// And Less is More

Lately, my obsession has been cell phone pictures. Simple, handy, and just awful dang pretty.

// Foster Hope

When you get a chance, please take two minutes and visit Foster Hope (just click that link right there). Steven Foster is a friend of mine who has been fighting Hodgkin's lymphoma for the past several months. In short, Steven got married in November; then his wife, Alexis and he found out in December that they were pregnant; and then shortly thereafter they found out he had cancer.

We got together last week because I wanted to snap a few pictures of him and Alexis, and I was just so encouraged afterward. We ended up talking for quite some time about his plans for Foster Hope, and just what's been on his heart and mind in light of the recent events in his life. His attitude, from the beginning, has been, "Sure, there is a lot of uncertainty in my life right now, but when can Foster Hope start helping other folks instead of myself?" Steven is just a solid dude, for real.

If you're unaware, Foster Hope is an initiative to spread the word about Hodgkin's lymphoma, and more immediately raise funds to help Steven and his family in his time of need. We've got several exciting events planned, and obviously many more to come, as Steven is on a mission! More information on the main site.

// New Album: Straight Up Sexy

So I work with this company called White House Custom Color. What do they do? They make me look dang good is what they do. Seriously. Over the last few months, the folks at WHCC have provided me with numerous finishes of prints, a couple of proof books, and now a wedding album, all of which have been nothing less than perfect. I just received said first wedding album yesterday in the mail and had to post some pictures of it immediately. It's wrapped in black leather, features lay-flat watercolor pages (a bit of texture, a bit of style), and has completely won my heart. Have a look.

// Twitter? Really?

It's official. I'm a Twitterer. Or a Tweeter. I mean I'm on Twitter. I like to Tweet. What??

Well, I may not have the full grasp of it, but I've definitely gone head-first into Twitter, just like the rest of the planet. Click below, come find me, and let me know how I can follow you as well!

// Back to the Origin

When I started this blog, it was simply a place for me to throw together some thoughts, ideas, cool findings, and the like. Eventually, it turned into a full blown photo blog and not much more. And that's perfect, but recently (and in part due to some awesome music I've found lately), I've been wanting more and more to go back to my thought-sharing ways.

So here we go! With that said though, this beast will still be mainly photo-driven, as you'll see in the next few days' posts.

Anyway...

If you haven't heard of the group Needtobreathe, check them out right away, and don't wait to do it. They've got a fairly new album out and it's one of those that'll make you want to do big things all 24 hours of the day. Literally. These guys are the real deal. On said new album, they've got a song called "Garden" that includes this blurb:

<<
In this hour of doubt I see
who I am is not just me
so give me strength to die myself
so love can live to tell the tale.
>>

I'll save the commentary and just let the words speak for themselves since they're more powerful than any of my goofy words. Toss that around in your dome a little bit though.

Here's a little photo just for good measure. Keep on lovin'.

// Toronto

// A little getaway to Weston, MO.

Who in the world knew that Weston, MO would make such a cool place to hang out on a Saturday afternoon? Orion, Alex and I took a little journey there to find cool things to shoot and we ended up having an awesome time in general. We busted down the door to an old abandoned house (not really; we just walked in), ventured out onto an old railroad bridge, checked out some live music at an underground pub, toured downtown Weston, and about died at least twice. Here's a little photographic recap.

// My Best Friend is a Professional Golfer

Top that! Dave and I went out last night for a little practice/picture action. Now, I'm not a fan of golf, but I've got be honest here. A golf course is just a cool place to be, especially when you're about the only one there and the weather is darn near perfect. Anyway, Dave only had like three hole-in-ones so he was a bit bummed with his performance, but we had an okay time nevertheless.

// Some New Filters

So I wanted to try out a few new settings. Here is what I came up with.

// Fried Chicken, Road-Side Landfills, and Wind Turbines

The seventy-degree weather and sunny skies a few weekends ago tempted us into venturing west on I-70 towards Central Kansas. Our goal was to find some wind turbines, but we found much, much more.

Our journey included a one-night stay in Russell, KS; an all-you-can-eat fried chicken dinner in Abilene, KS; a pit-stop at an interstate-side landfill; a late-night grocery store run for some cereal and beef jerky; and a trek to the top of an old windmill with my Holga, just to end up taking a bunch of shots with the lens cap still on.

Terrific.

Anyway, here is what we saw. (More shots available at Orion's blog.)