Her name is Kelsey, she recently turned 7 and at some point last year a few grey hairs appeared above her eyes. In a few short months it moved down her face towards her snout but thats okay I don’t care. She leaves hair every where she goes but thats okay I’ll just clean it up, she’s the most loving animal I have ever known. She doesn’t care about my flaws, insecurities or shortcomings; her love for me is unconditional. We have driven thousands of miles together, climbed mountains, waded through the emotional turbulence of life only to discover brighter days and survived near death experiences. She’s a therapy dog that works with patients in hospitals and the best swimmer you’ve ever seen. She’s my best friend!

I’m just getting back into the studio from shooting a wedding this past weekend in Colorado and this album got loaded on the iPhone before I left to head west. If your a Train fan your going to love it and if you’ve never really followed the band check out a couple of my favorite tracks below.

Hey, Soul Sister
Hey, Soul Sister
If It’s Love
If It’s Love

I came across this image from a session and it made me think of The Crazy Ones campaign from Apple. If your not sure of what I’m talking about see the original advertisement here. Hands down, it’s one of my favorite advertisting spots ever. I’ve seen it countless times and I’m still inspired each and every time I watch it. I don’t remotely consider myself  Einstein or Picasso but I do consider myself “crazy” enough to go after the things that I’m passionate about in life. It’s not easy, I never expected it to be; there have been significant sacrifices in every aspect of my life and I expect many more.  It’s easy to get down on yourself when things don’t go your way or you lose something that had defined your existence previously but I consider it life’s initiation to the next level. Ground yourself in the faith that you are capable of accomplishing whatever you put your mind to. Surround yourself with those who truly believe in you, it doesn’t take many and NEVER look back.  Challenge the status quo, set yourself against the grain and hold on; the road is going to be a bumpy one but some of life’s greatest treasures are waiting on the other side.

Iceland Hoppipolla BTS from conk. on Vimeo.

In many ways this trip marked a significant milestone in my life considering that just over a year ago I left everything I had ever known to pursue an entirely new career. A near death experience and the plague of complacency were two of the major reasons that I turned my back on corporate America for the unfamiliar and  uncertain world of photography. Since then I have had amazing opportunities to see and do things that before I could have only dreamed about.  At it’s core, life is a finite experience comprised of moments and opportunities which you choose to either embrace or ignore. For what it’s worth, seek out those opportunities in your own life, take risk that ultimately push you towards your potential.  It has been my experience that when you do there is always a moment, memory, picture or person waiting for you that equates to another piece in life’s puzzle. Here is a quote from Chris McCandless who you may know from the book/movie, Into The Wild. Consider it food for thought.

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” Chris McCandless

Click here to see the rest of my Iceland images.

So, you should be seeing a really cool flash gallery right now but your RSS reader won\\\\\\\'t play nice. Click this link to open the post in your browser and see all of the images.