Meet a bolt of lightning...

So I finally finished and defended my master's thesis and graduated from Mizzou and moved to Dallas, Texas, to seek my fortune and am finally settled enough to resurrect vital life functions such as blogging and eating protein and sleeping.

A summer thunderstorm popped up out of the heat over my apartment this evening. When I looked out my window to investigate the source of the thunder, I saw an amazing sky (a staple of Texas, I'm finding) of several layers of clouds that had lightning bouncing around among them. I grabbed my camera and sat on the top step of my balcony for a few minutes before the storm either dissipated or ran away or hid (or a combination thereof. I'm glad I managed to get this picture (and this bolt - my first, I think) and am looking forward to shooting and blogging and enjoying my new city.

Meet B.

Former roommate Brandon (who's not a stranger to this blog) is in town this weekend, so we grabbed breakfast at Café Berlin and had some laughs.

He is one of my favorite people on this funny little planet.

#30 of 30

Self portrait. 

(It's really hard to photograph your own eyeball.) 

Wow, I actually did 30 posts in 30 days! It feels good.

#29 of 30

Had some red pepper with dinner tonight. Delish.

#28 of 30

This is a picture of how it feels to work on my thesis.

(Someone else also took a picture of the darkened photoj hallway for his/her 30-day project (was it Calin?), but I can't find the post right now and I'm really tired. I'll update you if I find it.)

#27 of 30

And now, for something completely different...



I am doing some photography for Mizzou's Craft Studio (a truly phenomenal resource here on campus). This morning, while working on their requests, I did a little side project of my own. I think this is a good first draft--hopefully over the rest of the semester, I can find a wider variety of backgrounds. This still feels a bit drab, which the Craft Studio definitely is not.

#26 of 30

I was in a picture-taking mood yesterday, so I have two different images to share with y'all:

A storm bearing down on suburbia and its Walmart. (That street is curved...)

David Rees working in his office. One of my favorite scenes around Mizzou, actually.

Update: I shot David and he shot back!

#25 of 30

The quicker picker-upper.

(It's a stove-top espresso maker...)

#24 of 30

Sad.

#23 of 30

Churrrrlz.

Love.

#22 of 30

Breakfast at Café Berlin is an essential Columbia experience.

@Justex07 and @SGatzke

Careful with that camera...

Great way to start the day.

#21 of 30

Big day, lots of pictures:

Gyros at International Café with Josh and Sarah.

Devil's Icebox at Rock Bridge State Park.

Spelunking is considerably easier with headlamps and without SLR cameras.

Put a ring on it.

Good light, good outing, great friend.

#20 of 30

My friend Sarah is in town from Boston and is making my life considerably brighter.

#19 of 30

And so it goes.

#18 of 30

Some long-lost Halloween pictures. Above, redefining Photo Melvin.

"Boobie trap"

#17 of 30

The energy I put into trying to win over the gray kitty is ridiculous.

She still hates me.

Sigh.

#16 of 30

Micro cheerleading.

#15 of 30

"And he found his humanity amidst mounds of FOOD."

--Matt.

#14 of 30

Philly with a point 'n' shoot.

(The Liberty Bell is back there somewhere; outside is Independence Hall.)

#13 of 30

With my head in my thesis, I easily forget how much is happening around me (and in the world in general). I'm really glad I snagged this photo gig and was able to see Jessica Care Moore perform. I was reminded that there indeed is life beyond grad school. 

#12 of 30

Scenes from my momma's house.

#11 of 30

Wednesday night trivia at Harpo's with JC and my team, the Never Nudes, has become an increasingly important part of my week. We've been playing together for almost two years.


Chad, our captain and staunch support of all matters Ohio, and Justin, who always seems to know the most random things. (Well, everyone is like that on our team...except me.)


(Jess is the best waitress in the whole wide world.)

#10 of 30

Former roommate Brandon. Above, he was doing a practice run of his Master's research presentation. Below, we were having one of our many hilarious chats at home. We met through my breaking the ice assignment during my first weeks here at Mizzou.

#9 of 30

Off-campus housing.

#8 of 30

Defining details.

#7 of 30

Ms. Anjali Pinto

#6 of 30

I doubt there would be anyone stupid enough to try to steal his laptop.

#5 of 30

"Just remember, in six months, this will all be over,"

she said to me over coffee after I whined about my thesis.

I should have told her the same thing about her wedding planning.

#4 of 30

Friend and fellow photographer Will Lounsbury is caught in a moment of ennui in the photojournalism hallway of Lee Hills Hall.

Or maybe he was just hungry.

(And I swear on a stack of seven pancakes that the vignette happened on its own, thanks to the 28mm and the way the lighting is there.)