Semester over.....UPDATE

Semester is over....I passed! Certainly a learning experience....a NEW one.

The last couple weeks have been stressful...so much so I worked myself up into a chest cold, other contributors have been the sudden change in weather....that always gets me.

Up until recently I havent gotten sick, even when other around me were.

I credited that to better eating habbits, working out and getting plenty of rest.

Something I havent been really able to do recently....and thats mostly my fault.

I slacked in school....procrastinated. I wont do that again...because I found out misfortunes come ones way when they procrastinate....like my computer completely crashing and having to have my harddrive cleansweeped. BUMMER.

Along with this lil illness I havent been able to hit the gym....way too weak to be doing the kind of lifting I have been. I dont want to hurt myself and set myself back even longer....so I can manage taking a week off. Even if i dont like it.

I miss the burn....the pump....the energy.

Something i never would have thought i would hear myself saying...I miss the pain.

Someone ever asks me "How do you do it?" " What do you have to do?"
Id answer " Become very familiar with pain and soreness"

Learn to love the pain...learn to miss the pain when you dont workout.

Changing ones body isnt easy...and it shouldnt be....weeds out the boys from the men.lol.

I just hope Im better by monday....I want to start back again.


So...school is good...im good...yo momma is good (nah just kiddin) everything is good so far.

Until next time...take luck!

A month in

its already been a month in...starting on my second month....the improvements are finally showing.

Bout friggin time. but i knew it would....all hard work put in always shows up....right?

im finished with my circuit training, that was just a warm-up (hard ass warm-up) now the real work begins.

Strength training.....working out individual body parts per day.

I did back tuesday....chest today(wed)...tomorrow...shoulders...friday-arms.

The soreness in my back is good yet bothersome. not painful other then in my ass (for the slow ones in the class that means its a pain in my ass....not literally)

i can only imagine doing this for 6 more months....its a lil daunting....but i cant think that way.

ONE day at a time.....doesnt seem like ive been at it for a month. But i have been.

Its already in my blood....due to the thanksgiving holidays the school was closed from thu-mon...thus causing me to miss fridays workout.......i sure felt it.

Maybe it was all mental...maybe there really was no ill-affects but it sure felt like it.
Then Mon my PC crashes causing me to increase the stress....so i missed that workout....i just skipped legs for this week and carried on with my routine.

Exhausted, hurting a lil...sore as hell....no pain no gain.....boy thats the truth!

Week 3

So far so good. Not as sore as I once was. Yet my workouts still are intense. Im trying to keep the ego in check because I know at times I can increase the weight but I want to get the form correct rather than increase the weight.

I get my usual rest in so I can tell my strength has increased.

Soon I will be stopping this circuit training and start the serious weight training.
Working one body part a day. Im thinking I will h ave to drop the weight some to keep the stamina up so I can last throughout the workout.

As of now Im just doing 2 sets per exercise. Eventually Ill bring it up to 4 sets.

The supplements seem to be working.

I can feel the pump with the N.O.-Xplode....after finishing my arms today they were swoll. Could hardly bend them...they felt tight. GOOOOOOD!

I can tell there is a change in my body, not drastic nor near wher I want it to be but I know it takes time. And thats all I got.

With the semester coming to a close I will have to keep this nose of mine in the books until all Final Exams are complete.

Im excited...Im bout to finish my first semester of school....last year I would have never imagined that to be true.....Im proud of myself....big step I took.

Same Bat-time....same Ninja Turtle TIME!!!!!

3rd day

Again...not technically the third day but the third day of lifting. I think yall get the point.

Completely exhausted last night so I slept in instead of doing the workout in the morning.
Right now I have more energy throughout the workout when I hit the gym mid afternoon.

So 3:30pm rolls around, I down the N.O.-Xplode and drive over to the school

Stretched, did a lil warm-up and hit the weights.

Immediately I could feel my strength increase from the previous workout.
The weight is certainly nothing to brag about but I went from 35 to 40lbs d/bell shoulder presses.

One day I hope to be cranking out the presses with 65-75lb d/bells.

I practically increased the weight on every exercise by at least 5lbs. Which is something i want to do.

I know there will be a limit...if i follow that pattern by week 16 Id be using some insane weight, which they dont even have in d/bells. lol. Highly unlikely but then again, ya never know.

This workout wasnt as long as the previous but it was 5x intense. I did supersets, whew, those are killer.

But I loved the pump I got from them.

Ok thats all I got....same Bat Time...Same Bat Channel!!!!!!!!!!

2nd day

well technically its the third day of the week but Tuesday was a much needed rest day.
I hadnt worked out like that in years....and my bod was letting me know about it.

So I wake up early this morning....still exhausted.... I went back to sleep.
I decided to do the workout around 3pm.

I was eager to try the BSN N.O.-Xplode....I had heard some mixed reviews about it...and me being me....I need to see for myself.

Poured water, scooped supp., shaken not stirred HA(no shittin ya...it says do not shake)
and downed.

First impression. MY GOD!!!! It was tangy!! Made my butt pucker!
Not sure what in it made it taste so strong...not a bad taste...just a strong one.
Caffeine probably. Who knows. Dont care....cuz I could feel it.

Drive to the school, walk in, hand over my student ID and start a lil warm-up.
Group of guys in there lifting, a chick on the treadmill....the room was filling up. Just an observation.

Get off the bike, could feel the burn in my legs......felt good, some of the soreness was gone. SOME not all.

Wanted to work out the bigger muscles first so I hit the pulldown bar. Cranked out 10 of those, felt good.

Then went to the butterfly press, cranked out some of those and felt great.
Did some more sets and hit the bike again.

Around this time the first time I was really feeling spent, but not today.
I wondered if it was me pacing myself this time around, the BSN product, or a combo of both.
Id like to think it was both. First day was a real reality check.

I noticed halfway through my workout that the guys that were in there before really wasnt showing an intensity I felt i was displaying.

Dont get me wrong...Im not saying they should or Im browbeating them because they didnt, i was just wondering if , again it was the BSN product that advertised an intense mindset when working out. Who knows? Time will tell.

Sometimes I wonder if these products are pure psychosomatic, I know how powerful the mind can be, in the weight room and in life in general. Again who knows? And again...dont care..lol.

Got home, took shower and downed a post-workout supplement called BSN Cellmass.
It called for one scoop in 6oz of water. So i followed direction...mixed and downed.

First impressions?YOU GOT IT!!!

It tasted great!! I got the grape flavor.....and in reality it tasted like a tiny bit stronger than gatorade.

'Cept this has creatine in it. Just enough for a post workout.
Ive heard how bad creatine can be on ones kidneys, but also I gotta look at it this way...if the user abuses anything its going to affect their health.

taking large amounts of creatine i know is not good. But I plan on cycling this....3 months on...3 months off. I see no harm in that.

Overall I feel pretty damn good about the workout...about the effectiveness of the BSN products and about the next workout.

Now......time to rest a lil bit........then go chow down on a steak and potato..lol. Good ol protein and carbs.

First day of a long goal

First day, first workout.

Woke up at 7am, layed there knowing that this is the first step of many to come.
Still, despite my enthusiasm leading up to this day, I still had to pull myself out of bed to get ready.

I tried 'Pump Fuel', a GNC pre-workout supplement, a one serving trial pack. Ive read that basicly it is just a bunch of caffeine to give one a good 'pump' and energy to last a workout.

I mixed it, downed it, almost immediately I could feel the effects, felt like it made me a lil hyper, felt a shake in the legs. Again not sure if its the caffeine or the Nitric Oxide that these kind of supps preach.

I have BSN's N.O.-Xplode to take, Ill see if it has the same effects.

Got to the school and walked to the wellness center. Signed in and jumped on a bike for a warm-up. Felt good.

Then went to chest-flys, after a set, still felt good. Went over to a curl machine, pounded out a set, still felt good so maybe the stuff was working.

Then went and did some shoulder presses, again was breaking a sweat yet still felt good, then some dumbbell lunges.

Back on the bike, then did some tricep pulldowns. Passed a mirror and could see the 'pump'.
Did some leg curls, then leg extensions, I was starting to feel the fatigue, my ego got the best of me and I jumped the weight up more than I should have.

Its been a couple years since I worked out so I should have taken it slow and light at first.
Thats the entire philosophy behind doing a light circuit training routine for the first few weeks before really hittin the weights.

