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.