Stan Dunlap Photography

This past Saturday my friends decided to jump out of an airplane two miles above the Earth. My best buddy lives in Louisville, Kentucky and has always wanted to go skydiving. This past weekend he did it! Jenn, a young lady that works in his office and her friend Peggy, also had this desire to float down from the heavens hanging from a piece of brightly colored material by some string. Ronnie (my friend) called me last week explaining that he and a group had schedule tandem jumps for the weekend and asks me if I wanted to shoot this memorial event, of course I did. So I met them at the airport in Elizabethtown KY and after they had signed a zillion “not responsible for death, give your life away forms” they Jumped. As you can tell I’m a chicken and when I see Danger signs I pretty much walk the other way. However these folks overcame their butterflies and did what they set out to do. Below are some images from their accomplishment!

up up and away

what goes up must come down

the winds picked up

Peggy is next

Ronnie suits up

going up to 11,000 feet

getting final instructions by a "DANGER" sign

here he comes

everyones back down, safe, and said they want to do it again!

The weatherman said storms today and he was correct. I had a couple of outdoors shoots scheduled for today so we had to reschedule. But I still wanted to shoot so I decided to shoot things in my yard. Julie and I have a family living under our Direct TV dish, a family of Robins. The little ones are about a week old so I decide to shoot them, I mean photographs them. Needless to say mom Robin wasn’t to keen on my idea as she flew by a couple of times and never took her eyes off me. As it began to sprinkle I moved around the yard and when it began to pour I came inside. See what you think.

The Robin's home

little ones

Here comes Mom

Hungry

She has has enough of me

It's beginning to rain

Dogwoods

front yard azaleas

flowers in the rain

raining hard now

Mom keeping the family dry

Big raindrops hitting glass table top, time to go in.

Outside shoot is over!

Allen, Henry, Chris, Sid and myself planned a Valentine date for our wives; Mitzi, Holly, Diane, Julie and Julie. We decided to have a group date on Saturday the 13th beginning with dinner at PF Changs, then Ice Skating at the Sportsplex. Dinner was great but I still do not know how Chris ate the entire Great Wall of Chocolate! The ice-skating was… well with two knee surgeries in my past I skipped the blades and stuck to photographing the event, but as you can see below the rest enjoyed the ice!  Beside bruised egos the injuries were minor; Julie Woodruff has a sore shoulder after a fall she took to keep from skating over someone’s fingers, Mitzi a cut wrist from being taken out by a Kamikaze stranger, and Henry has a bruised cheek from trying to show off!

Chris and Diane after the Great Wall of Chocolate!

Reading Fortune Cookies, except Allen, he is checking out his bill!

Henry, showing off!

Diane holding up my wife and Holly… footloose and fancy free!

Sid coming in.

Speed racing

Diane still holding my wife.

Chris Cruzin

Allen’s thinking… OK I got my skates on, am I really gonna do this!

Mitzi taking his hand…

…off they go!

These next two are not of the Kamikaze that took out Mitzi!

The guy in the tan jacket, that is the Kamikaze, Mitzi is the blonde on the ice in front of him!

Diane picking herself up after… well she fell (or did Allen trip her)!

Allen’s group shot of the girls, then mine.

Cheese

How come these Floridians skate so good?

We had a good time and I think everyone is not to sore!

Yesterday me, Julie, Lindsey and Chase went driving looking for a hill to do a little sledding. Maybe I should say a little hill to do some sledding! We found one on New Shackle Island and had a blast. Lindsey and Chase called their friends Brandon and Carissa (and their 2 year old son). Of course I had my camera, below are some of the images. I also photographed some people we shared the hill with but didn’t get their names.

We used the old fashion kind…

This father snow plowed his child!

Carissa looks terrified!

Addison is not sure about Brandon’s driving.

Face plant, he was ok!

Lindsey & Chase went head first into the bank.

He was flying.

Little Hill Big Fun!

We finally got some snow! Depending on where you measure in Hendersonville TN there is 5″ to 8″ of snow. This morning after Julie made us waffles, bacon and coffee, which we ate by the fireplace, I decided to take a drive with my camera in tow. I can’t remember the last time we got this much snow and the roads being so bad. I love it, finally got to put my Tahoe in 4-wheel drive!

Do you guys like this weather? It was evident, as I drove around, a lot of people do. Her are a few images from today.

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My favorite Red Barn!

Remember, No church at LHBC tomorrow. Guess I did to many dounuts in the parking lot!

As I have watched the news and updates about the devastation in Haiti I’ve seen the destruction, the pain, the poverty, and I realized how spoiled I am. I realized how out of touch with this situation I am. I see the images and I pray, I see the hurting and dyeing and I feel badly, but what am I going to do? I asked what is my part in this?

