The Men

When I'm taking portraits of a group of men, the one thing I use as inspiration for posing and composition is "Oceans Eleven".

Taken with the Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 and lit with an Alien Bees B800 with a shoot-through umbrella and a Nikon SB28 bare as the backlight. This was taken in an almost completely dark room, but the low-light autofocus of Nikon cameras is unmatched.

Mr. and Mrs. Charlton

I don't usually like posting photos of clients until they have seen them, so now that Mike and Melody have their photos, I am going to blog them. Of course, if you know Mike, and are friends with him on Facebook, you'll probably get to see them all pretty soon.

Here is their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Charlton. I snapped this with the 15mm fisheye lens I try so hard to use sparingly. It was perfect for this shot, but really hard to get away with. I shoot with prime lenses exclusively, which may seem like suicide for wedding photographers, but it's worked out pretty well so far. I use two bodies and four focal lengths to choose from in my shoulder bag. I could use some more telephoto lenses, but my style centers around the wide angle more than the tight crop, as you can see by the photo above.

The Walsh Family

Taken in Historic Yorktown, yet another "Olde Towne" just outside of Newport News, VA, my friend Craig Kuhns, my wife Heather, and our kids assisted me on this family photo shoot. It was a little chilly, but so easy because the Walsh family is so good looking.

I used my Nikon d200 fixed with a 24mm f/2.8 lens. I love the d200, it's a perfect camera for me right now. Of course, I dream about the d3, but I think the next logical step for me is the d300 or d700.

Melody Crane...

...back when she was a Crane.

This is a shot from Melody's bridal portrait session. We got rained on, but we still had some pretty amazing locations.

Now that Melody and Mike have gotten married, I'm able to share these images. I'll post a few more in the next few days and weeks, but this one might be my favorite from the bunch.

Jane Zook

Jane and I have been wanting to do a proper photo shoot for a while now, and it just so happened that the only day we were able to pull it together was a freezing cold, rainy day in December. She was amazing though, she has such a natural beauty that it's hard not to walk away with dozens of great photos, regardless of the temperature. She was a really good sport, doing everything I asked of her, which included standing in the middle of the road, in the rain, in the cold, in traffic, without a coat.

She certainly got a lot of stares from the bundled-up people in Ghent.

Doug and Sara

It's hard to get a photo of my parents. Either my dad is behind the camera, or one of them isn't in the mood. When one is ready, the other is busy, or sleeping.

This was taken at Sandbridge in Virginia Beach during our Thanksgiving vacation weekend. We just wrapped up a family portrait in really cold, windy weather, and I grabbed mom and dad for a couple quick shots.

Lit with one Alien Bee B800 outfitted with a shoot-through umbrella. My very faithful photo assistant Craig Kuhns reminded me that we didn't have any modifiers on this light. It was straight flash to battle the sun.

Lying In The Grass

One of my personal favorites from our little "Birthday Session" with our kid, Isaiah. Again, playing around with some creative processing... I'm still not certain on how well I like it... It might not be subtle enough for me. I'm the kind of person who likes clean, simple, and classic. I like to achieve my look in the camera, with light and shadow, and I'm not a fan of "photoshop fads", but... I understand that creative processing can help to accentuate the message in the photo.

In this photo, I wanted to cool down the light a little and make it seem a little older, more colorful, and playful, without destroying the skin tone. I may or may not have succeeded. Let me know what you think in the comments.

See the whole collection at prints.levibethune.com

Isaiah is Three

Here is a little sneak-peek at our photo shoot with Isaiah this past weekend.

The sun was shining, and the park was empty. Perfect.

My plan is to take portraits of all my kids on or around their birthday every year. It will be a fun life-long experiment to see them grow up, and to see my photography evolve. I have more to share, but I need to set aside some time to process the rest of them. This one pretty much sums up the fun time we had at our first location.

This photo was taken with all natural light in the early fall afternoon clear skies and spotty shade make it a challenge. I'm employing a little different processing procedure than normal, but still keeping it vibrant and with the season.

Family Is Everything

This is a picture of the Soto kids during a recent family photo shoot.

Shot with my 15mm fisheye lens while laying on my back. Triggered a hot shoe flash with a pocket wizard that was laying on the ground next to my head, under a shoot-through umbrella that was stuck in the ground.

If you're looking for some fun family portraits before Christmas, I'm booking dates the weekend of Thanksgiving in Hampton Roads as well as December 14th through 17th.

Belinda At A Bus Stop

This was taken in Fredericksburg, VA in a commuter lot bus shelter. I love that it doesn't even look like glass behind her. It looks more like metal... and blood.

50mm lens, hot-shoe flash, shoot-through umbrella, and a beautiful model. That's pretty much all you need.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Scott Wilcher

I tweeted a few days ago, right after I wrapped my portrait session with Scott Wilcher, that he is the Gandalf to my Frodo.

For those of you who don't know Scott, or are confused by the Lord of the Rings reference, allow me to explain.

I met Scott Wilcher right after I got out of high-school. I visited a youth-group at Kempsville Presbyterian Church at the invitation of a girl I really wanted to date. I started getting involved at that youth group, and eventually attending the church. One thing led to another and I ended up on staff and leading worship every weekend. I was working very closely with Scott in the "Family Ministries" department doing everything from creating advertising for events to calibrating projectors and printing notes. We developed a lot of things together, and they were some of the most fruitful times of my life. Scott pushed me harder than anyone to work hard, take risks, and dive for the Frisbee even when it's not necessary. He was there when I broke up with two girlfriends, and he was there when I met, courted, and married my wife. He was at the hospital with me... more than once, he has been there to listen, talk, and process with me. Most of my best stories involve Scott.

More than anything else though, Scott Wilcher introduced me to the the Macintosh computer. Thank you Scott, for showing me the light.

This portrait of Scott was taken with my "Nifty Fifty" 50mm lens outfitted on the Nikon d200 body. I had my Alien Bees B800 strobe at 1/4 power shot through a large softbox camera-right. I had another B800 camera-left at 1/16 power shooting through a large octabox to add a little fill. I shot this at Scott's home in Chesapeake, VA as part of a personal branding campaign for him as he gets his book published.

UPDATE: For more Scott Wilcher goodness, and for those of you who do know Scott, here is a tribute video I produced years ago celebrating his time at KPC: Big Fun - A Scott Wilcher Tribute

Princess Bride: Bekah & Patrick

When I was prepping for Bekah and Patrick's portrait session before their wedding, I asked them what their favorite movies were. I like to ask those kind of questions to people, just to get a feel for their personal style and taste. I then planned on doing a partial recreation of key poses from their favorite movies.

Lit with a single Alien Bees B800 strobe at 1/4 power through a beat-up shoot-through umbrella. The sun is high in the sky creating our fill light, and the strobe acted as our rim. We were able to get a partial silhouette out of this set up, and I'm very pleased. Oh, and that lens flare off to the side? That's real. I'd tell you if I was photoshopping these things.

Yoder!

This is Belinda. She is, as she would say, pretty much the best, ever.

It was wet, cold, and wet that day, and Belinda was a trooper. She willingly sat on a wet cast iron step for our last setup.

What you don't see here is the creeper that I had to hide in this frame. Fortunately, not a lot of tourists are on the street on a blustery Saturday evening.

Scissorhands: Bekah & Patrick

My wife and I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of our two friends, Rebekah and Patrick. This is from our whirlwind portrait session. We were trying to escape from direct sunlight and have a healthy amount of portraits from the 45 minutes we had with them.

This pose is inspired by one of their favorite movies, Edward Scissorhands.

If you're getting married and need a photographer, let me know. I'm currently looking to fill up my calendar and my portfolio.

Drive-by Sunset

My wife and I were in Muncie, Indiana last week shooting a wedding. We had our friend Craig in the car, and when I saw this sunset, I just had to pull over.

"Heather, you stand here. Craig, hold this light up over your head and point it at Heather's face."

About 30 seconds later, an Indiana State Trooper pulls up behind us about 100 feet away and turns on his hazard lights. I'm thinking he's going to ask us what we're doing, tell us that we're not allowed to take pictures... but no, instead, someone gets out of the passenger seat... and starts taking pictures of the sunset.

They didn't have a beautiful model and off-camera lighting though.

Derek and The Space Shuttle

Can I just say, I think that is the coolest wall hanging, ever?

This is from a portrait shoot this past weekend in Hampton Roads. I'm still working on getting some more bookings down in that area of Virginia, so if you're interested in family portraits, head shots, or press photos, let me know.

The Actual Moment

Michael proposed to Melody while I was taking photos of it all going down.

Yes, this is the actual moment that Michael showed Melody the ring. No, this is not a reenactment. You know it's love when that index finger pops up like that.

The FRINGE Report

One of my favorite shows on TV right now is FRINGE. I like it so much that myself and my two friends Ian and Craig have started a live internet show where we talk about the previous week, discuss theories, and make predictions about the coming shows. We started this show only a couple weeks ago in conjunction with the starting of the second season of FRINGE. Check us out Wednesdays at 9pm EST at theFRINGEreport.com.

I took these photos and created this composite to help promote our show, as well as provide a classy user icon for the myriad of social networks that allow to you present yourself as a 80-pixel-wide square icon. I modeled the light and composition after the official FRINGE Season 1 DVD cover.

CJ

This is a photo of CJ Hardee at Bright City Studios in Charlotte, NC.

CJ wrote and performed a song on an upcoming album that was produced at Bright City, and I am REALLY looking forward to it.

