A Storybook Wedding, originally uploaded by shaycam.

Been doing a few weddings of late (as you may have noticed) and this most recent one I was principal shooting for Save the Date Photography. I have worked with Jen O’Sullivan of Save the Date for a while now and she has graciously allowed me to take on some of her weddings on my own. This past weekend I shot a wedding for her friends Gabe and Stephanie and they’re just a really fun couple.

If you want, you can head over to Jen’s blog and see some preview images that I got from the wedding. Click here to see some of the preview images.

A Walk in the Park, originally uploaded by shaycam.

I spent my Saturday assisting photographer and friend Jen O’Sullivan on a wedding in our area. The bride and groom were both a joy to be with and we had a great time with them. It was bit stormy out on Saturday, but that didn’t stop us from taking the bride and groom out for a little “walk in the park” so to speak.

Getting married or know someone who is? Send em’ my way! [shaymless self promotion]

1. Hannah Montana (The TV Show)
Seriously though, if you’re not watching this show…you’re missing out. It’s witty, funny, and if you’re looking to understand youth culture I’d say this is the show for you. Plus, it’s got one-hit-wonder Billy Ray Cyrus as himself — that should be reason enough to start getting up before 10am on Saturday. I can’t help it, I watch Hannah Montana and I think it’s funny. Hannah lives the dual life of normal Miley Cyrus and famous performer Hannah Montana. Her brother is always getting in to trouble, but somehow manages to smooth things over with his charm. Billy Ray is your average dad, trying to keep his house under control. And finally, the co-stars (all the kids’ friends) are awesome — they couldn’t have done a better job casting for that show (Rico (the beach store owner) is one of my favorite characters). Hannah Montana is a clean, fun show for the whole family and it’s definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

2. The Song “Defying Gravity” From The Wicked Soundtrack
Bethany and went and saw “Wicked” in Los Angeles about a month ago and it was absolutely incredible. It’s easily one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. But the song “Defying Gravity” is one of the best songs of the play. It’s got a touch of early 90’s but a build up on the chorus that I just can’t get enough of. I actually find myself singing “I’m defying gravity!” as drive my 98 Jetta while simultaneously believing that it will magically take off from the Earth in beautiful song. I know it’s not as cool as witch and her broom stick, but hey…can’t a guy dream?

3. Tabatha’s Salon Takeover
Tabatha is the drill-sergeant of hair stylists. By her own admittance, she’s the best…and her show is just flat out entertaining. She walks in the salons, tells everyone they stink at their jobs (in an Australian accent), shows people how to do hair and run a salon, makes the salon owners actually show some leadership, remodels the salons and in a weeks time the bad stylists are out, the good stylists are in, and everyone is happy. Well, then of course she comes back six weeks later to make sure they haven’t messed it all up again. It’s a great show. Postmodernists probably hate this show because she tells people when they’re wrong and that’s why I love it. Sure, I know it’s about hair styling and everything, but I’m totally into it. The truth is, I work for Paul Mitchell. No, I don’t cut and style hair, but I have an ever growing appreciation for what stylists do and Tabatha is there to make sure they keep doing it… and as my mom would say “You go girl.”

This Starbucks Is Closed, originally uploaded by shaycam.

Quite literally another sign of the times. Just thought I’d share with you all that as Starbucks promised, the 600+ stores are quietly starting to close. Funny thing: even as Starbucks closes stores, it looks like Dunkin’ Donuts is trying to steal some customers with websites like this called “Dunkin’ Beat Starbucks“… classy.

I need to look back a lot. It’s not that I don’t see God doing amazing things in my life today, because He is and has, but I need to look back and remember how far God has brought me and cared for me so I don’t get prideful. It’s so simple for me to get caught in the trap of thinking that I did anything to deserve the life God has provided or that I should get any glory for His work. The truth is, apart from His grace — I’m just another lost sinner in need of a Savior. Apart from His plan, His sovereign will, His work, His love — I am nothing. Even coming to Salvation wasn’t something I did, it was a gift given to me by Him and I am eternally grateful. That’s all for today.

My Butterfly, originally uploaded by shaycam.

I couldn’t help it — I had to blog this. We spent all of Saturday in downtown L.A. shooting with our friends and I loved this shot of Bethany and her butterfly wings. Sometimes street art can be beautiful and this my friends is one of those times.

Another Way To See a Pumpkin, originally uploaded by shaycam.

We went on our annual trip to the pumpkin patch over the weekend with our friends. It was a perfect Fall day: 65 degrees with overcast skies and a little bit of rain. But as usual, we’re back in the 90’s this week…. just another California day I guess.

