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Fog

One of the many perks of living in this beautiful city is the amount of events and festivals that happen on a regular basis. I've never lived in a place that seems to so purposefully focus on congregating residents and enjoying the land and the company.

With a reasonably small population, Boulder tends to bring out familiar faces when these events come around. I've written a bit in the past about some of the performers, musicians, and general "regulars" I see while I'm out and about in the city. Sometimes I hear street musicians I know from around a corner. Some of the performers have their spots in the city where they've dug in their heels over the years. When these festivals do pop up, I find the man pictured by following the sound of loud, live music. Find the music and there's a good chance you'll see him dancing or swaying or just standing and smiling in an almost spiritual way. He will most likely be the first person you spot in a crowd or audience – he is remarkably thin and confidently splits the difference between six and seven feet in height.

I have tried to approach him in the past, but reconsidered, not wanting to interrupt his dancing. This past weekend at the Boulder Creek Hometown Festival I caught him on a short break and asked to shoot a picture. This smile was the result of my question, along with a soft, "yes." Before I knew it he was back up on his feet and moving again (before I could even get his name). That said, I'm sure I'll have ample opportunity to put a name to the face. Just need to chase the vibrations.

Crowds of texture shake your senses awake, rummage heedlessly through your memories like a child with a worn shoebox of old family photos. They light ablaze your emotions, grab hold of you and tell you to look. To see. And before you recognize it, they fill your reserves and send you on your way.

It's only after the door closes behind you that you begin to understand and appreciate the interaction, though never fully. It's a fleeting experience and by now, long gone. But it returns – it always does. Uninvited, in a different (though faintly familiar) form, always welcome.

Sarah & Spencer

There are few things as emotionally contagious as spending a wedding day with a bride and groom. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful wedding celebration in Driftwood, Texas, just southwest of Austin. The loving couple, Spencer and Sarah, are two of the most kindhearted, sincere people I have had the pleasure of photographing. It's pretty special when you finish shooting a wedding and your jaw is sore because the interactions of the newly married couple kept you smiling all day.

The wedding took place at Stonehouse Villa, an incredibly beautiful property bordered by rolling hills and fields of tall grass. It shares a remarkably similar feel to Tuscany (in fact, you don't have to drive far to stumble upon a vineyard) – it most certainly is not the Texas I grew up knowing. Both the ceremony and reception took place outside, and the weather could not have turned out better. Below are just a few of the photos from the big day. My hope is that these convey the tremendous, powerful love that these two special people so obviously feel for one another.

Johnny

A quick portrait of Johnny in front of the barrels used to barrel age select beers at the New Belgium Brewery. Johnny is a great friend from TCU – I'm beyond thrilled that he's now nearby up in Fort Collins to pursue his Ph.D., not that he'll have any time to hang out in the next decade.

The Stages of Photographing Dogs

I had the opportunity to tour the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins yesterday (a wonderful tour, by the way) and afterwards stumbled upon this little guy downtown amidst a massive, crowded music festival that also happens to be going on this weekend. It got me thinking – I generally feel like there are about four consecutive stages I encounter while photographing dogs. I've attempted to recreate my experience with the following four captioned photos.

1: Preoccupation

2: Awareness

3: Confusion/Interest

4: Exploration

In my experience, most of the time is spent in the fourth stage. Anyone have a similar experience? Also, if anyone knows what kind of dog this is, I would love to know. The best my dog-expert friends could come up with was "Bear Dog." Needless to say, I'm fairly sure that's not right.