"I'll be right back. I'm going to go find an iguana to photograph."

Key West is many, many things. Nearly each one brilliant (Papa's Pilar being squarely in that brilliant camp). But for strolling and wandering and meandering and photography it's perhaps unbeatable. What a joyful vibe here. 

Oh, and the iguanas are cool. 

So are the chickens.

And the sunsets.

And the Cuban coffee.

I love the intersection of travel and photography.

Balance....  What a gift. What an essential life gift.

Enjoying a remarkable three-week trip to Key West, the Everglades and wonderful dart-specific spots throughout the Southeast United States throughout the holiday season. It's wonderful.  (Thank you to my beloved Hemingway for encouraging me to visit Key West the first time 20-some years ago).

I've had such miraculous good fortune with eagles, hawks, osprey, manatees, crocodiles, alligators, iguanas, etc., throughout this trip, in addition to landscape, location and personal photography. I'd be hard-pressed to love this month more (Key West in December is always a win), and the relaxation has fully recharged me for another incredible year of photography in 2018.

I thank God and all influences of my life that I'm able (resources, skill and time) to travel, photograph and appreciate the beauty in this marvelous, magnificent world.

I'm shooting my final wedding of 2017 this afternoon/evening, in the historic and incomparable Brown County State Park...  This year has been a whitewater raft ride of fast, unexpected, adrenaline-inducing currents with a multitude of blind, unforeseeable sharp turns. I often refer to my 2017 as an old-fashioned pinball game, and I think that's a good description. 

My business has been more successful than I'd ever planned. We've exceeded our annual projections this year by 60%, and our projection itself was a reach to begin with. The year has been an dam-break of activity, and unquestionably will continue to gain momentum.

One key learning this year has been that I won't need to advertise through traditional, conventional avenues any longer. Business has grown through word-of-mouth and referrals, and I'm deeply grateful for each of those recommendations. From the onset, my goal was to provide the best photography experience in South-Central Indiana, when viewed on the prism of price, service and quality. My clients are thrilled with the quality-for-cost, and I absolutely won't get out-worked from a customer service standpoint.  

Without question, though, my key learning of 2017 has been a reminder, of sorts, actually: Slow Down. Prioritize Balance. Say "No" and walk away from work, when work comes at the price of loss of necessary free time. As my business has soared, my free time has all but vanished. I miss days of quiet wanderings, and have already prioritized those as my 2018 goals are written. 

The coming year's calendar is almost already filled. The first thing I created was five full months off (not consecutive months, but sorted through the year), with corresponding locations that I'll be traveling to during those times. I can't wait. 

In turn, I know I'll be far more in-the-moment for my photography jobs. I'll have a renewed zip to my step. 

Travel. Run. Motorcycle. Photograph. Kayak. Hike. Sip coffee. Read. Golf. Listen to great music. Appreciate. Feel grateful. Travel a bit more. 

There's my 2018 blueprint. And a wonderful blueprint, it is.

I hope to work with you in 2018, and/or I thank you for working with me in 2017 or prior. I'm already a better photographer than I was 12 months ago, and I can't wait to see where I'll be this time next year.

Kristin, Kate and James were wonderful during our recent shoot. We had a challenge with scheduling, as Kristin hoped for Christmas-card-timely shots and my schedule had utterly no availability. Suddenly I had a free 90 minutes at sunset on a weekday early-evening, and after a quick email we came together for a fantastic session. The kids were troopers (the cold front was just moving in -- something we weren't accustomed to this early in the winter season), and the family dog (Tango!) had the time of his life. I'm delighted that they've got some wonderful images to share with extended family and friends this Christmas season. I love the feeling of helping good people through the gift of my eye and vision.

What a joy to get a few personal days to take a deep breath, inhale new experiences, re-visit some old, meaningful ones and exhale renewed spirit for the final weeks of 2017. An homage to Route 66, a marathon to honor so many personal things, a trek to the French Quarter, bayou photography, Oxford for a Faulkner tribute and Memphis for everything Memphis is....  

Surreal to walk back into Bloomington, which, in eight days, had transformed from Autumn to Christmas... And, with that, I'm off to shoot Christmas portraits for some wonderful clients...  

Countless reasons why photographers prefer to shoot in their studios, and I understand and even agree with most of those reasons. But it's undeniable that going on-location offers opportunities for gorgeous images that simply aren't possible indoors. Sometimes unpredictable, more time-consuming, challenging lighting at times, many potential distractions.... yes, yes, yes and yes. But the payoff is breathtaking, in a natural, comfortable, familiar way. I absolutely love when folks contact me and ask "Is there any chance we could do the shoot at.....?"

Decided to show corresponding images....

Here's an example of an image in 85mm (compared/contrasted to the 20mm shot, below).

Both are exquisite moments in the just-married life of Angie and Sean, but the story feels distinctly unique, with the corresponding lenses.

Love, joy, hopeful anticipation and matching Vespas....  Probably a good recipe for a wonderful future together!

When I shoot weddings I use two separate cameras with two entirely different lenses (an 85mm and a 20mm).  Both are spectacular, and each gives an entirely distinct look to the image, scene and "feel" of the moment.  Here, the 20mm helps tell the story of place and time (to anyone familiar with Bloomington, Indiana, though the point is true regardless of location, of course).

Sean and Angie's entire wedding theme was their matching Vespa scooters, and we had fun shooting them at various spots around town.  

Love is a beautiful phenomenon to see, sense, feel. I'm blessed to see love every week. Most days, in fact. To capture a brief moment of love -- and to be able to share that view -- is central to why I love photography. 

Whew!

Non-stop working (and working and working and working...) but I'm having a great time working with some amazing people (and pets, on occasion!).  Here, Casey and Oliver are celebrating Oliver's first birthday with a photo shoot.  Oliver was a natural for the camera, and genuinely seemed to enjoy the time we had together!  Casey is a lovely young woman, and so thoughtful to seek out professional portraits for Oliver's birthday.  

November 18th (first day off in months) on the horizon, and I'm a combination of dark-under-the-eyes, smiling and exceedingly caffeinated!  

Tip for anyone starting a photography business:  Wildly over-budget how much time it will take once you're shooting five-to-seven events a week.  Then double that.  Get a bit of sleep when you can, grab an apple, pour still-another cup of coffee and keep going.  And mark an occasional November 18th (or similar) in your calendar, too.  It gives you a nice sense of perspective.