Catoe/Perez Endeavor

Despite the rain, everyone was in a sunny mood! Of so many beautiful and sunny weddings I have shot outdoors with gloomy moods, this was certainly the opposite. Kim and Mike wear an obvious and galvanized love for each other very well. From the moment we met, I could tell that the wedding was going to be an emotional one.


I have seen a lot of things in the last year. My first Hindu wedding, a bride given away by her brother in honor of her father's absence in body, a groom married by his father; but until now, I had never seen a bride married by her father. As a father myself, I fully expect to grieve the loss of my little girl as she matures into a lady - and I dread the day I turn her over to the stewardship of another man. For me to marry her myself would certainly be an honor, but I just don't think I could handle it. Ken well-displayed his spiritual authority and leadership through his strength as he wed his daughter to another man, who would become her life partner and guardian.

Congratulations to everyone! I sincerely believe this is a mutual marriage in that the families are all happy for each other and that everyone feels like they gained something. A lifetime of family, love and support awaits you Kim and Mike; and I wish you all the best!

Thanks to Justin Moore for his assistance and talent with camera 2, thanks to Karen Catoe for setting up the initial meeting and thank you to Ken Catoe for your trust and confidence in me, to carry out capturing this landmark day in the life of your little girl! God bless you all!

Schtick is MIA - Adventure Creative Takes a Vacation

So Kellie hung up the scrubs for a week and I vacated YearOne. However, the cameras go with! With essentially 2 jobs, a vacation is much in order about every six months. The cool thing about it is that you get to intentionally clear your mind, clear your plate and focus on the things that matter - taking time to have some conversations with God and deal with yourself (good and bad).

Kellie and I take a personal vacation every year and we take a full-family vacation every year. Usually with her brothers and parents; sometimes with some of my family. The main thing is that we get to reconnect, because the hustle and fast routine of life brings you out of touch, out of mind and that disconnection can even draw some amount of bitterness and/or discomfort. Times like these are important in that you get to bring everyone together for a common reason, and let God give you an alignment (so to speak).


This year is no different, if not more needed than usual. I have been dealing with some things personally that needed a sortin' and Kellie needed the break from "the usual". Over the last couple of days I have re-seeded my heart with some very fundamental principles and put them to work. There's a couple of things that are for certain. Life is too short for a)bullcrap, b)grudges, and c)wasted time/efforts. How you handle a, b and c can be key in the perception of whatever situation they apply to. I have a tendency to avoid "a", focus on "b" and figure that "c" shouldn't be spent on people that bring "a" and "b".

As a sort of illustration, I have taken the eraser and wiped all of the above off the chalkboard and I am simply spending time. I have reached a point in my life that I want to enjoy the company of others, I want them to enjoy my company and that's it; it's that simple. Anything that causes "all of the above" isn't really of value and is time wasted in God's eyes - as it should be in mine. I used to take the approach of life that I would like to be able to see certain people/situations through God's eyes. I abandoned that and I've paid the price for that, both in my career and my personal life.

This vacation is intentional to set things straight - job, family and faith. All my friends who know my faith and convictions - thank you for your prayers and support. I don't intend on returning to Georgia as a "new" or "better" me, just a me with out "a", "b", and "c".

So here's a little personal blog to throw in with all the wedding blogs that are coming soon! 5 more days of vacation and I'll once again pick up the cameras for business instead of personal and put the red pen back to paper. Until then ...

Bring on the waves!
Allen Mullins