RememberFurman.com

Throughout my childhood I was always known as an entrepreneur.

I believe this side of me first came out after working the Rockdale County High School concession stand with my parents in elementary school. I quickly realized the profit margin on candy and from there I began to sell candy and snacks at Boy Scout Camp. Later, I began to sell glow necklaces on the Fourth of July to yuppie families at Hilton Head. Once I became aware of ebay I sold anything I could get my hands on, whether it was items I obtained from estate sales, my closet, or from friends (like this weird car).

In college I have held more traditional jobs, and as a culmination of my photography work for Furman University, I would like to debut a venture that I began with my friend and fellow photographer Nathan Guinn. Over the past few years we have taken thousands of photographs of Furman for various purposes and we both desired to make prints of our best artwork available to friends, alumni, and others throughout the world so we have created a website to put them up for sale. I believe you will find the prices to be very reasonable.

Furman holds a special place in my heart. I grew up hearing stories from my mother, aunt, uncle, and grandparents about how special this place was to them, and after visiting as a child and a prospective I was ecstatic once I chose to continue this legacy. As my time here approaches an end, I can see more clearly how I have been shaped by the relationships, academics, and experiences which have defined my four years here.

The photographs on the site below are glimpses of these moments I have experienced and it is my pleasure to share them with you. I hope that you will share them with your friends as well.

http://www.RememberFurman.com

McClure Engagement

Two of my friends, Todd and Sally, asked me to do a small set of engagement photos for them. Often, my first reaction to requests for portraits is to shy away, as I regularly feel this is one of my weakest areas. There is a great deal of pressure to get the right "shot" and I often take a ton of photos hoping a few will turn out without having to call someone back to reshoot them. However, sometimes stepping out of my comfort zone is well worth it.

I travelled with Todd and Sally throughout Europe and they are a couple whose relationship I have admired and seen grow over the years.

The Creative Process

I'm currently enrolled in a photography class through the Photo School of the Upstate instructed by the renowned Richard Bernabe. The lectures have been informative and the discussions with everyone have helped me gain better vision as a photographer.

I haven't been posting as many pictures lately because I've been busy applying to graduate schools, studying, and doing some campaign work. However, I've also been convicted of the fact that many times I simply take pretty pictures that are emotionally sterile. I desire to produce images that evoke an emotional response. This will rarely occur if the image sparks nothing inside of me when I am taking it. I need to ask questions such as "Why do I want to photograph this?" or "What emotion is this scene eliciting from me and what ultimately do I want to communicate here?" I need to let the right side of my brain do more work.

These thoughts and quotes arise from Richard's article here where he expounds upon many of these concepts.

Excelsior

I've always loved this statue in Conyers, and when I drove by one evening over break I saw it had been decorated for Christmas. The boys, covered in ice and climbing ever higher, reminded me of a poem by Longfellow.

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Excelsior

The shades of night were falling fast,
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice,
A banner with the strange device,
Excelsior!

His brow was sad; his eye beneath,
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath,
And like a silver clarion rung
The accents of that unknown tongue,
Excelsior!

In happy homes he saw the light
Of household fires gleam warm and bright;
Above, the spectral glaciers shone,
And from his lips escaped a groan,
Excelsior!

"Try not the Pass!" the old man said:
"Dark lowers the tempest overhead,
The roaring torrent is deep and wide!
And loud that clarion voice replied,
Excelsior!

"Oh stay," the maiden said, "and rest
Thy weary head upon this breast!"
A tear stood in his bright blue eye,
But still he answered, with a sigh,
Excelsior!

"Beware the pine-tree's withered branch!
Beware the awful avalanche!"
This was the peasant's last Good-night,
A voice replied, far up the height,
Excelsior!

At break of day, as heavenward
The pious monks of Saint Bernard
Uttered the oft-repeated prayer,
A voice cried through the startled air,
Excelsior!

A traveller, by the faithful hound,
Half-buried in the snow was found,
Still grasping in his hand of ice
That banner with the strange device,
Excelsior!

There in the twilight cold and gray,
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay,
And from the sky, serene and far,
A voice fell, like a falling star,
Excelsior!

Engaged

While at home in Conyers this Christmas I had the amazing opportunity to photograph my brother Will and his fiance Farley. They were the first couple I have photographed and they were such a joy to work with.

I'd love some feedback from friends, family, and others reading my blog regarding my first attempt at engagement photos.

Click the photo below to see their gallery

One semester remains

You may remember some of my first attempts at HDR that I did at Washington and Lee. While those were done from a single RAW file, the photographs below are my first attempts at true HDR photography.

Moonset



A different angle of my favorite scene on campus looking from the library to the Chapel.
Chapel Sunrise



Belltower Moon

Rockmont

The photos below are from Camp Rockmont for Boys where I have worked two of my college summers. It was such a blessing to be able to lead and mentor young men in a Christian environment. If you haven't, please consider sending your child to camp as they grow up. It is a great opportunity for them to grow physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually.

Prayer Labyrinth

Ephemeral

The leaves have fallen, but luckily I had the opportunity to visit Asheville and Hendersonville the first weekend of November. Click on each photo to go to my Flickr page.

Looking Glass Falls - Brevard, NC

Looking Glass Falls - Brevard, NC

Sunrise - Hendersonville, NC

Jump Off Rock - Hendersonville, NC

Jump Off Rock - Hendersonville, NC

Roadside - Hendersonville, NC

Jump Off Rock - Hendersonville, NC

Blue Ridge Parkway - Asheville, NC

Veteran's Day

My friend, Nathan Guinn, also captured some stunning fall photographs at Furman - Click here for his set.

State Fair

A few friends and I headed out on Friday night to the South Carolina Upper State Fair. We rode the Fireball, saw some chickens, elephants, tigers, and of course had some cotton candy.

Update: A friend of mine, Kate Hofler, wrote about our experience on the Greenville Forward blog.

W&L

These are my first attempts at HDR - High Dynamic Range photography. I used the tutorial from a photographer named Trey Ratcliff who has many amazing images on his site. These images are of Lee Chapel, on the campus of Washington and Lee University, which I took while I was in Lexington for a KA conference. W&L truly rivals Furman in terms of a beautiful campus.

The Fourth

Beach Weekend

Recently my digital camera started renumbering my photos beginning back at 0001. I couldn't figure out what was going on until I realized I had taken over 10,000 photos on my camera and the counter had to roll over. The photo below is of New Providence United Methodist Church in Darlington, SC. It is where my Papa's mother attended growing up.

Signs

This summer I will be working at Camp Rockmont as I did after my freshman year. I will be involved with photography at camp in some capacity although I am not sure quite what it will look like as of now.

Here are a couple pictures from a recent trip of mine to the Asheville, NC / Black Mountain, NC area.

Quiet Spring Evening