view from the top

I spent some time today up on Big Mountain. Here in the Flathead Valley there has been some dreary weather all around unless you head into the upper elevations. There it's clear skies. Right now you can even look out above the clouds. We are having an inversion where warmer air is trapped on top of the mountain and colder air is stuck below the clouds in the valley. Lido spent some time shooting this on Saturday and today was my turn. It really is one of the cooler things I've seen since I've been here. Plus, any excuse to be in the sun is a good enough reason to do something for me right now. So, these are some shots from my adventure today starting at the top and winding my way down to the bottom where it was ridiculously foggy. I think I might try to spend every Monday this way.

MLK and Inaugural Words

MLK has always been a "day of service" when I was living in Atlanta. A day to get out, plant a tree, build a playground....you know...help the community. Since I am working today and there is no community service project to work on here I thought I'd check out the Ebenezer service for MLK in Atlanta.

If that makes you feel inspired then be sure to check out this new interactive graphic on the NYTimes site. It's all about the most used words by each president in their inaugural speeches. Pretty cool. Only makes me ask why aren't "awesome" and "tubular" on their more?

Happy MLK. And yay almost inauguration day and news media frenzy.

welcome modwest photo

After lots of long hours in front of my laptop, I'm happy to announce the new modwest photo website is up and running. This new business will focus on modern wedding and portrait photography. You can always see what's new in the world of modwest on the modblog. If your looking for wedding photos and resources it's the place to head. So yay for 2009 and new possiblities. Welcome modwest photo.

the turtle man

I've spent a lot of time in the last couple months watching multimedia and web videos. I've been trying to see how different people are using new technology. What stories are they telling? What is their production quality like?

That being said this video is now one of the more hilarious and awesome things I've seen in a while. The Turtle Man is a Southern twang of a man who catches and relocates "apple-stealing, horse-biting, cow udder-clutching, jaw-snapping turtles." No seriously. And it's awesome.

If I can't go watch the turtle man catch a turtle in real life, this multimedia piece is the next best thing.

ski time

I spent more time on Big Mountain this weekend than ever before. Lido was covering a ski competition and I tagged along to take some fun photos for myself. I'm pretty pumped to go back and actually ski now. And I'm less terrified than before (which was a pretty significant amount of terror). So happy ski season to the skiers out there. It's a good year for snow in Montana.

some of my favorite peeps

The start of a new year can be an uncertain time. The financial markets are a mess. Layoffs are imminent. It's frankly scary. All of it makes me very thankful for the people around me who are supportive and caring. My friends and family are my biggest champions and I can't thank them enough.

In my month off the radar I had a chance to hang with the Greesons and took some photos for them. I very much understand always having photos of everyone else and none of yourself when you are a photographer and wanted my former coworker Kathleen and her fam to have some happy pictures to start the new year. The Greesons basically just rock and I'm so thankful I had a chance to see them for a bit. Thanks for your constant support guys.

2009: let it snow

I've only been back in Montana for a couple days. In the short time I've been home the snow has been falling non-stop. Today there is an "Emergency Only" travel warning out because the roads are so snowy. This is a far cry from the 75 degree temps I left behind in Atlanta. And it seems it is only the beginning: we are supposed to have another eight inches fall tonight here in Whitefish.

So as I work from home today editing photos and catching up on paperwork from being out of town I'm watching the snow fall out my window. It's pretty...but I hope it stops soon. Just so we don't have to shovel the sidewalk 3 times in one day.