I’m lucky.  I’ve got a loving and supportive family, a reasonably steady source of income, and pretty good health considering I over-stress, under-rest, over-caffeinate and under-nourish my body.  All in all?  I’ve got it made.

I’m not so sure that I should pat myself on the back, though.  It’s not like I’ve had a ton of environmental factors to overcome.  My parents are still married.  I wasn’t abused as a child.  I always had food.  Probably too much…LOL.  Our family’s home was warm and reasonably peaceful, so before arriving at school everyday, I felt energized and ready to learn.  I had tons of positive role-models in my life, instilling in me a sense of self-worth, potential and hard work.

You know what?  As easy as I’ve had it, even still–I’ve been stupid at times, and I’ve foolishly put it all in jeopardy.  Somehow, I’ve managed to turn out okay, despite myself.

What if I didn’t have it so good growing up?  I wonder where I might be now?

It’s for this reason that I feel compelled to give back, and to encourage you all to keep on doing the same.  If I’m being honest?  I’m not very good at it yet.  Still trying to grow in that area.

Pick something that’s meaningful to you, and give in a way that’s best for you.  I don’t have a bunch of money laying around, but I’ve got photography that I can use to help out.

I’m helping out The Lighthouse Ministries of Lexington.  You can read more about them in THIS post of mine from a few months ago.  More recently, I was asked to go meet some of the folks Lighthouse reaches out to.  I talked with them for a bit and several people allowed me the opportunity to photograph them.  They were very excited knowing that the images would be used to show the face of hope Lighthouse works to provide.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Big thanks to Serif Group, too, for donating their time and talent to the Lighthouse Ministries. They’re designing a van wrap (to be donated by AdColor of Lexington) that will feature some of the images I’ve captured while being involved with the Lighthouse.  Check this out:

Pretty fun, right?

Thanks for taking the time to read this!  Last thought?  Feel free to chime in below in the comments section with other organizations in Lexington that you feel passionate about.  Maybe it will inspire us all a bit to see all the varied opportunities to serve available.  Bye, y’all!  -shaun

For once in my life, I’m at a loss for words.  I want to tell you how amazing this wedding weekend in Nashville was for me, but I swear—every word feels inadequate.  For someone like me who gathers energy and inspiration from my surroundings, this wedding was nearly too much for me to handle.  I seriously felt overwhelmed visually, emotionally, at a soul-level.  Let me try my best to explain this and not sound like a babbling fool…

Jess and Billy are like gravity.  They draw together effortlessly, and never with an ounce of pretense or show.  They are 100% comfortable with themselves and each other, and it shows in the easy spirit they carry.  This sentiment echoed throughout the whole weekend.  Everyone was warm and festive.  Like a much overdo family reunion.  I’ve never seen so much hugging, and I’m a hugger from way back.  Love it.

The venue?  Seriously?  I could shoot there for an entire wedding season and still never capture that much beauty.  Historic Cedarwood is THE ideal place for a wedding and reception.  The facilities, the grounds, the food, the service—perfectly connected.

Okay…I can sense that my words are falling short.  I’m going to shut-up now and let you enjoy these images!

Gorgeous, right?

A fun little spin on American Gothic.  Make sure you check out the slideshow to see what else Jess and Billy did with the pitch-fork.

To the family and friends of Jess and Billy—I had a blast with you.  Keep in touch with me through Twitter and Facebook!

To see all of the proofs, go HERE and preregister. You’ll get a nifty five dollar gift credit for print purchases by doing so.

To Jess and Billy—Thank you.  You’ve enriched my life, and I can’t wait to stay in touch.

And now for the slideshow!  Enjoy, and please feel free to leave a comment below when you’re finished! Bye y’all!  -shaun

One of the cool things about my job is that I get to meet and work with up-and-coming photographers.  Betsy Whiteman has been second-shooting with me for a couple seasons now, and I couldn’t be happier with how much she’s grown as a photographer during that time.  Make no mistake, though.  She’s got her own style and way of looking at the world.  I can take zero credit for that!  I’m really excited to see what she’ll be doing with her mad skills here in a few more years, especially when she’s finished with her studies at SCAD.  Pretty impressive stuff!

Thank you, Betsy, for driving up from Atlanta to Lexington to photograph Katie, Carson and me.  You did great, and we absolutely love the images.  Stay in touch, and don’t forget about us when you’re famous!

Some of our faves that we’re going to have printed for our home:

I met Ethan at a crawfish boil several years back.  We talked cameras, he educated me a bit about hot sauces, and we ended up staying in touch.  He and Mia called me up last year to be their buyer’s agent when they were ready to buy their first house.  Through that process, I got to know both of them a lot better, and I’m so glad to now be able to call them friends.  They’re salt-of-the-earth kind of people.  Smart. Funny. Genuinely warm.

