Ethnic Enrichment Festival in Swope Park

Pictures from my trip to the Ethnic Festival in Swope Park. Put on by the Ethnic Enrichment Commission, this "Taste the World" festival features more than 66 different cultures selling their native foods and crafts and performing ethnic music and dances. The festival is held during the third full weekend of August near the front entrance of historic Swope Park. All but the bottom picture are Instagram pictures.


The crowd walking toward the Ethnic Festival.

The Wedding of Melissa Goodell and Janus Abello - 24 June 2012

The part of the ceremony officiated by Vince Hawkins, lead minister of the Columbia Church of Christ.

This past weekend, I traveled to Columbia, Missouri, to attend the wedding of my friends, Melissa Goodell and Janus Abello. Both the ceremony and the reception were held at Columbia College. They chose to have their ceremony on a Sunday, which is a little unusual, but I liked that I could drive down to Columbia after church.

I first met Melissa when she moved to Columbia to be closer to her then-boyfriend, Brandon. Being from Boston, we instantly bonded over our shared love of the Red Sox. One of my earliest memories with her is watching 'Fever Pitch' with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore and relishing thoughts of Fenway Park. That and helping her learn how to drive a manual-transmission car. And Janus, I can't remember when I met him, but I've known him for a while. He's originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and came to Columbia to study at the University of Missouri. I think it's pretty cool how God brought them both thousands of miles from home to meet each other, took them halfway across the world to Novosibirsk, Russia, for them to fall in love, and then solidify that love into marriage back in Columbia, Missouri.

Here's some of my favorites:

   

Maks, the lead minister of the Novosibirsk Church of Christ, traveled to Columbia to be part of their wedding. He prayed in Russian (left). The vows portion (right) was officiated by the other minister in the Columbia church, Jason Touchatt. Melissa cries as Janus read his vows. I cried, too. They were great. He talked about how parts of Melissa's character initially scared him because they were so amazing.

A Baptism in Omaha

While up visiting friends in Omaha, I was able to volunteer to photograph a baptism of Amanda Meyer. Beyond her salvation, the baptism represented the joining of the couple in a common faith.

Not a Cough in a Carload

Funny the things that you find on the internet...
Not a Cough in a Carload, A image gallery of 50s adverts which promoted smoking using doctors, dentists, scientists, sports figures, and even babies.

Here's some images.

Endorsements from Santa:
  
  

It's That Time of Year Again

What time of year, you say? CPOY time.

For the uninitiated, that's College Photographer of the Year, an international competition for photography students that is in its 66th year. I've been lucky to attend three years of judging; I learn something every year I go.

This year, like all the years before, it was something that I procrastinated in choosing so that it came down to the absolute deadline before I turned them in. So my blood is pumping and the adrenaline is going and then I press submit.

But, unlike last year, I submitted things in several categories. I'm sure, like last year, I won't win anything, but that's okay. Really.

In Honor of a Star Wars Marathon

As part of a marathon Star Wars watching session, we dressed up in our Halloween costumes - although only one of us embraced the Star Wars theme. The rest of us were characters from Harry Potter.

It's Andrew as Anakin Skywalker and Taylor as Luna Lovegood.

    

Kyle as Dean Thomas and me as Professor Trelawney.

The Wedding of Jamie and Mark Roberts - 11 June 11

This past weekend, I assisted my friend, Stacy, in covering the wedding of Jamie and Mark Roberts. Held at Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Mo. (in the Kansas City Metropolitan area). Powell Gardens is a 915-acre botanical garden featuring 6,000 varieties of plants, with 225,000 plants in seasonal displays. The wedding itself was held with the garden's small lake as its backdrop, and thankfully, there was a nice breeze and it wasn't too hot. (Most outdoor weddings I've been to have been on the warm side.)

Here are some of my favorites from the day:

  
One of the things I love to do when I cover a wedding is capture those unposed moments. These two images really highlight the playfulness of their relationship.

  
While we were walking around the garden, Jamie caught sight of a statue and decided she wanted to imitate it. And then Mark followed suit.


As part of the ceremony, two of their friends, Lisa and Jeff, read some scriptures that had special meaning for the couple. This was taken while the reading was happening.

The Allen-Fugate Wedding - 30 April 2011

On April 30th, I traveled to Columbia, Missouri, to attend the wedding of my friends, Monique Allen and Shawn Fugate. The marriage is a joining of two families: Monique and her sons, Vonnie and Shawn, and Shawn and his children, Corey and Kayley.

Here are some of my favorites:

Monique's son, Shawn, right, and Shawn's son, Corey, serve as candle lighters. I love Shawn's concentration and concern over keeping the flame lit.


Monique reacts to seeing someone in the crowd as she is escorted down the aisle by her father.


Vince's expression says, 'hey!' during Monique's vows.