Columbine High Survivor

I just finished the book "Marked For Life" by Crystal Woodman Miller. I was able to almost consume it in one day on my flights home from Florida. Crystal writes about the high school shooting that rocked her life and so many others on April 20, 1999. She writes about escaping gunmen who threatened to kill every student in the school's library where she was curled up under a table praying for her life. But most of all she writes about choosing hope and discovering purpose in the darks days that have followed that tragedy.

I met Crystal just a few months ago. Her husband called me from Oklahoma early this year asking that I snap some promo photos for Crystal's book. What he didn't know was that I lived in California. He had seen some of my work on a website of an Oklahoman musician/worship leader Charlie Hall and loved my style. When I explained that I didn't just live down the road he was bummed but determined to have me so much so that he flew me a couple of weeks later. I had just a brief couple of hours with Crystal and wish that I had had more time. She and her husband Pete were full of joy, peace, and love. I could tell that they are people that have been "through it" but have come out victorious on the other side of despair.

I think the hardest part of surviving a tragedy where loved ones die in front of your eyes is actually surviving. Crystal's story has encouraged me to move on from the bitterness of suffering that I have held onto and befriended. There were parts of the book that brought me to tears as I read of suffering greater than mine experienced by people around the world that have gone before. It encouraged me to pursue God in the face of tragedy and pain and to use my hurt to find the beauty that can come out of the ashes. Thank you Crystal for showing us that life is not about ourselves and that we take for granted every day, every breath and the amazing people God has entrusted to us for such a short time.

Crystal writes...

"Frequently, I prayed to God, 'Why can't you just erase my hurt, my pain, my memories? Why won't you restore my life to how it was before Columbine, before my family broke apart, before my mind was permanently imprinted with images I wish I'd never seen? They're thorns in my flesh, God... Please just take them away!'

God of course, didn't. But as years went by, I'd find myself seeing God's face more clearly, sensing his presence more fully, feeling his hand on my life more strongly as I walked through bouts of suffering."

Ethan and Kate in Florida

I am promising myself right now to type up a real quick blog. It's 2am Florida time and I am a bit tired...not to mention sunburned!

Today was nothing short of amazing! Kate was a stunning bride and Ethan was a dude. It is such a pleasure to fly across the country to shoot a wedding for such incredible people. These are people that I would totally hang with if we lived in the same town. I love that there a pockets of rich community in every state and that I got to discover the depth of this one today.

At the reception people kept saying, "Oh! You are the Amazing Cameron that we have heard so much about!" It is always nice to be thought of as amazing. Kate visited me 2 years ago and actually helped me one day get ready for a bridal faire. By the time the week was over she was determined to have me shoot her wedding. She was dating Ethan at the time and wasn't really sure when the engagement would ensue. When it did I may have been one of the first people she called. I am honored to be valued as much as Kate has valued me. It's people like this that make me want to continue to think of creative ways that I can go above and beyond my call of duty to really make their wedding day the best possible experience and to capture their memories in such a way that conveys the heart and soul of the people involved.

Check out a couple more pictures of the wedding and tell someone today that they are amazing. It's just really nice to hear every now and again. Oh! And if you ever go to Florida or any other beachy sunny state.....be sure to wear sunscreen and reapply often!!! I am a pink white boy. ;)

Florida is like another country!

So I arrived in Florida yesterday and I am thinking..... It's totally like another country! The house I stayed at last night has a real live South American gecko living under the shutter just off her front porch. Stef (with an F) says that it is a bit grumpy when you get close and it can bite/scratch. So.....I got close and stole a picture before he had the chance to jump me. Stef says I was lucky.

Well, I am here to shoot Kate Hanley's wedding. I met Kate a couple of years back when she and her roommate Brynne came to the Central Coast for spring break. When she was here she vowed to fly me out if she ever got engaged.... Thus, me here in Melbourne, FL. It's a little island on the East side. Weird how we had to drive on a bridge to get here. I need to quit doing computer stuff and explore the beach just outside my hotel room. When I get back I will post a couple pictures.

I think this is the best shot I got of the beach behind my hotel on Cocoa Beach. I really wasn't trying to take a picture of these girls laying out, but I also wasn't trying for an award winning beach picture. I took a little swim in the ocean and it was so warm and salty!

This is where the wedding will be tomorrow night. In a park right in front of this little river beach. Does that make it a river front?

This is Ethan and Kate. Tonight I met Ethan and both of their families for the first time during the rehearsal dinner. There were some amazing things said tonight during bridal party speeches. A lot of love in the room; a lot of laughter and tears. They really have some good people around them.

Frank & Kelly Sanchez!

