Jim Walker Photography

2011 Memories: Knoxville Photographer Jim Walker

2012-01-02T10:58:00.004-05:00

Let me start with a big Thank You to my clients for making this past year such a fun and wonderful year. I also want to thank my friends and facebook fans for all your encouragement too!

2011 was a milestone year for Jim Walker Photography as I made the move from a hobby to an officially licensed business. You may recall that two years ago I moved away from shooting sports to focus on portrait work. This was my first full year of shooting portraits. I'm having a blast and meeting so many cool and wonderful people.

One of the highlights of the year was meeting and working with Los Angeles based commercial photographer, Joel Grimes. I learned a lot about artistic lighting, tasteful HDR processing, and compositing images. Joel arranged a group of 4 rocking models including the very animated Dr. Russel Brown from Adobe, costumed as the Mad Hatter. Their images are a huge part of my commercial portfolio. Thank you Russel, Jessica, Lauren, and Taylor!

The following short slideshow features the 3 main areas of my portrait work (h.s. seniors, kids & families, and commercial). Crank up the volume (or hit mute if the music is not your style) and enjoy a look back at a sample of my work from 2011.

If you want images like these, hit the "Contact" link above and I'll be happy to schedule your rocking photo shoot today!

Thank you all once again for your business and encouragement. I sincerely wish you a Blessed and Happy New Year!

UTAH: Part 12 The Still Images

2011-11-16T19:14:00.003-05:00

Hopefully you have enjoyed watching the short daily videos I've posted about our recent trip to Utah. Those videos were shot with my new Sony Cybershot camera (DSC-HX9V) which I absolutely love and highly recommend.

But we didn't go to Utah to break in the new point and shoot. We went to attempt to capture the vast beauty of the region with our DSLRs. I used my Nikon D300s and primarily shot with the ultra-wide 14-24mm and occasionally with the 70-200mm. (Sandra shot with the D90 with the 18-105mm and occasionally the 70-300mm.) We are both portrait shooters and know little about how to shoot landscapes properly. So we dove in and really challenged ourselves to learn more about how to use our cameras in a very different setting than portrait work.

The scenery was so inspiring and we had so much fun and got some great exercise hiking to our locations. It was so much fun having Sandra by my side shooting too! It was truly a wonderful vacation. We are already talking about next trip! (maybe the California National Parks? ) I've put together a slideshow of my favorite images from each of the places we visited. I recommend you click on the video and change the setting to 1080 HD if your connection will allow it. Also, crank up the speakers and enjoy!

UTAH: Part 11 - Final Day

2011-11-05T00:24:00.002-04:00

Today was our last full day of our vacation and it was a pleasure to spend it in Zion National Park. Wow, what an incredibly beautiful place! We spent the entire day in the park beginning at Weeping Rock. We then walked the Narrows trail until we got to the river crossing. We finished the day shooting along the river all the way back to the bridge at the main junction at sunset. We have had so much fun and taken so many photographs. I'll be editing for a while to catch up once we get home. I've been trying to turn the videos around quickly and get them online, so you could follow along on our great adventure. Hopefully, you've enjoyed these daily updates. Here is the final day. Enjoy!

UTAH: Part 10 - Zion National Park

2011-11-04T00:27:00.003-04:00

The day begin with a sunrise shoot in Bryce's Canyon before checking out of our hotel and driving to Zion National Park. Sorry, no video of the sunrise, but I got some awesome stills that I'm still working on.

We entered Zion through the east gate and drove through the mile long tunnel and then down the switchbacks into the canyon floor along the Virgin river. We exited the park through the south entrance and found our hotel and grabbed some lunch.

We returned to the park in the afternoon to scout some locations for tomorrow's shoot. We drove from the gate to north end of the park where the road ends at the Narrows trail head. Here is the video of the drive. Tomorrow should be awesome!

UTAH: Part 9 - Bryce's Canyon

2011-11-02T23:43:00.004-04:00

Today our goal was to photograph Bryce's Canyon in the morning light. The weather was cold and clear and the wind was dying down which was a good thing. We didn't get started quite as early as we planned, but it turned out that with the angle of the sun this time of year, much of the canyon was in deep shadow, so waiting a little later turned out to be a good thing. We drove to the end of the park and started at Rainbow Point, elevation 9115 ft and worked our way back to Sunset point. We hiked below the rim a bit to get a different perspective. The view was stunning.

UTAH: Part 8 Bryce's Canyon

2011-11-02T01:03:00.002-04:00

Tuesday, (Day 6) was a nice laid back day. Since we had arrived at Bryce's Canyon the night before, we decided to get a little extra sleep and then have a nice breakfast before scouting the park for our sunrise shoot on Wed. The weather was very windy and cold, so we skipped any hiking. Instead we drove around stopping at several of the nearby overlooks and also driving a bit deeper (and higher) into the park until it started snowing. The clouds looked pretty dark, the kind that could deliver a lot of snow although there was no snow in the forecast. When it started coming down a bit harder and visibility dropped, we headed back down. Before we left the park we stopped at Fairyland overlook. It was beautiful with the snow flurrying about. Hopefully we'll a light dusting. The red rocks with a layer of snow would be awesome.

UTAH: Part 7 - Arizona Advenure

2011-11-01T14:30:00.003-04:00

While our trip has been primarily about four of UTAH's National Parks, we couldn't resist a stop in Monument Valley which straddles the boarder with Utah and Arizona, and a stop at Antelope Canyons near Page, AZ.

Day 5 began by shooting the night sky and sunrise from our hotel balcony at The View hotel. The desert floor made a nice foreground and the Three Sisters monument rocks made a wonderful silhouette against the morning sky.

We then packed up and headed toward Page, AZ. We arrived at the tour area of Upper Antelope Canyon around 12:15, just in time to join up with a tour. We took the longer photographer's tour and there was only 4 of us plus our guide, Gabriel. This is the off season and tourist numbers are really down which gave us plenty of time to get great shots. Other tour groups would pass through occasionally and Gabriel did a wonderful acting as traffic cop to hold up people while some of our long exposures finished.

After photographing Upper Antelope Canyon, we crossed the road and bought photographer's passes to Lower Antelope Canyon. This allowed us 2 hours of unguided time to photograph to our hearts content. We followed a tour group down to the entrance, but they moved quickly on and we took our time and for much of the time had the place to ourselves.

After finishing our time in the slot canyons, we grabbed some food in Page, AZ and headed for a night drive to Bryce's Canyon. More on that tomorrow.

The short video below is a nice summary of our day.

UTAH: Part 6 - Driving to Monument Valley

2011-10-31T07:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday, we checked out of our hotel and took a quick side trip along the Colorado River. We returned to Moab, for a quick lunch and to fuel our Jeep Patriot, then we headed south to Monument Valley. Technically, we are just over the UTAH state line, in Arizona.

We checked into our hotel "The View" which is appropriately named. We've got our cameras set up on the balcony and intend to shoot the night sky with the 3 Sisters rock formations silhouetted in the foreground. The morning sunrise should be lined up just right so we'll see what we get.

Here is a short video of our drive and at the end a glimpse of our room and the view from our balcony.

UTAH: Part 5 - Canyonlands National Park

2011-10-30T18:00:00.002-04:00

Saturday, we visited Canyonlands National Park which has a very different perspective than Arches NP. You are up high on flat ground looking down into the Green River and Colorado River Canyons. We started the day at Mesa Arch at sunrise along with 40 other photographers. The morning sun bounces of the canyon wall and lights the arch from the underside with the most wonderful orange glow. It was stunning! We did a short but steep hike to one overlook, but most of the places we shot you drive to and take a short walk.

We finished the day at nearby Dead Horse State park overlook for sunset. Wow, what a view. Another fantastic day of photographing and enjoying the wide open spaces of UTAH.

Tomorrow we leave Moab and head south to Monument Valley on the boarder of Utah and Arizona. Should be fun!

UTAH: Part 4 - Arches National Park Day 2

2011-10-30T11:12:00.004-04:00

Here is a video summary of Friday, the second day of sight seeing in UTAH. The video starts with our sunrise shoot at the LaSal Mountain overlook and the massive red rocks behind us being painted in the morning light. We then returned to the park later that evening to hike the trail to Landscape Arch stopping along the way to visit two other arches. It was a wonderful hike, but it wasn't the sunset location we had hoped for. We did capture some of the evening light on the distant bluff and mountains. It was a beautiful day!

I'm working on another video of Saturday's adventures. I should have it posted soon.

Thanks!

