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What are my passions? Lemon meringue pie, Pecan candy, My wife's black beans, My mother's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. Visting historical places. Learning about new cultures. The History channel. Rollercoasters, NFL football, Watching my daughter experience the world around her. Laughing with Sharron and seeing her smile.
She made it or Sharron and I made it (however you might look at it.) Rachel is 1 yr old today. Nothing big scheduled. She had her party last week. She’s been so much fun to get to know and I know year two will be no less exciting. Just wanted to share a few from the first year. Each image was taken for every month she’s been with us. (First image is Day 1)
Sometimes I worry that I’ll never witness another wedding that tops the wedding I just shot. Tina and Marcus quickly put those concerns to rest. They are rainbow makers.
That’s just what they do.
Warm and sincere, beautiful and cool, friendly, fun and inviting, they paint a rainbow over every person they meet. You see I had not met Tina and Marcus prior to their rehearsal but you would not have known it by how I was welcomed. They both are very genuine people and you get a real sense that they never meet a stranger. Their love for each other was equally apparent. Incredible, beautiful and favored is how Marcus described Tina at the end of rehearsal. He gathered everyone around and thanked us all for being there…for being a part of their special day. He spoke of the obstacles they had to overcome and how God had blessed them tremendously. As his words became labored and emotion began to take over, there was Tina with her arms around him. Holding him together. One heartbeat at a time.
At their wedding at the beautiful Gaylord Opyrland in Nashville, Marcus sang a beautiful song titled Rainbow Maker as Tina waited at the entrance and you could feel the love and emotion. It was coming from a secret place that, until then, was only known to Tina and Marcus. On this day, he let everyone know. He loved her!
As the day ended and the guests were leaving, Tina thanked me for being a part of their wedding. I thought to myself, “It’s not often I’m blessed to be in the presence of two people endowed with such beautiful spirits- to be surrounded and enveloped in their array of love, happiness, devotion and unity.”
Thank YOU Tina and Marcus for having ME.
You are rainbow makers. That’s just what you do. So I hope and pray these images paint a rainbow of beautiful memories…for you.
My little girl will be 1 yr old in a few weeks. There is so much about Rachel that I just don’t want to change. Yet when I look back over the year, there is so much that has changed already.
She’s crawling (at record speeds)
She’s standing on her own.
She’s exploring.
She’s laughing.
She’s very independent.
She’s know’s what she wants and screams when she’s denied.
I suppose you can look at those things and say “those are good things.” Perhaps. I just know that I’m going to miss her crawling onto my chest and falling asleep. I’m going to miss hearing her giggling as I toss her into the air. I’m going to miss marching around the house with her in my arms singing “The Grand ole Duke of York” I’m going to miss her going into Sharron’s drawers and pulling everything out onto the floor and then crawl away (That is funny!!) Right under my nose she has grown. There is a knot in my stomach that wants things to slow down just a bit. Let me enjoy the little Rachel that I’ve known. Yea its great to see her develop and experience new things and its fun to witness the development of her personality-getting a glimpse into what kind of young lady she might be. All those things are great to see and I’m excited about the endless possibilities for her except it just reminds me…
She’s not so small in my hands anymore 
Meet Annabelle and her little sister Lydia.
One of the most adorable and happiest little girls I’ve have every met. I photographed her in Birmingham, AL and she really put me to work. Annabelle had her own idea of how our photosession should go and not even the big bad photographer was going to tell her otherwise. So what was I to do? Well, the only thing I could do. Let Annabelle be Annabelle and capture her in the process.
Some people jokingly ask me as I’ve photographed their children, ”Are you sure you want to do this?” I have to admit its rough sometimes. It’s a challenge and when I make it home and I look over the images I captured, I say to myself, “yea, I’m sure!” Sometimes the best images are the one you aren’t trying to capture.
Everyone wants their day in the sun and this day belonged to Lindsay and Dan. On the sands of Cape Cod in West Dennis, MA, Lindsay and Dan made their vows to each other on a gorgeously beautiful day. I was happy to be there and meet friends and family. Lindsay was one of my instructors at school. So it was a bit nerve-wrecking that one of the people who critiqued and tutored me in my photographic education thought enough to ask me to photograph her wedding. Yikes! No pressure, right. I said yes and we came away with some amazing shots. I also had the pleasure of bringing with me a very talented photographer (also a future business partner 
) from New York, Leslie Grow (lesliegrowimages.com) who also created some stunning imagery. Take a look.
She never knew me as a photographer, but she knew I would be whatever I chose to be. I vividly remember talking to my mother saying to her that I did not want to work for someone else for the rest of my life. That was in November of 2006. She was 21.5 years into her battle with cancer. Some might have said she was winning. To see her you would never have known what was going on inside. She offered two simple words in response to my plight…”well don’t!” Years of her telling me that I was smart enough to do anything and accomplish anything wrapped nicely into two little words.
It was not the least of her gifts to me.
At that point I decided to take control of my own life and pursue something that I enjoyed. I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue a career in photography. I chose not to tell my mother until I was sure that the finances were in order that would allow me to enroll in school. By the time I had secured funding, I had less than a month left with her. Unbeknownst to me at the time. She was in the hospital and desperately weak. I told her that I decided to pursue another career and enroll in photography school. She said not a single word. She smiled… and whatever I was expecting her reponse to be, that smile is more than I could have asked for. I’ll never forget it. A life time of instilling confidence, a life time of hope, a life time of encouragement, all behind one gentle smile. I know that she was proud that I chose to be what every man and woman has a right to be – what she’d always wanted me to be…Happy!
On a bus in London, England
This is the last photograph I took of my mother in December of 2006. She passed away 5 months later. It was hand held on a dark bus for about 2 seconds. When I first looked at this picture, I thought to discard it, but now its more valuable to me than any picture I’ve ever taken.
I wanted to take a minute to pay tribute to my mother with this first post. Joyce Marie Denman – the reason I am who I am today. She will always be remembered.
