Every once in awhile a movie comes along that plucks the cords of my heart in a powerful way. Stacy and I love to see movies that have depth and substance, joy and laughter, life and beauty. The ‘Namesake’ encompasses all of these. I appreciate movies that challenge and inspire us to recognize the beauty of family, our heritage and culture that each of us come from.

Excerpts from a review by Peter Rainer:
The movie follows one families move from Calcutta to New York. When their son is born, the father names him Gogol after the famous Russian writer. It’s a name that the boy, as he grows into manhood, will both renounce and embrace as he struggles to reconcile his Americanness with his Bengali roots.’Namesake’ spans continents and generations. The film is a classic immigrant saga about how profoundly disorienting it can be to live in two cultures.

Every year I go to the annual WPPI conference and trade show in Las Vegas. Even though I really don’t care for the whole “Vegas” scene, I still have a wonderful time learning, growing, meeting and spending time with some of the world’s top photographers. I always come back full of fresh inspiration, passion and goals for the year ahead. O yes, this year I entered this image of Meegan and her precious flower girls in the Awards of Excellence Print competition. Knowing that nearly 3000 images were submitted it was a delight to see this image hanging with the other award winners. When I snapped this shot I knew that there was something special about it. I’m glad the judges did too.

One of the things I love the most about children is their wonderful sense of play and the gift of having an “undivided” mind. One of the definitions of worry is to have a divided mind. We can learn a great deal from simply watching kids play at the beach or park. As adults it’s easy to let that quality of an undistracted mind drift into the clutter of a busy life.

Another trait we have the opportunity to learn from children is their pace. They really aren’t in too much of a hurry. Edward Hallowell, the author of “Crazy Busy” notes the following: “It’s easy to do things faster, not just because we’re busy but because speed is fun. Speed rivets attention. Speed blasts you out of boredom. Nothing is boring if it’s fast enough. But slow is agonizing. So many of us zip through life so fast we’re beyond busy, we’re crazy busy. Yet there is no correlation between a fast life and a happy life”.

Below is a Japanese version of Psalm 23. Such a simple yet profound truth that can inspire and encourage us to walk and live in the peace and rest we are called to.

The Lord is my pace setter…I shall not rush
He makes me stop for quiet intervals
He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity
He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here.
His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility
My cup of joyous energy overflows
Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the Pace of my Lord and dwell in his house for ever.

I think the best pictures are often on the edges at any situation. I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.
– William Albert Allard

Moments in time are really what weddings are all about. And sometimes the best moments are indeed “on the edges”. I love the serendipitous aspect of responding to people simply being themselves. The less I look for and the more I respond the more I am able to capture all that touches my heart. For when all is said and done – that’s really all we have left, moments and memories.