Getting my kicks, on Route 66.....

I'm mesmerized by Route 66, and it'll ultimately (Lord willing and the creek don't rise) be a Loop-to-Pier photography journey for me to document and publish.  Top down, life's favorite songs playlist, a Nikon, a laptop, and nostalgia & memories passing by town-by-town, diner-by-diner.  A bit of Heaven on Earth.

A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

From my family and business I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas. May your season offer you gratitude, insight and peacefulness. 

For the first time since opening our downtown studio, I've decided to increase my session fees, effective January 1st (unless a sitting has already been scheduled, of course).  We've been blessed with non-stop work throughout 2016, and I couldn't be more proud, grateful and appreciative.  The price increase merely reflects the substantial time and labor that we dedicate to delivering an extraordinary experience to our clients -- in the actual session, through all our customer service and, naturally, in the final beautiful images.

I'm absolutely going to continue Mother Bear's coupons for all referrals!  What a fun "Thank You" to give and receive!  (Quick aside:  I've lived in Chicago and New York City along my life's journeys, and absolutely believe Mother Bear's is one of the top three pizzas I've ever tasted!  We're so lucky to have it here in Bloomington!)

Call or email me if you'd like to book a session before the new year begins.  I've got sessions booked through next December so am happy to reserve well in advance of some of the key date slots!

Studio sessions at our convenient location on the iconic Courthouse Square, on-location sessions at your home or favorite Bloomington location (who can choose among them all...?!) and/or a hybrid of some studio shots and then some outdoor images.....  Whatever you choose I'll work hard for you to ensure you get not only shots you'll love, but images that will exceed your expectations.

All my work comes with a 100% guarantee.  If you're not thrilled with your image I wouldn't dream of accepting payment.  

We all do (or should do) whatever we can to put good and right into the world.  Photography is one way I offer a small token of beauty and gratitude to the community.

Chatting with a friend recently, I said that I've always seen the world in a way I imagine many folks see the world primarily or only while they're on vacation -- fresh and alive and invigorating and full of possibilities.  I'm blessed with this mindset, and I value its positive impact on my life.

That said, I thoroughly loved spending four days with our daughter and son-in-law in the Pacific Northwest last week. One of the highlights was a morning specifically designed to take some family portraits for them.  Their girls (Belle and Gem) are getting older, and the time was right in every way.  We picked a spot that's meaningful to Kayla and Tommy and shot and laughed for 20 minutes. What a wonderful way for me to briefly converge my life, my passion for photography, a sense of the importance of place for others, and a gift for members of my family.  

Photographing families is an honor. I feel a sense of overwhelming responsibility to capture the family's personality, including each individual member of the family, in beautiful images. There's a remarkable trust and collaboration that is created on each shoot, and, once it's sealed, we're able to let each person be himself/herself -- which, in turn, creates the family and the ideal portraits.

This shoot was to honor the family's tradition on one (gorgeous) plot of Southern Indiana land. Ironically, my own family was scattered around the country simultaneously, each pursuing his/her own dreams. Family, geography, hope and love are wildly diverse points in this ol' world's vast spectrum. 

Continuing to work non-stop and non-stop-smiling....  So many and much of my most beloved photographs, films, books, paintings and music hover over the truth that touching lives positively -- even one life at a time, step-by-step -- is a profoundly important way to live an enriched life.  I love helping my clients preserve memories of places, times, moments that mattered in their lives.  

October and November have catapulted non-stop to "are you kidding me!" non-stop.  I've been blessed to meet and work with hundreds of interesting people this past month, and each photography shoot I'm keenly aware that the images will make positive impacts on lives.  The world's divisiveness and negativity evaporate during a portrait session, and what rises, instead, is love and beauty.  

It's a small, small way to affect the world in a positive direction.  But it's something.  And it lasts.  And it absolutely matters.  

And I love everything about the process, crazy non-stop as it may be.

This autumn feels like Summer Part II, as the temperatures rest in the 70's and the colors remain vibrant all around the area.  I really enjoyed shooting Conner's high school senior pictures this week, and loved getting to highlight his beautiful red hair against the autumn/summer colors throughout campus.  Conner plans to attend IU next September and I wish him all the best.