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The view from the Four Seasons' 45th floor, looking uptown toward Central Park

Quick self-portrait near Times Square

I spent Saturday shooting at the Four Seasons in Manhattan. It was an intimate little wedding, with just eight people in attendance.

This is the kind of trip that I refer to as a "surgical strike" — in the morning of the wedding — out first thing the next morning! That was a total of 19 hours in NYC!

I spent a few days in Philadelphia this past week visiting my brother, Phillip, who paints some pretty amazing murals around Philadelphia, like this one (before and after):



Anyway, I've been waking up at 5:30 am every weekday morning for the past couple of months doing an awesome fitness Bootcamp. So from 6-7 am we work hard running all around Freedom Park doing something different everyday. Pushups and tons of variations - clapping pushups, diamond pushups, military pushups, etc. Lots of abs and core strength work. And if anybody wants to know about Tabata Squats, I'd be happy to tell you. They're killer! So my endurance has skyrocketed. I have to cinch my belt a notch or two tighter now. Fat has melted off and is being replaced by muscle. Where are these weird ripples coming from? But other great benefits are that I have so much more energy now throughout the day and I feel much more focused and productive! Oh, and I've been eating a lot healthier. Nothing revolutionary. Just being smarter with food choice.

So, while I was in Philly, we decided to make a fun little video. My only intention was to share it with the folks at my Bootcamp, but of course I showed a few photographers who cracked up over it and so I figured I'd share it with the world. Prepare for the cheese:

Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.

—W. Eugene Smith

In the past three days, we've traversed the state of California, from San Francisco to San Diego. It's incredible how much emotional, intellectual and psychological distance can be covered in such a short time. Some things can't be measure in miles, only in milestones.

I wish I could share all of the business developments with you now, but many are looming like shadow play on the horizon. One thing is certain: LaCour and ShootQ stand together at an important crossroads.

Our first stop in San Francisco reconnected me with my mentor, Kim Komenich. During my time at the Missouri School of Journalism, Kim's passion for photography and storytelling fueled my love for photojournalism and life in general. He was both a guide and a friend. Having lunch with him was like coming home; it was a rare opportunity to witness life coming full circle. As I sat across a battered bistro table from someone whose influence on the direction of my photographic life is immeasurable, I felt ineffably grateful. Without Kim's guidance, I would not approach weddings with a storyteller's eye.



After lunch with Kim, Andrew and I joined a wonderful group of photographers in San Jose for a presentation about LaCour and ShootQ. We were thankful for the many insightful questions we heard from this group! It was a combined PUG, with San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento photographers.

Andrew demos ShootQ for the PUG.

Following the PUG, Andrew and I had a series of encouraging, ShootQ-related meetings. As I said earlier, I wish I could share more details. More to come...stay tuned. Needless to say, my journey from student at the Missouri School of Journalism to wedding photographer to software company owner has been filled with curiosity, challenges and creativity!


Wheels up over Silicon Valley

Rachel and I had fun tonight with the Louisville PUG group, hosted by the extraordinary (and poetic) Angela Anderson. Thanks to everyone who came to hear about LaCour and ShootQ!

Angela treated us to dinner at Proof, the swanky bistro-bar at 21c Museum Hotel. This place is a hip and modern amalgamation of art museum, hotel, bar and restaurant. Its rotating collection of art belongs to a private collector and is both quirky and inspiring. One of Rachel's favorite photographers, Bill Henson, has a piece hanging in the main lobby area.

At the museum, I discovered a Norwegian photographer named Simen Johan, whose fresh take on wildlife photography was captivating.



At dinner, I had the opportunity to talk extensively with ShootQ member Kitty Maer. Kitty told me about her firsthand experience using ShootQ. I value opportunities to sit down with ShootQ users and hear what they like and don't like about ShootQ. There is nothing more valuable when designing software than user feedback so we can improve! One commonality that I've observed between software and photography is that growing and improving is a journey. True success is found in perseverance and commitment to constant improvement!

Thanks Louisville PUG members for sharing your time and ideas with us!

You might have already read on our blog (Part 1 and Part 2) about Annette Biggers of Triple Cord Photography who started a fantastic organization called Photographers for Africa after she gave a gift of an old film camera to someone in Uganda.

Annette's story (with a lot more amazing details since you last read about Annette) has just been featured on Daryn Kagan's inspirational website, which you might remember from our story about Malcolm and Kalshelia's Habitat Honeymoon.

**Click Here to view the video on Daryn's website featuring Annette's story.