The Journey Begins

Welcome to Ted Parker Jr’s Blog

Starting this has been on my mind for…. years.  So many throughout my life have told me I need to write these things down, I need to write a book; I need to share in a blog.  When asked to speak publically or counsel privately, the feedback is; you need to share this.   

But when to find the time!  I am a self-employed professional photographer.  I live in Austin where I have an incredible family – My beautiful wife and I have been married for 21 years and live with 2 amazing daughters – a freshman in college and a junior in high school.  We have an awesome dog, our Vizsla, Bodie, who is the baby in our family.  I am a runner and love fitness.  6 days a week I make time to run, cross train, or hit the weights.

Like you, my plate is full.  So, I’ve decided, like everything in life, I have to make time. 

The time and talents given to me I love to use to help others.  Everything is a gift from our creator, including all of life’s experiences and the perspective or wisdom that comes from life!  My life, so far, has been a wonderful, crazy, eclectic life (you should see my resume!).  Like so many of us in life, I’ve survived a lot, had some really tough battles including abuse in my childhood and cancer four years ago.  God doesn’t want us to waste a hurt without using it to help someone else.  If I‘ve been though it, at the very least, I understand and can certainly offer an understanding ear. 

As a photographer, I tell a story through images.  My simple rule; It’s not about me.  I don’t take a photo; I borrow it.  I love people, music, nature; all, beautiful gifts from God.  Through photos, I love to tell a story.  I am compelled to magnify all the beauty all around is; the unusual and the everyday.  It’s everywhere!  

If the stars came out only once a year, we would all line up our chairs and stay up all night to watch the show.  Because it’s every day, we can forget how incredible it all is.  And not just nature – a sunset, the ocean, a forest, it’s in people, relationships, life.  Life is a gift and there are gifts all around, every day.  When I capture beauty that shows someone or reminds them of the beauty in their life, it’s everything.

The gifts everywhere point to the giver.  

So here is my First Post –

I am a classically trained pianist.  I started piano lessons when I was eight.  I begged my teacher, who taught my older brother when I was six, to let me play too!  She made me wait.  I played through high school and college and then professionally after college for two years and through graduate school to pay for grad school in Television and Film.  

So I played piano and sang in a band in high school.  We covered “Eagles” “America” “Dan Fogelberg” “Doobie Brothers.”   When I was a senior, we had a concert for my high school during a morning period in the school theater.  We rocked this concert for 50 minutes.  

After our performance, the band came down front and all of our friends and classmates mobbed us telling us how great we were.  

(Side-note – Richard Marx also attended my high school.  He was a Freshman when I was a senior and little Richard Marx approached me after our concert.  He said, “That was awesome!  I’m into music too.”  I remember somewhat blowing him off with “Great!” but thinking, “Oh, that’s nice little Freshman.”  Rip!)  

So these friends and classmates are giving us high fives and I see out of the corner of my eye our high school drama teacher, Carol Radloff watching me, like she had something to say.  I asked, “Hey, Mrs. Radloff!  Did you enjoy the show?”  This is what she said: 

“It was good, but too long.  Next time, make it shorter.”  She shut me down.  Here is the kicker:

“You want people to want more… not less.”  

And that was it.  I’ve never forgotten her advice.  It applies to so many things in life!  Less is more in so many things and in so many circumstances.  Here are just a few to spark your own – 

Performances (especially high school rock band concerts)

Presentations

Conversations

Food 

Exercise

To-do lists

Busyness

Saying yes

Sweets

Material Possessions – stuff

Debt

Ingredients in your food

Makeup

Editing photos

Writing…. Blogs!

 

Less is more.  Leave people wanting more, not less.  Thank you, Carol Radloff.  

I hope to leave my readers always wanting more, not less in this blog.

“Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” — David Alan Harvey