UTAH: Part 3 - Arches National Park

2011-10-29T01:14:00.004-04:00

Here is a quick snap from the morning sunrise shoot in Arches National Park. I took this with my Sony P&S. This was taken from the Lasal Mountain overlook just as the sun peeked over the mountain tops.

We returned to Arches later in the day for a nice hike to Landscape arch and more shooting. Tomorrow we get up really early to head to Canyonlands National Park. I've been so busy shooting both images and video, that I have not had time to do a lot of editing.

We are having a great time here in Moab, UT. I'll post more when I get a chance.

UTAH: Part 2 - Arches National Park

2011-10-28T07:56:00.003-04:00

Thursday was Day 1 of sightseeing of our trip to the canyonlands of southern UTAH and northern AZ. We began the day in beautiful Arches National Park. Our first shoot was the sunrise at Turret arch. We entered the park in nearly complete darkness, with just a hint of morning light. We setup near North Window arch and shot back toward Turret arch and waited for it to be washed in the early morning light.

After the sunrise, we walked around the Window area photographing various things before driving to Delicate Arch to scout our sunset location. We made the short but steep (0.5) hike to the upper overlook across the canyon from Delicate Arch. Then it was back into Moab for lunch and a brief nap before heading back later that day for our sunset shoot.

We arrived at the trail head a couple of hours before sunset. We hiked the 1.5 mile trail which isn't too strenuous for folks that are in shape. But for us out of shape folks carrying gear, it took a little longer than we would have liked. But we persisted and arrived just in time to setup our gear and catch our breath before the last 30 minutes of golden sunlight painted the Delicate Arch and the distant peaks of the La Sal mountains in the distant background. Totally worth the effort to get there.

The video below captures a nice summary of the day.

UTAH: Getting There

2011-10-27T07:23:00.005-04:00

Sandra and I finally are taking a real vacation! The destination is the canyon land of southern Utah and northern Arizona. Our plan is to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Bryce's Canyon, and Zion National Parks.

Our goal is to have fun and to learn more about photographing sunrise's and sunsets while enjoying the beautiful landscapes. So we've packed our cameras, gear, and computer. It should be great fun and you are welcome to follow along with us by checking this blog.

Wed. morning we flew direct from Nashville to Las Vegas. We chose to begin our journey in Moab, UT, near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. That way, we got the long drive part of the trip out of the way and will be working our way back toward Las Vegas over the next 11 days. The long drive to Moab was made better by the rugged and beautiful scenery. Here is short video shot through the windshield of our Jeep Patriot rental. The video has a music track so set your speaker volume the way you like it and enjoy!

I'll try to post regularly, but I'm not sure how much video I can upload. So far, my connection has been a little slow. The video upload ran all night. It's now Thursday morning and we are up early to catch the sunrise. More later.....

Deck Party - A Gathering of Family and Friends

2011-09-06T23:19:00.000-04:00

This slideshow contains images from a recent photo shoot of a party on the newly renovated deck of some friends of mine. The new deck was a wonderful place for family and friends to gather. The food and drink was plentiful and delicious. The sunset provided a wonderful warm light to shoot the many happy faces. After sunset, the warm glow from the fire pit provided an even deeper orange glow. A few days later, I sat down with the homeowner and we selected his favorite images to go into a photo book that I'm designing. Photo books are a great way to remember an event like this one for years to come.

2012 Carter HS - Lakin's Senior Portraits

2011-08-23T20:38:00.004-04:00

This slideshow contains selected images from Lakin's 4 hour model experience photo shoot for her Senior portraits. Lakin is a Senior at Carter High School where she plays volleyball and softball. Note: It's available in 720p HD.

For the old city segment we were joined by Lakin's dad. One of Lakin's favorite childhood memories was of her Dad bringing her balloons. So we got Dad involved to recreate this moment with his nearly grown "baby girl". It was a sweet moment and I was honored to be able to capture images recreating this special bond between a daughter and her Dad. We got mom into a few of the shots too. I especially love the ones where Mom and Dad are standing arm in arm and watching Lakin walk away. I'm so grateful to have met Lakin and her wonderful family. Thanks Lakin! Good luck with your volleyball and softball season!

This Senior Portraits session (3 locations: Norris, studio, old city) was so much fun. We didn't realize how hard we had been working or how tired we all were until we got home. I was assisted by Megan Barnett who did a fantastic job of managing lights and gear and grabbing some behind the scenes snap shots too. Thanks Megan!

Photo Books: Something Different, Something Special

2011-08-08T10:36:00.007-04:00

Hi folks,

I'm so pleased to offer these beautiful photo books as an add-on option to your Portrait print order. These books are available for Senior Portraits and Kids & Families Portrait clients.

The books come in 4 sizes 12x12, 10x10, 8x8, and 6x6 inches.

This is not your ordinary photo book which uses standard paper and has images that are "book" quality (like images in a textbook for school). In my photo books, the photos are printed on high quality photo paper so the image quality is excellent. The pages are thicker than normal. You can see and feel the quality. The books are assembled with a "lay-flat" binding so images that spread across two pages do not disappear in the binding valley. The images lay flat allowing for a full 12x24 inch display for the largest book size.

The books are 26 pages (13 spreads) with full luster finish on the internal pages and full metallic printing that wraps around the edges for the cover. The book design usually contains from 40 - 60 images which makes it an ideal way to capture most of the images from your photo session.

Ask about these awesome photo books when you call to schedule your next photo shoot.

Kids and Family Portraits: Emory Luke - 6 Months Old

2011-08-01T11:30:00.003-04:00

While I do a lot of work with High School Seniors, I love photographing kids of all ages. These images of Emory were taken just shy of being 6 months old. Emory can sit up really well, but occasionally falls backward. He hasn't figured out crawling yet, but he is trying really hard.

He can stand too with help. Mom and Grandi were just out of frame to catch Emory if he fell. We had pillows placed on the floor too, just in case, but they were not needed. Emory stood up and held on to the back of the chair and laughed and grinned at mom. So cute!

These were taken in my studio on Jackson Ave in the Old City of Knoxville. We had such a fun time! Can't wait to shoot his 9 month old portraits.

Senior Portraits - Something More Artistic

2011-07-30T11:44:00.003-04:00

If you are following the blog, then you know that I have been exploring light in my images. I've been doing a series of experiments to test different lighting setups and practicing my post production editing skills to combine a subject with an HDR background. This is serious fun for and probably a bit geeky for some of you. So if you are interested in how this image was created, I'll share some of the basics without being too exhaustive.

Lighting is the first key thing to look at in the image. There are 5 light sources total: Three on the subject and two in the background. The subject is Peyton and was shot in my studio in Knoxville. She is lit with two bright edge lights that are slightly behind her. A third light from the front and slightly above the eyes fills in the front and creates some soft shadows under the nose and eyes without letting those areas get too dark. Note that this is reversed from classic portrait lighting in that the light in the front of the subject is a fill light not a key light. For some reason, I love this lighting style but I'm not sure why. I do find that my eyes stay with the image longer and it just seems to draw me in. Maybe, it's because I've seen the classic portrait lighting my whole life, not sure.

The background is an alley in Milwaukee, WI that I took during a recent business trip. There was no direct sunlight hitting the alley, only open shade. The image was shot from the entrance of the alley so there was some reflection of light from the street and other buildings. You can see the edge of the brick near the windows is implying some direction of light. The 5th source is a reflection from a neighboring building on the fire escape in the upper left corner of the image. The background was shot as an HDR with most of the adjustments turned way down. I just wanted to get the details from the shadows without giving it the over cooked HDR look that folks seem to not like.

Blending the two images together involves cutting out the subject from the studio background. The challenge here is the hair. Then finding the right background image. The details go beyond the scope of this blog post, but it involves quite a bit of work. I'm still slow and have much to learn, but I'm having a blast.

Thanks for stopping by!

Senior Portraits - Something More Artistic

2011-07-27T22:39:00.003-04:00

This is one of the images from a recent studio shoot with Anna. I thought the wind-blown hair would provide a nice challenge to knock out. The old Engine house is in Milwaukee, WI. I'm not completely satisfied with present abilities, but I do like the progress and most importantly, I've having so much fun creating these images and I get to work with some fun models like Anna. Thanks Anna! I had so much fun working with both you and Peyton.

Senior Portraits - Edgy Lighting

2011-07-24T07:37:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago, I spent a weekend in Los Angeles, learning more about lighting with commercial photographer Joel Grimes. So last weekend, I reserved some time in the studio with Peyton and Anna to work on some of the lighting techniques that I learned. Here are some samples:

Thanks Peyton and Anna. You are both awesome to work with and gorgeous models!

