karsyn has found her best friend! so fun to watch her and lu together!

Lara and I just returned from a destination wedding in St. Lucia where we had the privilege of shooting Brandon and Kisha's wedding on the beach! What a great time! It was so hard to come back from sunny and 85 to cold and rainy and gloomy, but we are adjusting back to normal life!

We shot the whole day of the wedding, had a photo excursion day and throughout the trip captured details of the resort, enjoyed "dirty bannanas" (an amazing milkshake type drink) sat in the pool, went snorkling twice (saw a 6 ft. long baracuda, an octopus, blowfish, flute fish and many other cool ocean life specimens), we also kyaked across the bay, ate lobster and many other wonderful delacies, it was truly an incredible trip! What a great time. At the airport we were surprised by a free first class upgrade! They really treat you like royalty up there! What a trip!

Thanks so much to Brandon and Kisha for a great time doing the engagement shoot in Kentucky and an amazing destination wedding in St. Lucia! I'm thinking more Caribbean Wedddings need to be in our future! Can't wait to shoot Rachel and Chad's Cancun wedding this spring!

49 million American babies have been aborted since Roe V. Wade in 1973





Tomorrow I'll be voting early and I'm voting for John McCain. Is it because I'm a business owner that would love to create some jobs for others but don't want to be taxed more, forced to provide health care or any other economic issue???? NO NOT AT ALL, though I am deeply passionate about a balanced budget, justice for all, civil rights, equal opportunity etc. etc. etc. For me the single most important issue is the issue of life!!!

Now I'm going to paste in a text from John Piper, he say's exactly what I feel about the single issue voting argument. Below this text I'm going to include two photos, one of a fetus that has not been aborted at 7 weeks and then one that has, I'm also going to include a link to one of the most aweful yet very real and honest sites I've ever seen. Image after image of aborted babies and late term, I'm mean they are truly horrible, but they are real, every day 4,400 babies are killed in the USA alone. Think about all those tax paying, social security building citizens that we murder in the name of choice! There are plenty of choices to be made before getting pregnant and plenty of humane ones to be made after getting pregnant, but killing a child for any reason is never ok. I've spent the last 5 years of my life laboring to save children's lives and yet people "choose" to kill them every day!

Here is John's text, so worth reading:


By John Piper


Investigating dog life in Minnesota has solidified my decision to vote against those who endorse the right to abortion. So then what is my response to the charge of being a one-issue voter?

No endorsement of any single issue qualifies a person to hold public office. Being pro-life does not make a person a good governor, mayor, or president. But there are numerous single issues that disqualify a person from public office. For example, any candidate who endorsed bribery as a form of government efficiency would be disqualified, no matter what his party or platform was. Or a person who endorsed corporate fraud (say under $50 million) would be disqualified no matter what else he endorsed. Or a person who said that no black people could hold office—on that single issue alone he would be unfit for office. Or a person who said that rape is only a misdemeanor—that single issue would end his political career. These examples could go on and on. Everybody knows a single issue that for them would disqualify a candidate for office.

It's the same with marriage. No one quality makes a good wife or husband, but some qualities would make a person unacceptable. For example, back when I was thinking about getting married, not liking cats would not have disqualified a woman as my wife, but not liking people would. Drinking coffee would not, but drinking whiskey would. Kissing dogs wouldn't, but kissing the mailman would. And so on. Being a single-issue fiance does not mean that only one issue matters. It means that some issues may matter enough to break off the relationship.

So it is with politics. You have to decide what those issues are for you. What do you think disqualifies a person from holding public office? I believe that the endorsement of the right to kill unborn children disqualifies a person from any position of public office. It's simply the same as saying that the endorsement of racism, fraud, or bribery would disqualify him—except that child-killing is more serious than those.

When we bought our dog at the Humane Society, I picked up a brochure on the laws of Minnesota concerning animals. Statute 343.2, subdivision 1 says, "No person shall...unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate or kill any animal." Subdivision 7 says, "No person shall willfully instigate or in any way further any act of cruelty to any animal." The penalty: "A person who fails to comply with any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor."

Now this set me to pondering the rights of the unborn. An eight-week-old human fetus has a beating heart, an EKG, brain waves, thumb-sucking, pain sensitivity, finger-grasping, and genetic humanity, but under our present laws is not a human person with rights under the 14th Amendment, which says that "no state shall deprive any person of life...without due process of law." Well, I wondered, if the unborn do not qualify as persons, it seems that they could at least qualify as animals, say a dog, or at least a cat. Could we not at least charge abortion clinics with cruelty to animals under Statute 343.2, subdivision 7? Why is it legal to "maim, mutilate and kill" a pain-sensitive unborn human being but not an animal?

