Cami, Class of 2008
Today Betsy and I had the honor of being asked to take a couple pictures for the niece of a good friend of ours. We met Cami at Lakeside Park and Rose Garden here in Fort Wayne. The weather couldn’t be more beautiful and Cami was up for anything. After roaming around the part for the better part of 2 hours, I think we came out with some really beautiful pictures. Thanks, Cami, for the chance to photograph you! We really had a great time and came out with some really great photos.
Along that line, in case any of you were wondering, Betsy is a GREAT photographer. She found some really unique spots to photograph from and took some of the best pictures of the day. Boy did I find a keeper! I really feel like I have a lot I can learn from her.
I know I haven’t blogged in a while. Things have been really busy here… More on that tomorrow.
Much Metta,
John
Camera Lens
Over the last couple months, many people have asked me how Betsy and I get such beautiful photographs of Miles, usually following up the question with “what kind of camera do you use?” Well…. We do have a Canon digital SLR camera which certainly makes a huge difference over a standard point-and-shoot, but the real workhorse for us has been a $90 lens.
What, don’t believe me? Here’s a compelling article by a photography named Gary Voth about exactly the lens we got.
I found this article on 43 Folders, a neat productivity and Mac blog by Merlin Mann that I frequent.
And of course, I can’t forget to thank Bobbi+Mike, an amazing team of photographers from indy, for recommending the lens in the first place.
Much Metta,
John
Favorite People
Betsy and I attended a wedding this weekend and took a moment to capture some photos in-between the wedding and the reception. I just had to share this pic of my 2 favorite people!
Much Metta,
John
More DCI Pics!
Three more photos from DCI:
Madison Scouts pit player.
Soprano players from The Cavaliers (who won the event for the evening) I’m not sure what it is about this photo I like, but it’s got just something about it.
Favorite!
All for now!
Much Metta,
John
More from DCI
Here are some more photos from the Decatur DCI show last Wednesday:
This first pic is the drum major for Southwind. As you can see, it was a beautiful day with a setting sun. That turned out to be much more of a challenge than I expected, partly just because I’m spoiled by being able to see the shot right after I take it, and because of the sun, that just wasn’t as possible. I actually felt a bit like I was shooting film! (Embarrassed!)
This next one is a color guard member also from Southwind.
And last for tonight, a baritone player from the Madison Scouts. In this pic you can tell it was a hot evening and they were working hard by the sweat streaming down his cheek.
More tomorrow!
Much Metta,
John
DCI Corps show in Decatur IN
On Wednesday of this past week I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the DCI Drum Corps show in Decatur, get down on the track and spend the entire show taking pictures. I came out with several shots I’m proud of and want to share. So over the next couple days I’ll post one or two of the best.
Let the show begin!
Much Metta,
John
Miles Summer photo shoot
It’s SO beautiful outside! I love that spring is here and we can finally get outside, and of course we drag our camera with us…
This evening Betsy and I decided it was such a beautiful day that we just had to get Miles out for some pictures. So we grabbed the baby and the pugs and headed out doors. I know Betsy is going to post some pics on her blog too, but since there are so many good ones, I thought I’d pull over a few too. So, here you go!
First we spent some time discovering the “Tree.”
Then we went back to the trampoline and Betsy held Miles and gently bounced for a while. I was busy snapping photos as fast as I could to captures these amazing grins. He was loving it! Betsy didn’t even realized he was smiling until she saw the photos.
This is positively my favorite of the bunch. The more I look at it the more I realized just how completely blessed I am to have such a beautiful and amazing family.
Much Metta,
John
Hello? Is this thing on?
I’ve been silent for a long time, but if any of you are still out there, have I got some news! Ok, I know most of you have already heard, but I’m a daddy!
Check out Miles Aledander King
It’s been life changing, to say the least. Instead of trying to recap everything that’s happened, I thought I’d just post the latest. Miles is 6 weeks old and mostly an eating, sleeping and pooping machine. But I heard that newborns start to learn to mimic facial expressions, so I put him down in our boppy and starting making faces. Not 2 minutes in I busted into a huge clown-ish grin and suddenly so did he! I was so overtaken with delight and amazement that I yelled for Betsy, who brought the camera. This isn’t the full grin he originally gave me, but what a great pic!
Today’s adventure involves poo. As an aside, new parents are obsessed with the stuff, by the way. And it’s not our fault, because in the parenting classes they even give you a chart so you can track everything you’d ever want to know about his bowel movements from color to consistency. Being a dad is fun. 
Back to my story. To keep it short and simple, I made a classic new parent bumble. Betsy was changing Miles but doing so just a bit too early. He’d just woken up from a nap and was in the middle of grunting and groaning. The problem is she’d already removed the used cloth diaper and because he wasn’t done, he’d already soiled the clean one sitting under him. In an effort to help expedite the process, I’d learned that lifting his legs helps him move stuff along. So I did. And he did. That little boy covered a two foot line across clean diapers, blankets and clothes. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine he would spray poo that far. Live and learn.
TCM? Anyone? I’d written enough music for the 4th clip. Then scrapped it. Did it again. And scrapped it again. Finally I think I’m closer to having the right mood, and just in time, because it’s due at the end of next week. Time to really get crackin. I’ll be posting password protected versions over the next couple days, so be sure to check back.
All for now. Thanks for all your love and support!
Much metta!
John
Things as of late
Hey.
Long day. It’s been busy getting ready for baby. I feel like I have a million projects that have to get done before he comes so each evening is spent working through my to-do list. The latest project is re-finishing a beautiful custom bookshelf that Andy designed and built. After months of…. work (translation: procrastination) I’ve finally set this Sunday as my drop dead date to get them done. Yesterday I did the final sand and today I started the third and final coat of polyurethane. It feels good to finally be close.
I bring this project up because I’m learning about setting goals. I mean really starting to experience it. (I hope my boss isn’t reading this!) I’ve had a couple of personal projects now that I finally mapped out and gave myself a goal to reach, and much to my surprise I actually reached the goal, even when I wasn’t sure if the goal was realistic. It’s turned into a great motivator.
Oh! I almost forgot. I’ve got something new to share! Brady Sark has finished the percussion to my marching band opener! I’ve even made a page to showcase the show. Check it out!
As some of you know, I’m really getting in to photography and when something catches my eye, I like to take a picture of it. So the other day after our morning pug walk, we noticed some rather strangely tall ice crystals on my car. Some of these were over an inch high. Check it out:
Look at the lenght of these ice crystals!
A Fuzzy Antenna
Ok. Three more photos. First, I couldn’t sleep one night, so I thought I’d take a couple pictures of the moon. See?
The Moon
And last but not lest, as many of you know, Whisper has a habit of picking up the nearest toy and bringing it to you when you first come into the house. One afternoon she got a hold of what we affectionately call a “beeber” (which is a stuffed animal attached to a little blanket.) The result? Cuteness overload. See for yourself:
Welcome home!
Who could resist this face!!
Ok, that’s enough for now. Thanks for following along!
Much Metta, John