Allready a new year?!?!?!?

Wow it is already February in the year 2013. Man am I behind. Seems like only yesterday it was last summer. Where does the time go? So with this new year I am planning some changes in the way I shoot, when I shoot, and what I post. The post part is what is to be talked about here I suppose. I am going to attempt to post at least once a week. Some with photo's some with out. So lets get started. I had the opportunity to take some photo's for the Clear Creek Middle Schools basket ball teams recently. The kids were all great to work with and a lot of fun. It is always inspiring to be around a group of happy fun loving kids!

Prom season has now come and gone. I really had a good time this year with some of my prom photos. It was a chance to be creative pump out some new stuff and see if we could make some folks happy. In the end I think we achieved our goals! Here is a sample from this years pics. Hope you enjoy more can be found on the main site at www.xcellentphotography.com!

This couple was really fun to work with and very open to all the ideals that I proposed! They both have great personalities and wonderful smiles which they share often!

Last year I had the honor & luck (right place at the right time) to photography one of history's great musicians. Who was it? None other than Mr. Charlie Daniels & the Charlie Daniels Band! Okay so I was actually there photographing Dallas with is a very cool up and coming band who opened for CDB! I have to say for a man that who has preformed in all the places and for all the people that Mr. Daniels has he was a very gracious man. He was very willing to speak with us back stage say hello and pose for pics with guys from Dallas. As for the Charlie Daniels Band each member was very approachable what an awesome bunch of guys. THANK YOU all for the experience.

50 Years!!!

I recently had the honor of photographing a 50th anniversary celebration for some very dear friends of our family. Its one of those times you really enjoy just being there in the first place. Surrounded by such positive people. Your also doing something for there family that will let them remember this wonderful event forever. They will always be able to look back on the occasion and remember what a happy day they shared.

Speaking of happy, for a photographer there is nothing better than getting to capture people that truly love life, love their friends and family. People that are just plain happy! Well this couple is that couple. You can see it in their faces, in their actions and all that they do. I was truly blessed to be able to take part in the celebration! Thank you for letting me share in your 50th anniversary!!!

Cold day on the Appalachian Trail.

I got the opportunity to do some really cool
hiking this last weekend.... Well maybe that should say really cold hiking. Either way I had a ball doing it!

You know how you have those ideals in your head that you would really like to get a shot of this or be able to take that photo? Well this was my chance. I love walking along the Appalachian trail and have often thought that it would be cool to get photos of several different places a long the trail if it were covered in snow. So when the snow hit my mind was churning. I probably had smoke coming out of my ears. One of the main places I wanted to visit was the Hawks Ridge shelter on the AT. So I packed up my FStop bag and headed off.

This would be one of those days that you really would never expect to see any one else on the trail but as luck would have it I ran it to the owner of our local outfitter store (really great people) and a young gentlemen that was hiking along with him who were departing for a 6 day loop. My hats off to them I am not sure if I would have started this trip or not. It was 16 degrees when they departed with lows in the single digits later in the night and next morning. I got a couple good shots of them heading out from Three Forks.

Now it was time to head on out to my destination. I wanted to get a shot of the Hawks Ridge shelter all covered in snow. The photo above is of me heading back to the truck after making it to my destination to take the following shot. In all just being out on the trail was worth the effort but actually getting the shot I wanted was very cool. You can't ask for much more than that!

Finally a bag I can live with!!

Ok over the last several years I have been through to many bags to count. It always ends the same way. While liking several aspects of a bag i find that there is more that I don't like than I do. Maybe its just me maybe I am to picky? I don't think so!!! After all have you purchased a camera bag lately? For what we are paying for a bag today you should be able to be happy with it. Well now I am.

So after that rant I want to say that I have found a bag I love. Yes you heard me correctly that I love! I was introduced to this company by Richard Bernabe who is a awesome photographer but more than that he is always in the outdoors shooting. If it works for him there has to be something to it was my hunch. Well I was correct F-Stop makes a great system. The first one that I purchased was the Loka. It is a mid sized bag that offers 3 different ICU bags that you put in the shell for different configurations. I find it to be a very versatile bag I can fit it to the many different situations that I work in.

To make the deal even sweater this company offers a program that they call friends with benefits that in my mind was a no-brainer. Instead of going through all the details here is a link to the site where you can read all about it F-Stop friends.

Bending Rules

I know it is a bit cliche but sometimes you really do have to get out of the box. Bend the rules, go past your own comfort level. Once there you never know what you may come up with. Like the photo above all set up took the photo's on a tripod got ever thing just how I wanted and there another water fall photo. Then just for kicks and grins I thought with all the color lets twist the zoom and take the photo.

I really like this image it looks like we just hit warp speed on the enterprise! It was taken at Noontootla Creek falls. We were going to see Long Creek falls and got turned around by a couple of Army Rangers who informed us that they were doing some exercises in the area and needed to hold traffic off for a few minutes so we went back to this local and I am glad we did!