Friday, July 31, 2009
just thinking
what's the point of a blog if you don't use it right? the reason i dont blog is bc when I sit in front of the computer my mind either goes to email or to editing/designing ... rarely if ever (as aparent by the lack of posts) do I think to blog when i sit down to work. so I've decided to make an attempt at blogging "on the go" from my phone. what does that mean? well more posts hopefully ... but probably far shorter posts. I hope to give you guys, through my more frequent entries, a small gimpse into the wonderful life I've been blessed with - even though I rarely take such an attitude towards the blessings I often confuse as obligations. as for now - just walking in the door and getting back to editing Tish and Johns wedding and designing some album pages! ps - can someone give me some thoughts on Twitter ? worth the effort or no better than facebook status?
Friday, July 24, 2009
Back From Africa ...
i had the wonderful priveledge of spending 7 days in malawi africa earlier this month. i followed a team of 9 missionaries and photographed their trip. it was amazing to get to be a part of caring for 250 orphans, ministering to 2,500 people in rural villages, and seeing hundreds of souls saved by accepting the grace of Jesus Christ. i was able to capture so many great images (not for anything special on my end) - and was completely unable to narrow them down to my favorites - i have so many shots that i love - so i somewhat randomly picked some here to share with you. it was truly a life changing experience. i know i will be going back asap! i feel incredibly grateful for all that God has blessed me and our country with...and yet i have to be honest - these people - that have NOTHING - have more joy than almost anyone i know over here ... myself included. dont get me wrong - theyre not "happy" - as life is very hard over there - but they have JOY, real joy, in their relationship with Jesus - as they are not easily weighed down by the wordly cares and concerns that come with so much materialism. i wish i could tell you all about the trip - but to be honest - i realized, even while i was still over there, that i could not do my trip, or the love of the malawian people justice with my words - you have to experience it! blessings! - ben
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
are you in good hands ....
i dont think im being dramatic when i say im blessed (some might say lucky) to be alive. last weds (2/25) i was driving downtown in my brand new fully loaded accord (loved this car so much) when i got t-boned and flung into a pole. the initial hit (from the other car) wasn't too bad - i mean it hurt, but not nearly as much as getting slammed into the pole. 
i think i was knocked out for a few seconds ... when i came to, i realized all my airbags had gone off - my car was facing the wrong way on long street (a one way st), my horn was beeping, my car was filled with dust and a nasty smell, and i was struggling to breath as all the wind had been knocked out of me. my initial reaction was to get out of the car, but after i realized my drive door wouldnt open i began painfully crawling acorss the middle console to get out of the passenger side. my chest and sides were burning with pain, and my knee was throbbing. i had a few random cuts from the broken glass and some random
bumps - but A) i was alive and B) i was walking (well limping). it was only a couple of minutes before the fire trucks, emts, and police were all over asking questions. by the time i left the intersection, after getting my car towed, i had probably heard about 10 people say "you dont see people walk away from something like that". a couple of the firemen actually asked if i would be offended if they took a picture of my car to show their families. so its safe to say i felt blessed from the very start, but then when i got a call from the shop where my car was towed, and a call from the insurance adjuster a few days later to say "dude youre LUCKY" - i knew that this must be something special. i have no doubt God protected me - as well as great engineering from honda. anyways - i have a couple broken ribs (so painful, hard to sleep) and a bruised and possibly torn knee. the doctors got me on some vicodin which definitely helps take the edge off. oh and by the way - that happened weds and saturday i had a wedding 2.5 hours away - i took an assistant 
to carry my bags and heavy gear and got through the wedding just fine (somehow). i had a great time with jessica and nathan. i dont think they would have a problem with me sharing this ... but they actually waited for the altar to have their first kiss. i have heard of couples doing that before - but never worked for a couple. we did their couple pictures before the ceremony - which definitely made things interesting since they weren't kissing - but it forced me into something new, which im always excited about - and we got some great fun shots. it was awesome to see them have their first kiss as husband and wife. so yeah - im going to throw a little plug in here for Allstate because they have been AWESOME. ive never had an accident or any run ins with the insurance company for that matter...so this was all new to me. they have more than taken care of me and have followed through with everything they promised. if you dont have allstate - GET IT! :) as for whats next ... ill be going to st petersbug russia for a shooting trip in about 2.5 weeks! ill tell you more about that later. blessings!
