Iowa Camping

During my time in Iowa in June this summer, the gang minus Mark decided to go camping up on the Saylorville Lake, North of Des Moines.  So G-Money and Chris and I packed up the things and headed to the campground.  The weather held up great and didn't thunderstorm on us.  God was kind and allowed us to have a great time of fellowship.  We went camping days after the worst of the flooding in Iowa, so there were some pretty incredible log-piles and flooding mess.

these are just a couple cool pics from the lake.  We rented a boat and had a great time.

If I had a beer belly, it would look like this

CJNitzschke lookin pretty fly for a white guy

Experimental cooking, which actually turned out great!

This was a huge Great Blue Heron that took off from the lake while we were on the boat.  Beautiful

Gerard showing off his muscles, and Chris laughing at him

Don't know what I was doing...

Flood debris

the perfect hotdog

Chris thinks it's okay too

Gerard tried to eat the whole package of sweetrolls in one bite, but Chris saved the day and kept that from happening

So this is from the night before we went camping, but Chris is on the left, and I'm on the right. Ridiculous.

Chris' inner ballerina

Flood debris

This is one part of the trip to Iowa.  Coming up is an awesome frisbee shoot set in front of a killer Iowa summer sunset, a collection of old barns and farms shot on a six hour trip down to Kansas city, including the covered bridges of Madison county, my time in Kansas City with Meghan Ziekel, and other odds and ends.  Thanks for stopping by!

Marathon Weekend, Part III

Yes, it's true, I skipped part two.  I am waiting on those images from the other photographer. this wedding was Sunday night, with the fabulous Brienne Michelle, none other.  The wedding was at a beautiful location in Malibu, up in the hills.  As I post this I can hear a mouse running around in my band room, I've got to catch that little guy.  He ate my chocolate bar in my office this summer while I was away and pooped it out all over my desk.  Fortunately mouse droppings are small and easy to clean up, but I'm still saddened over the loss of my chocolate bar.

Anyway, back to the wedding...

Mark and Joy, the bride and groom were so awesome, totally sweet and very servant-oriented.  The were so helpful and wonderful to work with.  Their flexibility and go-with-the-flow-ness made the whole night fun and relaxed.  And on top of that all, they were two of the most photogenic people I've shot.

A Toast!

Everyone danced, especially the crowd from England!

Here is the Groom with his mum.

Cutting the cake

Grandma bustin' a move

Oh yeah, break it down

New Castle is one of my favorites.  

Even though I didn't have any, this sight still made me happy.

They played a really fun game at the end of dinner.  The DJ said they were playing a game to see who would be doing the chicken dance on the floor.  Each table was to pass around a napkin, and when the music stopped, whoever was holding hit was it.  It was hilarious to see everyone working so hard not to have the napkin.  When the music stopped, they were told to pass the napkin two people to the left, and then after that, to the fourth person on the left.  This person was "it", but instead of having to do the chicken dance, they won the centerpiece from the table. This guy was pretty happy with his winnings. =)

Check out those light-up high heels on the groom's mom!

One of my good buddies, Steve Hernandez, has been hiding out at camp all summer.  He and I play a game with our camera flashes where we try and flash each other in the eyes.  It's tons of fun, and since he's not around, I had to play with Brie, who wasn't nearly as excited about it. =) This is a picture in a mirror of me totally flashing her, (in a very appropriate way).

Thanks Brie, it was tons of fun, as always!!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Marathon Weekend, Part I

Wow!  God is so good to bless us with work and things to do!  He is also so perfect in his timing to give me things that make me put my trust in him, that force me to rely, and be dependent on a faithful and benevolent God.  This past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot 3 weddings, with 3 different photographers.  Friday was a blast, working once again with Lukas VanDyke, who shares so freely his wisdom and knowledge. Matt and Suelynn were the happy couple, and it was so encouraging to be around them the whole day.  Both were so selfless and giving, looking out for the interests of others, even on "their" special day.  I love shooting weddings where Jesus Christ is the focal point, a true celebration of the glory of God in marriage. 

I always enjoy shooting with Lukas and really appreciate his feedback and helpfulness.   the wedding was in Camarillo at a beautiful garden/wedding hot spot.  The crowd was intimate, with family from Canada (how aboot that, eh?) and friends from all over.  Oh yeah, and the bridesmaids dresses were the coolest. ever.  I feel bad for every wedding after this one, because nothing will top those dresses.    Here are a few of my favorites from the day. 

The cakes were handmade by the bride and a friend

Mmmm, butterrrr

 50mm 1.4 1/60 iso 1600 no flash