These reflections have confirmed my conviction never to vote for a person who endorses such an evil—even if he could balance the budget tomorrow and end all taxation.

Excerpted from A Godward Life, Book I: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life by John Piper (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1997, pp. 279-280). Used with Permission.





To see more pix go here:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/resources/photosbyage/index.htm

This is kinda long, but well worth the read, if your going to vote please read it. I don't know if it's a legitimate phone number or not but I agree with what is being said and I also don't think that spending an additional trillion dollars and taxing business owners to do it is the answer. Nor do I think that the biggest issue is economics, it's life.

THIS LETTER MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN, HEARD, OR READ,
CONCERNING THE UPCOMING ELECTION...
IT'S A LETTER FROM A U.S. CITIZEN... WHO LIVES IN ILLINOIS ... AND OBVIOUSLY
IS A "SELF-THINKER"... NOT JUST A "FOLLOWER"!!!
IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, REGARDING THIS ELECTION... LET THIS BE THE ONE
THING!!AFTER READING IT, YOU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO FORWARD IT TO OTHER
AMERICANS WHO ARE "SELF THINKERS"!!

An impassioned letter from a "nobody".
But he gives his telephone number at the end.

Dear Friends:

My name is Joe Porter. I live in Champaign , Illinois . I'm 46 years old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small business owner, a
veteran, and a homeowner. I don't consider myself to be either conservative or liberal, and I vote for the person, not Republican or Democrat. I don't believe there are "two Americas " - but that every person in this country can be whomever and whatever they want to be if they'll just work to get there - and nowhere else on earth can they find such opportunities. I believe our government should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should always put the interests of America first.

The purpose of this message is that I'm concerned about the future of this great nation. I'm worried that the silent majority of honest, hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too long. Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics. They go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising their kids, and doing what they can to maintain the good life. They vote and consider doing so to be a sacred trust. They shake their heads at the political pundits and so-called "news", thinking that what they hear is always spun by whomever is reporting it. They can't understand how elected officials can regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending. They don't want government handouts. They want the government to protect them, not raise their taxes for more government programs.
We are in the unique position in this country of electing our leaders. It's
a privilege to do so. I've never found a candidate in any election with
whom I agreed on everything. I'll wager that most of us don't even agree
with our families or spouses 100% of the time. So when I step into that
voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and cast my vote for
the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I've hired a lot of
people in my lifetime, and essentially that's what an election is - a
hiring process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want working for me?


Whom can I trust to do the job right? I'm concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply don't get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can't explain, and calling it "change".


"Change what?", I ask.


"Well, we're going to change America ", they say.

"In what way?", I query.

"We want someone new and fresh in the White House", they exclaim.

"So, someone who's not a politician?", I say.


"Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we're voting for
Obama", they state.


"So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has
enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education, raise incredible amounts of money and dominate the news and win his party's nomination for the White House - that system's all wrong?"
"No, no, that part of the system's okay - we just need a lot of change."


And so it goes. "Change we can believe in."


Quite frankly, I don't believe that vague proclamations of change hold any promise for me. In recent months, I've been asking virtually everyone I encounter how they're voting. I live in Illinois , so most folks tell me they're voting for Barack Obama. But no one can really tell me why - only that he's going to change a lot of stuff. "Change, change, change." I have yet to find one single person who can tell me distinctly and convincingly why this man is qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on earth - other than the fact that he claims he's going to implement a lot of change.
We've all seen the emails about Obama's genealogy, his upbringing, his
Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let's ignore this for a
moment. Put it all aside.


Then ask yourself, "What qualifies this man to be my president? That he's a brilliant orator and talks about change?"

CHANGE WHAT?

Friends, I'll be forthright with you - I believe the American voters who
are supporting Barack Obama don't have a clue what they're doing, as
evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I've spoken to can spell out his qualifications. Not even the most liberal media can explain why he should be elected. Political experience? Negligible. Foreign relations? Non-existent. Achievements? Name one. Someone who wants to unite the country? If you haven't read his wife's thesis from Princeton , look it up on the web. This is who's lining up to be our next First Lady? The only thing I can glean from Obama's constant harping about change is that we're in for a lot of new taxes.

For me, the choice is clear. I've looked carefully at the two leading
applicants for the job, and I've made my choice.


Here's a question - "Where were you five and a half years ago? Around
Christmas, 2002. You've had five or six birthdays in that time. My son has grown from a sixth grade child to a high school graduate. Five and a half years is a good chunk of time. About 2,000 days. 2,000 nights of sleep. 6,000 meals, give or take."