i think i was knocked out for a few seconds ... when i came to, i realized all my airbags had gone off - my car was facing the wrong way on long street (a one way st), my horn was beeping, my car was filled with dust and a nasty smell, and i was struggling to breath as all the wind had been knocked out of me. my initial reaction was to get out of the car, but after i realized my drive door wouldnt open i began painfully crawling acorss the middle console to get out of the passenger side. my chest and sides were burning with pain, and my knee was throbbing. i had a few random cuts from the broken glass and some random
bumps - but A) i was alive and B) i was walking (well limping). it was only a couple of minutes before the fire trucks, emts, and police were all over asking questions. by the time i left the intersection, after getting my car towed, i had probably heard about 10 people say "you dont see people walk away from something like that". a couple of the firemen actually asked if i would be offended if they took a picture of my car to show their families. so its safe to say i felt blessed from the very start, but then when i got a call from the shop where my car was towed, and a call from the insurance adjuster a few days later to say "dude youre LUCKY" - i knew that this must be something special. i have no doubt God protected me - as well as great engineering from honda. anyways - i have a couple broken ribs (so painful, hard to sleep) and a bruised and possibly torn knee. the doctors got me on some vicodin which definitely helps take the edge off. oh and by the way - that happened weds and saturday i had a wedding 2.5 hours away - i took an assistant 
to carry my bags and heavy gear and got through the wedding just fine (somehow). i had a great time with jessica and nathan. i dont think they would have a problem with me sharing this ... but they actually waited for the altar to have their first kiss. i have heard of couples doing that before - but never worked for a couple. we did their couple pictures before the ceremony - which definitely made things interesting since they weren't kissing - but it forced me into something new, which im always excited about - and we got some great fun shots. it was awesome to see them have their first kiss as husband and wife. so yeah - im going to throw a little plug in here for Allstate because they have been AWESOME. ive never had an accident or any run ins with the insurance company for that matter...so this was all new to me. they have more than taken care of me and have followed through with everything they promised. if you dont have allstate - GET IT! :) as for whats next ... ill be going to st petersbug russia for a shooting trip in about 2.5 weeks! ill tell you more about that later. blessings!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
tats ...
thank you Kendra for reminding me of my new years resolution to "actually blog". i have indeed failed miserably thus far - but did anyone really expect otherwise. i dont know why its so difficult for me to do this with any sort of consistency. i really will make one last attempt to do this blog 
thing "for real". :) is it bad that i had to reset my password to log into this blog after numerous failed attempts ... its been like a month since i logged in. i thought i would share my newest art with you guys ... and no its not a photo or even something i created. i decided to get a tattoo a couple weeks ago. my mom always told me there were two things she never wanted me to have .... a motorcycle .... have one ... and a tattoo .... have two. sorry mom. shes been a good sport about both though! i got my first tattoo (the little cross on the shoulder) right after highschool and immediately wanted to get another, but decided to wait, since ive heard you always want another one right after you get inked up. well being the impulsive person that i am, 
i was shocked that its been 5 years since that first tattoo and im just getting my second, and more than likely my last. who knows. i wish i had taken my camera to get some fun shots of the whole process, but my buddy snapped a few with my phone for me ... better than nothing. the verse is Philippians 3:8 "i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus". having that on my body has been a huge reminder and constant challenge to imitate Christ, and make that verse true in my life....to truly consider everything else nothing compared to knowing him. hope all is well. its almost Friday!!!!
