island profilin'

Friday Foto: Dock

2012-01-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

Today's photo is fresh out of the camera. Shot just this morning, right behind the old Spankies Marshide off of 17. This a is a single image, with only minor lighting adjustments made. I love old docks.

Stay tuned next week for the another addition of the Friday Foto.

feme

2011-10-16T19:26:00.000-05:00

femme: an online exhibit by benjamin galland

originated from a commision for a woman's hospital, femme, is a collection of abstract portraits of the feminine figure. my only reserve is that the collection is not complete. but alas, it's the woman's body, how could it be?

New Magazine Spread: Elegant Island Living, June 2011

2011-06-22T15:12:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite clients to work for, Elegant Island Living Magazine, asked me to shoot the third installment of their annual swimsuit edition, to which I have had the fortune to shoot every year so far. This shoot was fun as always.

You can view the whole issue here, but my shots are below, enjoy!

First, my FAVORITE from the spread:

... and the rest:

Cover shot!

2011-03-09T08:23:00.003-05:00

The March issue of one of our local magazines, Elegant Island Living, just hit the stands, featuring a fashion spread shot by yours truly! The editors liked one of the shots so much they chose it for the cover.

My model had a wonderful look. I just love the dead-pan stare, and this chick had it down to a tee.

The shot was taken on the boardwalk heading out to the beach at the Coast Guard Station beach access. It was late afternoon. Shot at about 200mm with just a hint of fill flash, trying not to loose the warmth of the afternoon sun.

You can see the whole magazine, as well as the rest of my spread here. Thanks!

What I did this weekend

2011-03-07T08:37:00.005-05:00

We have a family cabin in North Georgia, Epworth to be exact, (just north of Blue Ridge). It's an awesome place and I often post photos from recent trips. It's located right on Fighting Town Creek.

We decided to build a deck out back, that just hung over the bank. We wanted a place to be able to sit down outside, with a great view of the river. We had 6 guys up there this weekend and knocked the whole thing out, starting Friday morning by digging 8" by 4 foot deep holes for the cement pilings that we made. We finished Saturday around 2 p.m. with a aluminum ladder that extends down into the creek for easier access.

Of course, like any project, it's not REALLY finished yet. Future plans include a bench seat on the left and right and we're going to run power out to it for a plug, as well as some cool mood lighting under the bench seats.

It rained the better half of the weekend, but it didn't stop my time-lapsing! I set up a tent over the camera and had it running the whole weekend. On Friday I was trying the time-lapse out with one HDR image (three shot bursts) every 30 seconds. I didn't like the HDR for this because of the ghosting images when people moved. It also needed to be more often. So on Saturday I went with one image every 15 seconds. Then I strung them all together at 6fps and here you are.

And, right before I left, I strapped my old canoe to the top of my Jeep. Stay tuned for this one... she's getting a complete overhaul!

hello.

2011-03-01T08:33:00.005-05:00

I was on a recent shoot for the Hampton Inn on Jekyll Island, and Anson tagged along as a model. Just thought I'd post a quick shot from this shoot. Anson certainly is a photographer's child. "CHEESE" is his favorite word.

If you've never been to the Hampton on Jekyll, I STRONGLY recommend it. It is a fantastic, brand-new hotel, with great amenities and an amazing boardwalk (seen above) that leisurely meanders through the forest out to the beach. Go check it out.

A dingy Dinghy

2011-02-02T09:44:00.008-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything and I feel remorse for that. However, instead of typing a clever post on reasons why or making vast promises in hopes of a more robust blogging future, I'm just going to jump write back into the blogosphere with this photo.

Last week I was on a boat (not flippin' copies) photographing a dolphin tour for Jekyll Island. I love boats, grew up on them and have many stories associated with them, as every boater does. My dad always says, if you want something to go wrong, go boating. Not a fantastic photo by any means, I just liked the word play associated with it.

As you can see, if you've been a reader of Island Profilin' before, there's a new look. I thought it was time to spice it up a little. It coincides with my new web site, www.benjamingalland.com, to which you can access directly from the menu above. I certainly welcome your comments. Cheers folks!

big news from h2o!

2011-01-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

I just finished this short video announcing the move of my company, h2o creative group. I love creating short little films like this. I used this film as a means to teach myself more about Final Cut... I feel pretty proficient now!

I shot this in one day with my GoPro HD camera. It's such a fun thing to play with. And the (future) movie star you see there is the one and only Anson Galland.

GA-FLA Weekend At Gnat's Landing 2010; 3 days in 3 minutes

2010-11-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

First video with GoPro HD

2010-06-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

Shot with my waterproof GoPro video camera on location at my family cabin in Epworth, GA, just north of Blue Ridge, on Fighting Town Creek.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxyDzIKMuHM&feature=youtube_gdata

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Anson's smash cake

2010-05-17T06:16:00.001-05:00

Talk to the hand

2010-04-16T06:47:00.004-05:00

Yesterday marked 11 months with Anson. I'll spare you all the "time flies", "they grow up so fast" mash-ups, and just say it's been a blur. Plans are underway for the big one-year party, which aside from his very own miniature chocolate cake, is really an excuse to throw a big party for us. Poolside grilling and smoking, loud music, kegs and friends and family. I'm trying to give him something to be proud of, you know? (whatever i have to tell myself).

My Southern Soul BBQ tribute video was more of a success than I ever imagined. With over 3,100 views I now wish I had done a little better job on it. I had the idea driving back to the office after shooting there the Sunday morning after the fire. I worked on the video while working on other stuff throughout the day. Thank you to all the folks that have commented on it. I really appreciate it and glad that I could help in bringing the community together to support one of our favorite local establishments. The guys are already underway with rebuild plans (in the same place!).... be sure to check here for update photos!

I've been getting more and more into video. The capabilities of HD video from my Canon 5d M2 are AMAZING. Coupled with various accessories like stabilizers, fluid video heads and fast lenses, I'm getting some beautiful stuff. I've really only been dabbling in B-roll type stuff, but been having a blast. I plan on continuing down this creative outlet for a bit, seeing where it leads me. I'm editing some of my latest footage and will post it here when done.

My latest installment of my time lapse video project video is up. Check it out!

And lastly, pertaining to Jekyll Island, we have launched their new web site finally... it's been a massive project, my biggest site to date by far, and we are very proud of it... Almost all the footage I shot, the entire back end of the site is a 100% complete content management system that is incredible. So, I welcome your comments! See it here: www.jekyllisland.com

That's all folks, have a great weekend.

Southern Soul Brew and Cue Benefit

2010-04-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

Southern Soul BBQ: Down, But Not Out

2010-03-28T21:01:00.001-05:00

Southern Soul BBQ burns down!

2010-03-27T16:05:00.008-05:00

Down, but not out!

The old Gisco building, which is home to the best BBQ in the world, Southern Soul BBQ, burned down today.

Truly is a sad day for St. Simons... Not only did we loose an AMAZING place to hang, eat, drink and laugh, we lost a landmark building for on the island.

Im not too worried about Southern Soul at all though... if I know those guys, they'll be peddling sammichs from the trunk of their car faster than you can say fried green bean.

New h2o sign!

2010-03-19T09:22:00.001-05:00

After almost one year, we finally
have a sign about our place of business. But it's not just any sign. What else would you expect from a creative group!?

You need the back story first. Before we were h2o creative group, we were Hambright and Associates Design. We had a sign made, and then got in trouble from our landlord for not having "raised letters" on the sign, per the sign codes in our lease. Well, it took us a long time to finally have our sign remade and it was a pretty big pain in the neck... Considering the effect wasn't even noticeable.

So fast fwd three years...

We create h2o creative group and need a sign. We're just too dang busy to get something going. Then an epiphany. One of our employees has a father that is retired and has nothing better to do than play around in his work shop. So we draw him fullscale plans and let him go to town! The end result is nothing BUT raised letters! At roughly 30" tall, each letter is made from several pieces of 2" thick insulation foam, that has been glued together, cut to shape, epoxied for resilance and painted to match! It looks amazing. George also made a custom mount for it so stands up just right!

Now, taking it a step further is what we're all about. I researched online and found two LED bulbs that change colors! I had them mounted on the roof in watertight floodlight housings since the bulbs are interiour only. The effect is AWESOME!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives

2010-03-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

A little late I know, but better than never.

I had the chance to hang out with the host and crew of DDD while they filmed on location at one of my favorite local restaurants, Southern Soul BBQ! It was a pretty awesome expierence.

Griffin, one of the co-owners, invited me to come and be an extra while they filmed. I've known him for a good while and his BBQ biz is one of our favorite and most loyal clients.

He told me they didn't want any photographers on set... like I listened! Below is the link to the photos I took (we did the web site too!). I don't know if I'll be in final video, but my Jeep definitely made the shot!!! And really, that's all that matters. I'll update y'all on when it airs.

http://southernsoulbbq.com/ddd/

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Haiti Relief Benefit

2010-02-19T08:44:00.004-05:00

Art Can Help, a local organization that uses the arts to raise awareness about particular subjects, is planning a benefit for Haiti. I've gotten involved on both sides, with Art Can Help and with this actually event. It's a great idea and I'm happy to be donating my time and graphics to this cause.

It's an all-day event held in Redfern Village on St. Simons Island, on March 20. It'll be a progressive party of sorts... starting at one location with a band and specials, and heading to another one, than another, etc... each location will have special events, live music and proceeds made going to the benefit.

Check out the Facebook page for more info, or just email me and I'll get you an answer. Cheers and hope to see you there!

SNOW!

2010-02-19T08:15:00.004-05:00

I know, I know... another damn post about snow. If you live anywhere in the southeast, that's all you're reading about on blogs, tweets and facebooks... so here, one more...

We just came back from our annual President's Day Weekend trip up to our family cabin in Blueridge, GA. Man what an awesome time we had! We made it OK up there, the roads were pretty icy past Elijay, GA... so it was pretty slow going from there. It snowed a total of about 4-5 inches, and it all stuck. Luckily the Jeep has 4wd and we had no problem getting around. There's gravel roads all around the cabin, and they were all frozen and when the ice melted on Monday, it got really muddy. But with 4-lo kicked in, we creeped up and around just fine!

We didn't do much, just hung around the cabin. Ate a ton. Cooked a beef tenderloin Sunday night... dry-rubbed with salt, red and black pepper, garlic and brown sugar, wrapped in bacon... pan-seared and finished with indirect heat, my all-time favorite way to cook my favorite piece of meat.

This week has just been a blur with work piled high. But it's all good, busy is good. I'm just trying to focus on knocking stuff off the list.

I'm going fishing tomorrow. Really excited. We're putting the boat in at Coozie's in the morning and are looking for whatever we can find... trout, reds, etc.

Here's two pics from the past weekend. The cabin, covered in snow, taken from the bank of the creek (right behind me) and Anson, with his girlfriend Leighton. I guess it's pretty apparent that Anson is quite used to the camera by now. HA!

lots of animation

2010-02-05T07:15:00.002-05:00

One thing I've always really liked but never totally got into was video. I took the required video courses in college for my Visual Communications degree, but opted for all the photography course over the video ones... hell, Kelly actually took more video courses then me. With that being said, I think the same art applies to both. It's just a different technical hurdle to overcome. One that is very different than photography, and photo processing in MANY ways.

I've been doing a lot of video lately. From 3 minute audition clips, to HD b-roll for Jekyll Island. My newest project, while only partially video, has me real excited. Jekyll's requested a time-lapse video of a four month construction project. They are going to remodel the old indoor tennis court and turn it into a state of the art conference center. So, after doing a lot of research I've figured out my angle of approach. I looked into wildlife trail cameras, thinking they would be best... already set up to do that right out of the box, waterproof and can last for months on a single set of batteries. Problem there is the lens isn't wide enough. It's pretty much telephoto. After much research I stumbled on the Canon Hack Development Kit (CDHK). It's an open source firmware that you install on a canon digital camera that really unleashes the potential of it. You have to hack into the camera basically, but once it's all installed, there isn't much you can't do. You can use the camera's microphone to trigger a photo... say, when someone walks by and the sound is picked up.... snap! In my case, I'm using it to take a photo every 15 minutes for four months. Then, I'll string all the photos together and it will be an animated short film of the whole construction process... much akin to those flower-growing videos we all watched in BIO 101.

So I bought a Canon SD1000, a little point and shoot the smaller than a pack of cigarettes (used for a $100!), a wide-angle conversion lens (because I need a WIDE shot) and an AC power adapter. I'm going to work on the CDHK this weekend and will test the video out in a day-in-our-office setting the early part of next week. I'll be sure to post it.

So for now, stay tuned!

The Resurrection

2010-01-29T06:32:00.005-05:00

...and I'm back. After nearly eight months of running behind the blogging wagon, the symptoms of withdrawal have cut too deep. I've pined for the cathartic relief of sharing my thoughts, stories and photographs here, of which I'm sure, no one really cares about anyway. Has eight months been too long I wonder? How many readers are still out there? I would have left myself for the younger, more beautiful blogess, so I don't blame you all.

So, instead of a giant post going through everything that's happened since June 09 - which would be like me, but who wants to read that? - I'll supply you with some bullet points and a promise; A promise to write more often. There. I've said it. An official public promise. Hold me to it.

Anson: Wow... where to begin? Well, I'll start with a link: Kelly's blog about Anson. Some good stuff there, and her english teacher status really comes out... not misspelling words but rather showing me up with words larger than three syllables.

But, it's been amazing. The single best thing is easily the look I get each day I come home... like more and more he's understanding who I am. I'm just waiting for the day he wants to ride in the Jeep... Here's my favorite picture of us. Bet you can't guess why? (hint: it ain't Bailey Boy's!)

Jeep: Oh the Scrambler, she's running great. I installed a choke about three months ago. I had originally taken it off when swapping out the stock Carter carb for a much better Ford MC2100. Wow what a difference a choke makes! It's amazing what a 125 year old invention does! Whodathunk?

Back in October I believe it was we added another Jeep to the family. Kelly got tired of turning the baby carrier sideways, watching Anson's head go parallel with the floor, as she tried to stuff is ever-growing belly into the back of her two-door Acura. We sold it locally and bought a 2004 Grand Cherokee. V8, 4wd of course... it's awesome. It was totally my choice in car, and that's no secret... although she does like it. I'll take that car over here soon, when we can afford something for her... at least that's the plan. I love that thing.

Work: Wow, another where-to-begin topic. I'm working more than I ever have in my life, and loving every minute of it. h2o creative group has morphed into a very respectable and capable full-service marketing firm, offering our clients everything from custom photography, fresh design, media placement, web sites in all flavors and so much more. We've taken on some very demanding clients and are loving the challenges presented every day. Our team has grown to eight people, which in my opinion, is the perfect number. We are big enough to handle our clients and growth and lean enough to keep it profitable and manageable. I've been knocking on wood since February and I will continue to do so for many days to come.

