The Green Piano is Following Me

This is one of my favorite shots from the summer. It was taken in the cluttery-est dressing room Ive seen in a long time. The bride was stunning and really fun to work with. I spotted the green piano off in the corner immediately and just knew that it had the potential to turn the chaos of this dressing room into peaceful elegance. I asked the bride is she was willing to climb on top of the dusty old piano. Without hesitation she responded, yes!

It has been a personal goal of mine this season to not hold back; to try everything I imagine in my little mind. Or at least to offer my creative ideas to the bride and groom with the option to not accept. This was one such moment. I could have brushed the idea aside with the prediction it would be denied. I could have done the classic bride shot in window light, but I went for it and I am so glad!

Randomly went to Oklahoma last week for a little vacation to visit friends. I walk through their door and the first thing I see is this same green piano. Amazing! They happen to have one of the cutest little boys alive so I spent spontaneous moments photographing his every day life. One such moment was when he was sitting on the piano bench. After a few shots of him hanging there he decided to take it to the next level and asked with his grunts and pointings to be placed on top of the piano! I was thrilled and shot my heart out.






Chris (Ezras dad) is pretty much a musical genius. Here he is plunking away at the keys. On our last night in Oklahoma a thunderstorm hit. We turned off all the lights, opened the windows, lit some candles, cracked open a bottle of wine and listened as Chris played his viola along with some music he created on his computer. Check out Emerys post for the full story and listen to this little clip Emery filmed of one of the songs he shared with us during the storm. Would someone please discover Chris Clark and start paying him lots of money to make music like this all the time?!

Heartbreaker

I am in the great state of Ohhhhhk-laaaaaa-HOMA(where the wind comes whistling down the plain)! I am visting some of my best-est friends in the universe; Joel Limpic, Chris + Emery + Ezra Clark. Whenever I told people last week I was going to Oklahoma for vacation I was met with the same blank stare and question; Why?! My answer is, Friends. People really make Oklahoma such a wonderful place! Yesterday we went shopping at my favorite store on earth, Blue 7. And today we are going to hang in Brick Town, where everything is made of bricks; even the grass.

This little guy is my 2 year old friend Ezra who I have had the pleasure of seeing him grow into his skin over the years. He will be a heartbreaker someday. To hear all about the adventures of Motherhood check out Emerys ever-growing popular blog; moms are for everyone!. I adore the way Emery writes the most simple things in the most interesting way. You really feel like you are in her head listening to her thoughts. I so pleased to spend my weekend off here and I am really enjoying my friends.

Chris + Lindsey {Santa Ynez, CA}

Chris and Lindseys wedding was special to me on so many levels.

Fact #1. Ive known Lindsey since she was in high school and she sorta fits a little sister role in my life. She is also drama. Plain and simple. And everybody that knows Lindsey cant help but love Lindsey because she seems to make life more eloquent and beautiful just by the way she speaks. I want to say that she is like a Shakespeare musical. Does that make any sense? Well, Chris on the other hand is the opposite; quite, mild mannered with a charming smile. It is true that opposites do attract but they also balance and Chris + Lindsey are a beautiful balance.

Fact #2. Lindseys parents hosted our pre-marital counseling. And it was life-changing! Totally what we needed to prepare for one of the biggest commitments we will probably ever make. A lot of people probably dont know much about pre-maritals but its kinda like boot camp for becoming one with someone that is the polar opposite from you. It definitely equipped Anna and I for a lot of things that could and will probably be issues in our marriage. We are immensely grateful for the time and care that Pat and Lori showed to us during the course of those 10-ish weeks. I was thrilled to photograph Lindseys wedding and hopefully bless them a fraction of the amount they have blessed us.

Fact #3. The location of their wedding (Pat + Loris home) is also the same place where I got the revelation that I should leave my life of crime fighting to photograph weddings 5 years ago this September It was Darren and Jessies wedding and I was asked to photograph it as a favor. I remember it like it was yesterday, standing on the front porch and hearing a whisper say {I want you to do this}. I hear voices sometimes. And I find it good to listen.












Did I mention that Lindsey married her horseshoe-er? Its totally a Princess Bride fairy tale minus the sword fighting and Andre the Giant. My wife informs me that the first time Lindsey laid eyes on Mr. Horseshoes she watched as he rode up on a horse; literally. No lie. Chris is the man!

This is Darren + Jessie! The famous couple Ive been telling you about. The ones that helped me fall in love with wedding photography. It was like a mini reunion for us. We celebrated our 5 years like it was me that got married. Wait, that sounds weird.

Anna and I had our time on the dance floor tearing things up. We have wicked style.

Something Sacred store now open!

My friend Jon just launched a flagship store for his company, Something Sacred, which has been selling clothing all over the country and even the world. I love the mixture of business, art and soul that Jon brings to otherwise simple garments. This is a picture of Something Sacred’s founding family; Jon and his wife Lealah and they’re two rough and tumble boys; Jadon and Simeon Broyles. These guys are some of our best friends. I met Lealah in my first Algebra class at Junior College so many years ago. We snickered and made jokes when the teachers back was turned but we didn’t become real friends until Jon began pursuing her. Jon has been somewhat of a mentor and close friend throughout the years. I’ve been honored to watch them get married, grow their family and build a successful clothing business.

They sell to such clothing stores as Antique Orange, Metro Park, Electric Chair and even Urban Outfitters.

Here is their history as stated on the website :
"Something Sacred was established on paper in 1998, however it has always been a dream for founder Jon Broyles. Jon's inherent love of music, clothing, creating and especially people has been the building blocks that have established this company. The earlier Something Sacred was primarily a music label that focused on band development: releasing albums and assisting musicians in getting greater record contracts. The company itself was centered around the music industry as Jon began fostering relationships with musicians, industry people, and the fans.

Clothing and music seem to go hand in hand and soon people were asking for clothing that would represent their affiliation with Something Sacred. A few select t-shirts branding the name were made and soon an entire subculture was born. Something Sacred became an identity brander that crossed cultural divides creating a demographic all its own.

Through the popularity of its clothing, Something Sacred's direction became more evident as the focus became more on creative, thoughtful, art driven design on practical, comfortable clothing. Although it originated as a music label Something Sacred is now considered by many one of the few companies who emphasizes the need for clothing with a meaning rather than fashion forward design. This being one of Something Sacred’s core values the company has aligned itself with a nonprofit organization in attempts to bridge the gap between consumerism and philanthropy.

Something Sacred now umbrellas all of the elements Jon envisioned, with influences from music, an appreciation for creative thought provoking design, deeper messages found in the world's great literature, the giving of resources to people in need, and of course a spirit of love and thankfulness to all the people who make this company what it is, truly SOMETHING SACRED."

So, next time you are coming through San Luis be sure to swing by Something Sacred and pick up some of the hot new designs. 12306 Los Osos Valley Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA [between the Honda and Toyota dealerships].