Taylor Robinson

I fight really hard  not to be cheesy or overly sentimental in my posts, but for this I'm going to speak the truth and you'll just have to forgive the cheese.  Yesterday was Taylor Robinson's last day in the Student Life office.  We'll leave today for Kenya on another Compassion trip, and when I return to the office next Thursday, it'll be the first time in my career that Taylor won't be there.  He's leaving SL to start his own production company with Jason Wallis, and I couldn't be more proud of him for doing so.

His departure leaves a huge hole at SL.  Taylor's a guy that made everyone around him elevate their game just a little.  We called him an idea machine.  He's got a gift for turning a bad idea into something great, he can see all angles of any idea, he can breathe life into a creatively dead room.  Taylor's crazy talented but that's not the only reason he'll be missed.  He's one of the best friends I've ever had, and I'll hate not seeing him around the office every day.  But we are all super excited for him and his new company.  He's going to do some great things.  Good luck Taylor!

On a much lighter note, Taylor loves having his picture taken.  If a camera's out, he's in front of it.  Only fitting he's going to work with a photographer.  Here's some of my favorite shots through the years:

Earthquake in Haiti

This is Haiti:



I've had this picture in my head all day today as I thought about what the devastation could possibly be like in Haiti.  I just can't image any of those homes are still intact after a 7.0 earthquake.  I took this shot a little over a year ago while visiting the offices of Compassion International with Student Life.  I've been to 7 different countries outside the United States in my lifetime and every single one of them are considered 3rd world nations.  Of those 7, Haiti is by far the most shocking and devastating.  As far as we drove, in any direction, there was simply no escape from the poverty.

Now, I'm not writing this to talk about my experiences in Haiti, or to showcase my photography.  I'm writing this post to show you Haiti.  To help you understand.  To make sure you're not just watching the news and saying to yourself "I feel so bad for those people over there" and letting it end there.  I realize how difficult it can be to understand what it's like in these 3rd world nations without seeing it.  That's what's great about photography, it can inform.









The shots above are what I remember most about Haiti.  Wall-to-wall people and shacks as far as the eye can see.  The poverty there is absolutely overwhelming and it terrifies me to think about what it must have been like to be amongst the crowds of people when the earthquake started.

Here are some of the facts about the country of Haiti:

• Over 80% of Haiti lives in poverty, making it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.


• The majority of Haitians live without electricity or clean water.


• Over 66% get no work, and those who do work earn the equivalent of about $2 a day.


• Over 60% of the country lacks basic health care.


• Only about 4% of the land is in forest, compared to 30% of US land, meaning Haiti relies on imports just to feed its people.  Currently the land in Haiti is only capable of providing for about 40% of the population.


• Extreme weather conditions further threaten the land, with torrential rains during hurricane season racing down deforested mountains and destroying fields, roads and homes.


• Haiti also has the highest infant, under-five and maternal mortality rates in the western hemisphere.


• In 2008, hurricanes claimed the lives of over 800 citizens, and the mudslides produced have put most without clean water.

And if all that weren't enough, they were just hit with the worst earthquake in the Caribbean in over 200 years.

It's time for the Church to be the Church.  Please pray for Haiti and consider donating here

So this is Christmas....

I love Christmas.  It's just the best.  The weather, the music, the lights... I love everything about it.  Tomorrow I'm going to attempt something new.  New for me at least.  I'll be setting up for 7 family portrait sessions in one afternoon.  I'm extremely pumped and slightly nervous at the same time.  There's an anxiety that falls over me every time I'm hired to shoot families weddings babies cupcakes just about anything.  I just want it to be nothing short of great every time.  I don't think it's a lack of confidence as much as it's wanting everyone to be absolutely pleased with what I'm doing.  So I guess tomorrow is that feeling times 7.  It'll be great though, and I'll be sure and post about the day on here very soon.  Wish me luck!

Oh, and enjoy the snowman.  Tris has these little "things" around the house for Christmas.... add them to the list of things I love about Christmas.

Reeves Family Portraits

After a while of shooting portraits for every family that will trust me with the task, there's the hope that eventually word gets out.  The Reeves' family session was one of the first "friend of a friend" family shoots.  At the time of the shoot, which was a while ago, they were packed and ready to move off to the Netherlands to be full time missionaries.   I don't remember much of the specifics of their move, other than it caused them to temporarily move in with her parents in Mountain Brook.  This house was gorgeous, and remember location is key, it also didn't hurt that they're all very photogenic.   Anyways, I loved the how the photos turned out, here are a few of my faves:

Kinsley Family Portraits

This is hardly up-to-date, seeing that I shot these photos a couple months ago.  I've been so busy lately with family photo shoots that I've completely fallen down on my job of staying current with my blog.  Because I've shot so much lately, I'm going to start focusing on one family photoshoot a week from now on.  I think maybe a catch phrase could help, like "Family Fridays" or "Best Fam in the Ham"; I'm open to suggestions. Anyways, here are the Kinsley's: We're actually just focusing on the youngest Kinsley here, her name is Story.

Story is very girlie and loves to wear pink.  Well, she actually doesn't have much of a say in how much pink she wears, but I think it's safe to assume she's not going to shy away from pink in the future.   I work with Story's dad, Chris, and we like to joke with him about Story being a beauty queen just like her mom, Liza.  Kinsley enjoys reading about how to surviving zombie attacks, and Liza is a former beauty queen and couldn't be more girlie;  it's such a great combo.  I've known the Kinsley's going on 8 years now, and they are some of my favorite people.  These are some of my favorite shots from Story's 6-month photo session.













This is Chris, he's a writer at Student Life.  So much smarter than myself, which may not be saying a lot.  Check him out at ChrisKinsley.com