Back in the USA!

We had a GREAT trip! I still have a lot of shots that I want to post and will but I need a little time to get back into the swing of things. So I'll spend the rest of this week returning emails that I couldn't get to right away, returning phone calls and catching up on uploading events that I shot right before I left. Thank you for all of your prayers we really had a great time! More to come, but until then here's a short video I put together shot with Canon's 5d Mark II.

The last few days in Thailand

We've been BUSY! Last week was a little intense; a lot of traveling around Thailand and a lot of new foods that don't always do what I'd like them to do. This weekend we had a lot great adventures. Saturday we went to an elephant farm about an hour outside of Chiang Mai and had a blast! Even though elephants aren't the best smelling of Thailand's animals they are really friendly and a lot of fun to be with. On Sunday we made the long and curvy drive up to Chiang Mai's most revered Buddhist temple. After 104 90 degree turns we arrived at the 306 stair climb to overlook the cityscape of Chiang Mai. But more than the beauty of viewing a city at such a great height my heart was broken to see so many people living their lives in an idolatrous and superstitious way. To a Christian it's obvious that the monks are revered almost as supernatural beings with supernatural powers. The believers humble themselves before all monks and give them food offerings and empty their already thin wallets into donation boxes that are lined with gold. It was really hard for me because I realized that Buddhism has made an art of preying on the fears of human nature in order to establish a ritualistic following. But before I get into my apologetic position on it all I'll just post some shots from our last few days.

Day 4-Monk Chat

Last night we went to something called "Monk Chat." Monk Chat is an opportunity for non-Buddhist and Buddhist to meet with Monks from the local temple and ask any questions that may have about Buddhism. We had such a great time I thought I'd go ahead and make a post with a few pictures.

Day 3 in Thailand

For most of you who know me at some point I"ve talked a lot about the purpose of my trip to Thailand, but for those of you who I may not have spoken to in a while here's the scoop.

My wife and I have joined an AMAZING team of students and professors from SEBTS to document their mission in sharing the truth of Jesus Christ with local Buddhist believers in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This morning we were afforded a very unique opportunity. We went to one of the Buddhist temples close to where we're staying and as I was making my way around the temple taking pictures and video my wife was approached by a monk. The next hour turned into a great conversation with two monks, "Jake" and "Sun." There was a lot said and a lot of ideas discussed but one of the things that made me laugh most was when I handed my 1D Mark III over to Jake. Jake is really interested in photography and loves to take pictures and look at pictures. So when I told him he could hold down the trigger on my camera he was a little shocked. 10 frames a second was little faster than he was expecting! All in all it was a great experience!

I've also posted a few photos from our trip to Chiang Mai University yesterday.

More to come.

A taste of Thai!!

So we're here...in Chiang Mai, Thailand and it is beautiful!!! Rather than bore you with all of the travel details and how we managed to get one over on Jetlag, I'll just say this and then post a ton of pictures:

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% American in every aspect of what we call "culture" but I love that Thailand truly has a culture that is appropriate here in this part of the world. I love that there is so much that is different here. I love that the Thai people are so talkative and warm...it is true that I'm approached 10-20 times a day to buy something but when I decline they just smile and want to talk about where we're from. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next two weeks!

Here are a few shots from our first few days of traveling and getting settled here in Chiang Mai.

Going to Thailand!!!

My eyes are unbelievably sleepy right now and I have to get up in three hours to stand in line for another two hours so that I can finally board my plane!

For those of you who may need to get in touch with me I am having all of my calls forwarded to a voicemail box until I return on July 29th. I will be answering emails as I can so if you need anything that can be resolved in an email...then I'm your guy!

contact@alwaysautumnstudios.com

Check back here for lots of great pictures and hopefully some video of our trip to Thailand. Well, I'll be back when summer's over! Have a GREAT week!

-Courtney

JP + Sarah Margaret 6.28.09

As my summer is quickly wrapping up I took a little bit of time to get together some sample images from JP and Sarah Margaret's wedding from a little over a week ago. I can't tell you how awesome the day was. JP and Sarah Margaret were an unbelievably laid back couple and when clients give me the opportunity to try out new ideas I can't help but run with it! I'll be posting shots from Thailand in about a week or so but until then here are a few shots from JP and Sarah Margaret's wedding.

The 4th of July with my Sweetheart!!!

This year's 4th of July was a little different for my wife and I. For the last six years we've driven out to my in-laws' lake house at Lake Norman and watched the 4th of July celebration from the water. But this year my in-laws and some of their friends and family decided to go on a cruise in Alaska. With Laura and I leaving for Thailand two days after they return we decided that we'd have to pass. So I surprised my wife with a trip to Emerald Isle for the week. We made our way into Beaufort and I destroyed the all you can eat Crab legs buffet at Atlantic Beach. Even though we didn't get to enjoy being with all of our family this year we had a great time watching the fireworks celebration from the ocean and spending our days on the beach. Here's a few shots from our AWESOME week!

Jayson + Mary Kate 6.20.09

June has been a pretty crazy month for me. It's hard to believe that I've had the amazing pleasure of shooting with five really great couples this month. I love my summers but I hate that they go by so fast! It seems like ever since I started shooting weddings they just fly by! So before the summer escapes us I wanted to share a few shots from Jayson and Mary Kate's wedding.

The church where they were married and the place where they had their reception are very sentimental. I know that most weddings are but this one really was. The church where they were married was actually used during the Civil War as a lookout and post for confederate soldiers. The grounds where they had their reception were a camp where Mary Kate's parents met. The land for the camp is owned by the mother of the bride's family and has been for YEARS! Realizing that every detail really had a strong sentimental meaning made the day seem a little more like home.

Before I take time away to fly to the other side of this great big globe here are a few shots from our day with Jayson and Mary Kate.

For more pictures from their wedding check back at my Proof Site in just a few weeks.