Lost Photos

I'm putting together a new portfolio so I'm looking at ALL the files on my computer. Here are some winners I found ...

Quitting the Day Job

This post is long overdue. As many of you already know I quit my day job at the nursery a month ago. I was only working 3 or 4 days a week, but it gave my life much needed structure. My mom has been hinting that I need to start doing my photo thing more seriously, and the nursery only really needs me for bookkeeping(2 hours on Sundays). So I did it. I left the job I've loved for 8 years to try and do my own thing.

This month has not been what I expected. I've had some big sucesses - the shoots for Lakewood, Arthouse and The Fall guys all went well. I now have seperate accounts for the company and myself. I purchased some awsome photo business software that has made me much more organized and I got the lens I've been wanting for ages.

Overall I'm pleased but there are some disappointments - I still don't have new business cards, a website, or any firm structure to my company. I only have one shoot booked for next week. I'm waiting on so many checks that I won't be able to pay off my credit card in full for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. Its not all that bad though cause it has 0% interest.

Before when I wanted something photo related I'd just buy it. Now I look at the nubmers and decide if it will help the company make money or if it is an unneeded expense. Very responsible.

I hope, with all that is in me, this company works. I've wanted to be a photographer since the 10th grade but was always too afraid to pursue it seriously because I thought failing would be worse than never trying. Mom convinced me that this is what i have to do! So hopefully it will work.

And if y'all know ANYONE who needs photo stuff in town PLEASE reccomend me. Its my main source of advertising and I really need to find more work if this is going to work.

On a side note - i've taken a two day job at a gaming convention photographing programmers with an inflatable gorilla. But it pays well so why not.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

Canon 5 d

Awsome. Pre-ordered my canon 5 d today. Can't wait to get it. Will be here in mid-October.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=11933

The new Canon EOS 5D offers advanced photographers a lightweight, robust digital SLR that uses Canon's superlative EF lenses without a conversion factor. Its full-frame 12.8 Megapixel CMOS sensor combines with Canon's DIGIC II Image Processor, a high-precision 9-point AF system with 6 assist points, and "Picture Style" color control to deliver images of superior quality with enough resolution for any application. With its wide-angle capabilities, 2.5 inch LCD and magnesium-alloy body, the 5D is the perfect addition to the Digital EOS line.

Bangs

I now have the cutest hair cut ever with bangs!!! From now on I cut my own hair, but I'm still going to leave the color to the pros. Some things shouldn't be done at home.

Yea Macs

Another little portrait from a shoot last week. The ad director for this shoot, Evan, is awsome. I just love this rug that he picked out. He also had a really helpful view book with samples of exactly what he wanted. If only everyone I work for could be so helpful.

I was trying to get this young lady, sarah, to kick her foot fast enough so there would be a motion blur, but my shutter speed was too fast.

Gotta love the 85mm 1.2 lens. Nothing could be clearer!!! If only it weren't just sitting on my credit card waiting for checks to come in I'd be a lot happier.

Recent Portrait

I liked this one.

Fall Guys

Did some photos for an album cover today. It was pretty cool. One of the props was a beautiful 1954 Corvette! YUMMY. I really like this photo. I'm going to use this technique for the chronicle soon. Just have to wait for the right assignment.

assisting

i haven't assisted anyone in years!!! at least three but the other day cambria asked me if i'd help her with some light stuff so i did. shes only worked with ambient so i had to do all the heavy thinkign. she sent me some shots and i must say my lighting looks excellent .... and ok maybe she did a really good job too!

American Analog Set

This is a rough draft.

factory people

oh geepers. i keep forgetting to send people invoices. now that i have money in the bank i'm not so good at sending people statements the day after i do the work. factory people owes me at least $500 at this point and i've got a bunch of other people with similar and smaller jobs that I haven't billed yet. its just hard to want to work as hard when you have money in the bank.

getting ready

I'm going to photograph American Analog Set. A possible cover for the Austin Chrnoicle and a very likely candidate for Rollingstone sometime down the road. I'm nurvous. I'm having flashbacks to the DISASTEROUS shoot of Okkervil River done a few months ago with a similar theme.

