If I had to pick one word to sum up the year, I don't know what it would be. I suppose you can't pick just one word to sum up anything. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  And this blog post, with it's "20+" images would mathematically be more words than I would care to list out here. But hopefully, these images in some small way, begin to describe how much fun we've had being creative in 2013 (and quite possibly, late 2012). We're truly thankful for this last year and we're very excited for the next. Onward and Enjoy. 

Sometimes, you just need to get out of the office and take a hike. Enjoy these images from a day of exploration, rejuvenation and solitude.  

We are excited to announce that we have officially signed on for another trip to Africa next year. We will be out of the country from July 10th until July 22 and we will be working with Every Orphan's Hope to document their work and their life in Zambia. We strongly believe in this organization and the profound effect that it has on not only the orphans, but the people that decide to invest in their lives. For more information on EOH, please visit their website here. 

Happy 1 year Anniversary to Derrick and Erin.  A few weeks back, this fun couple decided to celebrate their anniversary by taking a little trip from their home in Norman Oklahoma to the quiet, quaint town of Eureka Springs Arkansas. And while they were there, they invited me and my camera to come hang out for a bit. Here's a few images from our afternoon together. Enjoy. 

Meet Jake and Nicki, an incredibly fun couple who recently enjoyed some beautiful fall colors and my not-so-beautiful driving skills for their engagement photos. We had a lot of laughs as we traversed the beautiful terrain of the natural state in search of colour and light. Here's a few of our favorites. Enjoy!

Say hello to Nathan and Courtney. If Courtney looks familiar, it might be because her identical twin sister Kelsey is also on our blog here, here and here. We're super excited to be photographing their Texas wedding this summer but for engagement photos, they opted for Arkansas because of the pretty fall colors. And sure enough, they picked the right time. Here's a few images from our afternoon of photographic adventure. Enjoy. 

It's been another week of heavy shooting. This week, two major commercial shoots have kept me switching lenses, charging batteries and battling the weather. But no matter how busy things get, I have a rule: There's ALWAYS time for a heli-pad portrait. Here's me and my good friend Ryan Slone from DOXA acting like we know how to direct a helicopter landing. (We don't)

Happy Weekend!

Say hello to Will and Anna. Together, they're tackling their last year of college and planning a wedding. And yet, their carefree personalities and their inability to keep from smiling indicates that they are very much enjoying this time in their lives. A few weeks ago, we headed out into the beautiful fall weather to create some engagement photos with them. Here's a few of our favorites. Enjoy. 

We love it when families want something other than traditional family photos. It was the McCormick's first time to get family photos done and they wanted something out-of-the-ordinary. Challenge accepted. We messed with some time travel options but in the end, we decided it would be easier on the kids to just visit a closed down dinosaur park instead. Here's a few images from our adventure. Enjoy. 

You can tell that these two love each other very much. And it's also blatantly evident that these two love to goof off in front of the camera. I had an absolute blast hanging out with Mike and Brittney and their two pups a few weeks back and am excited to (finally) be able to share some of their images here on the blog. Enjoy!

We are very pleased to announce the official visual identity of an exciting new business in Bentonville Arkansas. The Bentonville Brewing Company will soon be opening it's doors  (Location TBD) and they'll be brewing and selling some delicious beers. We had a blast working with them designing this logo and look forward to tackling a variety of work ranging from designing a website, stationery materials and beer labels to creating images of their brewing process and their new space. Keep up with their latest happenings on their Facebook page. More to come!

Sometimes, you just have to get away and unplug. For me, it often results in some extended time outdoors. Most recently, it was a camping trip. My time away was filled with lots of pretty fall colors, cold air, good food, good conversation with good friends, an acoustic guitar solo exhibition, roaring camp fires and absolutely no cell phone service whatsoever. I did however, pack my little Fuji x100s and used it religiously. Here's a few images from my time away.

Happy Weekend.

