I'm offering 15 minute sessions and including (15) high-resolution, fully edited digital files for $315. The dates are Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st from 9am -6pm. I will be adding more details and special add-ons to this page, so check back often for surprises... :)

One other thought I had was to reach out to my clients and friends who read this blog and ask for some recommendations for a family that may have gone through a difficult situation recently such as a fire or other tragedy where they lost their valuables and cherished memories. I certainly understand that a photo session may not be first and foremost on their minds, but if I can offer to at least provide a free session (or series) along with images/prints, maybe it would be one less thing for them to worry about...So please, if you know of someone deserving, please contact me directly. I would also make it so that it would be provided as a gift suggestion from both you and me. 

Our Vintage Santa sessions at historic Bulloch Hall in Roswell, November 15th-17th are over halfway filled! Normally we don't start filling up until now (mid-September) as many people have a hard time thinking about Santa portraits before Halloween, let alone when the temps have been in the upper 90's! I personally am SOOOOO ready for Fall and some cooler temps! 

In my personal opinion, last years Santa sessions were the best yet, and I am so excited for this years sessions! We'll have plenty of creative things to make your portraits incredible, but the more fun idea's you have, the better! Below are links for reserving your session followed by a few fun images from last year.

Below are the links for booking your session. Please note that there is a slightly different link for each day: 

Friday (11-4pm) Book Friday Here!

Saturday (10-5pm) Book Saturday Here!

Sunday (12-3pm) Book Sunday Here!

I try to always live by the Golden Rule of treating everyone like I would want to be treated and we teach our children to do the same...

What else do I love? My wife and kids mean the world to me and I would rather spend all of my free and available time with them than doing anything personally for myself. Now with that being said, sure I still need time to myself, and surely my family needs time away from me, regardless of how awesome I am. BTW, that was a joke. :)

But beyond my wife and kids, my animals rule our house. Our Golden Retriever, Cody, and our two fluffy and personable cats, LuLu and Rhett. At least they're personable around us, but anytime we have a petsitter or a guest come by, they don't believe we have cats as they are never seen.

Some other quick things that I love:

• I love helping people and giving back. The feeling you get is so rewarding and unlike any other. 
• Obviously I love photography and it truly is my passion. But more importantly, I love capturing memories for clients and simply just bringing joy to others through my images. And of course I love getting feedback on my work; in fact I love that almost as much as doing the actual photography.
• I love learning and growing and am always trying to improve in everything I do.
• I love to cook and am still trying to shed some extra pounds...baby weight I claim I gained when my wife was pregnant with our first child, er, almost 15 years ago. 
• I love to travel and do landscape photography, although not to the extent I used to. Prior to getting married, I would take 1-2 weeks a year to go to locations such as Montana, Utah, Maine and various states to hike and explore.

Things to rub me the wrong way:

• People who don't use turn signals. It amazes me that there are so many beautiful and expensive cars that apparently don't come equipped with directional signals...
• Rude people. yep, I mentioned it above and its worth repeating. I can be walking towards a person, make direct eye contact and say hello, only to receive zero acknowledgment. Obviously another difficult chore; almost as tough as moving your arm/hand to use a turn signal...
• Mean people. Similar to above but only amplified. Too much of this stuff happening right now. 
• People that mistreat animals or God forbid, torture them. Why and how on earth can someone do this is beyond me. 
• People who are oblivious to their surroundings or are simply too selfish to care. I see this often in grocery or department stores as an example where someone is right in the middle of an aisle and blocking it. They see you coming and don't even try to move to let you though until you say "excuse me"... Uggghhh. 

Anyway, I better stop before I really get on a roll and say what I really think. 

Have an amazing day and wave hi as you use that turn signal... :)

But as I sit contemplating the enormity and importance of being a Father, I also realize that my children are that much closer to being out of the house on and their own. This makes me sad and I begin to review in my mind what could I have done differently to be a better father and parent. Have I done enough, or will I do enough to to teach them to be independent, to take care of themselves and possibly more importantly, to be good human beings? 