Lesson learned....for sure.
Did some more bicept curls and another chest fly set....by that time I was spent.
Went to the corner to stretch out and call it a day.

No abs today, I will do that tomorrow, really work them out. Also give me a chance to recooperate from todays workout...Im bound to be sore....if Im not....I did something wrong.

8am I was done and walking in the rain to my truck to go home n shower. Completely exhausted...and this is only the beginning. Still sitting here now typing this out I am fully aware of what has to be put in effort wise to accomplish what I want.

I just have to make sure to keep my ego in check, I cant expect to lift what I did back when I was training everyday.

Now to make something to eat....egg whites...maybe some wheat toast and a glass of 2% milk. Sounds tastey .......getting hungry.

A Sad Trend

There has been a sad trend Ive taken notice to on a photography forum I frequent.

"What is that J?" you may be asking yourself.

"Well Ill tell you stranger who is reading my blog."

Its that when someone posts a photo (especially a person that is new to photography) others will tend to look for mistakes instead of looking at the photo as a whole.

Nevermind that it could be of a greatgrandmother holding her newborn greatgrandson...no...its the fact that the background is "distracting", or "the color tones arent to my tastes."

What the fuck is that about? Get a life people, pull your self rightous heads outta your arrogant asses and shut off.

I recently posted on a thread regarding someone posting a photo of one of their daughters. No critique really requested yet several members of the forum took it upon themselves to "teach" this person how to take photographs of their daughter. This person got very frustrated (according to her posts following the "help") and started to blame herself for not producing a magazine-worthy photo of her daughter.

SAD!

Members of this forum just act like they are the mecca for photography knowledge. They will also change things that dont need to be changed. Eye color, skin color, hair color etc etc. It really is mind boggling.

"Clone out the tree limb, its distracting." For fuck sake ya shithead....its a tree...it is supposed to have limbs sticking out!

"I dont like her expression, it isnt to my tastes." Well then changing your tastes will be easier than changing an expression in a photo that was ALREADY TAKEN....fuck face!

99% of the time the flaws these POTheads see are really of no significance, and unless it improves the message the photos is trying to send then it really is a waste of time and effort.

One thing I look at when I decide to help someone by critiquing their photo is, what can be altered that will improve the photo? If I fix this will it make it better or keep it the same?

Trying to bring back detail on the side of a white shirt isnt going to make the photograph better, its just not. Period. Waste of time.

DONE. Tired. Out

A Billy Madison Moment

I have indeed decided to go back to school to get a legit edge-you-my-cashun.

For a few months now I have wanted to do something other than photography as a full time career. Things seemed to happen all at once that changed my outlook on it all.

Yet, I still really had no direction. Time went on and I looked at various paths.

Finally I decided on going back to school, get a degree and that would open the opportunity of a relocation some time in the future....if need be.

What am I gonna major in you ask? Well Ill tell ya.

I want to become a RN, yup thats right....Im gonna be like Greg Focker from Meet The Parents.

I teased with my sister about that. I said I was gonna be a 'Focker'!!!! HAHA.

At first I was lookin into physical therapy, but after talking with a few people, they said that even though it would be a good job, its not neccessarily the most highly recruited job, unlike a RN. Rn's seem to be in high demand lately. Especially in Texas.

I think it was my cousin that told me the average age of RN's in Texas are in their 50's.

WOW....kinda old I rekon.

Anyhow this past Monday I went up to OSU-OKC and enrolled, but not before I took the COMPASS test. I knew going in I was a sinch to bomb the math section.

I never was that great at math in H.S.

I did great on the writing section and got a 78 on the reading. After meeting with the counselor he informed me that if I were able to score at least an 80 on the reading I could bypass English Comp I.

He told me I could retake the test and raise my score.

So today I went back up there, got my student ID and then retook the test. I scored a 93! I kinda impressed myself on that one.

So next semester I can get out of English Comp I...hopefully. If not Ill flash that paper saying...I SCORED 93 FOO!!

K that's it....DONE.

It was a wild hair

Yeah so after heavily considering buying a bike, Ive decided to switch that plan and pass.

There were many reasons not to, it just seemed that once I had it in my mind, I encountered many instances of bike accidents.

Mom running into a man that had road burn all over his face
then a woman who is married to a ER surgeon and said that people like bike riders are what keeps her husband employed.

