PPSNF Roundtable Discussion Night

The Professional Photographers Society of North Florida had it's monthly meeting last night. The January meeting is traditionally a "Round Table Discussion" meeting, where members can ask questions about anything related to professional photography. However, the meeting started on a somber note honoring the passing of Marie Moran, a popular member who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. After a moment of silence, she was given a long standing ovation by her peers.

There were focus groups on portraiture, wedding photography, landscape and fine arts photography, marketing, pricing and business practices, and an introduction to our new member's forum. Members (and our numerous guests) spent 20 minutes in each focus group before moving onto the next topic. Hors d'œuvre and a cash bar capped the evening with a chance to socialize after the holidays.

Click here to see more photographs from the event.

TBA Big Band

TBA is the name these Jacksonville musicians have decided to call their "rehearsal band." Many of them are our areas finest music educators, and they bring an eclectic mix of big band music every other Monday night to Harmonious Monk's in Mandarin.

"Rehearsal Bands" started in New York City by musicians who were recording (usually commercials) and doing shows (Broadway type). The work was often repetitive, and they sought a creative outlet. Smaller groups were just "jam sessions," but some of the bigger groups also provided a forum for up and coming composers and writers to get their music played.

Although short a trombonist, and a drummer delayed by traffic, TBA provided a rousing performance. My Guinness was a perfect compliment to the tasty fish and chips at Harmonious Monks. The evening ended all too soon with the most interesting arrangement of Mercy Mercy I've ever heard.

Click here to view more images.

Merry Christmas!

Going out to see everyone's Christmas decorations on Christmas Eve has been a long standing family tradition. Here's a short video of some of the decorations we found.

Veterans Day

Hey gang - this photograph was taken in Green Cove Springs on Memorial Day in 2007, but it's just as appropriate for the upcoming Veterans Day celebration on November 11th. But since so many of my friends and clients are veterans, I wanted to get the word out on some terrific deals some of our local businesses are giving on Veterans Day.

The Military Finance Network (looks like a great resource for other things, too) has a page about discounts that you might find interesting. Frankly, this has inspired me. I'd like to offer a complimentary 8x10 print (or credit towards a larger print) to all veterans, retirees, active duty military members, and members of the National Guard or Reserves who order between now and Veterans Day. Something to display in your home, or give as a personalized gift to a distant family member or friend.

Not a client yet, or want to get a new photo to cash in on this great deal? I'll extend the offer to qualifying clients who book a portrait sitting between now and Veterans Day. If we can book the portrait sitting before Thanksgiving, I can have the finished print to you before Christmas - what a cool gift that would make!

Time is short, so act now! There's less than 2 weeks between now and Veterans Day, so call me today at (904) 412-4628!

Sunset Ablaze

This photograph comes from a vacation we took in 2006. The location is Sagle, Idaho, which is right across the Pend Orielle Lake from Sand Point. Just across the boarder, in Washington, smoke from a forest fire tints the sunset this gorgeous gold color.

Serenity in Saluda

Last weekend, Anna and I got away to the hills of North Carolina. The major reason was a book signing in Asheville for Anna's favorit author, Diana Gabaldon. But we also wanted some time out of the city and away from the Florida flatlands.

On the way, there's an exit sign for the town of Saluda. Well, for most people, that's pretty uninteresting, but for someone who knows about railroads, Saluda and the stories of the railroad going through there are legendary. The trains don't go through Saluda anymore, but along the way we passed this interesting little ranch. I had to take some photographs.

Not your typical sunny day - it was raining off and on all day. The tail end of the storms that have caused so much flooding in Georgia were petering out up here in the mountain village. I love how the clouds are scraping the tops of this mountain pasture.

This horse got to be a real ham. Curiosity at who this guy with the camera was and what he was doing or eager to have his portrait taken, it really didn't matter.

Asley and Spence's Wedding Album

Here's a quick video I did of Ashley and Spence's wedding album. The album is planned to be a traditional 10" square design, resulting in 20x10 2-page spreads. This is a flush-mount design, meaning that the pages are printed as composite images, rather than printed individually and matted into an album. The look is more contemporary - like a magazine spread. This is the first draft of the Album. Ashley and Spence were given a high resolution electronic version of the album in Adobe Acrobat for review, but the resulting file, at 15 MB, is too large to share with family and friends, so I created this video here, and a higher resolution HD version published on YouTube that you can also view by clicking here.

The ceremony was held at The Church of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Jacksonville, with the reception held at the Flemming Island Country Club. Both were simply wonderful venues, and I can't wait to photograph at either venue again. I just love the German stained glass at this church.

Music is "The Wedding March" performed by guitarist Michael Lancaster.