Hands down, my favorite holiday.

Perfectly situated in autumn with it’s crispy leaves, cool weather, and warm homes, Thanksgiving has all the wonderfulness of Christmas (festive relaxation, family, and ridiculously good food) but without all the hectic shopping and commercial craziness. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and the act of giving and exchanging, but have really started to not enjoy the burden of shopping and giving gifts, just for the sake of giving gifts. I absolutely love giving a perfectly and thoughtfully chosen gift for someone, but don’t enjoy the feeling of buying and exchanging gifts out of obligation because you feel you have to. FYI: If you ever feel you need to buy me something but aren’t sure what to get, save yourself the hassle of shopping and spending money and lets go out to coffee or dinner and have fun together instead. I believe it will be much more enjoyable for everyone.

Anyways, I absolutely love Thanksgiving. After a wonderful lunch with Stephen’s family on Thursday, we gathered with my family at our house on Friday. Despite being a bit nervous about being in charge of the turkey for the first time, it was a lovely day filled with people I love and delicious food. Amidst the busy cooking schedule and crowded kitchen, I made sure to shoot a few images during the day. To document the process of my family together. Right now it seems that this is our routine for this holiday, but I know that someday it will change, and I’ll want to remember that this was our happy normal.

Therefore, welcome to Thanksgiving at my house.

BEFORE:

Stephen and I were brave and decided to try and cook the turkey on the grill. It was actually super easy, very tasty, and kept the oven free for everything else. We may have just found a new tradition.

Quite possible my favorite dish ever: My mom’s hashbrown potato casserole. I used to request this on my birthday. If I ever found myself in some sort of ‘last meal’ situation, I’d probably request it there too.

Any holiday in which every side dish is in casserole form is fine by me.

DURING:

Pumpkin cheesecake with nutmeg whipped cream made by yours truly. Quite heavenly if I do say so myself.

AFTER:

I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours, and the leftovers just as tasty.

Although I’m ridiculously happy that it seems we’ve finally turned the corner into cooler weather, in fact I’m writing this from my little screened-in breakfast nook, sipping coffee in the most glorious slightly chilly fall weather, I can’t help but be an itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny sad that summer is over. That actually seems quite blasphemous for me to say to myself after all the complaining and loathing I had this summer for the heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Yet still, even in the miserably hot South, summer has it charms.

Here to say a proper farewell to summer until next year (which sadly will probably start here in Atlanta in March), are a few images from the lake weekend we spent back in August with our friends. I’m pretty certain I would like summer better if I lived on a lake, or the beach or any form of water. Water has such a relaxing and wonderful affect, and I fully believe Atlanta would be 10,000 times better if it had been centered on some form of water, rather than a railroad terminus. Despite the ridiculous urban sprawl ATL has, I doubt the city will ever expand to that degree. Therefore, I must be content to have good friends with lake houses in South Carolina, and a sister with a beach condo in Florida from which I can enjoy the summer months.

All of these images were shot on film with my ‘new’ old medium format camera. Not my TLR, but another one I recently bought for a steal from a college student who decided to change his major from photography to biology. I thank him and wish him well. This lake weekend was the trial run for my Mamiya; I purposely left my DSLR at home to be forced to use it. It’s big, heavy, and awkward, with manual settings and focus. However, after getting the film back (although in no way perfect) I think I can overlook it’s faults.

So farewell summer with your lazy days, cookouts, fireworks parties and lightning bugs. I’ll think of you fondly.

At least until next year when I start cursing you again.

Well, I guess I should say favorite ‘non-fictional character’ redhead as not to offend Anne Shirley whom I have loved and admired for many years. Every couple of months when I was little I would get sucked into those Saturday afternoon marathons of Anne of Green Gables on PBS and sit there and wish that I could find a bosom friend like Diana Berry who would come over for tea and invite me to Christmas balls where I’d wear a lovely dress with puffed sleeves.

