Our First House

June 30, 2009

I don’t normally talk a lot about my personal life on this blog, preferring to keep it about photography and things of interest to my readers (thank you all, now stand up and take a bow!) But every once in awhile, something really cool happens that I feel like sharing and hey, you’re here because you’re interested, right?

So as you’ve figured out by now given the title (so much for building anticipation) … today, Toni and I bought our first house together! We are super excited to move in to our new place, which will feel like a palace in comparison to the small, furnished apartment that has been our home since we moved to Columbus three short months ago. But I’m not complaining; looking back, I know we are blessed to have had a roof over our heads and the provisions that we enjoy in life.

Since I have no pictures of our new abode, and this is after all a photography blog, here’s a picture of what my wife and I will be drinking tonight to celebrate. Happy Tuesday to you all and really, I promise to get back to posting more regularly soon!

In Memory

May 25, 2009

No matter what your political affiliation or your opinion of America or its politics, I hope you will join my wife and I today in remembering our fallen; the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for what they believed most in. Whether it be the safety of their family, the freedoms of their country or the lives of their comrades, I hope that we can all appreciate and remember the depth of their sacrifice.

And although “Memorial Day” is decidedly an American holiday, I hope that you will join me in observing the incredible loss experienced by husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters and friends who have given their beloved to war across the world throughout the course of history. I hope that we may each look forward to a day where we will not require or demand such bloodshed; a world that is shared by all of our fellow men and women without violence.

Columbus: Short North and the Arena District

May 9, 2009

In the short time I’ve lived here, I’ve already come to the conclusion that I really like Columbus … for a number of reasons. One of which is that it’s just a neat city.

As I’ve driven around, I can’t help but notice “man, that’s a cool looking building” or “that would be a great place to shoot engagements.” While I haven’t yet shot any engagements here in town, I finally got to shoot a little of Columbus today. Great weather, beautiful skies and the wife out of town for her sister’s bachelorette party? Sounds like a photographic afternoon to me!

Despite having a bad headache all day long, I got a few shots I liked … and I haven’t even hit up the Warehouse district, the Brewery district (this place will make you believe in beer) or historic Dublin yet!

Enjoy a few of my favorites from the Short North and Arena district:

Short North is home to a lot of unique attractions … one of which are some pretty amazing murals!

My New Photography Website Has Been Launched!

May 5, 2009

As you might’ve noticed!

Take a look and let me know what you think! Good, bad and everything in between–your honest opinion is appreciated!

Cindy and Richard : Married!

April 14, 2009

Cindy and Richard were a super fun couple who put on a super fun wedding at St. James in Houston! There are times where I like to say a few words about the happy couple … and there are times where I really do feel like the pictures save me that effort. This is one of those times: check em out and enjoy!

A big thanks goes to Adam Nyholt for bringing me along as his second shooter, and a big fat thanks to Cindy and Richard for allowing me to share in your awesome ceremony!

Big fat disclaimer: I’m in between Mac monitors right now and am using my cheap HP laptop monitor to process these photos from their original raw formats, so if the colors look bad (I hope they don’t, but it’s hard to tell on this monitor) … that’s probably why. I try my bestest, I swear!

Congratulations and a lifetime of love to you both!

Downtown Houston: Nighttime

April 10, 2009

In the weeks leading up to our departure from Houston, I had been waiting for a free weekend and some good, clear weather to take some pictures of downtown Houston at night. As it happened, I was blessed with a clear Saturday night the very weekend before we were leaving! Even better, my photographically-inclined, good buddy Elliot was also up for the shoot!

Though my initial intent was a nightscape view of the entire city, we ended up primarily just wandering around the downtown area taking pictures of anything that caught our attention. Sadly, we just couldn’t find a great place to set up our tripods for a good shot of the whole of downtown. We ended up staying out for a few hours and had a great time all the same!

These were a few of my favorites. Unfortunately, I no longer have possession of the Mac monitor I was borrowing from Justin, so it’s difficult to get the colors exactly the way I’d want them!

