Over the past few months, we've had the privilege of working with illustrator Chrystal Seawood on a new art project she's been dreaming up. Chrystal is a super talented local artist with a passion for creating art that generates social commentary. Chrystal's new project titled "The New Totem Pole" addresses unconscious hierarchies in today's society. Through this project, Chrystal wants to bring to light a conversation concerning the stereotypes and social classes we unconsciously lump people into. She believes that this process creates a "totem pole" effect where certain people are perceived higher than others. Chrystal envisions a new "Totem Pole", where everyone stands side by side, eliminating the effect of a vertical hierarchy and promoting equality among everyone. It is our belief that photography is most inspiring when it points us to the realities of life and challenges us to be better, more loving people in the process. Here's a few of the portraits we created for Chrystal. Enjoy & Happy Friday. 

Last week, I had the opportunity to hang out with my good friend, former wedding client, musician extraordinaire and talented sign maker, Ryan Fitzgerald. I've had the opportunity to hang out with Ryan a lot over the past few years. Our times together have included making music, concerts, and honest talks about life and about love. Last year, I met his fianceé for the first time when I traveled to Tulsa for their engagement photos and I was honored to capture their wedding a few months later. Since then, life has calmed down a bit for the Fitzgeralds and Ryan has stretched his artistic skills into sign making. Last week, Ryan demonstrated his sign making process for me and I was happy to capture it. Enjoy.

Last week, we spent a day capturing images of Washington County landscapes and landmarks for the Bank of Fayetteville's marketing department. Anyone who knows us knows that in our spare time, we love driving around and finding interesting images to photograph. So this photo assignment was less like work and more like a paid day off. Here's a few of our favorite images from the day. Happy Monday.

For us, few things beat a nice weekend trip to Kansas City. But throw some good friends and a wonderful wedding into the mix and the niceness goes way up. We met JB & Jen awhile back, through some good friends from college. And we were so excited that they invited us along to document their beautiful wedding day. Heavy rains in the morning gave way to cloudy skies in the afternoon and when the couple exited the church and pretended to leave (they drove around the block and came back for pictures), golden rays of sun were peeking through the clouds signaling a beautiful end to a beautiful day. For the girls, the day started with hair and makeup, mimosas and laughs in a beautiful hotel room. For the guys, it was bacon and eggs, football and attempting to remedy a tuxedo pants rental problem (MC Hammer pants weren't what JB ordered). Their beautiful ceremony was held in a 100 year old Methodist Church in the quaint downtown are of Richmond, Missouri and the reception was held at The Elms, a tucked-away but beautiful Hotel and Spa in Excelsior Springs. After a delicious dinner and some wedding cake, they danced the night away to the amazing sounds of The Patrick Lentz Band, hands down one of the best wedding bands we've ever heard. The highlight of the evening however, was hearing the kind, heartfelt words from their close friends as they raised glasses and recalled stories, memories and in one case, an instant message conversation where JB confessed to his best man, Rob that he actually WAS interested in Jen and that he planned to "ask her out".

As of right now, JB & Jen should've been either camping or in Branson for their honeymoon. However, Jen informed me after the wedding that "camping" and "Branson" were somehow, code words for a honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta. We wish them a great time on their vacation and hope that they (and you) enjoy these images. 

Today, I'm posting a few excerpts from a talk I gave to some university graphic design / photography students last week. To be quite honest, I'm posting these as much for myself as I am for any readers that happen to stumble upon the blog. Here's to hoping these thoughts inspire you in school, in work and in life. Cheers. 

We've recently been working with My Brother's Salsa to create some product images for their delicious (yes, we tested it) salsa. During a recent shoot, we also had the opportunity to photograph a bunch of delicious food along with a wide variety of their products. At the time, it looked like just that...very delicious food. We soon realized however, that each of the dishes included one of their salsas as a main ingredient. And after sampling each dish, we became enamored with their salsa and cooking some of these delicious recipes. Although they're working on a brand new website at the moment, you can still find many of these recipes on their current site. Their salsa is available for purchase locally in most Wal-mart Stores, select Harps Grocery Stores, Ozark Natural Foods, White Oak Station and Fresh Market. So far, our favorite flavor is "Fire Roasted Hot" but that could definitely change after another round of grocery shopping. Here's a few images from our shoot.

Photo Appétit.

As part of an ongoing project for our client and friend Scott McMurtrey, we've been slowly but surely photographing his handiwork and putting together a brand new online presence for him. Although Scott has had a logo and business cards for awhile, this is the first time he's had a website and facebook page for his business and we're super excited that he now has a place to showcase his talent and passion. Scott really is a multitalented craftsman with experience building everything from corporate spaces to residential remodels and even custom furniture. His thorough approach and attention to detail are just a couple of reasons why architects and designers trust him to make their plans a tangible reality. Here are a few of his beautiful creations. Enjoy. 