However, my favorite real-life redhead is not even three yet, but I’m pretty sure his imagination could already rival Anne’s.

Meet Bryson.

Back in August I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful family for the second time, only this time they are one tiny boy bigger. Just for kicks here’s Bryson from last October.

And today.

A year makes quite a difference, doesn’t it? Even though Bryson is a year older and wiser, he is still the same fun, energetic and adorable little boy. Once I arrived and he remembered me (we had hung out for a bit July 4th and watched some fireworks together), he wanted to play. And play we did. We started by playing with a little Cars.

Bryson’s dad Chris joined him in on the race around the coffee table.

Bryson is such a funny and happy kid. I dare you to look at this picture and not smile.

Sometime during the car race, Bryson “got” a boo-boo and “needed” a band-aid.

After getting patched up, he led me to the other room to play with more toys.

We then headed upstairs to check out his room, where there were more Cars items to be had.

We were joined by the newest member of the family. Little Ryland was just about a month old, and such a cutie.

I can already tell that Bryson is going to be a great big brother.

We then focused on getting a few shots of Ryland by his adorable self.

He was so alert and looking around.

LOVE this little face.

A few with his beautiful mother Hillary.

Hillary said there’s been a little debate as to what color hair Ryland will have. Believe it or not Bryson was pretty bald for over the first year before his red hair started growing in. I said I bet Ryland will be the same. To me his little peach fuzz had a tiny reddish hue to it. You can kind of see it in this picture.

But, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

I don’t mind waiting, and hopefully Bryson and I can have a few more playdates in between. I just hope that if Ryland’s hair does turn out to be red, he won’t spend his entire childhood like Anne hating it and losing his temper if anyone dare call him ‘carrots.’

But if his personality is anything like his big brother’s, I think he’ll be just fine.

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Most photographers I know have goals.

Either professional or personal, they have that ‘thing’ or certain experience they are dying to shoot. A cover for a certain magazine. That A-list celebrity. An award-worthy image capturing a historic event or obscure landscape. Maybe even just getting the perfect image of the pinnacle moment at an emotional wedding. Whether big or small, feasible or impractical, many of us photographers have those certain ‘bucket list’ shots and experiences we hope to photograph someday.

I’ll admit, until relatively recently I hadn’t really thought much about my list. However, I know the magazine cover, celebrity, and view from the top of Everest are not on it. I don’t expect or strive to win a Pulitzer Prize for photography or be featured in National Geographic. Some of my items, such as an abandoned amusement park and a stretch of old Route 66, are completely random and trivial. Others, such as a military homecoming and birth of a baby are more meaningful and aligned to my love for documentary family photography.

A little over a week ago I was blessed with an opportunity to check off one of the more meaningful experiences on my list: photographing a family meeting their new adopted child for the first time.

I had first ‘met’ Karen a couple of years ago on an internet message board I used to frequent. I remember thinking that her young daughter, Kate, was one of the cutest babies I’d ever seen, and it was clear that Karen was a wonderful and completely smitten mother. I started following her blog and we became Facebook friends. Even without ever meeting her in person, I learned many things about her from reading her status updates and blog. She has such a fun, warm, and inviting personality and is very transparent about her loves and passions in life.  These loves include: her faith in Jesus, her husband, daughter and family, Chick-Fil-A, Operation Christmas Child, Ferris Bueller,  Zoo Atlanta, and Les Miserables. (obviously the first two are ranked higher than the rest, with perhaps Chick-Fil-A coming in at a close third. ).

