Fitness

It's that time of year again, guys!  Kelsey is back to help me create more fire!  Literally fire because we were supposed to shoot earlier that day but it was literally 100 degrees, so there's that.  Anyway, whenever she comes home, we just go ham with the photo sessions.  The ideas that we come up with all the way down to the execution makes us such an unstoppable team.  I can't wait till we schedule our next shoot.  I promise that it'll be even better than this one!  Also, if anyone knows how to get us a Nike sponsorship, let us know! *winky emoji*

This was kind of my first little fitness shoot that didn't involve athletes during competition.  What do you guys think about it?  I want to do more shoots like this with athletes of other sports.  Be on the lookout!  I'm going to be working with everyone I can to keep things interesting on the blog!

Orlando

I must say, I have been out of the state and traveling a ton the past 9 months.  I'm impressed and very happy with how often I've been on the move.  This time the family and I took a trip to Orlando for a mini vacation.  We didn't take a plane to get to our destination, but we took a drive from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and then into Florida.  I would've loved to stop in all the states longer than to just get gas.  All of the places that we drove through seemed to be some pretty cool places to take photos.

Anyway, we were in Orlando for a Mother's Day get-a-way.  No, we didn't go to Disney this time but had a good time exploring Downtown Orlando, driving out to Cocoa Beach, walking around the resort.  Shoot, I even went to a local barbershop and got my beard trimmed up.  I felt like a local and not a tourist this time around and I certainly love having that local experience while traveling to different cities.  Not only did we get to celebrate Mother's Day, but we got to celebrate Nana's birthday, and Aunt Rita's send off to Afghanistan.

I'm ready to go to another city soon.  I really want to go to Austin because why not?  It's only 4 hours away, but working Saturdays sucks because I can never just take a weekend trip anywhere without having to take time off.  *yawn*  Adulting at its finest.

Honestly, I think my next trip will just be to travel around Dallas a bit more.  I still haven't gone to the Cowboys stadium to do a tour of their facility.  Can you believe that?!  I've been to Deep Ellum a few times, but hasn't experience the nightlife there at all.  I'm really missing out on things to do and experience in my own backyard!  So I guess I'll do that first!

Happy Late Valentine's Day??

First thing's first... DID YOU GUYS SEE BLACK PANTHER YET?!  It's a must see if you haven't seen it yet!  #WakandaForever

Alright, back to the business at hand!  How's this for being different?!  This is my first time doing a shoot like this and I'm sure it won't be my last!  This shoot made me take a step out of my comfort zone.  Being that most of my shoots have been outdoors the past couple of years, this was also good practice for working with light that's available me.  For some of the shoot, I used my ring light and a backdrop.  Towards the end of the shoot, I challenged challenged myself to find the best available lighting in the house.  You know when old folks haven't done something for a long time, then they go do that thing and end up doing it well.  Yeah, that was me during this shoot and it's safe to say, that I still got it!

Not only was it a fun shoot, but it was certainly a lot better when Alex comes in and just completely slays!  This late Valentine's Day shoot was one to remember.  I'm super satisfied with how well everything went and is ready to do another shoot since I don't have much time to pull my camera out.  I almost want to buy some strobes because I miss doing studio work but at this point in my life, I'd rather spend money on traveling!  Because who doesn't love a good trip, right?

Speaking of trips...  Get ready for some super awesome photos coming in the next blog post.  It'll be a trip that I've been trying to make for a while and now I am finally getting a chance to go!  I haven't seen some of friends in years so it'll be good to see them as well!  Anyway, have a great rest of the week guys!

New Year, Same Start

Happy New Year, everyone!  Man, I tell ya.  What a start to the New Year!  This year started off exactly like it did last year.  James Madison University (JMU) came down to compete in this year's NCAA DI FCS Football Championship game against North Dakota State University (NDSU).  But before I talk about this crazy game, let's talk about an event that transpired the day before the game!

My good friend, Scott came down to photograph the game so you know we had to get together and hit the road.  Thursday night, Scott asked me if I wanted to go to Waco and visit Magnolia.  You know Magnolia!  The Magnolia from HGTV?  Yes, Magnolia!  I had no idea what Magnolia was and HGTV wasn't my first choice when it comes to watching tv.  I happily agreed to take the trip down since I have never been to this Magnolia.  Come to find out, last year when I photographed JMU softball at Baylor, I stayed in a hotel right down the street from Magnolia and still had no idea where or what it was.  Seeing this place was pretty neat.  I posted to my Snapchat and within 2 minutes of posting, I had several friends send me a message saying how jealous they were of me being there. 

Scott and I walked around the store so that he could pick up something for his wife and while we did that, I was taking in the ambience of this place.  It was certainly a place I would want to visit the next time I go to Baylor.  Maybe even take a friend or two and do a photoshoot there?

So Saturday was the big day and probably one of the most exciting events to add to my list of crazy things to happen in 2018.  JMU, looking for a back-to-back win, while NDSU was fighting to reclaim their title.  A nail-biting game to say the least.  I was shooting and trying to keep my emotion out of the game but could find myself actually getting stressed at almost every point in the game.  I didn't go to JMU, never taken a class there, but I am a self-proclaimed, die-hard JMU Dukes fan!  Don't @ me.

Ok, so not only was the game super exciting to shoot, I also got to photograph Terrell Owens!  Like, the Terrell Owens.  You know, T.O.  It was a pretty good day, other than the loss.  Lots of excitement, lots of photos, and even getting to spend some time with the FCS's best photo team!  Big thanks to Cathy for getting the squad back together for another year of photos, laughs, and love.