With so many people coming in from out-of-town for their wedding, Mia and Ethan wanted to give their wedding guests a real feel for Kentucky.  They started the day with an early, intimate ceremony at the historic Bell House in downtown Lexington.  I couldn’t help but feel a lump in my throat as Ethan’s joy overflowed into tears during the vows.  Such an honest, sweet moment.

Every detail about Mia’s and Ethan’s wedding was unique and fun.  Cupcakes and jellybeans.  Mason jar vases for the flowers.  Ethan wore a sharp, dark-gray suit with a green tie and handkerchief to match the green mums in Mia’s bouquet.  Mia’s dress? 100% perfectly her.  A-line, empire waist, with a tea-length cut so she could rock some purple pumps.  Awesome, right?  For their favors, Ethan got to inject his passion for heat.  Each guest took home a bottle of CaJohns hot sauce, complete with custom labels showing their fave engagement session image.

After the 9:30AM ceremony, the guests got to enjoy a hearty southern breakfast with such staple items as sausage, biscuts and gravy, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns (peppers included–good call, Ethan).  With the ceremony, breakfast, cupcakes, and formal photography wrapped up by noon, everyone got to enjoy the rest of the cool late-October afternoon in classic Lexington-fashion—the fall meet at Keeneland.  What a fun way to hang out with your guests, right?

To Ethan and Mia—You two rock.  I’m thrilled to be in your lives.  I wish we could get together more often!

To everybody—If you enjoy the images and slideshow below, please do me a favor and give me a shout-out in the comments section.  Here in a few weeks, you’ll be able to see all of the proofs, too.  You can go ahead and click HEREto pre-register (AND get a discount).  Last thing?  Please add me to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  I’d really like to stay in touch with y’all!  Talk to you soon!  -shaun

Definitely my favorite shot of the whole day.  I love Mia’s laugh, and you can totally see the surprise AND adoration in Ethan’s eyes.  Awesome.

Don’t forget to watch the slideshow!  Thanks!

Today is a bit rainy, so I’m finally getting a chance to post a few of my fave images from our Florida vacation so far.  I won’t bore you with too much commentary, though.  Enjoy, and please leave some comments below!

Carson’s first plane ride went surprisingly well.  We strapped in his carseat, gave him some books, and toward the end he watched a couple of his favorite shows.  Not too shabby!

This is the spot out our backdoor where we set up camp each day.

One of the nicest things about the cottage is having this shady backyard that overlooks the beach.

If you already know me, then you know that I am not athletic at all.  I did, however, give ye ol’ kayak a whirl.  Turned out pretty well, actually!

We dropped by the aquarium in Clearwater.

One of my dearest friends Bill Manley now lives in Hudson, FL with his wife and son.  In a nice twist of fate, Bill had a house concert at a friend’s house (thanks, Jackie!) already planned for the Friday after we arrived. I brought my gear to the concert so that I could grab some sweet shots of Bill performing.  I’m really happy with the images, but I’m most happy that Bill is still pursuing his passion for music.  You rock, brother!  I’m glad we got to jam on a few tunes!

While mama lays out on the beach catching up on her pop culture news via People magazine, Carson and I chill inside watching movies.  Here’s how Carson looks when he’s watching The Land Before Time.

There’s a Dinosaur World in Florida that’s owned by the same company that has one in Elizabethtown, KY. 

After Dinosaur World, we cruised on up to Downtown Disney to visit the T-Rex Cafe.  Carson got a new friend at Build-A-Dino.  He named him T.

Katie, Carson and T.

While in Florida, we got to give the Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo a spin.  It’s been voted the best zoo for children by Parent magazine for several consecutive years.  We’re Louisville Zoo members, so we got in free under a reciprocal agreement.  I love going to zoos, and I’m a big fan of free.

This zoo lets visitors feed their giraffes.  Awesome experience for Carson.

Carson getting to pet the rays.

What a cool moment.

And finally, some beachy shots of Katie, Carson, Bert and Ernie.

A fitting ending to this series…

Thanks for stopping by, y’all!  I probably won’t be posting any more vacation pics while here.  Too much relaxing I want to get in before we come back home.  Please do say hi, though!  I love hearing from you all! Byeeeee!  -shaun

Over the weekend, I had the great privilege of being asked by the Lighthouse Ministries of Lexington, KY to document an event where 10 men from their program were baptized.  Words can’t do justice to the emotion in the air as the program’s volunteers and participants lined the lake bank, cheering on those guys.  Regardless of your religious beliefs, there’s no denying those moments were powerful.

Do me a favor.  Click HERE and read about this organization before you watch the slideshow.  Next, check out the images.  Lastly?  Click HERE and get involved.  Thanks for stopping by!  -shaun