It’s impossible for me to not think back to September 11, 2001 when this day comes around each year. What’s sad is it has almost become a cliché to talk or write or talk about it each year. I even hesitated writing this today because I fear of adding to the cliché, but I just don’t understand that. I know the horrible things that happened are now seven years in the past, but many people have strong memories of that day, myself included, because of the fear it struck in the heart of Americans. The kind of fear that makes people question things like safety, security, innocence, evil, eternal life, etc. It’s also the kind of fear that makes you remember. Similar to the way a person remembers vividly things from their childhood. Something so scary happened that it has been engraved in their memory, like a childhood nightmare or the first scary movie they saw — they can remember them like they happened yesterday and we can recall those kind of memories with strong detail.

Now here I am, seven years down the road and I’ve found myself thinking back to the phone call I got from my dad waking me up and telling me to turn the radio on (we didn’t have a TV) and it was the second day of my senior year of high school. After waking my mom up and getting the radio on we just started listening to what was unfolding. Without a TV, I don’t think I really fully grasped what was going on. I knew what the World Trade Center was since I had just physically seen them a few months earlier on my senior trip, but I can’t say I understood what was happening. Needless to say, I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was. My memories are recorded clearly on the film reel of my brain and there’s really no way to throw it out.

But what has happened with 9/11 is it has become such a political buzzword that we’ve forgotten what really happened. In fact, TV stations are told not to play the footage which aired all day back in 2001. I understand why they would do that. In respect to the families and those who died that day, it’s just the right thing for them to do. But Bethany and I just finished watching “102 Minutes That Changed America” on the History channel and it’s even more clear how much we have forgotten as a country. The show is real time, unedited footage (both professional and amateur) of everything that happened from the time the first plane hit until the collapse of the second tower. I haven’t watched a lot of the footage of 9/11 since 2001 and I can honestly say it was shocking. What was especially interesting was the way that people were feeling and reacting as everything was going on. People were scared, outraged, angry, and they were panicked. Some didn’t know what to think, but they all knew that something unlike this had ever really happened before.

As we watched, both Bethany and myself couldn’t help but think about eternal things. About a year and half after 9/11 we both went to New York on a missions trip together. Our team had the opportunity to meet and interact with people and families who had loved ones that died on 9/11. We were even able to go down to Ground Zero and see the hole in the ground as well as the memory board of faces, names, and letters to families and friends. During our time there the missions leader that lived and worked in New York for many years told us that he had never experienced a more open city to the Gospel. People needed answers and him and his church were there to tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ. People were now thinking about life after death and the missions workers and churches were there to tell them about eternal life with Christ. We too had that privilege to stand on the streets and tell people the Good News of Christ and the free gift of salvation only He can provide. He was the answer to their fear. He was the reason not to fear! Oh that the Lord would continue to turn around what man meant for evil for His glory. Oh that people would be reminded that there is more to this life then just this day and this world and that a loving Savior awaits to see them turn to Him. There is nothing to fear in the arms of the Savior! I thank the Lord today that I have been reminded of these things and pray that God would use this reminder for His glory.

Here’s a random sampling of what people remember seven years ago on September 11th (via Twitter):

“I remember getting home, turning on the tv to make sure it was real. I then called Mum, then Paige and finally Carla.” - Lauren

“…I was at work out in Vienna, but I remember taking the Metro back to Courthouse and it being a ghost town. Creepy.” - Jeff

“I remember watching the planes crash into the world trade center standing in my college dining room.” - blandnewspigot

“7 yrs ago wife called to say, plane hit WTC. I put on the TV. While on phone, saw another one hit. Can still remember feeling in stomach.” - jchasin

“I was in advanced algebra, and I remember someone from the office coming and and demanding that we not turn the TV on, so we did.” - Shauna

“I remember when I heard of the first plane hit. Thought they were talking about a movie the way they were decribing it on radio.” - Packard

“I remember the surrealness of waking up to newsradio that a plane had hit the WTC. Then getting out of bed and turning on the TV.” - Jim

As Big As You, originally uploaded by shaycam.

I took this photo last night of a friends brand new baby. It is the hand of a one-day-old child holding his father’s index finger.

Sometimes the photos I take can say more than I can write. It’s not that I think I’m some kind of amazing photographer, but sometimes God allows me to see something that makes me speechless. This is one of those times…

As I write this it’s 3:45am…. yes, I said AM!

