It's been a while since I've written any blogs but I hope to do a little catching in the following weeks starting with this blog. I'm writing today because today is my mom's birthday. She was born November 3, 1941. And she passed away on August 16, 2005.

I would not be here today if it wasn't for her of course but most of all I would not be who I am today or have what I have to get me through life if it wasn't for her. She was one of the strongest & most caring individuals I have ever met. Her family shunned her at an early age simply because they were self-centered and she was strong enough to stand up for what she believed in and wasn't going to get taken advantage of by them. She worked minimum wage jobs all her life like restaurants and mostly housekeeping positions at motels. She made very little but she could make it stretch like nobody's business. She always told me, pay your most important bills first and if anything was left over then that was just extra to be used for less important things. The key was to keep things straight in order or priority.

But her main priority in life was her kids though. Everything she did was for them because she always wanted them to have what she didn't have as a kid. Whether that be the love, support, & foundation of a family or any materialistic things in life. Granted she was far from being rich but she always managed to get us things if she could see that we really wanted it. I can definitely think back and remember more times that we got what we wanted than her denying us. But rest assure we were not spoiled either. She laid a firm foundation with us when it comes to us knowing right from wrong. She set the example for us to be later in life. And believe it or not, it worked! My sisters & I are very tight as a family to this day because of her. 

I think of her every single day of my life it seems because I know I am doing what I do because of her. Even though she is not physically here with us, her legacy lives on in all of us. That's a great feeling. Not many people have that these days and I'm very thankful because of it. 

I write this blog today because unlike a lot of people I like to show remembrance for someone when they were born instead of when they died. Because when they were brought into this world was more important in my opinion than when they left. From birth a person is set on a path but how they get to the end is another story and not known until the game is over. According to how they played the game is how much they are remembered. No matter what.. the goal is to make some kind of difference in this world while you are here. I just know that my mom made a difference in me that I'll never forget.

Love always....... never forgotten.

-Kevin 

Here's one shot from my most recent shoot with Samantha Dunn. What's funny about this photo is that before the shoot we were talking about the actress Megan Fox. We got this shot and it literally looks like a still from a movie. And I showed a friend this photo a few days ago & the first words out of their mouth was, "She looks like that girl from Transformers!"..... i.e. Megan Fox! I thought that was a strange but cool coincidence.

I've always been a huge movie buff ever since I was really little. I worked as a head projectionist for a couple of movie theaters throughout my teenage years & early twenties. When I was younger I had thought about getting into cinematography or video editing but over the years I gravitated towards still photography instead. But as you can see without me really knowing it, my "cinema eye" tends to come through in my work sometimes. 

I've always heard that a great videographer has a harder time being a great photographer than a great photographer being a great videographer. It all has to do with composing & visualizing a scene. For me I've always loved freezing that frame in time through my work. And movies inspire me in so many ways!

Anyway, I have lots of work in the post processing & deciding stages that's looking to be released very soon! So stay tuned! 

-Kevin

Kings of Leon Producer Angelo Petraglia on Early KOL and Their Gibsons - Click photo to read articleI'm a little late on the draw but I just found this article on the Gibson website from last year interviewing Angelo Petraglia of Kings of Leon fame and also part of The Jane Shermans. Anyway, one of my concert photos of him was used in this article. Pretty cool. The Janes Shermans will be playing again on Monday night at Mercy Lounge and I've been asked to shoot for them again which is an honor because I totally dig their music and they're great people too.

I've always had a fondness for the raw sound of electric Gibson guitars too. One of my favorite artists is Lenny Kravitz and he's a big fan of Gibson as well. Anyway, check out this Gibson article about Angelo especially if you're a fan of Kings of Leon!

-Kevin

I'm in my second & last vacation day for this week but I wanted to post a small blog about my shoot yesterday. I had an all day shoot with the wonderful model Samantha Dunn. She had contacted me a while back on Model Mayhem stating that she would like for us to work together. I was honored. It was a very tiring shoot because of the humidity and I tend to sweat a lot so it was draining for me. But besides that the shoot was not stressful and it was a lot of fun. Samantha is a top notch model and with her experience it made the shoot so much easier for me. I couldn't have asked for a better model. She has an enlightened sense of style when it comes to poses, makeup, and fashion. And I definitely hope we have a chance to work together again in the future!

But on to the point of my blog...... this shoot was another departure for me from my usual style of photography because we did shoots on the beach at the lake, traditional hometown shots on a plantation estate with an old house & truck, and some high fashion/pop style shots as well. It was a varied mix of photos which I'm very pleased with. And Samantha has a lot of skill in changing her looks to a great detail as well.

Anyway, I can't wait for everyone to see the results of the shoot! I've been very lucky to work with a lot of great talent over the last couple of years and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon! ; )

Before the shoot yesterday I was looking to gain some inspiration online from other photographers pertaining to swimsuit photography mainly and I came across this great photographer by the name of Raphael Mazzucco who has worked with Sports Illustrated quite a bit. I dig his style of photography and the model who he is working with in the video below is Bar Refaeli, she's awesome. But watching him helped me in getting some cool swimsuit shots since this was my first time doing that type of photography. 

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I've been responding to emails all morning and uploading proofs. So I hope to show ya more of my new work very soon! I seriously need to do some editing now. ; )

-Kevin

Today I was born in 1977.... 32 years ago. And this is my yearly blog I like to write. Mostly it will be the same as far as what I'm about to say but it is important in reflecting on what has happened in the past year of my life though. This will be the first one like this I have written on my new website with Squarespace though. I really love this company and so glad I have found my permanent home on the internet. Just recently Squarespace made the 2009 Inc. 500 list coming in at #339 amongst a group of some of the most innovative and fastest growing private companies in the United States. Pretty cool and I can definitely vouch for them! The proof is in the pudding!

 I guess first things first is some cool facts about my birthday. I've learn to appreciate the significance of dates. So many strange things can happen with dates that are unexplainable and shape who we are today. Today is not only my birthday but also the same day that my mom passed away. It is has been four years ago today. I was also born on the same exact day that Elvis passed away. 

Here are some famous people who also share the same birthday as me too. Pretty cool. It would seem that a lot of artistic people are born this week and this month as a matter of fact. 

August 16

• Madonna
• James Cameron
• Vanessa Carlton
• Steve Carell
• Timothy Hutton
• Angela Bassett

Also tomorrow, August 17, two of my favorite actors were born... Sean Penn & Robert De Niro. And on August 18..... Edward Norton, Christian Slater, and Patrick Swayze were born which are some favorites of mine as well. Anyway, you can check out Famous Birthdays and see who was born on your day as well. 

Well let's see........ I guess not a lot has changed since my last birthday. Nothing bad so that's good. I've still been staying extremely busy with the photography as usual. At the first of the year, I did make a change in the direction with my photography and decided to branch out more & do other creative work so that's been good. Over the last couple of years I've built myself quite the extensive portfolio and I'm very proud of that. I'm also very thankful for all the great people I have worked with too. Pretty much every bit of my work has come from people coming to me & wanting to work with me because they like my work so that really feels good. My goal has always been to make my work seem interesting and stand out amongst the crowd. I never have been one to try to sale myself because I want my work to speak for itself. So I feel I have met a lot of my goals due to this but I'm always improving as an artist and looking for new ways of expanding my portfolio too.

As a photographer and as times goes by, you learn more about certain areas of the business and how to read people a little better too. And this year I've decided to be more selective about who I work with and who I spend my time on. Fewer clients and more personal attention! So many people can be so fake & self-centered these days unfortunately. So I want to devote my time to people who are real, honest, and really want to collaborate to create a great product in the end. I will defer anyone to the local Olan Mills or Wal-Mart studio if they are only looking to get a quick headshot. I'm not that type of generic photographer...... I'm an artist. And it's about building relationships and determining if it's a relationship that's going to work. So that's why I always make it a point to meet with any potential clients in advance of shooting.

Ok, before I go off into a rat hole on the wrong track........ I guess I can say this, life is what you make it! Don't complain about anything that you can change! About three years I made it a point to devote myself to the craft of photography that I've always loved and I was determined to become the artist I am today & will be tomorrow because I made the commitment. You're only going to get out of something by what you put in! So make the most of every moment and try to do as much as you can without being too hard on yourself. Everything I know today is because I studied & taught myself without relying on others. I did not go to college and I don't regret it one bit! ; ) I think I said it before in a previous blog but I will be hitting the 20000 photo mark that I have taken in the last couple of years. Pretty crazy to think about.  

Well as for today, I made it a point to spend it with friends, family, & good food. My best friend Kyle & his family invited me out to lunch today for The Cheesecake Factory. Then I had dinner with my sisters, nieces, and family at Bucca di Beppo. These are two of my favorite restaurants! Needless to say I am still stuffed and I have meals from the leftovers for the next couple of days. haha.... But I think it is the quality time with the ones you love that means the most in the end. So no matter how busy you get, make it a point to stop everything every once in a while to spend it with your loved ones. You don't want to regret not doing that later on down the road! 

I'm soooooo looking forward to going to Europe at the end of the year. I will be flying into Berlin on December 29 and I'll be spending about 3 weeks in Europe with my dear friend Tina who I've known for about 7 years now. This will be the vacation I've been waiting for! You better believe that I will be posting blogs & photos while I am there too. I can not wait! 

Well I guess that's about enough rambling for today. I have the next couple of days off from my full time job and I'm currently prepping my camera equipment for a big shoot tomorrow with a top notch model by the name of Samantha Dunn. We're getting started at 9AM and I can't wait! I know we will get some amazing shots. I have no doubt that she will definitely be adding a little more spice to my portfolio! So I will be going to bed here shortly so I can be well rested. Cross your fingers that the weather will be good for us tomorrow! 

As you can see from my calendar, I will be quite busy for the next month or so.

Stayed tuned for many new & exciting photos soon! 

All the best....... Kevin