The Play Date

I'm slightly addicted to my camera - like I feel incomplete if I leave home without it (because you never know when a photographic moment will present itself).  A few days ago, Am and I picked her nephew Mason up for a little playdate and headed into the park. While we were there running around and playing, Mason decided he wanted to be carried.  After a few steps, I found Amber and Mason in this crazy, magical pool of light filtering softly through the canopy of the trees. And this wonderful moment between auntie and her nephew presented itself.  Good thing I had my camera.

Cast Your Stones - An Excerpt

This is an excerpt from my personal travel blog, Happiness is Organic. It is a post from our recent trip out west as we were driving through the Great Salt Desert outside of Utah.  I've often thought of this little part of trip since then and wanted to share this with you. The original post and others can be viewed here.

{Cast Your Stones}

One of the funny things about this trip is the sheer number of free-spirited travelers we’ve seen along the way.  It has not been uncommon to find retirees with their RV in tow.  Rock climbers and photographers living out of vans and modified SUVs. And the classic VW camper vans filled with gypsy travelers plying the American West like the covered wagon pioneers generations before.

Just outside of the hustle and bustle of Salt Lake City lies the Great Salt Desert.  This vast and barren landscape, home to world’s land speed records, is cut cleanly in two by Interstate 80 as it moves travelers east and west.

On this stretch of nothing, travelers have been leaving messages by the side of the road with found rocks and debris for what seems an eternity.  To commemorate our trip, we joined this tradition. Somewhere in-between mile-maker 25 and 26 we left our own little mark to show future generations of travelers that once, a long time ago, on this very stretch of highway, we passed; young, bold, free and very much in love.

   

{Stories} The Story Behind the Moment

Every photo has a story - little moments of inspiration woven into the fabric of a much larger tale.  I realized the other day that the story behind the photo can really make a beautiful moment even stronger and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite behind-the-scenes stories in a series called, “{Stories} The Story Behind the Moment”.

Check back next week to see my first post in the series. And I would love to hear from you on your favorite moment behind the photo.

Keep smiling,

Frank 

Portraits and Pictures

It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are. – Paul Caponigro

The aspect of wedding photography that I love the most, is not getting a beautiful stylized portrait of a bride and her new husband, but rather, getting an unscripted portrait of two people who are madly in love. 

Motivations for Success - My Version

I don’t think it’s a secret that I love my wife.  When Amber and I first decided to start our own businesses, our reasons for doing so weren’t quite the norm.   To be honest, like most people, we weren’t satisfied with the 9-5 lifestyle - and we both dreamed of a cubicle-free existence.  We certainly had no illusions of a life of financial freedom (wedding photographers and paper craft designers aren’t exactly jet setters). But what we did dream about was time - or more specifically, more time to spend together, doing the things we love.

I think the reason our businesses are becoming successful is we never forgot why we started them in the first place.  It is amazing to me that after nearly three years of marriage, and literally thousands of pictures, Amber is still my favorite subject.  I can, and have, shot ten-hour weddings, and the very next day, the first thing I want to do is grab my wife, fill a thermos of coffee and head out for the day to snap some photos together.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that when all is said and done, while we’re passionate about what we do, and while we may work harder for ourselves than we ever did as employees, it is still our love of each other that drives our success - we still like to head out, fill a thermos of coffee and snap some photos together.

Happy Monday!

The Shore

Inspired by vintage California surf