Orlando Portraits

One of the things I do as often as possible is to spend time with other photographers. I find these times to be refreshing and challenging at the same time. I think the Bible calls it "Iron Shapens Iron." I come away from these with a renewed excitement about photography and new ideas to challenge my creative vision. I get together with a gorup of photogrpahers from central Florida almost every month and there is a group forming here in the Brandon/Tampa area that my prove quite good as well.

Last month the central Florida group met in downtown Orlando for a night portrait shoot. I brought a large, experimental light source that I love to use for that shoot. I spent most of the night lighting for others, but did manage to pull my camera out for a few. Here are some of my selects.

Monique

I had a very unusual shoot recently. A Sweet Sixteen Party. A very good friend called me to ask if I would be interested and whie I was still making up my mind she handed the phone to Avis. Avis is one of the most excited people I have ever met. She ads energy to everyone in the room and I was hooked by her personality. I had to meet this family.

This was an amazing and fun day. I love being a photograper. I am blessed to be a part of the best days of so many people's lives. Sometimes I have to thank God for what I do.

To see some of the selects from Monique's party, go to the slide show at www.mccrystalimage.com/mussio or by clicking "Monique" upove - the title of this post. Enjoy!

Runing Like Crazy

This as been a busy season for me lately. One of the big things that has set me into hyper busy mode was my decision to go back to Mac. I've been a PC guy for a lot of years and it is proving to be a steep learning curve. More than anything it is an unlearning curve. I am having to unlearn all the habits I developed trying to use PC's ad their weird ways of doing things. Software that is simple is hard to use when youare busy looking for a harder way to do something than the engineers designed.

I have to say I'm loving the new system. My MacBook Pro is running faster than the desktop system than I have been running. There is a lot to learn and new paths t get from A to B. Overall I'm very gald I made the leap back to the platform that made me fall in love with computers in the first place. My college room mate from my freshman year introduced me to Photoshop 1.0 on a Mac and I was sold. I stopped using my manual typewriter right then! (Yes, I was still using a manual typewrite then... I'm a bit stubborn)

Blake High School

Last week I had a chance to visit my firned Linda at Blake High School. She has been teaching Photography there since they opened. I've been in and out of that classroom for most of those years teaching lighting and helping with critiques etc. I love going there. The students are amazing. I have seen some unbelievable art come from the students in that program. My visits always leave me inspired and challenged to do more and better work. I get a refreshing peek at how my work as a photographer began.

I spent time with a small group of advanced students talking about portraiture and lighting. These are areas I love to teach. There are so many simple and creative options for lighting and studio work. Very challenging and exciting. I love to see the ideas start to spark while I'm talking and photographing them. It reminds me why I love this so much...

Children's Portraits

I had a fantastic portrait session this week that I have to share with you.

I've always loved children. I get that from my dad. He always seemed to attract little kids like a magnet. Girl Scout cookie season was a financial disaster in the making. They knew he was an easy mark when they saw him coming. I really love the Samoas to this day...

These are some wonderful kids and I loved photographing them. Part of why I love photographing children is that I am in no rush. I spend time laughing with little ones, holding babies and sharing stories with the family. Beautiful images and a refreshing pause in life.

Enjoy

Manassas, Virginia Mission Trip 2006

What an amazing trip with the students from my church. We had an adventure on Amtrak, spent some time in DC, served in the communities surrounding Manassas, met students and leaders from churches in other areas of the country, and found God blessing us in amazing and unexpected ways.

I spent most of my week working with children with Autism. I fell in love with these kids. beautiful, amazing, stubborn and wonderful they were. A unique challenge. I didn't believe I was cut out for it, but I have to admit they changed me forever.

The slideshow also includes some of my favorite images from our trip into DC. I fell in love with photography on an 8th grade trip to DC. My family didn't even own a camera at the time. I knew it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Walking around there I remembered how things just came alive for me visually so many years ago.

Cristina and Drew - Engagement Portraits

What an amazing couple.

One of my favorite parts of photographing weddings is getting to know young couples and see their romance as it grows. Engagement portraits are a fun way for me to get to know them, help them get used to being relaxed while being photographed and create some amazing portraits for them to share with their family and friends as they get ready for their wedding.

Cristina and Drew are getting married next year. Our E-session in Hyde Park was an adventure. There was a little rain and a lot of walking as we explored the neighborhood and found great little spots to photograph them.

Enjoy!

Portrait Party

Happy Birthday Ladies!

I love variety in my work. It makes things exciting for me and motivates me with constant challenges and opportunities for growth in my art.

This was a great evening of portraits. This lovely group of young ladies gathered for a birthday celebration. What a unique group of girls. I had a ball getting to meet and photograph them all.

Destination Virginia

I'm going to be on the road for a week starting tomorrow. I'm catching a train to Washington, DC and then going to Virginia for a week long mission trip with students from my church. This is going to be an exciting, exhausting and rewarding week. I'm really looking forward to the time to serve others and revisit the place where I first fell in love with photography.
DC is my photographic home. I went on an 8th grade trip there (a very long time ago) and the whole world exploded visually for me. My family didn't own a camera at the time and I started borrowing cameras from everyone on the trip to shoot what I was seeing. When I got home I started saving money and dreaming about my first camera. It's hard to believe my career as a photographer started on an 8th grade trip...
Pray for me while I'm gone. I can't wait to come home to show you the photographs!

