pajama party

when we received our brand new speedlites, we decided to have a little fun with them. it soon became a family affair: mom blume holding up the reflector, dad blume releasing the shutter, and mary beth arranging the animals. can you guess our inspiration for this image? :)

captive husband

check out the latest short film that phillip was in: awake o' sleeper by whitestone motion pictures. look for him in the back of the chain gang. i was very impressed with the quality of this film and i must say, phillip gives a pretty convincing anguished look. great job, babe - you're a natural :).

Gone Fishin': the Georgia Aquarium & Coca-Cola Museum

during georgia's oppressively hot summers, nothing refreshes better than a little water recreation and an ice cold coca-cola. that's the conclusion we came to late last month after a few august dog days that had us panting for relief. also, it was the last chance to spend a fun-filled day with my little sis', mary beth, who -- I'm so jealous -- left today to study abroad at oxford. yes, the one in england.

after all was said and done, i think sebastian was right. life is much better down where it's wetter. the aquarium in atlanta, the world's largest, exceeded my expectations. no, it's not sea world. but, to be honest, in some ways i prefer this to the big theme parks. not too much walking, beautifully designed, amazing animals... and, come 2010, they're even throwing dolphins into the mix. we also had the benefit of going on a less crowded day, after school started back. but take it from a guy who spent time living just down the road from europe's largest aquarium: this knocks the flippers off every other big fish tank.

you have to wonder sometimes what these guys must think when they look at us. do the schools of fish take field trips to the human aquarium? (or would that be an "air-arium"?)

the little guy below was one of our favorites. a small sea dragon, just a few inches long, this is the most expensive animal to feed at the entire aquarium. no, he can't put down tons of food a day. he's just picky; he only eats a rare sea veggie found on australia's coast.

the aquarium's iconic whale sharks (there are two of them) represent the largest fish in the world. when i was in australia, i considered swimming with these amazing creatures near coral bay, western australia. then i realized i could be swallowed whole. you can sign up to dive with them at the aquarium if you prefer smaller whale sharks.

after finding nemo, it was off to the coca-cola museum. they've re-designed the museum in recent years, and it's as great as ever. i was obsessed with this place as a kid. in fact, i still have a huge collection of coke memorabilia i don't know where to put thanks to its early impression on me.

finally, to carry on our refreshing theme, we relaxed by the fountains at olympic park. being trained as a journalist, there's nothing i enjoy better than capturing real life as it happens. it feels like a great achievement every time -- especially when the moments are so timeless. what could be more beautiful and care-free than the good time these kids are having...?

On Location: "Awake O' Sleeper"

i have a confession to make: i'm not what you may think i am. yes, by day i may be a mild-mannered photographer. but by... well, also by day... i work in the film industry. and, no, that does not mean i work for blockbuster of des moines, iowa. (see the video here: "awake o' sleeper.")

actually, i've been acting since i discovered fake tears could get me coca-cola instead of milk in my bottle. that progressed to lots of stage roles throughout my school days. my career has since taken a back seat to my photographic pursuits, dwindling to an occasional film set.

this time it was the set of "awake o' sleeper" produced by whitestone motion pictures, a tremendously talented group of young filmmakers who, i might add, are more fun than a barrel of monkeys to work with. more importantly, in return for our blood, sweat and tears over three days of shooting, director brandon mcCormick and his posse kept us all supplied with the one thing i still require as an actor: plenty of ice cold coca-cola (even if it wasn't in a baby bottle).

as you may guess, making movies isn't so glamorous as the finished product makes it seem. the last three days of shooting have begun with very early and very muggy mornings. fortunately, we were blessed with a crack team of effects artists led by veteran bill johnson who kept the makeup looking... well, disgusting, not to put too fine a point on it.

here, director brandon mcCormick explains the acting process to the film's hero, played by jackson walker. "you're not actually a cowboy," he explained. "you're only pretending. just repeat the words i wrote for you in the script. and, for heaven's sake, don't bring the script on set again while we're filming!"

how 'bout them wheels, huh? after months of searching online, the whitestone crew found this perfectly suited chevy apache rotting in someone's yard. a real bargain at $5.

you couldn't hope to meet a nicer villain than this guy. on screen he's a holy terror. on set he's a saint -- a gentle giant, always encouraging, and with a great sense of humor to boot. but, as seen below, he can pack a mean punch, too.

before...

...after

the actors portraying prisoners, including me and mark ashworth (above), got more than we bargained for, too. the authentic shackles we wore for what seemed hours on end dug into ankles and caused lots of authentic pain and swelling. no makeup required! (above is one of the lion's head belt loops worn to chain prisoners together.)

above, from beneath a shady umbrella, brandon mcCormick enjoys watching our suffering on his monitor. to get a first-hand look at his vision, check out www.whitestonemotionpictures.com.