as you may already know, we have a new addition to our family. his name is emerson caldwell stepp, and he was born at 12:10 AM on january 30, 2010. he weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches long.

naturally, i made a video documenting his birth. just so you know, driving long distances in heavy snowstorms with the vehicle in four-wheel-drive while holding a camera is totally safe. just make sure you have your hazard lights flashing. we did. and the result is this video highlighting the whole amazing experience.

and of course, i jumped at the opportunity to use switchfoot in the soundtrack. it is a song entitled “always”, which is from their new album, hello hurricane. as you can see, we decided to aptly title the video “always” as well. you can check it out below. enjoy.

five years ago today, i married my high school sweetheart, kelly. i am blessed to experience life with her every day, and i am honored to call her my best friend, my wife, and the mother of our son. each year on our anniversary, it is difficult not to reflect on all that has happened the previous year. this is particularly true right now, as we have just completed a decade in our lives. ten years. wow.

ten years ago today, if you would have asked about my future plans, the answer would have been simple. with a full scholarship to play baseball in college, i had set an attainable goal of being a professional athlete. it consumed me, and i really never thought of a career without baseball. there was no question that i would be playing this sport for many years to come. several injuries later, i began to realize that God had other plans for me, and that my life was slowly becoming what it was meant to be.

in the course of the last ten years, i graduated high school, played college baseball, broke some bones, played some more baseball, broke some more bones, got married, bought a house, graduated college, started a business, and brought a son into this world. looking back, i would not change the course of those events for anything. these have been the most exciting and meaningful years of my life, and there is no way to truly capture all that has happened.

as i look forward to the next ten years, there is no doubt that they will be just as memorable. there are so many new things right around the corner for our family. just to mention a few, we are expecting another baby boy in february, we have started construction on our new house, viewfromzero is growing, and i am researching the possibility of yet another creative business venture. i will certainly keep you posted on each of these events.

i write all of this in both reflection of the past and hope for the future. i wish each and every one of you a happy new year, and perhaps instead of focusing on resolutions, we should just enjoy the ride. after all, a lot can happen in ten years.

when i was approached by long-time friend stephen cope about doing the photography and design for his new album packaging, i jumped on the opportunity. there simply could not be a more harmonious collision of interests: friendship, music, photography, and design. i have known stephen since high school, and our relationship has continued to bloom over the past few years. this guy is talented, and not only is he passionate about his voice on stage, but also about his voice in the church. he is a worship leader at newspring church, and his music reflects his heart. this new album will be available soon, and i highly suggest that you check it out. below are the final design comps that i created for the album packaging.

if you follow me at all, then you know that summer always packs a hefty production punch. i get to travel to some of the most amazing places and shoot some of the most incredible stuff. but one of the most rewarding parts is being able to see a video through completion.

one of the camps that i have worked with over the past few summers is camp arrowhead. these guys know adventure, and when i think about some of the crazy places i have been, it always seems like it was for one of their projects. this summer, we produced a video promoting a new program called spearhead. i was able to participate in part of this intense adventure trip, and i must say, it is truly an awesome opportunity for boys. be sure to check out the video below, and you can learn more about the spearhead program here.

i wanted to wait to post this year’s graduation music video until all of the orders had been completed and shipped. while there are still a few orders trickling in, i figured it would be safe to go ahead and unveil the finished product. the soundtrack is from a stellar new band called green river ordinance, and their latest album is solid all the way through. this is just a portion of the final dvd, and if you know someone interested, they are still for sale here.

one year ago today, our precious son entered this world. without a doubt, it was one of the most special days in our lives. as a proud father, i naturally wanted to remember how i felt in that moment. so last year, i made the following babymentary to document that beautiful day. the music, of course, is “hljomalind” by sigur ros.

every year, i produce graduation dvd packages for west henderson high school. this year, the game has changed a bit, and i am so stoked about how all of the promotional material came together. from the print to the web and everything in between, it is one of my favorite promotions yet.

so, to give you an idea of this project, i wanted to unveil this year’s graduation promo video. all of the footage was shot in full hd with the canon 5d mark II, and the color grading and motion tracking was done in after effects. the soundtrack is from blue sky black death, and it gives this piece an overall look and feel that is very consistent with the other promotional components.

if you enjoy the video, feel free to check out the website, which is currently optimized for graduation. and for all my business peeps, i will be posting a more in-depth look at the marketing approach very soon.

it is no secret that i am a huge fan of mat kearney. i stumbled upon his music about three years ago at the time of his first major album release. it was actually the same summer that i started viewfromzero, and i easily connected with his lyrics. his style was completely different from anything i had heard, and i was definitely hooked. since that summer, he has consistently been at the top of my music chain.

today marks the release of his second major album, “city of black & white”. of course, i have been anticipating it for a while, so i thought it might be fun to let you sample the entire album. your ears will thank me.

okay, so this video has been out for a couple of months. and since i discovered it through a link on twitter, a lot of you may have already seen it. but believe me, it is worthy of another look. if you’ve visited my website, then you already know that i’m a big fan of helvetica. combine that well-known font with a jazzy, feel-good track, and this is what you get. about three minutes of pure bliss. oh, and if you’re curious about the music, it’s by an artist named forss. you can get the album right now on itunes.