Being a parent is by far the most difficult thing I have ever done, simply because there are so many variables and decisions to be made every time you turn around; many of which can shape your child one way or another. With that being said, being a parent is by far the most gratifying and rewarding thing I have ever done, and probably ever will do. 

There is nothing I would rather do in the world than spend time with my family. Whether that is sitting around laughing at AFV's funny video's, taking the dog down to our neighborhood recreation area, or going out for a nice simple dinner. Hands down, being with them is my happy place. They get to see my goofy side and my crazy sense of humor as well as my serious and often times mad side. I absolutely detest yelling at my kids, yet find myself doing it far too much; often times for the same exact things I did as a kid. My Dad always told me that one day I would understand and yes, now I'm telling my children the same thing...

Speaking of my Dad, I've always tried to emulate him. My father worked his tail off so that we always had enough and that my three older brothers and I were able to go to college. And when I chose an advertising and design school for photography instead of the more traditional college education, yet he supported me 100% and has been my biggest supporter. 

So I hope all of the Dad's out there have had an amazing day and feel as blessed as I do. 

Although he has been raising money on his rides for various charities since 2000, it was in 2009 that his focus shifted to raising money and also awareness for finding gentler treatment options for children battling leukemia and other forms of cancer. This quest began after his nephew Ian passed away from Leukemia at age 11. His cycling suddenly had a greater purpose and whenever he would find himself struggling with difficult sections of a ride, he remembered what Ian had gone though and it brought him strength. 

He'll be starting the last ride to complete this feat in less than a week which will culminate on the Santa Monica Pier in California. 

I encourage you all to not only visit his blog and follow his progress, but more importantly to donate to this important cause.     

https://icareicureicycle.blogspot.com/ 

• reading with Santa
• whispering in his ear... 
• wrap Santa in lights (lights will be provided, but feel free to bring your own!
• hiding behind Santa's throne (yes, he will have a very large throne type chair)
• having Santa check his large book of names...
• having Santa read from his scroll...
• showing Santa your Christmas list...
• having the child/children wrapped in lights with Santa having a mischievous grin/expression...
• tugging (lightly) on his beard...

Book your session here.

quick Ideas for Santa Portraits:

• reading with Santa
• whispering in his ear... 
• wrap Santa in lights (lights will be provided, but feel free to bring your own!
• Hiding behind Santa's throne (yes, he will have a very large throne type chair)
• Having Santa check his large book of names...
• Having Santa read from his scroll...
• Showing Santa your Christmas list...
• having the child/children wrapped in lights with Santa having a mischievous grin/expression...
• tugging (lightly) on his beard...

I was confident that I would never find another Santa who looked the part as well as Santa Gary, and would also have the interaction with the children and families which I require to keep our sessions unique. Having that interaction and style is the whole reason I wanted to offer these types of Santa sessions; so that the children (and parents) would have fun and creative images unlike what is done at the mall. 

Well, I called and told Bulloch Hall that the sessions would not happen this year as I could not find an appropriate replacement. And then literally that same evening, I was contacted by a new Santa and suddenly there was a chance...

After several conversations and a meeting in person, I was convinced that I had a great replacement who not only looks fantastic, but also has the personality I was requiring in order to continue. He has the passion for the kids and families to make the sessions fun and special just as I do. I'm now excited about collaborating with him for years to come. This year, our sessions will be just following Thanksgiving, on Friday and Saturday, November 24th and 25th from 10am -5pm. Please check out the brief video below for a quick introduction to Santa Boggs: 

Santa Boggs Introduction

Please know that my email blast will be going out this week. If you would like to be included in the email, please contact me and send me your contact information. Thank you.