Friday Foto: Alas... the fabled Friday Foto. Here you are guys. I took this yesterday morning. I know, I know... eye porn as I like to call it.... a sunrise. I had a shoot scheduled all day at the new Hampton Inn on Jekyll Island (which might I add, is amazing!!) and I went over early to shoot some video for the Jekyll Island Authority, and passed by this shot and couldn't refuse. I shot this at f.11 to ensure sharpness in the trees, and spot-metered for the water to force the silhouette effect. The first shot was from eye-level, which was bland because you didn't see the bench. I lowered the tripod to about three feet off the ground to get the bench in the shot, and I think that makes all the difference.

So that's it. Hope you're glad to have me back. I'm sure glad to be back. I feel like a weight has been lifted... now time for more coffee.

Another wedding done, several in the works

2009-06-26T06:22:00.008-05:00

Good morning folks! Just thought I'd share some pictures from one of the most recent weddings I shot. I just finished post process on all the images and the bride loves them! I'm very happy with the results from this shoot and thought I'd share the bride's comments as well. It's worth all the running around and tedious hours behind the computer when you get an email like this:

"BEN!...They are wonderful, fabulous, perfect, and beautiful. Absolutely terrific! I just sobbed through all the slideshows. Happy tears!! THANK YOU for being a fantastic photographer, I could not have asked for more"

I have a lot of new work coming out in some local magazines as well. As soon as they hit the shelves (or websites) I'll let you guys know. I'm REALLY excited about one of them particularly, it will be here by July.

Not much is new here. We have one of our best friends from college coming in town this weekend, along with some other friends for Anson's christening this Sunday. It should be a fun time. I can't believe he's 6 weeks old today!! Crazy!

I know, I know...

2009-06-11T15:51:00.004-05:00

It's been over a month since my last post. Close to two months I guess really. I have one big excuse though, as I'm sure most of y'all ready know, I have a son. Behold, Anson Bradford Galland:

He was actually due yesterday, on the 11th. He came 4 weeks early, but everything is perfectly fine. He's a healthy little boy and he's wonderful. You'll notice (much to his mother's dismay) that he's sporting a nice new pea green Patagonia onsie. The first day he wore it was also the first day he went the whole day without peeing on his clothes. So, go ahead and complain if you want, but my boy knows not to pee on Patagonia! Today he is one month old. I can't believe it.

So what's new other than that? A ton. I'm extremly busy at work, which is a great thing. H2O Creative Group is busting at the seems, we're getting more and more clients and have a lot of awesome things in the works. I'v been shooting a ton too. I just finished a three-day shoot for Elegant Island Living magazine, and I can't wait for you all to see the photos. I'm really proud of them. I got the cover shot too, which is my first cover for that magazine.... and the subjects of the shoot were awesome.... you'll see. Look for it in July.

I also have shot two weddings since my last post, I have another one tomorrow, and then another next week. Tomorrow's will probably be one of the biggest of the season for me. I'm really excited, I know both bride and groom and a lot of the guests, which will always make for great pictures.

Next weekend's wedding is going to be an amazing blast. My cousin (dad's twin brother's daughter) is getting married here on the island. Any excuse for my family to gather is abused, slaughtered and dragged through the mud to the point of blissful, chaotic confusion. It's great. Friday before the wedding we will have over 150 people in my childhood home for a party. I'm shooting the wedding, but will be having a blast as well (read: camera in one hand, beer in the other). Many of the family is already starting to arrive this weekend. I'll be taking next Friday off as well, in order to join the chaos.

Speaking of next Friday, it's iPhone time again!!!! Man I can't wait. I've already pre-ordered my iPhone 3GS. It's going to be amazing. I can't tell if I'm more excited about the new iPhone, or the software that they are releasing next week as well. Finally, the phone is getting faster, better camera, picture/video messaging, cut and paste, and so much more. I can't wait. I'll be there bright and early, 7 a.m. along with half my family that is also getting one. I told you, abused and chaotic!

So, that's about if for now. I promise to get back on a continual blogging stream. I'm also thinking of getting into Twitter, more for a professional basis, but if I do it, I'll let you all know.

Have a great day!

Friday Foto: new pix 4 u

2009-05-01T07:25:00.004-05:00

Good morning folks! It's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks. I shot another wedding last weekend which was great and the new Golden Isles Magazine is hitting the shelves today. I'm very excited about this issue particularly. I shot a lot for this issue; the cover, several spreads and as always, my photo essay. This issue's essay is a compilation of photographs from my travels to Italy, both in 2001 and in 2oo8. I've always wanted to publish these photos and am very excited about it.

The first photo posted here is featured in the Magazine. I wanted to post it here because I really liked it. I was assigned to shoot some photos of the "First Friday" event in downtown Brunswick. It's on the first Friday of every month, and shops stay open late encouraging folks to come on out. I really wanted to capture the nightlife feel and still make it distinctly downtown Brunswick. I really like the shot.

The second photo is from the past wedding I shot. After the ceremony the bride and groom and I walked out to the beach to get a couple of beach shots. It's always tricky to get good shots on the beach during the middle of the day, and this was about 11:30 which is typically a horrible time to shoot because of the light. The shots came out great, but I really like this one the best. What do yall think?

So, not much planned this weekend. Have some honey-dos that I'm putting off till Sunday so I can go boating tomorrow. I'm putting in at 8 am and will be out all day. I'm so excited. Bringing a grill and brats... there really isn't anything better.

Everything else is going well. Business is booming and that is wonderful, we are very fortunate.

Anyway, yall have a great weekend. I sure will.

Firday Foto: All a blur

2009-04-17T07:05:00.003-05:00

What a blur of a week! Man, I really don't know where Saturday ended and Thursday morning began.

Today's foto comes from a wedding I shot last week on Friday night. I love shots like this. They are great photos to tell a story. Standing alone, it doesn't say much other than a cool shot. But as part of the bigger story, perhaps shown in sequence in an album, it shows the bride chasing the groom around with a piece of cake. This shot was taken at 1/8 of a second at f5.6 which would have been completely blurry had I not fired some flash and panned the image as well.

Saturday night we had another baby party, it was fun. Kelly and I got lots of good stuff for the baby. That kid has easily more clothes than her and I combined. I really need to up his game on camo and jeep themed clothing. Too many damn sailboats and bunnys are going to make this kid crazy (or at least me!).

This weekend I plan on getting away. Don't know exactly what we're doing, but I need a break. I think we are going to spend a night over on Jekyll Island somewhere. This is our last free weekend before baby.

So I have a ton of friends getting blackberries. What the heck is wrong with them? The iPhone is such a better product. All the promoting I do doesn't seem to work. Oh well. They'll soon find out when they are complaining that it won't work. HA!

I have tons of other things I could write about, but I need to get some work done. So, I'll save it for another posting. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Friday Foto: Just a blur

2009-04-10T06:33:00.004-05:00

It's been a crazy week. Saturday through today is one big blur and I'm sure the next two months will follow closely the same pattern. It's OK. I have a lot of fun things planned and many great things to look forward to, one of which is this weekend. I have a lot of family coming in town for another Baby "Party", as I like to call it, that will be held on Saturday. I'm excited. And Sunday is Easter, which means Peeps, Cadburry eggs and not one, but TWO huge meals. I'm excited.

I've been shooting a ton lately, and I'm really excited about that. Today's photo comes from a serious of shoots that I did for the folks at The Vine. I had the opportunity to photograph some of their work for a nationally published book in which they will be featured. This is one of my favorites. They designed these containers and planted them. This house is on Ocean Forrest, on Sea Island.

First wedding of the season is tonight. I'll be shooting an outdoor wedding and reception down at the Village. I'm looking forward to wedding season, I really enjoy shooting them.

My Saturday plans consist of rolling out of bed at the break of dawn and dragging myself to the beach and passing out all day. I'm looking forward to it. Should be a very nice beach day.

Friday Foto: A Spoonful of this and that

2009-04-03T05:58:00.005-05:00

And hello there, finally, it's Friday again. As always, this week has been crazing, leaving me wondering where Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday went. The rain didn't help, which lasted from Tuesday night until last night. Back in the '50s, Glynn Haven (my neighborhood) was a thriving lake community. If you don't believe that, come look at my front yard. I came home from work on Wednesday to find the neighborhood kids splashing and riding bikes through my newly installed lap pool. Yeah, I'm hoping to get a little pool-side-ala-front-yard-puddle swimming in this weekend myself. If anybody wants in, swing on over, I'll provide the towels and beer.... ring worms are provided at no charge.

So this shot comes from a shoot I just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. I waited to post it here until it was published, and now that the April issue of Elegant Island Living is on the stands, here you are folks. This was part of a fashion series I shot for them on island-casual fashion. The models were great to work with and so was the editor. I enjoy shooting shots like this, it's some of my favorite type of photography. This photo was shot as close to dusk as I could get and I used an off-camera flash hidden in the tree on camera right to fill in the faces of the models a little. If anything, I use as little flash as possible. The flash was set to 2 stops under exposure, shot through a soft box to just barely lighten the face. I'm very happy with the results. The setting is also superb, thanks to the generosity of the ladies at The Vine, for letting us use their backyard. The other shots, at different locations, all came out great, but this was my favorite. It was the last shot and you always get better shots, with more relaxed models I feel. But we all hit it off right away. Be sure to grab the latest issue.

So now I feel it's my duty to share with you my new favorite artist. Jason Spooner. From Maine, he's a singer/songwriter with a recipe consisting of a little John Mayer, Randall Bramblett, Jason Mraz and hints of various Union Station, Talking Heads and Counting Crows. I have fallen in love, for sure. As perfectly described to me, his latest album The Flame You Follow (2007), is like the perfect mix CD. Starting with a sure, radio-ready song, taking a path down hard-beat acoustic guitar-driven tracks that are musical reminiscent of early Dave Matthews and ending with one of the best covers I've ever heard. I love his take on The Talking Head's "Slippery People". It's slowed down slightly, and heavy on some awesome acoustic-fueled rhythm. The whole CD has been playing non-stop in my life for the past four days. I could easily lay in bed and watch the rain fall to it, and in the same track, get up and dance wildly. I love it.

Anyway, not much else is new. I'm excited about this weekend. We have our first baby party (I refuse to use the word 'shower'). This is the one all of our friends have gotten together to throw for us. I'm pretty excited about partying and seeing everybody. We're going to drag it out as long as possible (at least I am) with a cookout to follow at my house. After all, I am drinking for two now right? HAHA. Have a great, non-rainy day today.

Friday Foto: Slappin good music

2009-03-27T07:30:00.006-05:00

A little late on the posting, I know. I try to get this published early for you readers, but I had a late night last night and slept in a little.

I was hired by Rafter's Blues and Raw Bar to shoot Amy LaVere's performance last night. She's an unbelievable musician, playing the upright bass and accompanied by drums and lead guitar. Her vocals add a soothing contradiction, with her sweet high-pitched-Norah Jones-meets-Amy Winehouse sound. I highly recommend checking her site out and listening to some of her tunes. I love shooting live performances, and Rafter's is a great place to do this.

So last weekend I drove up to Blue Ridge, GA and picked up my Tahoe. It's nice having an inclosed vehicle again. I forgot how nice it is to lock something in the car, to not get rained on. But, I'm already starting to miss the Jeep. As soon as I finish up some maintenance on the Jeep, I'll be back behind the wheel. Can't wait.

Life has been busy, my business is doing very well now, we have a ton of work and it keeps coming in. It's great, I feel very fortunate to say that. With that said, I am looking very forward to a relaxing weekend. I WILL be spending time at the beach if weather permits. This will be one of the last "non-busy" weekends I will have for a very long time I fear, with weddings, showers, and, oh yeah, the baby.

Anyway, yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Round and Round

2009-03-13T07:39:00.005-05:00

That title about sums it up for me. Round and round. My head, my schedule. Crazy, to say the least. This shot has been in the works for a long time. I've been thinking about this shot since my good friends at Southern Soul BBQ took over the old Gisco Seafood location, which is adjacent to the the new roundabout on St. Simons Island. They let me in and allowed me to climb up on the roof too get this shot. I waited to get it when we had full moon, to add to the ambiance. I really like the shot. The panoramic version came out cool too. You'll have to click on these images to see the larger version.

So, I've been busy. Work has been really good, lots going on. Our office renovations are coming to a close, with fresh paint on the walls, new rearrangement, and some really nice plant arrangements. I've got some minor things to still do, and once that is done, I'll give you a little walk-through tour of our new place.

My trip to the mountains to pick up my Tahoe has been postponed to next weekend, which is fine. I'm looking forward to getting it, and starting another project, but waiting one more week won't kill me. Patience is a virtue, Ben.

Last weekend we pretty much wrapped up my building project on my house. We have a couple more things to tidy up and then I need to get the tabby guy to come over, but for all accounts, it's finished. I'm so happy. It's giving us so much more space to store all of our junk. This weekend will find me finishing up those loose ends, and most definitely drinking some beer on the beach at some point. I feel like I perpetually need a break, and that any break I get isn't long enough. Well, welcome to life I guess. It's all good. Y'all have a great weekend. I will.

Friday Foto: Lot's of shooting

2009-03-06T07:52:00.003-05:00

FINALLY! Finally I can write again that I'm shooting a lot. I've been so busy with the rearrangement of our office, the startings of a new business and the slow drone of a working-to-late headache that I haven't been focusing on photography (pun intended). But not anymore, the past couple of days and the weeks to come have me where I love to be... behind the camera.

Today's photo is from the Cloister at Sea Island. I was hired to shoot the door hardware by the manufacturer. I've done a couple different shoots like this in the past and really enjoy it. It gives me a chance to walk all around the grounds and fine interesting shots. I like being able to show the product in it's surroundings, not just a close up of a knob you know? Anyway, hope you like.

This weekend I'll be finishing my downstairs construction project; the enclosure of the back half of our house. I'm extremely excited about this. It will provide so much more storage for us. I am convinced a bomb has gone off in our garage, scattering jeep parts, old books, clothes and used jeep fluids everywhere. Once complete, I plan on actually being able to park two cars in my two-car garage (although, I think I could easily build a second car from the parts that are in there currently).

What are you doing Sunday Ben? Well, thanks for asking my dear reader. BEACH!!!! That's right. I'm waking my butt up at the crack of dawn (used butt and crack in same sentence, hehe) and sitting on the beach all day. At least, that's the plan. We'll see...

Last but not least, the new Golden Isles Magazine is out. I think it looks great. You can find it here. Be sure to check out my spread on porches, starting on page 48. Well folks, that's it!

