Ryan is a former student of mine who, like Wendy and me, has a lot going on. He’s a full-time student, designs web pages, (kind of) maintains a blog, skateboards, and in his free time (?) paints graffiti and SC-themed images. I took these images of him back in July while he was painting the office of a tech startup here in Columbia. It was really hot that day and remembering it makes me especially thankful for the cooler weather we’re enjoying now. So for now, whatever the weather, cool down with a nice tall glass of Rybo.

This next one is a particular favorite of mine. Ryan painted both sides of the skateboard he’s holding, and the grip tape side is an Imperial stormtrooper.

Yup, that’s my student.

This past week, I got to celebrate this amazing woman and our marriage to one another. See, our anniversary was on Wednesday and Wendy’s birthday was on Thursday, meaning that, should I ever forget these dates, I am totally and completely doomed. No, I’m kidding, I have an amazingly patient and forgiving wife but I plan to never test her forgiveness that hard.

Anyway, we started out our anniversary in full wedding mode, with a bridal shoot with the lovely Joie (who you’ll meet next week) at the historic Seibels House and Garden. It’s a gorgeous site, which you can see from this quick snap I took of Wendy while testing light.

After our shoot, we were trying to decide on a place to eat our anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, we were both pretty stuffed up (pollen, anyone?) and didn’t really want to splurge on a fancy meal that we might or might not be able to taste. What to do? Eat at Blue Cactus, of course! Let me be clear–we chose Blue Cactus not because they’re not delicious, but because the way they cook, we knew we’d be able to taste it.

So yeah, in short, there were photos, there were gifts, there was food. It was a good day.

Thursday was set aside for us to celebrate, so there were…more gifts, more photos, and more food. This is Wendy in her new camera t-shirt:

In the photo we’re on our way to the McCutchen House for lunch. If you’ve never eaten there, you must remedy that soon. The food is delicious and the restaurant is staffed by USC students from the School of Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management who must be getting graded on their performance because the service is excellent. The McCutchen House is also where Wendy and I had our wedding reception. This visit wasn’t quite as exciting as that one, but we did actually get to eat this time.

There is no explanation for these next photos except that my wife is beautiful and we were messing around:

(I wish Wendy had told me how flat my hair was.)

(Did I mention that the McCutchen House has some great light?)

“Ooh! A brick wall!”

So, after eating and playing around USC, we went shopping so that Wendy could spend a little of her birthday money. I know you’re dying to know what she bought, but hang on!

Finally, we wrapped up our celebration of our anniversary and Wendy’s birthday by treating ourselves to…another photoshoot! This one was at  The Inn at Claussen’s–the place we spent our wedding night–and Wendy busted our her birthday purchases:

And if you think blondes have more fun, you haven’t seen anything yet:

So yeah, that’s my wife.

I am more grateful than I can express to have had the joy of spending the last three years of my life with her. She is my constant inspiration and the love of my life. Thank you for three amazing years, Baby, and happy birthday!

Yes, on Tuesday night a tiny dusting of snow fell on us here in Columbia, SC. Many of us stayed up late constantly refreshing the school closings page on WISTV.com, only to be met with sadness and frustration. Still, it was a nice reminder of the snow we had in February, and so I thought today I’d post a few pictures Wendy and I took back then.

There aren’t a whole lot of pictures because (1) while I can handle the cold and wet it doesn’t seem ideal for cameras and (2) it’s all well and good to take pictures, but when you get snow in Columbia it’s important to put the camera down and play in it, so that’s what we did.

Since most of us in South Carolina aren’t very familiar with snow, I’ve prepared a brief primer on proper snow behavior. Let’s start with Snow 101: Snowflake catching.

Next, stand in awe upon realizing that it’s actually snowing.

Next, simply delight in the snow.

After that, realize you’re freezing because you have no clothing appropriate for snow and go inside.

Finally, after you’ve had a chance to warm up, forget that you have no appropriate clothing, raid your kitchen, and go outside and build a snowman.

Our snowman featured a real corn-cob pipe (well, a real corn-cob left over from Chili’s, anyway), a cucumber nose, and two eyes (and a mouth) made out of coffee beans.  We felt he represented us well.

We hope our fellow South Carolinians enjoyed the snow and that you’ll all come back tomorrow for the Friday edition of FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING.

The Alliance Française is a worldwide non-profit organization founded in Paris in 1883. It is part of a network of over 1,000 chapters in 133 countries. In the United States, the Alliance Française counts more than 140 locations…The mission of The Alliance is to encourage the study of the French language and the various cultures of French-speaking countries and, more specifically, to foster friendly relations between the French-speaking and American peoples.

For those unfamiliar, Candide was written by Voltaire and ridicules the philosophical optimism of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The play was performed entirely in French, which means that Wendy enjoyed the subtlety of the satire while I laughed when someone died in an especially comic way. All told, though, it was a lot of fun, with flying sheep, horses whose galloping sounded suspiciously like coconuts, and a hero who saves the girl, even though she’s gotten very, very ugly.

If you are a student of French or are simply interested in French culture, get in touch with the Alliance and get involved, and be sure to keep your eyes out for another performance next year!

