Austin Wedding Photographer - Personal Blog

Goldie!

2009-11-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

1979 F150 - Gold

How exciting! Goldie is probably the best wedding anniversary gift ever! Our friend Larry put her on Facebook and asked people to place bids. A winner had already been declared when we saw the action, but we submitted a higher bid anyways - and we won!

First we had to get insurance. It was actually way more money than I thought it would be, but she is worth it! Then off to have her inspected. Amazingly she passed. I was pretty sure the lack of taillights would take her out of commission but apparently they didn't! Yea!

The only thing she still needs is registration (oops keep forgetting) and a vanilla-roma!

Fun fact about Goldie - my dear friend Nicole used her as the get away vehicle for her wedding!

Blog has moved...

2009-01-11T17:49:00.002-08:00

If you are reading this in your news feed please update your book mark to www.marysledd.com

Thanks

Cold

2008-12-04T04:03:00.001-08:00

I didn't get much rest last week and now I have a bit of a cold. This What the Duck really made me smile.

Granny

2008-11-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

Very sad news. My grandmother passed away yesterday. She had been very sick for a couple of weeks and it is a blessing that she is no longer in pain. I will miss her terribly. In the last year we got to talk on the phone almost every day. We had lots of inside jokes and laughed often. She loved sports, doing crosswords and spending time with her overweight Pomeranian, Bella, and parrot, Bird. I am endlessly thankful that she was able to attend my wedding and my life will never quite be the same again. Goodbye Granny. We love you.

Snap Jundgments

2008-11-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

There was a great piece about photojournalism on NPR this morning. Here is the description.

What are the rules that govern journalistic portrait photography? Wide-angle lenses, nonstandard lighting, shooting from below – they’re all fair game and frequently employed by photogs working for major publications. But what obligation is there to the subject? Bob searches for answers.

And a link to the story.

Holiday Cards!

2008-11-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

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This was a fun shoot! If only all of the kids I photograph were this well behaved. :) Also want to give props to the nanny, Andrea, who was a HUGE help in getting the kids to smile. She even wore a Micky Mouse hat and did a little dance for us.

Erin and Seth

2008-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Erin and Seth got married a few weeks ago in Driftwood! I could not have asked for a more easy going and relaxed couple. The BBQ was excellent. The cake was yummy. The bouquet was AMAZING! Great wedding. Thanks you two!

I'm married!

2008-10-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

It is official. We are married! I can safely say it was the best day of my life. I'll post more when we return from our honeymoon. Some of the photos are already on David Hill's blog.

Allie + Rusty

2008-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Must say this was one of those weddings that made me smile and think about how much I love my job. I don't have time to post more than a few, but here goes. I'll put up more later.

Pink Avocado

2008-10-02T13:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of photographing the grand opening event for the Palm Door, a new event venue in downtown Austin. The in house caterer, Pink Avocado, did the catering. Everything was very yummy!!! Good news because they will be catering my wedding in just a few short weeks. :)

ACL Photos Online Now

2008-09-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Check out Rollinstone.com to see my ACL photos.

ACL

2008-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm photographing ACL for Rolling Stone and having the time of my life! Festivals usually get me down because of the excessive walking, heat and rude security guards, but this festival has been going surprisingly well. I can't share any images yet, but my wonderful wedding photographer (and friend) David Hill sent me these today. I never realized just how large my cameras look until I see them in a photo or have someone else pointing one at me. :)

Michelle and Sean

2008-09-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

This was one of the prettiest weddings I've photographed this year. This was my first time to photograph at Natures Point and I was blown away! The food was yummy, the view was spectacular, the coordinator did a seamless job. I was very impressed.

Satya Rose

2008-09-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite little girl in the whole wide world. My little niece Satya. She is one year old, full of energy and she is my flower girl. :) Her hair makes me smile. It amazes me how much she looks like baby pictures of my mom and brother.