Two Very Different Portrait Sittings

Portraits are exciting for me. I love to spend a bit of time with a person to get to know them and see a bit of their personality. That personality must show through the photographs we create - that is success...

Recently I had two very different couple for two Very different sittings in exactly the same location. I think this is a great peek at how different portraits can be depending on the people in them.

***Slideshow***

A Different Kind of Week

Every year I pour myself into a week of VBS at my church. I love kids and I love my church. It's a natural thing for me. Take a peek at my week.

Wedding Photography

I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about why I photograph weddings. It was kind of a shock for me to realize I have been doing weddings since 1989. That's a long time!

My junior year of high school my logic teacher told me I was going to photograph his wedding. I told him he was nuts, that I hadn't done one yet and that I wasn't about to photograph someone who could influence my graduation as my first. He insisted that not doing it might effect my graduation as well.

I called a good friend and photographic mentor and told her my situation. She easily said that I was ready and all I needed was some prep on the logistics etc. I was still unconvinced. Well, Carolyn had a two wedding Saturday scheduled soon after that conversation. I learned more that day than I realized. I was exhausted but unbelievably excited by the end of that day.

My first wedding went by with a relatively low level of stress. I think I was nursing batteries to make it through the end of the day, but I made it. He ordered reprints from me every year for a few years as an anniversary gift for his wife.

I've photographed a ton of weddings since then. I've made it a point to find opportunities to spend time around other wedding photographers who work in inspiring ways. I have also continued to challenge myself by raising the standard for my own photography. I've realized that I can never "arrive" and stop learning. I will continue to grow as long as I have the desire to do so.

I think I still photograph weddings because I love them. It is a great opportunity for me to spend the best day of a couple's life with them, share their joy, document it and preserve it so they can show the photographs to their kids and grand-kids. I'm creating history for those families.

Other photographers find weddings to be stressful or boring. I find them exciting and fun. There are so many opportunities for amazing photography. The key for me has always been to know a couple and enjoy who they are. When I can do that, my best work happens.

I think it's that emotional investment in a couple that really sets my work apart. I'm not working from a prescribed list of my favorite shots, I'm inventing, exploring and discovering what works for each couple as the day goes on.

One big change I've made in my business approach is I've stopped worrying about how many hours I'm working on a wedding. This opens doors for me to capture even more of the wedding day, create a better story and be available to all the moments of the day, not just the ceremony, formals and reception. I wish I had made that realization a long time ago.

Have a Great Fourth of July!

Album Design

Yesterday afternoon I finished working on the rough design for Amy and Darren. I'm a little biased, but I think their album is beautiful. Decide for yourself.

Amy and Darren

I photographed an amazing wedding this past weekend and I wanted to share it with you.

Amy and Darren are such a lovely couple. I've known Amy for too many years now adn was so honored that she wanted to have me as her photographer. She is a stunning young lady with personality to match her looks. Darren is a very lucky man!

I'm hoping to surprise them by having their images all online before they come home from the honeymoon. I'm halfway through designing their album and the images are on their way to Pictage as we speak.

Enjoy the slideshow.

Key Largo 2006

Key Largo 2006

I spent the last week in Key Largo with some amazing students from my church. We do this trip every year. We spend the week at one of my favorite places on the planet, Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort. The location is beautiful, the staff is excellent and the diving is outstanding. We all look forward to this trip every year. I've been there 9 times and feel like they are my family.

If you are at all interested in diving, snorkeling, nature and peace and quiet, this is a great place to visit. If you are an UW photographer like I am, this is paradise.

Judys Dance Academy

Judys Dance Academy

This is a series of photographs from the Judy's Dance Academy annual recital at the Lakeland Civic Center. i was blown away at the level of dance and production for this event. I grew up without dance lessons, piano lessons, t-ball teams, select soccer... you get the point. I had no idea that kids dance could be so beautiful.

Disney Vacation

Disney Vacation

Amazing few days at Disney with my family!

Life is Good...

Sigur Ros Video

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This is an amazing and video and some haunting music. As a photographer I love the visual feel of the whole package. As someone in leadership I find it very challenging.

Queen of Peace School

Queen of Peace School

This is the second time I've written about this little school. I really love the atmosphere and the people there. I went back for an end of the Year Picnic and Social recently. These are some great people. Whenever I'm in Gainesville I'll be dropping by to check in...

Real People. Really Remarkable Lives.: The Fear of Failure Drives Success?

Real People. Really Remarkable Lives.: The Fear of Failure Drives Success?

This is an amazing article. David Jay from OSP pointed me in this direction from his blog and I had to pass it on.

I grew up pretty poor. We always ate, but there was always a sense that we didn't really have enough to get by each month. i know that experience has dirven me a great deal in how I approach life.
I love to save money and hide it away. I'm always driven to work harder and acheive more. I hate to waste. I've always believed fear was only a bad thing. Maybe it's good in some controlled doses... I'll have to check my perscription.