John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North
Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.

When offered early release, he refused it. He considered this offer to be a public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer
than he should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered his freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture began.

Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell in a
foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your fellow man? I submit that's a quality of character that is rarely found, and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.

Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose military
service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find anyone to
denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man. A graduate of
Annapolis , during his Naval service he received the Silver Star, Bronze
Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. His own son is now
serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq . Barack Obama is fond of saying "We honor John McCain's service...BUT...", which to me is condescending and offensive - because what I hear is, "Let's forget this man's sacrifice for his country and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about change."

I don't agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly convinced that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust him to do what's right. I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our country in mind. He doesn't simply want to be President - he wants to lead America , and there's a huge difference. Factually, there is simply no comparison between the two candidates. A man of questionable background and motives who prattles on about change can't hold a candle to a man who has devoted his life in public service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in1981and elected to the Senate in1982.

Perhaps Obama's supporters are taking a stance between old and new. Maybe they don't care about McCain's service or his strength of character, or his unblemished qualifications to be President. Maybe "likeability" is a higher priority for them than "trust". Being a prisoner of war is not what qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States of America - but his demonstrated leadership certainly DOES.

Dear friends, it is time for us to stand. It is time for thinking Americans
to say, "Enough." It is time for people of all parties to stop following
the party line. It is time for anyone who wants to keep America first, who wants the right man leading their nation, to start a dialogue with all
their friends and neighbors and ask who they're voting for, and why.
There's a lot of evil in this world. That should be readily apparent to all
of us by now. And when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens. I want a man who puts my family's interests before any foreign country.

I want a President who's qualified to lead.
I want my country back, and I'm voting for John McCain.


MY THOUGHTS NOW. I've been thinking about the "spread the wealth" comments. What if instead of spending our tax dollars on groups like "Planned Parenthood" and ABORTION, instead we put it toward micro business loans for those living below certain levels of income etc. and we encourage entrepreneurship in the inner cities etc. Handouts don't work and encouraging having more babies without marrying is not a good system! I could go on and on. Just think about these things.

Meet Rich Nathan. Rich was born and raised in NYC as a Jew, had little to no knowledge other than a negative one of Jesus and later in life while at college came to know Jesus. He was a lawyer for a number of years and a law professor at OSU before becoming a pastor. I consider it a true privilege that week in and week out I hear such balanced and healthy teaching from a well thought yet incredibly spiritual mind! Rich pastors Vineyard Church of Columbus, such a great place! You have wealthy, poor, black, white, hispanic etc. all worshiping together! Anyway, this is the single best message I've ever hear regarding money! In light of our current economic crisis do yourself a favor and listen to this incredibly balanced view on wealth, poverty, injustice, justice, giving, building wealth, squandering, family, God etc.

Rich or Poor, Republican, Independent or Democrat take the time to listen to this message all the way through.

LISTEN HERE

This Holiday Season give the gift of life! Contact Thirst Relief at info@thirstrelief.org to find out more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61wj4tJICcc

You have to watch this video regarding the upcoming election, simply amazing. You just have to ask yourself, what matters most?

I gotta tell ya, after tonight's "self family photo session" I really have to say that my job is incredibly valuable! Let me clarify as to not sound arrogant. We took the kids out tonight along with an incredibly un-cooperative dog and tried to do some "self portraits" this was a far greater challenge than I realized. We've done our own family pix before but not really the way I like to shoot! I like to let the family have fun, interact, be together and while I try to control the setting and lighting etc. I prefer for them to just be together in a "camera unaware" fashion. These make for the best pix! However, you really need a professional artist to pull it off with success and most importantly with fun! It was pretty crazy and hi stress in the end, but at least we got a few photos that turned out pretty cool! I love the look on the boys faces in this shot because I just said, "stand there and look cool!" So there you have it, this must be cool! Funny thing is is that Brayden is one of the coolest cats on the planet but if you tell him to look cool this is what you get! So funny! Anyway, we were far too close to dark to get what I wanted out of the whole experience, but you can be sure next time I'll be hiring a "professional!"

If your interested in learning more about our "Life in Art Sessions" and discovering how a family is saved every time we capture yours feel free to contact us and visit http://www.davisphotographer.com/, we still have a few more openings this fall before it gets too cold!

