Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope 2014 is a great year full of love, happiness, and peace! As I was looking back on 2013 this is still one of my favorite images, just the simplicity and innocence of children loving the beach experience, they didn't realize it at that moment but they were building childhood memories that will last a lifetime. Make as many new life long memories as you can in the coming year. The advice I live by and what I have passed down to my kids, spend your money on life experiences and not possessions. In twenty years you won't remember what shoes you wore yesterday, but you will never forget experiencing a beautiful waterfall or sunset.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Life's Options

As we look towards the New Year we are faced with options and I suggest that options are a good thing, right? Just like this old bike on the street of a sleepy beach town in Mexico this person has the option to ride the bike or walk, but the option is his. We too have options to face maybe not as basic as to walk or ride, but we have options still to contend with both daily and beyond.  I have had options most of my life and for that I am truly thankful, the most recent have been in the job market type of options. Some people would categorize my work history as unstable or entrepreneurial, I would say it’s been full of options and I believe if you have the opportunity to try something new and sail uncharted waters, usually I have sailed down that path of the untraveled. I spent twenty plus years in retail photography both as an owner and as an employee. Then I had the opportunity to become a district manager for a national early childhood education company and I took the chance to be stretched and challenged to become uncomfortable and to expand my experience base, then I had a chance to own a restaurant when I had once again no prior experience and I took the risk to really grow as a person and learn another facet of business. What’s next for this year I’m not sure yet, but I can tell you as long as I have the options put before me I will pray, ponder, and meditate about these potential options we weight the risk and move forward. The real fun for me isn’t the day to day part of the opportunity it’s the process of bringing that opportunity or dream to reality and living it. As long as there are options you will have the opportunity to sail another uncharted sea, options can be very good!

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Merry Christmas

I love Christmas Eve services and my favorite is at Grace Church in Plano Texas, it's a candlelight service that ends at midnight. There is something peaceful, beautiful, and magical about your day calmly coming to an end and you can feel the transition from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day it feels like a rebirth in many respects, I feel a true dawning of a new day, a new life coming to light from within. Merry Christmas to all and to all may the blessing from the Lord rain down on your family.

Sandcastles Are Fun!

Sandcastles are fun, goofy, and silly and unless you’re a professional they aren't that great looking. Who has ever built a sandcastle? I have, my kids have, their kids will and so will their kids and so on, as long as there is a beach with sand, sandcastles will continue being built and smiles with pictures will go on until time stops. I started thinking how far back in history was the first recorded sandcastle sculpture? Documented evidence goes back 500 years ago, during the 14th century records show that poet Balaram Das created devotional sand sculptures in India. Others claim the ancient Egyptians recreated the pyramids and other shapes in sand, of course proof of this isn't really around, but I'll go with that, it sounds possible obviously Egypt has plenty of sand and they had artist. In the 1970's California became the site of a new kind of sand castle builder: the professional sand artist, not to be confused with a sandwich artist. Sand Art, Sand Folk Art, or just families playing in the sand building memories that will last a lifetime, either way they are fun and it's a very interactive event, complete with Dads sculpting a mermaid body on his daughter, or a Mom turning her son into a super hero, it's a greatness at the beach, what vacation isn't complete without burying Dad up to his neck in sand :)

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Mission Accomplished?

This Mission in New Mexico is one of my favorites and yet I often wonder did the missionaries ever consider their mission accomplished? I know just from religious basics that the mission of the priest or fathers or padres probably never felt that their mission was completed but the foundation for generations to follow. I know that most religious doctrine reflects the concept of the long race and you must pace yourself, one that takes a lifetime. I love to photograph missions, old churches because of the architecture some are simply magnificent and some are simple and beautiful. This is a mission on the main square in Albuquerque New Mexico the time of day cast a shadow on the walls of the crosses and yet it was very peaceful not very many people on the streets that day either. Next time you’re traveling and come across an old mission or church stop and take a moment to reflect on what a small group started out in spreading the word of God to the people of the world and see how their work is still making an impact on their local community’s centuries later.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Do Whales Know Its Christmas?

Do Whales know its Christmas? I wonder how much the creatures of the sea know about what we land bound creatures really do, maybe it’s silly or is it. When I am at the beach in the winter and it’s the holidays you really can't tell what the season is on land based on the perspective, if your ocean bound you would know the season changes except for the weather and migrating habits. While on land without the benefit of advertising, calendars, displays in retail and homes would you really know what time of year it is? In the sea its business as usual the sole concern of every creature is survival of the species, keep the family intact, don't get eaten. On land we get so distracted by obligations and the hustle of life! If we could live a simpler life and be focused on the very basics would we know when the holidays are, I say yes and I say we would get more joy out of them. We would be able to really enjoy the season because we would not be trying to keep up with the Jones or what advertising thinks we should be and we could live more like we were meant to be. I wonder if God ever says to his Angles, look at these people how could they have gotten so far of track, I hope they are listening I can get them back on the right track, back to peace on earth and good will towards all men.

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.

Ancient Astronauts or Bored Youth

Graffiti has been around as long as man has existed, we have documented scratching from ancient Greece, Rome, Mayans, and in Americas South West. We usually perceive modern-day Graffiti as vandalism, defacing property, but the truth be told some pretty amazing art has had its roots in Graffiti. I have seen some elaborate cave drawings, markings on tablets, and on monuments either way the primitive etching, scratching, use coals and today’s paints and paint pens have raised our conciseness and acceptance to appreciate this form of artistic expression. My photo is from a trip to Progresso Mexico and this was a wall on a back street near the school grounds and most places I have traveled from modern cities to remote islands you can find the local art being express by bored youth or ancient astronauts either way it’s pretty cool!

To view my gallery visit www.billhamiltonmedia.com. All images © Bill Hamilton, All rights reserved, copying and or distributing these images without my permission is strictly prohibited.