Looks like it might rain. Not sure what I"m going to do if it does. This shot can't very well be done inside. Guess we could go to the nursery or something. Yikes.

The idea for the shoot is to surround the guys with equipment and then bound there hands with reel to reel tape. If we don't get rained on and not too much of the surrounding yard is visible it could look VERY cool. My new friend Cambria is going to help me with the lights. I should really pick up some sand bags on my way to the shoot. Wonder if I will have time.

the killers

i have poison ivy on my stomach, knee, leg, and neck.

photographed the killers tonight.

got another new lens. this one is for doing portraits in the dark. i'm amazed by how fast it is and by how acurate the color temperature is.

decided i'm going to put together and send a portfolio to rollingstone and spin. i've been looking at them and the photos are no better than mine. figure i have nothing to loose.

Cat Photos

Y'all will be happy to know i'm putting my photographic genius to work. I spent the evening photographing a couple of cats. They are lovely cats and no doubt the apple of thier owners eye, but my they were a pain to photograph!!! they didn't want to be still. i got this shot which is decent of one of the cats, although i don't think the owner will like it because she just loves the cats tail, which isn't in this photo. rrrg. but anywas. here it is. one cat portrait. that will be $200.

Abi's photo of Mary

Abi took this photo last week and I keep forgeting to put it online. it makes me look a bit naked, but i can think of worse things. my silly blog thing won't let me use the return key so i'm going to have another runnon entry with one long confusing paragraph. Got hired today to do another shoot for arthouse. i'm amazed how the jobs are just rolling in. I feel like I'm learning as I go.

Faking It Con't

So I sent the letter from Lisa at RDF onto the folks at Discovery and got this reply

Thank you for contacting TLC. We appreciate your interest in our
programming.

Typically, once a program is filmed, it takes six months to a year to
finish the post-production process. Therefore, programs are not
immediately scheduled to be televised. Our databases do not contain any
program information until programs are actually scheduled. If you are
interested, please contact us again in a few months and we will be happy to
search for the program again. Until the program is aired you may not be
able to receive a copy of it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause.

For more information about Discovery Networks' schedules and programming,
check our website at www.discovery.com.

A reply to this message is not necessary. If you have any further
inquiries or comments, please contact us via our webform at
http://extweb.discovery.com/ViewerRelations. Thank you again for
expressing your interest in our programming.

Sincerely,
Trenai
Viewer Relations
Discovery Networks

rrrggggg!!!! This makes it sound like the show isn't finished. I know its finished because Lisa said it is. I'm going to give them another few months before i start sending notes everyday.

Faking It

Such a shame. I took down this content. If you have any questions about what was here please send me an email ... I'll give you the 10 second version.

This was a post about how long it took for me to get the tape.

Martini??

I'm in a bit of a bad mood. My photo shoot today didn't go as well as I had hoped.

The location was changed at the last minute from a very cool old bar to a music store. The music store recently expanded and has an ambiance that resembles a school cafateria at best. If that wasn't enough to deal with the piano (the subject of the photo) was supposed to be photographed with one person (I was thinking of doing something like corgliano's photo) but instead I had to photograph 7 people with the piano. And not good looking people mind you - geezers.

If all of this wasn't enough to deal with there were two other photographers shooting the same scene - one of whom had lights that were in the way at the very very least. I realise now I went about the photo all wrong. What I should have done was showcased the ugliness of the store and how the other photographers lights were in the way. A photo with him trying to get his photo could have been cool. oh well.

Dexters bath

Well. The cat was filthy when I got home. Sometimes he gets a bit dirty, but this was on the verge of being comedic. I think he did it to rebel.