Studio Tour and Information

2011-07-08T20:39:00.007-04:00

This post contains a look at my new studio space as well as some useful information for you that will be helpful for photo shoots. I have access to the studio for 10 hours per month as part of the Dave Moore Studios resident photographer's program.

This photo is from the seating area looking into the shooting area. There are several options here for photo backgrounds. There is a dressing area with clothing racks on the left.

This view is looking back at the seating area and the main door from the hallway.

This is the view from the back loading area of the studio. It's just a few steps away from the rail yard and the old Southern Railway Station.

Directions:

From I-40 take James White Pkwy and keep right.
Take first exit to E Summit Hill Dr,
Turn Right on E Summit Hill Dr
Turn Right on N Central St
Turn Left on W Jackson Ave

Studio Address:
Dave Moore Studios
127 West Jackson Avenue #103
Knoxville, TN 37902

GPS coordinates: 35.9698N 83.9193W

This is the view of the front door. The studio is next door to Remedy Coffee and across the street from John H. Daniels.

Parking:
There is ample paid parking in the Old City including a nice lot right next to the studio building. There is also some free parking in various areas. Sometimes these are easy to find and other times you have to drive around a bit to find them.

Hit the Contact link at the top of the page to get my cell number and give me a call if you have questions or need additional assistance when arriving for your photo shoot.

Independence Day Celebration!

2011-07-03T20:46:00.005-04:00

The kids in Brighton Farms subdivision gathered at the pool parking lot on Saturday for an celebration to kick off the Independence Day weekend. There were contests with prizes for the longest distance in a watermelon seed spitting contest and the best decorated vehicle contest. There was also an inflatable jumping toy, and cookies, chips, and watermelon for snacks. The festivities finished up with a parade. Here is a slideshow of the events. Enjoy!

The Hafner's Family Picnic

2011-05-22T13:23:00.003-04:00

Recently, I photographed the Hafner family gathering at Anchor Park in Farragut. The weather cleared up just as picnic started and was wonderful for the entire time we were at the park. The Hafners were are great bunch of folks to hang out with. So much joy and laughter filled the air. I was immediately welcomed in and made to feel like part of the family. Of course the star of the day was 2 month old Benjamin Zane and rightly so. Having recently become a grand-parent myself, it was hear-warming to watch the love and affection being poured out on this little guy.

Thank you to the Hafner family for including me in your wonderful day!

Haley's Senior Portraits - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T12:09:00.004-04:00

Haley is a beautiful young lady and was a delight to work with creating her Senior portraits. She's graduating from Hardin Valley Academy and plans to attend the University of Tennessee this Fall. I met Haley and her mom in the Old City area of Knoxville recently for her photo shoot.

Did I mention how much fun we had? At this point in the shoot, I was asking Haley to try some crazy and goofy poses. She played along really well, but we all got tickled and that's when I captured the next image. While it is fun to create dramatic fashion type poses during a shoot, often some of my favorite images are the more candid an natural moments.

I love the expression in this next image. At this point Haley is quite comfortable in front of the camera and just has this wonderful peaceful look on her face. And those eyes are stunningly gorgeous!

Wow! It's all about the shoes.

One of the fun and often challenging things about shooting on location is that the weather doesn't follow the script. We had hoped to catch the sunset coming across the rail yard and station, but the clouds moved in and it got dark in a hurry. So I quickly got out more lights and we went for a different look. I love how the sky and clouds created such a dramatic back drop for such a beautiful young lady.

Thanks Haley (and mom too) for being so much fun to work with and bringing so much energy, laughs, and joy to the shoot.

Brianna's Senior Portraits - Knoxville, TN

2011-05-04T21:07:00.003-04:00

I met Brianna and her mom, Michelle at the lake early one morning this fall to shoot Brianna's Senior Portraits. We had hopes of getting some nice shots at the lake with the beautiful pre-dawn light and then others with sunrise glistening in the water. But weather here in beautiful east Tennessee is a bit unpredictable and we arrived at the lake in a thick soup of fog. Brianna is such a happy person and highly motivated. Instead of canceling the shoot she was game for seeing what kind of images we could create in the fog.

The light was wonderfully soft and dream-like so we kept shooting. Eventually the sun began to burn away the fog and the day brightened up.

Now you are probably wondering, why I am posting these photos months later. We'll that is a rather long story but the short version goes something like this. Brianna is smart. Really, really smart. Back in November she knew she had a strong chance at finishing at the top of her class. Between school and her work schedule and the craziness of the winter holidays we decided to wait for her viewing session until January. Brianna did find out that she indeed finished as Valedictorian of Hardin Valley Academy which it wonderful news. She could finally relax a bit and so we scheduled a viewing session. But our plans were once again delayed due to sickness in her family. And then something wonderful happened. Scholarship offers began to arrive and campus visits started. But these were no ordinary campus visits. Standford, Princeton, and Harvard all had offers along with several other schools.

Recently we did find a time to get together and finally have her Senior Portraits viewing session. She and mom absolutely loved the images. I totally enjoy delighting clients with images that I know will adorn the walls of their homes for years to come. Funny thing, during our viewing session Brianna checked her messages and got an offer letter from Duke University. Amazing.

Oh yeah, you may be wondering which school Brianna chose. Well, the last photo sums up how she (and mom) feels. She's jumping for joy because she's going to Harvard on a full ride scholarship!!! Congratulations Brianna. Your hard work has paid off.

Oh I just can't resist pointing out that smart Seniors choose Jim Walker Photography for their Senior Portraits! Seriously! Harvard!! I'm just sayin...

Ok totally kidding. Forgive my warped sense of humor.

INTENSITY: A Photo Shoot Designed For the Most Intense Athletes!

2011-04-26T19:26:00.005-04:00

If you are an athlete that wants cool photos that capture your intense passion for your sport, then call today to book your Intensity photo shoot. Bring your uniforms, helmet, a ball and any other gear you use. And most of all, bring that fiery competitive attitude that gives you the edge when you step onto the field or court.

Oh yeah, we'll have fun too. These photo shoots are a total blast. Just ask Ben, Anna, or Liz. So what are you waiting for? Got game? Bring it on!

.

Family Portraits: Bailey in a Sea of Gold

2011-04-14T19:17:00.003-04:00

The slideshow features images from a recent family portrait shoot featuring adorable Bailey playing in a field of golden wild flowers in the evening sunlight.

I've been photographing Bailey's big sister Peyton now for nearly a year. Little Bailey has spent that time watching Peyton be excited about her photo shoots and then watching family and friends compliment Peyton on the resulting photos. But now it was Bailey's turn to be the model and she was so excited. Dena (mom) and Peyton said that in the week leading up to the shoot, Bailey was regularly asking, "When do I get to model?" So when they arrived on site Bailey jumped out the car was ready to get started with the biggest grin on her cute face!

We had a lot of fun on this photo shoot. I think Bailey's been studying big sister's images. We all chuckled when Bailey would break into some formal model poses and I let her strike her poses whenever she felt like it and she was quite good. She was having so much fun with this that in the middle of the shoot, she came up and gave me a big hug. It made my day! A few of Bailey's poses are in the slideshow, but the majority of the images are when we told her to simply walk through the flowers and play. I love to just let kids be kids and capture the innocent joy on their faces when they are simply being themselves.

In the the near future, I'll be photographing big brother Trey for his Senior Portraits. I'm so thankful to be able to photograph the treasured moments in the life of this wonderful family.

Senior Portraits - Class of 2012: Olivia

2011-04-06T22:08:00.004-04:00

Class of 2012 it's time to think about scheduling your Senior Portrait session! For those of you truly want Something Different, Something Special, check out the images from Olivia's Senior Studio Session.

Olivia is my Senior Rep for Hardin Valley Academy. If you want images like these, you are going to want to find Olivia and ask her how to save on your session fees. Seriously, find her and ask her about Senior Portraits. She's got a pretty cool discount card for those of you who are interested in having truly special Senior Portraits

New Studio for Senior Portraits and Kids & Family Portraits

2011-04-03T19:57:00.006-04:00

Recently, I signed a lease on a new studio rental-space. The Studio is located in the Old City area of Knoxville on 127 W. Jackson Ave next door to Remedy Coffee. I'm super excited to bring an indoor all-weather option for photo shoots to my clients. You can check out these options and get more details by clicking on the Home link above and entering either the Seniors or Kids & Families area.

Having the option to shoot indoors is very nice. I love the chance to use my lighting system in a more controlled environment so that I can "paint" the subject with light. I'm totally having a blast experimenting with different lighting arrangements. I'm also very grateful to my friends who have come down to the studio to check it out and help me practice. Here are a few samples of my first attempts.

