On December 16th, we had our last Knox SMUG (SmugMug User Group) of the year.  What do photographers do to unwind and have fun? Well, we setup a photo booth, added props and let the craziness begin.

To start, here is Shannon Kelley and myself.  Shannon is the main host of the Knoxville SMUG and I am the co-host.  Shannon is a great photographer and has such enthusiasm to help the Knoxville photographic community. Checkout Shannon’s write of the night on her blog.

And on to a few more from that evening.

And a group shot.

To enjoy more photos from that crazy evening, check out the slideshow below or check out the gallery.

If you are interested in photography, check out our Meetup page and come hang out with us in 2011.

A few days ago I posted about the location scouting with Steve Chastain. This past Thursday night was the class’s opportunity to photograph at the hanger. We met at Island Home Airport and got to play around in a hanger with 4 airplanes and a variety of equipment. These airplanes are still in service to an amazing organization called Remote Area Medical. Judy and Tom Dandridge were kind enough to open the hanger and airplanes up for Steve’s classes use. A big thank you goes out to Judy and Tom letting us come out.

After the students arrived, Steve gave a brief history of the airplanes (one of which flew over Normandy on D-Day) and some information on the organization of RAM. We then played with lights and had a couple of great models. Steve’s students did a great job and loved experimenting with the lights.  To show the students a finer understanding of light, we started out with some 500 watt hot lights with softboxes.  It’s really fun to see the look of understanding come across someones face when they get a concept like feathering a light.  We then moved on to playing with strobes, both TTL and manually controlled.  Check out some of the students photographs over at Steve’s Photolearning blog.

Here are a few photographs that I captured while working with the students.

One of my favorite times of the year is the fall. Here in East Tennessee, the leaves always have the most amazing colors. I love being able to go to the mountains and just enjoy the beauty of nature. I was able to take some time close to the peak of the season (in between assisting Steve Chastain from Expressions Photography on two engagement sessions) and photograph around Treemont on the Middle Prong Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a gorgeous day with a bright blue sky and no clouds.

It is fast approaching winter weather here in East Tennessee, so the leaves are falling and the color is fading.  Enjoy this brief glimpse of Treemont in October.

A week ago, I had the chance to go scout a location with Steve Chastain of Expressions Photography for a night photography class he is teaching. The location is amazing and the ‘prop’ that is going to be used is historic. His class will be shooting in and around a DC-3 plane that carried paratroopers during World War II. This plane still has the original seatbelts used during WWII. A sense of awe and respect came over me as I stood where so many of those brave men stood before me.

And if that was all there was to this plane’s story, that would be enough. But it has found a new life and a new mission with Remote Area Medical. RAM, for short, was founded by Stan Brock.  RAM’s mission statement (from their website):

The Remote Area Medical® (RAM) Volunteer Corps is a non-profit, volunteer, airborne relief corps dedicated to serving mankind by providing free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.

This organization is amazing. In this day where it feels as though everyone is out for themselves, RAM is doing everything it can to bring hope to the remote areas of the US and the world.

Enjoy a few photos from our scouting trip.  I will hopefully post a few more from the class as I will be assisting with lights and other general photographic needs that night.

A big thanks to RAM for allowing us this amazing opportunity to photograph this amazing part of American History.

This past weekend my wonderful wife went to Atlanta for an inservice event. So I got to have a Daddy/Daughter weekend with my beautiful daughter. There is nothing quite like having quality time with your two year old daughter.

The game of peek-a-boo didn’t last long because there were more slides to explore. Emma got to slide on her first metal slide and the first thing out of her mouth was “That was fast.” No photos were taken during the metal slide because I had to help her climb it then run to the other end to catch her. It was so much fun to watch her on the metal slide.

One of the great things about September is that means that the TN Valley Fair is here.  There is a group of us that always goes either opening night or as soon after as we can.

One of the attractions we always go to see is the photography exhibit. For many years I would enter photographs in the contest, I have decided that in the recent years to focus more on my professional work and let other aspiring photographers the opportunity to take the prizes.  There are many amazing amateur and hobbyist photographers that enter every year.  I am always inspired by the work that I see at the exhibit.