If you've ever read the bio page on our website, you'll know that I'm a huge Mumford & Sons fan. So it was a real treat this past weekend to travel to Guthrie Oklahoma for their Gentlemen of the Road Stopover. The Gentlemen of the Road Stopover is a huge 2 day festival with lots of great music, food and festivities. The idea behind these festivals is to setup in a small, mostly unheard of town, enjoy music from a wide variety of bands and to embrace the local culture. Of course the townspeople get into it as well (most of them, anyway). Despite the intense Oklahoma heat, our time in Guthrie was super fun. Some of my favorite bands were Bears Den, Alabama Shakes and of course, Mumford & Sons who ended the event on Saturday night. Here's a few images from our weekend away. Enjoy.

Typically when I visit a flea market or an antique shop, I’m looking for one thing…old cameras. But recently, I noticed that there were lots of interesting “people” in flea markets. Most of them of course, are not real…unless you count the lady or gentleman running the establishment. But, scattered about the intricate layouts of shelves and booths, you can find very interesting characters indeed. Some of them are downright creepy. Some are sad. And some leave themselves open for interpretation. Here’s a few interesting faces I found recently. All photos shot with an iPhone. Enjoy.

In the previous post, I talked about this being a weekend of "firsts". Another first happened on Sunday's wedding and again, it was during the ceremony. Along with communion, Dan and Stephany had arranged to have a...

It was a weekend of "firsts" for us as wedding photographers. Both of the weddings we had the honor of photographing had unique elements to the celebration. For Cory and Amanda, the "first" came when...

A couple months back, we had the unique opportunity to hang out with a few of the University of Arkansas Honors College students and create some images for the university marketing materials. As I've said before, one of the most enjoyable parts of this type of work is the opportunity to learn from the people you're working with and of course these students are beyond outstanding in their chosen fields of study. So it was a great day of chatting and getting to learn more about where they've been and where they're headed and all the while, creating images of them in their natural surroundings. The University of Arkansas is very lucky to have them and we certainly wish them the very best in their future endeavors. Here's a few images from the shoot. Enjoy! 

It's always a pleasure to work with the wonderful people and inspiring environment of the Fayetteville Public Library. Here's a few images from our most recent photo shoot with them. Happy Tuesday! 

A few years ago on April Fools Day, I went to our local camera store and had someone snap a photo of me holding a new Canon 5DMII. As an avid Nikon shooter, this little shenanigan got me some attention (and some offers to buy my Nikon gear). The joke lasted approximately 6 hours and at the end of it, I had to tell people that I was kidding. Now, I really am switching to Canon and here's why.

They call Paris the "City of Light". Some people call it "The City of Love". But I would simply call it "The City of Awesome". We had the same game plan in Paris as we did in London....a "no agenda", whatever we felt like doing vacation. We didn't go to the Lourve. We saw it on a subway map though....and on postcards. We went to the Eiffel Tower three times, once to just see it, once to eat a picnic lunch in front of it and, once at night to see it light up. (magical) The Paris Metro was easy enough to navigate and according to the subway map, there was very little of the city we didn't visit. 

Having been to Paris before but without a decent camera, I was excited to return with one...and also, with my wife who had never even been across the ocean. Paris was very much as I remembered it and yet, it still took my breath away. The architecture is ancient and stunning. The atmosphere (for the most part) is laid back much less hurried than what I'm used to. And in spite of what I’ve always heard about the French, they are friendly, if not chatty and down-to-earth. We spent our time walking the streets, studying the terrain and soaking up the culture. We ate at cafes or bought bread and cheese from a nearby market. And of course, we made images with our cameras. Here’s a few of my favorites.

Have a great weekend everyone. 

Awhile back, we had the opportunity to travel to Williams Baptist College to create some images for their new marketing materials. Our goal was to capture candid images that portrayed the laid back and friendly atmosphere of the college. Nestled in a small town just outside of Jonesboro, Williams Baptist College offers its students the chance to focus on a variety of different majors in an environment where students are challenged to excel in their studies while also taking time to enjoy their college experience. Here's a few of the images that the University has decided to use in their new marketing materials.

Happy Thursday!

While in London, we had the opportunity to visit the Tate Modern. This snazzy art museum is housed in an unassuming older looking structure. Inside however, is anything but. Modern lines, high ceilings, lots of glass and bright colors transform the space into the "modern" part of it's name. There's a lot of amazing art in this museum and of course, we thought it would be nice to make some of our own. Enjoy. 

Meet Maris Lee. She's a senior at Rogers High School this year and she also happens to be the younger sister of Palmer Lee, a singer songwriter and member of the band 3rd and Union. We met up in downtown Springdale to create some senior portraits and had a blast hanging out and goofing off. Here's a few of our favorites images from the shoot. Special thanks to Warehouse 54 for allowing us inside their space and to the people who didn't run over when I was shooting in the street. 

Max Harrell is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's quiet, yet confident with an air of humility about him. I guessed that he played football because he showed up to the studio with some pads and a helmet. But it wasn't until we were already driving to locations for his senior pictures that I casually asked him what position he played on the football team. "Quarterback, he replied."

 :)

Here's a few of our favorite images. Enjoy. 

On the return trip from Africa, Kristen and I arranged to have a little layover in Europe....5 days, to be exact. Since we were flying through London, we started out there, leaving a majority of our luggage at the airport and setting off through the city with a few clothes and our cameras.