last weekend i was in the Napa California to photograph a wedding (more on that soon). i was there for a couple of days and had the opportunity to just wander around and take pictures. my brother-in-law Todd was with me, he is also a world traveler and loves wandering and shooting too, so it was good times.

as we wandered we came across Al who was born and raised on the very property where we found him. he has been working the land, his 27 acres of vineyards his entire life. we found him working at grafting some new variety in his vineyard, we talked with him for a bit, learned a bit about his life and made some compelling images of him too. good times.

the truly beautiful thing about photography is that when it is stripped down to it's purest form all that is left is communication of a moment. for me, their are only certain images that can truly communicate and as a photographer you know it the second you release the shutter. you know it because something in your heart is poured into that image as if it wasn't the mechanics of the camera that made the image, rather it was the fact that you were there to witness and appreciate the moment that allowed the image to exist. i wish i could say that i make this type of image all the time, but it is so elusive that it rarely happens. it happened a couple of nights ago though and i think i can say that of the hundreds of thousands of images i have taken, this is the most beautiful image my heart has made.

if you are a photographer and you are looking for a new bag to carry your gear, you should look no further than Tenba Gear. i have had a tenba back pack that i have used for 3-4 years and recetly needed to get a rollie bag that wasn't so hard on my back when travelling. so i bought the tenba rollie bag (see below). i used it for the first time this weekend and it worked perfectly...until i got home. when i went to put my bag in the car the handle broke off. knowing that Tenba makes good gear (i have never had any trouble with my other bags from them) and stands behind their products, i thought i would call them and see what i could do about getting it returned...

here's the side note for anyone running their own business. since i bought my first tenba bag, i knew i would be a lifetime user, their design and ruggedness is outstanding. of course the second my new bag broke, i was ready to move on and just wanted to return the bag, i was frustrated. here is what happened. i called Tenba customer service. i did not wait on hold. i was connected immediately with the person who handles any kind of repair or replacement. he said "what happened?" i said, "the bag broke" he said, "what's your address? i'm shipping you a new one. keep the one you have or throw it away, whatever you want." he also said, "if you ever have trouble with any of our gear, just call us and we will ship you new gear anywhere in the world you might be." what was a negative and frustrating situation for me turned into a positive and they even turned me into an evangelist for their gear. so as a summary to this experience i will steal from Master Card and say:

Tenba Backpack $285...Tenba Rollie Bag $322...Tenba Customer Service...PRICELESS!

Let's be sure to remember this when dealing with our own customers.

Heres the lovely Tenba Rollie Bag

Hey everybody. I hope this helps someone. This is a sweet sweet little technique I picked up from Scott Kelby and his great new book "The Seven Point System" if you haven't checked that out yet, you should definitely do it. Let me know how it goes.

i while back i photographed the wedding of Jill and Nathan. these two are so in love, they were giddy over each other. Nathan and Jill are some of the most down to earth, nicest people you would ever want to know. i feel privelaged to have been a part of their wedding. guys, thanks for being simply put, good people. you make everyone around you better because they have known you.

they were married in Vancouver, Washington at the Academy Chapel at Fort Vancouver.

here's a twist...the dads getting ready.

a moment for dad.

i love the way Jill's dad is looking her mom in this shot.

more proud parents

this little guys was quite the ham.

i love these next two images. they both just look so "Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier".

the cake had a definite northwest feel...love it!