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Brad and Lindsay

Well, it’s happened.  Brad and Lindsay are officially hitched.  I have known these two for years and they are some of the greatest people you could hope to meet.  So their wedding was definitely a cause for a celebration.  Wanna see the fun?  Yeah ya do.

Here is the beginning of the hair-do.  Of course, Dad felt like helping out.  He is a natural with hair.

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Curious George = cool.

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Gotta make sure it’s right, this is a one-time kinda thing.

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The all-important dress.

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And, of course, the bride’s best accessory:

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Here they are seeing each other for the first time and, at that precise moment, becoming the happiest people on the planet.

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The bride and groom with their team of loyal supporters.

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See, happiest people on the planet.

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Due to inclement weather, we did a few indoor portraits before heading off to the reception.  Does not Lindsay make a fabulous bride?  These shots from a girl that hates being in front of a camera.

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A relaxing and cozy fireside seat.

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A lil’ detail of the table and a shout out to table 20!  Woot woot.

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Brad looks thoroughly distressed about cutting into the cake.

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Mild mannered Lindsay pulled no punches and gave Brad an up close and personal introduction to the frosting.  Alas, her comeuppance was frosting down the front of her dress.  Yay for shout wipes.

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The cake was very tasty.  Believe me, I’ve tried a few.

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There isn’t another place I would have wanted to be.  I am incredibly happy for you both.

Wovenhand

I was finally able to see one of my favorite musical artists, David Eugene Edwards, lead singer of Sixteen Horsepower (now defunct) and Wovenhand.  Their music has been labeled such things as Gothic country or apocalyptic southern rock.  Sound kinda dark?  Well, it is, but so are the blues.  And that’s what makes ‘em so darn great.  The show was at Calvin’s Ladies Literary Club, which is a great little venue.  Really good sound in there.  Here’s a few shots from the concert.

There was more sound coming out of these three guys than most other bands could dream of making.

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The brains behind the music -

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Apples: God’s favorite fruit

It’s true.  That’s why he made ‘em so tasty.  I do love them so.  I went out apple picking a few weeks back with my family and Mike.  We got out at the very last second.  There was little left on the trees, but we filled many bushels anyway.  Good thing, ’cause I seriously eat about 3 a day when I get my hands on fresh ones.  Yum.  And we were able to take advantage of the last of the really nice weather.

The prize…  oh lovely fruit of happiness.

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The Fujis were gone (which is alright, I’m a Golden Delicious man), but the sun on the sign was cool.

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Looking down this lane in the orchard, all I could think was Huckleberry Finn.  In homage to him, I ate as many as I could while picking.

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The sun shining on a shed, doing funky flares with my lens.  Crazy.

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Another lane.  It seems to call out, “find out where I go.”  It makes me want to take a nice long hike.

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I don’t know why I took this picture, but I just like it.  I looked at the building and thought, “I should take that picture.”  So I did.  Maybe it’s the fun textures.  I don’t know, I just took it.  If you don’t like it, don’t blame me.  My fingers have a mind of their own.

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And of course, freshly made apple goodies.  This makes a trip to the orchard go from good to great.  This is just the epitome of fall.

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If you’re going to see me soon and you want a good apple, let me know.  You won’t regret it.

Daryl and Heather’s beach party

Ok, it wasn’t really a party like you would think, no hotdogs or sunbathing, but we got some great pictures out of it.  So it was more a party for my camera.  These two gave the beautiful friscolating sunset a run for it’s money.  Impressive, since the sun is so much bigger and, well, brighter.  I suppose I should be sensative to the sun’s feelings and not make judgmental comparisons, so let’s just say the sun and Daryl and Heather made a great team.  Goodness, I’m personifying the sun…  Let’s move on to pictures before I get any more strange.

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Mm hm, there’s that sass.

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While I’m all about protecting our wilderness areas, you gotta be a rebel now and again.

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This is where the couple/sun double-team starts to really shine.  No pun intended.  Honest.

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Heather shows what standing by your man is all about.

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Shadows are underrated.

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Details, details.

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Hopefully you both enjoyed your last day at the beach as much as I did.

Adam and Amanda

It seems that these two may have picked one of the BEST days of the year to get married.  Mid-October and in the high 70’s with the sun shining, it was just a gorgeous day.  Adam and Amanda get extra kudos as well since they are the first couple of mine to want downtown shots at night.  Let me tell you, I was more than happy to oblige.  So we were able to get out a couple times and get some great shots with the two of them.  Here’s a few from their day:

This is my reaction to putting on make-up as well.