I gave him a bath. I used the fancy Modern Organic Products on him. That stuff is expensive, but it doesn't smell so great on a wet cat. It sure did make him soft though. Dex was a good sport about it. He only yowled a few times, and didn't try to bite or scrathc me. He liked the scrubbing part and the being under the faucet. He didn't like being dried with the towel. Maybe I was too vigerious.

My big CRUSH

Ok ok. I have a huge silly crush on a boy. His name is Richard Parry. Mmm... He has red hair and likes gourmet vegitarian food. *sigh* I've had my eye on him for about 6 months now, and now that I've met him face to face I'm in full crush mode. Too bad he lives soooo far away from the old ATX . Oh. And he's in a band, and I NEVER date guys in bands. They are always gone and I know they misbehave. (I'm a rock photographer. I've seen it with mine own eyes.)

Lollapalooza

Guess I should post a photo from the music stuff. So here's one of the very old but still lively billy idol.

Lolla...

It's been a long weekend of photographing rock stars. *sigh* Yesturday it was 104 degrees in chicago. Thats hot anywhere but add 50 thousand people to the equation and a 40 pound camera bag. I just decided to think about it like i was doing bikram yoga and all the sweating as being really good for me. I feel really good today, suprisingly. This weekend has been the first time I've gotten much excersice in a long time.

i'm making two resolutions before i go home. one is to get in shape. i'm going to start swimming and doing crunches - i've developed a minor beer belly - the other is to get an all access pass to Austin City Limits. My plan is to send a portfolio later in the week to the group putting the show on. If I were all access it would make it much easier to get stuff in Rolling Stone and Spin.

Houston

Flew to Houston to scout a shoot yesterday. Had a very nice time. Got to have lunch with my dear friend miss Catherine Price. I was elated to hear she has started a line of clothes for fat little girls aged 7-12 available on the internet. The inspiration behind the company is to prevent little girls from "looking like a tent".
My new friend Evan took this photo. He is the creative director for the project in Houston. I was surprised by how kind and chivalrous he is. My guy friends here should take a hint! Also of note. I met Joel Osteen - arguable one of the most well know pastors of our time - or so I've been told. What struck me most about him is 1 - he is not a tall man 2 - his "wife" does not wear a wedding ring 3 - i think he gets carted around in a limo driven by a tuxido wearing blackman who is tough enough to also be a body gaurd.

Etta James

This was my favorite photo for the shoot yesturday, but i'm sure the paper will use something with more edge. This one spoke to me. It isn't as sexual or as boisterous as the other ones, most likely why I like it.

I got the job at DNR. I signed my contract yesturday. I'm not allowed to talk about or show any of work that I do for them until 90 days after the onsale date of the magazine. Sorry y'all won't be the first to see my new work. I'd imagine that most of the publications I work for wouldn't want me to show things here, but I only show one image and it is usually an outtake that I"m sure they won't print. Anyways ... my blog only has a regular readership of about 5 people. How much damage could y'all do?

MURDERBALL

I'd like to be the first to say Marc Zupan is an A + good guy. Working with him was fantastic just wished we had more time.

Alex Coke

Had a fun shoot today. Turns out this guy was friends with my daddy and my uncle John. Small world!!!

Free Kittens - UPDATE

Look. More free kittens!!! The mail lady dropped these off at the office today. They are five weeks old, covered in fleas, and in need of NEW HOMES. If you know anyone who wants a five week old kitten please let me know. They have to find new homes before I leave town next week or I'm going to eat them. (Not really, but it will be a big pain.)

UPDATE FREE KITTENS FOUND NEW HOMES!!!!

Lollopapalooza

Got an email finally verifying my press credentails for Lollapalooza in Chicago! I have the best life in the WHOLE WORLD!!! The line up is just like ACL, but it might not be soooo hot. The layout of Grant Park is going to mean HUGE amounts of walking. I photographed a food festival there a year ago and it is a treck from one end to another.

Forth of July Con't

Happy Birthday USA. The only thing I love more than the USA is Jesus.

