Right after Julia and I started dating she commented to me about me looking good in a cowboy hat. I rarely wear them, so, this past Thanksgiving while I was out camping, I did this self-portrait, of me in a cowboy hat, for her viewing pleasure.

This also was the beginning of a lighting test for a portrait I have yet to do of my friend, Brain Hutcherson, for my Southern Living series. On one hand, it’s somewhat frustrating to me that even when I’m out camping at a beautiful place like this, which in this case happened to be my favorite camping spot – to get away from my life / work – I still end up working. On the other, I feel so lucky that playing around with some lights and a camera qualifies as work to me.