New Web Site: Check It Out

2011-03-29T22:08:00.004-04:00

I've been working hard behind the scenes to completely retool my website. I've changed the look and feel, content, and navigation in an attempt to bring more attention to the areas of photography that I love the most. Of course, I'll continue to support my friends at the Tennessee Valley Opera and the wonderful folks at Habitat For Humanity, but the main focus of my business is Seniors and Kids & Families.

The Seniors section features a portfolio slideshow, info on sessions, and print package options designed to capture the milestones of the teenage years with the biggest of course being Senior Portraits. But you'll also find images in this section of other teens who want edgy and fun photos shoots that produce both classic images and images with flare for fashion.

The Kids & Families section features it's own portfolio slideshow, sessions info, and print package options designed capture the precious moments of family life. There are classic posed group portraits as well candid playful moments as the family interacts with each other.

The new website also features a new URL (simply click the Home link at the top of the page). I also have a new email address (click the Contact link at the top of the page). I'll be adding a bio section soon as well as few other special pages featuring some extra nice products for clients that truly want Something Different, Something Special.

I've had several friends that have been testing site over the last 3 weeks to hopefully eliminate any bugs in the code. So hopefully it works smoothly. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with your browser or mobile device. Also any suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

Thanks for stopping by!

Emory Luke - 6 weeks old

2011-03-28T21:50:00.002-04:00

Since the arrival of Emory Luke, I have been super busy! Not only is being a Grandpa pretty cool, but I've been busy working on some cool photography projects. I'm having a blast, but I have been falling behind on the blogging. So I'll attempt to get back on track with some of my latest adventures.

The photo above is one of my favorites from Emory's newborn session. In that photo, he was one day old. Recently Heather and Emory came for a visit and of course I shot more photos shown below. In these, Emory is 6 weeks old. Wow does time fly!

The weather has been remarkable warm for March, so we headed the lake to soak up some sun.

The breeze made things a little cooler than we would have preferred. Emory seemed content to simply lay in his blanket and snooze.

He did manage to open eyes just a bit.

Then I got this cute sleepy grin. But it didn't last. Emory wasted no time in resuming his Sunday afternoon nap. Yep, naps are good.

Say Hello to Emory Luke

2011-02-03T22:07:00.002-05:00

Today Sandra and I became grand parents! Emory Luke was born at 6:13PM; weighed 8lbs 9oz; length 20.5 inches. Heather is doing remarkable well.

Party! Lot's of Help; Great Friends

2011-02-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

The end-of-year celebration party was the perfect way to say thank you to the hard- working models who were such a vital part in building my portfolio throughout 2010. It was also a fun and energetic way to kick-off 2011. I'm looking forward to creating some of the most dynamic and fun Senior Portrait images for graduates in the Knoxville area this year.

There are some wonderful people to thank for helping pull-off such a cool and wonderful party.

Sandra Walker - advisor, pizza, gear support, moral support and best wife a guy could ask for.

Melissa Harrell - make-up artist

Kai Bouse - lighting operator and furnishing lighting system and extra seating,

David Howard - Lone Mountain Sound - sound system and DJ

Deanna Carrol for arranging for the venue, additional food and snacks, and cleaning crew.

Dena Byrd - dressing room support and additional food and snacks

Michelle Grimm - dressing room support, make-up supplies, additional food and snacks

Christine Tran - Photographer - BTS and Second shooter

Jessica Barks - assistant make-up artist

Sarah Robinson - Setup, decorations, assistant hair stylist.

I'm a lucky man indeed to have such good friends! Thank you all for your contributions to such a rockin' event.

Special note to Kai and David - If I had any brothers, I'd want them to be just like you. You already know I appreciate your hard work. What you may not know, is how much I value your wisdom and friendship. Thanks you for investing in me!

Party! (part 3) Rock Star

2011-02-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

The second entertainment segment of our end-of-year celebration was a photo shoot I call Rock Star. It was easily the most fun I've ever had on a photo shoot and that's saying a lot, because honestly we always have a great time! But this was simply awesome. The music was cranking, the lights were flashing, and each model got up on stage and for one song, got to live the dream of being a Rock Star.

I'll admit, I was a little worried that they were going to bust out giggling 30 seconds into their songs, or simply run out of dance moves and begin to look lost. The models were a little nervous. None of them are professional singers so this was new experience for them. I should say it was a new experience for them getting up and performing in front of live audience. We've all grabbed a household item (hairbrush, flashlight, etc) and used it as a microphone to sing along with our favorite music. But this usually occurs when we are alone or maybe with a group of friends. It's a whole new level when you are on stage in front of a live audience with a big light system in your eyes and you have to hold your composure for the duration of song.

How did they do? They were awesome! For the most part, they totally dived into their role and went for it. The facial expressions looked totally real. The dance moves were great and the audience jumped in with lots of excitement to add to the energy. Below are some sample images from the Rock Star photo shoot. At the end of the night some of the models told me this was the coolest party they had ever attended. Another told me she wants to do this again for her next birthday party! Rock On!!!

Party! (part 2) Runway Model Fashion Show

2011-02-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

One of the entertainment segments of the end-of-year celebration party was a photo shoot I call Runway Model. I wanted to generate the energy, look, and feel of a real fashion show. The models had so much fun with this idea. It was more than creating great images like a normal photo shoot. With a live audience in place and rocking music pumped through a professional sound system and big lighting rig, the models got to experience the excitement of a real fashion show.

As I mentioned in the prior post, there have been 8 models that have been my biggest supporters in 2010. McCall, Olivia, Brianna, Nicole, Peyton, Alexa, Krista, and Elizabeth have each been on at least two different shoots with me and most have been on three shoots. Six of the models were able to attend the party and lit up the runway with their classy walks and beautiful smiles. (Two models, Olivia and Nicole unfortunately could not attend the evenings events. We missed you guys!!) Here are some sample images from Runway Model. Enjoy!!

Tomorrow, I'll post images from another segment of the party that are totally rockin!

Party! - A Thank You Celebration

2011-01-31T06:00:00.003-05:00

I wanted to kick-off 2011 with a heart of gratitude for my biggest supporters during this past year. There have been 8 models and their moms who have have been helping me build my portfolio throughout this past year. I really appreciate their patience as we explored different shooting locations, and experimented with different lighting techniques. Most shoots lasted from 2 - 4 hours, so we all worked hard, but had a great time each and every shoot. I'm thrilled with the images and could not have asked for a better group of people to work with.

To show my appreciation, I threw them a party about a week ago to say thanks for all their hard work. We had a killer lighting and sound system for dance music, and plenty of food and snacks. But this was no ordinary party. For entertainment we had a Fashion Show complete with a 24 ft long runway AND then we had a Lip-Sync rock concert. The models provided the entertainment by walking the runway and then playing the role of their favorite music stars!

I have a special upcoming post to tell you more about the amazing help I had in creating this wonderful event. But for now, I want to introduce you to the amazingly talented Christine Tran who provided the Behind The Scene (BTS) images and was also my second shooter for the event. Here are some of Christine's images.

Christine is 14. Yeah, she rocks!! Check back here tomorrow an I'll show you some of the finished images from the Fashion Show.

2010 Memories

2011-01-02T16:39:00.006-05:00

The following video contains some of my favorite memories from the past year. 2010 was great year for Jim Walker Photography and this video shows some of the images that I enjoyed the most.

2010 brought a change of direction from sports and event photography to portrait photography. I've found that I love photographing kids best of all. From little kids and their families up to high school seniors. Their is something wonderful about their youthful energy, laughter, and joy that I love to capture. Portrait photography also lets me really use my lighting and retouching skills. I did manage to include some cute kids playing tee-ball and softball. Additionally, I remain a huge fan and supporter of Habitat For Humanity and the Monoroe Area School for the Performing Arts.

Technical note: This video contains music so crank up the sound (or press mute if it's not your style). For best viewing, use the pull-down control and switch to 1080p HD if you have the bandwith on your connection to allow it. It'll take longer to download, but the image quality is so much better.

I limited my self to the time budget of one song's length. This gave me the difficult choice of what to put in or leave out. In the end, I chose to leave more photos in. The result is that the images fly by quickly. Since this is a summary piece designed to give you an over-all glimpse of an entire year, it works. You can always pause if you want to spend some time on any given image.

Model Shoot in the Old City

2010-12-16T10:59:00.002-05:00

This slideshow is from my latest photo shoot in the Old City of Knoxville featuring models Peyton and Elizabeth. You can select the resolution up to 1080p HD to best view this video based on your download speed. Enjoy!

