In the last few days leading up to Christmas, I decided to put the camera down and focus on enjoying the holidays. It felt good to not shoot anything for a few days, and be able to sit back and relax. I hope all of you were able to have a fantastic Christmas, Hanukuh, Kwanzaa, or whatever you choose to celebrate.
Jennifer and I had a peaceful Christmas morning together, exchanging gifts and enjoying the quiet rainy weather. In the afternoon we ventured out to visit my parents, as well as Jennifer’s extended family. I did manage to snap a couple shots of our nieces Denise and Daphney earlier this evening:
Merry Holidays everyone!
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Last week I once again found myself in southern Georgia on post at Ft. Benning, shooting images for the US Army. For those of you who may not have seen my Army images before, several times a year I fly out to different Army posts around the country to photograph soldiers while in training. I’ve photographed everything from basic training, to airborne, to ranger, ROTC, and so on. This time around it was infantry.
I don’t like to preface the images too much, but there is one thing I always like to mention. All of these images were photographed as the moments happened. My shots were not staged or choreographed in any way. I photograph the soldiers as their training exercises happen. I think knowing that helps add to the effect of the images.
Here are handful of images from last week:
I love seeing the shell casings fly out of the chamber. Especially on these insane .50 caliber sniper rifles. Photographer’s note: There’s no added texture on this image. The explosiveness of the gun kicks up a lot of dust and debris.
Some details:
Tank track
25mm tank ammo
These tanks were zooming by at what seemed like 30 mph. They’re awesome.
I love faces.
The smoking gun!
This is another .50 caliber sniper rifle shot, a lucky one, where I actually captured the muzzle flash:
Ok. I lied. I actually had these guys stand up and pose for me for a second so I could snap this portrait. Definitely one of my faves from the trip!
Getting ready to take over the building:
And lastly, my absolute favorite shot from the trip. I won’t go into detail, but it’s a miracle I got this shot. This took place just after the previous image. The soldiers are clearing out a building one room at a time. When they cleared this room (which I was in) they used a flash-bang-stun-grenade thing before entering the room. I nearly pissed myself when it went off. It was 25 feet away, and it would’ve knocked me over had I not been up against a brick wall. I shot for 2 seconds after the blast, before the room was too filled with smoke, and I fell over.
More Army shoots are coming up in the new year, so stay tuned for more fun images!
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I’m heading out of town first thing in the morning for yet another week of shooting for the US Army! But before I leave I wanted to post a quick slideshow. My good friend Aaron Thompson and I run a networking group for San Diego photographers that get together once a month to chat and develop our businesses. At our holiday party last Thursday at Janis Foley’s awesome studio, I set up a fun little photo booth for everyone to have fun with. Below is a quick collection of shots from that setup. Please don’t complain about the images not lining up with the beat of the song. I have old version of ShowIt Web, so it’s not an option for me! Oh, and it’s a pretty big slideshow so be patient with the loading.
I’ll be checking in from Georgia in the coming days with Army photos! Until then, enjoy this goofy slideshow!
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Every year I like to say that I celebrate my birthday all month long. That’s more of a joke than a reality, but this year it’s looking like I’ll be celebrating my birthday for at least a whole week! Last Wednesday I spent the evening having dinner and conversation with a bunch of my fellow photographer friends, and this week is packed full of fun evenings as well.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my actual birthday, and I’ll be taken out to dinner by my lovely wife Jen! Also, I’ll be having lunch at my favorite little hole-in-the wall, Chopstix. If you’d like to stop by and chow down on some ramen with just let me know! I plan on getting there around 12:30.
Thursday is the PPT Christmas party! And while that has nothing to do with my birthday, I’ll secretly be pretending that everyone and everything is in honor of my birthday! If you’re a photographer in the SoCal area, and would like to come spend the evening partying with us, send me a note and I’ll give you al the details. Bring your spouse, and have a good time with us!
Friday I’ll be hanging out downtown with a few good non-photographer friends having some dinner and drinks. Yes, in honor of my birthday! Saturday will concluded the birthday dinners as Jen and I meet up with another couple who share the same birthday as me. We’ll be doing stakes at Donovan’s… yum!
After all of the partying and eating, I’ll be flying out to Georgia on Sunday to do another weeks worth of shooting for the Army. Fun times!
I also want to say thank you to everyone inquiring about my Mom, and about the baby. Mom is doing well, pushing through chemo and staying strong. Jen is also doing very well. We found out last week that we’re having a girl! She just now beginning to kick, and things are starting to get real!
2 hours and 5 minutes left in year number 32!
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