One of my favorite people in the world is my mother. Both of my parents and behind the scenes people that would prefer the quiet life to the spotlight any day of the week, but today I have to say how great she is. :-) My mom is super sweet, hilarious, and very well grounded.

She’s a gem. :) Here are some pictures I took of mom and dad several years ago.

Happy mother’s day! Check out Simply T-Laura’s post!

~ Jon

Kari and Brandon are the kind of people that remind me why I do photography–to work with amazing people and tell their story the best way I know how.

We all went out to a place known around Searcy as “the farm.” The farm is a place that has been used so much for people to share, learn, and worship. It’s also the place where Kari and Brandon met for the first time. Fast forward a little while, and they’re getting married in less than a month! It’s clear that Kari and Brandon love each other and love God. It’s a blessing to work with them. :)

~ Jon

I love mornings. And I hate them. Waking up has always been a struggle for me but once I’m awake and showered, I’m quite fond of mornings. I love the peace and quiet before everyone wakes up. I love the chill fresh air, fog, birds chirping, and the calm before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.

Mornings are great. I’m jealous of morning people. :)

While this picture is dated, it accurately shows my morning game time face, lit up by the morning sun.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Morning sky. :)

~ Jon

Check out the fond-of-hugging Mark Gregory’s take on mornings!

My favorite part of photography is getting to know some great people and to hear their stories. Kelsey and TJ are great together and you can really see how much they appreciate each other through all the small hints and smiles. :)

~ Jon

Stefanie and Tommy are super creative, cute, quirky, and hilarious! I had an absolute blast taking these engagement pictures. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to not smile when you’re around them because they’re always joking and being too cute. :)

I love this one so much!

Taking a quick break from saving the world.

Yep. They’re awesome. :)

~ Jon

Some of Harding Academy’s finest:

It’s definitely important to not take yourself too seriously. :) Congratulations seniors!

~ Jon

Yes, they’re quite perfect for each other. :) Here are the pictures!

A salamander! (Paul has crazy great vision :))

~ Jon

Here’s an update on a few of the daily pictures that I’ve been taking for my 365 project. It’s tough to take a picture everyday (and I’ve used quite a few skip days already) but it’s definitely a good thing to do. :)

Went to Hot Springs for Spring mini-break.

The weather here has been amazing. I’m treasuring it while it lasts. =)

My brother and friends did a benefit concert. A whole-lotta-talent.

Went to the zoo!

Climbed a mountain.

Found a waterfall. God is good. He makes beautiful things.

~ Jon

Live. Laugh. Love. The essentials of life. Life can be so busy and complex but if we can simplify our lives to focus on what matters, the world would be a better place. I’ll be keeping it simple today…just taking my advice. ;)

It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine.

It’s true.

For another interpretation of this week’s project 52 laughing theme, Laura Stricklin!

Laugh at yourself first before anyone else can.
Elsa Maxwell

~ Jon

March signifies the start of the my favorite season…springtime! Springtime is also wedding season, which is also my favorite time. :-) For the past few months I’ve been doing a lot of learning, photography projects (portrait projects, this–project 52, and my Facebook-based project 365), business things, meeting with some outstanding couples, working my lovely part time Harding job with student support services, and also creating photography work for myself to keep on learning and growing.

So that is the short version of why my blog has been more quiet as of late. BUT in a few short weeks, things are about to get started. I’m excited to work with some great people to make some rad pictures. Coming soon. :)

This week’s project 52 subject is irish, but I kind of change it to dads. :) My dad a bit far away to photograph (1000 miles), so I had to think of alternate ways to document this. Here’s my thought process: (don’t judge ;)) So I’ve been drawing a lot of stick figures lately…and stick figures remind me of the stick figure families that you see on cars which of course includes a dad!

I apologize in advance to my family–don’t take my drawing skills the wrong way. Don’t think that my deformed stick figures represent your sharp and dashing looks. Also don’t be offended that I only drew 40% of the siblings…I ran out of paper on that side. :)

But yes, I look up to my family a whole lot and love them so so much. They’re the best.

You may ask, why have I been drawing so many stick figures lately? Well…this past week I discovered Draw Something–a smartphone app in which you draw a word for your friend(or, stranger ;)) to guess. Think pictionary + my awful drawing skills + my fat fingers on a non-precise touch screen = pretty bad. But it’s also pretty good. My username on there is jonyoder–add me!

-> Back on the subject of project 52 and dads, check out the happy and smiling Kim’s version!

~ Jon