Friday Foto: Peace

2009-02-27T07:37:00.003-05:00

So I thought about posting this photo along with another one, but I really think this photo deserves a place of it's own. Not only is it the first published photo of my son, it's also a pretty damn cool photo. I would usually never post sonogram photos of a baby, because while they are cool to family, the freak some people out. But this one I think everyone will enjoy. I swear this is real, not photochopped. I personally like how he's throwing up the fingers gangster style, not hippie-peace-love-and-happiness style. He's my little thug. This was taken Wednesday by the way.

Anyway, this week has flown by. The next issue of The Golden Isles Magazine is supposed to come out today. I'm excited about this one, I really liked the photo spread I did for this one on porches. Grab one if you see it out there.

This weekend is going to be great. Why? Because I'm not doing a thing. I'm going to the beach tomorrow come hell or high water. I'm going to walk the dogs. We're having some friends over for dinner Saturday night. Sunday I think I'm going to skip down to Jacksonville and buy some used tires from a guy to install on my free Tahoe that I don't even have yet. Yup, I've acquired another car. Another project that will more than likely leave me on the wrong side of the car. But, all kidding aside, I'm pumped. I love cars. This one doesn't need anything really and will give me a reliable ride for when the lil thug gets here. I'm picking it up in March.

It's gorgeous out today, and with that comes another post about how much I love the weather. I'm wearing shorts today. First shorts day of the year. I don't know if I can go back now. This weather brings a mad craving to go topless in my Jeep. With the hardtop on, it's harder to easily make the transition. I'm trying to hold out until I get this Tahoe that way in case it rains I'll have a second option. But, I don't know if I can hold out... seriously thinking about removing it tomorrow... I can always use a rain jacket.

So, that's it. That's all I got. I need to get back to my pork pops.... cheers readers!

Friday Foto: Hodgepodge

2009-02-20T07:36:00.008-05:00

What a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. Yes, I know, I didn't post at all last week. I'm sorry. I'll try to make it up today with a little bit of this and that.

First of all, last weekend I was up at our family cabin in Blue Ridge, GA. It was a much needed relaxing weekend. It was nice to just sit and relax. I drank beer, ate food and kept the fire going the whole weekend. That's all I did. It was soooo nice.

We just "finished" the living room up there. I brought up a photo I had taken of the cabin in full snow and hung it up on the wall. I think it came out really nice. I'm really happy with the way the whole place looks now. The rock fireplace is amazing (hand built by my dad and uncle). Above is the living room and below a copy of the photo hanging there.

Of course, when I'm up there I like to shoot some pictures as well. I shot this one of a little hump of moss. I like that stuff a lot. It's so green and makes me just want to make an entire bed out of it and pass out.

Our new business, H2O Creative Group is in full swing. Here's our logo. It was a collaborative effort by me and my two partners. I really like it. It's got a lot going on. We have a lot going on too right now. Tons of work (thankfully) and we are busy trying to remodel our space as well.

Not much else is new. I plan on trying to relax a little this weekend. I'm searching for some much needed Ben time as Kelly goes to Jacksonville again for baby stuff, this time with out me... I'm going to spend some time at work I'm sure, but hope to get under my hood at some point and play with my Jeep... ahhhh the perfect past time, being covered in grease from head to toe. Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Great mood and a rando pic

2009-02-06T08:13:00.004-05:00

I love this photo. It's pretty random, I know. It was taken out in Colorado last April. I went out there to fly-fish with my dad and his brothers. I want to use this shot in an ad somewhere, but most ads I do are regional and this certainly doesn't look like here. So, oh well. Speaking of CO though, this is one of my fav shots from there...

And so, what else is new? Well, I'm in a fantastic mood. Maybe it's the weather (it's been freezing all week), maybe it's the fact that now I'm officially an owner of this business, H2o Creative Group, maybe it's cause it's Friday, or maybe it's just life's little things... well, whatever it is, I'm grateful. I love being happy... and smelling good, I know random. Today is random day.

So, not much is new. I chopped a ton of wood this past weekend, which is one of my fav things to do. My friend chopped three Pecan trees in his back yard and we spent the better part of last weekend chopping it up. It's one of the best woods to burn. I love wood.

I'm going to Jacksonville this Saturday. I'm excited. Kelly wants to do some shopping and I get to go to two of my favorite stores. The Apple Store and Total Wine. I always buy something at both. I have to. I love them. that's about all i have going on right now... that and a lot of work. just busy, busy, busy... with lots of work and business stuff.

yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Can I have $75,000?

2009-01-30T08:05:00.004-05:00

I took this photo of this jewelry ensemble for an ad in a local publication. It has blue star sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds all set in 18kt gold. This was hand made in Greece. What's interesting about this piece is that the main sapphire was the only one the owner originally had, the stone by itself. She had a very gaudy taste (as you can tell) and needed more flare. She contacted Tiffany & Co. and had them search high and low for matching star sapphires. It took them four years. A star sapphire is a rare version in the sapphire family, because when the light hits it just right a star can me seen in the center of the stone. This particular one, being corn-flower blue as they call it, is even rarer. The ring itself is $37,000. The other two pieces can be added to the package for a total of $75k. Would I wear this if I was a girl. Hell no. But one has to appreciate the uniqueness of this piece. It's amazing. The blue drapping the jewelry is sitting on is the inside of a woman's jacket. I shot this with all natural lighting from a nearby window, taking two exposures and merging them selectively to get the highlights and shadows I wanted.

So what else is new? Not much. This week has flown by. I have three shoots this weekend, all my favorite kind. Live-action happy hour shoots. I love shooting stuff like that... so much more exciting than shooting non-moving rings and such. I'll be at Catch 228, Bennies and then Delaney's Bar. Of course, it'll be happy hour and I will have to partake... the photos will only get better!

Other than that, I'm cleaning around the house this weekend. Plan on starting to create a babyland in our house. Watch out.

Sunday is the Super Bowl and I plan on stuffing my face with Bacon Explosion.... so the cook better come through. I'm dying to try it. I'm making some of my killer chicken wings as well. Can't wait. Go 'dores, I hope they win.

Friday Foto: No, don't go.

2009-01-23T08:07:00.004-05:00

I'm pleading with the cold weather here. Sure, I'll be the first one to bring up how cold it is outside. My Jeep isn't exactly an air-tight vehicle, so I really feel the cold. But, for the weather to get this cold for a couple of days, teasing us, and warming back up five days later just isn't fair. I want a solid month of it at least. I want to enjoy my fireplace and fleece jacket. Maybe we haven't seen the last of it.

This week went by very quickly. Even working on Monday I feel like it was a short week. It's nice. Today's foto is very basic. It's Hazel's Cafe, an old no-longer-in-use restaurant located on Demere Road on St. Simons. I think it is actually used for private parties. I've always loved this place, just for the old nostalgia of it. I caught wind from someone that it is for sale, which prompted me to go take a couple of photos sooner rather than later. My bet is some developer buys it, tears it down and builds six houses in it's place. Oh well.

So, I have a couple of things planned for this weekend, but not much. I will be spending sometime under my Jeep, replacing the driveshaft. Hearing it fall off of the car while driving is sort of a disconcerting sound and feeling. It's not a big project, just a pain that's all. Hopefully before too long I'll be looking for a new car...

So that's about it. I know it's a short post, but I really don't have much to report on yet. Hopefully next week I can give you guys more info on all sorts of cool things. Have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: New year, still alive

2009-01-16T07:46:00.005-05:00

I know, I know, it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been so busy, with the holidays, work, vacation... It's been great!

First thing's first; it's cold. Very cold outside, and I love it. I actually put the hard doors on my Jeep yesterday to combat the 30 degree chill in the morning. It's supposed to be 19 tonight, and that'll be great!

Today's Friday Foto comes from a shoot I just wrapped up before the holidays. I shoot for the Golden Isles Magazine and the past issue's theme was a bridal one. For the feature, we shot several different models dress in themed bridal outfits. We had everything from Barbie to Cinderella. My choice, half way through the planning, was to shoot a Goth Bride. I though this would be a great juxtaposition and I had it just in my mind how I wanted to shot it. I'm very happy with the end results, I love this photo. This isn't actually the shot they ran, the one below is.... they needed to show the whole outfit for the magazine. I think the shots came out very nice. I'm happy with them.

And, I got another foto for you. We're doing all the marketing for a new development here on St. Simons that's located just down the road from my favorite place on the Island, Coozies. This shot is cool because it's the first HDR image I've taken with my new Canon 5D M2. Man, I love this camera. I took five exposures, all at f.11, and generated the image in Photomatix Pro. The detail and sharpness in this image is unreal.... hard to tell from this smaller version. I'm not a big fan of creating HDR images for landscapes, I think it's kind of cheating sometimes, but for this project it works... I was going for that surreal look. I've still yet to really even scratch the surface with this camera. But, I did play with some of the HD video functions... more to come on that later.

So, what's new with me? Well, lots actually. I have partnered with my former boss and associate and we three have created H20 Creative Group, a design, marketing and advertising, and photography firm. We basically are doing the exact same things we have been doing all along, but offering full advertising and marketing and I'm bringing in all my photography. I could not be more excited about this new venture. It will allow me to manage my life so much easier now. No more two different jobs, it's all under one roof. Despite the current state of the economy, we are slammed right now; busier than I have ever been in 4 years of being with this company. As we progress more and more with this venture, I'll fill yall in on all that's going on.

So, lots going on this weekend too. I have close to 35 family members gathering from all over the US this weekend to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday (86, I think). We are having a big cookout Saturday night. We are also currently in the process of inclosing the downstairs part of our house. This will ultimately be another bed/bath and play room, but for the current time being, will act as storage so we can move stuff around upstairs and get ready to create babyland.

Speaking of babies, Kelly's doing great. About 18 weeks along now and looking more beautiful everyday. I'm so excited and having a hard time controlling my urge to buy little camo jackets, baby Patagonia fleeces, Jeep tshirts and 3-inch long flipflops.... I don't really know how long I can hold out. Yall have a great weekend!

Friday Foto: Canon 5DMII OMG

2008-12-19T07:42:00.003-05:00

What a whirlwind week since my last post. Let's just start by saying how happy I am I have insurance.

So, long story short, my camera was standing up on my tripod in my office. It was knocked over and the lens, flash and (later discovered) camera were broken. I called Allstate and, thanks to my extra insurance that I have taken out on my camera gear, it was all covered. Here's the beauty of it all though, instead of getting the same camera, I was able to get the newer and improved version... and improved it is. The Canon 5D Mark II (the one I blogged about a couple of months ago, that does HD video if you recall), is amazing... and VERY hard to find. I was actually worried because I needed a new camera and that was the most likely choice for me to get, but you couldn't find them anywhere. Sold out everywhere. Well as luck has it, the little consumer Ritz camera store in Jacksonville received the one and only one they were slated to get for the whole holiday season, just moments before I walked in last Saturday. I bought it without thinking twice. After having two major shoots this week so far, I can safely say this camera is incredible.

Today's foto comes from a shoot I had up around Baxley, GA where a development is underway and we are doing all the marketing for. The piece of property, Eagle's Point, is amazing. All lots have river front views (Altamaha River). And, driving my Jeep up there was awesome too....

So, yesterday was my wife and I's four year anniversary. Pretty crazy to think that we've been married for four years. I'm very blessed.

This weekend will be very relaxing, something I'm really looking forward to. A little last minute christmas shopping, a little work, a little getting ready for our Soiree and a lot of christmas music... I'm so ready for next week!

Stay tuned, because I'll post here again soon. Hope yall have a great weekend!

Friday Foto: Almost here

2008-12-12T07:36:00.004-05:00

What's almost here? Christmas. The weekend. The new year. The Music City Bowl in Nashville that Kelly's brother is playing in for Vandy and we are going to. Our annual Christmas Soiree that is going to be bigger and better than ever. My new business. What's that? A new business you ask? I'll elaborate more on that in future posts, but to put in a few words, I just sealed the deal on a partnership in which we are creating a new business that focuses on photography, design, marketing and advertising. We're basically taking what we have now, honing it and developing it into a much more polished enterprise. I'm extremely excited.

Today's foto comes from a recent engagement photo session I had. I really enjoy shooting photos like this, because it gives me the time to really interact with the people, which I love to do. I love the intimacy that this photo gives off. It's simple, but beautiful. Great couple too, really sweet and you could really tell they were in love.

I just finished the last photos for the upcoming issue of Golden Isles Magazine, which now frees up a lot of my time, until the next issue of course. So what am I going to do this weekend? Well, nothing. Might do a little Christmas shopping, although I did most of mine online this year. Might work on the house or the Jeep... OK, who am I kidding, of course I'll work on my Jeep.

That's about it folks. Stay tuned for more info and more posts. I hope to be posting more in the future, as part of my new business plan, so bookmark me! Happy Friday.

Friday Foto: Hello, I'm still alive

2008-12-05T07:55:00.005-05:00

Yes, yes, yes... it's been too long since my last post. I am sorry. I've been so busy since the week before Thanksgiving that I'm just now coming up for air. First thing's first, Kelly and I went to her second check-up this week and found out the sex of our baby... let's just say it'll be Tonka truck time soon!!! It's a boy! We are so excited. Kelly said she felt it was a boy all along, and was really hoping it was. I was too, so we are so excited.

Today's foto comes from my front yard. We had a sheet covering some plants one night when it got cold, and I was letting the dog out in the morning and saw this tiny little leaf laying on the sheet, with the drop of water just like that. I often see little things like that and say to myself, that would make a nice photo, but never actually take the shot. Too much hassle, etc. Not this morning. I got my stuff out, set up the tripod, attached the macro lens, enabled mirror lockup and dialed in a nice small aperture for maximum sharpness. Other than minor spot removal and dodging and burning in photochop, this is a pretty true shoot. Time spent from concept to completion? 20 minutes. It was fun.

So this weekend we are getting our Christmas tree. It is easily one of mine and Kelly's favorite things to do in the entire world. Seriously. Decorate the tree, listen to christmas music, and then partake once again in the best christmas movie ever, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. After all, "It's all part of the experience." This photo came from Webster's Christmas tree farm, located north of Darien, GA in The Ridge. This is a cut-your-own tree farm and it's so much fun. We are planning on getting our tree there this year, but we'll see how the weekend folds out. This shot was part of a photo essay I did in The Golden Isle's Magazine titled "My Favorite Things."

I do have lots of other stuff going on right now. Lot's of change in my professional life, but I'm going to save that for another post, once I iron out all the details. So for now, that's all I have folks. Sit back and enjoy Friday and the weekend. If you are not yet listening to christmas music, you know who you are, get on it. I've had it blasting since November 1st.... I may not stop this year. I may continue listening well into May. We'll see.

