Happy Holidays

I begin my post this afternoon by saying this: I have purposefully refrained from making comments regarding the school shootings in Connecticut and other areas of the US.  The situation is very sad and many families/friends are without loved ones.  On this holiday season, I pray that each of you embrace the time that is spent with your families, children, significant other, and friends.

 

Secondly, I have to take the time to thank you again for your support with my photography.  I love the comments, suggestions, and critiques.  This blogsite has became more than what I expected when I wrote my first posts (http://solomonjparker.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-beginning.html) and (http://solomonjparker.blogspot.com/2011/01/lake-rd-london-ky.html).  I just wanted a medium to share my pictures and the reasons for choosing them.  I would have never dreamed that it would lead to being asked to showcase two of my photos in a restaurant near Charlotte, NC.  Crazy, right?  In the upcoming year, I want to continue to enjoy life and capture its moments through photography while striving to improve skills and technique.

 

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and safe travels!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nappy is Not a Bad Word

Last month, I was able to land a gig shooting internet celebrity, Brokey McPoverty.  Huge deal-- if you haven't heard of her, then you've been missing out. She writes articles, blogs about everything and nothing, tweets of daily struggle, and her reality television commentary is unmatched. Brokey McPoverty is the epitome of the hashtag, the greater-than sign, and any emoji on your smartphone, hence, I was more than excited to have the opportunity to have my pictures featured on her pages.

During this photoshoot, I fully took advantage of trying out new techniques I have been researching for quite some time. Just when I thought that I was in a rut with my hobby, I was able to play around with different lighting and perspectives, and all of a sudden, I remember why I love photography so much. There's always something to learn! Also, a fierce model in Brokey definitely made things more entertaining! 

The pictures below are for Brokey McPoverty's new venture-- tees and totes to celebrate natural hair. I think it's a great idea for presents and stocking stuffers. I wanted a shirt, but  if you've seen me, you know that I'm not the best posterboy to market natural hair-- or any hair for that matter. But I digress.

Peep her websites below. Believe me, I'm a fan!

Brokey McTshirts [buy them here... and see my photos!]

Brokey McPoverty Tumblr

Follow Brokey McPoverty on Twitter!

Holiday Cheers

It has been a long-running joke that my girlfriend is my business manager when it comes my photography. While I may be the one with the camera, she more-or-less calls all the shots. She came home from work one evening and nonchalantly told me, "Hey, Solomon, I told my coworker that you are going to take portraits of her family." And that was that-- my first family holiday photoshoot was booked.

I met Zach and Courtney, and their boys Cameron and Trevor, on the sunniest day in December that I can recall for Kentucky; it was hard to fathom that Christmas was around the corner. I started the shoot with taking portraits at the fireplace, and, thanks to the suggestion of Cameron and Trevor,  whose energy was as boundless as the sun's rays on that day, it evolved into running around outside and around Taylorsville Lake to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather.

It was a wonderful experience photographing a great family, and ultimately getting to know them. I knew they were good people when we were able to wax poetic on the best BBQ spots in Louisville. Also, congratulations are in order for Courtney and Zach, who were recently named and awarded as volunteers of the year for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Please help support their cause by visiting Courtney's pages, and enjoy their pictures below:

Courtney's Great Strides

Scentsy - Courtney Cure CF

Court's Custom Jewelry-Benefits Cystic Fibrosis

Chicago - Thanksgiving Day

Tonight, I wanted to share with you all pictures that I took on a recent trip to Chicago over the Thanksgiving Holiday.  My friends and I went to Chicago to work in the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  We were responsible for blowing up the floats and walking alongside the people holding the balloons to make sure the balloons did not hit power lines, streetlights, trees, or in the case of Chicago the L-Train.

For sometime, we all were looking forward to this trip with all the anticipated chicanery and foolishness.  Let's just say that this trip exceeded our expectations even though we were only in Chicago for 24 hours.  We arrived to Chicago at about 4pm after flight delays due to the dense fog in Chicago.  After the hour trip from the airport to the hotel (because of rush hour traffic), we dropped off our things and went to Giordano's for some famous Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza.  A trip to Chicago is not complete without having a slice of heaven.  We then walked down the Magnificent Mile to hit up the Nike Store before it closed.  At about 11pm, we all had a decision to make.  Do we stay up for the 3AM start time to blow the balloons or do we take what would become a power nap.  We decided to the latter as the 3AM inflation time meant waking up at 2AM and walking a city mile to get the site.  So, 2AM, 2:30AM, and 3AM come around and it is now about 40 degrees.  When we get to the inflation site, we begin to work on moving bags of sand, laying out the balloons, and preparing to blow the balloons.  After a few hours and several attempts to get the helium from the helium truck, we blew the balloons up while also sharing many great laughs.  By sunrise, the volunteers were at the site ready to carry the floats in the parade.  I was responsible for Odie (the dog featured in the Garfield comics).  Lucky for me, I had a group of people that was very experienced with handling the floats in this parade, but we still had to plan for getting the balloons underneath the L-train.