Tonight was AWSOME. The guys were having a roman candle fight and Mike Wax hit Andrew McCown point blank! Andrew caught on fire! He is so tough he didn't even stop fighting to put himself out. It was HILAROUS!!! I was hoping he'd stop drop and roll, but instead he took his shirt of and stomped on it.

Andrew got a little burn and Mike Wax felt really guilty, but everythings A-OK. The cool part is chick totally dig scars, and Andrew will have a good story to tell.

Forth of July

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Eat some burgers, drink some beer and enjoy the day off work!!!

Saucey

My photo shoot today went well, but I'm not 100% happy with it. Charolette was a great model and the vintage BMW 2002 was the perfect car - I just got hot and started to feel like it was all taking too long.

Ads are getting easier to shoot but are not as conceptually strong as the old ones are. If any of y'all have good ideas for ads please share. The wilder the better. I could use some inspiration at this point.

Maybe this photo will grow on me... it isn't that bad. I need a wide angle lens with nice glass. They just cost so much. I'm having trouble deciding which one I want and if I should buy a laptop before or after I get a new lens.

5 x 7

To give or not to give? Arthouse gave me a call this week asking for more artwork to show at the Coduit Gallery in Dallas. My work sold out instantly at the Austin show. I'm not sure if I should send them more work or not. This year the gallery started requiring artist to pay for tickets to the 5 x 7 event so many of my friends boycotted the show. However, it is one of my favorite shows and it helped me get representation with GenArt New York a few years ago.

I want to start showing more in Dallas so in some ways it makes sense to a part of the show. Lots of people will see my work and a gallery owner or collector may want some prints, but it maybe better if I wait and show all of the work at once. It's hard to know what's best.

PS Ryan sure looks good in all black even if Travis thinks he looks like he's on his way to a funeral.

Recovering

Lone Star changed its lable to celebrate 65 years in business. I'm more of a wine gal, but I must admit a special fondness for Lone Star. It's so light and so cheap. How could I say no?

It's the forth of July weekend. I've gotten lots of invites, but I'm not in much of a partymood. Eric - the guy down the street who lives alone in a 5-3 house w/ an indoor swimming pool and vault/bomb shelter is having a party this evening so I thought I'd stop by that. I've only met a few of his friends, and they have all been very nice.

Tomarrow night Cambell and Ryan and Grace and Travis are having a forth of july bash in Hyde Park with dancing. I'm taking the ever popular Dr. Love as my date. I think we'll go have dinner first so we can spend sometime acutally talking with eachother.

Monday I'm going to be working, but Robert Nash invited me to his little party to watch the fireworks. He has an amazing view of the city perfect for firework watching. I might go if I'm not too tired.

False Moonlight

I'm bidding on a job for a firm called Schok in MI. They wanted to see a photo with this lighting tecnique and Dexter wouldn't be still so I had to model. I love the way it turned out. I should do more wierd lighting stuff. I just get so used to doing the same old thing and forget to try new things.

I was so flattered. Travis asked for a copy of the photo. I think its because I like watering his plants so much. I can't help it. I hate to see wilted plants.

Dorothy

Happy Birthday DOROTHY!!!

She is the baby sister of rock sensation Jonothan Meigburg. What a wonderful gal. She has great taste in clothes, lives in a house that is hands down the coolest and she's nice. She's even been to one of my dinner parties. I wanted to make an ad with her in it, but it didn't quite work out so I'll have to try it again.

I did take this photo setting up the lights. It is sort of umm... shall we say ... eery.

Strayhorn

Well team. Looks like I was right!!! Carol Keeton Strayhorn will be running for governor. The politics department assigned me to photograph her a few weeks back. I took this photo of her campaign communications manager, Dick Ellis, looking sort of like a shmuck.

Garbage Sitation

RRRGGG!!! Can't believe I got a ticket from the garbage man for having too much trash. The nurve. The cart lid wouldn't close... but seems like everyone else has too much trash sometimes too. RRRGGG. Do I have to bribe him? How much money will a life of excess trash cost me? Luckily it the fine just gets tacked on my utility bill - which the bill fairy pays.