Today is my day to take all three kids and have fun, teach, love, train, play and just be with while Lara works on her Signature Album designs! She loves the creative break, I love the time with my kiddos. But honestly it can seem a little stressful with all three at once, then I receive an email from one of our water partners in Zambia and you see a mom like this with 6 kids in a shack of a home and before she had her Thirst Relief Bio Sand Filter beside her she would have had to deal with the craziness of all the sickness that goes with bad water! It's amazing how in so many homes like this one, upon questioning you discover that they've already lost a child or more due to contaminated water! That was my experience in the Amazon. These filters truly save and change lives for the long hull and cost less than $65 to produce and implement! Right now we are pushing to raise $250,000 to be able to purchase 6800 plastic BSF! I wont go into that right now, but it will revolutionize our ability to distribute these life saving filters. If you want to know more visit http://www.thirstrelief.org/

I genuinely mean this. If it were not for my amazing clients that have such confidence and trust in us and hire us for the art we create from their lives Thirst Relief would not be what it is today! By hiring us as your photographer you have empowered me to serve as the volunteer president and ceo of this great organization! In essence you are truly saving lives by allowing us to capture yours! Thank you!

So we are back from an amazing few days away at the cabin. LOVE being there and just loving my family. Here is a shot of all of us around dusk just before our return. So hard to leave. Thank you to all who were patient for returned calls and emails.

Brayden had to shave just before we left and Ashton fell asleep on one of the couches at the cabin with our latest addition to the family our golden retriever pup!

Also, please let me know if any of you are hearing our new website with the last two songs sounding like the chipmunks, they are not supposed to play that way but I heard them like that tonight on Lara's computer. So bizzarre.

We are just about to launch the all new http://www.davisphotographer.com/ so be on the lookout!

jim

Just finishing up in L.A. at the Pictage Partner Conference where I was honored to have a booth for Thirst Relief! I also had the privilege of speaking with my good friend Mike Colon to some of the photographers about "Purposeful Photography, Cause Marketing with Class!" I shared about my amazing clients and how by tying the cause of TRI to our business we are actually providing a pathway to our clients to donate by simply hiring us for the job! It was great to share the story about how Thirst Relief developed and how the photo industry has so powerfully supported our efforts! Just 3 years ago I sat down and shared my vision withe Mike about Thirst Relief, now we are already in 8 countries with over 50,000 people having received long term, clean water solutions for less than $5 per person! Truly incredible. All credit and glory to God for it!

Here's Mike and I sporting our matching Thirst Relief shirts!

Tonight Lara sent me an email that contained all sorts of photos of human suffering. It was enough to make me want to vomit. It wasn't just a downer, you suck email, but rather a comparison of the life we live compared to so many others.

The truth is, we live in a culture that so often worships self, serves self and cares most about whatever involves self and we try to ignore "those types of things" because they just make us uncomfortable!

I so desperately want my life to be about so much more than my own vain ambitions! I want God's heart for those that are hurting and suffering. I want His blessings to flow through me not just to me! We have so much, yet often truly enjoy so little! Oh God by your mercy open our eyes and enable us to be blessed to be a blessing to others and may we find greater joy in serving others than ourselves!

This photo especially touched my heart as the little one on the left looks so much like my little one and yet the one on the right is barely recognizable as human if your looking at the bottom cheeks. There is no excess, there is no fat, no nutrition, seemingly no hope!

With absolute conviction and certainty I can tell you that if you would like to give your money to an organization that is truly saving lives, truly helping the hurting and making EVERY dollar go as far as it can then go to http://www.thirstrelief.org/ and GIVE, sign up as a monthly donor. $5 saves a life! $5 provides a long term, sustainable drinking water solution for $5 per person! I have not received a dime to date and I am the president of this org! If you give somewhere else and you know they are faithfull with your donations too then GIVE MORE, generate more, create ways of promoting your business that encourage donations etc.

God be with you.

Warmly,

Jim Davis-Hicks

This just came from one of our water project leaders in Zambia, so amazing! It is such a privilege to participate in making a difference around the world and it's because of my amazing clients that I am able to do so and the continued support of so many generous donors to Thirst Relief!

"We recently went into the compound of Mackenzie where 65 biosand filters have been installed, most of which were funded by Thirst Relief. The community leaders were overwhelmed with gratitude and continually expressed their joy at what a substantial change had occurred in their community. They went on to say that since the presence of the sand filters there have been no incidences of Cholera reported, a disease which previously ran rampant through the community. Several people whom we interviewed explained further that when they went out to work in the fields or to visit other communities they would take the water from the filter with them and would not drink from any unclean water source. It is evident that, because of the presence of the sand filter in their homes and the education of hygiene practices, the lives of these people have been radically changed. Although you already know the influence that your work has the capacity to do, we wanted to share with you the true scope of what it has done. What you have done has not only brought health but hope which is a much greater gift. The consistent support of Thirst Relief, in many ways, has opened the door for SHIP to impact the community in a more holistic manner because of the foundation of trust laid through the effectiveness of the biosand filters.

