The Gramm Family on the Big Island

My girlfriend and I have this thing, where we come up with the name — well, the theme — of the year ahead. A single word that encapsulates everything that we want our lives to be about in that year.

Last year, the word was WILDFIRE. We had first met in January, not much more than a year ago to the day, and we were both at the same place in our lives, where we desperately, simply, wanted to live. We wanted this passion to spread like fire, engulfing everything we did. And you know, we did well, by gone. Our trip to India was the highlight of it; a 2 month foray into a foreign planet. Every moment either a triumph or disaster, each one large enough to warrant remembrance, yet still so bizarrely minute that, now months later, we can barely believe that we had lived them.

I guess that’s how a lot of life’s moments are, especially the small, surprising ones, like that time I was carrying a full basket of laundry out back in the rain, and slipped smack onto wet concrete. I remember being surprised that it happened and surprised that it did not really hurt as much as you might think it would. And again, I guess that’s how a lot of life’s moments are, including some of the bad ones. Each moment a lesson, every day a blessing.

2014 is FOUNDATION. It will be the year where Syreeta and I lay the groundwork for not only the next year, but for the years and decades ahead of us. This year will be our newly poured wet concrete; solid at heart, ambitiously made, to be traversed with care. My professional photography will be a big part of it, and I’m hoping to take it to a level above anything I’ve done so far. Which I guess isn’t too hard, since I haven’t gone very far!

But just as concrete continues to harden over time, I never seem to stop learning new things about photography and myself. Each session a new dawn, every image a chance to grow. This year I want to really solidify my work into something that truly speaks for me. I have such a strong sense of gratitude for family, love and memories — the simple fact that these things even exist to begin with — and I know in my heart that there is a way for me to express this through my work, with my clients. I feel like I must express it.

Among others, this session, with the very fun Gramm family, is close to what I have in mind.
Life is nothing short of beautiful. Cheers to a great foundation, everyone. 🙂

– Jim