I'm Tired of Brick

Let me start this rant by first saying that I really like this photo. Mostly because I really like Shea and Kevin, the way they dressed, how much they love each other, and how happy they are. However, coming from a purely artistic and creative sense, I am way over-tired of brick backgrounds.

We were shooting in Olde Towne Portsmouth, and if you've ever been there you know that finding a non-brick building is rare. Olde Townes are like that.

I guess it's because I've just seen so many brick backgrounds for everything from head shots to band photos to bridal portraits, that it just seems "Stock". Don't get me wrong, sometimes brick is the right texture for the job, and sometimes the client insists on it.

When we finished this location, we walked 15 feet and changed angles and got this shot. Totally different feel, and a lot more exciting.

I'll continue shooting photos up against brick walls, because sometimes that what I have to do. There are so many other textures that I'll try first though.

Someone Else's Camera

This was shot at The Norva while Over the Ocean was playing on Sept. 11, 2009. As I'm walking from one side of the crowd to the other, I see some bloke raising his camera in the air to get a shot of Jesse, and I snipe his shot. Ha ha sucker. It's my photo now. Totally mine.

And yours too. I'm sharing it with you here.

Lady In The Water

This is from an older photo session with Sara. We were losing the sun very quickly on the beach that evening, and I was juggling two models and one light in the sand. I'm so glad I didn't have to worry about cables. That is worth the price of the Pocket Wizards.

I did a lot of post production to this image. I'm not usually a fan of over "Photochopping" an image, but I like how this almost looks out of this era.

Old Man And The Bride

One of my favorite shots from a wedding I was second-shooter for. Not much to say about this one except how much I love his little "I (heart) Jesus" button. Old people are so cute.

This was shot in a gymnasium with a really really high cream-colored ceiling. I bounced my little battery-powered SB-28 strobe straight up to get some bounce. I had that little guy turned all the way up for the whole reception, and I was just going through batteries like a hot knife through butter.

Proposal Session

This is my beautiful sister-in-law Melody with her now-fiance, and my good friend, Mike. This photo session was actually just a device that Mike used in order to propose to Melody. We shot several set-ups all around Lions Bridge in Newport News, VA and finally settled under a big canopy tree by the water for the last set. It was here that Mike handed Melody a letter while I pretended to adjust settings or something. When she was finished reading, he asked her to be his wife and handed her a ring. It was precious and romantic, and surprising, and all captured with nice, balanced, soft lighting.

I like the story this photo tells, or rather, the story that this photo reflects. Mike had been interested in Melody for years, but Melody didn't know. Mike was doing what he had to do to ensure he could be with her, trusting that she would return his feelings after he wooed her. And woo her is did. And then Melody knew. Mike remained patient throughout the process, and never kept his eyes off the goal. He never kept his eyes off of Melody.

This shot was taken with an Alien Bees B800 light being shot through a 48" umbrella fired with Pocket Wizards in the shade of the bridge.

I'll post more photos from their engagement, but you can see the whole story unfold on Facebook for now.

It's Not About The Dress

I don't shoot weddings that often, but this was a snapshot of a bridal portrait session that I was assisting on. It's not the bride, the dress, or even the flowers that are the subject in this shot, it's the composition. The framing of this shot is what makes the shot.

Nate At The Norva

My friends are in a band. That band is called Over The Ocean. They are brilliant.

This is a photo of Nate Crawford slaying people with his rock at the Norva in Norfolk, VA on September 11, 2009.

I had one hot-shoe Nikon SB-28 flash mounted on the balcony camera-right, and had my shutter speed somewhere around 1/30th. I used the 15mm Sigma fisheye lens that I bought specifically for Africa, and waited until the lighting guy gave me some really heavy back-light.

Fear The Beard

This is Matt Lockett. He's the director of Bound4LIFE. You can stalk him on his blog, this twitter, or on facebook... if you dare.

You see, I took a series of photos for myself, and my two friends Ian and Craig (known to our 2 year-old as Neat and Durg, respectively) for a new online venture you shall hear about shortly. Matt saw those photos and wanted something "just as cool, if not cooler".

I think this is pretty much the sweetest profile picture ever. And it's a sample of what I can do with less than 30 minutes of your time. Check out my current rates at my web site.

Olde Towne

Why do historical parts of a city have to add an 'e' to the end of everything? Ye Olde Towne? Come on.

This was taken in Olde Towne Portsmouth(e) for an engagement shoot with Shea and Kevin. They were a ton of fun, and we had a bucket of laughs. They actually walked away from this shoot with a free bottle of wine.

Printing Over The Ocean

I'm going to be at the Over The Ocean show at the Norva tonight in Norfolk, Virginia. Not only am I going to be taking pictures during the set, but I'll be sitting behind the merchandise table for the better part of the evening, selling this piece, and 5 other like it.

I was commissioned by the band Over The Ocean(who are also some really very good friends of mine and excellent musicians) to create some art that utilizes the the lyrics from some of the band's songs.

These pieces are not available for purchase online, and can only be found at one of their live shows until sold out. They are 8"x8" color prints on semi-glossy paper.

It has been a long time since I've done any sort of graphic art, but I'm very pleased with this series, and will continue to post more here for purchase and conversation.

If you find yourself in Norfolk, Virginia tonight, please do stop by the Norva and treat yourself to some music and art.

A Failed Headshot

Shooting some head shots for my wife Heather, I must have said something to make her laugh. Of course, I probably said it so that she would laugh. I love it when she does that.

This wouldn't work as a headshot, but it's certainly one of my favorite moments of her in front of a camera.

More Hulking Out

In keeping with the previous montage, this is what happens when a young boy sees his friend take off his shirt and make intense faces. Clearly, Samo has had more practice than Isaiah, but there is still time.

Hulking Out

This is Sam. He has an incredible imagination, and if you know him, you know that the words "incredible" and "imagination" don't hold a candle to what Sam is really like.

Heather and I had just finished a little birthday session for Zoe when our kids' friends came to see what all the fuss was about. Naturally, they wanted to see themselves on the screen like Zoe as I was tethering the Nikon D200 to the Mac Pro via a new piece of software I'm trying out called Sofortbild.

I couldn't resist.

Sam, or Samo as we call him, loves The Incredible Hulk. Despite it looking like he's having pants trouble, in this photo, Samo is "hulking out". In his mind, he turns a deep shade of green, his muscles become huge, and his blue jeans turn into purple shorts.

But please don't tell him that his favorite Marvel character just got bought by the same company that brought us Hannah Montana. He'll probably hulk out for real, and you won't like him when he's angry.

Zoyenka, Age 1

This is the last post of Zoe for a while. It was her birthday on Friday, so I have to post photos online for the family, right?

A new tradition in the Bethune household is that I will be taking a portrait of my kids on each of their birthdays. While they are kids, it's for me and my wife, but when they get older, it will be for all of us, and when they become adults it will be for them. And when they get married, I'll use it to embarrass them. Because I love them.

Celebrating One Year

I gave Heather a hard time about going to great lengths to decorate a cake for Zoe's first birthday. I can imagine a baby would think of it as an edible punching bag, but Heather treated it like a wedding cake. It really was beautiful.

Every time I would say something about it, Heather would respond, "It's for me" and I would assume she meant that she was putting work into it because she wanted something to do, and perhaps that was the truth, but I realized something else.

Zoe doesn't care about her first birthday. She like the attention, she likes playing with toys, but she really don't understand the concept yet. To her, it's not unlike any other day. However, I can say with certainty that she understands the concept of treats and toys.

Heather, on the other hand, understands the idea of birthdays and anniversaries. Heather understands milestones and accomplishments. Zoyenka turning one-year-old yesterday had less to do about her age, and more to do with what Heather accomplished one year ago, and the 9 months prior.

I love one-year celebrations. "It was one-year-ago since..."

So, my wife had proper reason to go to infinite lengths to decorate the cake and to make it as special for her as possible. And then, we watch as Zoe smears it into oblivion.

Happy Birthday Zoyenka

This is a photo of my beautiful wife Heather holding our daughter Zoyenka a few hours after she was born exactly one year-ago, today.

First birthdays are less about the child, and more about the mother. And, about everyone's reaction to the baby digging into the cake.

Pepsi Vs. Coke

Ready? Fight.

This was snapped in Clemmons, NC at an old mechanic's shop. If there are any Winston-Salem artists or musicians who want their portrait done, let me know. I'll come down there just to shoot at this location.

Mattias In The Studio

This is actually a test shot of Mattias in my father's storage/studio/piano/costume room. The black roll of paper was apparently crushed in one spot, and that's enough to ruin the whole roll. That's why you never store those rolls on their side either, always store them standing up.

I like this shot nonetheless, almost more so because the background is nearly unrecognizable, as my sister pointed out.

Happy Birthday, Mother Dear

Today is my mother's birthday. Being the second oldest of seven children, I cannot overstate how wonderful my mom is. How do you describe a woman who gave girth to seven kids, home-schooled them all, cooks, cleans, sews, writes, and works part-time? Seriously. What do you give that woman as a gift? Really, there's nothing that can come close.

My mother, Sara, is on facebook now, but she's not a stalker mom. I'm sure she would love it if you posted something on her wall.

The only problem with writing a blog post about your mother is that you're bound to get an email about how many grammatical errors there were.

The above photo was taken at Christmastime of 2008 in my parent's abode in Chesapeake, VA. Shot with available light and a 28mm lens on my old, trusty Nikon d50.

Right Before The Lions Got Him

This was taken on the Masai Mara in Southern Kenya. I snapped this photo seconds before the lions pounced and ruined our trip.

