Spare!

Tonight was not my typical Tuesday night. I normally help out at girlscout meetings for a local troop that my girlfriend used to belong too. She has long since been out of the troop but still helps her neighbor who is now the troop leader.

Every other Tuesday night we meet at a local elementary school for the hour long meeting which involves games and crafts. Well tonight we meet for a 2 hour long meeting at the local bowling alley.

Home

I though you all might like to see my home. Testing out a new lens gave me the opportunity to capture this image today.

Dinner Time

It's that time of day again. When the whole family gets together and sits down at the dinner table for a nice, warm, home cooked meal.

Who am I kidding? I cant remember the last time we actually used the dinner table to eat.

It is a pretty rare sight now a days to see families sitting at a table, sharing a meal unless its in a restaurant. Families just do not have enough time in a day anymore to spend quality time with each other.

Colors

With warm temperatures and plants heading towards full bloom here shortly, we are seeing more and more color in gardens up and down the streets. For the time being, green is he dominate color. However all that will soon change, once more color emerges from the green as more and more flowers begin to take over. Spring is a welcomed sight after such a mild winter this year. We have been lucky with temperatures this winter but always look forward to the warmer seasons.

Today we remember

Today marks one year since the tragedy that took place on the Virginia Tech campus.

I was asked today, by a local Virginia Tech graduate if I would be attending the local memorial being held tonight to honor the victims and if I was going to be photographing the event. I simply responded by saying that I will not. I told him that I'm sure there will be plenty of press coverage there and that I would not feel comfortable intruding on such a memorial with my camera.

I am not a Hokie. I have however been to the campus and know many people who attend and have attended Virginia tech, they all know that today I am a Hokie, I am here for them.

Today I will remember those 32 people who lost their lives that day. I feel for the families and friends who will not be able to see what fine and upstanding citizens those 32 people would have grown up to become. Who knows what those lawyers or doctors could have done for this world.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all Hokies tonight. For today, we are all Hokies.

Toys for photographers

What is it that makes photographers see objects in a completely different way than the average person? Probably the same things that make kids see the same way we do. Photographers have to have an eye for the unusual, the strange, and the down right cute and beautiful in order to be successful. You have to find a style that sets you apart from others if you want to make it anywhere in this business.

About 2 weeks ago I bought this nice big tea cup to use for some baby portraits I have planned. So far its been sitting on the my dinning room floor collecting dust. Well after dinner tonight Austin decided that a tea cup makes a wonderful hat, although it can become quite heavy when you're only 4 years old.

Light

Light comes in many forms, the sun, a flame, a bulb. Light quite literally lights our lives every day. Does anyone over stop to think that without it we would be lost?

Sitting here as I type this, I see the light shining from my laptop screen, helping me get some work done. I see the floor lamp in the corner, lighting the room with a soft glow. The bright picture on the TV screen brings us entertainment, just as the light on my fish tank brings life to the corals inside.

Light helps us in many ways yet for some reason we never pay attention to just how much.

Foggy Friday

For the past two days we have woke up to a grey world. The rain has passed, for now, and the temperatures continue to rise. With such delightful weather throughout the past few days, I guess a little fog in the morning is nothing to complain about.

Finally!

Some sun. After a week of rain and cold weather we are finally blessed with a sneak peek at what spring has to offer. Fluffy white clouds are a welcomed sight after having been covered under a thick gray blanket for some time now.

More rainy nights

It's been raining here for the past month! Well maybe not, but it sure feels like it. Its not the normal rain. Its the misty kind of rain. The kind of rain that makes you to turn your wipers on and off continuously. Spring remains illusive, but it’s inevitable.

How it all began

While looking through a closet recently I came across my dads old camera. He still uses it to this day, though not as much as he used to. Its still in great shape and only needs a new battery once in a while. Still works flawlessly.

I remember growing up, when he used to take family pictures with that camera. I also recall one time watching him load film into it, wondering what he was going to be taking pictures of this time. But this time was different. He wasn't going to be taking pictures. I was. He handed the camera over to me, hung the strap around my neck, and told me to go and be creative.

My dad never was a professional photographer, just a man pursuing a hobby, much the same as when I began. He has a very creative eye and always takes amazing photographs whenever he picks up the camera.

I have him to thank for getting me into this wonderful, crazy, stressful, and yet rewarding avenue of expression we call photography.

Thank you dad.

Ol' Glory

Today I found myself working in Toano Va. It's a small town in between Williamsburg and Richmond. All the big attractions and major employers are in the cities lying miles from the small town. There are however alot of mom and pop kind of shops along the 2 lane road that runs right through town.

Its really one of those laid back kind of places that you don't give a second thought to as you drive right past while doing 80 mph down the interstate. Its one of those towns that still has pride in themselves.

I stopped at a small store there to grab a drink for the ride home. I was greeted by a elderly lady as I entered. She spoke quietly and slowly, reminding you once again that you were in a laid back kinda town where time moves at its own pace. I grabbed my drink and made my way to the register where she had some small American flags for sale. They were in a old pickle jar on the counter. I couldn't help but notice that there were only 3 flags left in the jar.

I was curious to know and just had to ask, if those small flags were a hot seller. She smiled and spoke again. "Sweetie, after 9/11 I couldn't get them in here fast enough. Now... no one cares any more. Its like they lost all respect for America now adays."

It got me thinking on the ride home. We don't need a national holiday or some catastrophic event in America to make us all remember how proud we are to be Americans. Just look deep in your heart and you Will find it again.

As I pulled up in front of my house I couldn't help but notice our flag, flying from the porch just the way it has been for the past few months. I took a picture of it just to share with everyone and hopefully inspire a little patriotism in you all.

Rewarding

This is a older image from this past fall. Its my 4 year old son Austin. This also happens to be the first picture I had printed, matted and framed for myself. The reason I am posting this now is because I just picked it up yesterday from the frame shop and got it hung on the wall last night. I must say it feels good to see some of my work hanging in another persons house. It feels even better to see it hanging in my own.

I took this picture while we were taking a break from hanging Christmas lights on the house. Austin had been running through the leaves for a few minutes when I decided to go in and grab my camera. I jumped up on top of a ladder and started shooting.

Past, present and future

So today was a pretty dull and gloomy day. What better day to go out and take a nice little walk and get some new pictures.

I revisited a local city park that I have not been too in ages. I remember coming here years ago when it first opened, when you could rent boats and fish in every little lake the park has. The boating and fishing is now limited to only the largest lake. Kind of makes you sad to see this happen but I guess its what needs to be done inorder to protect nature so future generations will be able to enjoy it just as much as we do today.

Welcome to 2005 Jason!

Well I have wanted a website for my photography for a some time now but have been super lazy and never gotten around to actually creating one.

Well I spoke to a young lady the other day while getting a picture matted, she explained her blog to me and how easy it was to create and maintain. So I started thinking.

If I had a blog instead of a website, it would cause me to shoot more pictures and make sure I update the blog more than I would a website. I think blogs are a little more personal anyway. I mean people have been blogging for years now right? I think its about time I become part of this movement.

So I hope to have this thing figured out by the weekend and maybe even have another post here. My goal is to make a new post, a picture and a small story behind the picture, every few days. This gives me a chance to share some of my work and gives me a reason to pick up my cameras a little more than I have been.

I hope you all will keep an eye on this and please let me know what you think. If you see me slacking off on it, dont hessitate to call me or email me and tell me to straighten up!