much is expected

if you know me at all you know that i have tried to "succeed" at number of ventures that just didn't pan out the way i would have liked for them to. with those, i worked very hard, only to watch them fade away over a few months or years.

this past year erin & i both went from being employed with other institutions to being self-employed through our own photography. we did not plan or ask for this. it really did "happen" to us, and i think that's how most good, significant things in life work out. of course we work hard to maintain & grow the business but we will be the first to tell you that we are not responsible for its presence in our life.

it's still completely terrifying and we feel like fish out of water most of the time. but as we look at where we've been and look ahead to what's on the horizon, there's a sense of security & assurance about what we are doing.... something i failed to ever obtain with my other ventures.

all this to say, that we feel like we truly have been "given" everything we have. we don't feel like it started with us but we feel responsible for its upkeep. it may all be taken away this year... we don't know. but while we have it, we are going to be grateful and do our best to pass it on. one of the greatest aspects of what we've been given is the flexibility to pursue things of substance (not related to photography). which for me is represented in the video. if you want to watch it, you will get a glimpse into another passion in my life ... and also some of my photography. for a download in full quality, click here. otherwise, watch this one.

at long last

okay, here's what (some of) you all have been waiting for. not the greatest shots but at least you see the final product. to view the first week for comparison click here or start in September's posts and move forward. Thanks for all the encouragement and support... I never felt like I was doing it alone.

the house

okay, i realize that i haven't posted anything on the house in over a month. i have been a little embarassed with how long it has taken us to get the inside wrapped up.

we had to have a new home study (for the adoption) for our new home. our social worker who is very easy to work with and has been very kind to us, was unable to completely check the house off because of the unfinished guest bathroom which has remained untouched since the last photos i posted of it. it makes sense. who wants to send a child into a construction zone to be raised.

the middle of last week orders started settling down and i was able to actually really finish the inside of the house. so i promise that when we get back in town i will take pictures of the finished product. not that most of you really care about the inside of my house, but to those of you who have been faithful in the process i owe you the satisfaction of a conclusion. thanks for the support.

things to come.... hopefully

erin and i do weddings together now. she still calls the shots and is definitely in charge but has let me run with some things as of late. we actually are very different in how we approach photography. sometimes that's stressful but mostly our strengths compliment the others weaknesses.... for example: one of erin's strengths is her undying devotion to auto focus which i often forget to turn back on. she kindly reminds me that if we want to keep taking peoples pictures our shots should be in focus. it's a good point i think though i just call the blurry ones "artistic".

one of the coolest things about this past year of starting our combined business, has been figuring out where we each fit into the puzzle. amazingly we don't overlap all that much which just helps to confirm what we are doing.

one of my jobs is to get good at photo editing. sometimes i think this is harder than learning the camera. i am a purist for the most part, meaning i don't like a lot of manipulation on the photo. i used to accuse people of covering up bad photos with effects but really i objected simply because i didn't know how to do the things they were doing. turns out it's been a long time since most people have seen a truly pure photo anyway.

i was talking to my aunt over thanksgiving and she used to develop film. i learned (because i've never been in a real working dark room in my life) that people would manipulate their photos in the dark room in a very similar way that photoshop and other software allow you to manipulate your digital images. obviously it was much more difficult and tedious but still the good photos where probably going through some sort of intense post work.

all this to say that i'm feeling more liberated these days and trying my best to make some really good photos turn into really great graphics. we have been doing a lot of planning this fall and are making some major adjustments in how we shoot and process. here's a shot from a wedding that reflects some of those changes.

whiskey falls

it has been a long time since i've posted any of my real work. the last 3 months have been dominated by the house but there have been a lot of shoots in between. i hope that this blog gets back to actual photography at some point soon although it's been fun documenting the house. its a little strange to have people you don't know come up do you and ask how the house is coming. i'm just glad i've offered some entertainment on some level.

if you listen to rick & bubba and admit it then you've probably heard of whiskey falls. my wife is all about poppy, 3 chord progression, 3rd person written, 3part harmony songs. i typically am not. in fact i really did not like whiskey falls before i did this shoot.

i was asked to be the photographer for this big oak ranch benefit concert that featured michael tolcher and whiskey falls. both were great. i will admit that whiskey falls was exceptional. their harmonies were tighter than i've ever heard in a live band. their version of seven bridges road was unreal. i felt really bad because i told erin she couldn't come because she had too much work to do. i know, it was really mean but i did hold my phone up and let her listen... which we all know is just like being at the show, especially with our awesome free motorolla's.

anyway, i got to meet the lead singer "seven" after the show and i'm hoping they will post a few pics on their website at some point. i'm not holding my breath. anyway if you ever get a chance to see them, i would recommend it.

week 7&8

alright, i'm finally able to post some of the progress from week 7 & 8. the real crunch came when the kitchen floors had to get done so the cabinets could be put in and then so I could start on the hardwoods. while i had the tile saw i also had to finish the tile in the bathroom. all of this was with the deadline of the moving day and then a week later the renters in helena moving in. oh yeah, and this has been one of the busiest times for the business since we've started. as jackson browne said, we have been "running on empty" these last two weeks. anyway, i'll spare the life commentary for now.... i'll have the holidays for that. there is LOTS more to post since these were taken but lets not get ahead of ourselves okay.

no time

sorry... there is lots to update on the house, as well as shoots that have been accumulating. for now though, i have no time to post extensively. there's still a lot to do in the 10 days left.

if you want to help us move, we are doing so on saturday nov. 10th. email me if you can
info@nolenphotography.com