“so, do you guys have any pictures of trees we could buy to hang in our living room?” chris asked. chris is one half of the dynamic duo known as chris and jess’ — our camping companions, bouldering buddies, frisbee friends, church chums, and all around great pals. we were standing in the living room of their new house (their first together), which they just moved into and are in the process of giving a huge, creative overhaul. the living room looked especially inviting: fresh paint, cool ikea furniture, and large white-matted frames holding photos of their dog (our “adopted” dog) banjo and of their excursions to peru and new england.

but what to do about that empty bit of wall over the mantlepiece? chris was right; it was begging for a portrait of a tree. so i accepted his commission and went out tree-hunting. my excursion took me to this beautiful tree on the edge of athens. i spent a few contemplative moments admiring it and waiting for the morning sun to rise just right. then i shot it. now that’s my kinda huntin’. a much nicer trophy than a decapitated deer, i think — especially for an epa employee like chris.

i was particularly excited to use my new hdr processing for the tree shot. i’m really getting into bracketing lately and have shot this way on a couple recent engagement sessions. the end result is a painting-like image of beautifully blended exposures across the map. i love it!

and finally, we wanted to give y’all a sneak peek into our booth at the recent weddings of georgia show at the georgia club. (we have a wedding to photograph here next year and can’t wait! what a great setting!) we had a great time with all the brides-to-be who “pulled up a cube,” browsed through our books and just shot the breeze with us. it was so nice meeting all of you! we had a great response from the show and hope to do another in the future… as long as we’re not already booked up. or maybe we’ll go anyway, just for the good company and free catering samples (mmmm!).