Friday Foto: Fire

2008-11-14T07:47:00.004-05:00

Good morning folks. Well this week has sure flown by. I'm so busy, days and weeks just seem to be one big blur. I live for the weekends, to give my body, eyes and brain a break, but lately the weekends have been consumed as well. Last weekend alone I had five different shoots. I'm not complaining though, I'm thankful for being busy.

I did get to relax a little last weekend. A group of our friends got together and partied under the stars on Saturday night. We had a big bonfire, roasted marshmallows, listened to some football on XM radio and drank a little beer. I'm actually doing the marketing on the development this fire pit is located at, Wildlife Preserve, so I took a couple of photos while out there for possible marketing pieces... If anything else, I like the photos. This is the kind of stuff I really like to shoot.

So, this weekend will be much like last weekend. I have a wedding tonight, shoots all morning tomorrow and then hours of processing that needs to get done on the computer. It's OK though, I promise you I'll still find time to relax a little... that's never a problem I assure you.

Next weekend I'm heading up to Nashville to go to the Vandy/Tenn game. I'm really excited about that. I'm actually leaving Thursday, swinging by and calling on a client in Elijay, GA on Friday, and then heading up to Nashville. I'm excited because it will be a relaxing weekend, which I need.

So, that's all folks. Oh, I'm working on a whole new way to display wedding proofs online. I'm really excited about it. It should be leaps and bounds better than what I'm currently doing, and loads easier on the user end. Can't wait, I'll keep ya posted. Cheers!

Friday Foto: Fabbing it up

2008-11-07T08:02:00.005-05:00

One of our new clients is Boykin Steel and Crane, a steel fabrication (and much more) company located in good ole' Jesup, Georgia. I drove up there this week to get photos of the facility and such to use in their marketing material. They do amazing work, constructing everything from handrails to entire schools. It's amazing. Anyway, here's a couple of my favorites. I really like the group shot, it's exactly what I was trying to get... you really need to click on it to see it larger, I love how raw it is, goes just with the whole mood I was trying for.

So, not much else is new. This week went by fast, lots of work. This weekend should be a fun-filled, fast weekend. I have an engagement photo shoot Saturday morning, going to a football party after that and then doing a chill fire and s'more making session later that night. Sunday finds me shooting again, three different shoots that afternoon. Nothing like staying busy, I'm fortunate.

The latest edition of the magazine I shoot for, Golden Isles Magazine, is on the shelves now. It looks really good, I'm proud of it. It hasn't been updated on their site yet, but as soon as it is I'll post the link.

Oh, and no, I'm not going to comment at all on what happened Tuesday.

Friday Foto: New fav

2008-10-31T07:10:00.003-05:00

Good morning folks. Today's photo is one of my new favorites. Going along with last week's post, this shot has been photoshopped a little, just to give it a more dramatic effect. I really like this photo. It was a candid, un-posed shot. I happened to walk out on the balcony of the ocean house the bride was staying out and saw her reflecting before the wedding. This was literelly minutes before the wedding. I'll be finishing up this bride's wedding photos this weekend. They are great.

So today is Halloween. It's also Georgia vs. Florida weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. Tonight we are going to a costume party, tomorrow an early morning book sale and then all you can eat and drink football party, so needless to say, I'm really excited. Not to mention the weather, it is wonderful, absolutely outstanding.

So with nice weather, you want to know how I'm liking it in the Scrambler? Well.... yeah. With the help of my friend Joe I got the transmission back in over the weekend. I tidied everything up and took it for a test drive. It drove perfectly. I was so happy. Then I noticed the oil leak. I filled it up with oil on Sunday and it was completely drained by Wednesday... yeah, not good. Frankly, I don't have time to trace the leak, tear the jeep down again and fix it, so i took it to a trusted mechanic who I know will do it quicker than I can. It's just a gasket, so it's not that bad, just a PITA you know?

So, that's all I got folks. Have a great halloween. I might post a photo up later of some of our costumes, so be checking back...

Friday Foto: Quick Photoshop Fix

2008-10-24T06:39:00.005-05:00

I love photoshop. I've had this conversation several times with numerous different people. A lot of photographers and people believe that photoshop is a crutch and that it's popularity makes us question whether a photograph is really good or if it's been enhanced in photoshop to give it that 'wow' factor. It's true you can make an ordinary photo extraordinary within photoshop. When it comes to the validity argument of whether or not the photo is still a photo (in the truest sense), I offer this. Any photo that I showcase that I call a photo will not be largely enhanced. Sure, every photo I take goes through a editing program... just like every photo taken in film needs to be developed (and can be manipulated there, just so you know). But photos that have been greatly enhanced past their point of being true, I will let you know... it's just not right to try to pass off a sunset photo that was composed of three different images.

Anyway, that leads me to today's foto. I needed a quick image of someone shooting a gun from a profile view. Really quick actually. I ran over to Brunswick the other morning, took the shoot and was done with the brochure I was making that afternoon. Here's a before and after of the photo... representing, in my opinion, how photoshop can really be useful in enhancing images. Sure, I could have gotten close to the same effect (although not exactly) with proper lighting, exposure, white balance, etc, but I didn't have time for that. The client loved the shot, and my favorite comment so far on it has been, "Wow, that looks like something you'd see in Atlanta or somewhere." HA HA HA HA

Anyway, so not much else is new. I have a couple of things planned this weekend, first and foremost is to get my Jeep all back together. I'm so close, with the transmission already positioned in place, I just need to bolt it on. I need to repack the front bearings as well and then refill all the fluids and cross my fingers that I did everything correctly.

I also have a video project to shoot. But, most importantly, I have some time to spend with Kelly. I've been so busy this whole week, either at the office or under the Jeep, I don't think I've actually seen her in close to 3 days.

So that's it folks. Hope yall have a great weekend and quick Friday. Cheers.

Friday Foto: Foggy, outside and in

2008-10-17T07:16:00.003-05:00

Whew...what a busy week. I'm glad it's Friday and I'm glad Im leaving for Athens this afternoon. I'm heading up to see Kelly's brother who plays for Vandy whoop some Dawg butt... hopefully. Should be a great game.

Today's photo was taken over next to the Lodge at Sea Island.

So, I'm getting into video. I purchased an HD video camera for a couple of jobs and can't wait to play with it. I'm really excited about making little movies. When I get my first one done, i'll post it up here so you guys can check it out.

Have a great weekend, I will.

Latest wedding

2008-10-12T16:05:00.005-05:00

Here's some pictures from one of the latest weddings I shot. As always, I do a little "photographer's favorites" section. Enjoy!

The photos are here!

Friday Foto: Lots going on, lots new

2008-10-10T06:51:00.004-05:00

Good morning folks. Wow, what a whirlwind couple weeks I've had. I've been so busy, was laid-out sick for close to four days, and have been working late every night. It's OK, I'm having a good time.

Today's photo comes from a wedding I shot a couple of weeks ago. I really like this photo. It was such a gorgeous venue and a wonderfully arranged and tasteful wedding, large in part to the great planning by Event's by Caroline, the wedding coordinator that put the whole shindig on. So easy working with her.

I'm shooting another wedding this weekend and I'm looking forward to it. It should be nice with the ceremony at the Gazebo on St. Simons, and the reception at the Coastal Kitchen restaurant which is on the Marina here. So other than that, I plan on spending the rest of the time this weekend under my Jeep hopefully making some headway on putting the thing back together (read last week's post).

Hmmm, so what else is new? Well, Kelly told me not to mention anything out right, but that if I wanted to allude to it, I could. So let's see...

"So, I'll soon have a great subject to shoot for future Friday Fotos."

"I guess I won't have too many more weekends where I write, 'Nothing much else is going on.'"

"There goes my photography and Jeep budget, right out the window."

"I'm so freakin excited I can barely stand it."

"Come June, I'll have another hand under the Jeep that can get in small places... OK, maybe not right away."

"At least Jeep makes one of these." (Sorry, this one might have given it away!)

Have a great weekend folks, I will!!!

Friday Foto: Great weather, no Jeep

2008-10-03T07:05:00.004-05:00

Oh man, I am loving this weather. It got down in the 50s last night. I'm so pumped about this weather, especially since the weekend is here and what a fall weekend it is! I get to attend a wedding this weekend (not shoot), which will be a nice change. Then, after that, I'm going to a Bluegrass festival here on St. Simons. They'll have an all-you-can-eat BBQ, oyster, low-county boil, etc. Oh yeah, and of course, beer. I'm excited, it should be loads of fun.

So this picture is from Ridgeville, just north of Darien. I was up there a couple days ago and liked how the sun was lighting the spanish moss. Thought I'd share it with you guys.

So the Jeep.... yeah... It's about to undergo a semi-major drivetrain facelift. My clutch has been going out, so I knew I needed to replace that soon. My rear main seal has been pretty much nonexistent, leaking oil EVERYWHERE, and just recently, my ring gear has been pretty much dying. I was planning on undergoing all this work in the next couple of weeks, but was forced to begin now as of last night. The ring gear is what the starter turns over to get the car started. It is a big ring with teeth on it located in the engine. After awhile, the teeth start to wear and the starter can't grab. You can sometimes rock the car back and fourth (what I've been doing to two weeks) to try and get to a place on the gear that still has teeth, so you can start it, but last night it finally didn't work anymore. Luckily I was at the house so I pushed it in the garage and that's that. Time to drop the tranny and get real messy. I'm going to replace all that stuff and clean the whole thing up, new fluids and any other parts that can be replaced while I'm at it.

Other than that, I have no plans. Going to open my windows and have some fresh air. I advise you to do the same. Cheers folks.

Friday Foto: Black Sky

2008-09-26T07:12:00.005-05:00

I thought this photo was somewhat fitting for the current weather we've been having. I haven't seen the sun in about 4 days, but I'm not complaining. This giant front that has come through has cooled things off tremendously and I'm absolutely loving it! This photo is another infrared film shot. I like it; like the simplicity in it. The sky is rendered black because it was a very vibrant, cool, blue and that's black in infrared b&w film world.

The other shots were taken at the Spa at the Cloister on Sea Island. I was hired to shoot some product shots for a company that had a hand in the construction of the Spa. These are a couple of my favorites...

I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow. It should be fun, I'm looking forward to it. Not much else is new really. I'm working on photos for the Magazine, and that's keeping me busy. I get to pick my subject for my photo essay in it and I'm really excited about this one, but I'm not telling! But what's just as exciting, I get to lay it out this time as well. I'm really pumped about that... It's going to be awesome, can't wait to show you all.

Not much is on tap for this weekend. The usual, I'll crash after shooting the wedding and probably work on my jeep a little on Sunday. Whatever I do, I'm going to take full advantage of this weather, that's for sure.

Have a great weekend guys.

Mid-week sharing time

2008-09-24T16:05:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share a couple of links with you, mid-week, for a little surprise. I know, I normally don't post during the week anymore. I wish I could, I'm just so busy. Ahhh, I miss the days where I would post at all hours and you readers actually commented. Oh well.... hehe.

First link, the magazine I shoot for, The Golden Isles Magazine, has a web site with the whole issue in PDF format, so you can go check out the whole thing, if you haven't seen it. And, in response to a recent comment on one of my last posts, I did have a picture of Village Creek Landing, or Coozies as it's known by locals... check out page 18 of the online version of the magazine.

Now, onto the second thing. Canon just released a new camera about a week ago (the 5D Mark II). The cool thing about this new Digital SLR, is that it records video... not just any video, but HD. You can use all of your normal camera lenses on it, but record video as well. It's amazing. This one photographer got his hands on a pre-release version for 72 hours and shot this short film, the first one, with it. It's unbelievable, really. I think this is going to revolutionize a lot of videography and photography. You HAVE to watch this video, it's like three minutes long. Keep in mind, the guy did NOTHING to the footage except compress it to fit on the web. I'm speechless.... Here it is. Enjoy folks.

Friday Foto: Busy shooting heads

2008-09-19T07:02:00.002-05:00

The head shot. Something every model needs to get them into the world of modeling. It's my understanding that they get head shots and try to market themselves to different agencies. If they are lucky to be accepted, they will most definitely be reshot by that agency... but they need something to get their foot in the door. I got hooked up with this agent here locally that has several child clients (up to 18 years old, I'm guessing) and have been busy shooting head shots for these kids (4 this week alone!). I love shooting people, especially when the person is used to being photographed. It's such a change from shooting people who are shy in front of the camera.... but, I like shooting those kind of people too... it gives me a chance to "crack" them and really try to get something genuine out of them. I shot this girl yesterday afternoon in downtown Brunswick. The downtown lends itself to great photo opportunities offering several unique backgrounds. I haven't even began to process these photos yet, but pulled this one out for yall to look at. I think the shoot went great.

In other news, we were planning on traveling up to the mountains this weekend, but decided at the last minute against it. We are going to just lay low, soak in some down time before I have four weekends back-to-back with weddings and events.

Man, something I always begin to blog about this time of year, the weather. It's cooling off a little bit! I know this is just a front and will only probably- if we are lucky- last through the weekend, but it's going to be fantastic and I'm going to take full advantage of it. Mid-70s and low humidity will be a nice change from the norm.

I got my jeep all put back together, so that's good news. I'll tinker on it this weekend for sure, but nothing major. I probably will install a choke with the cool weather coming now. A choke enables the engine to start easier when it's cold, and not having one for a cold start is a real pain. So... that's it. Happy Friday.

Friday Foto: Jeepless and colorless

2008-09-12T06:51:00.004-05:00

Good morning folks. Another week flown by, that's crazy. Time seems to be flying by lately. I can't believe it's almost halfway through September. So, today's picture is just a little glimpse of a project I'm working on. I won't delve too much into it, for fear of getting scooped by somebody, but I'm pretty excited about it. This particular image I'm very proud of. It is a true infrared image. I bought a couple rolls of infrared film before I left for Italy and have been experimenting with them. I took some shots in Italy and finished up a some of the frames here. I sent the film off to a lab in Atlanta and got the negatives back early this week. I then scanned them into the computer with a film scanner and that's it. I haven't done anything to these images yet. I LOVE the dynamic range in this shot. I have more shots that are just as good I think, and as soon as I get my collection together you'll be first to know my friends.

So, onto the jeepless part... nothing new here. I began a routine little wrenching on my Scrambler last weekend and it's still on-going. Nothing is easy with that thing. I've spent more time dealing with mud and rust covered bolts and nuts then I've actually spent doing something constructive. I'm freshening up the front axle; replacing the fluids, etc. Good thing I have my scooter, so I'm not at a total loss anyway... and 100 mpg isn't that bad!

I am shooting a wedding this weekend. It's over on Jekyll Island. I hope to spend the remainder of the weekend putting my Jeep back together, finishing up a couple of wedding albums and spending some time with Kel. That's all I got on the tap folks. I'm trying to coax Kelly into heading up to the cabin for a short little getaway next weekend. We'll see if that comes into fruition, I sure hope it does. I could use a little mini-getaway. Have a good friday.

