"401K Run," Capitol Hill
One evening my friend Jon called me to spread the word about this crazy race that would be taking place in Downtown Salt Lake City the next morning. The only rule was that you had to be wearing business attire. I was invited to participate, but I was more interested in the photo op, and I caught this one near the starting line at the top of Capitol Hill.
"Proud Parents," outside Bountiful Utah LDS Temple
I shot my first wedding for my ex-roommate Rhee (the fuzzy guy in the middle) back in June. While trying to take a nice shot of his parents, I started goofing around with the wide angle lens I'd rented for the shoot and wound up with this picture. Probably my favorite of the whole day.
"Christmas Card Shoot," Memory Grove
Between the lighting, the cold weather, and one super-crazy little girl, I had a tough time getting a decent shot for this Christmas Card gig back in October. But with a little Lightroom magic, this one managed to capture a little natural energy.
"Ultimate Frisbee," Millcreek Junior High School
A pickup game of Ultimate Frisbee gave me a chance to get a little aerobic exercise for me and for the $1200 telephoto lens I picked up in the spring.
When my old roommate Brandon got married in San Diego in July, I shot a few candids while the official photographer did the straight stuff. Aside from capturing the true personality of the bride and especially the groom, I love this one because I caught a confused look from a lady who was passing by at the same moment.
When my friends Karlie and Paul teamed up for an acoustic set at the Farmington Festival Days last summer, they asked me to tag along and help immortalize the experience. The pictures I've taken at musical events have yielded a number of my favorite photos so far.
About a week after their engagement, my old roommate Mark and his fiancee swung up to Salt Lake to join us for Christmas Date III. For some reason, every picture I took of Mark wound up looking something like this.
Back in October I drove down to Salt Lake early one Saturday morning in hopes of catching some action before the first session of General Conference. There's always a ton of people, and a whole pack of street preachers ready for some Bible Bashing. No real confrontation came out of this shot, but I do love the juxtaposition of the preacher with the kid, laughing at some unknown cause.
The miracle of this photo is not that I managed to score a great expression on my auxilliary nephew Max's face, it's that I managed to get a shot off in the microsecond I had before he moved again. Most of my attempts just wound up a yellow and blue blur.
During my epic journey down to San Diego and up to San Francisco, I spent some time in LA, in this case up at the Griffith Observatory that overlooks the valley. This couple was also visiting the observatory, obviously to discuss some deep meaningful subject. Or maybe they were just there to look good.
In February I was able to man the baseline for a Jazz-Bobcats game and build my sports photo portfolio. Near the end of the game, I caught this exasperated look on Raja Bell, who actually used to play for the Jazz a few years ago. This is the look of a man who used to duel with Kobe Bryant in the playoffs, then gets traded to a squad that loses about 50 games a year.
Every year Hogle Zoo hosts a special Halloween event where local sponsors set up booths throughout the zoo and hand out candy to all the kids. Everyone dresses up, and the whole thing is photo gold. Just in case you're wondering, the little bits of food on the lips of this little elephant are crumbs from Ritz crackers.
"Old Friends," Christmas Date III
Not a whole lot I can add to this shot. These guys have known each other for a long, long time, and I think the result just kind of speaks for itself.