We’re off to be with family in the Great Northwest so I thought I’d leave you with the above photo. It’s a shot I took from a plane of Mt. Rainier. If there’s one thing that defines the great state of Washington, it’s that mountain. They’re hard core about their mountains up there… bunch of mountain snobs.

That’s all from me… have a great Labor Day Weekend.

Last night I had a strange dream. I stole a car from a high school friend — actually it was his dad’s car. I then proceeded to drive as fast as I could towards the nearest freeway entrance as an escape route. Everything seemed to be going great — no traffic (which is rare in L.A.) and the entrance was a straight downhill slope, just perfect for my needs. At first the entrance looked normal, but as soon as I made a right turn to jump on it, the road turned to rocks. These weren’t just little pebbles, these were boulders. Of course this piece of junk Oldsmobile bottomed out and there I was stuck on four or five large rocks not about to go anywhere. I’m pretty sure these things just popped up right out of the ground, because I’m telling you — I might be dumb enough to steal a friends car, but I’m not dumb enough to drive it over the Rocky mountains overpass. So after getting my bearings back I figured I’d unbuckle and get out the heck out of there. But unfortunately, that’s not where it ended.

Lately I’ve been having some really odd dreams, but it’s not just the dreams that are odd — it’s what I’m doing in real life while my imagination is out of control. In the past two weeks I have woken Bethany and myself up three times because I’m audibly proclaiming these dreams. No, I’m not speaking full sentences, I’m just basically yelling. The first two times it happened I remember just wanting out of my dream, so I thought I’d yell. I guess they were more like nightmares, but I don’t remember them like the one I had last night… which is where we left off.

After I unbuckled to get out of the car that I had just destroyed, I turned to open the door and BAM!…some crazy grandma lady was all up in my window yelling and screaming. I vaguely remember her wearing a muumuu and being of Asian decent, but don’t quote me on that. I guess she wasn’t happy that I was now blocking the entrance to the freeway and when you’re in L.A., that’s just not cool — not even for grandmas. And that’s when I start yelling really loud. I mean, c’mon — how would you react if some wild women was trying to attack you? It freaked me out! Thankfully, I woke my wife up with my audibles and she was able to wake me up before things got out of hand.

Don’t ask me where I get this stuff. I promise I’m not watching late night Sci-Fi or fighting with any of the many grandmas here in the old folks home where we live. But I am starting to worry that my reactions are going to escalate and freak my wife out more than I already have. So if you see Bethany around you can joke and laugh about my strangeness, but be sure and give her a nice hug and reassure that’s she doing the right thing by waking me up.

“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” - Mark 7:8 Those are the words of Christ telling the Pharisees basically where they stand in their own hearts. These so called “religious leaders” couldn’t understand why the disciples of Christ wouldn’t wash their hands and follow the ceremonial cleansings before eating. The Pharisees believed that by doing these certain rituals it would make them righteous before God. Even though those rituals weren’t commanded by God, they held that these things must be done or one was considered “unclean”, or worse still, unrighteous. But that’s exactly where they got it all wrong — just like me.

Simply stated legalism could be defined as creating an external standard of righteousness to earn God’s favor. Legalism is what Christ pointed out in hearts of the Pharisees. They thought their own rituals, laws, or whatever would earn God’s favor even though God had never commanded those things in Scripture. Somewhere along the line they started adding to God’s Word with their own, which created all these nit picky (and sometimes absurd) practices which they held to. So it makes sense that they come to confront Christ and his own disciples concerning their traditions. They honestly believed that Christ’s disciples were in sin for not complying to their rules, but the reality was they had completely distorted God’s Word and were placing their law above God’s. It would be nice if I could just leave it there and say it was a problem exclusively for the Pharisees, but I can’t. The fact of the matter is this is exactly what I do and it’s been robbing me of my joy.

Legalism has been taking out notches out of my joy a little bit at a time. This is because, as my pastor clearly stated “legalist’s are more aware of their own sin then what Christ did on the cross.” For a while now I’ve felt that I can’t seem to get it right. No matter how hard I try I can’t seem to always be humble, always trust God, always speak kind words, always be at peace with people, etc., etc., etc. From there I was overwhelmed by the fact that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t put myself on a daily Bible reading schedule, my prayer times only came before meals, I didn’t share my faith enough at work, etc., etc., etc.. All of these thoughts were stealing my joy because I lost sight of the cross and could only think about myself. Furthermore, I got caught in the trap that I could do enough to earn the Lord’s favor. My own standard of righteousness, like the Pharisees, had taken the place of God’s standard which (or who) is simply Christ. I’ve watched as this has made my heart grow cold as I try and DO everything in my power to please the Lord. I’ve been trying to DO so much to obtain God’s favor, but the truth is I can’t do anything — Christ already did it. That’s the basic premise of the Gospel message! Christ is the only one capable of obtaining favor before the Lord’s eyes because He lived a perfect, sinless life. And as God in the flesh, He then gives up His own life for me so I can reap the benefits and stand righteous before God. It would be impossible otherwise. I can’t stand before a holy God because my sin separates me from Him. But Christ can! Christ can stand for me and God will see His perfect life and not my sin-stained life.

