Happy Dad day!

Growing up I was taught to spoil my Dad on Fathers day. We would do the dishes, serve breakfast if possible... just the simple things to make their day easy, or in some cases probably ended up making their day harder, but the point was we were TRYING to help!

It wasn't until recently when our son Aspen was born that I was truly able to understand what my Dad really had to go through! Its sad that it takes that to realize the sacrifices made, but at least I am able to see more clearly now.
My Dad and I didn't always get along great, or agree on everything. But when I needed help or guidance you can bet that he was right there to do everything he could for me, and it is incredible to think that at the drop of a coin he would do anything to make sure I could make it through whatever the current problem was!
If it wasn't for my Dad I would not be in the Air Force right now and I surely would not be married to Ashley and have a beautiful family. My Dad was there for me when I needed him most. Not to mention I shred a pretty mean guitar all thanks to him!
I seriously cannot thank him enough for everything he has done and I truly hope he knows just how much it means to me.
There is only one Cowboy Dad like my Dad..
I love you Dad! Wish I could be there to make you breakfast in bed, and a banana split :)

Away from the crowd

Starting this photography business in the midst of the "digital age" of digital cameras and such is not the easiest of tasks. Everyone wants to be a photographer these days and honestly it can be quite discouraging to get going. But today it hit me.. Back in the days of history when the discovery of new land was occurring it must have been such an exciting time! I bet that everyone wanted to be part of it and was jumping on board to see what they could make of it..  But NOT everyone could survive, there were many struggles and only the strong survived.
The ones that did things a bit differently, and kept their lives in check were able to make it while many other fell off and quit! I see photography the same way.. There are so many who are trying to make it in this cluttered market but not all will survive. Many will throw in the rope and call it quits while we will keep pushing..
I mean, I have more motive than anyone else I know. This military thing is not good for my family and we are totally realizing it more and more everyday, so our photography business is going to be our saving grace! Our goal is by the end of my second re-enlistment to be able to get out of the military and finally start living our lives the way we want to. BUT that will mean that within 5 years our business will have to be able to sustain us.
I TOTALLY know its possible, it will just require some hard work on our part. Im up for the challenge, and I cannot wait to get back to the states to hit the ground running.. Why am I waiting to get back to the states? Well simply because I do not function properly without ashley.. Cheesy I know, but true.
Not to mention that building up a client base here wouldnt really be worth it as I will just be leaving in a month and a half. So I've just been focused on shooting as much as possible here and not worrying too much about advertising and getting my name out there. It will happen soon enough!

Not right

Its been a little while since I wrote on here and I figured I was overdue. I have been working very hard on our website as I want to be able to launch it sometime in August around when I get home! Its pretty exciting but this Korea thing has been taking a toll on us.
I never really imagined it would be THIS hard to be away from Ashley for a year. I knew it wouldnt be easy and its safe to say I knew I would hate my life, but this is just getting unbearable. Sorry for being cheesy but a married couple should never forget what its like to hold the love of their life in their arms. They should never forget what it feels like to hold their hand and know that you truly care for each other and are there for each other..
I mean, just imagine knowing that your loved one is crying and needs to talk to someone, but there is NO one there for her, and you cant do anything to comfort her.. Its the most powerless feeling in the world and it breaks my heart. No matter of money or success could ever be worth it, and I really dont know how others do it..
Enough rambling.. Back to working on the site, I just had to clear my mind so I can concentrate!
A few more months..

Friday

Had an exhausting day out shooting today, but I feel I got a lot accomplished! So thats good..
Everytime I'm downtown there is this one store that I frequently pass where the man sells ties and suits and such. I personally do not have a need for any of it, yet the man is always outside and always tries to get you to come into the store! EVERY TIME! So today as I was passing him I did everything I could to try to show that I was not interested (Not making eye contact etc...) and he STILL asked me to come in!
Then it HIT me.. This man must ask EVERY single person that comes by his store whether they are interested or not! MAAYBE this is what I should be doing with my photography business! I mean.. its a bit much I think, but what better way to get your name out then tell EVERY SINGLE PERSON you see whether they could use your service or not? Just a little food for thought that I came across..

Got some great shots of this little man today, although I did not catch his name or his Mommies contact info..  Please email me at toddbedo@gmail.com if you want the full size of any of these as these downsized versions will not print well!
He reminded me so much of my son Aspen I just couldnt resist!
Anyways much more to come from today and who knows what tomorrow will bring!

Ashleys blog!

So my wife Ashley happens to be the coolest girl ever.. and she bought me an iTouch, which I totally had NO idea I was getting.. Im pretty addicted to it, and Im excited to be able to get pictures of things that I normally wouldnt because of the size of my Canon Rebel!
Anyways she just did a shoot of some of our friends the other day (Steph and Craig) before they leave for Australia and thought I would share the link to her blog in case you wanted to see!
Ashleys Blog
She is seriously so talented, can you believe that she has only been shooting a little over a year! Amazing..

Anyways headed out to shoot for a few different photo projects today {Project 50 and the Stranger Project}  Hope everyone enjoys their FRIDAY!!

June!!

I just wanted to post that I am pretty stoked that it is June now.. Even though it feels like I've been away from Ashley FOREVER, if I look back on it time really is moving quickly! I still remember when I was two months away from my mid tour getting all excited! Now Im just a little over two months until coming home to my family PERMANENTLY! I have already promised that unless it is completely out of my control I will never leave their side again.. If I have to come back to Korea again, there is NO WAY its going to be without them this time.. Ash and I have been married over 3 years now and only spent half of that time together because of this job and that is not the way it is supposed to be at all.. We knew what we were in for when we signed up, but I dont think we quite realized exactly how things would turn out. Im so grateful though that I have such an amazing wife that supports me and is there for me through anything! Many marriages fail because of separation like ours, but I truly believe that we have only grown stronger from it, and now there is nothing that could ever take us apart!
I love you Ashley Ann.. and I cant wait to grow old with you :)

Retro picture of Ash and I back in the day :)

Portrait Session - Katrina Turco

So I've been doing a lot more marketing and handing out a bunch of business cards, trying to set up some sessions for our portfolio. We are currently preparing a website and its time to get some more work to display! Well Katrina was the first one to reply so we set up a shoot this past Saturday. Katrina is here in Korea teaching English for the summer and she is from Florida! Small world huh?
She was great! She had never had her pictures taken before "professionally" other than school photos yet she was a natural when it came to posing and fell right into place! Im totally loving the shots we got and Im sure she will as well. Thanks so much Katrina, you did awesome!

Well enough talk here are some of the shots from the day -

Yea... Ever had random drunk people wearing Kilts come running through your photo shoot? I have now! 

What is it about colorful benches that is so AWESOME?