Well this one was pretty incredible to watch and I when I went back out late in the evening he was camped out and ready to catch prey. I had to grab my tripod, flashlight and of course my camera. I had to be incredibly patient as there was the tiniest of breezes and just enough to register a blur during my few second exposure. But after multiple exposures, I was thankfully able to get a few that were sharp enough and didn't have any movement. 

And after some quick research, I found that the name of this Spider is the Spotted Orbweaver and it is actually a female. Anyway, although it is not poisonous, I still wouldn't want to walk through its web and have it crawling on me... :)

And by the way, be on the lookout for my Santa announcement coming out in the next few days!

Book your session here.

I love watching these children grow up and these families return year after year! Here are some images from this year, so please enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!!

Don't just listen to me, here are a few testimonials from last year:

Last year our experience with the mall Santa was commercial, not personal and my boys were scared. Not how we want our kids to think about Santa. Our experience with Rod and Santa this year almost brought tears to my eyes. The session was unbelievably personal, our boys truly enjoyed talking and interacting with Santa, the photos were beautiful and I can't image going anywhere else to have our Santa photos. My youngest was really timid but Santa got him to warm right up and he was in his lap in minutes. We've told everyone about our experience and now we wish we had selfishly kept this to ourselves. Thank you so much for making a truly wonderful Christmas memory for our boys and for my husband and me.  - Sybil T.

 

"This was our second year of visiting Santa at Bulloch Hall, and I have to say that the entire experience is magical not only for the children but for the entire family. It is a gorgeous setting and Santa makes you truly believe. Rod does an AMAZING job of capturing the twinkle in my children's eyes and the sheer joy and wonder as they have time to interact and engage with Santa. The session is an incredible experience with pictures that will last a lifetime. We cannot thank Rod and Santa enough for creating such special memories for our family."  - Janet H.

 

Having pictures with Santa and Rod has now become a family tradition! There is no beating the convenience and professionalism of this duo! Santa is a natural and Rod is truly talented! Such a pleasant experience each year - we will continue to keep coming back! We also have recommended this special find to our neighbors and friends.  - Allison C.

Reservations opened this past Tuesday via an email blast for Santa Portraits at Bulloch Hall on Friday and Saturday, November 25th and 26th. We are half full already and the rest of the advertising will be going out in the next week. You can book your reservation here. 

We're going to have a blast again and as usual, our Santa will be game for pretty much anything you can think of. From wrapping him with Christmas lights, reading Christmas lists or stories, hiding behind the chair or feigning to be asleep. These are all examples of what has been done in past years. 

We'll have some new offerings this year that I'll speak more to in the next few weeks, but one will be providing everyone with the option of having any of your images turned into a digital painting by local artist, Ted Azriel. Above are a couple samples of his work from two of our sessions from last year...

Below are a couple more fun favorites from years past.

So we spent nearly three hours roaming around and then once the session was over, I spent another 90 minutes venturing about by myself just making images for my own pleasure... Please note that to visit this place they charge $15 per person and if you want to take pictures, its $25. Well worth it in my estimation and I look forward to going back soon... Below are a few quick samples of the amazing Peyton a well as few of my personal images. Enjoy! BTW, Santa reservations opening in three days...

In doing these recent sessions, whether an individual session or a group as seen below, it's hard to not think back about your own time at that age. It seems like a lifetime ago, but so many of those memories remain strong. Just looking at a few of these samples I'd bet that you can see how strong these relationships are...

The sessions are 30 minutes each and will allow enough time to really cruise the property and get a ton of images at one of the most gorgeous times of the year. The dates of the sessions are as follows: Saturday, April 16th from 9am - 6pm., and Sunday, April 17th from 11am - 5pm. You can book your session here.

And to see who really reads this blog, for the first five people to book a session while emailing me that they read this post, they will also receive a free 30 minute session at a location to be determined this fall. And if you've already booked your Spring session, email me as well and I will honor it for you too! 

