So long OSUIT

After 9 years the final day has come.

For the past nine years I’ve had the honor and privilege to teach and share my photography and video expertise and experience with my college students at the School of Visual Communications, in Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology. Can I say wow, most of the time it doesn’t seem like nine years and then other times it seems a lot longer. 

Nine years ago my phone rang while I was photographing a pipeline project in Louisiana deep in the middle of a swamp. It was Mary Dickson and she asked if I could come down and help out next week? I said no, I’m on a project, then my phone dropped the call. Remember, I was in the middle of a swamp and I didn’t think anything of it. Then I received more direct contacts along with an email from Kelly Kerr and Jerry Poppenhouse. The message was we have a position open and we think you would be a great fit. I didn’t have this on my agenda, so I asked my wonderful wife Karen what do you think? She said go for it, what do you have to lose. I thought, well I don’t really have anything to lose and I’ll be giving back to my school where I received a fine education. I applied for the Photography Instructor position, interviewed and took the job. This was a new experience for me. After all, I’ve owned and operated my business from the day I graduated college back in the 90’s and now I’m going to receive a normal paycheck like everyone else. Truly a new experience for me. By doing this, I basically agreed to take on another full-time career. I did just that. I’ve worked myself silly for nine years and I think I enjoyed it most of the time. I will say running a business full-time and working for the University full-time is a bit much.

Through these years I’ve impacted and helped launch numerous careers. Even in a day and age where information is abundant and people think they can just google information, formal hands-on instruction is a valuable resource. Remember education is the only investment in which you determine the outcome.

That said, I will say it hasn't always been easy. For multiple years I needed to be the rock for my students,  especially within the last year.  A year and four months ago, OSUIT decided to no longer offer a Photography Technology Degree. The news was devastating, The leadership chose to kill five degree offerings, we were just one of the five. The University offered me to “teach out” the students. I chose to partake in the teach out. This way my students could complete their photography credits so they can graduate with a Photography Technology Degree. We had to rearrange the schedule and flipflop when capstone and internship happened. I can now say mission accomplished, I’ve completed my part. My students are now gearing up for internship. I wish them luck.

My contract is finished and now I look to the future and it seems bright. More time to focus on my clientele and develop my company more. 

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Solo Photography Gallery Show...Second one

My second solo gallery show, this time at the Conoco Gallery at OSUIT.

As I near the end of my time working with OSUIT, it was pleasure to share my passion for photography and imagery in print with the community. It seems fitting to have a show before I go.

I’m super honored and thrilled to share my photographic works with the community of Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology and surrounding areas. The gallery opening was August 13. The opening was a beautiful success filled with lots of positive and unique shared thoughts. This particular show was non-themed, more of a showcasing of work. I particularly enjoyed watching people view the works….some stand very close, some back away. It’s a pleasure to observe how people take in photographs.

On a side note, I’ve learned a lot about hanging a gallery show and how much time is involved. Being aware of the flow and rhythm of the images is very important. Also working the various gallery hangers can be a trick.

If you are in Okmulgee area or just want to see the images as they hang in the gallery, visit the Conoco Gallery in the Student Union of OSUIT. If you want a more private viewing, contact me in a month.

The show should hang until September 24th.

Click the image to see more

Big Shout Out to Chris Murphy!

Big Shout Out to Chris Murphy!

One of the best things that can happen is when one of your super talented clients/friends gets showcased in a national magazine and you get to be apart fo the experience.

I of course am talking about Mr. Chris Murphy, he recently was included in an article in Interior Design Magazine, featuring Gay Designers for “A World of Pride.” Very cool its a quick read and I’m super proud of Chris and I’m happy to have shot his portrait and his interiors. Here’s the article please take a look. https://www.interiordesign.net/articles/16618-a-world-of-pride-gay-designers-talk-about-acceptance-and-challenges/?fbclid=IwAR2m8f6qixllwQ-drbRq_JjTvHu7N8YxwlOokOowRRURnNYL25pl2Fnr2ws

Another link you should check out is: https://murphydesigns.com hint: you might recognize some of the photos.