If you’d been reading Karen’s blog since March, you would have read about a new love in her life: their soon to be adopted son Isaac. After two miscarriages, Karen and her husband Tanna began the long process of adopting a child. Tanna is Korean, so they decided to go through Bethany Christian Services to adopt a child from South Korea. From the little information I know about adoption (and what I do know is mainly from reading Karen’s detailed blog–she’s one of the most consistent bloggers I know) it can be a very long process with lots of paperwork, visits and inspections from social workers, and most of all, waiting. However, Karen and Tanna have been blessed with a rather quick process. They submitted their formal application for adoption just last June, were matched with Isaac in March, and received the call with his travel plans just over two weeks ago. Clearly God wanted Isaac to come home to his family as soon as possible.

Once I read Karen’s announcement back in March that they had been matched with Isaac, I knew I wanted to approach her with the idea of me photographing his arrival. Part of the reason was I had no idea if I’d ever have access to another similar opportunity, but more so I wanted to share and celebrate with this sweet family I feel I’d gotten to know, even though I’d never actually met them. However, I didn’t contact her as his travel date was so up in the air; she was anticipating September, and I knew there was a big possibility we might be out of town during that time. I didn’t want to approach her with the idea until I knew I could make it. Therefore, when I read her update about receiving Isaac’s travel call, and that he was arriving in less than a week, I immediately emailed her. Luckily she was more than willing to allow me to come and tag along, but warned me that I should know his flight arrival time before I said yes. Isaac’s flight from Chicago (the end of a 20 hour journey with an escort from South Korea) was scheduled to arrive in Atlanta at 11:56pm on Wednesday, essentially midnight, and that was if there were no delays. I emailed back to Karen, that since I had no children and am a complete night owl (plus how badly I wanted to shoot it), the time didn’t phase me at all.

Therefore, a few days later, armed with my camera, I found myself  standing on the porch of a near-stranger’s house in the intense Atlanta humidity at 10:30 at night, knocking timidly on their door. Not how I typically start my photography sessions. Tanna’s mother answered the door and I was quickly greeted by Karen, who was even more warm and friendly than I expected her to be. I was then introduced to cuter-in-person Kate, Tanna, Karen’s sweet nieces Rebekah and Riley, and Karen’s brother Johnny.

There was an intense, happy, and anxious atmosphere in the house, and anyone could sense the anticipation and excitement for what was happening that night. Rebekah, Riley and Kate had spent some time earlier that day making welcome posters and signs for Isaac, and did a wonderful job incorporating the few pictures Karen and Tanna had of Isaac from the adoption agency. Once I arrived there were a few moments blowing up a couple of balloons and gathering items to take to the airport.

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Kate was wearing a very appropriate shirt.

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Uncle Johnny helps Kate with her shoes and then family says a quick prayer before leaving for the airport.

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Arriving at Hartsfield-Jackson.

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Karen and Tanna’s friends, Amy and Sam who are also in the process of adopting a child from Korea, were already waiting at the airport when we arrived.

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Karen’s friend was also there to film Isaac’s arrival.

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Once we were settled in at the arrival gate, there was nothing to do but wait until Isaac’s plane landed.

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To help pass the time, Karen read a special book they had bought for Kate a couple months ago called “Ten Days and Nine Nights” about a family who adopts a little girl from Korea and is told from the perspective of the new big sister. Karen recently did a blog post about this book and how much Kate loves it.

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After the story, more waiting…

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Since it was nearly midnight, and since Isaac was not arriving through the main (and typically more crowded) arrival gate at Hartsfield, we pretty much had this area of the airport to ourselves. I love this image because it shows the contrast between who was there: the late-shift construction workers just doing another routine night on the job, and a small family who is waiting for a moment which will change their lives forever.

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Checking the status of Isaac’s flight.

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More waiting….with suckers and a little Veggie Tales to help pass the time.

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One of the first passengers who was on the same flight as Isaac and his escort passes by and everyone begins to get ready.

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Very excited and VERY ready to meet Isaac.

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Once we knew that Isaac’s flight had landed and that passengers from that flight were exiting, the waiting started again, but more anxiously. Everyone knew that at any moment, Isaac and his escort would appear at the end of the hall.