Just kidding.

It didn't ruin our trip.

I'm now offering 8x10 prints from my trip to Africa, as well as from various other photographic experiences at prints.levibethune.com but you can purchase limited edition prints straight from this blog.

In The Middle Of The Street

This was shot at the Virginia Beach oceanfront with Mattias, an old friend of mine. Mattias is getting out of the Military, and about to pursue a career and education in acting. Naturally, he needed some head shots, but we also got him some pretty cool portraits while we had him.

My sister Phoebe was assisting with this shoot. She was holding the light stand on the sidewalk while Mattias and I were standing precariously in the middle of the street. Shot using one light shot through a very large softbox, I had to push the AB800 to the max in order to get my ratio right.

Wearing a Kenya Hat

I was just telling my good friend Craig that I never posed anyone while I was in Africa earlier this year. I always had my cameras on and around my neck, so I would grab whatever photo I could, whenever I could. Because I was pulling double-duty by recording video and still images, I had my mind going in two different directions at all times. The subject matter made it easy to always get a good shot. It's a target-rich environment in third-world countries, you can basically just close your eyes, lift the camera, and snap away.

This woman had just returned from the field where she was either herding the goats or hunting. She was my favorite woman in the village we were at during the day because of her glasses. Plus, you can't beat that knit cap in the middle of an African Summer.

Natalie and the Silver Diner

I was really looking forward to Natalie's senior portraits. We had some pretty elaborate plans for an outdoor shoot, but the rain made sure we kept our expectations low. I was able to get permission from the local Silver Diner in Chesapeake, VA and the general manager, Andi, was so gracious and accommodating that she put us in a section they had closed off because they thought we could use the murals.

One of my first prime lenses for the Nikon was the 50mm f/1.8D. For a while, that was the only lens I owned, and I made it work for whatever I had to shoot. I've since gotten a few more lenses that are designed for specific purposes, and sadly, my 50mm often goes neglected. I wanted a load of head-room in this shot because of the mural, but I also didn't want to distort anything on the edge of the frame, so I dug deep into my bag and pulled out my 50.

This was also shot with only one light. I used a hot-shoe flash shot through a 20" umbrella. I really wanted to get the lamp in the frame to give some motivation to the source of light. I think Zack Arias would be proud.

Beef and a Plane

This is my beautiful sister Phoebe. A friend of ours switched the syllables in her name and called her Beefy. For years now I've called her Beef. It's just one of the many nicknames in the Bethune household like Uncle Davis, Ner, Tom, Jeardod, Motcat, Trandoshan, Naynay, Cofaehater, Nakeyboy...

Phoebe, in all of her wonderful quirkiness, was posing for head shots and portraits when she decided she needed a prop to motivate some new poses. If you've been to my parent's house in Chesapeake, Virginia, you know that there is no shortage of props or costumes, so this Fisher Price airplane was just begging to be picked up and cradled. Even jumbo jets need love.

Shot with two Alien Bees in my parent's converted garage using my dad's grey paper background. Minor editing in Aperture, my post-production workflow program of choice.

Songs of Water in the Park

This is an odd angle for me. I'm not usually a big fan of dutch tilt. In fact, if you really know me, you know that I have developed a rather strong distaste for it in most situations. However, the moment was too good to pass up, so in this case, I let it past my filter and to the public eye. Emotion trumps technicalities.

The photo you're viewing was taken while I was visiting Winston-Salem, NC on business.

A Happy Accident

This photo of Sarah was an accident. My batteries died in my pocket wizard while I snapped a couple pictures, so my lights didn't go off. The resulting photo was a near silhouette, but after some creative editing in Aperture, this is the happy accident.

This One is For Lindsay

When I was in Africa this past February, Lindsay asked specifically for pictures of trees. She was on the team as a hygiene training instructor, and she has such a loving heart for the people of Africa.

Why does the sun seem so much bigger in Africa?

Old Session, New Photo.

This is yet another photo of Yuri from earlier in the year. I will occasionally go through old sessions to dig up new photos to post on the blog. This is one of those photos.

Downtown Upstairs

I don't know why it stood out to me, but I really like the scooter at the bottom of the stairs.

Taken in downtown Winston-Salem, NC while I was down there for business.

Using only available light and waiting until there was no car or person walking by, I snapped this at an excruciating 1/25th of a second, handheld. Like some sort of Russian sniper.

I Told Him To Act Frustrated

This photo of David is part of a series of portraits I took for musicians at Bright City Studios in Charlotte, NC. Great friends of mine, and really good sports, I had the opportunity to be creative and let them be themselves.

East Africa, Old West

This is a photo I took while in Africa last February. I never really noticed it before, but while sorting through photos to get printed, I realized how "old west" it looks. I could totally see that building in Arizona somewhere. Instead, it's in Kenya.

Blue Skies Above Lauren

I love my ring flash. It provides a completely different look than my standard softbox.

NC State Inspection

I've been staying the past week in Clemmons, NC doing a contract job for a client here, and in the late afternoon and into the evening on Thursday I hit the town with nothing but natural light and a 24mm lens.

As I was looking for the freeway in order to drive into downtown Winston-Salem, I noticed this mechanic on the side of the road. His little shop is surrounded by crisp, clean, new construction and a strip-mall. For some reason, he still holds claim to a beat-up square of parking lot where he runs his little inspection station.

I love that there is nothing 2009 about this photo.

Inside The Senate Building 8

This photo is the final image of a series from one hour in the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC.

My Friend Lauren

This is Lauren. We used to hang out a long time ago. In fact, as we were talking about it, we both suddenly started feeling old. Of course, I've got kids, so I'm old by default, but when you start using "10 years ago" in conversation, then it starts to sink in a lot more.

Lauren is a very talented classical dancer and actress with a very unique a beautiful look. She has a quirky style which perfectly compliments her sense of humor.

My wife Heather and our kids met Lauren at the Virginia Beach oceanfront to take her photos, and my son Isaiah was once again my assistant. He even got his photo posted on light-test.com because of his involvement.

With Our Mexican Combined...

This is my friend Stacie. She recently gave me permission to blog nice things about her and something about how rad it is to be part Mexican, and how everyone should try it sometime.

I'm part Mexican too, so whenever one of our racist friends wants to be rude, Stacie and I can team up using our combined Mexican blood and defend our heritage. We never do though. Because we're too lazy.

But seriously, Stacie is not lazy. She is actively standing up for what she believes in. She's has a crazy sense of humor, and a contagious laugh. Oh, and if you're not careful, her mom will stalk you on the internet.* In fact, I probably shouldn't talk about it, chances are she's reading this right now.

This was shot on the same day as Matt Lockett's "Popeye Forearms" portrait. I only used one light for this one though.

*please refrain from any "Stacie's mom" jokes and "Your mom is online" jokes in the comments. Except for Statie's mom, she's allowed.

Sand, Glorious Sand

Zay really likes getting his photo taken just so he can ham it up and then see himself on the back of the camera. And Zoe really likes to do whatever Zay is doing.

My kids, Isaiah (Zay) and Zoyenka (Zoe), right after we wrapped a photo shoot with a friend of mine at the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Auto Sale

I snapped this photo of a body shop on Highway 58 in Suffolk I would pass all the time, but in the past there was never a rooster hanging out. So clearly there wasn't a real photo opportunity in the past.

Shot from a stopped car using my Nikon d200 and a Nikkor 85mm lens.

Jiza

This is Jiza. One of my wife's friends, she offered her services for the portrait giveaway we held.

Jiza is engaged to a military man. In a little while, she will be a Navy Wife. Now, I'm a fairly patriotic person, but when it comes to the armed forces, I'm die-hard American. I love our men and women in uniform, and I have so much to thank them for. Their significant others, in my mind, deserve the same amount of respect and admiration.

So Jiza, thank you for your sacrifice and your willingness to serve.

This shot was lit using my new ring flash. I like the effect it produces right around the subject. The subtle shadow outlining her almost makes it all kind of surreal.

Sara Without An H

This is my sister-in-law, Sara. I married Sara's eldest sister, Heather.

You wouldn't know it, but we weren't the only people on the beach. I'm pretty sure I'm hiding a boat behind Sara's head as well. There were constantly people walking behind, in front, and around us. I think there was a lady asking if I would be there next year because she might want her picture taken.

We had a lot of fun shooting out in the Chesapeake Bay, and there will be more shots to come.

Inside The Senate Building 7

This photo is part of a series from one hour in the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC.

Chani In Full Color

This is Chani. She found me through Facebook and wanted some pictures of herself. Talk about a fun chica. She had no problems dancing and sticking her finger up her nose, and being crazy right there in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.

I love the natural gradient that the sky produces every evening. Most of my shoots happen during sunset, but no one wants to get up for a photo-shoot at sunrise.

This was shot with an Alien Bees B800 fixed with a shoot-through umbrella. I had my ring-flash with me, but I don't really think I like the look it gives when I'm working with a sunset. It's not dramatic enough.

By the way, I'm hanging onto those nose-picking photos.

Sarah With An H

My wife and I had the pleasure of photographing two beautiful young women named Sarah and Sara. The Sarah pictured is a good friend of ours, and has such a distinct "oceanfront" look. She belongs in a surf mag during a perpetual sunset.

See a natural light picture of Sarah on my Facebook account.

I Love This Woman

Game over. She wins my heart.

Inside The Senate Building 6

This photo is part of a series from one hour in the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC.

Deeply

He was praying.