thing "for real". :) is it bad that i had to reset my password to log into this blog after numerous failed attempts ... its been like a month since i logged in. i thought i would share my newest art with you guys ... and no its not a photo or even something i created. i decided to get a tattoo a couple weeks ago. my mom always told me there were two things she never wanted me to have .... a motorcycle .... have one ... and a tattoo .... have two. sorry mom. shes been a good sport about both though! i got my first tattoo (the little cross on the shoulder) right after highschool and immediately wanted to get another, but decided to wait, since ive heard you always want another one right after you get inked up. well being the impulsive person that i am, 
i was shocked that its been 5 years since that first tattoo and im just getting my second, and more than likely my last. who knows. i wish i had taken my camera to get some fun shots of the whole process, but my buddy snapped a few with my phone for me ... better than nothing. the verse is Philippians 3:8 "i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus". having that on my body has been a huge reminder and constant challenge to imitate Christ, and make that verse true in my life....to truly consider everything else nothing compared to knowing him. hope all is well. its almost Friday!!!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
an uneventful weekend of mixed emotions...
ive been a mma (mixed martial arts) fan, well before the sport became as widely popular as it is today. i remember going to blockbuster and
renting vhs videos with guys like tank abbot and ken shamrock - back in the day when guys would fight 3 or 4 times a night ... it was awesome. anyways - ive anticipated few fights like the one this last weekend between gsp and bj penn. i have always loved george st pierre (the french canadian) and have always rooted for him no matter who he was fighting - but was a bit torn because ive also really enjoyed watching and rooting for bj penn .... that was until the did a whole behind the scenes promo piece on both fighters before the big fight. while george humbly remarked that he had no need to disrespect or trash talk penn ... penn responded with personal, immature, rude trash talk, explaining how he was going to destory gsp ... at one point he even made the comment "i actually want to kill him in the octagon" ... the fight was going to be big regardless - both men are at their prime and destorying anyone else they fight - but after seeing such an extreme difference between the humillity and respect of gsp and the pride arrogant disrespect of bjpenn - i couldnt wait to see the fight. i was now more hopefull for a gsp win then any other fight ive seen. george st pierre did not disappoint. in fine fashion he completely dominated the fight through the first 4 rounds (a fight scheduled for 5) until mr penns corner threw in the towel. needless to say i went to bed saturday night extremely happy and satisfied. the bad news came less than 24 hours later when the steelers won. im not an nfl fan by any means ... ncaa all the way - GO BUCKEYES - but i will watch the playoffs. im also not a steelers hater - 
although i do feel like some of their big name guys (even an ex-buckeye cough cough) are pretty shady off the field- but i cant help but feel that there has been a steelers banwagon going around, and plenty of people have jumped on for a ride ... so if for no other reason than to "not go with the flow" - i was really rooting for the cardinals. i also think kurt warner (cardinals qb) is a pretty sweet dude - so i was pulling for him. anyways - for being such an uneventful, almost wasteful weekend, consisting primarily of tv watching with friends - i had quite an emotional rollercoaster. i also thought i would share that i am taking time TODAY - to start picking out some images to update the site with new work. so come back soon! :)
renting vhs videos with guys like tank abbot and ken shamrock - back in the day when guys would fight 3 or 4 times a night ... it was awesome. anyways - ive anticipated few fights like the one this last weekend between gsp and bj penn. i have always loved george st pierre (the french canadian) and have always rooted for him no matter who he was fighting - but was a bit torn because ive also really enjoyed watching and rooting for bj penn .... that was until the did a whole behind the scenes promo piece on both fighters before the big fight. while george humbly remarked that he had no need to disrespect or trash talk penn ... penn responded with personal, immature, rude trash talk, explaining how he was going to destory gsp ... at one point he even made the comment "i actually want to kill him in the octagon" ... the fight was going to be big regardless - both men are at their prime and destorying anyone else they fight - but after seeing such an extreme difference between the humillity and respect of gsp and the pride arrogant disrespect of bjpenn - i couldnt wait to see the fight. i was now more hopefull for a gsp win then any other fight ive seen. george st pierre did not disappoint. in fine fashion he completely dominated the fight through the first 4 rounds (a fight scheduled for 5) until mr penns corner threw in the towel. needless to say i went to bed saturday night extremely happy and satisfied. the bad news came less than 24 hours later when the steelers won. im not an nfl fan by any means ... ncaa all the way - GO BUCKEYES - but i will watch the playoffs. im also not a steelers hater - 
although i do feel like some of their big name guys (even an ex-buckeye cough cough) are pretty shady off the field- but i cant help but feel that there has been a steelers banwagon going around, and plenty of people have jumped on for a ride ... so if for no other reason than to "not go with the flow" - i was really rooting for the cardinals. i also think kurt warner (cardinals qb) is a pretty sweet dude - so i was pulling for him. anyways - for being such an uneventful, almost wasteful weekend, consisting primarily of tv watching with friends - i had quite an emotional rollercoaster. i also thought i would share that i am taking time TODAY - to start picking out some images to update the site with new work. so come back soon! :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
my family
here is my ridiculously fast growing family. my two great parents, four older sisters, four brother in laws, and i dont know how many nieces and nephews. since i snapped this shot on dec 24th there are at least two more babies on the way. someday i might find a lovely wife of my own and start adding to the numbers :) as for now - being "uncle ben" is pretty great!
resolution
okay - so for any of you that "followed" my old blog - you notice that its gone! i was so pathetic at blogging in 2007/2008 that i decided to scrap the whole thing (minus my first blog entry ever which i saved and copied to this one) im still not sure i completely understand the whole blog concept - but maybe if nothing else it will give my clients and potential clients a chance to get to know "the man behind the camera" a little better.
sooo - ive made one of my 2009 business resolutions to ACTUALLY BLOG. i even went ahead and got a little app on my phone that will allow me to "blog on the go". ill try to post new pictures on here from recent shoots (since it usually takes about 12 months for me to put my new work on my website) or just random photos from my personal life.
- to any of my 2008 clients - I will be trying to update my website soon. make sure to check in regularly, as I will make sure to put a few pictures from each of your weddings on the site. :)
i cant wait for 2009 - my clients so far are great! im really looking forward to working with all of you. im also excited to update the site with some of my best work thus far. who knows when that will actually happen. hopefully soon! :)
tomorrow officially kicks off the 2009 season. Leslie and Josh - I cant wait. more soon. - ben
sooo - ive made one of my 2009 business resolutions to ACTUALLY BLOG. i even went ahead and got a little app on my phone that will allow me to "blog on the go". ill try to post new pictures on here from recent shoots (since it usually takes about 12 months for me to put my new work on my website) or just random photos from my personal life.
- to any of my 2008 clients - I will be trying to update my website soon. make sure to check in regularly, as I will make sure to put a few pictures from each of your weddings on the site. :)
i cant wait for 2009 - my clients so far are great! im really looking forward to working with all of you. im also excited to update the site with some of my best work thus far. who knows when that will actually happen. hopefully soon! :)
tomorrow officially kicks off the 2009 season. Leslie and Josh - I cant wait. more soon. - ben
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
blogging?
well ladies and gentlemen ... i have finally given in and jumped on the photographer blog page bandwagon. it occured to me that i think im the only photographer i know that doesnt (didnt) have one. so here i am. why did i fight the madness for so long? it just seemed so "out of touch to me". i remember growing up - when you wanted to talk to someone you talked to them. i used to WALK over to my friends house to see if they could play. then came cell phones, which are great, but just one more way to screen calls and people out of your life. "just call my cell" - then email, chat, myspace, facebook ... and in my opinion the worst of them all BLOGS. it just said to me "i dont have time for people so im just going to write down whats going on in my life and let you read about it instead of getting together with me and hearing about it ... etc" - ive actually heard conversations "hey whats new" - "DUDE, you have to read my blog". WHAT?! well hey before i start going off on my soap box - i will admit that as of recent, my views on the whole thing have changed ... and thats why youre reading this. i guess this can be a great way to let people track whats going on in your life and business - i am however committed to not spending TONS of time on this. i hope to leave just enough info to maybe spark your interest to give me a call and ask to go get coffee. :) i dont really plan on seperating my business blog and personal blog ... so who knows what youre going to see when you come here. all are welcome and comments will be appreciated. i hope this becomes something that some of you can enjoy - if nothing else you should get a laugh at my poor spelling and grammatical erros - im a "visual communicator" :) - a real update will be coming soon!
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