Say hello to John, Darby and Scout. This wonderful family came down to Arkansas for a visit with some friends and decided that they needed some family photos. We were happy to oblige. Of course, the weather wasn't so cooperative towards the end as it turned rainy and cold(er). That's ok, we had a blast anyway. Here's a few images from our afternoon together. Enjoy.

If you ever get a chance to go see these guys, please do...they're awesome. And no, I'm not biased. When it comes to bluegrass and folk, these three can absolutely whip out old favorites, well-written originals and alternate arrangements of mainstream hits. And although Jeff Scholtes (The guy playing the guitar or mandolin) is an ongoing music client of ours, I can say with confidence that I would still write the same stuff about the trio if I had just "walked in" on their performance. They really are very good and well-worth a listen. They play frequently in Fayetteville, Little Rock and Fort Smith. Here's a few images from a recent performance. Enjoy.

Meet the architect and the artist. Brandon is the architect and Lisa is the artist. Together, they are a great match. We had a blast in Eureka Springs a few weeks back hanging out and exploring the town. Here's a few of their sneak peek engagement photos. Enjoy!

It’s been a whirlwind past couple of weeks. We’ve been shooting much more than we’ve been editing or blogging. And that’s a good thing. C’mon. Who wouldn’t rather be outside during this beautiful time of year? There will be lots of catching up on the blog in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we’ll see you outside.  

Palmer Lee is one of those young musicians who's actually going somewhere. We were first introduced to her when she hired us to create some promotional images for her . After that, we had the privilege of photographing with her with her singer songwriting partner Chase Coy as Third & Union. Most recently, she combined her unique ability to write great lyrics with her incredible voice released her first EP entitled "Until Now". Palmer celebrated her new release by playing homecoming show here in Rogers where she and her incredibly talented band rocked out to some of their new tunes. Here's a few images from the show. Enjoy!

Life is beautiful. And this time of year, that beauty is especially evident in the emerging fall colors and the family photos that include them. But that doesn't mean life is always fun or easy. Meet the Ford family. They're a wonderful family with 3 kids (Joe, Jackson and Audrey), who happen to be triplets. But that little part about life not being easy became reality when all 3 kids were born premature at 26 weeks. The kids pulled through but towards the end of their stay in NICU, Audrey suffered from two different infections at the same time and barely survived. During that time, she sustained a permanent brain injury due to the inconsistent flow of blood to her brain. Her official diagnosis is Cerebral Palsy and Cortical Visual Impairment. 

It's easy to get overwhelmed with medical terms and restrictions and in the process, forget that a person is a person like you and like me. When the Ford's emailed me details of Audrey's history and diagnosis, that particular paragraph in the email was followed by a paragraph describing her as "the silliest little girl". She loves to laugh and smile and she loves to be around kids her age. She loves sweets too. In fact, she's going to be "cotton candy" for halloween this year.

What's even more amazing to me is how this family overcomes the obstacles and limits and has a life that I would call very normal and active. For photos, we went on a hike and everywhere we went, all three kids went too. My time with this wonderful family was a sweet reminder of how a hard story can also be a beautiful story. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Noah and Anjeanette over the past few months. Hanging out with them for their engagement photos was a total blast. And as it turns out, we have a lot in common. We enjoy Cycling, Martin Guitars, the great outdoors, Mumford & Sons and (thanks to Anjeanette's affinity for baking), Jalapeño Sugar Cookies. Last weekend, their family and close friends traveled to the Cedar Crest Lodge, a beautiful and secluded space in Ponca Arkansas to celebrate their wedding. True to form, the chilly fall weather showed up but lots of love and  strategically placed outdoor heaters kept everyone cozy and comfortable. Here's a few images from the day. Enjoy.

You might remember Tyler and Emily from awhile back. Our engagement session adventure  included "checking into" an abandoned motel and all but taking over an airport hanger and runway. Their wedding this past weekend was a small, intimate and joyous celebration filled with family, friends, ghost tours, ingenious details, an authentic DJ and some epic dance moves. Here's a few of our favorites from their big day. Enjoy!