maeby anne // houston dog

needs a bath. and perhaps a trim.

boone baby bump // galveston maternity

Being a photographer, I get to be a part of some pretty intimate chapters and moments of people's lives. It used to frighten me a little, stress me out some, but now I really like it. I love that I get to tag along with two people through their time as an engaged couple in anticipation of their wedding day. That I get to be one of the first people to see those first moments as husband and wife. It kind of blows my mind actually. I've also had the honor of being in the room as new life takes it's first breath. I've captured the look on a mother's face as she sees her child for the first time. That's good stuff. Crazy good. And I'm privileged to have a small part in it all.

Sometimes things work out perfectly and it's a dear friend who wants to share those chapters and moments with you. Lindsey is one of those dear friends and when she asked if I would take some shots of her while she carries her first child I about busted from excitement. She and her hubs lived in Galveston for their first few years of marriage before relocating to the east coast for his residency. Sometimes beach pictures can be full on cheese but since there's such a rich history here for these two I knew it was going to be a perfect spot. Lindsey simply relaxed and breathed in the heavy, soaked air of her former home. She seems so at peace in these shots. I love that I got to see that.

Congrats, you two. I'm pretty pumped to meet this kid.

two things with love from gus

1) Life is not always safe (or clean). 2) Life is good.

looking back and babbling about it

Last week I did something I highly recommend anyone in my line of work doing; I looked through my first wedding shoots. A little humility (or in my case, a lot) is always a good thing. After I stopped cringing at my constant black and white conversions to save poorly exposed shots and my apparent consistent need to compose everything at a slant (why, WHY?!), I took a breath and had to smile as I caught glimpses of the photographer I am now even 6 or 7 years ago. I think my style is ever evolving and changing but there are a few constant things that hold over (I was actually surprised to see just how many shots I actually liked).

All things considered, it made me realize over and over again that it isn't composition, timing, or editing that makes a photo great; it's the people in front of the lens. Trite as it may sound, it's true. My photo is only as good as the emotion and story on the other end. Sure, timing is important and composition can help propel a story or pull focus where it needs to be. But, once you start trying to do something "awesome" or start looking for the next shot that's blog worthy or that's going to help further your career, you're going to start missing the the point of taking the photograph. I know I'm in need of checking myself every once in a while and looking back at your first year's work is a great way to do that. The stories are still there and still powerful, even if your shots are God awful. It's the people that make the image great. It always should be about the people. Your client. Their story.

So, what's with this post? The second wedding I ever shot was for a friend of mine who I still keep in touch with (she's also a photographer up in Kansas - you can check out her work here). I pulled some of the images from her wedding day that caught my eye for one reason or another. I wanted to see how different they looked with a more honest processing. The church we shot in was dark and old with awful(ly awesome) blue carpet and florescent lighting. Originally I tried to "fix" a lot of that with black and white conversions and excessive cropping-- no more! Here they are more true to the original lighting and tone of the event. I like these a lot better. As for the old images? Those will probably never see the light of day.

winky face emoticon.

two things with love from gus

1) You don't always have to do what people tell you to do. 2) Look up often.