It was an amazing life experience to be in the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Walking down State Street with more than a million people to the left and right of you was a great feeling.  I compare to playing in a big game with your rival in sports and seeing not a vacant seat in the stands.  I honestly could not stop smiling the entire time because it truly was an once-in-a-lifetime moment.  Sometimes, I would forget that I was "working" in the parade because I was so wrapped up in the moment.  The wind brought me back to reality very fast as we had to avoid the trees and stoplights at the beginning of the parade route.  We did make it underneath the L-Train (thanks to an experience bunch carrying the float).  As we were walking down the parade route, we would see the network people and you would see different signs that some of them were holding.  When I saw the sign that said, "Smile, You're On TV," I realized that we were walking in a parade that was viewed by an entire nation.  WOW...I was on TV :).  

The parade was over around 11.30AM.  Our flight left from Chicago at 3.  From this trip, I have memories of many of great laughs, quotes, and moments.  I am glad that my friends invited me to go along on the trip.  It was hard missing Thanksgiving with my family, as it was one of the first times I missed Thanksgiving with them ever, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to go on this trip.  Below are some of the pictures that I took while on my trip.  Please enjoy.

Simply Thankful

Today's sermon, Walking in the FOG (Walking in the Favor of God), made me reflect on the many things in this life that I am grateful for.  So, what am I thankful for on November 18th, 2012? 

• New Opportunities - I still may be the happiest guy living in Louisville right now
• Love & Happiness (Al Green voice)
• My Family and spending more time with them.  Thank you all for being there, especially recently.
• My Boys - it took 8 years, but um...I'm here.  Let's do this.
• The special moments, which are reminders from God that he still finds favor.
• Desire to grow/improve my Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Health 
• Meeting new people
• Grace - you were there waiting on me when I came back to you and did not hold it against me that I left you before.  After that long due oil change, you have been rollin'.
• God's Grace - That you could love me in spite of me.
• Food - I likes' ya and I wants' ya.  We could do this the easy way or we could do it the hard way.  Your choice.
• Matlock World Peace (aka Pup McPup, bka Matty Ice) - I will always say that had you been around when I first moved to Eastern Kentucky, I might not have been as lonely.
• Mom, Ashia, Ashley, Tra - You are my motivation.  I love you all.
• Melanie - You are a wonderful person.  Thanks for hanging in there.  I love you tweets.  
• Experiences - Without them, I would not be.
• Another day's journey - And I'm so glad about it.
• You - thanks for your support with displaying my expression of art.  It has been great sharing my life through pictures with you.  

Portraits of Fall and Family

To me, fall and photography go hand-in-hand.  I feel more trigger-happy when the air gets brisk and the leaves start to change colors-- almost as if I am trying to capture the essence of autumn in every picture taken.  In mid-October, we met with our friends at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill (Mercer County) for a family photoshoot. 

Manny and Mindy often visit Shaker Village, and it was great walking along the scenic trails with them.  The overcast sky made the fall colors of the countryside more vibrant, and with a happy Baby Abhey in tow, this was just another opportunity to practice getting the perfect fall photo.  

So, I want to give a special thanks to Manny, Mindy, and Abhey.  It was a great day filled with a lot of laughs, even more leaves, great conversation, and about four hundred or so pictures.  

Emerald Isle, NC

At the risk of sounding corny, I'm going to put it out there and say that Emerald Isle is the gem of North Carolina. So far, it is the only place I have vacationed where I purposefully set my alarm clock in order to greet the sun. The Crystal Coast glimmered like seaglass, the ebb and flow of the tides serene, and the shrimp was sweet (thanks, Cap'n Willis). Fishing in the sound was relaxing, and it was awesome to share the intracoastal waterway with some of the dolphins passing through the area.

To my surprise, mid-October was a fitting time to go-- a great salute to the change of seasons, a last hurrah to those holding on to summer, me included. The white sands of the already-private beach was less-peppered with tourists, and the temperature was a constant mid-seventies. It was just the locals, the Atlantic, and me with a trusty camera in hand. 

No long weekend spent in Emerald Isle is adequate length; even those with wanderlust yearn for an extra day.  The pictures I share below are just glimpses of what I experienced. The food, the relaxation, and the karaoke are not pictured here, but thank you for the music for giving it to me! (An ABBA reference for those not on the inside!)

--Melanie V.

Guest Blogger

Good morning!

Shraaaamp Boat

Moonset at Dolphin Ridge

Sunrise on the Sound

Dunes.