Santa Does Beale Street

In the midst of taking other people's Christmas card pictures, I knew I had to find time to take my own.  So I grabbed my creepy vintage Santa and headed down to Beale Street. I got lots of strange looks, but loved how they turned out. Merry Christmas!

We Heart Memphis

Today's second photo shoot was with Jack and Ragan, my boss Melissa's sweet kids. They were old pros after I took their photos last year.  Melissa and I plotted out our shoot to take advantage of the great new I Heart Memphis murals that have popped up around town, and then it was off to Main Street and downtown to capture a few more iconic Memphis pics.  Jack and Ragan were total troopers and just so cute! Thanks, guys! Can't wait for next year!

Finish Them

Went to my very first NBA game on Friday night to see the Grizzlies take on the Spurs in Game 6 of the 1st round of the playoffs! It was SO exciting to see them win and make it to the 2nd round for the first time in franchise history. I guess I'm officially on the bandwagon... Go Grizz!

Day 355: Thank You, Memphis!

Over the past year of this blog, Memphis has definitely been good to me in terms of all of the great places and people to photograph.  Seeing as I'm leaving town tomorrow for the holidays and won't be back until after the New Year (and the last official day of my blog), I felt the need to get one more quintessential Memphis photograph before I leave.  So the bright lights of Beale Street called me back...

Day 309: Memory Lane

Drove around downtown for a little while tonight on the hunt for today's photo when I stumbled on a very sad looking Hollywood Disco, formerly known as Raiford's.  Even though I'm a big fan of the new Raiford's (see Day 113), when I think about all the fun times I had at the original, it's disappointing to see it as such of a shell of its former self.

Day 297: Defying Gravity

That's more than just the best song from tonight's performance of Wicked at the Orpheum; it's what Sarah and I had to do as we climbed to our super-high seats! Oh well - no matter where you were, the show was AMAZING! Anyone want to go again? :)

Day 277: Two Birds...

Another long, late night at the office meant two things - I really wanted a glass of wine and I still needed a fun place to take today's photo.  I was pumped when I spotted Joe's in the distance and realized I could kill two birds with one stone.

Day 260: Staying Put

After two weekends of traveling, I'm looking forward to not crossing any rivers or states this weekend and staying in town... although the bridge did look pretty cool all lit up tonight.

Day 259: Local Favorite?

Or maybe not... I made my first venture around the corner from my office to the Cozy Corner for lunch today with Holt and Rick. I was all excited to try out this Memphis institution, but sadly, that's exactly what their food was suited for... an institution. It. Was. Gross. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but I'm usually not too picky with food and I had to stop after just a few bites.  Thankfully, the company was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Day 232: Time Warp

You might remember my friends Jessie and Burton from Day 142 and Day 196, respectively.  All week they have been planning their costumes for tonight's showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Orpheum.  I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to cross the Orpheum off of my list... and embarrass some of my friends along the way.

Day 227: Sunday Pilgrimage

It's Elvis Week in Memphis this week so Sarah and I decided to take make the quick trip down to Graceland to brave the annual Candlelight Vigil. I've never seen so many fake flowers, sideburns and Elvis tattoos in one place in my life. What an experience and so different from Day 10 when I made a simple, quiet trip there by myself.

Day 226: Models, Models Everywhere

Laurie and I spent a very hot afternoon at the Memphis Zoo today and several of the animals were up for striking a pose for the camera. While the animals were cute, I also got to take photos of a much more beautiful model - Laurie. She was such a great sport as I made her make lots of stops at some of my favorite backdrops. I love how they turned out!

Day 181: Night Rider

It was a beautiful night for a stroll down Main Street and the trolleys were hopping. Thankfully, I found one on a short break who agreed to let me on board for a few shoots.

Day 122: Sights and Sounds...

... With an emphasis on the sights. Headed back down to Music Fest today, only to hear that many of today's scheduled acts canceled because of weather. So while it wasn't exactly a great day for music, it was great for people watching.  We did get to hear some old school blues and some local Memphis acts, but nothing really worth the ticket price today.  Oh well. Many thanks to Tracy and Chad for helping me make good on my 3-day pass.

Day 115: Prettiest Tax Burden You'll Ever See

Caught the sun glistening off the pyramid after church. I figured I should capture it now before it turns into a Bass Pro... Ridiculous...

Day 113: Happy Place

Well, since Day 113's night out started before midnight, I'm technically going to count it for the day and back-post. :) Tonight I got to hit up my absolute most favorite bar on the planet - Raiford's - with some old friends. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves about the craziness that is this place. Love it!

Day 107: Opening Day

Yesterday may have been the home opener for the Redbirds, but today was a much better opening day - the first weekend of the Memphis Farmers' Market. Not too many vegetables this week, but there were some amazing tulips and the Hooper Troopers! Stay tuned for a lot more MFM pics on Saturdays over the coming weeks.