"Gear addicts" - A nice way to say "Gear whor... errr... promiscuous people."

Fine.  So be it.  Whatever.  I am one.  I love new gear, and I love using it.  Why?  I'm really not a "show off" kinda' guy.  I like things that go bling in the night as much as anyone else, especially when they bling that delicious gold and black of a Nikon lens. Mmm-Mmm-MMMMM.

But when I pick up a new tool, I doesn't sit it in my closet or a desk drawer.  Picking up a new tool forces me to be out in the field using it.  It draws me to a new place, new faces, a new event, and makes me want to click-click-click away - capturing the moment. I can't exactly say why, but it does. 

Sure, there are the performance gains of being able to zoom without fluctuating aperture.  Sure, there is the added weight, so maybe I'm getting a better work out.  And sure, there are the "oooohs" and "ahhhhhs" from people who all-to-often say, "Man.  That's a big camera.  Must take great photos."...

"...Yes sir.  My camera takes great photos."  And as one photographer put it so eloquently, "And your pricey pots and pans must make delicious meals."

Yes, sure, I love new gear.  But mainly because it adds confidence to my sessions.  It adds a little something-something to my drive to be better.  It adds some umph to my desire to be better at what I do and produce better memories each and every time I pick up my camera.

So, there.  Call me what you will.  But new gear can have a profound effect.

As for this photographer?  Right now I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, all thanks to a super amazing wife who supports me in all sorts of ways.  I love you, HP!

Full In His Name Clothing Images...

Check em' out!

And check out http://www.ihnclothing.com

 

 

And the man himself - Designer - Chris Chance of In His Name Clothing.

IHN Clothing - Teaser

Here's a teaser.  More to come when Chris over at IHN gets these up on his site:

In His Name Clothing

Something good.  Something comfortable.  Something awesome.  Something current.  Something with an important message.

IHN Clothing (In His Name Clothing) designer Chris Chance and I have been friends for a long time now.  I think he and I have discussed repeatedly how long we've known each other, but it has to have been at least 6 or 7 years.  He's an awesome guy, has an amazing faith, and is covered in about 40x the tattoo work that I am.  Chris's designs are amazing, creative, and don't beat around the bush as far as his message is concerned.  He speaks the love of Jesus Christ through his clothing, and brings a modern feel to a world where Jesus is often looked at as something outdated and inapplicable to our current world.

Pics to come shortly.

If you get a chance, check out Chris's clothing at www.ihnclothing.com.

Matt and Anna's wedding...

It's weird, sometimes, wanting to get into the wedding industry.  Or should I say the people industry?  Anyway, it's weird.  It's weird because the last few weddings I've been to I've been so focused on taking pictures, and getting the job done, and getting it done right, that I've almost forgot about how important it is to enjoy the moment, even while on the job.  A lot of photographers might disagree.  But enjoying the moment is something that helps my creative juices flow, and genuinely makes me a better photographer!  A deep breath, and celebrating two lives devoting the rest of their existence to each other, until death do they part, well... That's an amazing thing.

To be honest, I never recognized how amazing this devotion, this promise was until I got married.  Now I have an entirely different perspective of marriage and the joy, the promise, and the hard work that it takes to succeed.  And that makes me want to provide images that will last far into the future for my clients to look back on and remember that one day that sparked a lifetime of love, happiness, joy... and, of course, hard work.

So, I had a chance to enjoy a wedding this past weekend.  Of course, my photography obsession tagged along with me, but I did quiet my desire to snap-snap-snap away for a few moments, during the ceremony, to regain my composure on what a wedding is truly about.  And it felt good.

But, once my mind and heart were in the right place, I starting snapping away again, and enjoyed every minute of it.  EVERY minute of it.

My wife's cousin Anna, and her new husband Matt - two of the most kind and amazing people I've ever known:

My lovely wife should pick up a camera and take pictures.  Look at this amazing shot!

My wife and I (taken by my amazing mother-in-law):

My beautiful wife (D300 w/ old school 50mm manual focus lens)

This Anakin is BETTER than Skywalker...

Why?  Because he has the cutest dimple and is such a happy kid, that's why!

I had the joy of shooting Anakin right before his 5th Birthday last week, and he is the type of kid that makes my job easy.  Happy-go-lucky, grinning from ear to ear, and bouncing off the walls.

Watch out ladies...  Anakin is someone you'll see on the red carpet in a few years.

Happy 5th Birthday, Anakin!

NILMDTS

NILMDTS (Click here for the website) is quite possibly one of the greatest, and yet the worst things I've ever seen.  And by worst I mean it is horrible that such a group even has to exist, because no one should have to lose a child.  No one.  I suppose the word "worst" isn't the right word.... I think saddest is the appropriate word.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a website that links devoted photographers together.  Photographers who, for a few moments, are willing to put aside their need to make a living with their love and passion for photography, and who are willing to help those in need.  There are other groups of photographers that are willing to help, but many may not be willing to close off their own emotions to help those who are in such pain - that of losing a child.

I was talking to one of my friends who is a fellow photographer, and he mentioned that he didn't think he'd be able to shoot such a scenario.  I honestly don't know if I could do it either but it's a good thing that my camera body is water resistant, because I think the tears might cover my gear as I was taking photos to help such a family.  To help them remember the good, albeit short, time with their beloved child who now resides with the ultimate Creator.

Normally, I'd pass over a website such as this without a second thought.  But my wife's dear friend lost her baby boy not long ago, and this kinda' hits home.

Please check out their website and keep it in mind for those who may be in need.

Website...

Oh man.  CSS, HTML, JAVA. I'm lost when it comes to these terms.  Had you asked me about 4-5 years ago, I'd have been a near HTML master, coding and recoding my MySpace page (yes, I used MySpace... and must say I'm embarrassed to admit that did).  But these days, it all seems to be gone.  Well, at least it was until a few days ago.

My "new" website - same web address - is up and running.  Gallery features, contact button, Navbar.  All the things I wanted my page to have but didn't have time to do.  Guess I've been too busy taking pictures.  :-)

Anyway, it's up and running. I bring to you the new, the improved, Michael James Photography - Established 2010.

More editing to come...

Click here:   Michael James Photography

Second shooting...

...and just generally helping is of better help than all of my countless hours spent online, and all of my time attempting to butch through a book on photography. Seeing how other photographers work and how they do what they do helps more than I can mention.

Tomorrow is another wedding that I'm second shooting. Couldn't be happier. Learning, learning, learning...

Venturing into a career in photography...

Business taxes, sole proprietorships, corporations, share holders, fictitious business names, tax write offs... What's it all about?

There are reasons why I had no clue what I wanted to do when I was 18. It forced me, by default, into a "jack-of-all-trades" type of degree program - Business Management and Administration. Consequently, this left me floating for a while. Floating, not sure what I was going to be doing, but knowing that I loved to ride bikes, and knowing that I loved to take pictures. Well, I'm almost 28, and becoming a pro-mountain biker just isn't in the cards for me. I have a family to care for, and traveling the world breaking bones on a bicycle isn't a move I'm willing to make, nor is it a move that I even want to make. So, what to do? Photography? YES.

Starting a business is scary, especially with 10 years in the legal field backing me up. All I see everyday are lawsuits. Frivolous and sensible. It's insane the shear amount of them. But I'm going to do it, and here is going to be the motivational picture I keep in the back of my head, along with the even more important motivational words of the late, great, Bruce Lee: