I am really honored to have an interview featured on one of my favorite blogs. Okie Creative is a blog started by a great photographer in his own right, Jeremy Charles of Tulsa. Every tuesday the blog features interviews with some very outstanding photographers who live, work or started their careers in Oklahoma. I am humbled to have been asked to contribute. Click here to read my interview. Enjoy!

Wow! I have had such a great response to our "Combined Creativity" shoots! We had done Mrs. Oklahoma pageant head shots for Kristin earlier in the year and she contacted me again to photograph her beautiful family. She had enjoyed her "Combined Creativity" head shot session so much she wanted to do the same thing for her family session. Reseth Photography and I were so excited to be able to spend a beautiful morning with the Brawleys. We spent some time around midtown capturing the beautiful mid-morning light. We had a red wagon super cool sidewalks and too much fun. I wish Kristin the best of luck next month in the Mrs. Oklahoma Pageant. Also, Kristin has a great boutique in Northpark Mall called Tres Chic. You should really stop by and check it out. It's awesome!

You can see more Combined Creativity on Reseth Photography's blog.

The Anthony David Agency officially launched this past weekend. They have a great website and many outstanding models. Reseth and I have both been lucky to work with a lot of them on their portfolio development. It gives us both a chance to experiment and try new things photographically. We have decided that studio work would really create something unique and special to add to our photographic arsenal. Reseth is also a model with the Anthony David Agency and what better way to launch our studio work than to update her portfolio. My philosophy has always been to keep things simple. I strive to put the least amount of obstacles between myself and success as possible. We discussed many options and techniques that we could have used for this shoot but came to the conclusion that a creative editorial approach was the best way to go. We limited our tools to one lens, one light and a white seamless background. From those three elements we then expanded the process to create a Gobo from a piece of the white seamless background paper. Technically a "Gobo" is anything that "goes between" the light source and your subject. It's a simple technique that can create striking effects. From a subtle pattern that may fall on the background to add a textural element, to something more pronounced like we went with, Gobos are a fairly simple way to add striking elements to images. The studio shoot was a success and we gained so many ideas that we can use in the future.

The next day we had a client meeting in Norman and were lucky enough to get a quick snow storm. We very well couldn't pass up the chance to shoot in the snow! Enjoy! :) 

          

The great thing about being caught up on all of my editing is that it gives me a chance to go through my archives. I stumbled across this little blast from the past and thought I would share it with you. In late 2008 I took a trip with a dear friend of mine to the Big Bend area of Texas. It is hard to describe with words or photographs. Some places just have to be experienced to really be appreciated. That's exactly how I feel about Big Bend. The landscapes are enormous and the sky seems to envelop the earth in a magical light. At night the blackness above gives way to billions upon billions of clusters of stars and for the first time I saw the milky way as it truly is. We hiked up mountains, visited the Rio Grande and stayed in towns with names like Marathon, Marfa, Terlingua. We saw the Marfa Lights! Marfa is a hub of avant guard art and artists. The observatory in Ft. Davis was an outstanding experience. We met local folks, farmers, artist and general weirdos that are attracted to the special kind of beauty this area of Texas has to offer.

I have so much to say about this trip and these photos can only say a miniscule amount of what should be said. I hope to go back soon and have so much more to say. Enjoy!  

The past few nights have been so beautiful. It has been cold with a blanket of snow covering the ground. Each night a beautiful fog has rolled in just after 7pm. I have noticed how quiet it gets even in downtown. Last night I saw the chase building just as it was being enveloped in a thick fog and I had to take a photo. Enjoy!

It's one of those times of year when being trapped inside by the snow and ice makes me nostalgic for warmer days. Living in Oklahoma, I know that February marks the end of winter and those beautiful spring days wont be far behind. I have been taking a trip through my 2009 photo archive and came across some photos from a project that Reseth and I did early last year. 

People who know me know that I love to collaborate with other artist when I get the chance. Whether that be another photographer, a model or someone involved in another artistic discipline, I love working with creative people. I was lucky to work with Reseth for many reasons the least not being that she is a creative model but she is also an outstanding photographer. I had been contemplating a concept for a book for quite awhile and decided to try it. The story is slightly abstract and left to the imagination. I wanted the book to be like a fairy tale told through photos. Check out a preview of the book "The Dream" on Blurb. 