I never expected that Mark 7 would be a life changing passage of Scripture, but it’s been the most freeing thing for my heart. This teaching has has made me more aware of my legalistic heart and in turn my joy has slowly been restored. I’m slowly realizing that I’ve been creating a standard of my own that looks and feels very spiritual, but in the end will cripple only me. My standard will only cause me to look inward and not upward, and that can only lead to a self-righteousness, joyless life. As my pastor also said, “there is nothing you can do to make God love you more or to make God love you less” — Christ finished it on the cross.

If you would like to hear the messages my pastor has been preaching, I have put together a zip file with all 4 sermons. The title of the series is “The Deadly Dangers of Legalism” and as I’ve tried to attest here, the Lord has used it mightily in my life. Click here to download the series.

One of the great things about having a blog for over seven years now is that I have watched as people in my close circle and around the world have tried and failed at blogging. People tell me all the time, “I started a blog”, to which I reply “great.” Then I proceed to get the address to their blog and read their very enthusiastic “first post” which usually consists of “I know, I’m behind the times, but here’s my new blog!” They even have the perfect template for their blog that fits their personality just right, and normally I’ll find a detailed “About Me” section in the side bar. But days, weeks, and months go by and I return to their blog to the same excited first post, but nothing else. All the writing they planned on doing hasn’t made it to keyboard, and if cobwebs could come in digital form their blog would be covered in them. And it’s with that in mind that I don’t think you should start a blog — I don’t think you’re ready for it.

Blogging (or writing) takes both commitment and thought — both of which many people struggle with, myself included. Sure, not everything I write on my blog is up for a Pulitzer, but I constantly feel that I need to push myself in my writing for the sake of those who might take the time to read it. For me, blogging is another way for me to communicate ideas, flesh out thoughts, further my opinion, and even just a way for me to relax. But why should I expect someone to spend ten minutes or more listening to me ramble on about whatever and not put any thought in it. I think people have this skewed view that just because they started a blog that everyone should read it. More and more I hear “… oh, I’m gonna blog about it.” Well, OK great. But if you think I should spend my time reading about your experience or your opinion, then you better make it worth my time. Don’t waste my time (and your own) by thinking that something magical happens when you put your thoughts on screen. Unless you take the time to develop your thoughts, think clearly, and write in a way that helps me understand, your blog (or any writing) won’t be read by anyone. Furthermore, you should probably just tell me about your thoughts and opinions in person — it’ll probably be more exciting. But can I add one more thought? Be committed to your writing.

One of the great failures of anyone that wants to blog is that they just aren’t consistent. The common excuses are: “I have nothing to write about”, “I don’t have time”, “I’m just not that creative”, etc., but all of these are just that: excuses. Writing is a discipline in and of itself that takes time to understand and get into the habit of. If you have to, start a journal first. Don’t share it with the world just yet, but try to write consistently for a period of time. Be that every day (which is hard), once a week, a few times a month, whatever you want. You might start by writing about things you love and then move on to others. Write about your days, but expound on things you find your mind going back to — there’s probably something there that wants to come out. I trust that as you do you will have more content than you can shake a stick at, and then you’ll find yourself writing more frequently. You don’t have to be a NY Times journalist to write frequently, but you do have to work at it and a big part of that is being committed to it. So if you’re contemplating starting your own blog or just feeling the peer pressure, I think these things will help you. Writing is still an art and therefore some rules just don’t apply, but with any art there are rules that should be followed in order to create something of significance.

If I could suggest one major resource to you it would be the book On Writing Well. The title makes it sound like a text book, but it’s far from it. It’s an enjoyable book to read and I know that it will get your mind thinking on just what writing is and how much better you could be doing it.

See: The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
We already have our TiVo set, our American flags are out, and I started memorizing names and stats. Ok, the stats part is pushing it, but the TiVo and flags are for real. Bethany and I are probably more excited about the Olympics then you are. It’s true — we’re hardcore about it. In fact, we just finished watching the Japan vs. USA soccer match which started a day earlier than the opening ceremony. Yeah, that’s right — we watched all 90 minutes of it. Many of the games will be going on while we’re snoozing (because of the time change), but I was able to find this “How to watch the Olympics online” post from Wired.com which should help everyone out. I’ll be watching soccer, swimming, gymnastics, and I’m thinking about handball, just because I think it’s funny. “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!….”