Just had an amazing day shooting Frank & Kelly's wedding in the beautiful land of Atascadero, California. It was a hot day... But the wedding was certainly refreshing! They got married in Kelly's backyard which was decked out to the max complete with a flamenco band from Santa Barbara, a sangria/beer bar and the Coffee Diva who served up such drinks as Italian Sodas and Iced Mochas. There were a lot of really amazing vendors to work with and it seemed the wedding coordinator Janice Cassaca kept everything running like clockwork. It was midget mayhem with kids hanging out on the top of the hill overlooking the backyard eating their own personal snacks and making up secret passwords to join their club all the while screaming 'INTRUDER!' any time an adult ventured up the hill. I was quickly informed that I had an all-access pass and didn't even need to use the password to enter. I felt very privileged!



I met Frank about a year and a half ago in a local business group that we were in together. He is an awesome man of integrity in his business, Coastal Janitorial, and in life. It was evident throughout the day that he really adores Kelly. They met at San Luis Obispo high school years back and have since been dating for the past 4 years. It is just so cool to get a know people more personally by following them around at their wedding and starring at them through my camera. Love my job! Check out the rest of our preview shots: right here.

Boston Wedding!

Meet Sunru and Anne. I just met them today minutes before shooting their wedding here in Boston. Late this afternoon Simon and I took a cab to Harvard Square where the ceremony was held at Swedborg Chapel followed up by a beautiful reception at The Fogg Art Museum.

I was asked the question several times tonight... "How do you know Sunru and Anne?"
"Well," I said in reply, "My web-designer Scott Clauson is having me shoot his wedding in New York later this year. After I met with him and his fiance, Esther, to book the date, she referred me to her former roommate Anne." So basically, Anne liked my work enough to bring me clear across the country just to capture her wedding 'Cameron Ingalls' style. I was (and still am) amazed and honored that I am even here! I am reminded time and time again that I truly am living God's dreams for my life and am continually blown away by His creativity and gifts.

Here are a couple more shots that Simon and I caught: Sunru and Anne

Midnight Oil...

So, it seems i have been burning the midnight oil as of late. There are just so many images that I have to process and work through I can barely take the time to hang one on the wall and take a step back and critique all of this art it seems I am creating. I guess blogging is as good a wall as any to hang my art.

Last week I shot pictures for my friend's clothing company One Truth. Jeremy was in a bit of a rush to get the catalogue designed before he heads off to some music festivals on the East coast... i think this weekend. We gathered some of our friends together (moonlight models) and headed down the street from my print lab for some quick shots so that he could get his catalogue finished on time.

I am pretty excited about a lot of Jeremy's new designs. They are fresh and creative. The shirt with Africa and the stenciled word 'HOPE' is a 'Invisible Children' tribute that my friend Melanie created. And my friend Seth is seen here modeling a shirt that he recently designed with the words 'long live love' about the miracle that God can make beauty come from the ashes of our lives.




As we were finishing up in the cemetery we met a man who asked us to hustle so that he could lock the gate. So, Jeremy asks him if we could shoot a couple pictures with his car. It ended up being really cool and he was especially excited that his car was appearing in a catalogue shoot with the 'Barnes and Noble Tattoo Girl' (our friend Karen). I am actually enlarging a 20x30 shot of his car solo with a sweet ray of sunshine pouring over the hood for him. I am just stoked to have something enlarged and on someone else's wall. Thanks Kevin for being willing to share your beautiful car with us and to hold open the gate for a few more minutes. You rock!



Check out the rest of the shots here: One Truth

So Many Weddings!

Well, It's Saturday and I'm off to Paso Robles in a couple of minutes to shoot another 2 weddings in the next two days. Last weekend was sort of my summer kick-off with a double header to start. (You would think I was a sport's guy by those last two metaphors...but I'm not!) Anyways.... Before I go I wanted to share a couple of Images from last weekend. It was so much fun! I woke up Monday morning, not exhausted, but energized, inspired, and excited about this full year of weddings ahead.



Denton and Sadye's wedding was on Sunday. We had become such good friends during the couple times we had met, I knew this wedding was going to be amazing. However, It was truly magical.... Set in the enchanted forest of Nipomo (it's a secret enchanted forest). They had rosebuds, origami swans, and lights hanging from the giant oak trees overhead. The decorations were simple yet so well used... You really felt like there was romance floating around in the air, especially when the couple released the butterflies! I will admit I almost shed a tear during that part of the ceremony. I really love my job!

They finished off the day with a little reception at Guisseppies in Pismo Beach. I had so much fun dancing and hanging out with they're guests that I didn't want to go home. Check out just a few more of they're images here.

And here are a couple shots my trusty assistant, Mr. Simon Jones captured...