Every Saturday morning...

...my wife and I always sit down to eat breakfast. I wake up way earlier than she does during the week so we make the most of the weekend morning hours. This particular morning I needed to go to the grocery store to get some bacon as we were all out. When I got the grocery store I noticed these bushes at the edge of the parking lot. They had webs across the top and, since it was a particularly damp morning, they had droplets all about them making them more prominent. I was bit disappointed because I didn't have my camera but not too much.

I bought my needed item (which turned out to be items) and went back home. As I stepped away from my car to hit the stairs that lead up to our apartment, I noticed this dew dropped web in between to evergreen type trees about twenty feet apart. I noticed the web a few days ago when my wife and I saw what appeared to be a huge spider floating in the middle of the air. Turns out we were wrong. I tried to get a shot of the spider but the conditions did not allow me to snap a decent shot. Here it is a few days later and I get the opportunity for these shots.

I've always been a little intrigued by spider webs. They are so intricate and precise. They serve their purpose perfectly. They warn the spider of both food and danger. It makes me think about what man would have to do to engineer something so precise. He would have to learn all sorts of principles concerning math and science. He would need numerous materials for construction. It would be plausible to do, but it wouldn't be as good as the real thing. It's just another one of those things that makes me aware of the Higher Consciousness that abides in us all. Everything we'll ever need has already been given to us. The spider needs no more than its silk and its instinct. We have the capacity to expand our knowing and awareness for an almost perpetual ability to adapt. Everything was created perfectly and is perfect. Things only fall out of whack when we ignore that perfection. Now I, too, am guilty for ignoring this perfection, but I am also making a conscious effort to reconnect with it. Here's to self-reactualization.

Life is full of...

...the most random, kookie people. Whenever I go on an outing by myself, I often have some zany story to tell about some eccentric encounter to which she often replies, "You have some strange characters in your universe." I don't know what it is that draws me to these people and them to me, but it does make for some interesting anecdotes. I dig it because it keeps me aware of the little things. I often see people to immersed in themselves and sometimes I feel bad for them because while they think they are so busy they are missing out on so much. It's the many combined little things that make up the big picture.

I ran into this guy over summer while hanging out in downtown Chicago. I saw a few times and wanted to get a shot of him, but I was too nervous to ask and couldn't get a decent angle to snap one from afar. Finally, I just asked him and he happily obliged. He posed again for another with his flute to give me something extra. He told me his name was Kokomo Joe. I laughed at the song reference and his puns relating to their lyrics. We even walked for a block or so exchanging small talk. He told me he was a musician and even had a web page. I never got the url address but after some Googling, I did find him on MySpace. Sure enough, he plays a few instruments. His music passion manifested from a life threatening medical condition that he was able to fight through and he decided to finally do something he wanted to do in life. I'm going to send these pictures to him. He may not remember me, but he'll at least know that my meeting him for those few minutes had an impact.

I never really...

...paid much attention to the fall season. Growing up in Chicago, there was not much foliage to admire and the cooling temperatures signified the coming of football more so than the precursor to winter. Even spending my mid-teenage to early adult years in Mississippi did little to rouse any kind of morsel of appreciation for the season of change. I've been in Charlotte for three years and have paid more attention to the Crepe Myrtles blooming than the changing of the leaves. But this year is different. I think it's because of my new photography passion (well, passion since March of this year, is that still new?). I wanted pictures of changing leaves and there are plenty of drives within three hours or less to go get them. Well, times are not as affluent so trips don't happen as often but I'm thankful that my wife and I still have shelter, food, and heat. Plus, the Universe has given me a few trees on the campus where I teach to shoot. They're not great shots, but they scratched a must needed itch.

This shot...

is actually a part of a greater theme. Not photography theme, but a theme centering around a new attraction in the city of Charlotte. In May of 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is set to open. The building project has been dubbed one of the biggest wastes of tax payer money by numerous local media outlets. All that aside, a museum dedicated to people who were the best at driving fast and turning left while not crashing (or crashing only every so often) is slated to be the new Charlotte tourist attraction. All of the intersection walkways near the building are painted in the cute finish line checker pattern (as subtle indicator of what's in the area). I'm not fan of traffic being hailed as a sport but this made for a pretty good texture, contrast, black and white shot. Who knows? Maybe I'll attend the grand opening and take some picture of the greatest people to ever turn a key, start an ignition, and proceed to do what millions of commuters do every day, except faster.

I'm still leanring that...

...a good shot can be found anywhere. This picture was taken at a clothing boutique in Belmont, NC. On the outside, this place looks very small and intimate. If you look through the window, you can see a small room with clothes on the back wall and clothes on about four racks. When you walk through the door, the register is to your left. If you never venture past the clothing racks, you'd think there was nothing else to the store; however, if you reach the register, you will see a doorway to another room to the right. Thinking there is a little more to the store, you go into the room and find more clothes. You will also find a short staircase that leads to another room. This room is by far the largest of the store and is large enough to be the store itself. I loved just walking through the store wondering what I would do with the space if I owned it (tea house/book store/live must venue all in one).

