Here’s a shoot I did back in November, but couldn’t show you the pictures until now. Tim and Chris planned the shoot as a surprise Christmas gift for their mom. So thoughtful. Not wanting mom to get suspicious, we had to move quick. It didn’t help that it was drizzling rain and freezing cold. Thankfully we managed to get it knocked out in about half an hour. It helps that they both go to Buckhead Church. Same as Sarah and I.

They’re such a photogenic family. I’m convinced that JoAnna could have a future in modeling.

A little while back I had the opportunity to do headshots for a guy that’s not only my friend, but also my SEO/SEM consultant. Charles Lumpkin is as good as they get in my opinion when it comes to paid search. If you’re looking for someone with that area of expertise, give him a call today. I don’t think I’ve ever been around him when I haven’t learned something.

Anyway, he came to me during the middle of a personal rebranding and asked for some headshots reflecting his new style. I knew exactly how I wanted to play this. With such a handsome subject, my job was a cakewalk.

Unfortunately the day we were shooting was also the main day of the Atlanta flooding. This sent us into his office for most of the day. Using a custom 6′ wide roll of seamless paper (and by “custom” I mean I ripped it off the end of a wider roll), I was able to grab these two high key images.

I especially like this next one. Maybe it’s the photo journalist in me, but I love shooting people while they’re working. He had some stuff to get done, so I just said “Work away while I shoot.” This is a shot of an actual expert in the wild.

Later that afternoon, the rain stopped. Sorry ladies, he’s taken.

This is one of my favorite locations. If you time it right, you can make it look like traffic stands still for your subject. Plus it’s always fun to stand precariously in the middle of the street waiting for the light to change.

About a week ago, I had the amazing privilege of giving back by shooting a group of people who protect the rest of us. Lt. Shane Cook of the Monroe County Fire Department invited me down to shoot a “training exercise.” Basically that means taking a dilapidated house and burning it to the ground in a somewhat controlled way.  They’d already spent months gutting all the nasty chemical containing insulation and such, so basically it was a wooden shell. It was an awesome way to spend the weekend, and the firefighters were so grateful.

Here’s their leader. He was a really great guy, and I could tell everyone really respected him. I love how this picture captures the seriousness of what they do. After all, they literally are “playing with fire.”

I learned that different helmets signify the rank. Black = Firefighter, Yellow = Leuitenant, Red = Captain, White=Chief, and Pink=?!?!? (Breast Cancer Awareness)

It’s really amazing how many pieces there are to their turnout gear and just how fast they can get into it. These people are absolutely fearless.

They light shipping pallets on fire and use that to simulate furniture and such. They send a team in, put it almost out, then rotate the lead person to the back while the fire builds back up. As long as they contain the fire from getting through the ceiling (done by the “attic team”) they can rinse and repeat for quite a while. Here a team is waiting on the fire to build back up.

I love this photo. It almost reminds me of something of a warrior in a sci-fi movie. This was taken standing on the porch. The heat was so intense I was actually worried about damaging my camera. Anything to get the shot though, right?

After they had done all the training, they “let it go.” That’s firefighter speak for “house-sized-bonfire” and “spray water in the air so it doesn’t melt the power lines.” Fun times.

Here’s a shot my intrepid side-kick Sarah got while the house was going up in flames. I’m not quite sure of the meaning of the word “intrepid,” but it sounds cool, and I hadn’t used it yet today. That’s Shane and me there in the foreground. That’s right, I got to wear one of his cool yellow lieutenant helmets.

Here’s what it looks like when they get through “training.”

I doubt I’ll be picking up a hose anytime soon, but I totally get why they do it. Firefighters are some of the most fearless people in the world, and I have nothing but respect for the jobs they do. Thank you.

Welcome to my new photo blogsite. It’s a blog. It’s a website. It’s both. With the power of wordpress these days there’s becoming less and less reason to hand code websites. Just grab a template that’s got good bones, customize it to the moon and back using firebug, and presto! Your very own personalized website with a built in CMS.

So, what does this mean to those of you who have been following me for a while? While I’m starting from the ground up with pictures again (maybe I’ll stick my old website up someday if you’re looking for older pictures), hopefully it means that I’ll be posting more regularly so you’ll have even more of a reason to come here.

As I write this, I’ve got just one hour before I head to shoot a wedding for a long time friend. I was in the honor’s program in college with the bride, but actually got the job through the groom’s mother who I used to work with. Small world. I couldn’t believe it when the mother told me who the bride was. Those will probably be the first pictures on the blog. Keep checking back this week.

Grace and Peace,
Daniel