Daily Texan

Look mom. I'm in the newspaper. A nice gal from the Texan took my picture with a very cute kitten. Not sure why she described the kitten as being in a Kleenex box. It looks much more like a kitten geoteen(sp?) to me.

Pope

its late and i'm tired.

Nylon

Look mom - the magazine gave me a full page! When I took the magazine off the newstand and saw my photospread I started crying. This isn't the first time I've had photos in a big magazine (People, US Weekly, and Variety) but it was the first time I was able to hold the magazine in my hands - flip thru and see them on the page. Usually I only see the proofs I send out and then forget to look for them in print. This time a friend tipped me off (Nylon - June/July) so I went to check it out. The pictures aren't anything special but it's fun! And to think I almost went to law school.

Fainting

Another night another rock show. Photographed Bright Eyes and the Faint tonight at Stubbs. I stayed for most of the show and it was HOT. Girls kept fainting and having to be passed out. Met a nice photo girl named Cambria who does all of the photography for the venue.


Funny thing about the Faint. They were at this party put on by Nylon I was photographing and the bouncer would not let them in because they were not on the list. :)

Brown Eyes

How wierd. I was at a "southern decadance" party tonigth at the The Pedernales lofts on sixth street. I dressed down to be ironic. Edwin took my picture and when I got home I noticed something really wierd about the photo.

The very strange part is my eyes are brown in the photo. Usually the are blue or maybe green or grey. Someone recently told me my eyes looked like marbles. Not sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an observation. In this photo they are just brown and then more brown. I also photographed a rock show, but I'm too sleepy to post those pictures. Tomarrow.

STREP

Terrible news. Doctors office called today turns out I have strep throat. No wonder I've been feeling so lowsy. Thinking about it - this photo is a little graphic. If anyone is offended just leave a comment and I'll replace it with a photo of the EXTREMELY cute kitten I'm taking care of for my brother.

Lighting an ICE SCULPTURE

Hard day at the office. Thank goodness the dr fixed me up with some good drugs. The shoot today was much harder than I thought it would be. Lighting an ice sculputer is far more complex than you may imagine. This photo took 3 lights, two assistants and about an hour. My brain is hurting from all the thinking I did today.

SICK

M Sledd is sick in bed! Please send chicken soup and orange juice and someone to change Dexter's litter box. Planning to go to the doctor today. Maybe he'll fix me up.

Spagetti Western

Ok. I got something online. I didn't look at all of them and I didn't make any corrections yet... but here is an idea of what it might look like. Ryan - thanks so much for modeling. Sean - thanks so much for letting me use your kitchen!

Just like PROM

Fun times. There is a story behind this photo. :)

Playing Possum

I've been on a cat trapping spree. I'm trying to trap the cat that keeps attacking my cats at night. He is big and black - I've seen him in action. Last night it was poring down rain and I had baited the trap with a pound of Tilapia. I didn't think to spring the trap and I caught a big grodey possum! Scott, the nicest guy in the universe, came over and let him out of the trap. He arrived in sandals so I gave him some tough guy boots. It was pretty funny.

Fainting Bride

Yikes. Today I photographed Kayla's bridal portraits. Things were going well until SHE FAINTED. Ok maybe she didn't faint but she got really faint and we had to stop. I'm used to having a really limited amount of time when I work with children, but it took me quite by surprise to have to stop in the middle of the shoot.

I took the photos with Matt's Visatec lights. They are made my Hasselblad so they are SUPER nice. I'm going to buy his. Too bad they cost like $2000 to get a fancy full setup.

I've decided I need to start getting bridal magazines to research the kinds of things brides see and what they are told to look for in photographers. Nothing says man repellant like a single girl with subscriptions to all the major bridal mags. Oh well.

Echo and Andy

Wow! What an effort. This was such a special wedding!!! I just love a good camp out wedding - and you can't beat a potluck feast. :)