Under Siege

This is Matt Lockett, director of Bound4LIFE, praying in front of The Supreme Court building on Friday, July 17th, 2009. Follow him on twitter (@mattlockett) or the beard will do something terrible.

Shot with two Nikon SB-28 hot-shoe flashes on an overcast day. One flash was high and camera-right, at 1/2 power, shot through my home-made "lysol grid snoot" and the other was bare-bulb at 1/8 power laying on the ground angled up 45 degrees. All fired with Pocket Wizards and snapped through the 24mm with the d200 for 1/250th of a second at f/16.

It's hard to not only battle the sun, but also the crowds of tourists always streaming in and out of the court. What you don't see in this photo is the family right behind Matt's head. Of course, the beard is a force to be reckoned with anyway, and usually eclipses whatever is near.

YooSung

YooSung is crazy awesome. You have no idea until you actually meet him. Add a fauxhawk/mullet and a passion for prayer and the unborn, and you get the epitome of the Justice House of Prayer intern. Musical abilities and a sense of humor don't hurt YooSung's personality either. Follow him on Twitter: @yoosung

As part of the internship with JHOPDC, YooSung joins the other interns every day for prayer at the Supreme Court. With red tape covering their mouths and the word "LIFE" written on it, they pray for the ending of abortion, righteous judges, and mercy for America. The tape symbolizes the silence of the unborn, and how they can't speak up for themselves. YooSung, in his silence, is speaking for them. Praying in front of the court is part of Bound4LIFE and message of LIFE they promote. They call it a "Silent Siege".

There was construction at the court, but I like the line the crane creates.

This was shot with my "Lysol Grid Snoot" on a very overcast day. It's an old Lysol wipes container with a hole cut in the bottom in order to create a nice narrow beam of light coming off my little Nikon SB-28 hot-shoe flash. I strap a 20 degree grid to the front of it to give the light a nice feathered edge. I also had a second SB-28 flash laying on the ground, shooting up at a 45 degree angle at low power to balance it all out.

Inside The Senate Building 5

This photo is part of a series from one hour in the Hart Senate Building in Washington DC.

Out The Window

I snapped this photo during a friend's wedding reception in downtown Norfolk, VA.

That is my brother Jared holding my son Isaiah.

Bound4LIFE Wants You

This is a shot I can file away with other happy mistakes.

I was on assignment for Bound4LIFE, taking shots of them praying in front of the Supreme Court in DC during a 40-day intensive last year, and snagged this shot of my very good friend Ian Kelly. Ian is a gentleman of high standards and deep convictions in whom I put a generous amount of trust. His character, candor, charm, and wit make him a brilliant speaker, writer, and thought-provoker. Follow him on twitter.

I highly encourage you to check out the Bound4LIFE blog, and all the exciting stuff that is going on this year.

Right now, I'm working a lot with Bound4LIFE and JHOPDC while I'm in Northern Virginia. I love these people, and especially what they stand for and fight so hard to see accomplished. Tomorrow I'm going to their headquarters on Capitol Hill to shoot some lifestyle photos of the internship there and of the weekly prayer "rumble" they host in the basement of a condo just blocks from the capitol building.

More Stained Glass

This is a photo of Christina from one of the first portrait sessions we did back in June for the Organic Visual Facebook portrait giveaway.

Shot using two hot-shoe flashes, I set one Nikon SB-28 flash behind the stained glass at 1/2 power, and then another SB-28 also on 1/2 power with a 60" shoot-through umbrella just right of the camera. There was a lot of natural sunlight in the room, but I wanted to get rid of it. Success.

Inside The Senate Building 4

I really appreciate when an architect doesn't just design for necessity, but for art. When style compliments function, it is the best of both worlds.

Taken inside the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington DC. Part of a personal black & white series.

Inside The Senate Building 3

Along with the first two photos in this series, this was taken inside the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington DC. I'm going to be taking some more time to work on my personal editorial spreads in the near future, but this was a healthy warmup for me.

Behold The Smirk

Luke Ramos is a professional smirker. See? It's pretty clear he does it for a living.

This was shot at Bright City Studios using my Nikon 85mm f/1.8 lens. It was one of the first portraits I took with that lens, and now I can't get enough of it. I think I could go forever with just an 85mm and a 24mm in my bag.

Paul and Regent University

Regent University is honestly way over-shot as far as photography goes. It seems like it's the go-to spot for portraits because it has the best fountain in Hampton Roads. Part of me wants to avoid it like the plague, just because everyone else flocks to it. There are so many more interesting places to shoot. There is a certain allure to that fountain, like a siren's song calling to a sailor, the photographer just cannot ignore the call. But I shall prevail.*

During Paul Boller's photo shoot, I resisted the gravitational pull, and shot in front of the Regent Library instead. Yes, still used a lot in photographs, but you have to admit, my version is quite tasty.

I have strong ties to Regent University and the Christian Broadcasting Network. Before I was born, my father, along with his wife and daughter, moved from sunny, hot, San Diego, California, to sunny, humid, Virginia Beach, Virginia. I was born shortly thereafter. He made the adventurous trek to the Eastern Seaboard, leaving his family and friends behind, to join with a ministry and network he believed in, and still does. My father is still working for CBN and with Regent University to this day.

I'm so incredibly proud of my father's decision to risk it all for something he believed in, and for making the hard, but necessary choice to relocate his small family to the other end of the country. I would like to think I am following his bold example of risk, and being brave by moving my family to where we belong. I'm not saying that I'm moving to California. Yet. You never know. For now though, my small family will do what we have to do in Fredericksburg, VA.

*(I must take this time to remind potential clients that everyone has a price. If you want me to shoot your portrait at the Regent University fountain, I will make it look wonderful. However, I assure you, it will not be my decision, and for that reason alone, I am set apart from other photographers.)

Inside The Senate Building 2

I know this picture has been done before, and I know it's been done more dramatically. However, the man you are looking at, with his head hung, and documents in hand, entered this building through a door, above which is inscribed: “A man of incorruptible integrity and personal courage strengthened by inner grace and outer gentleness…. He advanced the cause of human justice, promoted the welfare of the common man and improved the quality of life…. His humility and ethics earned him his place as the conscience of the Senate.” That is a description of Senator Philip Hart, a Michigan Democrat for whom the building was named.

I wonder how many senators and staff have read that quote. I wonder how many senators and staff would like to be remembered as such. I wonder how many senators and staff will be described in the same way.

Senator Hart died in 1976 and was one of only three senators to be honored by having a building named after them while they were still alive.

Inside The Senate Building 1

I spent the morning with friends of mine in our nation's capital, and part of that allowed me to visit the Hart Building. A lot of important things happen in this building every day. The confirmation hearing of the next Supreme Court Justice is just one of them.

Branches And Sky

One of the rare "clear skies" day in Africa. This was taken toward the end of the day, hence the long shadows, right before we got to the safari park in the Masai Mara.

Her Laugh

In my previous post about Lauren, I said that when she laughs, it's perfect. This is a photo of Lauren laughing. See what I mean?

This is some back alley in the Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia. We actually were asked to leave by the landlady because she said, and I quote "My lawyers said it's not good to have pictures of my building running around the neighborhood."

The rebel in me wanted to not only snap a photo of her while she was talking, but I also really wanted to print the photos, and pass them out to people while running around her neighborhood. I refrained from both activities.

We respectfully packed up and moved on to trespass elsewhere, however, I don't see the "high security risk" involved in posting these photos, so I let the rebel in me blog about it.

Buy Prints

You can now order prints of my photos directly from my blog. You can stop trying to drag the image to the desktop, open it in Paint, erase my watermark, and print it on the HP printer that you got free with the purchase of an Emachines desktop from Circuit City five years ago only to find that the photo you stole is a low-resolution version anyway.

Get glossy prints of your favorite photos from my blog with simple clicks through Fotomoto.

This is one of the photos that I brought back from Africa when I went with the zao water project in February of this year. Click on "Buy Print" below the photo to purchase it in your choice of 3 sizes.

Nearly all the photos on my blog are for sale through this system, and additional sizes, including direct to canvas, are available by contacting me. Some of the larger sizes are limited edition, and prices are low right now, so get while the getting is good.

Check out more of my photos from Africa.

Lauren In Ghent

I was so excited when Lauren asked for her photo to be taken. She has such an amazing natural beauty. When she laughs, it's perfect.

This shot was taken in the shade of a sidewalk tree in the Ghent area of Norfolk, VA. I knocked the flash down and shot it through a 20 degree grid to isolate her face, and let the sun shine through the leaves and branches to create the shadows on her body and the wall. Ordinary brick wall, one light, with the help of a tree.

Paul Boller, Future President

We used to joke him about it growing up, but now I talk about it quite seriously. Paul Boller, who participated in the Organic Visual Facebook Portrait Giveaway, is a good friend of mine from South-East Virginia. I've known him for many years, and I can tell you quite honestly that I will vote for him when he runs for President. You should too, if you love America.

Bombs Bursting in Air

Oh Zay, can you see by the donzerly light?

Family

This is Lee Worley playing drums for Jonathan Helser during Two Nights in June at MorningStar.

I'm pretty sure this is his most recent tattoo, and I stumbled upon it by accident. I originally had my 85mm lens outfitted to shoot past Lee to get a shot of Jonathan with some crowd behind him, but I saw Lee's tattoo, so I popped on my 24mm.