Sneak Peek: Knoxville Old City Photo Shoot

2010-12-13T23:33:00.003-05:00

What I'm working on....

Ore and Dana's Family Photo Shoot

2010-11-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a sample of images from my recent family portrait shoot with Ore and Dana and their wonderful family.

I'm so very honored and blessed to have been invited to capture these precious moments for such a wonderful family. I'd love to be capture treasured images at your next family gathering too. Give me a call and I'll deliver images that you will cherish for a lifetime.

You can find me on facebook at Jim Walker Photography. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.
Thanks!

Coolato Gelato

2010-11-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

Coolato Gelato is one of the coolest little cafe's in Knoxville. Located on South Gay St. in the Theater District of downtown Knoxville, Coolato Gelato features fine Italian style gelato as well as paninis and espresso. The folks at Coolato Gelato were nice enough to let us come inside after our Market Square photo shoot and take a break and enjoy some delicious gelato. The cafe has such a neat vib that we decided to extend our shoot (with the staff's permission, of course) and grab some images of the models enjoying their treats.

Here's a sample of the images we captured.

Please take a minute to check out additional photos at a Jim Walker Photography on facebook. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.

Thanks!

Zain's Model Shoot

2010-11-13T23:03:00.001-05:00

Slideshow of Zain's images from our latest model shoot in and around Market Square in Knoxville, TN. (can be viewed in 1080P if your connection is fast enough).

You can see additional images on my facebook page Jim Walker Photography. Check it out and leave comment under the photos you like best. If you don't see the comment box, please click Like on the main page. Thanks!

Olivia's Photo Shoot on Market Square

2010-11-13T21:52:00.005-05:00

Slideshow of Olivia's images from our latest model shoot in and around Market Square in Knoxville, TN. (can be viewed in 1080P if your connection is fast enough).

You can see additional images on my facebook page Jim Walker Photography. Check it out and leave comment under the photos you like best. If you don't see the comment box, please click Like on the main page. Thanks!

Sneak Peek: Olivia, Zain, and Peyton on Market Square

2010-11-08T21:42:00.003-05:00

Sneek Peek of my latest shoot in and around Market Square in Knoxville, TN.

Please take a minute to check out my images at my facebook page. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.

Thanks!

Nicole's Model Photoshoot

2010-11-05T00:15:00.000-04:00

Nicole is a beautiful girl who is thinking about doing some modeling. I was so happy to include her in my recent Senior Portrait shoot with Krista and Alexa. Nicole came to the shoot prepared with great wardrobe selections and some very creative ideas of her own for what type of images she wanted. Here's a sample of the images we captured.

Please take a minute to check out all of Nicole's images at my facebook page. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.

Comments are welcome either in the comment section below or at the facebook gallery. Thanks!

Alexa's Senior Portraits - Knoxville, TN

2010-11-04T00:15:00.000-04:00

Alexa can light up a room with her smile. She is one of the happiest people I know and so much fun to work with. Alexa is a gorgeous young lady with a great sense for fashion.

We shot her senior portraits in Norris, TN. Here's a sample of the images we captured.

Please take a minute to check out all of Alexa's Senior Portraits at my facebook page. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.

Comments are welcome either in the comment section below or at the facebook gallery. Thanks!

Krista's Senior Portraits - Knoxville, TN

2010-11-03T08:59:00.004-04:00

Krista is a beautiful young lady with the most stunning eyes you may ever see. She has modeled for me in the past and is an absolute delight to work with. We shot her senior portraits in Norris, TN at the old mill and threshing barn. Here's a sample of the images we captured.

Please take a minute to check out all of Krista's Senior Portraits at my facebook page. Once you are there, you can click the Like button to keep up with my latest posts about photography.

Comments are welcome either in the comment section below or at the facebook gallery. Thanks!

Sneak Peek: Norris Photo-Shoot

2010-10-31T17:51:00.003-04:00

Here is a sneak peek from my latest photo-shoot at Norris featuring Alexa, Krista, and Nicole. We had so much fun creating these images.

More to come!

Sedona - Cathedral Rock

2010-10-14T21:28:00.005-04:00

This is from my recent trip to Sedona, AZ. I made the short hike down to Cathedral Rock near sunset. Fortunately, the moon rose before the sunset and I was able to catch the moon just as it appeared above the rocks and bit later as it rose to the top of the rock.

What a way to end the day!

Lenoir City Classic Car Show

2010-10-09T21:13:00.003-04:00

Today Sandra and I drove to Lenoir City to check out a new restaurant and were surprised to learn that the Lenoir City Fall Festival and Classic Car show had a 3 block section of downtown blocked off for the festival. So after lunch at Good Eats, we walked around to check out the awesome classic cars. I'm always impressed at the passion, hard work, and countless hours that goes into restoring and maintaining these old treasures. Fortunately, I had my camera with me since I was hoping to find something to shoot to experiment with some new camera settings. These classic beauties proved to be just the thing. I really like the emblems and hood ornaments that really came to iconic for the major motor companies.

World Habitat Day

2010-10-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Recently I photographed the Habitat For Humanity Banquet celebrating 25 years of service in Knoxville, TN which I blogged about here. I've always been impressed with Habitat For Humanity and how they live out the command of "Love Thy Neighbor". I've been fortunate enough to help with their work here in Knoxville and to photograph it.

But to really see what a huge impact Habitat For Humanity is having on our planet, please click on the link here to learn more and hopefully get involved.

Sedona Morning With Rainbow

2010-09-20T09:57:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was great and so full of activities I've had no chance to post photos. I started the day climbing to the top of Airport Vortex rock to shoot some panoramic video. Then it was off to the north side of Sedona, to hike the first part of the West Fork trail. Met some really nice people along the way. Then I had a late lunch at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village. The architecture of this village is a photographer's dream. I really need to do a photoshoot here some time.
There I met a wonderful musician named Robin Miller who produces some wonderful original music that echoes the laid back vibe of the Sedona area. After lunch, I met up with two co-workers who coincidently were in the area on vacation and love photography. We set out to photograph the evening sun at Cathedral rock. After that, we had dinner together before they departed to Phoenix. I went back to the room and photographed a time lapse of the night sky from the balcony of my hotel room. What a great day!

This morning, I was greeted with the view you see in the photo above. The wonderful clouds and rainbow were just awesome additions to view of the red rocks and the town of Sedona. I just had to post this right away. Now it's time to pack up and leave this wonderful place and head north for one night at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Sedona: Some Photos From This Morning's Hike

2010-09-18T18:10:00.003-04:00

The View At Night

2010-09-18T00:47:00.001-04:00

I'm seriously having fun here!

View From My Hotel

2010-09-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

Guess Where I Am!

2010-09-17T21:08:00.003-04:00

Knoxville Habitat For Humanity Celebrates 25 Years!

2010-08-29T16:30:00.004-04:00

Here is a slideshow video from my recent shoot of the Knoxville Habitat For Humanity's 25th Anniversary Banquet. The venue was North Star Church. Catering was supplied by All Occasion Catering which did an awesome job, even dressing in construction gear such as boots, hard-hats and safety vests to echo the Habitat construction theme. Featured music was by Mitchell Davis who played a full set during dinner. There was also a bluegrass group that provided music in the lobby as people mingled prior to dinner.

Tech note: I rendered the video using Lightroom 3 which produces an mp4 file of the slideshow. I've tried several size options. This one was 1080p. I've also uploaded this to my facebook page here .

I think the Vimeo version looks better. Any suggestions on uploading video are welcome. Please feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message on facebook.

Status Update

2010-07-10T00:18:00.002-04:00

Wow, I've been so busy lately that I have neglected this blog. I'll try to get caught up soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Olivia - Sneak Peek

2010-04-01T23:35:00.001-04:00

Here is a sneak peek from tonight's photo shoot with Olivia. More to come...

Historic Fort Loudoun, TN

2010-03-20T23:09:00.003-04:00

Looking back on my childhood I am very grateful that my parents always found some historical site to visit regardless of where we may have been on our family vacations. Colonial Williamsburg, VA sticks out from among the many places I visited. The atmosphere there really is like stepping back in time. Today, as a 40 something year old man, I can't remember much from the lectures or the reading material from middle school history. But I have vivid memories of the sites, smells, and sounds from my visit to Colonial Williamsburg. At the time, I had no idea how exposure to these historic recreations would affect my education. More on that later at the end of this post.

