Getting caught up on that blogging. Next up: Kee-Ju & Steven's photo shoot from this past summer. What an incredible time hanging out in some of the most incredible gardens around. I've known Kee-Ju for quite a while now, and although they're moving away, I know they'll take a lot of happiness and love with them. Good luck with what's next, friends!
So. I haven't posted anything in about six months, which is a crazy long period of time. But I promise you I've been shooting more than ever, working with the most incredible humans around.
It's kind of interesting being a photographer of people sometimes -- the work we do is highly visible on social media and people see it and talk about it. It can get easy to forget the main reason behind this work -- creating something incredible for your clients and hopefully walking out with new, awesome friends at the end. I took a break from posting my work so I wouldn't forget that. Photography is a lot about you, as a photographer, because it's your direction, your creative process. But it's also not about you at all. It's about the people you work with, the people whose lives are so interesting and beautiful that it makes you feel insanely lucky to document a slice of that with them.
This is Emilee and Josh, and we had a wild amount of fun on our two-part engagement shoot. Creighton's retreat center made the best nature backdrop in the world, and so did Zeus, their wildly hilarious and energetic dog friend.
Take an awesome senior. Throw a bunch of awesome fun adventures into the mix. Bring an American flag and trillions of Toms. Get something wildly cool out of it all. This is Jaimee, ask her about Toms, hats, and all about being a real person.
This has been my first free weekend in a really long time so I found the time to edit a bunch of photos I made in July while I was home in Denver. This trip was all about the fun in photos, rather than the work. It felt great to shoot a lot of things that weren't people. This trip was one of the best parts of my summer and I was super happy that I got to go home and hang out with some of my favorite people in the world.
The Troias are some of the most incredible humans around. Seriously. They're warm, generous, and full of life. We had an awesome time driving to 7(!) different locations in two different states.
Ever wander around with some seriously awesome people like the Boyle sisters? I highly recommend it.
High fives! Celebration! Jacob invited me to be a part of a very special moment when he asked Erin to marry him. She said yes! I totally hid in the bushes while waiting for this one.
I love it when I get to share personal stuff made from adventures. Alli and I made these on an insanely windy day a while ago and we had tons of fun. She's the real deal, y'all.
I predict an earthquake up in here, I predict an earthquake up in here // Imma change your life, Imma change it Imma change your life, Yo, Hustle Gang homey, real talk, //
This shoot involved a lot of exploration and a river. Also, Iggy Azalea. Lauren has to be one of the coolest humans in this state, and I'm so glad I was able to get to know her. Talk about mad rad good times right here, man. Also featuring special guest Katie Bober!
These are some of the coolest people I've ever met ever. Sam and Kelli, thank you so very much for an incredible Saturday. These people are real and. I have never been more excited for a wedding. November can't come fast enough. We had a blast wandering around Omaha and the farm Kelli grew up on.
This is my friend Kait. Not only is she an incredibly talented musician, she also taught me everything I know about coffee. Which is awesome. She also tells me when my grammar is bad and when I'm being an idiot, and I appreciate that a great deal. We made these in Benson.
I'd like to tell you a secret. People at Creighton are the best, coolest, smartest, funniest, most fun people in the world. If you get a chance to get to know them, you should. This is Katie, and she's definitely one of those people. I can't wait to see what she accomplishes during her time here.
They're Fergalicious. Their body stay vicious. They be up in the gym just working on their fitness /// These dudes are MJ and Jake. We went on a friend photo shoot. They are some serious goons.
Let's take you back to the concrete streets // Original beats with real live mc's //
This is Alli and Gabby. We decided to have a friend photo shoot and made these on a rooftop and laughed like wild.
Secret agent man, secret agent man. They've given you a number and taken away your name.
These guys were a blast to work with. We explored Benson and climbed on bridges.
Hey there friends! I'm taking professional business portraits in Harper 3048 this Saturday from 10 AM - 4 PM! You will receive 4 different photos, two portrait and two landscape! It will only take about five minutes! These photos are absolutely perfect for LinkedIn and a lot of other awesome professional business venues! Stop by! Cost is $20 and you can use the images for whatever you'd like! This is what they look like.
Relay for Life is one of the most powerful and the most meaningful organizations at Creighton. This year, they raised over $80,000, which is all going towards fighting cancer. These people are beyond awesome, and I'm super fortunate I was able to work with them. Thanks to everyone who came out!
These home boys are my home boys.
"I love Phi Delt and I love everybody in it. And I'm so excited and proud to be a part of such an awesome organization.
"Phi Delt has changed me because I've become more confident in myself.
I can now more firmly say what I believe in, and I speak my mind. In my time here, I've found myself in Phi Delta Theta."
- Michael Pfeifer, #397
"One of the things I've changed about myself was being vulnerable around a great group of guys and letting people know who I am.
I also got to hear a lot of other people's stories. It really taught me the virtue of listening to others and being a brother by caring for them and wanting to make those connections that will last beyond college.
And you know, there's also the fun side too. I've learned the work hard play hard mentality, and that's like my mantra now. Also in Phi Delt, I've learned to love myself more and appreciate myself and what I want to do in life. It's a blast." - John Sarmiento, #377
"Phi Delt has made much more social than I am naturally. I've met so many people, I've done so many more things, and I've had so many more opportunities that I wouldn't have had. Phi delt has made my whole college experience significantly better.
