Hey gang, Recently, I was contacted about a print sale of a musical hero. After recalling the story behind the images, I thought I'd share the story with the class.

In April 2006, Meghann and I attended MerleFest, one of the nation's premiere acoustic/bluegrass/americana music festivals. At the time, I managed a bluegrass guitar Pat Flynn (of New Grass Revival fame), so we had all access passes, securing our place on the main stage's side wings anytime. We caught the Jerry Douglas Band performance, and Jerry gave me a 12-second photographic gift that I'll never forget.

Jerry Douglas is a world-class dobro player (btw...the dobro is essentially an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator that is played flat with a slide; think blues and twang instead of strumming), and part of the hot band Alison Krauss & Union Station. For this festival, Jerry's own band, a collection of top acoustic players, performed killer instrumentals to the 82,000+ crowd. Yes, folks, 82,000+ people. During the set, I'm backstage on the stage right wing with my humongo lens pointed at Jerry, waiting for just the right moment to make the capture.

While playing to the huge crowd, Jerry glances over his right shoulder and stares down the barrel of my lens (left side of image above). NOW is the time, and I start firing! He then turns to face me for a photographic gift of a lifetime. For a mere 12-seconds, he played for my lens (middle of image above) and turned back to the crowd with a big rock star grin (right side of image above). Fun times. Just wanted to share. That was a great show, and a great 12-second photo gift from a master musician. Do yourself a huge favor: catch one his shows if he's playing your area. Cheers. -gregory byerline

Yes, I'll admit to being an American Idol fan ... especially this year when the talent pool was deeper across the board.

Early on, Meghann and I leaned heavily toward David Archuleta. His consistency, his clean and clear voice, his innocence, his humility all rolled into the allusive "IT" factor.

Mid-season, David Cook started to bring it. His rocker personality, his killer voice, his poise, and his professionalism. Meghann stayed with David Archuleta. My loyalty moved to David Cook.

Monday, I started to rethink my stance and concluded that the new American Idol would be decided on the final night of competition. Based on those performances, I conceded that David Archuleta would be crowned the winner. Much to my shock and awe moments ago, David Cook is the new American Idol. I'm excited for him. I'm also excited for David Archuleta. Both deserve the top spot, yet a resounding 12 million votes separated the two.

While the audition rounds and mockery showcase early on annoy me to no end, I'm an American Idol fan, and a big fan after this season's line-up. Looking forward to hearing records from David Cook and David Archuleta as well as Brooke White and Jason Castro. What an entertainment phenomenon this series has become. Did your favorite contestant win? Comment and Lemmeno. Cheers. -gregory byerline

Next time you're in the mall, pop into Underground Station and look for a 30" x 40" sign that looks a lot like this one.

OK, it will look exactly like this one. I had a great time making these location shots at one of Nashville's swankiest night clubs. Fun times. Cheers. -gregory byerline

Last week, we had the privilege of seeing Jack Stowe and his parents during Jack's newborn shoot that is part of our Baby's First Year package. Here's a short slideshow of several selects from the session: Later this summer, we'll post images from Jack's 3-month session. Stay tuned. -gregory byerline