Recently, I was able to step back in time once again. This trip was to 1755 - 1760 at historic Fort Loudoun in nearby Vonore, TN. Sandra (my wife) is a film maker and was on a shoot during the recent Garrison Weekend so I tagged along, Nikon in hand. The sky was overcast and eventually started raining which didn't help the film shoot, and the rain sent most of the vistors running for cover and many left for the day hoping for better weather another time. This turned out to be a bit of good luck for me as I got to spend some quality time with the dedicated reenactors who bring the Fort to live during these events. Many of these fine folks play specific historical characters who were at the fort in the 1700s. They have researched the history and know so many fascinating details about the roles that people played who actually lived in Fort Loudoun. Watching the craftsman in their workshops using the old methods and skills was equally fascinating. Here is a sample of the photos that I took during my visit.

Even though the weather was cold and rainy, this was one of the best photography days ever. I had so much fun and learned so much about our local history that I never heard about in school. I can still hear the tin-smith and black smith's hammers and the roar of the cannon echoing across the lake. I can still smell the black powder from the cannon and muskets as well as the aroma of Irish stew cooked in a kettle over an open fire. I can still taste the salty and very hard bread samples like ones the soldiers carried on marches.

It's funny how the same type of experiences remain in my memories from all those childhood trips with my parents. Did it make a difference in my education? You bet it did. I won the history award for the highest average in my 8th grade class. I highly recommend you invest an afternoon in yourselves and your children by visiting historic Fort Loudoun. The drive from Knoxville is only about 45 minutes. Come and hear the sounds and smell the aroma of history. Step back in time to 1755. You'll be glad you did!

You can view and purchase all the photos by clicking here.

To find out more about historic Fort Loudoun click here. Thanks!

Video: McCall and Friends Go Sledding

2010-02-01T18:09:00.002-05:00

This fun video shows McCall Beckler and her friends enjoying a rare sledding opportunity here in Knoxville. I shot over 600 frames of rapid fire action sequences and had so much fun doing it. I wanted to provide a few of these for kids and their parents but I didn't want overwhelm them with such a large batch of images. So I chose 40 or so shots that captured a memorable moment and processed these for the families. But I hated to just store the other images. After all they told the before and after story to each moment captured in the memorable moment images. So I decided to drop them into Sony Vegas Pro and make a video.

This video was made with over 500 still images made in rapid fire bursts on my DSLR. Typically video is a collection of still images that fly by at 30 frames per second but in this case you are seeing about 3 images per second through the action sequence. From most of these action sequences, I chose one or two frames to create a more finished image. These memorable moment images are displayed for a few seconds before another action sequence begins. Hope you have as much fun watching it as I had shooting it.

A Video Summary of 2009

2010-01-03T15:41:00.002-05:00

2009 was a fantastic year for Jim Walker Photography. So I would like say a very heartfelt thank you to all of you who have purchased photos from me and taken the time to share your encouragement and compliments about my photos. You've been more of a blessing to me than you may ever realize. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!

I've been reflecting on my many photographic adventures this year and decided to create a summary video below that I hope you enjoy. It was so much fun creating it, because it brought back so many great memories. I gave myself a time budget of one song's length (less than 4 minutes)so I couldn't put in all the photos that I originally wanted to without making the video way too long. The pictures fly by and that's intentional. The point is to show more of an overview of the year. I hope you like it and if you look quickly and carefully, you might just find yourself in the video.

The video covers the following areas:
Portraits - from various photo shoots.
Children - including children with family
Events - Habitat for Humanity, Secret City Festival WWII reenactment, Fireworks, Historic Trade Fair at Ft. Loudon
Sports - Lot's of Hardin Valley Academy athletes, Robindale Woods Swim team, Youth Baseball
Live Music - The Radons, Echo In The Mountains Bluegrass festival, HMS Pinafore, Blue Moon Rising, Amahl and Night Visitors
Nature - featuring Birds of Prey, and two adorable cats.

Off Camera Flash Experiment

2009-11-09T22:14:00.004-05:00

This is a photo of Mom's sporty new Honda. The car was the subject of my three-point portable lighting experiment tonight. I used 3 Nikon SB600 speedlights and my new Radio Popper JrX transmitter and 3 JrX receivers. I'm looking forward to more shooting with radio controlled off-camera flash/lighting.

This one is Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC)

Here's a few more with different image treatments.

World Habitat Day

2009-10-05T06:15:00.006-04:00

The United Nations has chosen the first Monday in October to be World Habitat Day - a day to stand up and let it be known that affordable, adequate housing should be a priority everywhere. For the full details you can click on the following link:

http://worldhabitatdaynews.com/

I found the following especially interesting:

U.S. Housing Facts

About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004)

One in three American households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and one in seven spends more than 50 percent. (Joint Center for Housing Studies: 2006)

The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al: 1999)

I was recently involved in a Habitat build here in Knoxville, TN sponsored by Emerson (the company where I work). I managed to drive a few nails, cut a few boards, and do some painting throughout our one week project. However, my efforts were greatly surpassed by my hardworking coworkers who did a fantastic job. My primary responsibility was to chronicle the event with photography. The following are a few images and a video I produced that shows the impact a company or business can have on their local community by getting involved with Habitat for Humanity.

Please, contact Habitat for Humanity and ask how you can make a difference in your community.

Historic Trade Fair - Ft. Loudoun

2009-09-14T15:30:00.003-04:00

In addition to the exhibits at the Sequoyah Museum, Historic Ft. Loudoun also hosted a historic trade fair and garrison weekend at Ft. Loudoun State Park Here the exhibits were all from the 18th century. Soldiers were garrisoned at the Fort and peddlers and craftsman were setup outside the fort to display their goods. The blacksmith shop and the bakery was were fully operational. Many thanks to the actors, craftsman, and performers, who spent their weekend bring history alive for all us. You can find addition images here.

I hope you will take the time to visit historic Ft. Loudoun in the near future.
You can find addition images here.

Historic Trade Fair - Sequoyah Museum

2009-09-14T15:16:00.008-04:00

Saturday I attended the historic trade fair at the Great Island Festival near Vonore, TN. There are two museums on the great island: Sequoyah Museum and Historic Ft. Loudoun. Both sites had exhibits and shuttle bus provided transportation between the two sites. The Sequoyah museum exhibits featured the rich tradition and historical contributions of the Cherokee people from this region. The museum is named after the great Cherokee leader Sequoyah, who developed a phonetic syllabary system that enabled the Cherokee language to be written for the first time. The exhibits featured a timeline of Cherokee skills, crafts, and techonologies from the 1400s through today. In addition to the exhibits, other activities included a time capsule was opened that was buried on nearby Ayoka Island, tribal dancers, and a variety of story tellers and music performers. You can find additional images here.

Retrieving the time capsule with Chief Young Deer.

Cherokee tools and weapons from the 1700s

Tribal dancers pose for photos after their dance.

Starting a fire.

Gary Holt portrays Col. Will Thomas who organized a band of Cherokees to fight for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Dawn Arneach portrays her grandmother who served as a US Army nurse in the Great War (WWI).

It was very enlightening and educational to see the contributions of the Cherokee people to our history and to our society today. History takes on a much deeper meaning when you walk through a "living history" exhibit. Many thanks to the hard working actors, dancers, performers, and exhibitors for the efforts for bringing this part of history to life for the weekend. I encourage you to check out the Sequoyah Museum website for upcoming activities like this one. It's a great way to spend the day and is a must see for the kids.

You can find additional images here.

High School Senior Portraits

2009-08-30T20:15:00.004-04:00

High School Seniors love to have photos taken to commemorate the special milestone year when they graduate. In addition to individual portraits they often schedule their session with their close friends for some group photos. If you would like to schedule a photo shoot, contact me and we'll discuss the details (click on the Contact link at the top of page). The video below contains images from a recent photo shoot as an example. Call and schedule you session today!

Sunset

2009-08-23T12:20:00.006-04:00

The clouds were perfect for a sunset last night, so I grabbed my camera and headed to my favorite hilltop to enjoy the beauty. There is a video at the bottom that captures my first attempt at time-lapse photos. It's only a minute long, so take a minute, turn up your speakers, and enjoy the view.

If you would like a high quality print of these photos you can order them here.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Comments are welcome.

Birds of Prey

2009-08-18T12:40:00.003-04:00

These beautiful birds are cared for by the Tennessee State Parks. The Eagle's name is Bly. Not sure about the names of the Owls. I photographed the Owls at the recent Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. I photographed Bly at Frozen Head State Park's recent Heritage Day celebration. Enjoy the slideshow.

