Lobster Fishing In Maine

Ever since my first visit to Maine, I've wanted to get on a lobster boat and spend a day with the lobster fishermen.  I am fascinated with the people who do it and why they continue to do it.  In a series of events one morning, it seemed as it happened in an instant.  One moment I was having coffee with Ralph and the locals and the next minute, I was on a lobster boat.  Jon the captain agreed to have me on board as long as I kept out of their way.  I agreed, hopped on board and the adventure began.

I'm always prepared to change direction at a moment's notice and this was no exception. As soon as I jumped on board, I stood to the side  to observe them and witness the synchronicity in their moments without speaking a word.  As if they could do it in their sleep, they knew the specific job at hand and did it seamlessly throughout the day.  Jon would locate the traps, bring them in one by one, discard lobsters who had eggs or weren't large enough, saved the ones that were while Ray put new bait in, and stacked the traps to drop into the sea once again.

In between traps, I would chat briefly with Jon and Ray about their lives and about fishing.  I didn't talk much since the idle time was very limited.  Mostly, I kept to myself and stayed in places on the boat where I wouldn't get in the way.

At one point, Jon suggested that I jump on a buoy (the one you see below in the distance) to get a shot of them in the boat, floating away.  I did and as I stood on the buoy, I started to wonder if the joke was on me. They circled around, laughed, took pictures of me and eventually picked me up once again.

I am thankful that captain Jon agreed to have a stranger jump on board during his workday.  After it was over, he said that not many visitors get on the boat with them so I felt fortunate.  It's always a thrill to be able to do something I've always wanted to do.  Sometimes it can be as easy as telling someone you want to do it.  Don't be afraid to ask for what you want because chances are, you just might get it!  Below are some images from the day on the water, fishing with Jon and Ray.

 Captain Jon

 Deckhand Ray

You Know What Today is, Tiger Fans!

IT'S FIRST FRIDAY!!!  And I'm super pumped for the first game of the season in Death Valley tomorrow!

And in celebration of First Friday, I'm going to post a few photos from the Chick-fil-a bowl.


I purchased tickets at 8:00 the day they went on sale for this....



First 600 people to purchase tickets get lower deck - MY BUTT!  Thanks a lot, Clemson Student Ticket Office, for screwing something up yet again.  You take pride in never doing anything fairly, don't you?







Here I am wearing my Andre Ellington jersey that I didn't get autographed on Fan Appreciation Day.

Also, Andre - if you happen to be out there in the blogosphere - I know you must be really excited, right now.  ESPN, ABC... who cares?  You know you've really made it big when an architecture student travel blogger decides to write about you.

And here's a video of the Clemson Tiger Fans leaving the stadium.  Watch it in HD.



Can't wait for the First Friday Parade this evening and the game in Death Valley tomorrow!

Though I am not excited for that horribly dreadful "Orange Empire" entry song by Lee Brice.  In case you haven't heard, it's a very unfortunate cross between country and an attempt to pump people up.  I'm going to embed this terribleness into my blog post just so that you can have the joy of listening to it.


Notice that out of the 36,525 people who have listened to it, only 123 have liked it and 23 have commented.

I am a little unsure of when they're going to play it.  Hopefully we're all mistaken, and it's just something they play during halftime or a timeout or something... rather than The 25 Most Exciting Seconds in College Football which is classic and shouldn't be tampered with.  Not to mention, I bet if you polled the football team, less than a quarter of the players are fans of country music...

Still, it should be a great game back in Death Valley!

C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-RRRRRR-S!  Fight, Tigers!  Fight, Tigers!  Fight, fight, fight!!!

Amee & Jay's Wedding

I was ecstatic to photograph my first wedding last month, and couldn't have been luckier with the bride and groom!

Amee and Jay were married at Lebanon Baptist Church on Saturday, August 4, 2012, followed by a reception at the Anderson County Farmer's Market.

Jay's mother and my mother are best friends, so Jay has always been sort of an older brother figure to me.  So obviously, that gives me the right to be extremely picky about his significant other.  And I honestly don't think there could be anyone more perfect for him than Amee.

Amee is the furthest thing from a Bridezilla that you'll ever meet.  Her calmness despite whatever craziness was going on around her amazed me.  It was clear that the thing most important to her through the entire wedding process was marrying the love of her life.

I arrived at the church that afternoon to photograph Amee and her bridesmaids getting ready.



It was good-luck raining when the bridal party arrived at the church.

















The girls got ready in the nursery, and I thought it was adorable how the bridesmaids used the cubbies for their bouquets!























Jay is a volunteer firefighter, so what better than a firetruck for their getaway car? Loved it!



















Amee and Jay's sister, Emily -





Sibling love -







This is the bride calmly and happily explaining directions to the church over the phone. Amazed me!!!





Amee, you were a stunning bride -





The gorgeous mother of the groom -







I didn't photograph the ceremony, but it was beautiful. The love between Jay and Amee couldn't have been more apparent in their vows. It was such a sweet ceremony that truly fit the bride and groom.

The reception took place at the Anderson County Farmer's Market.



















The firetruck was decorated by the groomsmen - too cute!





It was an absolutely beautiful wedding and reception, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to photograph it. Amee and Jay, thank you for letting me be a part of your big day. I wish you two a lifetime of happiness together!