Celeste and Adalfo

2008-09-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

What a special wedding. :) Celeste and Adalfo are such a sweet couple. This was one of those weddings that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Also have to mention I love Mariachis. If any of my lovely readers are wanting to splurge on a wedding gift I can think of nothing I'd like more.

Cute Overload

2008-09-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Awww... this puppy was at last weeks wedding and I just couldn't get over how CUTE he was. He is a Westie. He was soft and so cute. :)

Princess Fun

2008-09-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

This was one of the funnest shoots I've done in a long time. It is so wonderful to watch kids grow.

Sweet Little People

2008-09-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Getting two little kids to pose together happily in the same photo is an art form I am still perfecting.

Tina Fey vs Sarah Palin

2008-09-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I know who I'm going to vote for. :)

Amanda and Matt

2008-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Best wedding so far this year. :) I cannot image a nicer couple! Matt and I went to college together so I was thrilled when he asked me to photograph his wedding in New Hampshire. Flying with gear is just about my least favorite thing in the world to do, but this wedding was totally worth it. The weather didn't cooperate - it hailed just hours before the wedding, but Amanda was cool as a cucumber. Gotta love a bride who can handle surprises. I'm not 100% sure what the back story is on the stuffed mice so don't ask.

New Hampshire

2008-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

I really liked New Hampshire. It reminds me of a ritzy version of Montana.

Garmin

2008-08-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

I gave in and purchased a Garmin today. I spend WAY too much time driving in my car lost. I'm sure it will come in very handy in my travels.

Name Change?

2008-08-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

create a free poll on pollsb.com

Studio Manager/Office Manager

2008-08-06T19:33:00.001-07:00

Seeking Office Manager (with possible Studio Assistant tasks, too)

Person must be:

punctual
reliable
VERY organized
atleast 2 years of office experience
reliable transportaton
trustworthy (since working within a home)
willing to stay in the position for 1 - 2 years
PC savy - Outlook, Word, Excel, Quickbooks is a PLUS but not necessary
MAC knowledge is a PLUS, but not necessary
Photoshop/Illustrator is a PLUS, but not necessary
Artistic background is desired...but, again...not necessary
Self motivated
Task oriented

If you think you would be a good fit please contact http://www.sparksstudio.com/

Austonian

2008-08-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

Oh. Look who gets to wear a hard hat to work! Yesterday I spent some time on the 10th floor of the Austonian. After an 7 floor ride in a hoist I climbed two flights of stairs and then a latter. I'm glad I spent so much time on a farm as a kid climbing things while holding things. Nothing like having two cameras and a camera bag and trying to climb a latter. :) I was very impressed by how safe the job site looked. The view from the 10th floor is also very nice.

Zach Plague - Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring

2008-07-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

My dear college friends Zach and Ryan are on a book tour with Zach's new book Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring. They had a great reading at Book People on Monday night. It was fun to hear all of the readings by guest readers as well. Particularly Ryan's story about vampires. I highly recommend checking out Zach's publishing company Feather Proof Books. It's fun to see how successful my old friends are becoming. Oh... also of note the photo on the front of the Boring boring boring boring boring book is by yours truly. :)

Cake

2008-07-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

I baked a cake on Saturday. It isn't much to look at, but it was YUMMY! I'm going to pick up a wire rack, batter spatula and some parchment paper before my next cake.

Jen and Harmon

2008-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Clarrissa and Brad

2008-07-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

This wedding week before last in San Antonio was lovely. It was surprisingly nice outside for late June. Clarrissa wins for having the most monogrammed things at a wedding, ever. :)

Jessica and Jay

2008-07-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking too much about my wedding and not blogging enough! Jessica and Jay got married at the Wild Flower Center in April. They had a lovely wedding. The weather was perfect. Clink did a great job keeping the event running smoothly. And I have to say Jessica has been very helpful in responding to my many wedding planning email. :)

Engagement Photos

2008-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Portrait photographer Matt Lankes did our engagement photos a few weeks ago. We are very happy with them. We wanted something a little different than the typical engagement photo so we had them done on the evening of the AMOA's art ball. We are still waiting for the negative scans of the 4x5 photos which should be VERY COOL.