Now for the story behind the photo. Chris emailed me early Monday morning which was the same morning my flight was cancelled, I was supposed to land in Los Angles. It must have been kismet. I called Chris and said lets line it up this afternoon. Boom somethings come together nicely.

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Just like that the trip is over. Back to my wonderful home in Tulsa.

Just like that the trip is over. Back to my wonderful home in Tulsa.

So we’re back in Tulsa. We enjoyed our trip. So far if think my favorite place we visited was Palm Springs and Napa. I’m going to think about that a little more and come back to it. We had a wonderful family adventure which was way over due. Its important especially if you’re a creative to refuel you creative tank with new experiences. On this trip I think we had a chance to get to know a little bit of California and its possibilities. Every local we visited had its own vibe and color. In retrospect I feel like we did three trips in one, giving us a taste of what’s to be offered. Each place is pretty amazing in its own right. I’m going to think about the locations and experiences we had and have to elaborate in a different post.

This photo is a giant panorama I photographed from Twin Peaks of San Francisco. You can see the fog rolling in over by the Golden Gate Bridge on the left, Bay Bridge is right sort of behind the many portion of the downtown. The actual photo should be printed the size of a semi truck.

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San Francisco, the City on the Bay

San Francisco, the City on the Bay

So we made it all the way to San Francisco and have experienced a lot of it. My buddy Jason Perry has given the us the SF Perry tour part one. Not quite as Gymkhana 5 (see link) but pretty dang fast. We had a some fun with him. He said let go anywhere besides Fisherman’s Wharf. Lexy and Karen said the first place the want to see is Fisherman’s Wharf lol. Needless to say we went. It was cute and we saw the sea lions, boats, and the Musée Mécanique. We then ate lunch at a great Greek restaurant then fired up rolled to Golden Gate and took in the beauty of the bridge, we lucked out on the weather. We stopped by Lucas Film and Industrial Light Magic, said hello to the Yoda Fountain. Jumped back in the car tore down Lombard Street and didn’t run any of the thousands of tourist over. Then we started to get thirsty, so we stopped at Barebottle Brewing Company which is a world leader in fine craft beers. Sipped on some great IPA’s my favorite was the Muir Woods IPA. Then Jason took us up to where he lives we said hello to his beautiful girlfriend Henriette. We spent a few minutes chatting about the city and experience so part. Then we were back and running, We were close to Twin Peaks so we went and took in the view as the fog started to roll in. (From Twin Peaks we can see the whole city) By the time were done at Twin Peaks it was dinner time. So we found a great Topas Bar, Barvale. It was great. That was the Wednesday.

Don’t forget to check out Gymkhana 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuDN2bCIyus&t=517s

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San Francisco, and trying to get locked out on a roof.

San Francisco, and trying to get locked out on a roof.

We made it to San Francisco. It was a beautiful drive, we left Napa and headed to Bodega Bay, we stuck our toes in the ice cold waters of the Pacific and decided we had seen enough of Bodega’s shore. We then rolled straight down 101 to San Francisco crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and into the city of many stop lights and stop signs. The best part of the drive was when we crested a hill and it felt like it was straight down. We all said whoa at the same time. Google maps then directed us to the back door of our hotel which give us more circling downtown city block until we found the front door. We’re staying at the Americania Hotel which is a swanky throwback hotel. The best part is it has a roof top pool. After we checked in and grabbed a snack we ventured to the heated pool. The water was great! It was heated nicely and warmer than the outdoor temperature. Lexy and I did laps. I did 50 she did 60 and Karen then joined us and they did more laps. I got out to stretch and went to the room to warm up and change. I thought there might be roof top access since I saw a palm tree growing on the roof. So I went to explore. Up the stairs and through an unlocked door which said roof top access. I went through another door and there I was standing on the roof. I took a couple of panos with my phone and went to go back down stairs and bam I was locked on the roof. After giving up on calling (no one was answering) I traversed the roof tops over to the pool area. I yelled and waved to Karen and Lexy. They waived back, I let them know I was stuck. Karen came to my rescue. It was a little funny, but a good memory.