Shooting Fireworks

2009-07-05T00:32:00.004-04:00

Tonight, I made my first attempt at photographing fireworks. The fireworks display was part of a large outdoor party thrown by Faith Promise Church on the campus of Pellissippi State Technical Community College. I set up my tripod and camera on a hill overlooking the campus. I used a 3 to 6 second exposure for these shots. I had a lot of fun and I'm pretty happy with how the images came out. I hope you like them too.

Secret City Festival - WWII Reinactment

2009-07-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

The Secret City Festival was recently held in Oak Ridge, TN. This year the festival featured a WWII living history encampment as well as a small skirmish reinactment between Allied forces and German SS forces. After the skirmish, the public could walk through the battle area and the camps and get an up-close view of the period uniforms, vehicles, and camps for the soldiers. These reinactors spend a lot of effort getting the details accurate and it really is like stepping back into a living history. Below is slideshow that features the Allied troops in the first half and the German troops towards the end.

If you would like to purchase copies of these photos click here.

Robindale Woods Swim Team

2009-07-02T13:59:00.006-04:00

Recently I've been photographing the Robindale Woods swim team. I'm really impressed with the athletic ability of these kids. What is even more impressive is the encouragement they show each other. Across the age groups, and varying levels of experience or abilities, these kids cheer enthusiastically for each other. It's heatwarming. It's they way sports should be.

You can find more pics of the Robindale Woods team here.

Sister Act II: Cecilia & Sophia

2009-06-24T18:53:00.002-04:00

Below are pictures from another recent photoshoot featuring two sisters. Cecilia is so cute and full of energy and little Sophia is the happiest and most calm baby that I've ever seen. The slideshow below has formal poses as well as some candid shots of the girls simply being themselves and playing in their backyard. I hope you like them.

Sister Act: Lauren & Danielle

2009-06-20T11:22:00.003-04:00

Lauren and Danielle are two very cute and very high-energy sisters. Their photoshoot was so much fun. I could get them to stop for a few seconds at a time for a quick shot, then they would start wrestling, jumping, or running; laughing the whole time. Mostly, I just let them play while I looked for moments to capture that tell the story of how much they love each other and enjoy playing together.

To see additional images, click here.

Emerson's Habitat for Humanity Video

2009-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is a video I put together for Emerson's Machinery Health Management business in Knoxville, TN. It follows the progression of construction of the Emerson sponsored Habitat for Humanity house built in April 2009. The video appears to end around the 4:13 mark, but keep watching. There is a nice surprise at the end. Total run time is 5:33. Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Turn up your speakers. The music rocks.

Emerson is headquartered in St. Louis MO. The Machinery Health Management business is part of Emerson Process Management located in Austin, TX.

Savannah Photography Workshop - Part 2

2009-05-14T19:59:00.003-04:00

The following slideshow contains pictures from our class exercises as well as some grab shots between activities. I still haven't caught up on my sleep from this workshop. I haven't stopped smiling or talking about it either. It was a fantastic experience!

Savannah Photography Workshop

2009-05-13T20:21:00.008-04:00

I have recently returned from attending a week long workshop in beautiful Savannah, GA. The workshop titled "Location People I" was taught by The Mindful Eye contributor Bryan Allen. Wow, what a great experience. The people in this class were some of the most encouraging people I have ever worked with. There was so much creative energy in the air. One of my favorite things to do is to be with people who are genuinely hungry and eager to learn.

Everyone in the class was so helpful. A special thanks goes out to Mike Novoseletsky, a fellow Nikon shooter and to Allan Mueller who assisted Bryan. I only got one photo with Mike and Allan in it. Most likely because Mike was standing next me helping understand some of the more advanced flash settings or that Allen was hauling gear and working behind the scenes. Sorry guys, but I want you to know that I'm very thankful for all your help.

Below is a slide show of everyone in the class including my wife Sandra. Sandra was not an official student, but she did help us out by modeling and she shot video of our class throughout the week with her camera.

I'll try to get another post together soon of the some of the interesting people who modeled for us. Comments are welcome and encouraged.

Habitat for Humanity - Emerson's house

2009-04-26T14:12:00.012-04:00

Last Saturday, I wrapped a week of photographing the build activities for the Emerson sponsored house for Habitat for Humanity in Knoxville, TN.

The view from Knoxville College. Emerson sponsored the middle house.

Bill and Sylvia Van Dyke

Mayor Bill Haslam

Mayor Haslam and former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.

Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett.

Emerson's Don Marshall presents the new house keys to the Van Dyke family.

New Homeowners!

Clay's Baseball Photoshoot

2009-03-25T12:35:00.004-04:00

These are photos of Clay at last night's baseball game at Hardin Valley Academy. This is one is my favorite. Click play on the slide show below to see the others.

Patrick's Photoshoot

2009-03-22T20:57:00.004-04:00

This one is my favorite.

Blooms, Bees, and Photoshop

2009-03-21T20:47:00.003-04:00

This weekend I had a bit of time to play around in Photoshop with some of my recent Spring Bloom pictures. I really enjoy the Black & White photos with a bit of color. Let me know if you like them.

Here's a full color photo cropped to give more attention to the bee.

Here is the original

Spring in East Tennessee

2009-03-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

Alternate title: It's allergy time in Tennessee!"

Yes Spring is in the air. Today was beautiful. So I grabbed my camera and went outside late in the evening to capture some of the pretty blooms.

The bees are out too!

Cherry Blossoms are so nice.

Here is a different Cherry Blossom.

This bloom had a hint of orange. It was the only one.

I love the way sunlight shines through the flowers.

I've already cut the yard two times this year!

I'm not sure what this tree is, but I like its red brick color. If you know what it is, leave me a comment.

And of course, the Bradford Pears are out in full force.

Moon

2009-03-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

During the full moon which occured a few days ago, I got out to try to make some pictures. It turns out to be easier than I thought. The moon actually puts out quite a bit of light and the low light, long-time exposure settings that I tried earlier all failed to produce good results. It was fun trying different camera settings and analyzing the results. Here are few that I liked. I hope you like them too.

Moon at Sunset in Cades Cove

2009-03-13T05:00:00.003-04:00

I made these on the Sparks Lane cut through in Cades Cove. The moon was out just before sunset.

Playing with Depth of Field by altering focus.

Here's one with a bit more zoom

Then I turned the camera around and watched the beautiful sunset through the trees.

And finally here is some raw video footage of some misc. shots made with my Nikon D90.

Cades Cove - Misc. Photos

2009-03-12T05:00:00.001-04:00

Here are some additional photos made back in Feb. 09.

I really like these solatary trees and they way you can see their branches in the winter.

Here are some wild turky butts. They would not cooperate and headed off into the woods when I arrived and begin to snap a few shots. One of my goals is get some good wild turkey photos, along with some baby deer, and of course a bear.

These two horses seemed to be the self-appointed welcoming commitee, or perhaps they were looking for a hand-out. I really liked the way the sun was back-lighting their thick winter coats.

Deer in Cades Cove

2009-03-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

Deer are plentifuly in Cades Cove and reasonably comfortable being near humans. These shots were made during and unseasonably warm day in Feb. 09. I had just obtained my new zoom lens was eager to try it out.

Snow Melt in Cades Cove

2009-03-09T05:00:00.003-04:00

If you need a break and have 3 minutes, then turn up your speakers and watch the video below. It was shot in Cades Cove and along the access road to the cove. The recent snow was melting and the river had a good volume of water cascading over the rocks. There is something about the sound of a mountain stream that I just love.

This video was shot with my Nikon D90. It's shot in 720P HD although it may not show that way embedded in this blog. You can double click on it and you will be sent to my vimeo site and can watch it in HD if you want.

Snow in Cades Cove - part 2

2009-03-05T05:00:00.004-05:00

After, I drove through the main loop of Cades Cove, I went into the campground.

I love the way the sunlight reflects off of the snow.

At the back of the campground, the ground was covered with small knee-high saplings coated in snow. The sun was getting lower in the sky and backlighting the snow. It was beautiful.

I left the campground and drove through the picnic area just on the otherside of this stream.

That's when I saw this little squirrel.

Since the snow was beginning to melt and dripping onto the road, I was a bit concerned about black ice forming. So around 4:30PM I headed for home. The road from Cades Cove to Townsend follows a nice size mountain stream, which was raging due to the melting snow run-off. So I stopped to photograph a few of the more impressive cascades. These were all in the shadow of the mountain so there is no direct sunlight on these.

On the way back through Townsend, I noticed that the setting sun was lighting up this spillway, so I stopped for one last photo.

I got some video clips of the day that I will eventually get posted. Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by.

