Apartment Window Silhouette

I captured this image five years ago when I was a single bachelor living in an apartment in Lakeland, Florida. Though I was on the third floor, I had a tall palm tree outside my bedroom window that would always grow it’s branches out and create silhouettes with the glowing, morning sun. This was my view on many a morning as I prepared for work.

I lived in that apartment for seven years, it was a special season in my life full of blessings. I grew in many ways and became the man that my wife would meet in December of 2007.
 
My life has changed a lot since those days. I still pass by my old apartment complex on my way to work each morning. There have been a few times as I’ve passed by, that I’ve thanked God for the season that place represents in my life and that it ended well, culminating in me meeting and marrying Sandy.

Merry Christmas Everyone

To everyone who takes time to check out my photographs on this photoblog, I wish a very merry Christmas to you and your family. Take time to slow down and enjoy it. I know I'm going to try to.

Christmas Spinner part 2

I've called this post "part 2" because it's actually the second time I've posted this image. Except this time, I put a little twist on it with the selective color effect, which as you know, I love doing.

Click here to view the original image and read more about how I captured it way back in 2006!

It's funny what I say at the end of that post about wanting a real tree again someday. My own tree looks more like this now (click here), which is exactly what Sandy and I wanted.

Charger & "Mini Me"

I photographed this beast and it's "mini me" at Old Town in Kissimmee, Florida, two years ago.

Morning Light

I captured this image last Sunday morning while I was getting ready for church. I just liked what the light was doing on the wall after it came through the window. Seems to have a fluidity to it.

Of course, today is Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has an enjoyable one wherever you may be today. This week we had a special Thanksgiving service at church. Our pastor asked us to think of three things that we're thankful for right now and tell someone around us. The three that immediately came to my mind was my wife, my health and my family.

What three things are you most thankful for today?

Furniture Store Art

Spotted this scene as my wife and I browsed an American Signature furniture store over the weekend. I had to capture the red shadows on the floor.

Holding Time

Taken in Chicago in 2004 outside of Tiffany & Co. I'm not sure who the statue is supposed to be, but it looks like Christ holding time to me. Time is in His hands.

Mercury Trunk Ornament

From deep in the archives, a vintage trunk ornament on a Mercury. The cool, Mercury dude is what drew me to take this image.

Boca Image

Another image from my archives this week. This one taken at the Boca Raton Resort and Club back in 2006.

Daytona

This was taken during our first year of marriage in a small, old motel room that we were given a free night’s stay in to attend a friend’s wedding in Daytona. After exploring with my camera outside, I came back in the room to find my wife’s perfume bottle illuminated by the morning light.

I’ve had this image for almost three years, but never liked it enough to post it here. But, every time I looked at it, I saw something that wouldn’t let me trash it. So, I messed with it some more this week and finally got it to where I was pleased enough to share it.

My wife and I were always impressed with the generosity of this nice, Indian family that opened their place of business to us for free that weekend. This image will always remind me of that.

Storm

Morning light on a waterlogged, storm drain manhole cover. I just liked the steel tread and text popping up out of the shallow pool of water.

Mack Bulldog

I always thought this Mack Truck hood ornament was cool. I remember first seeing it on a shelf in my grandparent’s furnished basement. My grandfather, C. Nelson Yeager, was a truck driver for most of his working career and a diesel mechanic for some part of that time. He is now enjoying retirement, where as long as he has a newspaper in his hands and his Miniature Schnauzer “Lady” beside him, he’s a happy camper.

I recently thought to ask Pap if I could have this hood ornament that’s been in our family my whole life. He generously agreed to give it to me. So, I asked him for some of the history behind this piece and how he acquired it. He said that while he was working as a diesel mechanic for a particular fleet of Mack trucks, there was a problem with these ornaments being ripped off of the hoods, leaving gaping holes in the body of the truck. So, his boss ordered the mechanics to properly remove the ornaments before someone could improperly rip them out.

My grandfather says that it was actually the drivers who were ripping them off for themselves, but of course, they would never admit to that. So, since my grandfather was one of the mechanics with the task of properly removing these, he got to keep one.

This story took place around 1978, at least a year before I was born. This steel bulldog has enjoyed a sheltered life away from the elements of the road and weather ever since and I am the proud new owner of it.

It’s currently being used as a bookend in our office. I liked how the light was hitting it the other day, so I took the opportunity to make an image with it.



Mack Truck hood ornament 87931

Agua

As I got up from the sofa, I noticed light glowing through my wife's water bottle as it sat in front of the television. It was enough to get my attention, so I grabbed an image of it. I love the touches of reflected color and the contrast in the image.

There's beauty in the most simplest objects and scenes if we take time to look.

Contrast, Shape & Light

While sitting at Books-A-Million with my wife the other day, I noticed how the light was coming across this empty, mid-morning café scene, creating contrast with the table tops and their edges. I took a couple frames of it and decided on this one.

Pinkberry

My wife and I were at a frozen yogurt shop in Orlando called, "Pinkberry", late last Saturday night. What caught my eye about this scene was the way the lights were reflecting off of the glossy finished wall.

Lights Overhead

While I was posing for some group shots at a wedding reception I attended recently, I noticed this row of lights hanging in the hotel lobby that we were in. They caught my imagination, so I walked to the opposite end of the room and took this photo.

There wasn't much color in this image to begin with, but some of what did exist was that beautiful green and blue at the bottom of the frame. So, I did a selective color (which I love doing) to reward your eyes after following the lights down to the bottom.

La Niña

Some more Mackenzie love this week. I really need to get out and photograph some stuff. But, at least I have some more images of my beloved, furry creature to bestow to the world. She's actually sitting up on my desk as I'm typing this, just cleaning her paws and such. You know, "chillin'". Ok, she just looked lovingly over her sholder at me and meowed. How nice.

Well, that's enough for now. Until next Thursday.

2011 Tool Dealer Expo

This past weekend, I photographed the trade show that my company puts on each year. A lot of the images I got were photojournalistic / record shots of the crowds and booths that were involved in the event. The above image is one of my personal favorites, though. The clean lines of this Nissan 350z, which was one of six prize vehicles being given away, inspired me to make this image.

You can view the whole gallery of images I captured of the 2011 Tool Dealer Expo by clicking here.

Reflection of Light

I’ve heard great photographers say that “photography is all about light”. The very origin of the word means “drawing with light”. The amount of, quality of and behavior of light, all affect how a scene is viewed by our eyes and by a camera lens.

While sitting at Chipotle the other week, I noticed how light was bouncing off the aluminum table top, lighting my wife’s face from below. I liked what the light was doing in the scene, so I decided to make an image with it.

“Photography is all about light”.

Illuminated

I think at the core of photography is the thought or phrase, “look at this”. There’s always a reason why we push the shutter release button. Something inspired you to take the photograph. Maybe it was to remember a place or occasion. Or, as I like to do, maybe it was just to capture the beauty or art of a scene or object. Something you wouldn't normally take the time to notice or enjoy, now framed and frozen in time.

Last Saturday night, my wife and I met up with her sister and brother-in-law for dinner at Pei Wei. As I was sitting down to our table, I noticed how light was glowing through my wife's cup of water in an otherwise dark scene. It immediately inspired me. So, I got out my camera, composed the shot and took this image.