Hello Smokey Mountains

This year Lauren and I knew it was time to introduce our baby girl to the great outdoors! We decided this was the year and the trip where we would introduce baby girl to a rustic lifestyle… well as rustic as we could get with a 2.75-year-old!

Lauren and I decided The Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee was the place. Our little travel buddy did so good on the plane ride there (and back) and I have to say, she walked, hiked and explored way more than we and I thought she would. We’re already proud parents, but we were like daaaaaaaaamn girl, you’re still going?

We had a plan

Day 1 – Get settled into Tennessee…check

Day 2 – Prepare for and execute hike…check

Day 3 – Gear up: Have fun @ Dollywood…check

Day 4 – 4th of July Hike and Grill…check (Maddie didn’t see fireworks because it didn’t’ get dark until around 10:45, and she was passed out waaaaaaay before then)

Day 5 – Indoor swim park…check

Day 6 – Gear up, Hike & find the falls.

Day 7 – Indoor rainforest & mini-golf

Day 8 – Head home & model in the airport (last part not planned, sometimes you’ve got to wing it)

FULL DISCLOUSRE:

I’ve never been one to take credit for things I didn’t do, so I have to come clean. Lauren did all the planning. Without her, I would have played everything by ear and we wouldn’t have accomplished all that we had. So, Kudos Wifey! You made the trip a success! You are our rock and our guiding light. Super Wife!

Was vacation a success?

Long story short, Yes.  We hiked, we explored, we theme parked, we grilled, we swam, we mini golfed, we ate ice-cream, we came home. Here are a few images that help tell our story… And man, oh man, how about that modeling show Maddie put on in the Tennessee airport on the way back home. Haha.

It’s been 7+ years since I last updated my web identity.

That’s a long time. In this same span of this time, I’ve moved from Louisiana (Who Dat?…don’t judge me) to Texas, bought and built a home, got married and had an amazing baby girl. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Rich, you didn’t have a baby, your wife did” and while that’s true, it’s beside the point!

So why they update now after all this time?

Simple answer… I want to need to put my photography back in the world and let people know I still practice this art form. Not to mention, the select few that have seen my work during this hiatus have urged me to offer my visions as a service again. So, I redesigned, rebranded, and relaunched my web identity to show my photographic talents (mystic unicorn skills released later), and what you’re seeing is the fruits of my labor.

“Wait a minute, you’re telling us that you designed this site, too?”, That’s right, I designed it, too!

At my core, I’m a creative. Richroth.net (darn domain scalpers own the .com) originally launched in mid-2005 while attending LSU (GEAUX TIGERS!… Again, don’t judge me!) to market and offer my skills in #design #photography & #fineart (#UnicornsDoExist)

Enter the economic decline for Louisiana

Business was always good until 2009. Then Louisiana’s market crashed for my line of work. Now I know what you’re thinking again, “Rich, the economy started to decline in end of 2007 – early 2008” and you’re right with your thoughts… However, Louisiana has always been one of the last states to feel anything good or bad, so the decline affected me and my market about a year later than the rest of the USA; yay.

Fast forward to the end of 2010

I ended up moving to Texas because I’d found a fantastic company to work for. Shout out to Insperity! This company saved my life and my creative fire. Without them, I’d most likely be a plant worker at DOW Chemical… and before I end this thought, there’s  nothing wrong with working in plants that if that’s your thing, but for me, it would have murdered my creativity and well, see that first paragraph about my wife and kid, yeah, I’m glad the DOW thing never happened for me.

What happened in between 2010 and 2017?

Why haven’t I updated my brand until now? Quite frankly, I did rebuild my brand toward the end of 2013 and planned on re-releasing in the first quarter of 2014, but then I got sick… on my death bed sick. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, Pan Colitis to be specific. This M***er F***er has tried it’s best to break me, but so far the reverse has happened. I’ve become stronger, wiser, and healthier since battling this chronic disease. It’s taken me a while to work myself back to healthy state. I have my wife, daughter, and extended family to thank for that.

Enter Today

My creative fire has been burning and I miss the joy of sharing my vision and working with others. I miss the relationships built from simple interactions of people just being around one another. And lastly, I miss the ‘wow factor’ I’m so accustomed to delivering.

Photography is an art I practice daily. I love having a camera in my hands, a subject in front of my lens, and the tight-knit nature of creatives doing what they love.

I’ve never stopped creating (minus that stint of regaining my health, thanks a lot, Ulcerative Colitis), designing, photographing, teaching, or developing… But you wouldn’t know that if you looked at my site in the past 7 years.

So here we are. Rich Roth for 2018 and beyond

I hope this post finds those of you who want amazing work done for your personal lives or business. To my future clientele,

I’m not your average creative.

I don’t simply take pictures, I MAKE them.

How about it, should I make something for you?