I mentioned in an earlier post about having some cool and unique product offerings and here is the first: It is called Intensitiles and is a fully customizable product that can be changed and updated periodically. For instance, as times change and children grow you can easily change out the top images (tiles) and replace them or mix up the configuration to freshen it up. The top images "float" above either one or two lower layers to become a very flexible 3 dimensional piece of art...

Most of the comments center around the fact that while portraits with the bunnies are cute, they're just not something that they want to display on their walls or around their homes. So I'm always trying to please my customers and give them what they want. Case in point was when the bunny portraits first were offered over five years ago. They were done indoors to better control the rabbits and the lighting. Well clients requested an outdoor location and after searching, I was able to form a relationship with Bulloch Hall in Roswell to do the portraits in their gardens. 

So with that being said, there will be no bunnies this year. And while I know that I cannot please everyone and there will some people who are disappointed, I also feel that many people will be quite excited. This doesn't mean they won't be back next year or the year after, but for this year no fluffy critters. In doing it this way there are huge benefits; first you get to get beautiful portraits on the entire grounds of Bulloch Hall which are stunning in Spring. Secondly, by waiting to do these in Mid-April we will ensure that everything will fully be in bloom which can be a problem in doing portraits around Easter this year. I'm sorry but I see so many portraits done with children or families standing in the middle of dead grass and bare tree's and shrubs. If that is the look you're after, then go for it. But that is not what I intend to show.

Our "mini" sessions will be thirty minutes long which if you know how I shoot will ensure that we get tons of images with many different backgrounds and feels. Plus, we'll have time to not only do family portraits, but also individuals of each person or at least combinations of people based on what you're wanting. And everything will be done ahead of Mother's Day. Speaking of which, I'm going to have some special products to offer that will truly be a gift that Mom's will cherish forever, so be on the lookout for those soon. 

The dates of the sessions are as follows: Saturday, April 16th from 9am - 6pm., and Sunday, April 17th from 11am - 5pm.

Cost: $209.95 and  Includes: (5) fully retouched, high resolution digital files, and a private online gallery to share with family and friends and for viewing and ordering. You can book your sessions here. 

For anyone who loves photography, they are generally attracted to things or "scenes" that appeals to them. Sounds obvious right? Well, its no easier today with the quality of iPhones and other camera phones to capture that scene in an instant. Yes, the drawback of most camera phones is the ultimate size of the files but at least you can "capture" an image and perhaps come back at a different time to record it more properly with a better suited camera. But as we know, most scenes simply don't replicate themselves the way we first viewed it. But then again you would be surprised that while the scene/location might be look exactly the same again, it may actually look better in different conditions. So I encourage you to either take that first image with your phone or at least jot down the location in a journal or somewhere so you can go back because obviously something drew you to it in the first place. 

See what attracts your attention. For me I love textures (such as weathered wood and bark on tree's), fog at anytime, water and its many facets as well as just unique cloud formations or happenings in nature. All this from a someone who spends quite a bit of his time making portraits? Thats why I love photography. There are no rules saying you are only a portrait photographer or a sports photographer, or a landscape photographer, etc, etc... I just love expressing myself through this medium.

Here are a few images showing a little bit of what I described above. In order to get some more unique or different images, try doing long exposures, go out in different weather conditions after or before a storm. I always love to hear the weatherperson say that a fast moving front will be coming through because you can potentially have some clouds cruising which can make for some fun long exposure images. And by the way, once you create your art, share and sell them to the public! There are plenty of places to do so such as Fine Art America and others. Do it, have fun and make a few bucks...

I really want to address that and not by just rambling about anything, but instead would like to do my best to provide some meaningful photography information that hopefully can be used to help you with your personal photography. I would like to think that if you're reading this, you either, a) are looking for a photographer for a project or some portraits and have stumbled upon my site or, b) are perhaps a current or previous client who's looking for information for an upcoming special session or finally  c) you absolutely have no idea how you got here, but since its a photography site, decided to take a peek. 

