One year later

We are approaching the one year anniversary of our trip to Ethiopia and I wanted to do something to mark the occasion. I've had this song stuck in my head that I thought would make a great track for a video and this seemed like the perfect project for it. The song is called "Home" and it's from a group called Bole 2 Harlem. Bole is the name of the international airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The group consists mostly of Ethiopian musicians that have immigrated to America and wanted to make an album together. I found the album while I was browsing around the iTunes store looking for African music.

The video shows our very first time seeing/holding Marlie and all the love and attention she got while she was there. It also shows pictures of the year she's been home with us and all the fun we've had.

Without further ado, here it is.

So proud!

My oldest son has been showing some interest in photography lately so I decided to let him go out with my point and shoot the other day and he captured some very cool stuff.


A few days later while we were in Starbucks, he asked if he could take some shots with my DSLR (I always carry it when we walk to Starbucks). I showed him how to put one hand under the lens and how to hold and press the shutter button, and BAM!, this was his first shot.


Makes a daddy so proud.

Hangin' with da boys

I've had fun lately taking my boys out for walks around the neighborhood and to Starbucks. We've noticed a fair amount of residual patriotism with flags left on houses and in yards. It's made for some colorful outings.



I've also enjoyed some individual times with each of my boys.

Happy 4th!

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July.

Niece in town

My niece came to visit last week from Chicago. I had been really looking forward to her visit because she has a real gift for photography and has, I believe, already established a style at age 16. It was great having her here and the kids just adored her. Marlie especially wanted to hold her hand no matter where we were; on a walk, in the van or in a store.


We went for several walks around the neighborhood with our cameras and it was fascinating to see her perspective on things and see her pictures afterwards. I found myself looking at things in new ways and appreciating things that I probably would have overlooked.




I took her up the Getty Center one afternoon because there are so many photographic opportunities there and I knew she would love it.






This last image is probably my favorite of her whole visit, and I must confess that it's a complete rip off. She showed me a shot she had just taken and I thought it was so awesome that I had to take one just like it.


It was great to see how much she enjoyed the kids while she was her and how much they enjoyed her. Personally I had such a great time taking and sharing photographs with her and look forward to a time when we can do it again.

Days off

I've had some time off during the past few weeks and I've tried to make the most of that time with my family. Part of that includes evening walks around the neighborhood and playing in the front yard. I love evenings because it's cooler (it's been in the 90's during the day) and the light is much nicer. I never seem to get tired of photographing my kids and they provide me with endless joy and entertainment.

Here's the boys just after driving through some sprinklers.

They thought that was the most fun ever.

Here's Haven taking a break from playing to watch the clouds (and me).

Seamus looking too cute as he checks out something known only to him.

And my baby girl. What can I say except that she is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen.



I don't talk too much about technical details, but I love shooting my kids and people in general with a telephoto lens. My favorite one for this, and the one used for the image of Marlie, is my Canon 70-200 f4. This lens is so sharp and allows me to sit back and observe from a distance but still get a frame-filling image.