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At last, a Korean woman carrying a baby boy appeared at the end of the hall. I love Karen’s expression at this moment and how Johnny looks over to watch his sister lay eyes on her son for the first time in person.

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At last! And Isaac’s escort is all smiles.

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As anxious and excited as they were, Karen and Tanna greet Issac and his escort with a bow, showing courtesy and respect.

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These next few moments were so precious and I was having a slightly difficult time shooting while blinking back tears watching Isaac’s family meet him for the first time.

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This image is my favorite, and gets to me every time. The joy and emotion on Karen’s face, and a life changing moment for little Isaac as his mother reaches to hold him for the first time. Pure love.

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Complete family, at last.

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Kate greets her little brother with a kiss.

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Tanna, or Ah-Pah (Korean for ‘Dad’) holds Isaac for the first time.

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Isaac did amazingly well, especially after traveling for over 20 hours. He was immediately pretty smitten with a green balloon.

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After the initial greeting, Karen, Tanna and Tanna’s mother have a conversation with Isaac’s escort.

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Tanna’s mother helped translate Karen’s questions to the escort, who answered back to Karen in english. From the little I heard of the conversation, this woman is a pastor in Korea and volunteers as an adoption escort. Isaac was the sixth child she’s escorted to their adoptive families.

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My favorite part was when she told Karen in broken english that she thought Karen was very beautiful and that she had been praying for their family as she traveled with Isaac.

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She requested a picture of the new family.

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After holding Isaac, whom she brought halfway across the world on a 20 hour journey, one last time, she departs.

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New big sister, or Nuna as Isaac will call her.

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After a few minutes longer, it was time to head home.

I honestly can’t even begin to describe how incredible it was to be present and photograph this wonderful moment in this family’s life. I was honored and humbled to be allowed to be apart of it. It was such a unique experience to walk into the airport with a family of three, and depart not even two hours later with a family of four. To witness a family dynamically change in an instant, and see all the love and joy this family and their friends have for this precious little boy.

From reading Karen’s blog for the past couple years I known they’ve gone through some tough times with multiple miscarriages and family illnesses, as well as the long adoption process. To see the end result of that process and how God laid all the plans for this moment to come together was and is simply amazing. One of my absolute favorite parts of this story is why Isaac was selected to be placed with Karen and Tanna. Karen shared on her blog that due to Tanna’s Korean heritage, she thought and hoped they might receive a referral slightly sooner than the average couple waiting to adopt. However, Isaac’s birth mother is Korean and his birth father is Caucasian and from Europe, and she specifically requested that he be placed in a similar blended family. Therefore it was equal parts Tanna and Karen’s heritage that lead them to become Isaac’s parents. It just goes to show, you never know what God will use to make His plans come together.

This is the verse that Karen shared on her blog the night they brought Isaac home:

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. –Psalm 126:3

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Welcome home Isaac! Thanks for allowing me to check something off my list.

As I mentioned in long-winded and rambly ways in this post, I, in an effort to jump-kick myself in the face (not entirely sure that is a correct phrase, but the meaning seemed right) photographically speaking, recently bought an old camera and some film.

/run-on-and-weird-sentence

A 1958-ish Minolta Autocord TLR (twin lens reflex) to be exact. Before I really got a chance to thoroughly test it out properly by running a roll of film through while taking detailed notes about exposures and then developing it to see if the camera worked correctly, I found myself on a plane to New York, camera and film in tow. The way I figured, and it’s right in line with my goals in this post, I could either wait to use my camera until I’d done the perfect test, or I could just give it a go and see what turned out.

And so I did.

