Starting a new blog is no pressure, but deciding on what your first "post" should be, is.
I decided to write about the two "talents" that I currently have featured on my website's home page - Joshua James, a musician, and Bryan Niven, a photographer. This past summer I had the great privilege of meeting and getting to know both of these "artists" through my involvement with Square Magazine. Both of these guys are extremely talented and have every right to be proud of their accomplishments, yet they are both humble men that are genuine and sincere in the way they treat others. I am honored to know both.
Joshua James
I met Joshua at his new home in Provo. He greeted me at the door and invited me inside. We sat and talked about the magazine, his upcoming tour and the cassette tape collection he had on the floor. I was surprised to see so many Reba Mcentire album's in the collection. He was wearing glasses and I had not seen any pictures of him with glasses on, so I was excited to try something new with him. I used his garage as a backdrop and asked him to lift up his glasses. We had a few laughs as I tried to explain and as he tried to understand my request. After a few tries he finally lifted them unevenly and I got the shot I was hoping for.
These other shots were taken inside his garage which we cleared of clutter to show off the timbered walls. It was an overcast day, but still very hot. And by "very hot," I mean "really hot." Joshua was very patient and giving in all that I had asked. His guitar was very cool also.
Bryan Niven
Since meeting Bryan to take his picture for Square Magazine's "Big Kid" issue, he and I have become fast friends. A very talented photographer himself, Bryan is an amazing teacher and resource when it comes to all things "photography," especially digital photography.
This series of shots were taken up in Salt Lake after Bryan and I attended Digital Fest at Pictureline early this September. I have recently bought Bryan's old camera (a Canon EOS-1D MarkII, he'd want me to mention that) and wanting to get a better feel for how it works, we spent the rest of the afternoon taking test shots. Bryan took his role as teacher... as well as model. It was really cool to discover what the camera and lens could do and also just play around with a new "toy." The quality and detail is amazing compared to what I have been shooting with, so I'm excited to start using the new camera for larger projects.
Look for shots of Bryan from his Square Magazine spread in a later post.