Here are a few shots we took of the magnificent cast.

At last, we meet our daring hero Candide…and his flying sheep.

And finally, the entire cast of Candide.

Thanks for sticking around for the third day of the FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING. There are two more days to go, and I hope you’ll join us for both of them. See you tomorrow!

Meet Ethan.  Ethan loves to read and play, and he insists on giving you a full tour of the toy box as soon as you walk through the door.

I love this next picture Loren took of Ethan watching J.P. juggle some blocks.  At the time, I was helping my mom prepare for our family photo.  Just look at those bright eyes and that smile!

Here he is opening up some cardboard blocks that took the adults about half an hour to assemble (actually, I’m not sure how long it took us, but those blocks are not coming apart again for some time… too many little cardboard teeth).

Ethan wasn’t as excited about the shark poncho we picked out as he was the blocks, books and puzzles.  I can’t blame the kid, but I sure am glad we got this picture out of it.

This is Brooke, Ethan’s beautiful baby sister.  She is sweet and sociable and thinks Ethan is the funniest thing around.  Brooke’s laugh alone is enough to make my day (this is what I’m talking about).

Here’s Poppy snoozing with little Brooke…

…and Pop holding  Brooke after her nap.

Ethan is a wonderful big brother who will frequently bring his little sis toys to hold and even try to make sure she’s present for story time.  But even the best older siblings will sometimes compete for attention…

The trip was awesome!  Mainly, we lounged around, played with the kids, hung out with Betsy and Loren, and ate their food.  My mom and dad were there, too, so we had some bonus family time consisting of caroling, continued eating, and of course a family photo shoot.

Betsy and Loren are amazing parents and, honestly, first class human beings.  They are family and friends we continue to look up to.

Currently, Loren, Betsy, Ethan and Brooke are reunited after Loren’s recent trip to help out in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.  You can view some of his pictures from the trip here.  Welcome home, Loren!  We love you!

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And strange as it seems
J.P. and Wendy were relaxing
Their apartment was clean!
They’d watched Lost off of Netflix,
Ten episodes or more,
Odd since they’d just started
Watching two days before.
They’d sung ‘long with Sufjan,
Read some Lord of the Rings,
Watched Peanuts and Garfield
From Bittorrent streams.
And soon they’d be dreaming
Of lenses and lights,
Softboxes and snoots
To make portraits look right.
But first to their blog
They posted scenes of cheer
To thank friends and clients
For a wonderful year!

Wendy and I are celebrating our third Christmas together as husband and wife and, if you’ll pardon a little bit of bragging, I’m reminded that I am the luckiest man on earth. Seriously, how many guys have a wife who can decorate cookies like this?

I’m guessing very, very few.

I’d also expect that there aren’t too many wives who would indulge their husbands in decorating their gingerbread men to resemble web comic characters.

Meet Faye and Marten…

…and Winslow and Pintsize.

Now say goodbye to Pintsize.

Besides decorating cookies, we got ready for Christmas by going to “The Lights Before Christmas” at Riverbanks Zoo.

(I think Wendy looks good in red, don’t you?)

I don’t know if the fish were in the Christmas spirit or not. Some of them were kind of sparkly, though.

Meanwhile the Lizards were decked out in their best Christmas green.

Wendy and I wish you a very merry Christmas and suggest that you put a star on your tree…

(Not this one)

…snuggle up with someone you love…

…or in my case…

…and have a happy New Year!

]]> http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/12/merry-christmas/feed/ 1 http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-social/ http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-social/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:58:00 +0000 J.P. http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/?p=610 When I (J.P.) am not taking pictures or playing music for children, I corrupt instruct high-schoolers in a number of subjects, some of which are vaguely related to my philosophy degrees.  In general, I try to maintain an attitude of disinterested disdain toward my students, but, as you may have guessed from the Snuggie post, they sometimes get the better of me and warm my cold, cold heart.

The truth is, I have some of the best students any teacher could ask for. In faith, intellect, and character, many of the students I teach and have taught are shining examples of humanity who I actually *ahem* respect. Some of them have even gone on to become my friends, though if they try calling me by my first name I will disembowel them. Now, before things get too mushy, on to the post.

On Friday, the kids celebrated the end of the term with a Christmas social. I shot photos and some video for them and, as a way to thank them for being pretty amazing, made this video. I hope they, and you, enjoy it.

1. Travel

I got sick just before Thanksgiving this year (thanks a lot, immune system), so Wendy drove us down to her parents’ house in Summerville. Just as we got off I-26 we saw this sunset. I…requested emphatically that Wendy pull the car over so that we could get a photo. She graciously agreed.

2. Food

My mother-in-law made this roast that is, yes, wrapped in bacon. Did she make this for Thanksgiving dinner? No, this was the night before Thanksgiving…you know, just to get us ready. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I won in every imaginable way when I married Wendy.