Melissa and Patrick

2008-07-03T08:54:00.001-07:00

Another Mercury Hall wedding. Melissa might be the most creative bride I've ever had. She did a great job transforming the space. Her wedding was an inspiration for mine. :) The details were very thought out and all went well together. Another great part of her wedding was the fountain provided by Chocolate Dreams. Mmmm... chocolate. What a great wedding! Thank you for having me as your photographer.

Alejandro Escovedo

2008-06-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few outtakes from a recent shoot at Birds Barbershop. These were for Austin Music and Entertainment magazine.

4843 Days and 22 Hours

2008-06-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well... it looks the file transfer I'm attempting is going to take 13 years, 3 months and 25 days. That just won't do.

Cute Overload!

2008-06-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with underwater photography. I spent a whole summer a few years back doing exclusively underwater portraits. That was back in they days of film with my Nikon Nikonas V. These are done with... oh wait. I'm not going to reveal my secrets. :) Please let me know if you want to schedule an underwater session. The session is free and prints are available for purchase.

K, Z + One

2008-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

From the Statesman

2008-06-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Art Ball at the Long Center

By Michael Barnes | Sunday, June 8, 2008, 11:02 AM

One guest leaned in to whisper: “I said this all along: The lobby is too small.” My reply: “That was deliberate. And I’m sure the planners would stick by their decision today.”

Faced with a devastating bust just when they were making fundraising headway in the first years of this century, the backers of the Long Center for the Performing Arts were forced to make some hard choices. They delayed a planned mid-size auditorium (a prescient decision, given the early parking problems and race to fill the Dell Hall’s calendar with books-balancing touring shows) and a rehearsal facility (the ballet and opera already operate dedicated spaces, so that leaves the symphony without a first-class place to rehearse).

And, besides scrapping an overly ambitious Skidmore Owings and Merrill design, they opted for the “indoor-outdoor” approach to a grand lobby. Most new performing arts centers apply more space to their lobbies than to the stage and auditorium combined, but the Long Center’s seers understood that a plaza defined by the old Palmer ring would make an irresistible magnet for intermissioners and partiers, especially if, as at Austin Museum of Art’s Art Ball on Friday, one staged special acts like light shows out there, and you kept the patrons well refreshed with food and/or drink.

So while the initial silent auction and cocktail gathering felt a bit crowded inside the first floor lobby, there was the donor lounge upstairs for dining and the plaza for everything else. It’s a social hit. We spoke at some length with AMOA’s new development director, Tom Jackson, just in from Reno, who seemed to understand the challenges and rewards ahead of his organization as they raise money for a downtown museum, that, like the Long Center is fiscally responsible and can be expanded in stages.

Jay Menna and event chairwoman Collen Cole

AMOA’s Director of Marketing & Public Relations Shilpa Bakre with Jon Hamlin

Mary Sledd, Scott Owens

Robin Bagley, Elisa Botello

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Arts, Out

The Triangle Lofts

2008-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

I recently did a project for the Lofts at the Triangle in Austin. It was really great to see lots of my favorite West Elm furniture in the flesh. :) The designers did a great job with the unit. I rented a tilt shift lens to work the perspectives. It was pretty neat.

Megan and Bill

2008-06-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

These two win for being one of the sweetest couples I have EVER worked with. They got married last month at their wedding at the Salt Lick's Mansion. The weather was perfect! Everyone was very nice. The food was yummy. Overall a wonderful wedding!

October 25, 2008

2008-06-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Is my wedding date! My venue is booked. My photographers are booked. The only things I need now are a caterer, some decorations, invites, two rings, an officiant, some booze, a get away vehicle, and a dress. I'm sure I left some stuff off the list. Luckily I have another 5 months to get this planned. Yea for getting married!