I've been asked a lot why I carry around so many lenses, and why I don't just use one zoom lens. I used to own a zoom lens, it was a terrible zoom lens. I think it was some kit lens that came with a camera body. Those are great if you're in need of some glass on a budget and you're not delivering images to clients, but... I'm not, and I am. Camera bodies come and go, but the lens is an investment.

I mostly use Nikkor prime lenses (non-zoom lenses made by Nikon) because, aside from the very evident increase in quality, they force me to be creative. If I want to zoom in on someone's face, I have to either slap on a different lens, or actually walk closer.

The argument can be made that a zoom lens provides you with more flexibility and broader options in order to capture the moment without having to move. Which is why I would highly recommend having a couple zoom lenses to cover most focal lengths if you're an event or wedding photographer. Because I shoot mostly portraits, I have the benefit of composing the shot and having control. However, this is at the top of my wish list: Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 ED-IF (drool).

Bottom line: You get what you pay for when it comes to the glass.

18 years underage

This is my son Isaiah with his best friend in the south, Gill. I bought Isaiah a pack of candy cigarettes, and he's sharing them with his friend. I'm limiting him to a pack a week.

Gill belongs to Jordan and Kristi, and is one of the coolest kids I know.

This was shot on a rather sunny afternoon in the shade, lit with a soft box over my Alien Bees B800 and a Nikon SB-28 off to the right with a green gel providing some subtle rim light.

Brothers

This is Steve and his younger brother Jerry. We had just finished some family portraits and were having a little fun with poses, so Steve took the opportunity to teach his little brother how to make a "Hand Gun".

Shot with a Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 (at f/9) using an Alien Bees B800 through a 47" octabox from camera-right. A Nikon SB-28 Speedlight was set up with a shoot-through umbrella off the left side to give a little depth and knock some shadow away.

Wood Grain and Shadows

This portrait of Luke was shot with him laying on the floor and a light in a soft box lighting him from above. I then attached a 20 degree grid to the front of a Nikon Speedlight and pointed that at his face just right of the camera position. I didn't want to light him from the hard left, which was my first thought, because then I would have gotten some pretty nasty glasses shadows. I wear glasses too, and so I'm always trying to think about the glare, reflection and shadows that they produce.

This is my favorite shot from the bunch, and I think it accurately portrays his quirky, musical, artistic sensibility. If I may say so myself. And I may, because it's my blog. And you may too if you wish, with a simple comment below.

The Mexican Luke

I can say that because I am 1/4 Mexican. Besides, I can't just call him Luke, because then you might get him confused with the white Luke just one post away. And I can say that because I'm 2/3 white.

Seriously though, I think we all just need to lighten up, stop trying to be "politically correct", and start supporting our local bands.

Luke Ramos here, he's starting a local band. And he's rad. And he is a professional smirker. Yes, he smirks well.

I shot this photo in the B-Room at Bright City Studios in Fort Mill. I took a break from using only one light and I ending up using three strobes for this shot. I used the Alien Bees B800 in a large octabox positioned high and camera-left, and then a Nikon SB-28 speedlight outside shooting through the window, and another SB-28 positioned behind Luke, high, and camera-right. The rim-light behind Luke is my home-made "Lysol Snoot" with a 20 degree grid bungeed to it.

I'm going to post another photo from my session with Luke tomorrow morning to distract you while you're at church. It's a really good one.

Luke Stasi

This portrait was shot using the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 Diagonal Fisheye lens I bought specifically for my trip to Africa with The ZAO Water Project earlier in the year. I don't usually use this lens for portraits, mostly as an exercise in self-control. I want to use it ALL THE TIME, but I try my hardest to refrain. The sky and the subject were just too well suited for the angle this time around and I just couldn't help myself.

This is Luke Stasi being a good sport in 98% humidity during our little Zoolander excursion.

What An Honor

Last week, Chase Jarvis, one of my favorite photographers who I follow on Twitter, held a contest. With the arrival of the new iPhone 3GS, he was giving away his current iPhone 3G to the person with the best photo taken with a mobile phone. I entered. I didn't win.

Beside lauding due praise on the winning photo, Chase also chose 100 of his favorite images out of the 3500 submitted, and posted them in a gallery on his blog.

There are some amazing photos in there, one of which is a photo I took of Zoyenka, pictured above. I am very honored to have a photo of mine anywhere near Chase Jarvis' name, let alone on his website. It's a photo taken with a cellphone, and all the the photos in the gallery are, so it's just shows to go you*, it's not what you use, but how you use it.

(congrats to Omar, winner of the iPhone)

*Ten points if you can tell me what movie the phrase, "It just shows to go you..." is from.

Do What The Model Does

Isaiah loves to "help" at the photo shoots, but unfortunately he also like to trip over cables and knock over light stands.

During the first two shoots we had with Yuri and Christina, Isaiah felt the need to do exactly what the models were doing. It's his way of practicing for when it's his turn to be my test subject instead of his mother.

Turn On The Charm

This is Rachel, Justin's youngest sister.

She was always posing. I was taking pictures of her brother and there she was, hanging on to a pole, leaning back, and looking out into the vast expanse beyond. Turn the light, compose the shot, snap the photo. She's a natural. And she's 5 years-old.

Profile Picture

I've been on twitter now for almost 2 years now, and I've never actually used my real face as my avatar. I rarely update my profile picture on facebook either, but yesterday I found a good reason to change both of those.

An idea I had turned into an experiment. That test turned into a project, and that project turned into my favorite self-portrait ever.

I set up my Alien Bee B800 with a large softbox directly behind me in the bathroom of our hotel room. That light provided the white background, bounced off the walls, ceiling and mirror in front of me and lit my face. I had the camera sitting on the counter with a 24mm f/2.8 pointed at me. I dunked my head in water, looked in the camera, and pushed the shutter release button.

One shot, one light, one kill.

The fact that I have sweet new glasses really helps as well.

Luke And Brittney

Right after I blogged about it yesterday, Luke and Brittney decided to upload all the photos from their shoot to Facebook and give nearly all of them a quote from Zoolander. During the shoot we were quoting the movie a lot. "You're a monkey Derek, dance monkey!" And we had so much fun.

That, my friends, is the biggest reason their photos turned out so well. We had fun.

This Is Justin

Justin is the oldest of four kids who are all actors. I had the pleasure of spending time with them for a couple hours in the hot Carolina sun as we took head shots and portraits in NoDa. We stuck to one street corner in the area of North Davidson and 36th street, but anyone who has been there will tell you, there is enough texture to go around.

The entire day I shot with one light to balance out the sun, and sometimes I used a shoot-through umbrella to knock the sun down. The breeze was welcome to the face, but the umbrellas and soft box didn't enjoy it as much. It was so amazingly hot and humid, but these kids did a great job, and they never complained about it.

A Couple of Models

Thanks to spam, I'm getting about a dozen new comments a day. That's great, except, I'm not in the market for enhancement drugs. Real feedback from real people is always strongly encouraged.

If you're reading this, do you want to hear more technical details like the gear used and how I modified the light? Do you want to hear a story attached to the photo? Do you want to know more about the subjects? Let me know, shoot me a comment. Right now I'm being brief, but if there are certain things you're curious about, don't hesitate to ask.

This is Luke and Brittney Stasi. They are friends of ours who are also survivors of what we affectionately refer to as "The Summer Tour". These two were so much fun to shoot because they had little hesitation to pose and turn on the charm. Plus, they quote Zoolander, so what's not to like?

This photo was shot using a 24mm lens and a battery-powered flash shot through one large softbox. Really simple set up. We shot for only an hour and we got dozens of great photos because the set up was small and the models were naturals.

Heather, My Joy

So, this was a test shot that I took while getting ready for a photo session last night. Isn't she beautiful?

Heather is my very faithful wife, mother of my kids, friend, creative director, and photo assistant. And she makes some mean Jelly Boppers (Isaiah's way of saying Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches).

Jordan and Kristi

This is Jordan and Kristi, but not in that order.

When it comes to portraits, I'm usually very intentional about keeping straight horizons, but I really like the crooked lines in the background on this photo.

Trask Family

This is a little sample of what Heather and I shot today. I love this family, they are so much fun to be around.

Yuri (2 of 2)

Here is another shot of Yuri from our 'emergency photo session' yesterday. Right now, Yuri in en route to Mongolia for a ministry trip.

If you're interested in a portrait session, I'm currently running a '$25 per person, per look' special for people in Charlotte. Check it out on Facebook, and contact me at levibethune.com

Christina (2 of 2)

I need to find some more stained-glass windows. I love this look.

I wanted to add some more light here, but one of my Nikon speedlights bit the dust right before we set up for this photo. Still not sure what's wrong with it.

If you're interested in a portrait session, I'm currently running a '$25 per person, per look' special for Charlotte folks. Check it out on Facebook, and contact me at levibethune.com

Christina (1 of 2)

This is Christina. I get to see her almost every day at MorningStar, and she's been a big part of the School of Ministry here. Christina certainly has a unique look, and if you can get her to smile, it will make your day.

If you're interested in a portrait session, I'm currently running a '$25 per person, per look' special for people in Charlotte. Check it out on Facebook, and contact me at levibethune.com

Yuri (1 of 2)

As part of the portrait giveaway on the Organic Visual Facebook Page, I booked Yuri for a last-minute session before he left the country. Yuri is part of the ministry group at MorningStar, and they are taking a trip to Mongolia. Today.

If you're interested in a portrait session, I'm currently running a '$25 per person, per look' special for Charlotte folks. Check it out on Facebook, and contact me at levibethune.com

Jonathan David Helser

This is Jonathan David Helser in what I like to call, "The heat of battle". This was taken during the "Two Nights in June" event at MorningStar that wrapped up yesterday.