My favorite part of Phi Delt is chapter because our chapters are hilarious. Although they can be terribly boring sometimes, but usually it's fun. Especially the senior speeches at the end because right now it's my friends saying their final words on Phi Delt." - Jeff Bunsness, #393
"The Pages are for sure the best part of the Phikeia Process because the fraternity is made up of 90 some individuals. To understand it, you have to break it down into those individuals. When you're on pages, you're talking to those individual people, learning what the fraternity means to them and who they are.
Through forming that picture of those individual members, it gives you a much better picture of the whole fraternity. I've just enjoyed learning about the fraternity through each individual member. I get a lot of personal wisdom out of the pages, too." - Phikeia Hank Elbert
"There's such a variety of guys and you think "Oh, yeah, a fraternity will conform its guys to fit a certain thing," but with Phi Delt I really feel it's the uniqueness of everyone that makes it stand out. You see it on pages especially. I've talked to guys who have such different interests and it's those unique differences that bring everyone together. We can all find at least one thing we all get along with but still be so varied.
The Phikeia process has been honestly wonderful. Pages have been sometimes stressful but I feel like ultimately still worth it. Just to really get to know guys on a personal basis and really know who your fraternity is. It's been really cool to see one on ones with upperclassmen who have already been through this stuff." - Phikeia Nick Wilsdorf
"I'm really excited just to get to know everyone on an individual level. The pages actually have been great because so far I'm finding that there's genuinely a lot of diversity. There's a lot of new perspectives on life and on the world we come from. All over the place, we have all kinds of different beliefs. I mean, you can come from some place far away and be really boring, but everyone in Phi Delt is really interesting, and it's really awesome.
In high school, I considered myself open minded. I didn't think I would ever fit into any kind of clique. I had my close friends but other than that I would drift around. I had friends in all different groups, on the football team, on the wrestling team, in the plays, that sort of thing. That's the impression I've gotten from a lot of the guys in Phi Delt. That they were similar, and are similar. That they have that same value. We aren't what just we do. We're not our labels." - Phikeia Drew Weiner
"I see a lot of role models - Guys I really look up to. I think that as a Phikeia, it's my job to really absorb what the juniors and seniors are saying because they're going to be gone. We have to follow their leadership so that way we become those juniors and seniors. And there's all these new guys that are blank canvases, it will be our job to prepare them and teach them about the fraternity and what it means to be in Phi Delta Theta.
I've loved the pages. Guys that I had no idea who they were - You go and meet them and have great conversations. You make these great connections and they just become a part of your life and you get to hang out with them. They're all individual pieces of the fraternity and it's great to meet each individual piece and see how we come together as a whole."
- Phikeia Tim Morette
"I guess coming into Phi Delt I was a scared little freshman who didn't know anything. I saw all of these guys who were really involved on campus and it made me really want to get involved and I did. I had an exec position in Phi Delt, I had a position on Program Board I was in Cortina, etc. I did a lot because I saw all of these other people being involved and I thought that they were great and I wanted to do what they were doing.
I think that when you're a new initiate you kind of get used to it, taste the waters, and understand what's going on. When you become a sophomore you start to really understand what Phi Delt is. But when you get to your junior year, that's when you take charge. It's up to you to shape what you want it to be. I think our senior class did a great job from an exec standpoint and transitioning. I think our class has continued the tradition of Phi Delt of being strong and upstanding gentlemen. I'm really proud of our senior class because I think we've lived out our three cardinal principles of Friendship, Sound Learning, and Moral Rectitude. " - Andrew Evens, #373
"The proudest moment for me in Phi Delt has always been Bid Voting. You've got 100 guys who have may have been frustrated, and we walk out of that room as one, as brothers. It's an overwhelming feeling of pride that we can feel happy and frustrated all in the same few hours and come out of it as one group. Every year I've felt like that's our proudest accomplishment on top of all of the other things we do, like being so involved on campus. Bid Voting really shows what it means to sand as one, and that's a really cool feeling.
When we see Phikeia first come in, a lot of them are nervous. They're trying to figure out if they fit in. Through the pages, we see people evolving and realizing that they have things in common with pretty much everyone. As they start to realize that, I can see the Phikeia become more confident and find their place in the fraternity. I know that I wasn't the most confident, and I didn't know my place. But I see that you're a better person, and a changed person by the time you get to the end of the process." Nick Franz, #471
"To me the Phikeia process was meant to let you get to know everyone. It is the essence of the fraternity. I loved getting to know guys and learning about their passions and what's important to them.
I'm excited to be a part of Phi Delt now. It's great to be on the same level as everyone else. It's been fun to be treated special as a Phikeia, but I'm excited to be in it with everybody else. Nothing special, just a a part of it.
I love Phi Delt and I love everybody in it. And I'm so excited and proud to be a part of such an awesome organization." - Brendan Van Jacobs, #482
My super great friends in the Nebraska Gamma chapter of Pi Beta Phi asked me to take photos for their Big/Little reveal. I brought a studio and some major shenanigans went down. I danced a lot and it was great.
This is only a few of the photos, check out the full set here.
I spent about an hour today looking at photos that I've taken in the past. They're full of incredible memories. They also show me how far I've come as a photographer, and how far I still have to go. It's been a good day. Here's one of my favorite photos of my cousin (and bride!) from the first wedding I ever shot. It was some of the most fun I've ever had.