Friday Foto: Golden Isles Magazine

2008-09-05T07:04:00.002-05:00

Well it's out folks, my first issue of the Golden Isles Magazine that I am shooting for. For this first issue, September/October, I was not the exclusive photographer due to my Italian adventure in July. So I do share some photo credit, but the magazine is filled with predominately my photos including my photo essay "Vanishing Landmarks" which I'm pretty happy with. This cover shot is mine as well, and much loved local favorite, low country boil. The magazine looks good, the design still needs some tweaking but we are working with them on that.

Not much else is new here. I have nothing planned this weekend, which is really nice. Yall have a great weekend!

Friday Foto: mmmm, pasta

2008-08-29T08:14:00.002-05:00

I love italian food. All kinds. I don't care what it is. So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to work on the marketing material for Parisa's Marinara sauce, which will hit stores soon and is straight from St. Simons Island. Earlier this week I shot some pics for the web site that I'm working on. Hope you like.

I'm so excited about this weekend. It's a 3-day weekend! Yay for labor. It's also my birthday today, so I get to sit on my rear all weekend and do nothing. Not. Actually, I'll be pretty busy, but it's OK. I have my new Apple TV to play with as well! Yes, my wife is wonderful. She feeds my addiction to gadgets and Apple products quite nicely.

This thing's amazing. It stores all my music, photos, movies and more on it and makes it easily accessible from my LCD TV and surround sound. I can also access the web on it, so I can surf using my TV. Man, it's so cool.

Anyway, that's all I got. I'll be posting some new photos soon, so check back! Ciao.

Friday Foto: Fay Foto Fun, etc.

2008-08-22T06:37:00.016-05:00

Whew, what a week! I absolutely LOVE storms. For many reasons really, but for mainly the dramatic skylines, winds, excitement in the air, etc. For you who don't know what I'm referring to, I'm talking about Tropical Storm Fay. It barely missed us yesterday and we are still getting pretty nice rain and wind bands from her as she slides south across northern Florida.

Let's back up for a second though. This past Tuesday I took a day off to hang out with my cousin who was in town for the night. It was great to see him and we really got to spend some quality time together over beer, fishing rods and the boat. I caught a nice pompano that I filleted right there and plan on cooking this weekend for dinner. Not bad for a day off!

So, Wednesday was the first real day of storm conditions. I had to take a head shot of somebody at lunch for some new business cards I'm working on for them, and since I already had all my gear out, I looked around for a photo of the storm. I went out to Gould's Inlet and didn't really get much. I got this shot, the one you see below. I turned around to see this camera man with a lens in my face. Turns out he was with The Brunswick News, and now I'm on their web site. I've really made it big now, let me tell you.

I knew the waves would be crashing over the rocks at 5th Street beach, so I drove on down there and got this shot. I was putting away my camera when a little lady pulled up to watch the waves. She sat there and I watched a huge wave come over the rocks and wall and crash onto her car... she speed off scared out of her mind.

I then called my friend who I KNEW would be out surfing or planning to. I was right, he was en route to the Sea Island jetty at that very moment with some friends about to go hit the waves. I followed them out there and grabbed some shots. You really can only surf here (St. Simons Island, Sea Island) during storms. We just don't really have the waves for it. Even in storms, the surfing isn't great. Nice waves, but they break too fast and your ride is short.

Other than that, that's all I've been doing. Shooting, working and trying to stay dry. I put my hard top and hard doors on my Jeep to combat the rain a little. It definitely helps, but it still leaks and I've been packing full rain gear every day prepared for the worse. I have no plans this weekend. I'm supposed to be helping my in-laws move into their new house if the weather holds out. If it doesn't, I'll be doing a lot of nothing... to which I'm NOT complaining. Have a great weekend, stay dry.

Friday Foto: Whew...

2008-08-15T07:11:00.003-05:00

What a week. I've been swamped at work and on top of that, have been shooting like mad trying to wrap up all my shots for the magazine. I finished the shots yesterday at lunch and what a relief. Next issue won't be so stressful, because I won't be in Italy for 2 weeks during the production.

Today's shot is an outtake from a shoot I did for the magazine. I'll make it a habit not to post any photos here until they are published, giving the magazine first rights. The magazine is doing a spread on Fly-Fishing. Being an avid Fly-Fisherman, I got real excited about this shoot. I organized a couple of models, a boat and a cooler and we set out last Friday after work. On the way to Hampton Marina, the bottom dropped out of the sky raining like I haven't seen in a LONG time. We waited it out at the Marina, determined to get the shot. It cleared up and we rushed out, not knowing how long of a window we would have. We hit a couple of places and returned, just in time for the rain to come back again. That's one thing I love, the way the sky looks during a storm. It's so dramatic. This shot was taken from Mosquito Creek, looking out to the ocean. I love how you can see the rain coming in from the right side of the picture...

I am looking forward to this weekend. I plan on doing a good bit of work on my jeep and house. It should be a fun time. That's it for now folks.... I'll be back soon.

Friday Foto: One of my favs

2008-08-08T06:54:00.003-05:00

So this is a photo I took in Italy. This was taken in Siena, just outside of Florence, Italy. We went there for a little day trip. One of our favorite things to do is to just walk. We start walking in a city we don't know and see where it leads us. We know Florence like the back of our hand because of this; it's all we used to when we lived there and largely how we spent our time last trip. Kelly was walking down this long corridor and I quickly pulled my camera out, changing the settings to insure the sky would blow out (all white like it is) and aid in silhouetting Kelly. I hand-held this shot, resting my arm on a post to make sure it was sharp.

Anyway, not much else is new. I've been real busy with work and photographing. Actually, this afternoon I have to go out in the boat and get some fishing photos. I know, tough life huh?

Kelly started back at school this week. The kids don't come back until next week. She's playing the "poor me" card pretty well, but I know deep down she's really glad to be back. She loves to teach and loves her kids.

No major plans this weekend. I'm beaching it on Saturday, gonna work on my jeep for a while, and just lounge around. August is pretty lax for me, thank goodness, because I have three weddings in September, two in November and one in December (so far). Whew!!!! Have a great Friday folks.

Friday Foto: italiaono fotografie

2008-08-01T07:09:00.007-05:00

I'm back, did you miss me? We had an amazing time. It truly was a trip of a life time. Everything went perfect, only had one travel hiccup on the return trip (a delay), but other than that, everything went surprisingly perfect. Our apartment was great; centrally located, nicely furnished, cold AC. I have so much I would like to write about it, but that will have to come later. To sum it up though, the best thing about the trip? Going to Lucca, a little town outside of Florence, in the heart of Tuscany; and spending time with Kelly, just Kelly. This was the first time, in a very long time, Kelly and I were able to spend a solid period of time together, with just each other, probably since our honeymoon. It was great. Here's some of my favorite photos.

Friday Foto: Shula and Florence

2008-07-18T07:00:00.005-05:00

That's an odd combination. I bet no where else in the WORLD can you find an article talking about Florence, Italy and Coach Don Shula. Consider yourself lucky folks.

This past week I was hired to travel down to Jacksonville, FL to shoot the grand opening of the Sheraton Hotel and their restaurant Shula's 347. The restaurant is the 27th steak-house that former Miami Dolphin's Coach Don Shula owns. I'm not a big sports fan really, but apparently this guys a pretty big deal. I believe he is the most winningest coach in NFL history (correct me if I'm wrong). I know he led the 1972 Dolphin's team through a perfect season (17-0) and won the super bowl. He is a great guy. The opening was very nice, especially the Jacksonville Jaguar cheerleaders. They had a silent auction as well, the main item being a helmet signed by the whole '72 team that went for $3,800.

So, tomorrow Kelly and I leave for Italy. I am so excited I can barely stand it. I can't fully let go yet with excitement because I still have a lot to do at the office, plus a wedding to shoot tonight. I imagine the time will go by very fast though, leaving me standing in the 2-hour security line at the Atlanta airport upon me before I can say ciao.

Our plans are very basic. Eat, walk, shoot pictures, eat, eat gelato, drink wine, drink wine, drink wine. We have a few places we want to go see around the Florence area (all through Tuscany) but mainly plan on just hanging out. We've lived in Florence (during college) so a lot of the "must see" stuff is already checked off the list. We might venture as far as Venice for a day, if we feel like it (I know, tough vacation huh?). The last day we are flying out of Rome and are packing a full day in there, seeing everything we can.

I'm really excited about shooting while over there. I'm bringing a good selection of gear, as well as some film stuff including my favorite black and white film (Ilford 50) and two rolls of Infrared black and white film. I'm pretty pumped about experimenting with that stuff. Anyway, I hope to be able to put together a show of some sort, but we'll see.

That's all I got folks. Stay tuned while I'm away. I might be posting from time to time from Italy via my iPhone, so swing on by for some updates! CIAO CIAO!

Friday Foto: Golden Isles

2008-06-27T07:24:00.003-05:00

So I've had a pretty good week folks. Very busy, but very productive. This week I sealed the deal on a contract that makes me the exclusive photographer for The Golden Isles Illustrated. The magazine is a regional bi-monthly publication that focuses in and around the Golden Isles. This magazine is ran through a branch of the Brunswick News and used to be in production but has since been on hold. They had some kinks to work out, graphically and editorially. The have decided to revamp the publication, getting fresh writers and designers. They actually sought me out for my photography and after some negotiating, we have agreed on a contract giving me exclusive photo rights within the magazine.... meaning, I will shoot all the pics for the publication's features. I have even been given wide range on what I want to shoot and they are interested in running pictorials of my choice. So, this is great news for me, I'm very excited.

So what else? I'm heading to my cabin this weekend. I'm very excited, ready to get away to the mountains to relax a bit. But, I'll be bringing a lot of work as well and trying to catch up 100% on my work load.

On the Jeep front, I'm finally getting bigger tires for my Scrambler. I'm so excited. After spending all last weekend under a friend's Wrangler installing a 3-inch suspension lift and new 33" tires, I got the fever worse than ever. Hell, I've always had the fever, just didn't push it. I actually found an unbelievable deal on a set of 33" off-road tires (33x12.50 TSL's, for you who care) from a guy up around my cabin, so I'll be picking them up this weekend. I'll post a pic when I get back.

Thanks folks, and have a great weekend.

Updated Website

2008-06-20T10:31:00.003-05:00

After a long time, I've finally updated my web site. I have several new photos through out the site, along with a new gallery format that allows for fullscreen viewing of the photos. So, head on over to www.benjamingalland.com and enjoy folks.

Thanks, and happy Friday!

Friday Foto: Trash the Dress

2008-06-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Well, not entirely a Trash the Dress shoot, but the closest I've been to one yet. I've been begging my brides to get crazy in their wedding dress after the wedding. Jump in the water, roll on the ground, play in a fountain. The potential for great photos is high! What better juxtaposition then a bride in an elegant wedding dress, doing something not-so-elegant? You may think I'm crazy, but Trashing the Dress has actually become a very popular thing amongst brides these days.

Anyway, so if you keep up with Apple news you will know that they will be releasing a new software for the iPhone and a new iPhone at the beginning of July. Both updates are continuing to revolutionize the cellphone technology market. Kudos to Apple! If you ever wanted an iPhone, July 11 will be a good time to buy one. They upgrade the phone, made it thinner, faster and half the price!

No major plans this weekend. No weddings or shoots believe it or not. That's all I got folks. Thanks for tuning in.

Womp Off 2008!

2008-06-09T07:40:00.013-05:00

What a huge success the Womp Off held on St. Simons Island was yesterday. Held at The Old Coast Guard Station beach, the Womp Off, or Wompzilla (as some have called it) drew more people this year than the past two combined. I shot the event and hosted a slideshow last night at the award's ceremony up at Gnat's Landing (a local restaurant/bar). Oh, and just in case you don't know what womping is... it's skim boarding. Throwing a thin surfboard-like board on the incoming waves and gliding over it. As you'll see in the pics, it can be pretty dangerous and pretty amazing.

The first one was shot with a method called panning. I had to stop down the aperture to allow for a slower shutter speed and then pan with the moving subject, allowing for the subject to be in the same spot on the picture (making him appear motionless) and the background blurred across the frame... make sense? It's tricking to get right and I'm really happy I did get this one, and a couple of others.... I'm setting up www.wompoff.com right and I'll let you know when it's up. From here, we'll have more info on the sport, event and all the photos. Hope yall had a great weekend. (as always, click to enlarge these photos!)

Friday Foto: Wompzilla!

2008-06-06T06:43:00.003-05:00

This weekend marks the 4th annual Womp Off here on St. Simons Island. What is womping you may ask? Skim boarding, that's what the less-informed call it. You take a thin surfboard-like board, throw it on the skim of the water as the tide comes up, run and jump on it and coast. Womping got it's name from the sound the old plywood boards made as the slapped onto the surface of the water. I had probably the coolest wompboard EVER! I wanted one so bad, and in typical father fashion, we just didn't go out and buy one... NO NO, we had to MAKE it. Oh was it sweet. Marine-grade plywood, about 3/8 of an inch thick, about 10 coats of polyurethane for an ultra-thick coat, with custom graphics like a "B" for ben (hot green, yellow and pink, of course). Ocean Motion and SOS (Save Our Sands) stickers plastered everywhere. Man, I wonder what ever happened to that. No doubt it ended up in one of my Mom's garage sales, fetching a whopping $1.25. Hope somebody dropped it on their big toe as much as I did.

Anyway, I don't womp any more. I think it's a physic thing really. There's some mathematical formula for how much weight to surface to water depth ratio that I'm SURE I EXCEED, thus disabling any womping from my future. Instead, I shoot the boarders, which I find equally as fun. This is really a great event, very family oriented. They teach the little kids how to do it, and then hold all sorts of competitions. After it's over, we have a big award ceremony up at a local restaurants (Gnats) where I'll show a slide show of the good, the bad and the ugly. The whole thing starts Sunday at noon at the old coast guard station beach.

Other than that, I have a pretty busy weekend. I have an engagement photo session Saturday morning with a wedding Saturday evening. My shootin' fingers gonna be tired.

Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: End of May, Beginning of Busy

2008-05-30T06:48:00.002-05:00

As if I'm not already busy enough, today is the last work day of May, and June and July are my busy months. I don't think I have a free weekend between now and the time we leave for Italy. Speaking of Italy, I took this photo in Venice (of course). I especially like the gondola driver... he makes the photo.

Anyway, so nothing else is really new since last post. We had a blast on Memorial Day. I went balls to the wall the entire weekend. Woke up, went to the beach, drank beer, went to dinner, partied hard. I paid for it on Tuesday morning when I was at work by 7:30 a.m.