3. Gifts

Ah, exchanging gifts, what a wonderful way to celebrate the Lord’s birth! I’m fairly certain, however,  that the magi did not participate in a white elephant gift exchange.
“Number three!”
“Ok, I think I’ll take…the gold.”
“Are you sure? Look at this lovely frankincense! Think how fragrant your house would be!”
They were after all, wise men, and probably knew that at a white elephant gift exchange you risk going home with something like this:

As Dave Barry would say, “I swear I am not making this up.”

Wendy and I came home from my school’s Christmas party with a rusty caulk gun and a (beautifully decorated) paint can.
Yup.
To be fair, at a later Christmas party we came out much better, with espresso cups and a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, so I’d say it evened out, all in all.

So, to summarize: travel safely, enjoy some delicious food, and be very, very careful with white elephant gift exchanges.

]]> http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/12/getting-ready-for-the-holidays/feed/ 2 http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/11/snuggie/ http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/2009/11/snuggie/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:15:23 +0000 J.P. http://www.lumosstudio.com/blog/?p=513 This post comes with a story, so please bear with me.

Among other things I do, I (J.P.) teach Rhetoric. Rhetoric, simply, is the art of persuasive speech.  In my class, the students primarily study Aristotle’s aptly-named Rhetoric, but sometimes I want to share with them something a little more contemporary, something that truly speaks to their generation. I think that infomercials are one of the best modern examples of persuasive communication and it’s for this reason I introduced them to the Snuggie™: the blanket with sleeves.

The students seemed to appreciate the simple structure of the commercial:

1) Present a problem: “You want to stay warm without raising your heating bill and you are incapable of performing mundane tasks like answering the phone while entombed in the shroud-like confines of a blanket. Also, for some reason, everything is in black and white.”
2) Offer a solution while footage switches to color and peppy music begins: “Now, you can own a Snuggie! You’ll be able to stay warm while enjoying a wide range of activities!”
3) Show how the benefits of the solution makes life amazing!

Little did I know how much they had appreciated it…

Two days after my birthday, just as I was getting ready to begin Rhetoric, our headmaster called me down to his office to help him with a computer problem. I asked a student to tell the rest of the class what the day’s assignment was and to have them begin on it, and followed the headmaster. After talking with me for a few minutes, the headmaster walked with me back to my classroom so I could retrieve a USB drive that contained some diagnostic utilities. When I got back to the room, the lights were off, the kids had their heads down on their desks and I was led by the headmaster to the far side of the room.

What followed was nothing less than amazing. My students has remixed and personalized the Snuggie commercial for me: “Mr. Stephens, do you find it miserable teaching in a freezing cold classroom? Do you find it difficult to write on the board when your hands have frostbite on them?”  After presenting the problem, the lights came on, the music started (“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls), and the dancing and singing began. Oh yeah, and one student burst from the closet skating on a scooter while wearing a leopard-print Snuggie.

They didn’t skimp on the benefits of the solution, either. “Mr. Stephens, with your new Snuggie, you’ll be healthier, taller, stronger, more athletic, smarter…your hands will be nice and warm and you’ll be able to give us all A’s!” “You could even make it the official costume of Lunch Money!” At this point the students all dropped to their knees (approximating Lunch Money fan height) and waved their hands in the air while screaming “I love Lunch Money!”

In the end, I was presented with an awesome card, my new Snuggie…

…a DVD copy of The Iron Giant (they may have felt sorry for me after I showed them my copy on VHS)…

…a handmade Snuggie user’s guide…

(Note the chart.)

…and a cookie as big as my head!

At this point, it’s probably gratuitous to say that I have the greatest Rhetoric class ever. That’s one thing about Rhetoric, if the suck up this well, then they’re obviously getting the idea! As a small thank you to them, I will now conclude with a photo that I hope captures the magnificence of my birthday celebration, my students, and of course, my Snuggie.

P.S.- If any potential clients are reading this and you’re interested in a Snuggie-themed engagement shoot please contact us–we are definitely the photographers for you!

P.P.S.- After lecturing my students about copyright, I should probably mention that the first, second, and fourth pictures were taken by students and they retain all rights to them.

Let me begin with a little explanation of Wendy’s costume, because it’s somewhat conceptual. Okay, it’s totally conceptual, but follow along with me… Wendy is “Christmas Creep”, which is the practice stores have of putting out Christmas decorations and promotions earlier and earlier each year (hence the “creep” part). In my experience, the best Halloween costumes are scary and maybe even a little nauseating. If seeing a bunch of wreathes hanging next to zombie masks in Target doesn’t give you that feeling, you have a stronger stomach that me. (By the way, you can’t see them in the picture, but her necklace alternates Christmas ornaments and rats, and she has Christmas lights around her waist that really light up–though when we took the picture we didn’t have batteries.)

Read more about Christmas Creep at Consumerist and be sure to check out this awesome cartoon from Hallmark that captures the spirit of the costume perfectly.

In case you don’t know, this is Dr. Cockroach from “Monsters vs. Aliens”. I came up with the idea of using a giant pair of sunglasses to replicate his eyes, and then Wendy pretty much went to town from there. She. Is. Awesome. My antennae, by the way, are made from fall foliage found at Michaels. Big thanks to Molly from Lunch Money for getting her dad to loan me a lab coat used for real actual science.

Here are a couple more pics for the road: