Remember Alex and Jay?

They tied the knot!

I witnessed a beautiful Catholic ceremony, followed by shenanigans on Federal Hill, and then a lovely indoor/outdoor reception at the Evergreen House.

My favorite shots, of course, are the ones taken of Alex and Jay on Federal Hill, when they had the chance to enjoy each other and celebrate their nuptials. In spite of the heat (it was nearly 90 degrees), the whole bridal party held up well on the hill.

And I must say, I witnessed one of the most energetic and lively receptions I've ever been to; lots of fun was had by all (including me!).

My brothers and I are very fortunate to have close relationships with each other. We grew up, fighting and playing, homeschooled from middle school to high school. Kevin and I went to the same college (Messiah), and Philip found his own home at Houghton, and is halfway through his career there. The three of us now have our separate homes in Dallas, Baltimore, and Boston. It's great when we can get together.

While we were on vacation in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I took the time to pull them both aside and take a few portraits. I had a lighting assistant for both of these, holding a gold reflector for fill light. Both shots were taken in the shade, with the afternoon sun coming in from the side. I enjoyed experimenting by lighting each of them very differently.

Kevin's portrait is the rare occasion where I think the lettering and picture on his t-shirt actually helps to make the portrait more successful. For many men his age, growing up with video games helped to form his identity and turned into one of his favorite pastimes. Some of my fond memories of him are playing networked games on our home computers back in the '90s, such as Bolo and Super Maze Wars.

One of the things I like about this portrait is that it exudes the confidence that Kevin has going on. All through his young adulthood he was poked fun of because of his curly hair (yes, it's natural); he learned to roll with the punches and be satisfied with who he is.

Philip is six years younger than me. Growing up, of course, that makes a huge difference, but these days it's nice to be able to connect more now that the age doesn't matter so much.

I like that these portraits of him capture his introspective qualities. He's an intense thinker, and has a lot to say when asked. He gives deep and earnest consideration to ideas. What's missing from these, though, is his goofy sense of humor. That, I think, is best captured in this shot:

He was pretending to nap, only to jump up and surprise me while my shutter was clicking. Needless to say, I got a little freaked out.

Just like old times.

My first week of camp is complete!

I have a dozen students, ranging from grades 2 to 5. Most of them are around 8 years old. All of them are very enthusiastic, as you can see from this class picture.

On our first day, we ran around with our film cameras; the assignment was for the kids take pictures of each other on the playground outside. It was a nice way to get-to-know-you and get some film ready for developing throughout the week.

While we were out and about, I took this picture of Kyle, my faculty-in-training. He's a high school graduate attending MICA in the fall.

Kyle has been a huge help, mixing chemicals, managing the kids, and helping them learn the involved steps that it takes to go from film to finished print.

Teaching has taught me a lot about planning. I felt very prepared in the weeks leading up to the class, and having my supplies ordered ahead of time gave me a sense of security. Nothing can prepare you for the hiccups along the way, though! I've had a few technical hurdles (the printer not working in the digital lab, and water pressure issues in the darkroom), that I couldn't have foreseen.

Most of all, though, teaching is revealing a lot of things about myself. I have to think on my toes, remain flexible, and think of ways to creatively explain things to kids who need something a little extra or something a little different. Each child has a different learning style, and that can be tough to accommodate when there are so many different activities going on; shooting, darkroom work, and computer editing are all very different processes.

But the kids seem to be taking to it well, and I'm a happy camper. Uh, no pun intended... really.

Anecdote: Both of these shots were taken with my beautiful Nikon FM10 on Ilford Delta 400 film.

Yesterday, Stephen got it into his head that we simply had to have meatball subs for dinner and fruit pie for dessert. After a successful trip to the library (Steve: 20 CDs; Me: 3 books), we trekked to the grocery store, baby in arms. I had a WIC check ready that would let us get tuna fish on the cheap, along with a few other delectable, nutritious things (Number of full grocery bags: 3; Money spent: $12.08). In the stifling heat (no air conditioning in the kitchen), we broiled the meatballs (according to Steve's recipe), made the sauce (from scratch), baked the pie (again, Steve's recipe), and got a salad together. We feasted royally (as you can see above), and with bellies full, put the baby to bed.

Boy, am I ever glad that I married someone who not only likes to eat, but who likes to cook as well. In the midst of stirring the sauce, Steve pointed out that when you do it all yourself, it comes out pretty inexpensively. I nodded, and thought about how fortunate I am to still be breastfeeding Ruthie, which is also an inexpensive way of keeping the family fed. In a few short months she'll eat nearly everything we're eating, and probably twice as fast, since she'll be growing too.

After little growing baby went to sleep, we watched The Big Lebowski on Hulu (free television and movies!), and then curled up in the bedroom with our window A/C unit on. Cool air wafted over us, with warm pie in our stomachs, and sleeping baby nearby.

Ahhhh, summer camp, when the freedom of each day stretches out into eternity. Summer camp is its own world of possibility, excitement, and sunscreen.

This second week of camp has seen a shift of emphasis; I spend less time demonstrating and more time on individual feedback and instruction. Most my energy gets channeled into coordinating activities and making sure both the physical machines in the classroom and the metaphorical classroom-machine are well-oiled. I want my kids to produce work they take pride in.

Here you can see us hard at work in the darkroom, developing film diligently, with our gloves on for safety.

Here, two students of mine are drying cyanotype emulsion in preparation for making a print in the UV light.

Students are hard at work in the digital lab, playing with Photoshop and Bridge. It's tough to get your head around new techniques in the darkroom and in such a complicated image editing program. They're doing remarkably well.

And this is one of my most enthusiastic film students. I've nicknamed him "rabid shutterbug." He goes through film almost as fast as I did in college.

Next week, I'll post some of my kids' work on their "themes," which range from topics such as "hard colors" and "self-portrait" to "shoes" and "fire". These are self-directed projects where kids will put together a series of images on their selected theme, eventually putting them on display in a group show next Thursday!

My hats are off to my students.