That's really all I have folks. Pretty short post, I know, but I have nothing more to say. Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Blue Moon

2008-05-23T07:03:00.002-05:00

I love that beer, such a great taste. Here's a pic of the full moon rising over the channel between St. Simons Island an Jekyll. I dug this up the other day for a spread in Elegant Island Living magazine. Don't know if it will be used, but they were looking for moon shots. I like it.

So, I'm so excited about this weekend. My college friends Susannah and Laurie (they're sisters) are coming down to see us! I'm really pumped. I'm taking a half day today and going home and smoking a whole butt, chicken, some wings, etc. We are having a Memorial Day cook out tomorrow, and seeing as how I plan on being at the beach around 9AM tomorrow, I won't have time to smoke the food then.

Sunday night is Gnatfest, so there'll be live music and lots of partying at one of our favorite bars. So this is really the perfect weekend for my friends to come.

Kelly and I are really excited about our trip to Italy. Throughout the next couple of months I'll post some of my favorite photos from when I lived there, so keep an eye out.

And, last but not least, my sister passed her nursing boards yesterday! She is a real RN, congrats to her! I made her do shots last night... not with a needle (such a good brother I am!).

I'm going to Italia!

2008-05-20T13:12:00.004-05:00

Kelly and I just booked our flights and our lodging. We are finally, after 5 years, going back to Italy. If you didn't know, we lived there for close to 5 months in 2003 while we studied in Florence. We have since then missed the unsalted tuscan bread, olive oil and chianti so much. Thank God for frequent flier miles, as we were able to use them and secure to tickets flying into Florence and back out from Rome. I knew all that spending I've been doing on my American Express card since High School would pay off one day!

We have been planning on going for awhile, but we were planning on going next summer. When I found out I had enough miles to get the tickets for free, we bumped the trip up to this summer and are so excited.

We are renting a place in Florence for a week. We want to be able to cook, so we want to have access to a kitchen and this way we save on food costs too. Here's where we are staying, we've already booked it. Falleri Apartment.

We are going to rent a car for a day as well, go drive up in Tuscany, visit a vineyard, and stop at every kilometer and take pictures. I'll write more about Italia within the weeks to come, don't worry. BTW, I took this photo with my old 35mm Minolta Camera, loaded with Ilfrod BW 100. I loved that film. It's a skyline shot of Florence taken from Piazza Michelangelo, a great place in Florence... awesome walk to get there.

Friday Foto: New Lens, Another Wedding, Bird and Dog

2008-05-16T06:44:00.007-05:00

Hey Folks, that title about sums it up. I bought a new zoom lens the other day, and it is bodacious. Really bodacious. It's nice and long and fast too, which allows me to get shots like the ones above of a Great Blue Heron and my dog. A lens described as fast is one that has a low aperture, allowing one to shoot photos with little light and still get them sharp. This lens is going to really shine when it comes to weddings. I'll be able to sit in the back and shoot close-up photos of the ceremony with no flash. Anyway... that's that.

So, I finished the last wedding I had and posted the photos. Below are two of my favorites from that wedding. To see more of them, follow the yellow brick road to here and see all my favorites.

I have another wedding this weekend. It's another one of my close friends getting married. It should be a grand ole time. Rehearsal dinner tonight and the wedding tomorrow.

Next weekend is Memorial Day and I have a couple of college friends coming down and I can't wait. I haven't seen them for about a year and Kelly hasn't seen them in about 4 years. Crazy huh. Anyway, that's all I got right now. Have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Timing is everything

2008-05-09T06:47:00.003-05:00

I'm sure I'll get kicked hard for posting this photo, but it's worth it to convey this simple rule in photography: Timing is everything. No where is that more important in event photography, especially weddings.

Man, this week as flown by. I've worked harder this week than I have in a long time and this weekend couldn't come at a better time. My one down weekend (sort of) until another wedding next weekend. It will be a great wedding though, another close friend getting married.

Kelly and I are heading up to Statesboro, GA tomorrow to see her sister graduate from Georgia Southern. Then on Sunday we are hosting a Mother's Day dinner at our house, which has turned into a small soiree of sorts. Everybody wants in!

I plan on finalizing the photos from this past wedding this weekend. I'll post the link here so you can all see them. I'm slightly changing the way I present photos from a wedding, I'm going to give each bride and groom a little web flash slideshow of my favorites on top of the regular ordering page. That should make for better viewing.

Anyway, that's all I got. Hope yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Lot's of People, no Pants

2008-05-02T06:34:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd get your attention with that title. Today is No Pants Day! It's a great holiday, and anyone can participate. I'm wearing shorts today, wish I could go all out and be in my undies, but alas, I have to maintain some sort of professionalism (ha, yeah right). So, enjoy fellow pantless patrons.

I've been shooting a lot of people lately. Some for weddings, some for portraits and some for advertising. I like shooting people because there is that element of the unexpected, that you don't get when shooting static subjects like homes, flowers and beaches.

I like this shot... Behind Rafter's Blues and Raw Bar on St. Simons Island. We do a lot of work for them, and I have spent a good deal of time there listening to great music.

Anyway, I'm excited about this weekend. I'm going out in my boat tomorrow, the inaugural summer boating trip, to be followed, by many, many more. I have a shoot Sunday afternoon and all day Monday for a conference and then more weddings to come. I'm keeping pretty busy, and loving it.

Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Busy little bee

2008-04-25T06:30:00.006-05:00

I will shoot more this week than I have in a 7-day period probably ever. I had a bridal portrait session last weekend, I spent two solid days shooting flora and landscapes for Sea Island, today I have a soccer team shoot and this evening kicks off my first wedding of the season, and it's going to be a big one. I'm shooting the rehearsal tonight and the wedding with all festivities tomorrow.

I'm really excited about the Sea Island shooting I've been doing. I'm working with my good friend Whit who works as a landscape architect for SI and we are compiling a DVD portfolio of all the work that the landscape department does. From whole residential landscapes and hardscapes, to floral arrangement, centerpieces and containers. It's a ton of stuff and I'm only done with half of the shooting, but am very happy with some of the shots I've gotten so far.

Bridal portraits are always fun. Brides are usually so excited to get into their dress and the excitement just jumps into the frame. This was a great bride to work with. I've known her for a very long time, so that always makes thinks a little bit easier.

I'm really pumped about the wedding this weekend. It's going to be a blast for sure. What makes this one (and several I have this summer actually) particularly great is that I know the bride and/or groom very well. Knowing each other ALWAYS makes the photographing easier and better. People feel more comfortable with a photographer they know and/or can relate to, versus some sleaze in a black suite with slicked-back hair bossing you around. So be on the lookout for some of my favorite photos from this wedding when I finish, I'm sure I'll get some great ones.

Friday Foto: Ummmm, Pizza

2008-04-18T06:37:00.004-05:00

I love food, no big surprise there. One thing I love ALMOST as much as eating food is shooting food. The colors are always really diverse and the creativity is almost endless. Food photography is actually a really big thing. There are photographers that specialize in only shooting food. Lighting and composition is key in all photos, but I think a little more so in culinary photos. See, it's easy to take a picture of a dish, but to make it look appetizing is where the skill and know-how comes into play. If the food looks flat (poorly lit) and sloppy (poorly composed) forget it. Take the photo below. This is a slice of real pizza, believe it or not. Look how flat it looks. The photographer had a flash shot directly on the food, allowing no shadow and light fall-off, creating a very washed out image. Not to mention the composure... ummmmm, wax paper.

I'm working on a promotion for Brogen's North, a local restaurant here in town. They are running a special on a medium pizza, two house salads and a pitcher of beer for $22 (not bad off the rack price of $30!). I used an off-camera flash and bounced it off the ceiling and then the mirror (not visible in pic) to the right of the food. I think it came out pretty nice.

Anyway, not much else is new. I'm chaperoning the High School's Grad Night this Saturday evening. This is, for you that are less informed, when a whole bunch of HS seniors go down to Disney World for an inclusive party basically. Rides are open and it's an all-night event, just for Seniors. They have well-known bands there too. Laugh if you will, but it's a pretty sweet gig for a chaperone. Disney takes care of us. There's a whole chaperone-only section that has a never ending buffet, unreleased movies on the big screen (complete with free popcorn and candy), and yes, we too can ride all the rides (which I really enjoy). They already have security down there in the park, so we really don't do much.

That's all I got. Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Post: Up on Cripple Creek

2008-04-11T06:44:00.003-05:00

I just got back from Colorado. I was there from last Thursday until this past Tuesday. I spend the days fly-fishing and photographing (OK, and drinking my fare share of the CO-based beer from the Belgium Brewing Company, i.e. Fat Tire, Mothership Wit). I had a much needed brake, some quality mountain time, but I'm glad to be back to my wife and home.

We went to Cripple Creek, the town The Band's song (Cripple Creek) is based upon. Note to readers, next time you go to Colorado, DO NOT got to Cripple Creek. Aside from the Pecos Bill themed slot casinos and the crappy poker joints, there is NOTHING here.

I did a lot of photography, more so than fishing I would say. We fished three solid days and I am happy to inform you that I was NOT skunked. On the third day I got about 5 trout, which is fine with me.

As all my photos go, I'm not totally done with an image until I print it. Inevitably there will be tweaks in the printing process that will render the photo better. However, I am pretty please with some of the stuff that I got while out there.

We stayed in my uncle's (dad's twin brother) cabin. It's on top of a mountain in Westcliffe. My aunt (their sister) has a cabin on the other mountain, and you can see them from each other. Talking between cabins across the valley is a breeze. I say 'cabins' loosely, because these are not your typical mud and log dwellings, as you'll see in the photos.

So, without further adieu, here are three different galleries with some photos from my trip. Hope you enjoy. I would love to hear what you think, so post up.

My artsy-fartsy photos

My Uncle's Cabin

My Aunt's Cabin

Friday Foto: IR again...

2008-03-28T07:02:00.004-05:00

I'm still really interested in Infrared photography. I've blogged about it before, if you remember. Basically, it's a film that is sensitive to the light waves that are just beyond our perception. So, the fact that we can't see it makes it that much harder to shoot. Above is another example of IR photography, although not a true example. This was recreated in photoshop.

I bought a roll of IR film though, and hope to experiment with it next week when I am in Colorado. I'm really excited about going. It's going to give me great opportunities to expand my photography, and not to mention fishing. I've been in withdrawl for awhile now because it's been awhile since I last wet a line.

The other photo is from the same place that the "IR" one was taken. Right before that photo was taken, Gwinny had jumped off the dock and right into the marsh mud.... the kind that you sink into. She went completely up to her underbelly. I laughed hysterically watching her try to get out of that one... she succeeded in 4-Lo.

Not much else is new on my end. I have some great things in the works though, and you all will be the first to know when they come into fruition. But, for now, keep your fingers crossed for me folks.

I plan on shooting a little this weekend. Hopefully I can get out early Saturday morn. The rest of the day I WILL spend with beer and beach. I promise you that. Have a great day!

Friday Foto: Nothing New, but don't worry

2008-03-21T07:02:00.006-05:00

It's been a slow month for me, photography speaking, but don't worry I got LOTS on the horizon.

First and foremost, I'm in this month's Southern Living Magazine! Monkey Love Gallery and Dessert Bar, where I've hung a couple shows, was featured in the Georgia Living section of the April 2008 issue, and the half-page photo of Britt (the owner) is taken with her pointing at the photos and the caption reads:

"The menu at Britt Figueroa's Monkey Love Dessert Bar and Gallery in Brunswick includes big laughs, serious talk, and exhibits such as these photographs by Ben Galland."

So, that's pretty cool. I'm excited about that one. Other than that, here's what else is new. I'm working on a new design for my web site. It will look and feel very similar, but be way cooler. It's going to be 90% Flash, and you are going to be able to activate it in a full-screen mode and on select photos you'll be able to zoom all over the photo to really see the detail in the work. And, finally, you'll be able to order fine-art prints from the site. All prints will go through me, so I can control and guarantee the quality.

And last but not least, In about 2 weeks I'll be traveling to Colorado for a Fly-Fishing and Photography trip. I'm going with my dad and a couple of his brothers. My uncle has a cabin tucked away in some mountain out there. We will most definitely hike into remote places in search for trout and I am packing in my camera equipment. This will be my first trip out west as a photographer (although I've been out there two other times, before I really knew what I was doing). I've been reading and studying a lot about the landscape out there and plan to try to get a good study out of the whole experience. I'm looking forward to making BIG photographs (composition, not file size).

I'm also looking forward to coming home after that trip. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Truer words were never spoken when it comes to Kelly and I. We hate being apart for too long (we can't ever seem to get enough of each other!), but the away time will make the return that much sweeter.

In other news, I finally got a piano. My uncle (mom's brother) gave me a spinet type last weekend. I'm meeting the piano tuner over at the house this morning. I'm so excited, you have no idea. I LOVE to play and miss it tremendously. Well, that's all I got folks. Happy Easter.

Friday Foto: another BW

2008-03-14T07:26:00.003-05:00

What do you think of this one? It was an underdog, but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

So, I'm glad it's Friday. It seems like everyone around me has been stressed out of their minds lately and I'm really looking forward to hosting a little get-together Saturday night to ease all those tensions. Usually I'm on front of the line with stress, but not right now (funny how that works).

I have no real big plans for this weekend. I'm going to, of course, work on my Jeep a little. I need to process photos from a recent wedding as well.

Friday Foto: #61!

2008-03-07T08:01:00.004-05:00

Thursday morning was the grand opening of the Chick-Fil-A on the island. I had caught wind that the first 100 people in line get free food for a year (it measure down to 52 free Combo meal coupons to be used whenever you want and expiring in 1 year). So, I set to camp out.

I didn't know what to expect because I hadn't heard much talk about it from any other people here on the island other than my little group going. We planned on scoping it out Wednesday afterwork to determine if we needed to spend the night in the parking lot or not. Well, my ride to the gym Wednesday morning answered that question as I counted about 5 tents already pitched a whole day before the event.

I spent the rest of the day working in anticipation for 5:00 p.m. I was out the door and signed up at the registration tent with number 61 by 5:15. I had my sleeping bag, my beach chair, jacket, camera and flask (of course!).

Whit and I were originally camped in our designated spot by the drive-thru, but upon complaining about the sewer smell and actually watching raw sewage bubble from the clogged drain, we were quickly moved to the place you see in the pics. These were taken about 1:30 a.m.

We had roll-call every hour up until 2 in which we had to line up and prove our attendance. If you left the parking lot or missed roll call, you were disqualified. Finally we "slept" a little from 3-5. They woke us up at 5, began roll call and after standing in line for close to an hour, enduring a speech and trumpet solo by Dan Cathy himself (owner of all), we received our coupons to the cacophony of cowbells, cheers and the chant of "corn hole" (cleverly named depository of the raw sewage, you figure it out...)