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Napa, Three Days + 5 Wineries

Napa, Three Days + 5 Wineries

To recap, Napa three days and five wineries. We rolled into Napa on Saturday around 3pm settled in and ventured out to experience Ashes and Diamonds. Sunday we went for the castle in Calistoga, which is about 45 mins from Hampton Inn Suites where we stayed, Castello di Amorosa which offered a Tuscan style castle experience with beautiful views of the valley and some nice wines too. Yesterday we decided to go big and maximize the day we hit three wineries, I’ll call them the classics, Robert Mondavi, V. Sattui, and Beringer. Robert Mondavi offered nice classic America French style wine. I call it a classic because the layout of the winery promotes a beautiful lifestyle and they were one of the first wineries to offer wine tastings and guided tours. From there off to V. Sattui which is just a few wineries up the valley. The grounds offer a completely different vibe, the main buildings are shaded under a grand canopy of ancient trees. They had great wines, although one really stood out to me. Bacci, was the name of wine and it seemed to be just the right balance of different types of grapes, soil, and timing. V. Sattui also has a deli so we dined under the canopy of trees and enjoyed the valley breeze of the day. From there we headed to Beringer. The Beringer Winery did not disappoint.

Beringer…..when you think about Beringer you might have mixed feelings or maybe I do. I have decided its a must visit. Its history goes back 1868, they even suffered through prohibition and stay open because they sold wine to the Catholic Church. Now they make amazing wines available in Napa. Wait available in Napa? OK you can be on their mailing list and have the wines shipped to you. So back to the mixed feelings about Beringer, I normally think of Beringer as “cougar juice” or “porch pounder,” whatever you want to call it. You know the white zin you see so many people getting all sugared up on. See that’s where the brilliance comes in. They sell the “porch pounder” to fund their special wines which are only available in Napa at the winery. We enjoyed three 95 point reds and one 99 pointer. Can I just say wow. Because of the tasting and tour I say this is a must see. BTW we took the cave tour which was a nice break from the heat. (photo is from the Beringer Caves.).

So for my personal critique, the best winery and wines…….Ashes and Diamonds take first place and Beringer takes second. Both had amazing wines, but from start to finish Ashes and Diamonds blew my mind with the flavors and complexity and balance. Beringer came in a close second with their two top Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Just my opinion. :)

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Napa, Getting Sideways

Napa, Getting Sideways

I don’t think there is enough time to truly get to know Napa fully. Today we set out to take in as much as we could. We started at the Robert Mondavi winery. The weather was spectacular, loads of sun and a gentle breeze. We chose Robert Mondavi because Karen visited the winery with her mom, Jody 24 years ago. The tasting did not disappoint. In my opinion the Cabernet Sauvignon was their winner. The setting was beautiful, it was filled with sculptures and vines.

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Napa, Castello di Amorosa

Napa, Castello di Amorosa

We had a lot of fun today. It was hot and beautiful today in Napa. I knew we needed a teen friendly and visually exceptional wine local. This vineyard did not disappoint. This is most visited Castle in the world according to the staff. So many people were there.

We entered the Castello via the bridge and purchase our tickets. We explored Castello as much as we could. We ventured downstairs into the cellar for our wine tasting. It was brilliant, for one moment we felt like we were in Europe, probably Sienna. We had fun tasting wine and Lexy had grape juice. It was good times had by all.

Let’s give mad props to Lexy Harmon for shooting this photograph of us. She’s the best.

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Edward Weston Gallery

Edward Weston Gallery

We missed our chance to experience the Edward Weston Gallery. It would have been nice. Edward Weston was and is an icon of photography. So Lexy and I had Karen take a picture of us outside. Here’s a link to the Weston Gallery. https://www.westongallery.com/artists-gallery/

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Napa Wine Country! First wine tasting was Ashes and Diamonds

Napa Wine Country! First wine tasting was Ashes and Diamonds

We found a unique Napa winery. It caught my attention by its architectural design, so we had to see it first hand. As we pulled on to the property I said now we are talking. The vibe of this vineyard, is very different than any of the others I’ve seen. We were kindly greeted by Connor a man from Wichita. We discussed how small the world is and that there are many mid-westerners in Napa. Then came the wines. Wow, is the word that comes to mind. Their red wines fit the location and vibe to a T. It was exactly what we needed after so many days of driving.