Do: Buy and Read How To Read a Book
I’m about 100 pages into this book and I’m quickly realizing why the majority of my professors said that everyone should read this book. It seems silly to read a book on how to read a book, but the truth is I now think I’ve been missing out on how to get the most out of my reading — any kind of reading. It’s a great book and will help with your pleasure reading and your Bible reading as well. I know some of you reading this are heading to college soon, and I’m telling you this would be a huge asset to you.

The last few weeks the Lord has used his Word mightily in my life. It’s incredible for me to think that He goes beyond the bounds of saving me, to then nourish and train me through the teaching of His Word. Fortunately, I am a part of a church that cherishes God’s Word and proclaims it week in and week out and is committed to it.

I was reading in 1 Thessalonians last night where Paul writes to the church, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us” (I Thess. 2:8). What strikes me in this passage is Paul is explaining how he didn’t just give the church a Gospel presentation and leave town, but he stayed on with them and gave “his life”. He gave his time, his energy, his knowledge, his whole life to the church. He wanted to see them grow and watch as their hearts were transformed by the grace of God. Obviously, it didn’t happen over night because he had to stay on with them and continue to teach and train them. But Paul loved the church there and earnestly desired to be with them because they “…had become very dear…” to him. So apparently, the Gospel of Christ had brought him and the church in to a new and exciting relationship — one where God could be glorified and the church could be edified. This is why I need the Gospel every day.

I need the Gospel daily because it takes the focus off of my own life. It allows me to see the grace of God at work in both the Church and my heart and forces me to my knees in humble and willing submission to the God of the universe. It’s when I lose sight of the cross that I don’t want to serve, don’t want to love people, and simply drown in self-righteousness — which is how my heart unfortunately has felt these past weeks. I appreciate Martin Luther’s words when he writes, “…it is true that the doctrine of the Gospel takes all glory, wisdom, righteousness, etc., from men and ascribes them to the Creator alone, who makes everything out of nothing.” If I don’t get a daily reminder of my need for the Gospel, my heart grows hard and I continue to walk in my former ways — that is, in disobedience to the Creator. Praise the Lord for the way He works in each of our hearts and praise Him for how He uses His Word to reveal areas in our lives that need change.

Evacuate This Place Quick!, originally uploaded by shaycam.

The good people at UrbanTurf.com approached me this week about using one of my photos for an article they were doing on Washington D.C. As most young, aspiring photographers would, I gave them permission and they were kind enough to send a link back to me.

Here’s a link to the article if you want to check it out or are planning on moving to D.C. anytime soon. Apparently, it’s ranked 7th in the U.S. as one of the most “walkable” cities.

Here’s a link to the photoset of my trip to Washington D.C. last year.

Hear: John Piper’s Sermon “How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice”
John Piper recently preached this sermon at the Together For the Gospel Conference in Lousiville, Kentucky and I’ve listened to it a few times now and would like to pass it on. If this doesn’t go down as one of the defining sermons of his life I’ll be sad — trust me, it’s a good one.

See: This video and song by Phil Wickham.
It’s a song called “True Love” off his Cannons album. This acoustic version is ridiculously good:

Do: Visit evadethenoise.com and read reviews by my friends and me!
I love music and movies, there’s no denying that. That’s why my friend Abe and I created and founded evadethenoise.com. It started out as a way for us to push our love for music and is slowly evolving into more. This past week we added movie reviews (thanks to Jared), and we’re continually adding more news and reviews each week. Oh, and I did a review on Wall-E that’s a must read…robots are neat.

Some recent reviews from me: Wall-E, Coldplay, and Death Cab For Cutie.
Some from the rest of the evade team: Expelled and The Killing.

[To visit the first Hear, See, and Do click here]

Kayaks waiting to hit the ocean.

Bethany takes her photography even more serious than I do… hehe

aahh.. the Pacific Ocean — we love you.

“I never saw the sign officer.”

The water was hitting the rocks we were standing on — it was radical.

Just some plain ol’ driftwood.

Here’s Bethany cruising around on the bike we rented. She’s so nice.

I was cruising around on my new longboard. I definitely put the miles on that bad boy!

Finally, Bethany and me waiting for the fireworks. Our American flags were a good touch… “USA! USA! USA!”