I must admit I have a new understanding of this whole wedding business. :)

News Flash

2008-05-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

Mary and Scott are getting married! He asked me last night. I could not be any happier. I am marrying the sweetest most wonderful person I have ever met. We are going to (already do) have an AMAZING life together. To answer the questions everyone has asked - we do not have a date set and the proposal was very romantic. :)

WTD

2008-05-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Beth's Bridal

2008-05-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks Beth! You did a great job. It was fun tromping around SOCO with you and David. Have a great wedding!!! See you at the do512. :)

Austin Chamber

2008-05-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

I really like how these folders for the Austin Chamber turned out. I took the photo myself. :) Nothing more exciting than being on top of a very tall building with the wind blowing.

Jenna Bush Wedding Photos

2008-05-11T20:35:00.001-07:00

Ok. I've been wondering for months who the lucky photographer would be was chosen to photograph the first daughters wedding. I'm not sure who did the photography, but it is pretty disappointing. I'm guessing it was one of the official "White House" photographers. If you photographed the wedding and you are one of my photo pals sorry for the insult. Maybe it was the press persons editing not your photography... Btw I did like that half the formals were from the second photographer position.

Sign of the times?

2008-05-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for getting in touch with me. We have decided not to use a photographer to cut back on cost.

My Logo.

2008-05-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

I love my logo. I "borrowed" it from my mom's nursery. Today I learned something very neat about the logo. My dad designed it. This was a very sweet surprise for me because my dad died 23 years ago. It makes me very happy to have this new connection to him.

WTF?

2008-05-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Note invoice date vs payment date.

Jessica and Jay - Rehearsal

2008-05-01T11:59:00.001-07:00

This lovely couple from New York flew in for a whirl wind weekend destination wedding! I love doing destination - AUSTIN - weddings. Driving home in the rain storm after this party was TERRIFYING! Such is life.

Happy Birthday Wille!

2008-04-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yea. It's Willie Nelson's birthday. To celebrate I'm posting a funny photo of me in Luck, Texas. I think my pal Nakia took the photo, but I'm not really sure...

2008-04-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we went long boarding with the dogs. Long boarding is so fun! Mush Disco Mush.

Iron Man at the Alamo Draft House

2008-04-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ok. This might just be one of the coolest "jobs" I've ever photographed. When Zack at the Alamo asked me last week if I would photograph a flying Iron Man in front of the theater I agreed, but I had no idea it would be A FLYING IRON MAN IN FRONT OF THE THEATER! Wow. It was really loud and happened really fast. His jet pack only has enough fuel for thirty seconds. Did I mention it was really loud?

Lab

2008-04-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

This one is for you Allison.

Dog Photography

2008-04-27T11:02:00.001-07:00

do512happyhour-22
Originally uploaded by SleddPhotography

One of these days I'd like to become a professional dog photographer. Photographing dogs makes me happy.

Yummers

2008-04-27T11:00:00.001-07:00

do512happyhour-19
Originally uploaded by SleddPhotography

Fun times on the home front. :)

Adrienne and Jim

2008-04-24T08:41:00.001-07:00

What a BEAUTIFUL day for a wonderful couple to get married. Adrienne found me through her mother's hair dresser in Dallas. Funny how these things work out! The wedding was held at my favorite venue - Mayfield Park. If I ever get married I think I might choose that location. It is very pretty and only costs a few hundred dollars. Wow.

I'm not the Attorney General

2008-04-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Please note that my office is not the Attorney Gerneral's office. My studio telephone number is one digit off from the AG office. I would love to help you with your problems, but you have dialed the wrong number. I get at least 3 calls a day for the AG office. In an attempt to be more helpful I've learned to say "wrong number" in spanish and I can stumble through the right number.

Free Bridal Portraits

2008-04-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ok. Another request for the universe. One of my aspiring photographer friends needs to photograph a bride to be (or has been) in her wedding gown in the photo studio at ACC. Shouldn't take more than an hour. Anyone interested?

Future Surfer

2008-04-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Oh... kids are so cute when they are little.

Never mind previous post...

2008-04-21T09:45:00.001-07:00

I found someone. Thanks!!!

Need Photo Asssistant for Tomorrow

2008-04-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

My lighting assistant is out of town and I need some help on a shoot tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. No need to know how everything works just be ready to take direction. Should be pretty fun...

Mary

Fetch

2008-04-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Fun with a ring flash.

New Portraits...

2008-04-18T12:50:00.001-07:00

I liked this one.

Triangle Park

2008-04-17T17:13:00.001-07:00

More photos from Triangle park. I'm WAY behind on blogging and don't think I'll really have time to go back and blog things that got missed. Sorry friends! I've been working so crazy hours lately to get everyones work out in tip top shape and on time. Yipee.

Jennifer and Dan

2008-04-08T07:40:00.001-07:00

I know it looks like a hog trap, but it's actually a trellis. That way. Take it that way. :)

Lovely wedding. Perfect weather! Best of luck you two.

Cobra Snake

2008-04-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

Oh fun. My photo pal Mark Hunter aka The Cobra Snake was featured in this months issue of PDN. Way to go! I thought these were funny. The top one is a photo is of Mary Sledd by The Cobra Snake. I'm showing him my bike shorts that say "bling bling". The bottom is a photo of The Cobra Snake by Mary Sledd.

On the beach...

2008-04-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Ok. I still haven't edited my photos from my trip to Costa Rica. I'm going to try to get it done soon. Here is one I really liked. : )

Kim's Bridal

2008-04-03T10:35:00.003-07:00

Austin TX Bridal portrait at the Broken Spoke. Fun. Thanks to my lovely assistant Evan for all of his help! If you are a photographer in need of an extra set of hands he does a great job.

Olivia's Bridal

2008-04-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oh. Spring is here. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. I'm scurrying to reschedule photo shoots that get canceled because of rain and more rain and more rain.

School Daze

2008-04-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had a great time photographing at a catholic school. The photos are for the schools upcoming media campaign. It was fun to go into all of the classrooms and see what the kids were up to. I'd forgotten how tiny 1st graders are and how much cooler 8th graders are than anyone else, ever. I enjoy photographing children for editorial and commercial projects and hope to find more of this type of work in the near future.

Another hard hat.

2008-04-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ok. I know I haven't been blogging much. I've been working on TONS of projects but many of them are not things I can put on my blog before they are published. I'm planning on going back and finding all the fun stuff that hasn't been blogged yet sometime in the near future... Oh look. It's me in a hard hat, again. Being a photographer is dangerous work.

Photo by Evan Prince

Just another day on the job...

2008-03-26T11:30:00.001-07:00

I had a fun adventure yesterday. I flew to Marion Ohio with only a few hours notice to photograph a steel mill. The photos from the shoot are amazing, but I can't share them on the blog. I can however share this one I had taken for my mom. :)

Glossy strikes again!

2008-03-20T19:54:00.001-07:00

I really liked the piece that ran in Glossy this month about my very good friends the Stewart family. They even got a photo of little Miss Sydney, my favorite baby, in the article. Yipee!!!

PS Congrats Jake Holt. Your photos look awesome as ever. Funny that they gave me honorable mention. I was just a guest with a camera. :)

Black Angels - Austin Music Cover

2008-03-18T13:48:00.001-07:00

My Black Angels photo is on the cover of this months Austin Music and Entertainment magazine.

Rolling Stone - Yipee!

2008-03-14T17:03:00.001-07:00

I have lots of SXSW photos to upload, but have not had any time.

Fun news... Rolling Stone is going to print some of my SXSW photo in the magazine. Whoop whoop.

SXSW - March 8

2008-03-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Look look it's Doogie Howser. Oh and look look it's Helen Hunt. :) This year IMO has not been as fun as previous years. There are WAY to many people! The super star to average Joe ration is far more slanted to the average category this year... Oh well.

