Merry Christmas... from the Rectors!

 

Ben and Hillary recently asked me to photograph them for their upcoming Christmas card. After talking through a few ideas for the shoot, Hillary mentioned that they had not picked out their tree. I thought that documenting this would make for an intriguing shoot, but instead of going to the tree lot down the road, we drove to a Christmas tree farm, just outside of Nashville, where they could cut down their own tree.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day...  

Styled by Caroline Brewer 

Caroline

{www.carolinebrewerstyling.com}

The Streets of the City

I had to be in Northern Pennsylvania on Tuesday. New York City was a pass through, but I decided to take full advantage of being in such a vibrant place. My first stop was B&H photo, where I bought a few rolls of film and three packs of polaroids. I had 2 to 3 hours to shoot before hitting the road again, so as you could imagine I was a bit overwhelmed. I was in one of the largest cities in the world and by far one of the most enjoyable places to photograph. Your subjects are limitless. People, structure, nature... In New York City, life is all around you, and it drove me crazy knowing that I could not capture it all.

Here are the images from my day in NYC.

(The first picture above is a polaroid negative and the three below are polaroids taken from Brooklyn)

This is Brandon Harris. 

I was able to meet up with an old friend at the end of the day for dinner. Brandon and I graduated from High School together in Nashville. Since then he has been pursuing (to name a few things) music, acting, and stand up comedy. A little about Brandon's past; our Senior year he was in a car accident that should have claimed his life, but miraculously he survived. Ever since that day, Brandon looks at life in a new light. He absolutely lives every moment fearlessly. I have known him since the 3rd grade and I can tell you that he is not in anyway scared to be himself. He lives every day as the person he was created to be, which is incredibly refreshing for everyone he is around.

Brandon moved to New York about a year ago and is presently working at the People's Improv Theatre. Occasionally, you can find him as an extra in SNL skits... so keep you eyes open for him. He is going places.  

 (Click here to see him in the most recent SNL skit, "V-Necks" with Andy Samberg and Ben Stiller. You can see him in the back ground at minute marker 1:23)

Lock

This is one of my favorite shots from my most recent shoot with the Ross family... more to come soon!

To those who have gone before us...

Twenty-eight years ago, two honeymooners set out for their new home on the west coast. Not knowing where life would take them; nothing but dreams filled their minds. Dreams of life together forever and a family to share it with. After 2,013 miles of American road, they settled in a small town south of San Francisco. Five years quickly passed and two others had joined their journey. 

Four cities and twenty-three years later, they were ready to show them where it all began.

Here is their journey back...