Snow in Cades Cove

2009-03-04T05:00:00.005-05:00

This week I had planned on sharing some photos from Cades Cove that I made back in Feb. but then it snowed. I have been wanting a chance to photograph Cades Cove in the snow, but this turns out to be more difficult than you might think. Snow melts fast here in TN. But this weekend the storm front that dropped snow over most of TN and went on to pound New England, gave me the opportunity. I intended to go on Sunday, but the day was dark and foggy all day. But Monday was beautiful with sunshine but still cold enough that the snow wouldn't melt. I was fairly sure that the snow would be gone if I waited until the coming weekend. I took a half of day of vacation from work and grabbed my gear and made the drive. Wow, was it worth it. Very few people there on a Monday afternoon. Some of the snow in the Cove had melted, and the roads were all clear. But there was enough snow remaining to make everything beautiful.

This was also a good chance to practice with my new 70-300mm zoom lens.

Here are some deer grazing. This is shot at 70mm from a tripod.

Here is the 300mm zoomed in from the same location.

I love this old mill. I don't know if it is the wonderful colors of the weathered wood or the idea that a little stream of water can turn such heavy mill-stones. It is the internal struggle of artist vs engineer, I guess.

Icicles hanging off of the blacksmith shop.

I like split rail fences too. I don't know why. I just do. I especially like them when they are covered in snow.

These three photos are of the same lone animal.

If you know what it is please, leave a comment.

His tail was bushy like a fox, but he seemed to big to be a fox. I'd guess he was a small red wolf. He was traveling alone, at least as far as I could see, and coming straight down the road towards me. I stopped and he moved off of the road and I snapped these through the side-window of my truck. In the last photo, he looks like he is smiling.

I really like the way the road disappears behind this tree.

Tomorrow, I'll have more pictures of the snow in Cades Cove so I'll hope you'll check back here. Thanks for stopping by!

Jim

Falling Water - part 2

2009-03-03T05:00:00.004-05:00

Here are some additional shots of the mountain river that illustrate my adventures in playing with long exposure times.

On this shot the ISO is too high (3200) causing the exposure time to be too fast (1/15 sec). It's not a bad shot. It's just not what I was looking for. I had been shooting in the shade on the previous shot and cranked up the ISO.

I lowered the ISO to 200 and the exposure time increased to 1.6 sec. Yippee!
This is the look I was going for. I'm a happer camper now!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the photos. If you see something you like, please leave a comment.

Falling Water

2009-03-02T05:00:00.006-05:00

I've always loved to see photographs of mountain streams, cascades, and waterfalls. I especially like the long exposure photos where the water's motion smears into a lush cotton like appearance. So recently, I spent some time in GSMNP near the stream beside the road to the Tremont Center. Here are the results.

Here is an example of a fast stop motion shot. Notice how the drops of the water are captured in mid-air. The exposure time was 1/400 sec. Great for stopping action in a sporting event, but too fast for cotton look I was after.

This photo was shot at 1/50 sec. The bluring of motion is just starting. You can also see a large chunk of ice remaining in the stream from a recent snow.

Here is nearly identical shot but with the exposure set to 1/25 sec. Now we are beginning to get somewhere.

This shot was exposed for 1/10 sec.

This shot is also at 1/10 sec. You can actually see the drops streak through the air for several inches.

Same shot with exposure reduced to 1/5 sec.

Here I've zoomed out a little show more context.

This one was exposed for 1/3 sec. I'm totally having fun now. I'll have more tomorrow as I push the exposure time over 1 second.

Cades Cove - GSM

2009-02-27T05:00:00.002-05:00

Sandra and I had so much fun filming and photographing in the "Smokies" that we decided to get up early the following weekend and shoot in Cades Cove. The Fall colors were still on display but the weather was overcast and we didn't get much of a sunrise. We shot most of the morning then had lunch in Townsend before heading home.

Sunset at Clingman's Dome- GSM

2009-02-25T05:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the sunset photos I promised. This was truly a beautiful end to the day. It was surprisingly cold but Sandra and I just couldn't leave. The view was breathtaking.

Amen

Great Smoky Mountains

2009-02-24T05:00:00.004-05:00

Here are some of the photos from our trip to GSM in November, 2008. I'll have another post later this week just for the sunset from Clingman's Dome. More to come....

Fall Colors on Display

The bridge and stream at Chimney's Picnic Area

The view from Clingmon's Dome tower.

Sunset - Feb. 22, 2009

2009-02-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

I know I have been catching you up on our adventures this fall and I have some nice photos coming this week from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from a couple of trips that Sandra and I made in November. But the sunset last night was really nice, so I grabbed my camera and made these. The photos are straight out of the camera (SOOC) with not enhancement to the color with Photoshop. I simply walked into my neighbor's backyard (I have the coolest neighbors. They had previously given me permission, so I took them up on their offer.) and shot these. Enjoy these and I'll get back to the GSM pictures including some awesome sunset photos from Clingman's Dome later in the week. Stay tuned.....

Smoky Mountains - Nov 2008

2009-02-20T22:38:00.005-05:00

Ok where was I? Oh yeah, I remember. I was catching you kind readers up on our adventures this fall. So now the story continues.....

After we returned from the Czech Republic, we had lot of catching up to do (work, school, home, etc) and lots of videos (Over 10 hours of net footage) and still photos (over 800) to upload. It took about 3 weeks to get back into any thing that resembled a normal routine.

Early in November, Sandra and I made a couple of trips to the Great Smoky Mountains National park which is about a 70 minute drive for us. I’ll be featuring some of the photos from those trips over the next several posts here. I hope you’ll check back often to see them. And as always, comments are encouraged. Oh yeah, here is another short driving video. You folks seem to like these. Turn up your speakers and enjoy a relaxing drive through the golden fall colors in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Then send a link to this page to someone who is stressed and encourage them to take a 3 minute relaxation break. They'll thank you for it later.

Donavan and Laken - Photoshoot

2009-02-17T05:00:00.004-05:00

Pictures from Donavan and Laken's recent photoshoot. It was a unusually beautiful day for February and the kids and their mom, were completely awesome to work with.

Sandra and I worked together on this one. She's so creative and has such a great eye. I'll really blessed to have such a talented wife and I love working with her. I hope you like the pictures.

CZ Trip Day 8 Mon – Clearing Customs with Camera Gear

2009-02-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

On Monday, we actually got up early for some last minute shopping, packed our gear and clothes, said good-bye to our wonderful apartment manager and caught a shuttle van to the airport. We had no trouble with security or customs in Prague. The line was a bit long at the check-in counter, but soon enough we were checked in and through security for a quick snack prior to boarding. The plane departed on time and we arrived in Atlanta some 14 hours later. We had to clear customs and security in Atlanta. The only problem we encountered was that for the first time, security asked us to unpack one of the camera bags, but not both. The long flights and standing in a long line made us all a bit grumpy so we were not thrilled to unpack the bag with big camera. But we managed to get through and find our plane for the flight back to Knoxville. Virginia and her son were there to pick us up in their van and take us home.

This wraps up my series of posts on our trip to the Czech Republic. I hope you have enjoyed the journey. If you ever get a chance to visit the Czech Republic, I highly recommend it.

I hope you'll continue checking here on this page in the future. I'll continue posting photos and videos of some of my recent adventures including a couple of trips to Great Smoky Mountain National Park and Washington DC. Thanks for reading.

CZ Trip – Riding the Lift.

2009-02-15T05:00:00.004-05:00

Many people are unfamiliar with what Europeans call a lift. It’s a small phone-booth sized elevator. Below is a video where we managed to fit 3 people with 2 back-packs inside. Don’t worry, I checked the weight limit and did the math. It was a bit comical but shows you what riding in a lift is like. You’ll also get to see the entrance and the street outside our apartment.

CZ Trip Day 7 Sun – Prague

2009-02-14T05:00:00.003-05:00

This was our final day in Prague. We shot some footage for summary purposes of the trip and took mom to a rather large shopping mall. We then got off the subway near the museum and walked down the new town square for more shopping. We stopped in at the Louve' Restaurant for dinner and their world famous hot chocolate.

Here is a video of our ride on the Prague Metro/Subway. There is no music on this one so you can hear the sounds better. If you are ever fortunate enough to visit Prague, then the subway is the best way to get around in the city. A week long pass gets you on the metro as well as the buses and street cars.

Here are some random photos.

From Prague - Misc

Our Apartment Building and street

From Prague - Misc

The view from our window at night of the street

From Prague - Misc

Cafe across the street from our Apartment

From Prague - Misc

Bread Basket at the Louve' Restaurant

Waiter at the Louve' Restaurant