HURT

I should have been in Louisville, Kentucky, this night, reporting on my good friends in Stereoside (there’s an interesting story associated with that as well); instead, my friend and fellow shutterbug, Shannon Lindsay from MUEN Magazine, asked whether I would like to cover a band from Virginia called Hurt; of course, I seized the opportunity, we were heading to Johnson City, TN, to a club called Capone’s.

**Please note that we will add more images from this show as time permits.

Esme: A Celebration of Life

Esme is Home

A photo collection of our little girl

Esme and Rascal (left) crossed the rainbow bridge on October 6th, 2021.

Esme 2010 - 2026

On Friday, May 22nd, we said our final goodbye to our 16-year-old dachshund. Esme; She never fully recovered from her back surgery eight years ago. As she aged, she lost muscle in her back legs, and over the past year, we noticed her losing weight, especially in her face. Her health had been getting worse for a while. Our vet told us it was time, and we agreed. Esme received a sedative at 9:43 am, followed by her last shot a few minutes later. She crossed the rainbow bridge at 9:58 am.

We miss her deeply. Even through our tears, we are finding comfort in memories, photos, and the kind words from friends and family. Thank you for being there for her. Sending much love and light to everyone.

Thursday, May 21, 2026:

The Day Before: The Photoshoot.

My wife asked me to take some photos of Esme before her vet appointment the next day. I wanted to make it special for her, since she has brought us so much happiness. I set up both my backdrops, studio lights, gels, and my Nikon D800 with the 85mm lens for a classic photoshoot.

We set everything up in the living room, grabbed her favorite blanket and lots of treats, and got started. Esme was more willing to sit for this session than ever before. Like with kids, you have to guide them into place and use those brief moments when they pause to snap a photo.

While editing the photos, I noticed that even a small tilt of her head showed how much gray had appeared on her face and legs. I checked my iPhone to compare how the gray patches looked.

After the session, Esme got her own Ribeye steak with homemade fresh-cut French fries. For dessert, she enjoyed a 'we have Starbucks at home' pup cup.

My wife and I were very happy with the final images. They are a last tribute to an amazing little girl who overcame back surgery and kept bringing us joy until the end.

Story Three: Minor Photo Restoration(s)....Why Not

Story Three:

A friend of mine reached out, wondering if I could help with an image of her late father. She had snapped a picture of it with her phone before her sister brought it back home.

This project turned out to be quite interesting! It involved an old transparency film image she captured with her iPhone and sent to me in a text. The quality wasn’t the best, and the harsh shadows made it really tough to get any detail in his face. Talk about a bit of a challenge!

I happily decided to take it on, but I let her know upfront that I couldn’t promise anything amazing, especially since my restoration skills are pretty limited. Mostly, I work with color correction and enhancing images using Topaz Gigapixel AI.

In the end, she was really happy with how it turned out, even if the original picture didn't have much detail to begin with. It was great to help!