It takes a village.

So after my rather shameless begging for things I have been pining over for a while I have news, this news does pertain to this blog and I promise this blog will be continuing. So all 5 of you who read this on a regular basis know I am a photographer, and that I regularly do conventions and now even a wedding. Explaining the desire to take pictures, and more so of complete strangers, people on the street and zoo animals is almost impossible. For me photography is an intimacy with your subject, who or what ever they may be. For the few seconds or longer that they are in my view finder they are the only thing I see and think about, and they are beautiful.
There are a few of my friends who are also photographers who understand this, but what this post is about is "Thank you." I have been supported, encouraged, bullied, loved, forced and trusted these last couple of years as I returned to a passion that had gotten lost amongst the flotsam of childhood. So here goes, and if I forget you I am sorry and will make sure you are included
(the last names have been excluded to protect the guilty):

Lejon: You may not realize, or even remember what you said about the pictures I took at your wedding, but you said to me "You know you need some work on the technical stuff, but not a single one of these pictures is a waste." You single handedly, not only gave me one of the highest compliments I have ever received but you planted the bug not just in my mind but in the of others. I blame most of this on you, but you also continue to look at my photography and give me honest feed back

Meesh: You taking hold of the pictures and asking if you could keep the ones like, and showing them to Lejon, starting a feed frenzy amongst the pictures, but giving me the compliment of wanting to keep the pictures filled my heart. For dressing up and having a good time, but willing and

Jamie: For deciding that I would be the one taking the pictures for Sin Aesthesia, and not giving me an option about it. For trusting me enough to model for me. For your patience and your eventual understanding. For not allowing me to wallow in the "I am not good enough phase." For treasuring the pictures of our niece. For opening her home and heart and being another one to call shenanigans when the Emo photographer wanted to come out. For her honesty and concern.

Becca: For not only allowing me to take pictures of her, of having no fear when I asked her to pose, of being one of the best models and awesome people in the entire universe. For being completely open to trying new things even if they seem silly. For telling me that no one has taken better pictures of her, even though she is extremely photogenic. For being awesome and flirty
Alicia: For telling me frankly that no one else has taken better pictures of her.

Eric: For sharing my passion and my love and talking shop with me. For not letting me BS myself, for always being honest even when it was painful. For sharing his photography with me to ask me what I thought, sharing his triumphs and giggles over bad.

Inge: For letting me play dress up and play with her make up. For trusting me to pick colors and for patience and love.

Jen(s) All of you. One for not being a stranger to anyone, even a lost shy girl. For the open invite of love. One for taking me to lunch and just letting me talk so we could be that much better of friends, for getting me a real live paying gig, even if I did catch the flu in the middle of it. One for knowing my pain and showing me how much worse it could be, but that you could have a smile on your face through out it. And finally one that I don't know as well as I want, but is always there with a hug and a smile, a valuable commodity.

Sean: Or as Z loving calls hims "The Beta Version". For being protective of your baby brother, but willing to listen long enough to realize we were made for each other. For getting angry, but for loving me still. You, Jamie and Kiara are really his only family here and that makes you doubly special for keeping him happy.

Dave: For 14 years you have been a rock in a storm for me. You trust me to make you look good, and I promise you I will make that happen.

Paul and Monica. Paul for trust me with your wife's virtue and making sure that it comes back tarnished. Monica, for being an excellent model, willing to play dress up with me and have fun while we take pictures. I love I get the real smiles, the smiles of joy, of happiness, of contentment. Like Becca, you are welcome in front of my camera at any time.

Joe: For your honesty for tell me in no uncertain terms that my photography made you jealous. For sharing with me what you consider your best shots , still complimenting me about mine. From a film maker this is also a high praise

Brian: Recognizing my talent early on, but gently leadine me towards it. Never forcing, but always a brick wall of faith at your back. Not only that but he directly helped in bringing our little family back together, for that alone he has my friendship and love for life.

Zach: There is so much I could say about Z that it would take up an entire blog, let a just a post. Z will not allow me to be something I am not, besides myself he is my biggest critic and greatest cheerleader, he is the bedrock on which my creativity can steady itself. He respect me enough to include me in his art and ask my opinion. I love him.


For those not included by name on this list, I got about 3 hours of sleep last night and names are not coming easy to me, however this does not mean you are forgotten or not as important, just that you are hiding somewhere in the murky depths of my sleep deprived mind. Everyone of you who have been positive to me, perfect strangers or not, I blame all of this on you










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