It is also fun to wander through the exhibits from the local 4-H clubs. Here are a few shots of their great efforts.

The fair has become an even more enjoyable event since my daughter was born.  I love being able to share all these experiences with her and re-see them through her eyes.  Her favorite area this year was the petting zoo.

The newly hatched baby ducks and chicks are always fun to watch.

She even got to ride a pony while we were there.  She was grinning ear to ear and loved every moment of it.

Experiences like these are to be shared with others. So take some time and share the things that you love to do with your family and friends.

This past Sunday night I the great opportunity to join 17 or so photographers from the Knoxville, TN area. I had a blast meeting other talented photographers from around this area. The shootout was sponsered by Studio317 and the location was provided by Cappiello Real Estate. We had three amazing models and a great abandoned bank building to shoot in and around.  The weather started off bad, but got better as the evening progressed.

This shootout was so much fun. It was challenging to have only a few minutes to place, pose and photograph the model. But it was a great way to learn and to expand my skills.

Here are my photographs from the shootout.

Thanks again to Studio317 and Cappiello Real Estate.

It’s hard to believe that Emma is 20 months old. It seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms and she was so tiny.  Now she sings and dances. She will get her own diapers when she needs to be changed. She has her favorite books and toys. It is amazing to see her growing up before my eyes. She loves her books and one of my favorite phrases from her is “Daddy read it” and she will bring me one book, then another and another.  Check out the song “One More Book” by the Imagination Movers, I think it was written with Emma in mind. The Imagination Movers is one of her favorite TV shows and music. She loves to dance and sing along to their music.

So I decided to try and capture a few of these things in portraits. While I believe that I captured her love of books during the photo session, it was really hard to capture her love of dancing and singing.  I hope these portraits of my daughter make you smile.

Make sure you take time to capture these fleeting moments with your family.

Let me know if I can help you create memorable portraits for your family.

I recently took a trip to Nashville, Tn for WPPI and a workshop with Mark Wallace. I’ve been incredibly busy lately and have been trying to catch up on my photo processing and posting.  I had an amazing time in Nashville with my friend and fellow photographer, Steve Chastain of Expressions Photography. We visited Union Station and I had a blast wandering around taking photographs. I also was able to play around with a 15mm fisheye lens. This lens was a lot of fun and gave me a chance to experiment with a different perspective.  I hope you enjoy the photos and can’t wait to share more soon.

We spent some time this evening making sugar cookies with my daughter, Emma. We had so much fun spending time together. I love hearing Emma laugh and giggle. It amazes me how much she has changed over the past year and a half. Last Christmas she really wasn’t interested in presents, she just liked the lights. This year she sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Happy Birthday Jesus on Christmas morning. It warms my heart to hear her sing.  She loved opening her presents and was fascinated by her Little People Nativity. She wanted to change baby Jesus’ diaper and feed him. It was so cute.

So I encourage you to spend as much time with your family as you can and make all the time with them as special as possible.

And what is a post without pictures.

Emma cooking with her mommy.

Trying to figure out this whisk thing.

All the ingredients gathered.

Ingredients are together, ready to be mixed.

Emma trying out one of these fake eggs.

Now what are we supposed to mix together?

Everything is mixed, ready for the next step.

Yummy cookie dough, ready to be rolled flat.

Mommy, my bowl seems to be empty.

Let the rolling commence.

This is fun. Cutting out stars.

Trees and stars. These look good.

Sprinkles are fun.

Pretty Christmas trees.

Why can’t we eat them yet?

There cooking. Almost ready to be eaten.

Looking good. Cooling off so we can eat them.

Pretty stars and trees.

Yippee! I finally get one.

How do you bite this cookie?

This is so good. ‘Tank you mommy’

Thanks for sharing in our holiday fun.  Hope you had a great Christmas with your family.  Look for new things to come from Jarman Photography in the new year.