How Not to Market Yourself

evan's third birthday

evan's third birthday, originally uploaded by pr9000.

Amina and I were lucky enough to be invited to not one, but two, birthday parties last weekend!

Of course, one had 15 five-year-olds running around, all sugared up, but it was a blast, and I'll have more photos of that coming up, as soon as I find time to edit the 200 shots I took on that sunny afternoon.

Evan's party, though, was a more subdued affair – family, friends and lots of presents. It was a Batman party, but I think at three years old, any superhero would do the trick ... that, and the remote control dinosaur that he'd gotten. Seriously – it had a handheld remote, and you could make it walk, roll over, roar, etc. As another dad at the party said, toymakers are just now creating the toys that our imaginations pretended they were. Back when we were kids. Not that I'm old or anything. :)

Evan had a great time, and we stopped by later in the evening to enjoy a little quiet time with Evan's parents, which as you can imagine was anything but quiet. Evan's got a wicked swing of the bat, and I spent most of the evening throwing the little beanbag softball directly as the bat, so that Evan could knock a few out of the (living room) park.

today's Photo Tip Of The Day

Engineer 1, FPD

Engineer 1, FPD, originally uploaded by pr9000.

There's a pretty cool little boy who lives a few doors down from me ... His name is Cooper, and he's battling cancer right now at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. I had the honor of photographing his family in mid-November, and Cooper was a running, jumping bundle of energy ... He and his brother, Blake, wore me out, frankly – it's amazing to me the amount of energy little boys bring to whatever they do.

A few weeks later, Cooper fell ill and after many tests and procedures, he was diagnosed with cancer. He went through surgery a few weeks ago, and while it was successful, he still has a long road ahead. His family decided that St. Jude's was the perfect place for him to continue his treatments, and our neighborhood hosted a little party for him on Monday.

the crowd at Cooper's celebration, originally uploaded by pr9000.

I say "little" but that's an understatement – Cooper's dad, Scott, said that he stopped counting at 150 people. Cooper's a lucky boy, because the outpouring of love for him was overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that he got a police escort into the neighborhood, and a good chunk of the Franklin Fire Department was there to greet him! He got to ride in the back of a huge fire truck as the rest of the crowd followed in a parade. And I got to go up in the bucket of the truck to take a picture, which I must admit was a lifelong dream come true ...

the bucket!, originally uploaded by pr9000.

Cooper has a pretty awesome support structure, which includes his brother, Blake, and his stepbrother and stepsister, Michael and Danielle (he's hugging her in the photo below). Plus his friends, their friends, and a huge group of people who are following his story on his CaringBridge site.

hugging Danielle, originally uploaded by pr9000.

To see the full gallery, go to my website, click on "Clients" in the lower right corner, and enter "cooper" (no quotes) as the password. Make sure your speakers are on, and enjoy the highlights of what turned out to be an amazing, life-affirming afternoon celebration for Cooper and his family. And if you're so inclined, why not consider donating to the cause? St. Jude's does wonderful work for its patients – most especially, for Cooper.

Our prayers are with you ...

cheekwood in the springtime ...

I've done sessions at Cheekwood in the past, but last Saturday was my first spring Cheekwood experience. It did not disappoint – spring has most definitely sprung in Middle Tennessee.

Mark and his children, Taijana and Taren, were excited to get for the session – as was I, because aligning schedules had been quite a challenge. Both children are very active in sports, and that means most weekends are spent shuttling between soccer fields and basketball courts. Honestly, I'm not sure how most parents do it. Trotter wears me out, and he's just a dog. :)

Taren was really, really excited to be in front of a lens. Without question, he is the most camera-friendly young man I've had the honor of photographing. Need a pose? No problem! In fact, don't need a pose but want to see one anyway? Taren's the man!



Taijana is a freshman this year and is a pretty accomplished basketball player. I wonder if Pat Summitt reads this blog? If she does – and I'm not saying she does, but maybe – I hope she remembers this post, and calls me when "Tay" is on her Final Four team in a few years. After all, I like press passes for sporting events. :)



We had a fun afternoon by all accounts, and I think Mark and the kids are thrilled with their photos. And we ended the session with my patented "Make Everyone Jump Off A Wall" maneuver ... it never fails to entertain!

Puppies and Bubbles

Two of my favorite subjects: puppies and children.



Westhaven held a "Bubbles on the Great Lawn" event recently, where toddlers and their parents were invited to enjoy a nice, spring morning blowing bubbles outside the Residents' Center. I think the kids had more fun running around and burning energy, while the moms were enjoying the bubble soap and generally happy to see their kids tire themselves out. :)



Good friends, great weather and license to run around – can you imagine a better morning?



The only thing that would trump it – a nine-week-old Goldendoodle puppy!



You may have heard that I have a doodle myself; I don't talk about him much. (Ha ha) A neighbor fell in love with Trotter, and called me last week to say that they took the plunge, and brought home little Obie. We took Trotter down to Chess Park to meet him, and it was quite the scene ... Obie's obviously learning about how to deal with other dogs, and it's got to be a tough lesson when everyone is bigger than you:



Trotter's a big boy, and I think Obie was more than a little intimidated. Amina had to put Obie on top of Trotter, and once that happened, they got along well. Obie smelled like puppy breath, which I think should be bottled and sold as a cologne or an Airwick air freshener scent.

His teeth were puppy sharp and he always rolled over on his back – he knows he's not the boss of anyone yet. He looks just like Trotter did when he was a pup, and I almost – almost – did a straight-up trade. :)

Winston!

With a smile like that, no wonder Winston was the big hit of my recent photoshoot!

My neighbors Terry and Trina asked me to photography their son, Lance, and his girlfriend, Katherine, over Spring Break ... but the real star of the shoot was Winston, their year-old basset hound. Winston's a drool machine, a deep barker and three times as long as he is tall. His ears drag on the ground and when he's done walking, he'll just up and stop, however far you are from home, and refuse to continue unless he's carried the rest of the way.

Needless to say, he's a charmer. :)



We had a great time, and our neighborhood – like the rest of middle Tennessee – is just on the edge of full-fledged spring bloom. We hit a few of our favorite Westhaven spots, and of course ended up by the fountain, where Winston was just about finished ... it's funny – kids and dogs all seem to have about a 45-minute limit to how cute they'll be on command.

I think Lance, Katherine, Terry and Trina all were happy with the results. And Winston? It was the most Beggin' Strips he'd ever eaten in one afternoon.