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.

Mommy daughter love

Mother’s Day 2018. A special day for all moms, and really special for Lauren and I. We’re so blessed to have such an amazing daughter. I don’t believe I’m biased when I say, Maddie is an amazing little human. She’s a perfect balance between Lauren and me. She has my humor, Laurens beauty, a personality all her own, she’s just perfect.

This year we decided to take a trip to the woodlands to explore, look at the duckies, play in the water, and just have fun outside. I took my camera out to document the occasion and capture moments between mommy and daughter that we could look back and reflect on the memories. I think I captured some great ones, worthy of being remembered.

Working with the Kids

I had the honor of photographing the kids for the 2018 Insperity Invitational S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Golf Event. This was my second year working with the group and it was another great day. The kids were ecstatic to hang out, run around, and play some golf! I don’t have much to say on the event that the photographs don’t say for themselves. Before I show the photos I’ll just say, it’s an honor to be a part of this event and to showcase these kids and the organizations involved in making the day and the entire tournament a S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (See what I did there, hehe)

Galveston bound

Lauren had a conference to attend in Galveston on a Friday afternoon, sooo, we decided to capitalize on that and make a weekend of taking Maddie to the beach! While Lauren was at her conference, baby girl and I played it up at the beach, digging in the sand, and playing in the water.

Making games

Maddie was a little nervous about the water at first but I knew she’d love it if she’d just get her but in. Of course, being the papa, I am, I came up with a game. Run into the water when I was calm, and then run away from the waves so they don’t get you and don’t forgot to scream when running away. That game didn’t last as it was replaced by an even more fun game: stand and wait for the waves to smack you in the belly and face.

 

Enter Saturday Morning

Just our luck we decided to go to Galveston for a weekend that a crazy storm decided to hit. Our first full beach day on Saturday was very short lived as we got rained out 20 minutes in. We stayed as long we could even though it was cold, cloudy, and gray. I shot what I could of Lauren and Maddie and did a little post-processing magic to give the photos a little more life than what was originally captured, so yeah…

What we learned

Maddie loves the beach. And the fact that she loved it that much in the conditions we had means she will ‘Love the beach’ moving forward. We learned we will be going back to the beach’s quite often with this little one, and maybe this is how my pale skin gets some saturation!

We headed to Louisiana for an Easter weekend with the family.

Every time we head home to West Baton Rouge, we hit traffic around Lafayette. What’s up with that, universe? That being said, Maddie has been an amazing traveler the past few months. She can entertain herself with her books and toys for the entire 5-hour trip. But every now and then Lauren and I let her watch a movie if we’re in the car longer than expected. I caught this funny shot when she was watching the Lion King!

We felt bad waking her up to have to go play! But we had to do it because some eggs needed to be hunted. We woke her up, let her compose herself and headed out. It was packed when we arrived but Maddie had a blast finding the eggs and cracking them open to discover the goodies inside and playing with her cousins and eating snowballs… at night. That was a long sentence! Bedtime turned out to be an adventure.

Day Two: Easter Day

Pro Tip: The key to good parenting is to roll with your toddler and be prepared to not get what you and your significant want more than 15% of the time. Remember this, and you’ll be golden.

Nothing is easy with raising a toddler. THE WANT: We had a beautiful yellow dress for her to wear and wanted to get pictures of her with the family. THE REALITY: The dress didn’t stay on for long because it wasn’t as easy to climb EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, so it came off and shorts and a shirt took its place… or so mom and I thought… Recall that pro tip now.

Later that afternoon we headed to my grandparents to visit. They weren’t home when I got there so we decided to take Maddie to see that ‘big dirt hill’ (levee). I thought it would be fun and a good way for her to burn some of the limitless supply of toddler energy she has. She climbed about a 1/3 of the way, then I dad had to carry her the rest.

Pro Tip: Carrying your toddler up a 40ish degree incline is both a great workout for your arms and your legs. Breathe slowly and consistently and you’ll do great.

We played up top for a bit, then saw my grandparents come home, so we headed back to visit. My mom and dad arrived as soon as we got to the house too, so it turned into a party. We visited, she entertained my Maw Maw and Paw Paw (I’m southern, this is how we speak) and she wanted to go back up that hill. So, guess what happened. Yep, Dad carried her up the whole way this time. Workout 2 complete. I captured amazing memories up there the second time around.

When we came back down, I thought it’d be fun to put her in my dad’s 1973 Camaro. She had a ball behind the wheel and we were all tickled with how she acted. She was so excited and even mentioned “I want to drive up that hill” haha. We, of course, did not let her do that, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

After visiting, we headed back to my parents and finished out the weekend. All in all, it was a good trip with great memories. I love documenting our happenings with Maddie Moop.

Maddie is now an #OfficialTexan

It took two years, but Maddie Moop’s first Texas bluebonnets (#texasbluebonnets) session was a success. My wife and I have been wanting to take her since she was 7 months old, but life kept finding ways to get in the way, but this year that all changed! This season we both had some free time one late afternoon, 4 pm to be exact and we jumped on the opportunity and took baby girl to run around and see what happened.

 

Our princess (emotional wreck to tell the truth) got to see the wildflowers

Due to the time of day we went, the location was pretty sparse, so I had 15 minutes or so to capture Maddie at any angle I wanted to capture her. However, it was 4 pm and that basically means high noon this time of year in Texas, which also means, the light source isn’t exactly flattering. So, what do you do when the light isn’t quite right? Simple, you work with the situation you’re provided.

Give toddlers tasks in the form of ‘fun games’

By doing this, you can indirectly direct them thus placing them exactly where you need them to be for ‘a moment’. That moment is up to you as the photographer to capture because it’s gone almost as soon as it happens. You can try and play the game again, but in the toddler’s mind, the game gets old after playing a few times, so make the most of the moment and don’t miss! Easier said than done right?

Practice makes perfect.

This statement is true no matter what we’re trying to get better at. Remember this and keep shooting. That’s enough chatter for now, Here are some more pictures!

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?

The morning started out like any other Friday morning. My and Lauren’s alarms went off at 5:45 am, we groaned then turned them off. We both rolled over on each of our sides of the bed to get up… And then we… well, let me step back and actually tell the truth… Lauren rolled over and got out of bed.

At that moment, she noticed something was different about the day. It was a much colder today. She looked out our bedroom window and saw white through the dark and she yelled, “IT SNOWED!”

After she said that, I jumped up and took a look for myself. It was glorious. “Well we don’t have to go to work today,” she said. But we checked to be sure, and yes, we still had to go. Having to go to work didn’t get our moods down BUT it also didn’t stop us from taking Maddie out to experience the beautiful white fluffy blanket we rarely ever get here in the south.