Second Night. In June.

This is a photo I took of John Mark McMillan playing along with Jonathan Helser during "Two Nights in June". It was an awesome weekend of music, conversation, and chilling out. It wasn't churchy, because there wasn't really a sermon, and the music never stopped, so it was pretty much perfect. Of course, they have to start this up right before we move away. :/

Check out Lee Worley's face in the background. Somehow, he knows I'm taking the picture, so he's giving me the "Oh Levi, I don't even have my makeup on" face.

Cool It

At the Norfolk Zoo there are these fountains of water splashing up from the ground. These kids had the right idea on that Friday afternoon. It was about 80 degrees in the shade, and if I wasn't carrying a camera and wearing jeans, I just may have joined them.

Monkey See...

This is my beautiful niece Isabella getting the attention of a monkey at the Norfolk Zoo during our last family visit to Virginia.

Rest Stop Self Portrait

I had a legitimate reason for stopping at this location at 11 o'clock last night, but this is the only part of that journey that I will share with you.

This is a 30-second exposure, with me standing there for about 20 seconds or so.

Drive-By Storm

This one was taken out the driver-side window while traveling south-bound on Interstate 85 last night. 4-second exposure with traffic going the opposite direction, and I got lucky.

Lightning on the Highway

If my wife knew how many times I almost died in order to get this shot, she would kill me.

Over The Ocean 2 of 2

I was playing around with two off-camera strobes, with slow shutter speeds. The venue was unique in that the only significant lighting on stage was LED lights, so the colors were super vibrant and changed instantly.

Over The Ocean 1 of 2

I was playing around with two off-camera strobes, with slow shutter speeds. These are some of my best friends in Virginia. I really miss being around them. They sounded great, looked awesome, and smelled even better.

Le Tigre. Use it for footwear.

This is my pudgy little niece, Isabella. I'm not a violent person, but I want to eat her face off, she's so cute.

This was during a family outing to the Norfolk Zoo this past weekend. It was a hectic, and short trip, but one of the best visits to Virginia in a long time. I love my family so much.

Almost Deleted

This is another photo that got mixed in as a test shot that actually turned out well. This is a self portrait done with the remote on my Nikon. I had the camera set to manual focus, and was checking the exposure. I love that hat.

This is why you shouldn't get in the habit of deleting a photo from the camera. Always import it, give it a chance, and then delete it if you need to. I'm trying to get in the habit of checking the photos on the camera less while I'm in a session. I just need to trust the consistency and focus on the subject.

One More

Ok, one more from the shoot with Rhonda.

I had so much fun. I think a lot of that was Rhonda's fault, she's just a lot of fun to hang out with, but also I just have fun pushing that little shutter button down.

This was shot using my homemade snoot with a 20 degree grid strapped to the front of it. I basically stole the idea from one of my favorite photographers, Zack Arias. Instead of buying a lightsphere and painting it, I cut a hole in the bottom of an old Lysol Disinfectant Wipes pale, and wrapped it in black gaff.

Oh, and I love this location. There is still so much more of it to explore, and it's right in my backyard. 10 points if you know where it is.

Elevator Number 5

My very good friend Rhonda came by today and we snapped off a few shots for her newsletter. Despite it being a little claustrophobic, we were able to fit myself, Rhonda, two bags, a light stand with a half-collapsed 60" umbrella and a Nikon SB-28 flash in the same elevator. I used a 15mm fisheye lens on the D80 to grab Rhonda in what I like to call her "Muppet Face". I told her this one would hit the internet.

If you're in the Charlotte/Fort Mill area, I'm running a special on portraits until the end of June. $25 per 'look' with a minimum of 30 minutes and one location per look. A 'look' is basically a change of clothes and hair. You'll walk away with at least 3 photos per look. Single portraits only. Contact me if you're interested.

African Baby

I'm backing up my photos today and this photo catches my eye like never before.

I want to go overseas again.

And I want to kiss this kid on the cheek.

Clearly I Need More Models

Not that Heather isn't beautiful, and a really good sport, I can't make up an entire portfolio with nothing but my wife. I mean, I could, and I would, but I won't.

I mentioned that I would be giving away free portrait sessions, so here are the details.

ATTENTION: This is not a popularity contest, and I am not picking 'favorites'. It's not personal, it's business.

To be considered for a free portrait session, please do the following:

1. Become a 'FAN' of Organic Visual on Facebook.
2. Post a current photo of yourself on the wall of the Organic Visual Facebook page.
3. Start your post with "PORTRAIT GIVEAWAY:"
4. In the description, briefly tell me what you intend to use the photo for.
5. Tell me what your geographical location is. I'll be shooting in Charlotte in June, Hampton Roads and DC in July.

The deadline is May 23rd at Noon-ish. One week from right now.

My wife, Heather, and I will be choosing and scheduling 4 sessions in the Charlotte/Fort Mill area, and 6 sessions in the DC/NoVa/Hampton Roads area.

Things you should be aware of:

1. You must be at least 16 years old.
2. You must be willing to sign a release form giving Levi Bethune and Organic Visual full rights to any photos taken, as they may be used for promotional material, private galleries, and commercial use. (under 18 needs parent's signature)
3. You must be willing to drive up to 15 minutes to meet me at a location of my choosing.

You'll get at least 5 GREAT photos out of this deal, and it will only take about an hour. My wife will be with me on the shoots to help with art direction and comfort. Further instructions and details will be sent out to the people we select, but this is just what you need to know right now.

Please understand, if I don't pick you, that doesn't mean I don't like you. It doesn't mean you're not photogenic, and it doesn't mean I won't take your photos some other time. This is not a contest. I'm looking for a rather specific, yet diverse look to represent the photography for my business.

Even if you're not picked, based to the response of this offer, I will be giving away more sessions in the future, and all those offers will be made first to the people who participate in Facebook/Twitter.

Free Portraits Anyone?

I'm looking to boost up my photography portfolio, so I'm going to be offering some free portrait sessions.

You come with makeup, wardrobe and hair ready to go, and I'll pick the location and bring 'props'. We'll spend no more than one hour, and I'll give you at least 3 free images that I choose from. I'll use any and all images for my own personal and business portfolio, and you'll have to sign a model release.

(You must be 16 years old or older. Single portraits, headshots, or couples only. I'm not offering family portraits for free online, but contact me if you're interested.)

There are limited spaces available, and I will be choosing the people I shoot. If you're interested, and in the Charlotte area during the month of June, or the DC area in July, visit the Organic Visual facebook page and become a fan. Details will be posted there FIRST. If you want to get in on it and don't have a facebook account, you can follow @organicvisual on twitter. Oh, don't have twitter either? Ok, you can read about it right here on this blog after it's been posted in those two places first.

Zoyenka Loves Momma

Isn't she gorgeous?

This photo was taken on Mothers' Day while we were picnicking at the Greenway in Fort Mill, SC.

Colour Academy 4 of 4

I ran lights for Public Radio the other night at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte. One of the opening bands was Colour Academy, and since I had nothing to do, I clamped a remote flash to a light bar and tried my hand at a few 'one light' live shots.

This is shot 4 of 4 in this 'series'.

Colour Academy 3 of 4

I ran lights for Public Radio the other night at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte. One of the opening bands was Colour Academy, and since I had nothing to do, I clamped a remote flash to a light bar and tried my hand at a few 'one light' live shots.

This is shot 3 of 4 in this 'series'.

Colour Academy 2 of 4

I ran lights for Public Radio the other night at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte. One of the opening bands was Colour Academy, and since I had nothing to do, I clamped a remote flash to a light bar and tried my hand at a few 'one light' live shots.

This is shot 2 of 4 in this 'series'.

Colour Academy 1 of 4

I ran lights for Public Radio the other night at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte. One of the opening bands was Colour Academy, and since I had nothing to do, I clamped a remote flash to a light bar and tried my hand at a few 'one light' live shots.

This is shot 1 of 4 in this 'series'.

Mothers' Day - A Grammar Tribute

Does the day belong to Mother? Does the day belong to more than one Mother? Or is the day a tribute to Mothers? The way I celebrate it, is plural-possessive.

I just would like to preface this by saying that I've never fully grasped the rules and exceptions to the rules pertaining to possessive and plural nouns, and I stand firm on my belief that if someone were to ever completely understand them, the time-space continuum would shatter. This is a tribute the grammar rules my mother still tries to teach me.

When I was young, and talking about the day belonging to my mother, then I would use Mother's Day. It was her singular, possessive day. Hers. Her own, Her precious.

Now, being a husband and father, the day has taken a new personal meaning and I feel compelled to use Mothers' Day as it now belongs to my mother, and my wife who is a mother.

One could argue that the day doesn't belong to anyone, and it is merely a day to remember, honor, and celebrate mothers around the world, hence, the use of Mothers Day like Christmas Day and Valentines Day. I feel like this method is a cop-out, for I am a strong believer that everyone had a mother at one point in their life. It seems natural to me that the day should hold some personal meaning to someone, and thus, be possessive in some form.

Let's talk about Saint Patrick's Day. That day, according to the apostrophe syntax, belongs to Saint Patrick. If the day belonged to his family, then it would be written as Patricks' Day because it was possessed by more than one Patrick. If we used the same rule, then a day belonging to more than one mother would be plural-possessive: Mothers' Day.

See mom, I was paying attention. And if I got this all wrong, then... well, I learned it on the internet.

Why Are You Moving?