A New Chapter in Our Life

April 7, 2009

So what’s new in Columbus, Ohio?

We are!

As many of you probably already know, Toni and have just moved to Columbus (the Dublin area, actually) this past weekend. Our reasons for doing so are varied, but suffice it to say, we are really, really excited to be here … If not pretty friggin’ tired after a whirlwind last week visiting friends and family in Houston … a 25-hour drive behind the wheel of my Sequoia and a 34-foot U-Haul towing trailer … and more. It’s been exhausting and a week-long adrenaline rush, all at the same time.

Toni and I have been through quite a few emotions ourselves–madly in love one moment and wanting to kill the other in the next (not really, that’s just a metaphor for “really upset”) … but the whole adventure has been quite a bonding experience and I wouldn’t change a moment of it.

While we dearly miss the friends and family we leave behind, we very much enjoy the fellowship of friends and family we now live so much closer too.

I’ll be online more in the coming days as we settle into our new life and (temporary) home, but for now, I leave you with a few pics …

This truck and trailer were a beast to drive … we almost got ourselves into trouble a couple of times parking it. Contrary to popular rumor, my wife actually handled it just fine (mostly.)

Love to you all!

Christina and Justin : Married!

March 18, 2009

Christina and Justin were married at the Fontenot Mansion this past Sunday. While the weather was a major bummer–the ceremony was moved off of the beautiful front drive and indoors into the reception hall–you wouldn’t have known that the bride and groom were disappointed in the least! This was a fun, laid back wedding celebrating the love and marriage of a fun, laid back couple!

Thanks to Danny Heinlein for bringing me along as a second shooter! And now, a few of my favorite snaps …

The flower girl and ring bearer had all kinds of personality and weren’t afraid to use it …

Christina was a stunning bride and a total natural in front of the camera!

I love the array of emotional responses you see in this picture, as the bride is escorted down the aisle by her dad.

Did I use the word fun already?

The mansion was home to some beautiful architecture and design …

I could’ve posted a dozen shots of the toasts. They were sweet, heartfelt and featured a laugh or two at the expense of the groom!

Thank you, Christina and Justin, for allowing me to be a part of your wonderful wedding! Congratulations and a lifetime of love to you both!

Liza, Elliot and Aaron : Picture Time!

March 3, 2009

I met our longtime friends Liza, Elliot and their 10-month old baby boy, Aaron, for a few photos this previous Sunday afternoon. We had a blast just shooting around and then having dinner at their place afterwards. Elliot made an excellent pasta with homemade meatballs and sauce … mmm, food. Why is that all of my friends are master chefs?

Any way … oh, right … pictures? This is a beautiful family and I hope these shots manage to capture some of that! See for yourself:

Aaron is as cute as he is easy to work with. He was remarkably patient and laid back with my blinding him in the face with a flash for three hours.

There are planned moments in portraiture and then there are spontaneous moments. Sometimes, the spontaneous end up being some of my favorite, like this one:

Liza wanted to get a picture of Aaron’s feet and hands, which I thought was a really cool idea!

One last note: I blogged this one in a hurry because I have some obligations throughout the next few days that will keep me away from the computer, so I may add to or edit a few of these shots a little more later on!

Thanks Liza, Elliot and Aaron for a very fun Sunday afternoon!

Laura and Ritch : Married!

February 19, 2009

Laura and Ritch were married this past Valentines day in the Woodlands in a beautiful chapel, with the reception following at the Woodlands Resort. If there is anything cooler than celebrating your anniversary on Valentines day, it might be a Texans-themed chocolate groom’s cake! (seriously … why didn’t I think of that?)

Thank you, Laura and Ritch, for allowing me to be a part of your intimate ceremony! Thanks also to Adam Nyholt for bringing me along for the ride!

(I tried to do some different things stylistically with some of these photos: what do you think?)

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Copyright © 2009 Chris Aram