joel bock photography blog

telling stories

A little about me…

Thanks for stopping by the blog, you'll see what I've been looking at through my lens, hear what I'm kicking around in my head, and find out all the other fun stuff about what I love to do, like hang out with my stellar family (photo right).

Born and raised in Portland, the NW is my home. The parks, the coffee, access to beach and mountain, river and forest. I began photography, combing the streets of Portland with a Pentax K1000. My love for photography has only grown since then, and I can hardly walk out the door anymore without a camera in the bag. It's what I love.

One facet of my appreciation for the art is being intentional about what I'm seeing, and relaying the essence of that moment through the story in a photo. I enjoy getting to journey with people through their wedding day, celebrating the engagement of lives to be spent together, which is why I got into wedding photography. I see it as a gift to be present in these times. As a result I'm very intentional to be non-intrusive while I relay the wonder of the moment, the nuances, the spontaneity.

I enjoy the art of story telling, so that's what I do with my photographs. In telling your story I work to discover how who you are and what is important to you connects with my creativity and style, as the result is unique and artistic, a reminder of your story, and most importantly you.

On another note, we are a preferred vendor for The Wedding Chicks. Feel free to check them out as they have inspiring posts and other helpful information for you as you plan your wedding.

Photo of our family courtesy of Bryan Rupp.

remodel: new home.

Sunday, May 2, 2010 No comments

I have to say that owning a home has been a blast so far! Yes, it is A LOT of work, and the list of projects only grows by the minute. But when you have great folks around to help you with those projects (thanks to all you who’ve been able to so far!) it makes for a MUCH more enjoyable experience. Russ is with Eden Homes & Design, and has been a close friend going on almost 10 years now. We went to work on this project yesterday and got the door in (though you can’t see it here). I wanted to post this picture for a couple reasons, while also expanding on why I’m starting to include more personal photos.

1. I feel like with my aim to be “professional” my blog has taken a turn from it’s original intent: to be a creative outlet outside of “work”, while keeping folks posted on what I was working on.

2. It’s fun to show photos, but I always appreciate getting to know the folks behind the lens. I used to post more photos of Espen and other daily occurrences, and anticipate that this will progress once again. My overall goal is to not make this the “Joel Bock” show, but to give some foundation for readers to understand my perspective and approach to what I photograph.

3. As it’s easier to look at a photo rather than read everything the blogger has written (I confess, I am just as guilty of this as the next reader!), I want to speak things that are important to me via my images, thus alleviating that task to a degree.

Which brings us back to this photo. My friends and family are important to me. They make me laugh, think more intentionally about how I live my life, and are an immense support and encouragement. I love how this photo captures my gratitude for all that. And thanks, Russ, for working on the house with me – don’t forget to send me the invoice!