?” Engrossed in running my business, I missed something beautiful right in front of me. It was a complete rainbow on the horizon. Arielle and I grabbed some photos from the the parking lot then we headed up the parking deck to get a better view.

That served as a nice reminder that no matter how caught up in running a business I get, I need to stop and look around. In my heart, I’m a photographer and I should never forget that.

I thought I would share a great post from Marianne Drenthe on “Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?”.

Arielle and I bought our house about a year and a half ago. She actually put the offer in while I was at a photo conference in Florida. She had found a place in out current neighborhood that had good bones but needed some TLC. The whole place had been pained Navajo White. That years of cigar smoke buildup and horrible lighting made the house look dirty. All the fixtures, cabinets and counter tops were builder original circa 1983. There was track lighting above the ceiling fan in the kitchen.

Since we bought the place, we’ve painted almost every square inch of the walls and ceilings, replaced the toilet and sink in the 1/2 bathroom, replaced the chandelier in the entry, added curtains to the living room, replaced all the switches and outlets, moved around the ceiling fans,
replaced the single mirror over the double vanity in the master bathroom with 2 framed mirrors and replaced 6 light fixtures.

Our latest project was a new toilet in the master bathroom. The old one was a low flow toilet from the early 80s that didn’t actually flush anything down unless you flushed 2 or 3 times. (Kind of defeating the purpose of a low flow toilet and adding frustration to the user)

Arielle was a big help removing the old toilet and installing the new one. Here she is cleaning up the mess I made during installation.

We still have a to-do list longer than the done list, but we’re slowing checking things off. I never wanted a house. I always saw them as to much of a hassle. I still dread the idea of doing house projects, even though I love doing them. I’m very glad we found this house. Even with our huge to-do list, it’s perfect for us right now.

While I was at the newspaper, I covered a ton of high school and college sports. Now that’s it’s been a couple years, I find myself looking forward to the few times I get the chance to shoot sports again. Over the past year and a half, I’ve covered Arizona State Championship tournaments for the Gallup Independent. These photos are my favorite from the various sports I’ve covered.

Click for more photos