Mary Sledd ranked in Top 100 Wedding Photojouralists in the WORLD

2008-03-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hip Hip HOORAY!!! The WPJA (arguably the most prestigious wedding photographer association internationally) just released the list of top 100 wedding photojournalists in the world and I ranked #75. Wow! I'm so excited. The list reads like a Who's Who of wedding photographers. Heartfelt congrats to two other central Texas photographers who made the list Jake Holt and Bill McCullough.

Do512.com Interactive Party

2008-03-08T06:53:00.001-08:00

Last night was the Do512.com interactive party at Club Deville. I had a blast! Torchys provided tasty treats. The DJ's, DJ Thibault and Tuner Control were great. Also want to thank all of the other great sponsors. If you want to see more photos from the party or download files/ make 25 cent prints HERE is a link.

DO512 is an online entertainment guide for all the cool happenin's around Austin. Do512 also provides digital media tools and marketing solutions for event promoters, venues, bands, ticket agencies and more.

VM FOUNDRY is an international digital media consultancy that creates and promotes leading edge websites campaigns & promotions.

PLUCK Powering social media for publishers, retailers, and brands.

ROZONE PRODUCTIONS is a Texas-based concert production and promotion business that brings experience and innovation into every facet of pre-and post production. Rozone will be featuring "Versa-tubes" at this event--the new industry standard in hi-end lighting and video.

2008-03-05T14:56:00.001-08:00

Willie Nelson played the rodeo! It was AWESOME!!! We had so much fun. I went with Scott, my mom and Steve. We even went up to the Founders Club to see the grumpy rich people. :)

2008-03-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

Party at the compound!!! There is going to be a HUGE party at the studio. :) Please RSVP if you plan on attending.

Sydney's first day at work.

2008-02-27T12:04:00.001-08:00

AWWW!!! No big deal. Just a portrait with a newborn and dog all looking awesome! Can you believe how great Skyler looks? She is already back to her pre-baby weight. WOW!!! I'd be happy if I could loose my freshman 15... or my post college 30. Anyways. I know y'all are probobly getting sick of Sydney photos but this one was just too sweet not to share.

Kristen and Rich

2008-02-27T11:56:00.001-08:00

This was a great wedding. If only they could all be this easy. The families were wonderful. They have great friends. Kristin is incredibly creative and did an amazing job of choosing details. My only complaint was that it went by too fast. :)

Meet Cash!

2008-02-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

Another new born! This little fella is less than a week old. :) I'm amazed by how TINY newborns are in the first week. Sounds silly to say but they are MUCH smaller than other babies. Hard to explain unless you see one close up. Cash is the current winner of cutest baby room I've ever seen. His parents have amazing taste. It will be fun to watch him grow up.

Portrait Display

2008-02-18T13:29:00.001-08:00

Ok, I admit that I'm avoiding my actual work to play with some new portrait design software. :) Check out this one I made from photos of new baby Sydney. Pretty cool.

Watch out World!!!

2008-02-18T13:12:00.001-08:00

syndey1week-74
Originally uploaded by SleddPhotography

Here she is!!! Miss Sydney Stewart. Yipee!!!!

Skyler, Jimmy and the Bump

2008-02-15T06:01:00.000-08:00

Ok. I should have posted these before the baby was born. :) I didn't know she'd be a week early. I'm hoping to swing by the house and photograph the new little one today. Yipee.

Shoot Sac - reviewed

2008-02-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

Bleck. What a bad camera bag concept. In addition to being extremely uncomfortable (it has no padding for the shoulder) it is VERY expensive (more than $200). I tried out Jessica Clair's camera bag, the Shoot Sac, a couple of times over the last few months and have been very disappointed. I've only taken mine on about 5 photo shoots and it is already falling apart. The lens pockets are not large enough for most of big L lenses. The bag has no sipping pockets to keep CF cards safe. The covers which are pretty cute but cost $50+. Seems like I could just sew one for umm... about $5. If you are a pro photographer or aspiring pro photographer I would recommend steering clear of this bag.

