Archives For Photography

The Bucket List

Jonathan —  November 1, 2009 — 11 Comments

I had never heard of a “bucket list”, also known as a lifetime to-do list, until my friend Molly told me about hers at college.  I began talking to some of my other friends and quickly found that many had such a list although they weren’t always written down.  One of my friends told me she was trying to visit all of Southern Living’s “204 Food Finds” in the South and over the years we have ventured to many together.  These interactions three years ago led me to start my own list, and hopefully I’ll have fifty more years to complete items and add more to it.

Rodney_The_Deer

"Going Hunting" was completed in January 2009

When I was reviewing over my bucket list the other day I quickly realized that the items completed thus far had always been done with others.

In light of this, I thought I’d publish (most) of my list as I’d love for partners on any of these adventures.  After all, we were created by God for community and not as islands.

Have you made your “bucket list”? If so, post a comment with some of your items or blog about it.

Go to a Nascar Race
Go hang-gliding
Go up in a hot-air balloon
Fly in a small aircraft over Furman and Conyers to photograph the places I love.
Be a contestant on the Price is Right
Visit all of Southern Living’s “204 Food Finds” Live in a rural area for a time
Foreign mission work for at least a year
Swim half a mile
Run a 10k in preparation for a half marathon
Play the Harbour Town Golf Links (learn how to play golf first)
Catch a fish on the flyline
Learn how to sail a small boat
Learn to speak basic Spanish
Learn to drive a stick shift proficiently
Learn my family’s genealogy as well as my Nana knows it
Become a morning person
Visit McDonalds #1 in Des Plaines, Illinois
Sell 5 items on eBay and personally deliver them to the buyers
Drive a hitchhiker to whatever destination he desires
Road trip with friends across the USA
Take a train across Canada
Visit New York (Just found out Amtrak travels from Durham to NYC for a great price)
Visit Time Square on New Year’s Eve with a significant other
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit Yellowstone
Photograph the Aurora Borealis in Alaska
Niagara falls
Visit Brazil
See the pyramids of Giza
Tour the Holy Land
Visit the Dominican Republic to visit Ruben, the child I sponsor through Compassion.
Photograph Mont Saint-Michel in France

In Photography, Travel
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The Farm

Jonathan —  August 12, 2009 — Leave a comment

Whenever you tell someone what town you’re from people often have immediate associations in their mind.  It could be a news story regarding your town, the birthplace of someone famous, or have some kind of landmark that is oft-visited.  Conyers, Georgia has quite a few associations.  Some think about The Lost Children of Rockdale County, Holly Hunter, The Dukes of Hazzard, the monastery, and every once in a while someone will mention “The Farm”.

Think about your town.  What comes to most people’s minds when you tell them the name of it? Now, have you ever actually engaged the site, news story, or bizarre thing that most people name?  If not, I would encourage you to go out and explore it.

For years I heard about the visitations of the Virgin Mary to Nancy Fowler that occurred on her farm in Conyers.  Students would come late to school because traffic was so bad from the thousands of visitors.  Locals would speculate whether this was real or some scheme. Newspapers would publish stories.  And people would go drink water from the well on the property hoping and praying for miracles.  But until last week I had never even read about or been to this place that was less than ten miles from my house.

The Farm ended up being a place of solitude and beauty.  Much different from the sprawl right down the road.  There were acres of property to stroll, meditations to read, and lots of information in the welcome center on the site itself.  The story of The Farm is quite interesting, but I will spare the details and let you read about it at Conyers.org.

I was able to spend some great time in prayer there and capture some of the beauty, mystery, and icons of this place with my camera.  Click “Continue Reading” below to see more photos.

I’m still unsure exactly what to think of this pilgrimage site, but I do know that thousands have lifted prayers and sought after God on this property.  And when I stepped from the grass onto “Rosary Hill” to get some better photos of Jesus on the Cross my feet began to feel like they were on fire.  I looked down and they were covered in fire ants.  Needless to say, from that point on I gave the hill much more respect.

Our Loving Mother

The Shrine of Our Loving Mother (Apparition Room)

Feet on Rosary Hill

The Fifth Station of the Cross on Flickr Hand of Jesus on Rosary Hill

This Way Rosary HillGod Save the UnbornLove Thy Neighbor as ThyselfThe Ten CommandmentsOur Loving MotherOur Loving Mother on Rosary HillFountains for Pilgrims Pilgrim CrossingThe Shrine of Our Loving Mother (Apparition Room)

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Max Patch, NC

Jonathan —  July 9, 2009 — 1 Comment

During my outdoor photography class this fall my instructor, Richard Bernabe, told us about a beautiful bald in North Carolina close to the Tennessee border.  The first time I visited the fog was so thick that I could only see two feet in front of me.  I left feeling disappointed and without having any vision of the spectacular views.

I returned a month later at sunset and it was well worth the trip.  After processing my photos from the trip, I feel almost as satisfied as the lady below drinking the illuminated red wine.

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RememberFurman.com

Jonathan —  March 25, 2009 — 2 Comments

Throughout my childhood I was always known as an entrepreneur.

I believe this side of me first came out after working the Rockdale County High School concession stand with my parents in elementary school. I quickly realized the profit margin on candy and from there I began to sell candy and snacks at Boy Scout Camp. Later, I began to sell glow necklaces on the Fourth of July to yuppie families at Hilton Head. Once I became aware of ebay I sold anything I could get my hands on, whether it was items I obtained from estate sales, my closet, or from friends (like this weird car).

In college I have held more traditional jobs, and as a culmination of my photography work for Furman University, I would like to debut a venture that I began with my friend and fellow photographer Nathan Guinn. Over the past few years we have taken thousands of photographs of Furman for various purposes and we both desired to make prints of our best artwork available to friends, alumni, and others throughout the world so we have created a website to put them up for sale. I believe you will find the prices to be very reasonable.

Furman holds a special place in my heart. I grew up hearing stories from my mother, aunt, uncle, and grandparents about how special this place was to them, and after visiting as a child and a prospective I was ecstatic once I chose to continue this legacy. As my time here approaches an end, I can see more clearly how I have been shaped by the relationships, academics, and experiences which have defined my four years here.

The photographs on the site below are glimpses of these moments I have experienced and it is my pleasure to share them with you. I hope that you will share them with your friends as well.

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McClure Engagement

Jonathan —  March 19, 2009 — 2 Comments
Two of my friends, Todd and Sally, asked me to do a small set of engagement photos for them. Often, my first reaction to requests for portraits is to shy away, as I regularly feel this is one of my weakest areas. There is a great deal of pressure to get the right “shot” and I often take a ton of photos hoping a few will turn out without having to call someone back to reshoot them. However, sometimes stepping out of my comfort zone is well worth it.

I travelled with Todd and Sally throughout Europe and they are a couple whose relationship I have admired and seen grow over the years.

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