As a photographer it can be easy to get into a rut and put yourself into a box. Personal projects can give you the chance to get outside of the normal way of thinking about your photography and approach. I think it benefited me greatly to complete this project and produce a final product. I already have a couple of ideas for projects that I will be working on for 2010. I can't wait to share the process. In the meantime check out a few images from my 2009 book project.

Wow! It felt like ol' Teddy Roosevelt would walk through the door at any moment. The details in this place are just amazing. Deer Springs Lodge is a new venue in Luther Ok. that will host weddings, retreats and parties. It's just off of historic Route 66 east of Edmond. The main house is huge and has a great view of classic Oklahoma landscapes. They even have American Bison on the property. At the bottom of the hill is a cozy bunk house that is as fascinating and impressive as the main house. I love this place and I hope that I am lucky enough to get to photograph a few events there this year.

Additional Photography by Reseth Photogarapy   

I had such a great shoot with Leigha. She is a model with the Anthony David Agency. Reseth and I have been working together on portfolio shoots for the agency's models. Leigha was so great to work with and we had a lot of fun. At the end of the shoot we had a chance to experiment a little with light and technique. That's what I love about photography the most is the ability to improvise in the midst of the shoot. That's exactly what we did and I think we got a couple of really beautiful shots. It is really important to push yourself as a photographer and see what can happen when you step outside of your comfort zone. Sometime the results are unexpected and beautiful, sometimes you fail. In this case it was a great success.

Hair and makeup by Anthony David Salon in Penn Square Mall.

Clothing by Blush in Norman, Ok.  

Check out Reseth's photos from this shoot on her blog. 

Dixi and Kristin are going to be competing in the Mrs. Oklahoma competition this spring. I was excited to be able to photograph their pageant head shots. I wish their could be more than one winner because I think they would both represent this state very well. I wish them both the best of luck.

I would like to thank Lindsey Wilson for beautiful makeup and hair. You can find her at Lollies Beauty Bar in Norman.

Additional Photography by Reseth Photography 

One of the things I believe in greatly is collaboration. Photography often times can seem like a solitary venture. It really doesn't have to be. I know there is a community of great photographers and creative minds right here in Oklahoma. I believe to build that community and to make it even stronger we must collaborate and share ideas. A few months ago I decided to team up with Reseth Photography. We kicked around some ideas and came up with the concept of "Combined Creativity" to give our wedding clients something special. We have decided not to limit the Combined Creativity concept to weddings only.

Lately we have been commissioned to shoot some fashion photography. This gives us the perfect opportunity to hone our ideas and experiment with technique in a creative way. Kathleen is a model from the Anthony David Agency and she contacted us for a portfolio shoot. The shoot was really great and I decided to do a combined blog to showcase the work from the day.

The Combined Creativity concept when applied to other projects like fashion photography allows us to bring technique and concepts back to our wedding and portrait photography. We are able to give our clients work that is fresh, creative and informed by all of our successes as creative photographers. I am looking forward to doing more of it!

We are booking weddings and portraits for 2010. We are excited to hear from you. Contact us for prices and to book a shoot.

Gabby and Ian contacted me about some portraits. They wanted to bring friends along. Michelle and Ava came too and we had a great time together despite a cloudy and chilly day. Kids love to play and somehow always make friends and Ian and Ava were no different. They made some friends with the little girls who were playing in the window at the Ice Cream shop. I love watching children interact and it was hilarious to see them make faces at each other. Great kids and awesome mothers made for a wonderful shoot! I can't wait to do it again! 

Thanks Reseth for helping with this shoot! She also got some really fun shots. Check them out on her blog.  

I have known Lauren for almost four years and have had the privilege to see her grow into a wonderful young lady. She is going to school at UCO to study photography and I was really happy when she called me and wanted to do some portraits. The weather gave us a big break! It has been really cold but Sunday it warmed up a little and we were able to have a great afternoon just hanging out in the farmers market area of OKC. You can probably tell that Lauren has a big personality and likes to have fun. This shoot was really fun and we were able to get awesome shots with a lot of energy. Thanks Lauren!  

There were so many great moments during the day but this first photo makes me laugh every time. I love my job!