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“… My feet are prettier than yours.”  I’ll let you guess who said that.

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Surrounded by all these beautiful women, he is one lucky guy…

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Fun and games with backlight.

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The no-look on-the-run lucky shot.

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This is what we were able to get at night.  We only shot a few, but, oh man, are they worth it.

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Three cheers for long shutters and the couple who could be still enough to stay sharp in the picture!  You guys were great!

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Brad and Lindsay

I have known Brad and Lindsay before they were even dating, heck, before they even knew each other.  They may look familiar to any blog-followers, since I have shot many a film with Brad.  This of course means that Lindsay will be on set at some point by default.  Since they are both always behind the scenes, I was anxious to have them in front of a lens and struttin’ their stuff.

The trick - just forget the camera is even there.  These two are just so comfortable with each other.  Get ready for a lot of color in these shots.

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B.P. showing Lindsay how to rock the model look.

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This photo almost feels like it was taken in the 70’s.  I would apologize for it being so grainy, but I’m not going to.  I think it’s cool.  So there.

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And last but certainly not least - this is Lindsay showing up Brad.  All attitude, I’m so proud of you..!

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And soon you two will be married.  Time flies.

That’s a wrap for the talent, let’s give em a hand.

This one’s for all the cows

Yes it is a Foo Fighters reference, but aptly used.  A few days back, I remembered that the Kierkegaard book I had checked out from the library was not due, but OVERDUE (if you haven’t figured out by now, Ryan = nerd).  I got into the car and started driving over and began looking around when I realized the light outside was beautiful, made better by the big dark clouds moving through.  So I high-tailed it the rest of the way and then back home to grab my camera.  There is a great old barn a little ways away that had just been reconditioned and I have always thought it would be cool to shoot.  I also just love barns.  Tensions were high as I raced against the clock and the waning sun.  The cosmos had conspired against me and I was now moving 800 mph (approximate speed of the earth’s rotation at my particular latitude) away from the shot I was after…   Now take away the useless information for a non-dramatic translation: the sun was setting and I had only a little time to get the shot.

This was the only real shot I was able to get before the sun dipped below the tree line.  Obviously I fooled with it a little, but most of that’s natural.  Nothing beats the light of the setting sun.

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The sky was still pretty and I was already out, so I kept playing.  You can just see the tinges of red in the clouds as the sun sank.

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So why the Foo Fighter reference?  Because while they are pictures of the farm, they still rock!  Which brings me to the similarity between ME and cow -  both cheesy.

Avedon exhibition preview

As a member of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, I was able to get a sneak peek at the new installation of Richard Avedon’s photographs.  Avedon set the bar as a fashion and portrait photographer.  He is a spectacular artist who constantly pushed the limits of his craft and is responsible for styles that photographers incoporate today, even if they don’t realize it.  As a special guest speaker, they brought in Nigel Barker.  You may know him as the photographer and judge on America’s Next Top Model.  Cool, huh?  If you live in, around, or heck, within the greater midwest area of this lovely nation you should come and see this exhibit.  Why?  Here’s three shots to convince you.

Avedon himself.  This man was not afraid of self-portraits.  I should take a hint.  Do you see a picture of me on my site?

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Ok, is this not an incredible shot?!  I will answer for you.  The answer is YES.

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Yes, Dylan alone makes a cool picture.  But with Avedon behind the lens, I could have no idea who this guy is and still want to be his groupie.

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Thirsty for more?  Come see the exhibit now through January 4 at the GRAM.

Mike and Melinda addendum

As I was finishing editing their wedding, I ran across one that I just had to quick throw up here.  Mike and Melinda, your wedding will be up for you to see in a matter of minutes.  Not that you will see this before that time, but on that off chance…

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Tiffany’s Birthday

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we had to have the party of the century.  A no-brainer: we would go bowling.

As you can see, it was a good thing we made reservations last year - the place was packed with A-list folks.

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Here she is, the reason we are all in goofy looking shoes.

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Jon was green with envy over my mad bowling skills.

He kicked my butt on the second game.

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Mike prepares to send 9 lbs. zipping toward the pins at a whopping 10 mph.

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Tiff in action.  Amazing form.

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Justin bemoans the one that got away.

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Guess what I got her for her gift - a custom Ryan Prins mixed tape (on CD) and some of my photography prints.  You can’t put a price on that…  Happy Birthday Tiff.