Well, hopefully I can keep your attention for a few moments once or twice a week. If you are a photographer or have an interest in photography I would like to encourage you this week to pull out your camera or iPhone, etc and make an effort to photograph something every day for a week. It works better if that something is of interest to you such as a child/your family, a pet, nature/outdoors, but honestly anything will do. But the real point of this exercise is to find unique angles or perspectives of whatever you're photographing and to pay close attention to the light, whatever that may be. It certainly doesn't just have to be sunlight, but can be light from streetlights, headlights, storefronts, fireplaces, etc.  

A few weeks ago an old high school friend of mine was doing a similar challenge on FaceBook and then nominated me to contribute. The challenge was to post an image of nature very day for a week. Well I read that to mean go out and shoot an image every day for a week. My work schedule really didn't allow that, yet I knew that this type of exercise is incredibly helpful with sparking your creativity and opening your mind to seeing things differently. My solution was to go hiking for a few hours with my daughter and try and get a weeks worth of worthy images in a few hours. That didn't go so well as you will see below, but I really enjoyed the process and hope that you will too. So try and push yourself to find beauty in the mundane. 

Please feel free to email me with questions or thoughts. In the coming weeks and months I'll be discussing a multitude of ways to enrich and enhance your own photography, so please check back as you can. In the meantime, here are a few images from my aforementioned hiking trip to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park.

The reception was at Indian Hills Country Club in Marietta and was first class. At one point though I honestly thought the floor might collapse from the dancing as the house was rocking. Ryan, who has no fear of embarrassment, really kicked the party off with his impersonation of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance and when Natalie joined him on cue, the party was on... Below is a bit of the taste from the day...and night. Enjoy!

Despite the date on the calendar, the time is quickly approaching for our annual Fine Art Santa Portrait sessions at Bulloch Hall. As you can see from the video below, these are not your normal Mall Santa portraits. This is an amazing and fun experience that your child/children will cherish and look forward to year after year. It all starts with our Santa who I selfishly think is the best and most authentic around. It doesn't matter if your child is scared and crying or as happy and excited as can be; our Santa will cater to each child individually to evoke the best expressions for the camera. Period. The dates are Saturday, November 28th and Sunday, November 29th from 10am - 5pm.

Our location is pretty sweet too. Bulloch Hall is a beautiful and historic mansion in Roswell that will be decorated in a vintage style that simply adds to the experience. Upon completion of your session, we'll have chocolates and cookies to enjoy which will help you kick off the Christmas season... Also, please know that new for this year, a portion of proceeds will be donated to the CURE Childhood Cancer Fund. This disease is so very cruel and we need to do everything possible to find a cure. In past years we have donated to the Wounded Warriors Organization, which I will continue to do via other projects. For more info and to book your session click here.

Our sessions are all about the experience. The first difference is our Santa, which I feel is the most authentic looking Santa around. Secondly, our location (Bulloch Hall in Roswell) is a beautiful and historic home that will have each room decorated in a unique and vintage style. Lastly I come back to the experience. We'll have chocolates and cookies for you to enjoy after your session, but during the session Santa will spend plenty of time with your child or children and will provide varying expressions in order to ensure that I capture unique and memorable images...

So now the dates. Saturday, November 28th and Sunday, November 29th. Please check back for the reservation link which will be coming in the next few weeks along with more details as well.

For this session we ended up back in Roswell, but at the Smith Plantation instead. While it was extremely hot, we managed to get some really fun images. And through all the heat and Georgia humidity, Harrison remained as happy as could be. Below are just a few samples from his session...

Harrison at One Year... Harrison at One Year... Harrison at One Year... Harrison at One Year... Harrison at One Year...

