Ava & Nora Jackson

Ava (big sis) & Nora (lil' sis) are the beautiful, brown-eyed girls of some of my favorite people in the world... Kevin & Lena Jackson. Kevin (affectionately known as Jax) was one of my roommates in college at the University of Mobile. He, along with my other roomies at the time lived in the infinitely famous (at least in our own minds) Cottage 7C (it was quite famous at the time, I promise!). He & Lena met in college & I remember many of nights as the two were merely taking the first few steps in their relationship.It was quite fun! In fact, I think I remember being a part of them being together... hmmmm.

I will always consider Jax one of my dearest friends & although we don't see each other often... I feel like we can just pick up where we left off. He has a rather uncanny ability to make you feel accepted & appreciated... quite a wonderful gift! I have dozens upon dozens of memories of us in the cottage late at night discussing theology/philosophy/history/etc., or on the soccer field, at a Chinese restaurant called 'Happy China', at Lena's parents' house for Sunday lunch, & several other locations that Parker talked us into going which I cannot adequately describe. Plus, when Jax's parents came into town, it felt like Christmas as they would always bring great things for all 'the boys' to enjoy. They were like 2nd parents (speaking of... why haven't they come & visited me lately... I'm gonna have to have a word with them!).

Okay... enough of the banter (although it brings up some fun memories). I was down in Mobile, AL for a shoot at the University & was able to squeeze in some time with Lena & the girls on Wednesday morning before our departure. It was great to visit with Lena & to see her gorgeous two, Ava & Nora. Btw... Ava looks just like Kevin (but in girl form of course!). I had a blast & was so thankful to get to photograph for a family I care so much for. So... here are some of my initial favorites! Be sure to click on the image to see the pic in high res.

Mobile, AL Favs

I wanted to show you (my peeps) some of my photo favorites from my recent trip to Mobile, AL, for a 3-day shoot for The University of Mobile. The goal of the project was to take images that would reflect the University's culture so that we could use them in the design of their new site which will replace the current site at http://www.umobile.edu. I can't wait to show you some of my initial designs for the new site... but... you will have to wait a few weeks. For now, here are my initial Mobile favorites. Enjoy! What are your favorites?





















All images are copyright Ben Finch Photography.

Cover Designs Submitted for Rick Warren's New Book

(Cade's Cove | TN)

For several days now I have been meaning to tell everyone that I jumped at the opportunity to submit a cover design for Pastor Rick Warren's new book, The Hope You Need. Rick Warren decided to use 99 Designs to host a cover design contest open to the public. As you may imagine, this is a wonderful opportunity for everyone... especially for those of us who have been highly influenced by Pastor Warren. I found out about the contest 1.5 days before the contest end, so I rushed like crazy to submit some of my artwork & photography. And I really tried to be conservative in my design trying to design with my client in mind. I am really interested in seeing how this contest turns out due to the submission requirements & the sheer number of entries... 3189 at submission end. In particular to the contest rules was that no stock photography could be used, only original artwork & photography. I am not sure how they will be able to sort through the stock photos but we will wait & see. But from my end, I thought it was a wonderful way to showcase some of my photos that I thought would make great book cover designs. Can you imagine being able to see one of your photos on the cover? Very cool. So... If you would like to see my portfolio at 99 designs, click here. Otherwise, here are some of my favorite submissions to the contest (& description of photo locations). Which one(s) do you like most?

(And... bear in mind... I am trying not to get my hopes up because there were some wonderfully talented designers who submitted cover designs as well. Regardless of the outcome, it was a fun project.)

(Buck Bald | TN)

(Sunset Park | Athens, TN)

(Cades Cove | TN)

(Calhoun, TN)

(Lillard Farm | Decatur, TN)

(The Tomb of the Prophet Samuel | Jerusalem, Israel)

Free Textures!!!

For all you creative types, I thought it was about time to give you something to spur a little inspiration. Maybe this will become a weekly thing... in that case, I need a name like Texture Thursday or Tadow! Tuesday... ah... nevermind, I'm not feelin' the name thing.

If you are a photographer or a graphic designer (or if you just love textures), I am certain you will enjoy having these to use on your next project. Some of them with a bit of cropping could be patterned or tileable (is that even a word?). All of the images below are web resolution (72 ppi) but you can visit my Flickr account & download the print high resolution files (300 ppi), the link is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30312002@N07/ (Beware, I am terrible about updating my Flickr page). To download, click on the image to enlarge it then right click, select "Save Image As" & then save it where you would like.

You have my permission to use these personally or commercially (heck, who am I to give you something & then tell you what to do with it). But, if you would be so kind & do use it, I would love to see how you used it in a project. That would be fun to see! And... don't keep the goodness to yourself, but send others on over too.

Benjamin Knox Finch

Everyone... I would like you to meet Benjamin Knox Finch. Knox, everyone.

