As I started writing this entry, I was thinking that 2009 was a “meh” year for me photographically. But as I wrote it, I realized that 2009 was a pretty good year for me. I did not accomplish the goals I set for myself this time last year, but it was a good year all the same.

The bulk of the year was spent finishing the basement which included my beautiful wife’s art studio, our still in disarray tiki/beach bar, and my photography studio. All of the destruction, construction, and cleaning meant not much of a chance to do as much photography as I would have liked. I did get some good shoots in, however, and I really shouldn’t complain to much. After all, I now have my own mostly finished studio space (I say “mostly finished” because no studio is ever truly finished) with plenty of room for shooting everything from family portraits to artistic figure work to product photography.

I did some travel (which I love), and went to San Diego, Albuquerque, vacation in Florida where I worked with two swimsuit models on the beach (you can’t do much of that in North Georgia), a paid trip to Myrtle Beach to photograph a hotel for the day job, and a weekend nature photography trip to the Smoky Mountains with good friends.

On very short notice, I organized the very successful model shoot out for the annual Rock and Roll Monster Bash at the Starlight Drive In in Atlanta – a feat that also put me in touch with a number of people I only knew from the internet as well as helped to get my name out to the alt model world (I loves me some tattooed models!). I also continued and strengthened my relationship with the Atlanta Roller Girls and became their official official photographer for the latter part of the 2009 season and the upcoming 2010 season. My relationship with the Atlanta Roller Girls directly led to me doing a piece on the Austin, TX band And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead for Prick Magazine – on line and in print – in 2009, too.

I ended 2009 working with the first Help Portrait project, a few shoots for my personal projects, a big group and individual portrait shoot for an international company, and some great shots of my family at Christmas. All in all, 2009 was a pretty good year for my camera and me.

As I look into 2010, I already have five shoots booked for January, including a repeat shoot with the beautiful Amy Frena before she heads off to sunny southern California to pursue her modeling career, two personal project shoots, a client product shoot, and the first shoot as the official official photographer for the Atlanta Roller Girls.

2009 did not suck, and 2010 will only get better!

***The pretty girl at the top is Amy Frena. She was one of my last pretty girl shoots of 2009, and will be my first pretty girl shoot of 2010.

I’m at home now reading the Twitter posts from folks who were part of Help Portrait, and I am in tears – literal tears – as I read some of these 140 character messages.

• “4 kids finalized their adoption Dec 9. On Dec 12 their gifted a family portrait thanks to #helpportrait”
• “Saw a mom tear up after seeing the first portrait of her son ever.”
• “Lots of girls being told they are beautiful today… amazing!”
• “Finished a #helpportrait session with a hospice patient; here I go to the big Mpls HP event. Such an amazing and emotional day so far.”
• “a teen just saw her feshly styled mom and said, ‘oh my gosh, Mom! You’re beautiful!’”
• ….and they keep coming in!

I don’t think I can say much more about this except, “Thank you.”

On December 12th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need, and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered to the families, the men and women in shelters, those in need.

This is about GIVING the pictures, not taking them. These portraits are not for my portfolio, website, or for sale. Money isn’t involved here. This holiday season, I am proud to have the chance to give a family something they may have never had before – a portrait together.

I am part of the Atlanta branch of Help-Portrait, and on December 12, 2009, I will be joining with other photographers stationed at 5 locations around Atlanta working with Families First to give a small but meaningful gift to someone – the gift of a picture.