I was back in bed for an hour and then at work... what a day.

Not much planned for this weekend. I have a real small wedding to shoot on Saturday and that's about it. Yall have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: She's going to kill me

2008-02-29T07:42:00.005-05:00

It's very rare that Kelly actually lets me shoot her. I'm sure if I was more proactive in requesting her assistance as a model things would go smoother, but regardless, it was fun.

Shooting people has always been fun and challenging to me. It is 100% completely differant than shooting landscapes, abstract, etc. The only source of lighting I used was an off-camera flash triggered wirelessly. This allowed me to position the flash where I want the light to be, very similar to a strobe system. I used a soft box on the flash to dampen and soften the harsh light from the flash.

I'm sure I'll get chastised for posting these pics and be sure to view them now (read: save them to your computer), cause they might be removed soon. But oh well, I'm proud of them, I think they turned out very nice (read: HOT!)

Anyway, not much else is new in the life of Ben. I have a leak in my brake lines on my jeep and have decided to just replace all the brake lines, instead of just the one. It's almost the same amount of work to do all of them as it is to do one, and this will ensure longevity down there.

I have no big plans this weekend. Might go watch some soccer tonight. Have a great weekend all.

Friday Foto: New Favorite

2008-02-22T07:23:00.003-05:00

It's not too often I like a photo this much. I love this picture. I've been experimenting a lot lately with in-camera controls. Basically, I'm trying to get quality photos straight out of the camera, without photoshop. Now, I have NO PROBLEM with photoshop, trust me... I love that program and am not one of these photographers that say it's cheating or such. I believe it is a absolutely necessary tool to any photographer. However, the better I can get the photo in the camera, the better I get and the less time I have to sit in front of a computer.

Anyway, this shot was a mid-morning shot, as the sky turned bright blue. I changed the white-balance settings in my camera (the setting that determines the color of light, ie: warmer or cooler). I used a cooler setting, as well as a polarizer filter at a 6th of second exposure to get this image. I was standing on a rock ledge, shooting down on the moving creek. I did nothing in Photoshop to this image, other than clean off a couple of dust specs from my camera.

Funny side-story... My dog Gwinny was hanging out with me. She was standing on the rock ledge as well, just dying to get in the moving water. It was pretty quick water, so I didn't want her to go in. She was being a good girl, minding me. Well, the ledge was rather small and when I repositioned with my tripod I swung the legs around and knocked her into water and she went down stream for a good bit before being able to get out! I felt bad, but couldn't stop laughing. She's a strong swimmer.

Anyway, not much else is new. We had a great time at the cabin. It's nice to get up there for such a long time (Thursday night to Monday morning). Here's another photo I took. It's one of our best friends from college and her 14-month-old Abbey. So cute...

Have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: Vines and paper

2008-02-08T06:48:00.000-05:00

I really like this picture. My favorite part is how the vines seem to emerge out from the depths of the bottom (as always, click to enlarge this one). I'm experimenting with new fine art printing paper for my printer and man is it nice. The typical glossy photo paper that I have been using is a nice paper, but it lacks the weight, feel and overall look of the classic dark-room paper. That's mainly because I always used a fiber-based paper in the darkroom, which needless to say is a lot heavier and has a somewhat rag-like feel to it. Also, in the darkroom, your final product is a produced from a chemical reaction, one that is etched into the paper if you will. It's hard to get this effect with inkjet printing, because the ink basically lays on top of the paper. The paper I'm trying out is a type of paper nicknamed Baryta Paper. It gets that name from the thin layer of barium-sulphate gelatin that coats the top of the paper, giving the image, once printed upon, that unique darkroom quality. So far I only seem to like it for Black and White prints, but I haven't experimented too much with color. At $2.50 a sheet (8.5 x 11) I can't just go printing pics all the time.... So, if anyone sees me and wants to see the print, just ask... It's pretty cool.

Anyway, nothing really new. Have no major plans for this weekend. I'm leaving next Thursday afternoon to go to our cabin for the weekend. Man am I so excited. We are meeting a handful of old college friends up there for the long weekend (got to celebrate those presidents!). I'm really looking forward to shooting some new material while up there. Kel and I will be up there for a whole day before the other folks arrive, and I hope to get some quality time in with the Canon.

Until then....

Friday Foto: Ad shot

2008-02-01T07:52:00.000-05:00

So I do a lot of work for Southern Soul BBQ. The owner came to me the other day and wanted to promote this new dish he's offering, The Marley. He actually used to sell this at Rafters, the other bar he used to work at, but when he left he took the recipe with him. It's a great Mexican dish, a burrito of sorts with jerked-chicken and lots of Caribbean flare. Ummmmm, yummy.

Anyway, so here's the photo I took for the ad. It started out as a regular photo, but to add more of the 'southern-soul-indie-hippie-image' to the ad, I changed the pic around a bit and am very happy with the results. I love this look on certain photos, it really makes it standout.

Anyway, that's all that's going on. I have nothing bigged planned this weekend. Might head on down to Jacksonville tomorrow, and I'll watch the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Have a great weekend !

Friday Foto: Oaks

2008-01-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know this shot has been done a zillion times. I've even shot this place several times, but it was a foggy morning the other day, and in keeping with my attempt to shoot more, I pulled in and did a little.

I like it all the same, the color one is pretty nice too, but I'm trying to work on my B&W conversion here. So, tell me what you think. As always, you really need to see this one blown up and printed nice and large. It's super sharp, showing tons of detail, and this little preview doesn't do it justice. If you want to see a better representation of it, go here... I've uploaded to my web site. Be prepared for a large file.

So anyway, I have a normal, fun weekend ahead. A party on Saturday night and that's about it. Maybe I'll get to work on the Jeep a little, who knows. I have no real plans. Y'all have a great weekend!

New countertop; bathroom finished

2008-01-22T09:21:00.000-05:00

Over the christmas break we tiled our spare bathroom and hung various new fixtures. This past weekend we finished the bathroom with a new countertop made out of the same marble tile. I removed the preexisting top, modified it with new back and side splashes, and glued the marble on it, cutting where necessary. I reinstalled it and we painted a little of the walls and hung a new mirror. Done with bathroom number one, on to the master bath!

Friday Foto: art

2008-01-18T08:15:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've expressed my artistic side with photography. I get so busy shooting material for ads and clients that is seems like I have less and less time to further my artistic skills. It's a shame, because this is what I truly enjoy. I try to add my own style and artistic "flare", if you will, to my everyday shots, but a lot of the time the material I shoot dictates the style in which it needs to be shot, not the other way around.

So, I've come up with my own self-help program. I'm forcing my self to put together all new material for a show of grandeur proportions. I don't know when it will be or where. For those of you who have been to Monkey Love and seen my work there, it will not be like that. I want this in gallery, with just my work, all for me. Having this high of an aspiration forces me to push my skills further. I want BIG, bold, beautiful prints with nice solid frames. I don't know how I'll pay for that yet, but that's just a hurdle.

Now, the photography part... The show's going to have a theme, of which I haven't decided yet. Right now I'm in the conditioning stage. I've started going out and shooting more art related shots. Each time I go, I only allow myself one lens, and so far, it's been my favorite fixed focal length 50mm lens. Not having a zoom really forces me to think a little bit outside the box.

I'm toying with the idea of doing a black and white show, but haven't decided yet. Above are two shots that I took last weekend. I'm not displaying these as potential show material, just would like to get some feedback. Criticism is much needed. Have a great weekend.

Twin-Sticked Dana 300

2008-01-15T08:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know this post will probably appeal to only about 3 readers, but what the hell... it doesn't hurt to know a little bit about Jeeps, so read on.

Over the Christmas break I installed a twin-stick conversion kit into my Scrambler (thanks Santa!). What's that you may ask? I shall tell you.... Typically in 4-wheel drive equipped cars, you have two options for 4-wheel drive. 4 High, for faster speeds (like driving on icey roads, etc) and 4 low (for slower speeds, which also includes a lower gear ratio so you get more power with less engine stress). Now, that's great and all you really need (in most cases). In my Jeep, when you shift the lever, you are actually pulling a rail in and out of the transfer case (the thing that gives power from the engine to the axle). There is one rail for each axle. When you shift, it pushes both in or out, depending on what you are putting it into. Look at the stock photo with a twin-stick installed below. See how the two shifters each go to one rail? That's what I did. This gives me the ability to now shift just the front into high or low, just the rear into high or low, or any combination of the two. There are three common uses for this upgrade:

1. Rear Low, Front axle disengaged. This puts just the rear axle into low range. Imagine riding a bike in the easiest gear to peddle... Especially with a locked-rear (both wheels get power, like my jeep), in 2-Low you can get through pretty much any thing. This is good, because it puts a lot less stress on the car, not having to deal with the front axle.

2. Front Low, Rear axle disengaged. This does the opposite, putting the rear axle into Neutral. With this, you can do what's known as a 'front dig'. Having just the front axle working, you can move the front of the car where you want it. You can pull yourself up or out of things without digging the rear into a messier state of 'stuckness'.

3. Front High, Rear Disengaged. In the worst case, if you break something in the rear, like your axle, drive shaft, etc, you can disengage the whole rear driveline and get home in front-wheel drive. I've actually been in that situation before.

So anyway, here's a couple of progress pictures from my install and tunnel cover I made. Hope you enjoy...

Original setup, notice one shifter (on the left) for 4wd.

Stock Dana 300 Transfer case, with a twin-stick installed. Notice the two rails.

Mine installed, before I heated up the stainless steel
shifters and bent them to a better position.

Bent into place and beginning fabrication of a new tunnel cover
constructed of stainless steel.

All finished!!!

Friday Foto: BBQ

2008-01-11T08:25:00.000-05:00

I'm working on some more photography for Southern Soul BBQ at the moment. It's a great clients because he's edgy and it allows me to be a little bit more creative with my photography, which I always love doing. Hope you enjoy some of these pics...

Ipe Dinning Room Table

2008-01-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

Pronounced "eepay", Ipe is a hard wood commonly used for outdoor decking and furniture. Much like Teak, it is very hard to work with (I broke about 6 drill bits in the process) but sands and finishes beautifully. I got my hands on some over the Christmas break and set out to build a new dinning room table for our house. The wood was originally used for some fencing in a development on the north end of the island, and wasn't needed anymore. I modified a section of the fencing for a better fit in our dining room. We had to sand and plane a lot of it. The hardest thing to do was make the legs. I glued four planks of wood together for each leg and then tapered and routered the corners for a more elegant look. We finished it with Minwax's Clear Gloss Polyurethane... a total of five coats on the top. I think it turned out fantastic and am very happy with my 400+ pound dining room table. We need new chairs now...

Beginning of table, dismantling original fence design

Diligent sander!

Making legs. Each leg weighs approximately 30lbs!

Finished sanding.

Measuring, fitting, cutting and biscuit-joining trim to top.

First coat of polyurethane.

AND...... FINISHED!

Friday Foto: the last pics of 07

2008-01-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

2008 is here, and I'm back at work after taking close to 2 weeks off. Man, was it nice to have so much time off. I'm fortunate enough to be able to have this time off and I greatly look forward to it.

We had a great Christmas and New Year's. It was nice and peaceful. Full of good food, friends and activities. I got a lot of work done on the house, some on the jeep and started a couple of other projects too.

Today I have just an assortment of pictures to entertain you with. Some were taken with my iPhone and the others with my wife's point-and-shoot. Nothing fancy here folks, just a little bit of what I did over the break... I'll explain after each photo:

Gwinny at the beach on Christmas Eve Day.

Gwinny riding in the Jeep... She loves it!

Christmas morning came early at the Galland house... 6:15 to be exact!

Christmas morning, I love presents!

Our spare bathroom before I began tiling.

Our spare bathroom after laying the marble floor.

On River Street in Savannah on New Year's Eve Day.

A little preview of the other project I started over the break.
Should be finished with it this weekend and will post more pics then.

Friday Foto: Some random stuff

2007-12-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this week, trying to knock out the rest of the work I have for 2007. I'll be leaving my office today and not returning until 2008 and I can't wait! The above pictures are from this week. They are being used in ads for some clients of ours in the new year. I had a great time playing with the guns. I love guns.

I'm so glad today is Friday, I can't express that enough. Tonight I have a party to go to, tomorrow night I'm throwing our Holiday Soiree, part two. I'm pretty pumped, although I have a lot of house cleaning to do in preparation. I can't wait for Christmas! This is defenitly my favorite time of year, without a doubt.

Have a quick, great Friday!

The Sweetest Christmas Gift Ever

2007-12-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Before I even opened it, I knew what it was. It's obvious, the brown residue leaving it's mark, filling your nostrils and causing the dog to bark. I just couldn't figure out why it appeared to be a wrapped throw pillow.

Back story... I love to cook, always have. It seems every time I make that assertion, Kelly comes back with, "Well, if you like to cook so much, how come I'm always the one cooking dinner?" I usually respond with, "I like to cook good things," then quickly wish I had chosen a different adjective to replace 'good' with, something more like 'complex', 'detailed' or even 'big'. You can imagine the words that follow, a montage of "I'm sorry's" and "I didn't mean it that way's".

I believe it was two years ago this Christmas that I received that sweetest Christmas gift ever. Let's back step a little though. Prior to that Christmas I had hosted a large family dinner at my folks house for about 20 family members, in which I pulled out all the stops. I cooked authentic Italian food: Fresh spinach ravioli stuffed with cheeses, fresh sauces, an excellent gnocchi, tiramisu that would almost leave you dead and a lemon cello that actually did. I think it was there that my family saw just how much I enjoyed cooking. My passion for fresh ingredients and spices really shines in my dishes.

So now, back to the present. I have an Aunt that, to say is well-traveled, would be an understatement. When she is absent from an event, it's understood that she's just off in another country somewhere. Through her world travels, she has apparently found a source for fresh spices.

It was two Christmas's ago now as I sat in my Grandmother's living room clutching an awkwardly wrapped packed roughly the size of a small pillow. I shook the gift, as I always do, and noticed the brown pungent powder puff out as though a lady was powdering her cheek. I recognized the scent instantly and was brought back to the hoards of cinnamon toast I consumed as an adolescent. I unwrapped the present to reveal a plump gallon-size ziploc bag of ground cinnamon. See, here in the Galland family, we don't give tacky sweaters, ugly socks or amateurly-crafted figurines. We give bags of spice, or so we began. Little did my Aunt know what havoc that foreigner would reap to my already-non-vacant spice rack.

It started with the jumps. Cinnamon was a big boy and he wanted to play. I'd open the cabinet, he'd jump out. Every time. It's hard to keep him at bay. I'd attempt to weigh him down with the Mortons or the sugar, but that only made things worse. So, I had an idea. I'd use him. I craved some toast with cinnamon and sugar, so I broke the seal and sprinkled out the powder, and it was good.