Knox is our second child born on August 25, 2009 at 9:35 pm weighing a whopping 8.1 lbs at 20.5 inches. We are loving our new little guy & I think he is adjusting into the family quite well. I have been asked dozens of times about the name 'Knox' & why we chose it. When we started thinking about boy names, Joy mentioned she really wanted to use the name Benjamin. Sounds good, I am partial to the name! But we couldn't settle on a middle name. As I thought about it further I considered naming him after someone from the Reformation... guys like Martin Luther, John Calvin, etc. who have had a profound impact upon my life. Then, I thought about the life of John Knox who was heavily influenced by Calvin & later formed the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. Then, I considered that it means "of the hills" & it seemed fitting since we attend church & closely associated with Knoxville, TN. On top of that, I think it just sounds cool. There you have it!

Let me tell you a few things we know about Knox (although all but #5 is subject to change in a week):

1. Knox doesn't waste much time. Where Brennan took around 20 minutes to nurse, Knox is in & out in 5 minutes max.
   
2. Knox can sleep no matter what/when/where. Regardless if the dog is barking (quite often), Brennan is yelling (quite often), doorbells are ringing (quite often), people are talking (quite often), it doesn't matter much to Knox... he is going to sleep in spite of circumstances.
   
3. Knox is the loudest sleeper I have ever heard... as a baby of course. He sleeps great but man is he loud. He grunts, groans, yells, laughs, etc. all night long. I think it is his way of paying us back for having to sleep under loud conditions during the daytime.
   
4. Knox smiles often & seems very content.
5. Knox has a tremendous amount of people in his life who love, support, & pray for him daily. We will teach him to not take this for granted & to thank God for such grace.

THE Chair: One Man's Crusade to Own the World's Coolest Chair... EVER!

Warning: You are about to view one of the world's coolest chairs; you may experience feelings of envy!

So...here's the shake down. Several weeks ago I was out on a leisurely drive through the hills of the Cherokee National Forest accompanied only by my camera. I wasn't having much luck with the photography... for example, my favorite image from the day was of a lawn-mower racing sign that I found hilarious (you read it right... lawn-mower racing! Can you imagine going 65 mph on a lawn-mower? I mean, I have a need for speed, but not on a lawn-mower... I digressed, sorry!).

So I did what any good, inconvenienced citizen would do, I gave up!

I then parked my car & went into an antique store. When all else fails to inspire you... visit a place that has lots of rare vintage items; always works for me. As I strolled through the store, I happened to notice a colorful & magnificent chair in the corner. I did a double-take & thought to myself, "Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is that the coolest chair I've ever seen?" Immediately, I felt an urge to own it yet there was a piece of paper taped to the chair, "Layaway." I thought, "Are you kidding me? How expensive is this bad-boy that someone would have to put it in layaway?" I next plotted the quickest route to the cash register & asked the lady how much "that awesome chair" in the back cost.

She asked, "The really cool retro green one that is on layaway? We've had so many people ask about that chair. It wasn't in here a day or two before the lady put it in layaway."

"Yes, that's the chair I'm talking about" I responded but thinking to myself, "thanks for rubbing it in!"

Then she told me how much it cost. I had two thoughts: 1. Why in the world would somebody put a chair on layaway for the same price it costs to eat at Applebees? 2. I have to find a way to get that chair despite that it is on layaway.

So... I quickly asked her if she would consider selling it to someone who has cash. But she said no. "Are you sure, I have a twenty in my wallet?" (What can I say... I'm a baller!). Again, no.

I left the antique store bummed. "Shucks!"

Fast-forward several weeks. This past Monday (Labor Day), I took the family back to that same area for lunch & to stroll through the shops. After lunch we went back into the same store. I had already warned Joy that I was bitter & that it may not be a good idea... but we went anyways. As we turned the corner in the store to where the chair was previously, I was shocked. "Joy, there it is! That's the chair I was telling you about."

"Ben, that is the ugliest chair I have ever seen." Joy responded inappropriately.

"Joy, you are just blinded by its awesomeness; that chair rocks!" I rebutted. "Geeze, it still has the layaway sticker on it. I can't believe it, I am talking to whoever is in charge."

I moved forward to the front of the shop & said to the lady, "Wow, that chair is still on layaway. What are my chances of buying it?"

"Sir, I can't sell the chair but I'd be glad to put your name down in case the lady doesn't want it anymore."

As I was about to write down my contact info another lady (owner of the store) walked in & the woman behind the counter told her that I wanted to buy the chair. She simply said, "Sell it to him. The lady has had the chair on layaway for over 2 months, she should've picked it up by now."

"YES! That's exactly what I was thinking!" I said.

Joy responded, "Buy the chair but it isn't going in our house."

"That's okay, me & my chair will do just fine at the studio," I gleefully said.

Needless to say... I got the chair!!! It is lookin' good in the studio. Check it out for yourself but be sure to click on the picture to see a larger version of the world's coolest chair.


So what do you think? Is this not the funnest retro vinyl dining chair you've ever seen? Instant classic I tell you.

So here's the question: Is it the ugliest chair you've ever seen or is it a rare jewel of a chair that immediately makes you smile & say, "that is one cool chair?"

P.S. I am officially sorry to the lady who learned a hard lesson in layaway & procrastination (Hopefully she is not reading this entry, that would be awkward).