While visiting a cousin, she gets off the phone with a friend that was in a serious bike accident, of course Im sitting right there so as soon as she gets off the phone she informs me of the accident.

A friend that texts me telling me about a local man being killed in an bike accident.

Newspaper articles about biker deaths.

Several deaths on the news that were contributed to bike accidents.

It does seem odd that all these encounters happen after the decision to get one.

Maybe its a sign, one I believe I should heed and be aware of.

One thing that all these incidents had in common was the biker was not responsible for the accident. It wasnt their driving abilities but the other drivers abilities to look for bikes, know how to pass a biker properly without clipping him, etc etc.

I know Im a safe driver, I havent had an accident yet (knocks on wood) so I trust my ability to drive safely.

It came down to the trust or lack thereof for other drivers.

So as much as I have wanted one, and the chances of getting one are better now than have ever been, its just not worth the risk of my life.

Leaving behind family and friends too early is not a thought I want to have.

Family Visit pt.1

This past Monday I went to Elk City to visit some family out there.It had been over a year since going there and nearly 6 months since I had seen them here.My cousin, her hubby, and two kids got a new home so I stayed there.Ver very very nice place, a lot of space to play the Wii....and that we did.So much that we got sore. Nice n quiet out there, very relaxing. Couldnt ask for more.

My cousin invited me to sit with her during her new tattoo.

So I was down.

I meet with her the next day and started the long process.

We met at 11:50am and waited till the shop opened at noon
Walked in once they opened, and waited about another hour for the tattooist to get there.
Waited till nearly 2 until he was finished with the stencil.
Walked into his are around 2:10pm and the tattooing started.

Cindy was a soldier, didnt bitch like others had before (according to the tattooist).
Took it nicely, I was proud of her.

She was finished at 6:15pm.

The tattoo is for her dad, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and doesnt have too long to live.

It is of his favorite car he owned, a 60 (sumthing) Pontiac (sumthin)

The artist did a kickass job and everyone was happy.

I snapped some shots during the process.

M&J Wedding July 12th, 2008

I recently got to help Amanda out at a wedding she was asked to shoot/be a part of.

I was stationed at the back during the ceremony but also got to have some freedom at the reception which was fun.

I made some classic rookie mistakes but, a lesson learned.

Im like a rubber band I snap back.(sorry for that, I had a moment...had to drop a ryhm..son!)

I had a true blast and learned heaps.

Everyone looked really good, sharp as tacks.:)

Here are some of the photos from the day.

Thanks Amanda!

Jackie's Maternity

This is Jackie, a friend I met way back and recently I knew she was expecting.

So I offered to shoot her maternity pics.

So I set up my stuff at her place, snapped some shots, had a few laughs.

She was so concerned about her weight, which I guess all women are, but in all honesty, she looked stunning.

Wild Hair?! MAYBE

I will admit at times I get a wild hair up my ass and will want/want to do something that others wouldnt see me owning or doing.

Usually the urge will pass shortly after I start thinking about it.

Other times I wont stop thinking about it until it comes to fruition. My tattoo is one of them.

Other failed interests was compound bows, building engines (Im NOT a car guy), and artist.
Those are just the ones I can name off the top of me head.

The newest one is owning a motorcycle.

Ive always been told by family that it would be over their dead bodies that I own a motorcycle.

Something about my mom being on one and pregnant with me at the time and being flung off of one in an accident and landing square on her stomach has made her...what I call.....a lil scared of them.

I turned out ok (refrain from adding you own opinion on that part) so I dont know what the big deal is.

My truck, despite really liking it, guzzles the gas like crazy, and so far the most economic (for my wallet) choice to combat those crazy gas prices (waves fist in air) is to get a harley.

So my plan is to fix up the nick-nack stuff on the truck and sell it, use the duckets from that to purchase a bike.

Someone added that it would be a bad idea because what if Im off to a photoshoot and it starts to rain? Point taken but, deep down its what I want, and someone would have to give me a REALLY REALLY good reason not to, that excludes a logical reason...lol. Just a good reason.

Like....a g/f saying....I DONT WANT YOU TO HAVE ONE because I blah blah blah blah (kiss on the neck or lips)....then Id consider it, but since I aint got one of those around....the chances of it are less likely:D

Im eye'n a Harley Davidson 883 Sportster Low. Its withing price range and still has a nice look I like.