I shot about five rolls of medium format film, which is brand new to me, on my brand-new-to-me-yet-old camera while in New York. And I’ll admit, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing. The Autocord has no light meter, is 100% mechanical, composes in a square, has a waist-length viewer that reverses the image left to right, and has all different buttons and levers for settings, focus and the shutter. Not what I’m typically used to with my DSLR or old film SLR; but exactly what I was wanting. Using this camera forced me to s-l-o-w down and really think about what I was shooting, and enjoy the process. This was sometimes hard to do while trying to keep up with my friends who might as well be native New Yorkers with how fast they ran walked down the sidewalks. I mean, I know I can sometimes be a little pokey, but I felt like they secretly entered me in some sort of urban relay race with how fast they tried to get to the next block.

I didn’t have time to buy an external light meter before my trip, so I attempted to meter with my DSLR (or use the Sunny 16 rule when I could), which made the whole process a little cumbersome, and even more uncertain. Not every shot came out, but that’s to be expected. Turns out I also have a lovely little light leak, which can also be expected (but fixable) in old cameras.

So here are the results. I’ve done absolutely nothing to these pictures besides scanning the negatives and cropping them when I didn’t scan them so straight. As much as I wanted to tweak and ‘fix’ these I didn’t. I think that’s kind of the purpose and ideal of film, right? To shoot and get it right in camera and not have to mess with it later (and yes, I know that there was plenty of post processing in darkrooms what with the dodging and the burning and such. Not trying to make claim.) At the very least I need a ‘starting point.’ Some of these are not great photographs, but I’m showing them anyway in hopes that I’ll be able to nostalgically look back someday with a twinkle in my eye and realize how far I’ve come. That or cringe at how bad some of there were. Either way.

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In this next one you can see my light leak next to the horse’s head.

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Unbeknownst to me, Dr. Tobias Fünke was attending the afternoon service at St. Patrick’s.

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One of the great things about TLR cameras is that they are very discreet and don’t look like your standard camera. Plus the fact that you hold it at your waist to take the picture means that you can often get very natural pictures of people because they have no idea you are photographing them. For example, I was sitting about three feet from this gentleman on a park bench. He paid no attention to me as I quietly took this picture, but probably would have if I’d stuck my DSLR up to my face.

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On our last afternoon in New York we picked up some delicious cupcakes and retreated to Bryant Park to devour them like wolves daintily eat them like ladies. We sat by the bocce ball courts and watched a rousing game between some older gentleman.

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After finishing our sweet treats, my friends decided to walk over and check out the New York Public Library. I decided to hang back so I could really explore the park and attempt some street-type shooting. I’m really glad I did. I was finally able to focus completely (without feeling I was holding everyone back), observe my surroundings and attempt to get into Vivian mode. I gave myself the challenge of shooting one roll of film in the park the best I could. I must say, these are my favorite film images I photographed the entire trip and where I finally began to feel comfortable shooting with my Autocord.

The famous chess players in Bryant Park:

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It was a beautiful afternoon and the park was filled with hundreds of people out relaxing, many of them on their lunch breaks. I had to get out of my suburban mentality and remind myself that for many of these New Yorkers, the park was their ‘yard’ and outdoor space to relax.

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Walking across the lawn I saw the carousel. It initially didn’t catch my eye, but what did were glimpses of a gentleman in a cream suit and cream hat accompanied by a child in a pink outfit riding a large rabbit (I mean, why wouldn’t that catch your eye?). They kept spinning around, and I immediately tried to position myself to capture them the next time they came around. I’ve already mentioned my fondness for men’s hats on this blog, and the combination of it, the suit, child, and rabbit all spinning on a carousel just seemed to beg to be photographed. Unfortunately these two images were most affected by my camera’s light leak, and I’m sort of bummed about it. Otherwise I’m quite happy with the outcome and that I was fortunate to spot this random occurrence.

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These next two images make me happy and a little relieved with my decision to get the Autocord. Sharp lens and good clarity. Not too shabby for a 50+ year old camera.

So there it is, my great New York film experiment. As a very suave gentleman who was known to wear hats from time to time said in a very wonderful movie: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

(Cliche quote I know, but I felt it kind of related and I honestly really do love that movie.)