the perfect cup

crema coffee, originally uploaded by pr9000.

I was lucky enough to snag some tickets to last weekend's Spears Foundation for Hepatitis C Awareness benefit concert, featuring The Red-Headed Stranger himself, Willie Nelson, in the middle of some farm pasture in Leiper's Fork. The show was outstanding -- for a man of 75 years, Willie sure can put on a heck of a show ... to see a few select shots of Willie, go to my website and click on "Clients" at the bottom. Enter the password willie to enjoy the slideshow.

While I was roaming the grounds prior to the show, I came across this awesome little Terry Travel Trailer -- at least, that's what I think it is -- that served as the mobile HQ for Crema (as in "Emma") Coffee, located (when not on wheels) in the Rutledge Hill neighborhood of Nashville. Rachel and Ben Lehman run Crema, and judging from the lines that formed before and during the concert, I'd have to say they're doing something right.

This shot was just too good to pass up, though there was some difficulty in getting it -- I came to the concert with my new Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens, and truth be told, I'm still learning to use it properly. A prime lens is a very different experience than the more normal telephoto zooms that so many of us use ... 50mm means 50mm, so the only way to change the composition of the photo is to move your little feet to and fro. I had to camp out in front of the Crema trailer, hoping that Rachel wouldn't see me and (1) move or (2) call the cops to get this stalker away from her.

It all worked out, as you can see, and I'm very pleased with the results. I was also pleased with my shots of Willie performing; I purposely went ISO 1600 on those shots, because I love the old-school grain/noise that high ISOs bring. Makes the photo seem older, more authentic ... much like Willie Nelson himself.

a kind heart

Nicole Brush and her family were like family to me and Amina during the four years we lived in Minnesota. Her husband, Scott, and her three boys -- Aaron, Matthew and Joey -- couldn't have been nicer to us, and to Trotter as well ... They became his surrogate family whenever Amina and I had to travel. Or, I guess, whenever they missed him too much, because they'd come down and get him to take a walk, or to spend the night ... you name it. 

I won't give away too much, but you really should read her story, as it's inspiring and life affirming. And, of course, whoever took that photo? He's a genius. Just makes it all that much better. :)

with dutch in front ...

with dutch in front ..., originally uploaded by pr9000.

This is from a shoot I did last year in Minnesota, not too far from my house and right around the end of September. By that point, the leaves were already starting to change, and, as any Minnesotan will tell you, the end of September means you've got one month left of "decent" weather before the cold moves in ...

It was obvious that the boys loved their sister, and she was just as enamored of them as well.

Parents usually ask me "How should I dress my children?" To that, I have two stock answers:

(1) You can dress them far better than I ever could, and
(2) Solid colors, on the whole, tend to go over better than patterns.

I always start with (1) because, well, I'm a man, and as a man I can safely say that my knowledge of "what matches what" disappeared when Garanimals stopped making adult clothing. As for (2), solid colors are always nice. In the photo above, the boys were wearing white shirts and dark jeans, and Dutch's dress was black and white. The color shots we took emphasized Nature's awesome backdrop, and the kids still looked fantastic.

So moms (and it's always moms): keep on doing what you do. Your kids will look great no matter what.