So, with a lil time, more photoshoots, more money, I will own a bike.

Unless the wild hair gets plucked and or a good reason arises.

Until then,

SAME BAT TIME!!!

SAME BAT CHANNEL!!!

Obby's tattoo

Yeah thats what I call him....thats what we all call him..Obby (pronounced AWW-BEE)If you are familiar with Dane Cook and his hit cd Retaliation youll know where 'Obby' comes from.(but not the same reason Dane called people obby, ours was just goofiness)

So one day after work (7am) we all went to eat breakfast at a local diner and before we all got around I set up my backdrop n lights and took some quick shots of his new ink.If you can see he had scratched off some of the ink due to him scrapping against the shelves(pinky).

Riley's First birthday photos

Some time ago I met some friends from back in high school.

It had been years since we had seen each other, and with that they added a new member to the family.

Their first child Riley. Gorgeous lil girl, beautiful eyes.

They asked what I had been up to and I told them about my photography.

They were very interested and had told me they planned on getting some portraits taken, and in the process I told them I could do them and they seemed really happy I would.

So about 4 months or so later I get a call from them wondering if I could take the photos. And of course I was honored to.

So I gathered up my backdrop,bd stand, lights and camera and headed over to their place, to set them up.

It was a snowy day, very cold, but their home was so nice and warm...Im not sure why I threw that in there...but I did....live with it.

After setting up the backdrop I quickly realized that I did not grab enought fabric for the background....but fret not followers, my photoshop skills were growing more powerful as the seasons passed. I was able to rescue most shots with a lil cloning.

So I got to chase Riley around the living room, playing with her at the same time as capturing her. It was very fun.

Here are some of the photos from that night.

WWE RAW 6-30-2008

WWE RAW came to OKC, and I was able to take not only my friend Amir, brother Blake, but also my 7yo nephew Braiden.

He's never been to a wrestling show, so when I heard they were coming to town I knew he had to experience what me and Blake has on so many occasions. Watch RAW...LIVE!!!

Another added bonus is that Amir had never been to a live event either, so we had two newcomers taggin along with us. It made it all the better.

I felt like a veteran and they were the rookies. I had been to nearly 10 shows and this being their first, I can still remember the excitement I had going to my first event, so I knew what they were going through.

Sure, the photos Ive posted arent of the best quality, but I did capture the essense of the experience in the first photo.

Thats all that counted, putting a smile on the boys face, was worth every penny and more.

Just so ya know his favorite wrestler is John Cena (2nd photo posted), he's got posters shoes, backpack, lil plastic championship belts, and every t-shirt he wears is John Cena, he doesnt want to wear anything else.

So for him to see his hero, words and pictures will never be able to do justice to the moment I helped create. INCREDIBLE! Nothing can ever top the emotion, experience, and feel of a live WWE event....nothing!

Oh yeah, during the show John Cena got "kicked out of the building" and Braiden thinking it was for real, nearly cried and wanted to go home. I told him to hold on, Cena will be back towards the end of the show, and sure enough he was, that certainly made Braidens day.

When he realized Cena had come back, I didnt need to pick him up on my shoulders, he nearly jumped right up onto them.

300

For some reason the movie 300 came up in a conversation, and as usual the biggest topic was the actors conditioning.

Crazy ripped!!!

Who doesnt want to look like that, right?

I do too!!

So Monday Im on a quest!

To get back into shape, better than before.

We'll see how it goes, look for updates, Ill post them.

No doubt this will be insanely difficult, but Rome wasnt built in a day.

The Lil One

This shot was taken 2 years ago at my uncles land in Mustang,OK.

I was leaning on one of the rails watching him and his buddies rope, and my niece, who at the time had just turned 3, clumbed up the the rail and placed her arms like mine.

I remember seeing out the corner of my eye, her looking me up and down, mimicing the way I was leaning my arms over the top.

My sister was the one who caught the moment.

Olivia, now 5, was still in diapers, and I can remember nearly every aspect of that day.

The temperature, a warm but breezy day, the smell of the dirt, the grass, the horses, the cattle.

I can remember looking off into the distance and seeing Oklahoma City, but barely.