I'll be back...

2008-02-03T17:05:00.001-08:00

In mid February. See you then. :)

Portraiture - Module 1

2008-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

This is my first assignment for school. I'll try and remember to post things here as well as to my classes.

The class requires that we pick a genre of portraiture that we want to study and produce images to correspond with what we are learning. Not surprisingly I've picked documentary portraiture with an emphasis on photo illustration (person + environment = wow) for editorial as my focus.

The photo I'm turning in for the class is actually from a lighting test, but it does a nice job of illustrating a person in an environment. I'm also going to turn in one photo from the archive because it represents the direction I want to go in.

Andrew C.

2008-01-31T07:00:00.001-08:00

Andrew is a musician. I photographed him earlier this week for his new promo material. It was great working with someone who had some defineate ideas about he wanted to look. :)

Grad School - MFA

2008-01-28T12:15:00.002-08:00

I bit the bullet. I'm going back to school to get an MFA in photography. I'm taking one class this semester to see how it goes. Wow. I'm so excited its to the point of silliness. I never thought I'd go back to school, but I'm really happy with this decision. :)

Satya

2008-01-28T12:15:00.001-08:00

RocketRascals1
Originally uploaded by juliet.c_morgan

Just had to share this photo! Satya is getting so big, and dressing so stylishly.

Evan + Dogs = Funny

2008-01-26T08:29:00.001-08:00

Evan is one of my favorite assistants for working on location. For some reason he keeps getting stuck with the job of dog wrangler. :)

Mustache Mafia

2008-01-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... Disco and I feel left out. We are the only ones around here with out handsome 'staches.

Jingle Ball

2008-01-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

The famed Jingle Ball was this weekend. This annual event is always a Who's Who of Austin movers and shakers. Our politicking friend Andy Brown is on "The Committee" so we got an invite. :) It was great to be a guest and not "the photographer". The Nash Hernandez Orchestra kept the crowd entertained. Notable guests included style avatar Stephen Moser, lobbyist extraordinair Lawrence Collins, Do512 founders Jimmy Stewart and Scott Owens, and MANY MANY others.

SXSW is coming!!!

2008-01-17T15:52:00.001-08:00

Iggy276
Originally uploaded by SleddPhotography

The magazine requests for SXSW are pouring in. Today I heard from teenVOUGE and PLANETmagazine. Looks like I'll have some photos in some big magazines so watch the March newstands. Yipee!

Super Fun Print Pricing

2008-01-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to announce I'm changing my print pricing for 2008 weddings. The new prices are "at cost" to encourage guests to make as many prints as their hearts desire. :)

The inspiration for the change is the amount of fun I've had ordering prints of my little niece who lives in Seattle. I've loved being able to order all of the photos her mom posts and having the bill only be a few dollars plus shipping.

Professional photographers are encouraged to mark up print prices because it adds to perceived value of the services. (read this) I'm not buying into that strategy anymore!!! All of my brides own their digital negatives so their is nothing stopping them from posting all of the images in an online gallery for friends to order. I'm making it so they don't have to go through the trouble! This does mean I'm giving up a couple of thousand dollars of print profits annually, but I'd rather have my photos in the hands of potential future customers.

What's funny is my boyfriend has been telling me to do this for 2 years. Babbling on about scarcity and abundance and how the internet changes the economics of such things (here's an article he sent me that tells part of the story), but i haven't really listened until now. :)

Okkervil River

2008-01-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I photographed Okkervil yesterday at the recording studio. The photos are for the cover of an Australian music magazine. Fun! The band wanted 4 different looks in less than an hour. We used Elinchrom Rangers, Visateks and 580ex for the light.

The Studio

2008-01-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Austin Bridal Extravaganza

2008-01-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's almost that time of year again! The Bridal Extravaganza is just around the corner. I'll be there sporting some new prints and books so please stop by and say hello if you are at the show. Do512 is giving away a handful of free tix so be sure to sign up for those if you want to save $12.