Jeez Jesus

went to shoot the great passion play dress rehearsal last night. this thing is nuts. they have kids running around chasing whole flocks of sheep ("They're like two legged border collies" - our reporter). they've got camels and donkeys, a full on town that is three football fields long, and, of course, jesus.

but that's not who we were there for. it is the 40th anniversary, and the powers that be have revamped the script to include some more miracles and...drum role...SATAN.

so i was there to shoot the devil. getting ready, maybe a portrait, something different, but i was told by our handler that, "we don't feel comfortable focusing in on this young woman as the devil. plus, it's maybe a little controversial to have a woman in the role."

hey, you guys re-wrote the script. you guys included satan. you guys cast a young woman. what gives?

"blah, blah, blah, something about hannah montana, blah, blah, blah, NO"

i guess that's just showbiz for ya.

d

take me out...

well, we now have minor league baseball here in northwest arkansas. so far it has been a bit of an up and down experience. no internet access at the stadium and you can't shoot from the allocated spot because the fans behind you can't see. "i didn't pay to see the back of your head," ...whatever, whiny. the back of my head looks fantastic.

the good news is that the second basemen and shortstops love to fly through the air!

d

ps - love that morning news logo in the background. they'll be getting free ad space in the dem-gaz all season. smart folks over there...but there is still an opening in centerfield (hint, hint)

here we go again...

so the fayetteville farmers market is up and running again. wild art fun every tuesday, thursday, and saturday. EVERY tuesday, thursday, and saturday...

but hey, the light is nice, and who doesn't like the smell of fresh flowers?

d

one thing is certain...

...my mere presence at an airport can influence national weather patterns and airplane mechanics more than any other single variable. long story short, my flight back to arkansas was canceled yesterday, so i'm still in charlotte.

this was a great trip home, though. i got to: play catch with noah (he can throw farther than me, no exaggeration) and eat with jenn, have beers with chris, see sloan's townhouse (he's got big plans), meet chip's girlfriend (shes very cool), meet rob's girlfriend (also super cool), eat fonda's cooking (gain a few pounds, but its worth it) and play pool with pop and rob (and lose). we also had a new addition to the farm family, a stallion was born early saturday morning. also ran into grant lacey (twice), a good friend from many years ago.

aside from all the personal fun, amelia and i got to hit up the southern short course, my favorite of all the photojournalism conferences. where else can you stay up till 3 am quoting bill hicks with michael williamson? great to see so many familiar faces, and so much inspiring work. we also left with a little hardware, she won 1st place in the portrait category, and i got an honorable mention in the multimedia division. we will definitely be back next year!

best to everyone,
d