Last week as I was looking at some of the images from Haiti I saw this one of a little boy, all alone and setting on a rock. In my early training as a photographer I was taught to focus on a persons eyes so now when I’m viewing a photograph of a person I seem to always look at the eyes. The boy looked to be about 8 or 9 and his eyes were big and brown, he wasn’t crying he wasn’t doing anything, just looking into the camera lens.  I can’t explain it but the lost and lonely look in this child’s eyes told the story. Then I read the caption under the image, he had lost his entire family and had no one. Then I thought, how much do I love, I talk a good game but how much do I care, and how much do I sacrifice? That day the words of Brandon Heath’s song “Give Me Your Eyes” kept going through my mind;

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Last Sunday and today Long Hollow Baptist  (as well as countless other churches) gave and gave and gave. Since last summer Long Hollow has been raising money through the Crazy Love offerings in order, via a partnership with the Global Orphans Project, to build villages with schools and shelter for the orphans of Haiti. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so; I think God has been preparing my heart, our hearts in order to break them so we can see.  I will never see the boy in the photograph but God is calling me to help my church and through His work the orphans in Haiti will be exposed to his love and grace!

Today the people attending Long Hollow donated food, medicine, tents, diapers and clothes to the people of Haiti. FedEx donated a trailer, driver and time and will deliver the items to Miami, Florida. Once in Miami the Global Orphans Project will have it shipped to Haiti. The trailer was filled, actually there was probably enough to fill two trailers. Here are few images from today at Long Hollow;

Not only did they give they worked. Men, women and children packed boxes and loaded the truck!

Awesome! Keep praying for Haiti and for the staff members of Long Hollow Baptist who are in Haiti this week!

At the end of the year I always try to review and critic my work from the last 12 months.  This year I picked a few (about 30) of my images and thought I would ask for your criticism and comments. So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite, is there one (or more) that I should have shot differently? Do the images express anything to you or do they appear as snapshots, just  posed photographs? Because photography is always changing I learn a great deal from what you think. As always, I appreciate all your comments.

Weddings………………………………………………………….

Couples………………………………………………………….

Portraits…………………………………………………………………..

My Stuff………………………………………………………….

My grandson spreading grass seed.

Thanks for looking!

2010 has been cold! Even if we didn’t get the snow I think we all wanted, we sure did get the cold! After being in all week and not shooting for a couple of days I decide I would drive down Long Hollow Pike and see if I could find some interesting things to shoot. My wife ask me if I new how cold it was and I told her not to tell me! I bundle up, warmed up my truck grabbed my camera and started driving. Below are a few of the things I notice during my drive. Leave a comment, tell me what you think.

I have always loved this barn next to a little creek….

This horse just kept looking at me like, are you crazy, it’s cold!

This green light on this barn caught my eye, also liked the peeling paint.

Ok by now I was cold so I checked the temp on my iphone, burrr!

Station Camp creek had ice on the edges that looked cool almost like jewels!

The wind whipping Old Glory, taped to a fence post made me do a u-turn.

I liked the rust and the ice cycles

White water in Station Camp.

So by now I am very cold and headed home but I saw this bank that looked like a frozen waterfall. I had fun looking at stuff I drive by everyday!

Julie and I  went to the mountains this past weekend with our daughter Ash, her husband Brandon, our two grand children Coleson and Addi, our son Ryan and his girlfriend Taylor, and the newlyweds our daughter Lindsey and husband Chase. The weekend started out windy and rainy but ended up sunny. We had great food, went hiking, watched football (of course), played games, took Coleson and Addi trick or treating, celebrated Coleson’s fourth birthday, and of course shot a few pictures. We love our family, thank God for them and the times we have together. Here are a few from the weekend.

fall creek falls

Coleson and his walking stick

Ash and Brandon sliding on a trail

His shirt says "will trade sister for candy" taken at Cane Creek cascades

fall creek falls overlook

Ryan and Taylor, "Is that rock falling?"

Ash and Brandon at the bottom of the falls

Fall Creek

Trick or Treat, Coleson was a Transformer!

Is she cute or what? Addi was a flower!

Happy Fourth Birthday Coleson!

Sunday was clear, cool and sunny

reflections

ditto

Before we left it was family picture time, left to right on log, Taylor, Julie, Lindsey, Ash, Addi, Coleson. Standing left to right, Ryan, me, Chase, Brandon. Of the Two photos below I like number two the best, what do you think? Make sure you check out Addi in number two!!!!!!!!!

photo number 1

Photo number two

Number two, right?

We had a great time!!!!

Those of you that know me know my faith is placed in Jesus Christ and as I had my quit time today I felt led to share one of my high-lights with you (high-lights are verses or sometimes chapters that are high-lighted in my Bible).

Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the (your) way everlasting.  Psalm 139: 23 & 24

Have a great day!