ACL, Here We Come!!!

We will leave for Austin in four hours, so I can shoot yet another Austin City Limits Music Festival. I have photographed ACL every year, except for the very first year. The wife joins me, because she can network the media and sponsor tents for her work, and her parents will watch the baby boys (and cats) at our house. Even though I know they are in good hands, it is hard to leave them for three days straight.

I'll be doing an ACL blog update for Quick at their website (www.QuickDFW.com), so be sure to follow along all weekend!

By the way...

If you still haven't figured it out, you need to ask for the sale, so to speak. I've had a few people state this fact, since the economy took a dive this year (I think Hal Samples can be credited to one of those times). And guess what... It is true!

I used to be able to do my work, and new clients would call me. I've heard a few people say their business was the same way. Those same people are saying they have changed gears and are now calling up potential clients and asking for the shoot. This doesn't mean that you call them and start begging for work. It means you need to put your name out there and let them know that you are interested in working with them.

This proactive mindset isn't as easy as the old days, when I'd have a new client call me. But, you know what? It is paying the bills. So, find a list of people that you think you should be working for (don't call up Nike and ask to shoot their next campaign, if you are fresh out of college. Look for REAL day to day clients that you know would be a good fit for your shooting style and level) and call them. You'd be surprised what will come of asking for the work, instead of just sitting and waiting for the phone to ring.

My Photo, as a Painting...

I always admired the work of Cabe Booth, a Dallas artist that paints rock and roll portraits to hang in local venues (you can currently see his work on the walls at Nokia Theater and hanging up at Curtain Club, as well as other places around town.)

As long as I've been shooting Dallas music, it took FOREVER for one of my photos to be turned into a painting. I was very happy when Cabe finally painted one of my pics a few years back to hang for everyone to see. The band was Advent, which eventually changed names, then broke up and moved on to bigger and better musical collaborations:

www.flickr.com/photos/cabebooth/2496116579/in/set-72157605082785242/

Hopefully, one day more of my images will be used by Cabe, because his work is amazing! It is very flattering to see him turn my work into something new...

Oh, here is a link to more of his work, incase you wanted to check it out:

Cabe's Flickr account

My newest video...

Here is another recent video I did. I think I'm getting better with the Canon 5DmkII, though I could still use a bit more practice. What do you think?

lakehighlands-dallas.blackwhiteread.com/view/articles/13681

The video is an interview with local musician and studio engineer Tom Bridwell.

BJ and Lester...

This post may not mean anything to most of you. You pretty much had to grow up in the Dallas area during the 1980's, like I did. During school days on channel 39, which used to be a much different television station than it is today, there was a children's show called The Cartoon Clubhouse With B.J. and Lester. I watched it all the time. It was a great show for kids, back before children had twenty different cable channels all devoted to their viewing pleasure.

Well, fast forward to my adult life, shooting anything and everything performance and art related in town for newspapers and magazines. My job took me to all the best concerts, musicals and plays. A few years back - maybe in 2004 or 2005 if my memory isn't failing me - I walk into a local musical to shoot the rehearsal for the Dallas Morning News and I see a face that is so familiar. Suddenly it hits me. It's B.J. from B.J. and Lester!!!

Well, I shot another play review this week and B.J. was in it. It's funny how I still associate him with this children's show, even though it was something like 25 years ago. It's also funny how it still affects me so many years later. Seeing him had me feeling like a kid again, and I left the shoot smiling. Now, if I could only meet Mr. Peppermint and Muffin!

State Fair of Texas...

I haven't had time to update the blog over the last several days, because I've been so busy with shoots. However, I wanted to put something up, so I thought I'd share a fair pic: