A couple of weeks ago, just before I went to Las Vegas for the WPPI convention, I attended a workshop help by a local photographer. It was a refreshing chance to just sit back and listen to some great information while taking photos at my own pace. I know that I was working with a couple that were acting as models. But what it really did was give me a chance to treat this just like a real engagement session without the pressure to “wonder” how the couple were taking my direction. I also learned a few tips on posing and what I should do to just let couple get comfortable with eachother. I had a great time and I got a chance to meet a bunch of other great photographers.
This engagement session was a pretty special one. One of my good friends, Nick Jensen, contacted me about a year ago regarding wedding photography. The reason Nick is so special to me is because him and I served a tour in Iraq together. To those of you that didn’t know, I was in the army reserves for 8 years. I was a member of the 652nd Engineering Company based out of Ellsworth Wisconsin.
I joined the army in 1997 when I was 17 years old. From there it introduced me to some of the greatest people that I have ever met. What I didn’t know when I joined, was that I would be going to war. For all of us September 11th changed our lives. I remember seeing the horror on T.V. I was walking through Dunwoody College after lunch and noticed a crowd around the T.V. I saw the buildings on fire but really didn’t know what caused it. Once I got home I realized the implications of what happened. Like all of us, I was in shock.
The other day I got to go meet baby Parker. Such a cute little guy! He was so patient and nice throughout the entire session. The only problem was…he kept a stone cold poker face almost the entire session. It was pretty funny actually, it seemed like nothing we could do would get him to smirk, smile or laugh. It’s no problem though, he was cute enough as he was. Thanks again Mandy and Dave and I look forward to working with you in the future!