This is a photo of Bound4LIFE director, and prayer intercessor, Matt Lockett in JHOP DC, and it has a lot to do with why we're moving.

Why are we moving? The biggest reason is that our house is an un-inspired, poorly-constructed, suburban nightmare, and I'm not even talking about the people inside. However, the people inside are making the living environment unstable, and thusly, unsafe, so I am making the decision to remove my family from that situation, for their protection and sanity.

But we're not stopping there. No, we're not only moving out of our house, we're making plans to move out of the state.

Merely weeks after finally wrapping up the last bit of paperwork tying us to Virginia, we have decided to move to... Virginia. Or rather, the Virginia side of the Washington DC metro area.

Why are we moving to DC? Well, logically it makes sense if we want to be closer to family and friends from years past and to get out of suburbia, but our reasons are based on more than merely logic.

A little over two years ago, Heather and I traveled from our home-town of Chesapeake, Virginia to Fort Mill, South Carolina to give Heather's younger sisters a ride back to their internship with TheCause. Katie and Melody Crane, my beautiful sisters-in-law, were in the middle of a prayer intercession internship with Chuck Mervin and Lou Engle. After their Thanksgiving break, we brought the Crane sisters back to the base in Fort Mill, and within moments both Heather and I decided, separately, that we wanted to move there. We didn't fall in love with the location, the ease of life there, or even the cheap gas prices, and we certainly didn't fall in love with the weather, we fell in love with the people that made up the movement. That movement was made up of a band of ruffians who wanted little else but to see America revived, and they were willing to pour everything they had into that cause through fasting, prayer, worship, and activism. We fell in love with the Justice House of Prayer.

After living here for over two years, helping to mobilize 70,000 people in a stadium, traveling across the country driving a box-truck, and changing addresses 3 times, we may have missed the train. Or at least we didn't catch the same one everyone else left on. The movement is alive and well, it's just moved to different places in the country. San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, New York City, and DC, are the cities which harbor this motley crew of prayer warriors now.

We got comfortable here in Fort Mill, and maybe a little lazy. I found a job at MorningStar doing what I love to do, and we had a baby. Cool story Hansel, all good stuff, but we started feeling more and more dissatisfied with our situation, and the lack of healthy community that rallied around a central cause that we had grown to love so much.

Now, with the fresh mergence of Bound4LIFE and JHOP in Washington DC, we have once again, like the Millennium Falcon to the Death Star, become drawn to that which we wish to live and die for. Justice in America.

Oh, and that Star Wars reference? It reminds me of another little blog I contribute to: http://fanmade.org

Details

This is a photo of a friend of mine. I love the detail of the beardliness.

I think I want to start a personal series called "Extreme Close-Ups Of Guys Wearing Big Sunglasses."

And I want to submit 'beardliness' for consideration to the Oxford English Dictionary. With this photo as the description.

Hooray for Nature

Isaiah loves playing outside. I told someone that and they said, "He's all boy".

Well, yeah, of course he's all boy. What does that even mean?

This Is Key

This is a new addition to the B-Room here at Bright City Studios in Fort Mill, SC.

I used to take piano lessons in school, but I was never disciplined enough to really focus on reading music. I could play tunes and memorize finger positions really well, and I had a desire to play, but when I hit a wall, I never really pushed through it. I'm actually grateful to my parents for encouraging me, but not forcing me to practice and study. No doubt, they made me finish my commitment, but when the time came for me to make a decision whether I was going to give up or continue, my parents let me make that decision.

I still have a desire to play music, and I still do, whether it be a solo guitar on the back porch, or an electronic, multi-layered synth sequence on the computer, I love creating tunes. However, even though it's a passion of mine, it's not a priority. I can't take credit for this, but I read somewhere that "Priorities are like arms. If you say you have more than a couple, you're lying or you're crazy". My priority is to provide and care for my family. The fact that I'm able to do that by pushing buttons, aiming cameras and typing on a keyboard, is outstanding to me.

I'm not going to give up my love for music, rather I'm going to take my love for music, art, movies and writing, and I'm going to invest that in my family. I can't give it up, but I can save it for a better time.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this piece of history. It would also make a great prop or set piece for a portrait. In fact, I'm going to go shoot some right now. I'll see if I can find a willing subject.

My Beautiful Heather

My wife is a really good sport. It's hard to be married to a photographer.

Heather is so creative and artistic, I would want to shoot her photos anyway, but the fact that she lives with me and is always willing to stand in front of the camera when I want to try something new, is very helpful.

I know I post a lot of photos of my family on this blog, and I'm not apologizing. They are beautiful and lovely to look at, so you should be grateful, but I could also use some more willing/not-so-willing models. If you're interested, and able to be close-by, drop me a comment, I'll hook you up.

Check out Heather's blog at heatherbethune.com

Andrew and Sara

I wanted to share a 'treated' photo.

Although this was shot with the Nikon d80, this photo was a mistake. Like an amateur, I wasn't properly focussed, so I chose to put some 'action' on it in an attempt to save the moment.

I wanted to replicate the feel of a photo from the sixties, shot with a bad polaroid or diana camera, which has the tendency to be a little soft.

Dear Nerds: Done in Pixelmator after cropping and initial color correction and RAW processing was done in Aperture. Paper texture applied with screen overlay with brush strokes of multiplied color. I de-focussed the distant background(the part that I had in focus) and adjusted the curves to crush the blacks and give it a lot of contrast. Meh... it's art.

Me, Myself and Levi

This is an unintentional self-portrait that I didn't delete from the camera as I was getting ready for a friend's headshot.

I am a hairy guy.

Doing color-correction and post-production on photos of yourself is pretty humbling. I never noticed how crooked my nose was.

As far as I see it, there is a certain level of self-examination that needs to happen every once in a while. I'm not the kind of guy that will stand in front of the mirror all day and fuss about how I look, and I'm also rarely afraid to jump in front of a camera. That said, I still care too much about how I look. It's almost a crutch for me. As if what I look like determines who I am, or how I act. And, I guess, to a certain extent, that's the way things are.

I often wish people would wait to pass judgement on me until they get to know me, but I rarely give other people that courtesy. I think it's time for me to turn the camera around and focus on myself for a little bit, get to figure out what I'm all about before I go around trying to profile other people.

Yeah, you can never judge a book by it's cover, but a book cover usually is a fair representation of the experience you'll have when you're reading.

Boy With A Flash Gun 3

Isaiah loves being my photo assistant. And I love using him as one of my models. So this works out pretty good for both of us.

Despite the fun we have in the bedroom before bedtime with the flash, he still needs to get ready for sleep. Mommy makes sure of that.

Learning To Wait

This has been a lot of photos of my boy lately, but right now, he's pretty much the most interesting and spontaneous model I know.

Isaiah was waiting for his ice cream from mommy when I snapped this photo. I've been working on my off-camera strobe photography, and let me tell you, it's so hard when you're working with line-of-sight infrared and a little boy. For this photo, the flash was triggered remotely while laying on the table.

Isaiah's posture in this photo is very similar to how I feel right now. I am waiting. Or, at least, trying to learn how to start the beginning of a process that results in me waiting. That's what it feels like to me. When I'm forced to wait, I tend to sulk and feel sorry for myself. I start to whine and my bottom lip juts out like I'm about to complain. It's a hard place to live because all I can really think about is myself and what I want. I shut down, and stop listening to encouragement and all I hear is negative. But, I know, and still learning, that if I'm patient (and ask nicely), then the bowl of ice cream is closer than I think.

Dance It Up

This photo was taken at the Dugg Dugg opening afterparty.

I like taking photos of other photographers as they take photos of people posing for their photo.

Boy With A Flash Gun 2

Second photo in the "Boy With A Flash Gun" series.

Speaking of series, I'm putting together a few collections, and I'll soon be offering some photography, printed, framed and signed for sale. Stay tuned.

Boy With A Flash Gun 1

I recently got a new flash for my camera, and Isaiah loves it, so I thought I would let him practice being a photographer's assistant.

This is one of two photos I'll upload today.

The Boy's First Hunt

This is Isaiah's first easter that he can actively participate in. Last year was a little tricky because of Amy's death, and the year before that he wasn't even crawling yet. Not that it would have stopped him, we just thought it best to let him wait.

We spend the morning hanging out in our bedroom, being lazy, then being rowdy, eating breakfast, then being rowdy again. After Isaiah "cleaned up", we painted some eggs, but Isaiah thought it best to eat his instead. I hid a bunch of plastic eggs in the lawn of Bright City Studios across the street, and Isaiah went to town.

Zoyenka will have to wait until next year to join in all the reindeer games, but she's certainly interested in what we were doing. We think she may have eaten a jellybean. Heather underestimated Zoey's prowess, and the little girl successfully opened a plastic egg at her highchair, and promptly "spazzed out", flailing her arms and squealing for joy. Most everything ended up on the floor, but that doesn't mean she didn't sneak one in her mouth during the diversion.

Empty Chair, Empty Room

I've been working on a couple new projects lately, but this photo basically describes how my head feels right now. And I'm glad.

Knowing that the lulls in creativity make the peaks so much more exciting, I'm happy to wait out the calm, if only to anticipate the storm ahead. Right now, at this moment, I don't feel creative, I feel empty. But I realize that something soon will move me, and when it does, I'll have so much room.

Sarah Stephens and Her Cello

Sarah Stephens came into Bright City Studios today to track a few of her songs. She is an amazing cellist and very artsy person, who always looks like she belongs in a fairy tale or an Art Forum magazine. Today was no exception, so Joel thought it would be a good idea to snap some photos. I grabbed a light, found a brick wall, and you can see the whole set here, on Flickr.