While our season is over for a couple of months, the league's travel teams continue to play for another month or so. I had an opportunity recently to  photograph a game, cheer on some former players of mine and also support my fellow coaches all at the same time. The boys played hard and led most of the game, only to fall short by a run in the end. This tough loss fired up the kids and they rebounded over the next few days of the tournament and came out on top! Congratulations to the Mt. Paran 8U Spartans for winning the Larry Hutson All-Star Tournament!!!

Below are a few quick images from the first game:

We had some little surprises awaiting the children and parents in the form of chocolates, chocolate chip cookies and candy canes. I wanted to quickly post a very few samples from the sessions to not only to tease the parents that participated, but also show other folks what they missed. My apologies for not showing samples from every session, but I'm too busy editing from the day to properly do that. But trust me, I'll be adding more in the coming days… For now I hope you enjoy these:

As you can see, all of the children are boys which is testament to the Mom to get them color coordinated and she did fantastic.  The boys were very well behaved but unfortunately Graham, the youngest, was bothered by an upset stomach. Despite that, he managed to put up with most of the session quite well, although I could definitely tell he was fighting it...

Above is a quick sampling from the session:

One small way that I'll be helping is by once again contributing to the Wounded Warrior Project with proceeds from our Santa event on November 29th at Bulloch Hall in Roswell. This organization does an amazing job and I'm excited to be able to help out.

By the way, in regard to our Santa Sessions, one thing I failed to mention is that as part of your session you also get to tour Bulloch Hall following your appointment. If you have never been, its really quite nice and it will be decorated to the hilt and will definitely help get you in the mood for Christmas should you need any help...Bulloch Hall was the childhood home of Mittie Bulloch (Teddy Roosevelt's mother).

Sessions are filling up fast and limited times are still available. You can check availability and schedule your session by clicking here.  So why don't you come on out and have a unique and special Santa experience, check out Bulloch Hall and help support our Wounded Warriors in the process.

In fact my wife had an idea for our Christmas card two years ago and we asked Santa to help us pull it off after the days' sessions were complete. The image here is what we used for our card. Anyway just another Santa idea to think about...Here again is the link to book your session:

Forget Santa sessions for a few days and instead enjoy a Spider as we approach Halloween. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I like to do some walking at night in my neighborhood. It never fails, I always somehow manage to run through a web which freaks me out because I have this guy in my mind as I'm jumping around frantically trying to rid myself of something I cannot see...

The sessions are simply a blast and it will be a great way to truly get you in the holiday spirit. I promise you that this will blow the whole Mall Santa experience away. For the sessions, you will have a choice of a fifteen minute session for $49.95 or a thirty minute session for $99.95. You'll receive 5x7's or digital files which each session along with a private online gallery to view and share as well as the option to purchase additional prints or products. You can book your session safely and securely by clicking here. I will be posting updates and more information about the sessions as they become available. Here are a few quick samples from last year.

Quickly as far as the Santa sessions that will be happening on November 29th at Bulloch Hall in Roswell, I am adding a link here to the site where you can make reservations. I will also be adding some images from past years so that you can get an idea of how awesome our Santa and our location is. I definitely am biased, but I feel that we have the most authentic looking Santa around. Couple that with an incredible location that will be decorated in an amazing way, plus some added "extra's" during the sessions, and it makes for a totally fun and unique experience. 

You'll have the choice of either a fifteen or thirty minute session and please understand that our Santa will make any situation better. When my children were quite young, my wife insisted on taking our kids to the Mall for Santa pictures. I secretly cringed. And low and behold, both of my kids cried the whole time which made the pictures terrible. Well our Santa turns those situations into gold and they often have turned out to be some of the more fun images that we create, even though the crying has been quite minimal. I will post images from past seasons later tonight for everyone to get a feel of what to expect. Until then...

I also wanted to get the information out about our Santa Portrait Mini Sessions that will be happening again at Bulloch Hall in Roswell. The initial day of the event is Saturday, November 29th from 10-5pm and promises to be a blast again. I will have all of the details listed here either later tonight or by tomorrow evening. Please check back soon!