Cinnamon's taste of freedom changed him. He wanted more. I would be cooking, he would conveniently jump out out of the rack and all over my kitchen and dish. At one point I remember my whole kitchen smelling of cinnamon. I finally was fed up and did the unthinkable. I put him in a ziplock and stored him at the back of the cabinet. Peace and quiet at last!

Well, several cinnamon-less months went by until one day I was minding my own business, plundering through the cabinet when the scent struck me clear in the face. There he was, my long-lost friend cinnamon. The love-hate relationship returned and I began to feel guilty at the lack of cinnamon my recipes and dishes called for. I made a vow to that spice that day that I would make something out of him. I would make him MY SPICE.

My first attempt was spaghetti sauce. I prepared it in manners similar to the norm, but added a little pinch of my ole' buddy. Well, that meal was short-lived, followed closely by a experiment in masonry with my new-found brick mortar.

My second attempt, was less inedible, at least to me. I was craving cookies. I should have stopped when the list of ingredients I did not have, far exceeded the list that I did. But hey, I told myself, I have cinnamon! For future reference, egg, flour and cinnamon does not make a good cookie. Gretsky's calling, he wants his cinnamon-flavored puck back.

By my third attempt I was determined to fulfill my promise. I made a massive pot of chili. Spent all day slaving over that dutch oven, and after adding a little bit more chili powder, heard the call of cinnamon and thought, what the hell, it's the same color. I pinched a little out. I began to put him away, when I saw the frown on his face, and I understood. It's a big pot of chili, and he didn't' feel very well represented. I pinched out a little more. I served it that night in crock-pots to all my friends and felt good. It was being eaten up. So what if the keg was floated already and it was only 10 p.m.? Drunk people will eat anything and they were eating my chili! The next morning I woke to find a good friend of mine, who in her inebriated state, wound up back at our house sometime in the middle of the night and was now plundering through my refrigerator looking for that perfect after-late-night-party-it's-early-and-i'm-extremely-hungover snack. I quickly rushed to the occasion, pulled out the pot, put it on the stove and put my old friend back to work. Chili's perfect for the occasion.

Well, she took one bite and remembered my friend too. It seems drinking did not lead to chili, but chili lead to drinking. It seems cinnamon had struck again, this time causing several casualties of both taste buds and moral.

It's been several weeks since I dare speak to cinnamon. Mabe Kelly's right. Maybe there isn't a place for cinnamon in every meal. Maybe cinnamon doesn't "taste like fall" and should therefore accompany every Fall Saturday baking session. I can't try to convince her any longer, cinnamon does not belong in marinara. It's tough, but I find help in that bible verse that refers to all season's having there turn. It won't be long before the guilt builds up again and my artistic side comes out. What should I make this time? I might try something that actually calls for cinnamon.... nah, that would be tasteless.

III

2007-12-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

Three years ago last week I graduated college and three years ago today I married my best friend. Yeah, flog me all you guys want for being cheesy, but how often do you get to spend the rest of your life with the person you care about the most? I have a handful of friends, both male and female, that I consider best friends, but none that I can picture marrying more than her. The things I lack in life, she excels, and likewise.

This past weekend we went out for a nice dinner and spent the night out at a hotel. For the first time in probably 2 years, we escaped the BS of everyday life. It was only for an evening, but we laughed and talked like we hadn't done in years. It was more than I could ask for.

The weekend couldn't have come at a better time. I had been feeling drawn out, weary of life lately. One of my favorite authors, Jon Krakauer, wrote a book titled Into the Wild. It was recently turned into a movie and I went to see it last week. I don't really feel like going into a full movie review right now, but the general gist is this: It's the true story of a young man that goes into the wild to find himself. He learns a lot about himself, others and life and eventually dies. His quest for adventure and the thick wanderlust that saturates the story is so addictive. It left me feeling like I needed more out of life, that I was just living right now.

After this weekend, and after three years married now and out of college, I can say I don't think I am just "living". I'm "building"; a project that I'll never see completed, but can enjoy if I choose to... and I do.

Friday Foto: the countdown begins!

2007-12-14T07:53:00.000-05:00

For me Christmas starts one week from today. For me, 2007 is over one week from today. I'll turn my computer off on the 21st and turn on my excitement for the holiday season. It will be in full swing. However, I can't guarantee that the process will be instantanious, but rather a slow demise into the holiday spirits as the week progresses. I can't wait. I can almost taste the food, almost feel the parties, almost see the friends and family. I have so much to look forward to in the upcoming weeks, I almost feel guilty.

This time of the year has always been special for Kelly and I. We will celebrate three years married on the 18th, and then Christmas a week later. Our families both run deep with Christmas traditions, and we try to pull on those in our family as well as attempting to create new ones too (that one where I wanted to open all the presents on the 22nd didn't work out so well).

I'm going to tile our spare bathroom this weekend. It will be an easy enough job, and a great improvement to the crappy vinyl flooring that is in there now. I will post up some pics for you all, so stay tuned.

Today's Friday Foto comes from my buddy's farm I went to a couple of weeks ago. I like it. What do you think? I love that bus and find a lot of inspiration in it.

So, on the Jeep front. It's been a good week. The jeep is running better than ever. I installed the new radiator last weekend and have not had a single problem. Now I can fully enjoy all the work and upgrades that I have put into it over the last three months. Is it better you might ask? Oh yeah. I used to get 11 mpg around town, now I'm getting 14.5. Not too shabby huh? It's more efficient, stronger, quicker and reliable (kelly would debate that one). This week has been warm, so the doors are off. I love it for that reason, but hate it for all others. It's December 14, it's supposed to be cold.

So anyway, as a little treat to you readers, I am going to post several times between now and Christmas. I would set a schedule, but I know if I fall off it, I will get chastised by at least one of you. So, check back often. I have some photos, some funny stories, some meager attempts at insightful writing, and much more. Happy early Christmas!

love/hate

2007-12-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend was to be my Jeep's first, long road trip. Everything was ready. The bed was packed to the brim with camping equipment, coolers, guns, rods and sleeping bags. I had spent all last week "priming" her: reinstalled the rear seat facing back, installed new backup lights, had the engine tuned perfectly, everything was set up, ready to do. I didn't sleep at all on Friday night with anticipation of the farm camping, bass fishing and beer drinking that was going to take place Saturday night at my buddy's farm in Dublin, GA (about 180 miles from where I live). I picked up my friend at 6:30am Saturday morning, hit the back roads and watched the sunrise over coastal Georgia as I smiled from ear to ear... This is what my Jeep is made for.

30 miles outside of St. Simons, my eyes started watering. At first, I thought I was so happy I was tearing up. No. 15 seconds later I realized it was smoke and steam causing my eyes to burn and then the steam just billowed out from under the hood.

I guess it's a Jeep thing, but it seems you always know exactly what is that it my radiator. It blew a nice size crack under the upper hose fitting. Nothing could fix that except a new radiator. Of course no auto parts store in SE GA had one, I called them all. "Replace the Radiator" moved rapidly up to the top of the Jeep to-do list.

So, I had it towed back to the house, picked up my buddies Tacoma, threw all the stuff in the back; no more neat packing like previously performed. No more back roads to take. We jumped on the interstate, hauled a*s up to the farm and cracked my first beer just shy of noon. I had sorrows to drink away now.

Caught three largemouths and cooked some dang-good meat, so the weekend wasn't a total loss, but man... what a bummer. I ordered a 3-row radiator last night, so hopefully that'll get in this week and I'll be back to rolling soon. Above is a pic of the farm, enjoy.

Friday Foto: peek-a-boo

2007-11-30T07:56:00.000-05:00

Good morning, I'm back. I bet you missed me huh? Today's foto comes from the last wedding I shot. Like a lot of wedding/event photography, you have to be in the right place at the right time. I was just outside of the chapel while the family was processing into the church. The bride stood anxiously inside the bridal room waiting Pachelbel's Canon in D. I love it. It really sums up the bride's joyous anxiety.

So how have I been? Busy. We hosted our annual two-part Soiree last week. Our Holiday Soiree on the day after Thanksgiving was fun. We had a good turn out. However this year lacked a feeling that previous soiree's exuded. Maybe it was the absence of random cameos by long-lost friends, or maybe the absence and tardiness of other not-so-long-lost friends that led to the overall ho-hum-ness that was coupled with the familiar headache come Saturday morning. Oh well, we have December 22 to look forward to and improve upon our effort to produce that super Soiree sensation. Tacky Christmas sweaters welcome.

This weekend could come at a better time. I'm going to my friend's farmland in Dublin Saturday morning to spend the night under the stars. I'll drink, fish, eat and probably drive through a lot of mud. It will be a much needed recharge session for Kelly and I. The arrival of Christmas season is always an anticipated and dreaded time for us. Christmas holds a special place in our hearts, having gotten married a week before. But the looming receipts acquired always bring tension. It often requires us to take a little break. I go camping, she goes shopping. Go figure. (I love you.)

I hope to get some fun photos this weekend out at the farm and will definitely share them with you upon my return. Hope you all have a great weekend and can spend a little time "recharging" before you begin the world-wind season of Christmas. It's here, don't try to deny it. Kenny and Dolly's White Christmas is in my CD player. Watch out!

Friday Foto: Fall Upon Us

2007-11-16T08:04:00.000-05:00

Man, am I so glad it's Friday. This week was short, Monday was Veteran's Day and I was driving back from our cabin in Blue Ridge, but this week was a horrible one for me. I was sick the first half and had a lot of crap going on at work the later half. It's all coming to a close thankfully; I feel better too.

I'm pretty excited about this weekend. Kelly and I and another couple are going to the Land Trust Oyster Roast. It's one of my highlights of the fall season. Great food, good people and all at night out at Ft. Frederica. It's a rare treat that we get to hang out at night over at the fort.... it's so neat.

So last weekend was great. We went to our cabin in Blue Ridge Friday night and then skipped up to Nashville to watch Kel's brother play (tightend for Vandy) against Kentucky. We lost, but Jake had his first career touchdown, and it was awesome... 30 yds! We got back up to the cabin around Sunday afternoon and I spend some time in the fall foliage shooting. It was pretty nice. Hope you guys enjoy the montage of fall photos.

By the way, I hope all of yall are prepping... Fall Soiree is now ONE week away!

Friday Foto: Not much new...

2007-11-02T07:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, and how happy I am. I'm so glad it's Friday. Today's Foto is fresh out of the camera, I like it OK. I took a lot of photos this morning and this is the first one I processed so I could get it out there for all your hungry eyes. Hope you like it...

So not much is new. My Jeep is back to running, I'm happy. November is here, which means Thanksgiving, but more importantly, SOIREE TIME!!! Who's excited? Evites will be going out soon.

I don't have much going on this weekend. A little dinner party on Saturday night and that's about it. I plan on playing with my Jeep, working on the house and hanging out with the wifey... perfect weekend, don't be jealous.

Hope all is well!

Frida Foto: New stuff

2007-10-26T06:39:00.000-05:00

So I thought I would post some of my recent work here. I need to update my web site, but haven't found the time yet, so until then, here's some of the recent pics I'm proud of for one reason or another. These are ones I've taken at various weddings and portrait sessions going back to the middle of the summer just about.

So this weekend is GA/FLA. How fun. The island is overrun with greek-tastic college kids. It doesn't bother me though. Some are very annoying, and the ultimate example of everything I loathe, but most just appear that way, and are decent people underneath.

I don't have big plans this weekend. My jeep is still not running, it's been dead for a little over a week now. It's heart-breaking really. I've been troubleshooting with the help of my online Scrambler friends, and I think I've found the culprit, the distributor, and have one on order. Should arrive any day now. I've replaced so much in the engine compartment already, so when Margaret gets back and running, it's going to be AMAZING!!! So, that's it folks.

Friday Foto: from archives

2007-10-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

I like this photo, I don't necessarily know why. Maybe because this dilapidated bus reminds me of the bus that Alex dies in in the book Into the Wild. They have made it into a movie and it is playing around the country right now. Unfortunately, it's not down here yet, which pisses me off. We have Tyler Perry's movie, but not Sean Penn's? Come on! Don't get me wrong, I love Tyler Perry, but let's actually think what will sell better here guys...

Anyway, this bus was located at my friend Whit's farm in Dublin, GA. It's a cool bus you say. Well, you only know the half of it. This bus, my friend, is the WC. Yep, it's the can, complete with a flushing toilet (utilizing a 5-gallon bucket of water from the pond). That kind of taints the photo now doesn't it? The best thing about this photo is the detail, which you really can't get the full effect here on the computer screen.

Anyway, I have a wedding to shoot this weekend and a Jeep to get running again. So, that's what I'm doing. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Friday Foto: only in Tennessee

2007-10-12T06:32:00.000-05:00

I love today's Friday Foto. We were up at our cabin last weekend, which was awesome. We had a great time, weather was nice, it was perfect. Our cabin is in Epworth, GA, which is right outside of Blueridge, GA, just south of Tennessee. It's actually easier to get to Tennessee, a quick drive for beer on Sunday. While on said excursion, we passed a general store right off the main road in McCaysville, TN where, framed amongst the fall decor of hay and pumpkins, rested this sign. Obviously I had to take a photo. Really, what kind of person stills cow crap? Wow.

I have a gargae cleaning project planned for this weekend. I'm excited to acquire my "man space" back; kicking out the hodgepodge of 10-year-old cloths and plastic kitchen utensils will make more room for the JEEP! Man I love the weather, love riding around in my jeep right now. It's perfect. Y'all have a great weekend.

Friday Foto: 17 minutes at Lewis Island

2007-10-05T06:25:00.000-05:00

I love these photos. I've been experimenting a lot lately with long exposure photography. So much of what you get in the final photo is unpredictable. So many things happen that are unseen by the eye and can only be shown through photography. I think it's amazing that one can take a photograph of something that is unseen to the natural senses. Anyway, enjoy.

I'm going to my cabin this weekend. I'm pretty pumped. We are going with a group of couples from here... I can't wait to hang out and do NOTHING. We have off for Columbus Day so we get to return on Monday, which is always nice. I'll be taking plenty photos of the fall foliage, so be prepared to see some new pics upon my return. Have a great weekend.

Lewis Island camping

2007-10-02T09:45:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos from my recent camping trip to Lewis Island, off the Altamaha River in Georgia. One of my favorite places to go and camp. Accessible only by boat. We had a great time. Weather was perfect, 66 Sunday morning. Nice and breezy and no rain. We fed the fish Sunday morning. I feel it was a successful photography, beer drinking, camping, boating experience. Tune in on Friday for The Friday Foto, where my favorite image from this trip will be displayed. Enjoy.