Focussed.

This photo was taken at the opening show of Dugg Dugg on April 3rd.

A Boy on a Bus

Heather and I took our little ones out on an adventure via public transit. Isaiah loved the train (light rail) and the bus that we rode on.

This photo was taken as we were pulling onto North Davidson Street on our way to 36th street. We eventually ate lunch at Salvador Deli, and had dessert at Smelly Cat coffee shop after visiting our friends at Dugg Dugg.

See the whole set of photos on Flickr.

Window Gazing

This is a photo of Darren, one of the artists whose work is on display at Dugg Dugg in NoDa.

The day after the HUGE grand opening event, the team who worked so hard to transform an old cotton mill from the 1800's into a modern art gallery, rested and reflected.

Sunlight on the Shoes

This is a photo of my friend Stephan's shoes. He was standing in the middle of the beam of sunlight that the skylight above was casting down. This photo was taken in the same building as Dugg Dugg as he was showing the space to the guys from CLT Blog.

Ambient Art At Dugg Dugg

Another shot from Dugg Dugg last night. This was one of my favorite pieces. Four TVs playing image sequences set to an ambient drone. It was hypnotizing, and I loved it.

Dugg Dugg on 36th St

Success! Dugg Dugg last night was awesome.

If you're in Charlotte, and you weren't at Dugg Dugg last night, you missed out. Dugg Dugg is NoDa's newest, quite possibly biggest, and definitely friendliest art gallery.

I was asked to set up lights for the event, and of course ended up taking some photographs as well. This one is a long exposure from the middle of the street. The location of Dugg Dugg is on the block of 36th street where hardly anyone walks unless they are parking in front of it, but last night, it was nearly impossible to miss.

Follow what Dugg Dugg is doing on the web and on twitter

20 Seconds of North Davidson

I took this 20-second-long exposure photo last night on the corner of 36th Street and North Davidson Street in Charlotte. This is less than one block from Dugg Dugg, the brand-spankin' new art gallery set up in an old abandoned cotton mill. Festivities start TONIGHT at 7pm. Music, Art, Creatives. Win, Win, Win.

Break Time for the Night Shift

This photo was taken at the oft-neglected downtown Charlotte. I don't take as many photos as I should when I'm in Charlotte, and I don't take as many photos as I should when I'm in Charlotte at Night.

I could probably start a collection of photos entitled "People standing around talking on their cellphones", but the time it takes for me to type the title is deterrent enough.

Isaiah the Rock Hunter

I took the family to NoDa (North Davidson area in uptown Charlotte) to check out The Dugg Dugg and to prepare a lighting set up for the Friday night gallery opening.

Isaiah loves railroad tracks so as we were waiting for our friend Iris to show up, we went Big Rock Hunting at the tracks.

This Might Be My Favorite

This photo that I took in Kenya of a little girl holding another little girl is one of my favorite photos of all time. Today. I just can't bring myself to pick one. Or even five.

Taking Matt Lockett's suggestion, two weeks ago I submitted a series of five photos to the 50th Annual Communication Arts Photography Review. It's a pretty big deal, and highly sought after by photographers and designers. Kind of like the Oscars, or jellybeans.

Oddly, this photo wasn't one that I submitted.

Kinda Cheesy

Yeah, a little campy, but who cares, it has good colors.

This is a photo of Jerry Crane taking off of the Chesapeake Bay beach at sunset.

Lee Worley

Lee Worley is an amazing live performance and studio drummer who is currently the studio manager at Bright City Studios in Fort Mill, SC.

This is a photo I took of Lee for a drumstick sponsorship package he's trying to secure.

I think it was Eric Hurtgen who told me, "If you can't do it with a 50mm, then..." and he wrapped it up with something brilliant, but I don't remember the rest.

Rhonda, Like The Pants

This is my dear friend Rhonda. She is an intercessory missionary with ZHOP, but her roots go deep into the heart of Bound4LIFE and TheCause.

I've been designing her newsletter, and today we snapped a couple quick photos to insert into the March issue. This is one of them.

If you ever get to meet her, consider yourself lucky. And then, ask her about the "Pants" thing. It's good.

Story Time with Abuelita

My mom likes to be called "Abuelita" by her grandkids. It's spanish for "Grandmother", but my 2-year-old son Isaiah calls her "Alita".

When we stayed at my parent's house this last Saturday night, my mom gave Isaiah a book, and he proceeded to read it to her.

He was pointing and saying the names of all the animals he knew the names of in the book, and describing the many things he could imagine them possibly doing.

I took this photo using the built-in flash on my Nikon D80, reflected to the ceiling using a small mirror that was laying around in my sister's room.

A Note to Amy

On March 22nd, 2008, Amy Hope Crane went to Heaven.

On March 22nd, 2009, the Crane family reflected.

The look back wasn't at the tragedy, and it was not a time to look back and celebrate Amy's life; the Crane family gathered to take one more step of grief, but they took that step together in love. On a lonely, cold, and windy beach in Virginia, right as the sun was ducking behind the Chesapeake Bay, Amy's siblings and parents read notes and shared thoughts of her. Staying warm was merely a side-effect of huddling close. No shoulder was without an arm around it, and no cheek was without a tear as various words of comfort were read from various cards.

There is no conclusion, and there is no end, there is only the next step. I say that with expectation, not with despair, because I know that though the journey may be long, I will see Amy again.

It's no mistake that Amy's middle name is Hope.

Zoe and Mike

This is a photo of my little girl, Zoe, with my good friend Mike.

Zoe is giving him the "Despite your bearded face, I approve of you dating my Aunt" look.

I'm Way Behind

I've been really behind on posting to this photoblog, but to make up for it, I'm going to share a link that has a plethora of photos. And some videos as well:

the Organic Visual Facebook Page

Dual Band

This photo was taken while shooting the Facedown40 event at the Supreme Court with Bound4LIFE. I have recently had the pleasure of being a guest contributing author at the Bound4LIFE Blog, talking about the benefits and methods of social networking as it pertains to social justice issues.

One of the things that Bound4LIFE has created on their website is a social network that revolves around their "Life Bands". The Life Band (pictured above), is a simple red wrist band that has the word "LIFE" written in it, and is worn by those who have made a covenant to "Pray, Vote, and Obey". It is an outward symbol that reflects the inward desire to see Abortion ended, and righteousness returned in the hearts of our nation's leaders.

If you spot a Life Band in the wild, you can participate in "Gotcha!", the Bound4LIFE social experiment. Take a picture of said Life Band with your cellphone, email it to gotcha@bound4life.com, include your location in the subject line, and your photo will appear on the Bound4LIFE Gotcha! Map.

Neat

Ladies, this is Ian. My two-year-old little boy calls him "Neat". We still haven't figured that one out, but you can read all about just how neat he is at his blog.

Squishy and Pink

This is my daughter Zoyenka (Zoi-yen-kah), but you can call her Zoe.

She is so squishy.

Windows

This was taken a while back. I was taking photos of the Bound4LIFE staff in downtown Charlotte, and in one of the alleys I looked up. This is what I saw.

Melting Quickly

We had snow on the ground yesterday.

Saturday forecast calls for 76 degrees and sunny.

I'm so confused.

This Is Africa

This is one of the first photos I snapped in Africa, and probably my favorite out of the thousands that I brought back. When our plane flew into West Kenya, and we landed on the Migori Airstrip, within minutes, we had a swarm of kids welcome us to their land.

I took this photo with my Nikon d50 outfitted with the legendary Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. Looking back, I should have carried the 50mm on the d80 and kept the 15mm on the d50. Well, looking back even further, I would have bought two d700's and gone without food for a couple years.

The photo of these kids just speaks to me about what Africa is. I don't know how to explain it in words, and there's no phonetic replacement for the experience you have when you visit this place. Even this photo, however moving it may be, does not do these boys justice, nor does it hold a candle to the magnificence and beauty of the countryside and it's people. All I know, is that it's hard to look at this picture, and it's equally hard to look away.

In A Mirror Darkly

This is my wife, Heather. She is the love of my life. This photo captures a moment that is rare in our lives: the two of us together, alone.

I wanted to play around with reflections, light, and white balance in this photo that I took last night. Using the flash as the back-light and the spill of it reflecting in the mirror as the key, you can see that Heather's shadow is cast behind her even though there was no light in front of her.

I'm trying to post a new photo every day, but all of that is subject to whether I have time to log in and blog. I'm trying to snap new photos every day as well, but that is subject to a lot of things.

Kids + Snow

Snow in Charlotte is a rare thing, and rarely does it last long. Having a layer of white covering the red clay that desperately wants to be grass, made for an interesting commute this morning to Bright City Studios next door. If you thought yellow snow was disgusting, try red clay snow/mud.

This photo was taken with my old, very well made, Nikkor 500mm f8 Mirror Reflex Lens that I got from my father many years ago. I am proud to have been born into a Nikon family, and I am happy that Nikon was kind enough to keep their lens mounts the same through the years. I think, had I been given the chance, I would have chosen Nikon above Canon anyway, but that's like a Capulet saying they wouldn't have wanted to be a Montague if they had the choice.

The girl is our neighbor who was traveling past her house, shovel in hand, to find another hill to conquer. Like a veteran of a great snowball fight, she wears her ruddy cheeks with pride, triumph, and pain. She battles the cold, knowing that she can't possibly win, but certain of the hot cocoa waiting for her when she makes her glorious return.