God bless you,

Kirk"

I just received this today from an ActionRunner user in Portland! So encouraging especially since 2.1 is about to be released. For real, I don't know how I lived before I started using ActionRunner. It is the single most powerful time saving tool in my business!

Hey Jim,

Next Monday I am attending a photographer's "Happy Hour" at a local studio. It just kind of a hang out and meet people thing - then they cover a topic - I think like packing for travel is this months topic.
I wondered how you would feel about my burning 20 -30 CD's of the Trial download of ActionRunner to hand out? I think this is right up there with my Gary Fong - I simply cannot live without it!
However, I wouldn't want to step on any toes - or upset you - or commit copyright violations - but software in your hands is more power than a paper description.
Just let me know!
elle

Pretty cool testimony! Gotta love being compared with Gary Fong considering his reputation for selling helpful products to photographers over the years!

For $99 there is simply no better, faster or more effective way to run multiple batch actions in photoshop, giving your images the look and feel you want without spending the rediculous amount of time so many have grown accustomed to!

I had such a great time up in New Philadelphia this past weekend! While there I had the distinct privilege of shooting some promotional pix for a really great band called Shilo Moutain Trio! They are amazing. I could listen to Ben play the banjo all night! Ben, Suzy and Naomi are brother and sisters! They come from a family of 12 children and have grown up singing together their whole lives! What a joy for them to now share it with others! contact me at info@davisphotographer.com if you want more info on them!

I was up in New Philadelphia this past weekend for my nieces b-day party and for a shoot with a band, Shiloh Mountain Trio! While there I took my boys and my two nieces and nephew to see their Great Grandparents, Smith's grave! It was so cool to go back there, haven't been for many years, while there we talked about who they were, how their Great Grandpa was an honest and godly man and practiced law to uphold justice for all etc. It was a neat time of reflection and learning for all. As we finished up Ashton say's "Dad, what is that?" I looked down and there was this locust crawling out of it's shell! So cool, I've seen locust and I've seen shells but never one actually crawling out! Pretty cool!

Little Princess!

This past weekend we went to "Natural Bridge State Park" in KY! It was so fun, we actually traveled there for an engagement session with Kisha and Brandon. Brandon is doing his residency as a Dr. in Lexington so we traveled down there to do the session. So we decided to make it a family get away at the same time. We rented a cabin via Natural Bridge 5 Star Cabin Rental and it was awesome! We had so much fun, we hunted crawdads and we ate them too! Really we only ate a couple of them but it was more the novelty of it. Sat. night Kisha and Brandon and I hiked to the top of the mountain to see the "natural bridge" and do some shots after we took some pix on a caboose. None of us had been there before so we didn't realize the "sky lift" was closed at 6:00, this meant we had to hike. Kisha actually was the one that wanted to do it, so she took off her boots and hiked to the top in her socks! There we got some really great shots.

The next day I took Lara and the kids to the top using the "sky lift" and then Lara and Karsyn rode it down, but Ashton and Brayden and I hiked down and meet Lara and Karsyn at the pool! It was such an amazing time. We had so much fun and didn't want to come back!

I feel I am perhaps the most blessed person on the planet. Thank you Jesus for my amazing family and my amazing clients that enable me to live such an amazing life. This fall you'll see some pix from Kisha and Brandon's wedding in St. Lucia (Caribbean)

There are quite a few pix but enjoy!~

When I was a little boy I roasted a fish over a fire on a stick with my grandma because "That's how the indians did it!" I so wish I had a photo of that! But I don't and this past week I took my boys on a little fishing trip while lara stayed back and designed albums! (her designs are through the roof and all one of a kind creations!) Anyway, so I wanted my boys to have the same memory. By the time we were done fishing, we caught a gang but only kept two, it was dark. So the pix are a bit dark and grainy with no flash and no tripod, but we had so much fun! If you look closely you'll see the fish on the wood pieces where we descaled them, then on the sticks and both boys Ashton is on my lap and Brayden on grandpa's. It was so funny because the idea of it sounded better than actually eating it to the boys. Had it not been for my extensive fish experiences while being a missionary I might have been grossed out by the look of it, but it was great and tasted wonderful! You can see the boys faces while watching me pull the meat out. They both ended up eating it, Ashton cause he loves all food, Brayden cause he wanted to gross mom out by telling her he did it! I am so blessed!