This picture comes from part of the decor through out the boutique. At the top of the short staircase to left there was a door propped up against the wall with this crescent moon and star. The door was painted in that soft Carolina blue. I would've taken the picture in color but I liked the shade contrast the the shadow behind the moon so much that I decided to go with black and white to emphasize that. After I got my shot, my wife and I navigated back to the front of the store and out. This was part of a day trip as we spent a lot of that day in Belmont. We really loved how it was not very far from Charlotte but felt like a completely different place. We could do a weekend get away there and really feel like we were gone. I love what I am learning about photography and still wonder if there is any limit to what I can teach myself.

A couple of weekends ago...

...my wife and I went to Belmont, North Carolina. It was the first weekend after Ramadan and to celebrate another enlightening fast, we decided to treat ourselves to a day trip. Belmont is only 30 minutes away, but it sure felt like we were in a whole other place MILES away from Charlotte. My intention was to go to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to get some nature shots. They have this yearly photo contest of pictures taken at their facility and I wanted to try my hand at competitive photography.

The garden was not as big as the one I went to in Asheville earlier this year, but there were some great shots to be had as it was very dense. You can't take a step without finding something worth snapping your camera at. I'm definitely going to go back as I'm sure there was something I overlooked. I only have two lenses for my camera and neither of them a macro or wide angle lens, something that would really come in handy for a shoot like this. But thanks to some (relatively) steady hands, clever positioning, and great focus with my zoom lens, I was able to capture some pretty nice shoots. Here some select shots from my "wildlife" series. How do they look?

This is...

a deliberate attempt to make you say, "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

I can't believe...

...it happened again! A short time ago, I posted some pictures and a musing about how I always seem to stumble upon a wedding party whenever I go on a picture outing. Well, yesterday was no exception. I got home from work happy that it was the weekend and happier that the weather was beautiful and mild. My wife was just as excited about the weather and suggested that we get out and enjoy what was left of the day. My wife and I are not really the planning type, so we just got dressed, got in the car, and hit the road to spontaneity.

Within a ten minute drive of where we live, there are two city parks. One is a park built more for play. It has basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground for kids, baseball diamonds, and a common area for barbecues. The other park is more of a recreation park. It has an open layout with trail for walking or jogging, there's an amphitheatre, and a pond. It's right next to a greenway nature trail. Here you'll find people walking their dogs, jogging, riding their bikes, sitting on benches reading books, or tossing the ball around. Whenever my wife and I go out with no set destination, we always come here first.

When we arrived and started walking the path around the pond, we saw a large gathering behind the amphitheatre. My wife wondered aloud what was going on and I couldn't say for sure. After walking arm in arm for a few minutes we get a little closer and was able to get a better look. Sure enough, we saw men in matching tuxedos and women in matching dresses which meant wedding party. I couldn't believe it. Apparently I put out some kind of energy that draws me to these events. Maybe it's a sign. I'll ponder all of that later. Moving on, it took me a while to get these shots because we showed up just in time for the actual photographer to take the wedding party shots. When they were done, the bride and groom went to take some separate pictures and I was able to steal some for myself. These were the ones that turned out good enough to post. How crazy is that!?

It's very important...

...not to overlook the importance of laughter. I love to laugh, but, even more, I love to make people laugh. I'm a social comedian. When I'm a part of a large group, jokes are bound to come flying. For me, laughter is the best release. It's the one form of emoting that almost always positively shifts your life outlook. I believe this is why humor is used to break the ice on so many taboo topics. We always feel better after we laugh, even when we laugh until it hurts. We can even laugh ourselves to tears. And in laughing everyone knows that enjoyment is happening. It's the ultimate indicator of whether or not a good time is being had. It let's everyone know that you are at the pinnacle of your moment's satisfaction. Seek and embrace laughter and improve your quality of life. So, have you laughed today?

This seems to be...

...a recurring theme in my picture outings. I always seem to find a wedding group out taking pictures, and I take it upon myself to get a shot of the bride. It's only right, weddings are all about the brides anyway. I don't say that from an envious "what about the groom" standpoint. It's just the truth. A lot of young ladies start dreaming big of their wedding day from a very age. By high school, most of them have the entire event planned out. My wife and I saved ourselves the stress and just eloped.

Every time I take a picture of a bride, I can't but wonder what is going through her mind. Each of these pictures shows a young lady sharing in what is going to be one of her biggest milestones, yet each of them probably has a very unique opinion of it. What I wouldn't give to go back and ask them how they felt, what were they thinking, what are their expectations. I wonder what they are doing now. Are they happy? Are they pregnant? Are they strong career women? How are their husbands? So many things to ponder, especially when it isn't about you. My wife and have been married a little more than two and half years. We still enjoy each other's company. We can sit, do nothing, and not get on each other's nerves. Can the ladies above say the same thing?

I'm not comparing by any means. But I am a little curious about people who are in similar phases of their life. I have friends my age who are still not married; I have friends who are divorced. I think it's only human nature to contemplate our similarities in that way. Each time I look at these pictures, I go back to the moment I saw them and ponder the many what ifs about what they might be up to now. Lastly, apologies are in order as the last photo is a repost from May of this year.