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Hwy 1 again.

Hwy 1 again.

One more photograph to share from Hwy 1. We lucked out we started our day out in the fog. Then we drove through some rain, and suddenly we swung around a corner and the sun graced us with its presence. Beautiful.

Also, on our path to Carmel we came across a few furry little friends. There was a whole gang of chipmunks on the side of the road where we had pulled over to make a feast out of sushi and sandwiches for lunch. As we soon realized that the people in the car parallel to us were feeding the chipmunks, they drove off. But before we knew that, we had already adventured outside of the car to capture a few photographs of the view. Soon, all of the cute little chipmunks had followed us, begging for food. They had gotten so close to us that we decided to hop back inside the car to finish our lunch.

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Santa Monica Pier, the End of the Trail (Route 66)

Santa Monica Pier, the End of the Trail (Route 66)

We had to stop. This maybe the quickest visit anyone has ever done. We parked the car, walked a block, into an ocean of people, (looked like 10,000 people) shot a few photos, and jetted.

I’ve always wanted to see where the “Mother Road” ends. I can now say I have. Its pretty cool we have multiple connections to Route 66, we drive a little bit of Old 66 on the way to our studio. And of course Oklahoma has the most drivable miles of Route 66, the Mother Road.

For this mega-babe a.k.a Karen (my wife) the pier has a little more personal meaning. My father-in-law, used to frequent the pier before World War II when he worked in Los Angeles for a short time. He used to talk about how the pier was the place to hangout, he said there was a lot of “boying and girling” there.

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Hwy 1, Big Sur

Hwy 1, Big Sur

Hwy 1. what can I say? Dang, this drive is beautiful. Now before I go on about how beautiful the drive is lets just say it’s a lot colder than I expected. The California central coast must be the break over region for temperatures. It feels like fall and here it’s the end of June. Next time I’ll pack a heavy jacket. OK now that we have that out of our systems….this drive is amazing. How beautiful is this stretch of the American landscape? (rhetorical question)

This place is beautiful! I think this drive reminded me of so many places, but it still has its own California vibe. We started out with fog, then a little bit of rain, lots of wind, and then around a curve the sun came our to warm us up. This is the kind of drive you remember for years. Do it.

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"Levitated Mass" Megalith

"Levitated Mass" Megalith

We made it through Los Angeles’ traffic to jump out and see this amazing piece of public art. Levitated Mass, I think this is a testament to the power of a documentary. After watching the documentary Levitated Mass about how they transported this megalith, I’ve wanted to see and experience it first hand.

Lexy asked “what is Levitated Mass,” and Karen and I both said “it’s like a rock.” A very big heavy rock. We loved it.

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Hollywood

Hollywood

We drove into L.A. and I said, “Lexy what would you like to see?” She said, ”I would like to see the Hollywood sign.” Karen typed in Hollywood sign into google maps and we’re off and running I10 to random streets over the hills and through the hoods and suddenly we’re heading up a road towards the Observatory past the Greek Theater. (Bryan Ferry was the line up..I wanted to go, but I must stay on mission.) We made it up the hill to park on the road. I showed off my mad parallel parking skills and walked up with thousands of other tourists towards the Observatory. Once we approached we started looking around. I didn’t really want to go to the Observatory because that’s its own trip. I scanned the L.A. vista and bam through the haze and smog was the sign.

Hollywood! Lexy said, “I thought it would be bigger.” I said, “if we were right next to the letters they would probably 40 feet or so tall. They are just far away.” She smiled and we attempted some group photos and I walked away with this gem. I had to knock the haze off. I’m thrilled it was as clear as it was. From there it was off to see the MASS.

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