I can remember the sounds of the horses galloping, the cattle rustling in the pins, the sounds of the rope beeing loosened.

This is one of those days that nothing major happened, it was just a prefect day that had a lot of good moments come together.

I threw in a processing technique to give it a homedown, nostalgic feel to it.

Its Clean!!!!

I finally got around to cleaning up my truck.

Needless to say its been past do for it to be spic-n-span.

So I went to the local car wash, got $5 in change and went to town.

Put 50 cents in and went to scrubbing.

It was a nice day and I prefer to hand wash/scrub it rather than a drive-through.

Then cruised over to the vacuum area and spent another buck-n-a-half on that.

It was needing it, it seems to always sound and drive better when clean.

Then I cruised to a local park, and snapped a shot of it. First time Ive taken a picture of my truck since the first day I got it.:D

Random Thought

I know I normally have at least one post a day, but today I really didnt know what to put up.

So I was going to leave it and maybe tomorrow I would have something.

So I shutdown the computer, lay down and watch some t.v.

Out of nowhere I got the thought, "I want to name a dog Chicken!"

Im not sure why, so no need to ask, I wont be able to answer it.

Just something about yelling at a dog, "CHICKEN!!!! C'MERE!!! CHICKEN!!" and seeing the confused faces of neighboors.

So there you have it, todays post, techincally its 11:53pm so I snuck it in.

I want to name a dog Chicken.

Gummy Bear Gang

Pretty much self explanatory in title.:)

I was bored.

Ok so there was perfect lighting one day and it was a shame I didnt have any photoshoots booked.

So instead I just went out and shot some plants around the house. Nothing special but figured Id throw them in here.

I was asked if I had updated it and at the time I hadnt, so heres to ya.

OpLOVE Reunited: Behind the Scenes

So Amanda says to me, "Come on.", and I says to her back ,"Ok.".

She was doing a charity shoot for a soldier over seas. She would take shots of his family and then soon after, send those photos to the soldier. Very special moment.

So all I did was just shoot her shooting, it was certainly a different experience.

For once I didnt have to think angles, composition, lighting, exposure...BLAH BLAH BLAH.

All I needed to do was get her doing her thing, I was lucky enough to catch her from various angles. Many I liked. ;)

Here are some of those shots.

I made someone spend a grand!

Yeah, thats right....a grand.lol.

Missy asked me to helpe her pick out a camera, and as always I obliged.

I first pointed her in the direction of a Canon S5 IS, a very good camera, very versatile.

She then wanted to know which one I got, so I walked with her over to the DSLR section at Best Buy and showed her. Well actually, they dont carry Xt's anymore, all they had were the Xti and NEW XSi. Both good camera but we both agreed the XSi was a lil too much for her right now.

So we debated for about a good solid hour-n-a-half over what package to get. LOL.

The salesman was a lil "eccentric" as I like to call it, but generally a good guy and helped out a lot. Not really, but he was a goof so it made it a fun.

He even confused me as her son, in which he was corrected and told I was her husband(WHOA!!!), MAN the look on his face was worthy of a photo. He fumbled and bumbled(is that even a word?) over his words until finally we left,lol. We had a good laugh about that back to the car.

So alas, I was able to talk a compulsive buyer into a grands worth of camera gear,HAHA.jk.

I coulda tacked on another couple hundred but thought NAH....why?

She'll do fine with this camera, good setup. Lets just hope she doesnt get into it as much as others, or she'll be buying $1000 lenses and such. YIKES!!!

Not good, then Ill have competition.

Found a new location

So Ive passed this place several times and never gave it a second though, UNTIL I started to look for rundown places to shoot.

Its not in the best part of the city, as you can see, it may not be the cleanest, as you can see, but it has A LOT of character.......as you can see.

Id like to take a future model here to do a shoot, it is severely rundown, and as me and my brother were walking through it, saw that there were squaters residing there.

We found blankets, cupts, bottles, etc etc. There wasnt anyone there at the time, probably wont be for a while.

Anyways, thought Id share, good location, I would love to find more, just have to keept an eye out.

Keep your eyes open too, you may just recognize the place in some photos Ill post in the future.

Free Texture!!!

I figured why not offer a free texture from now and then?

I use them quite often and if you do as well, here's one for ya. Use it..........






go ahead. I dare ya.