Hudson at 19 days

My sister Lindsay, brother-in-law Sean, and nephew Hudson

I've officially been an uncle for 19 days!  Today was Father's Day and the family was together, so we walked down to the park and took some photos.  We also each recorded a little message for Baby Hudson to watch when he gets older.

Rest in Peace Grandpa

Last week my grandpa, Albert Wirkes, passed away.  As a child I loved him like most boys love their grandparents.  I loved him unconditionally and without much thought to whom he really was.  But as I became an adult I started to pay more attention. The last few years taught me that he was a man to look up to.  I want to share with you a few of the details about my Grandpa that are important to me.  I think they say something about who he was and the life he lived.

An accident at birth left him to live the rest of his life with only one eye.  Though it could have, he didn't let that stop him from serving our country during WWII.  He joined the Army Medical Corps and was stationed in Florida and England.  In Florida he chose to serve in the African American unit of the hospital at a time when others wouldn't.  He observed segregation and racism that he would never forget and never understand.

Grandpa was lucky enough to find true love twice.  His fist wife, Carol, passed before I was born.  His second wife, Patty, was the Grandma that I knew.  He cared for them both in health and in sickness, and set an example of what it means to be a true husband.

So what was he like as a grandfather?  He excelled there, too.  I don't remember him ever loosing his temper or speaking badly of others.  When he was present it always seemed to make a family gathering official.  And you knew that he was proud to be a part of his family.  Grandpa was funny and he loved to tell stories, most of them tall-tales about himself.  The best ones never seemed to finish as they were constantly interrupted by laughter, which was often his own.  Grandpa always had a smile for others and a smart line to make you laugh.

These are only a few of my thoughts, but I hope they help to say a little about who he was.  Grandpa Al is now gone, but he lived a good life and touched many people with his service, humor, and love.

A wedding and some babies!

I'm amazed at how fast the last few months have gone by.  I've had a few photo shoots, worked on some really interesting projects for the science museum, been glad to have finally have my girlfriend move back to the state after living in Canada for the last two years.  And just last week my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Hudson, making me an uncle!

Juan and Maria

I liked seeing two priests.  The younger one led most of the ceremony and spoke in both English and Spanish.

Maria and Juan invited me to photograph their Syracuse wedding.  They had already been married for a year or so in the Dominican Republic were Juan is from, but they have recently moved to Central New York and wanted another ceremony.  There baby is soon on its way!

Major digs into his first birthday cake

Major is now One year old!  I've had the pleasure of photographing him twice before this, and it has been great to watch him grow.  His birthday party was a lot of fun and a new kind of photographic challenge for me.  I tried to get right in the mix of things and photograph as much as I could from a low angle.  Happy Birthday Major.

That's my sister Lindsay with her new baby boy, Hundson Nathaniel Angell.  He was four weeks early, but still weighted 8 pounds 2 ounces.  I took these photos after Hudson had just came home from the hospital a couple hours earlier.  I plan on taking lots of photos of him through the years.

A Happy Family: Sean, Lindsay, & Hudson

Recording flute player Rob Benedict

I recently had the pleasure to record a local musician in Syracuse named Rob Benedict.  My DSLR records good video, but has poor sound recording.  The idea of being able to make videos eventually won me over and I purchased a semi-pro microphone that attaches to my camera.  The day after it came in the mail I got a call from Rob saying he had finished recording a few tracks of his first CD.  He was going to bring them to me so I could play his music during planetarium shows at the museum where I work.  I told him about my new mic and he agreed to play a song live for me.  So, after we listened to his CD while under the stars, we recorded the song in the planetarium.  You will notice that I've included some of my nature photography in the video.  Please check it out and I hope you enjoy.

As of writing this I've played his music for around 200 visitors in the planetarium.  During part of each show I sit quietly and let the audience enjoy watching the stars move across the dome for a minute or two.  This is when I've been using his music.  I had previously played some sci-fi sounding stuff, which still works well before the show begins, but visitors have really taken to Rob's flute music.  I never get comments about the sci-fi music, but I've already heard a couple positive ones about Rob's.  So, if you ever come to The MOST in downtown Syracuse, NY and see a planetarium show with me, request Rob's music before the show begins.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo

Today I went to Syracuse's zoo with a couple friends from work.  The zoo is having a winter photo competition, and anyone who prints out a coupon saying that you want to participate can get in for free.  It is really a pretty good deal.  As always, I loved the giant bird room and the various primates.  Some other highlights included the otters, the zoo's wolf, and a lone wild starling.  Another great site, was one of the Siberian tigers as she kept running and then rolling around the snow.  I like some of the photos I took, but I'm not sure any are photo contest quality.  Let me know if you think I should enter any.

yellow billed cardinal

North American river otter

lemur

starling

skink

meerkat

Major six months later

Yesterday I had the fortune of photographing baby Major a second time.  The first time I photographed him he was only about two weeks old, and now he is nearly seven months.  He seems a happy little boy, and very interested in watching people.  The flash I was using for some of the shots particularly fascinated him.  Getting a baby to smile or look at you can be tough, but his parents cheerfully stood behind me and smiled at him, made noises, and played with his toys in order to get his attention.  I look forward to continue photographing him as he grows.

A Medieval Wedding

I have just finished editing my first Medieval Themed wedding.  I think most people have strong opinions on themed weddings, and many worry that having a theme takes away from the sacredness of the ceremony.  I'm sure that for some audience members this may be the case, but my experience at Abigail and Matt's wedding was that the theme did not detract from the ceremony.  In fact, it added an extra dimension.  All of the outfits in the wedding party were hand made, and the same attention was payed to the rest of the day.  The ceremony was held outside on a beautiful day with leaves in full autumn color.  The reception was in a log building with a lit fireplace that gave the room a wonderful smell.  The dinner tables each had a bowl of fresh vegetables, and the tables were named after mythological creatures.  Each was also set with a bottle of homeade mead and a jar of honey for each guest.  I really felt like the theme set a tone for the wedding that helped to explain the personalities and beliefs of the couple.  I'm not sure how many people have themed weddings, but I would love to photograph another one.