My old pics...

A long time ago, I was just a college kid in love with the local music scene. I started a website on Geocities, back before everyone and their grandma had their own website. It was filled with pictures of Texas bands - hence the name The Texas Bands Page.

The pictures weren't the best, but the website had a lot of heart. And since there were maybe two other websites on all of the internet at the time that focused on North Texas bands, I was always getting a lot of hits and a ton of emails.

Well, times change. Now I shoot for big national publications and shoot international rock stars. I still love shooting local bands, but I don't add anything new to the Texas Bands Page. And now Geocities is closing down - or closed down, depending on when you read this post. All those bands and musicians will be lost to the public, because I'm not going to move the site anywhere else.

Luckily, someone cared enough about the old days to ask if they could post a sampling of the old site for future viewers to see:

www.kera.org/blogs/

It gives you wings...

I had fun shooting this Red Bull sponsored concert the other night:

blog.quickdfw.com/archives/2009/10/red-bull-sound-clash.html

I think this will be a blog-only story, so no big printed pics on this one. I'm noticing the web becoming such a huge priority with all my clients these days. It's been something important for a long while now, but not like it has been recently. I think everyone in the print world has finally realized that readers are going to the web first for much of their entertainment.

Heck, many of the biggest publications down at ACL earlier this month were doing web-only coverage. I love the immediacy of it, but I am not a big fan of the tiny images or the tiny mobile screens people are using to view everything. I want my work run big, so people can soak up the details.

I suppose the flip side is that I can run ten images online with a story, where print's limited space meant only two or three might've been used at most. I definitely do love that people get to see more of my stuff now. And it gives me a chance to supplement my still photos with video - something you couldn't do with print before.

I know all of this is old news to the world. I am just mentioning it, because traditional print publications are finally embracing the web content as an equal (if not more important) aspect of business. It means more respect and more pay for doing something online. That's a good thing, right?

Yet another person with better Photoshop skills...

I'm good at Photoshop, but not the best around. My main talent comes from the camera, not the computer. I know there are some people who can do a lot more than I can in Photoshop. I'm always learning something new, even though I've been using it since 1996.

Here is yet another person who can probably run circles around me, when it comes to Photoshop. Look through his blog and you'll see a lot of cool tips:

www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk

The Press Release...

Marketing your services takes more than just printing up business cards. These days, I send out mailers, make phone calls, attend networking events and I send an email to every person on my list of current and potential client list. I don't like weekly emails, because I get those from some people and they annoy the heck out me. The people that hit me up every month are the ones I tend to read the most. They aren't constantly bombarding me with stuff, but they send info frequently enough to stay on my radar.

Well, one thing to send out through email is a press release. Companies do it all the time. It is just a formal message providing info on something important you've done. This is one I just sent out this week. It talks about a recent album I did work on...

Contact: Jason Janik FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel. 214/535-1062

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON JANIK FEATURED ON NEWLY RELEASED JIVE RECORDS ALBUM- IN STORES OCTOBER 13

Bowling for Soup Releases 10^th Album “Sorry for Partyin’”

DALLAS, TX – Photographer Jason Janik is the photographer for Texas-based band Bowling for Soup’s newly released album on Jive Records, Sorry of Partyin’, which hit stores on October 13, 2009.

Sorry for Partyin’ is the 10^th album released by the Texas-based band, and the 3rd album for which Janik has served as photographer. Jason Janik’s work was also featured on the band’s 2004 album Hangover You Don’t Deserve, which subsequently became a RIAA Certified Gold album, selling in excess of 500,000 units, and the 2005 release Bowling for Soup Goes to the Movies.

The Grammy-nominated quartet of Bowling for Soup includes singer/guitarist Jaret Reddick, guitarist Chris Burney, bassist Erik Chandler, and drummer Gary Wiseman.

Jason Janik is a Dallas photographer whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Spin Magazine, Black Tooth: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott (Zac Crain), Dallas Morning News, USA Today, DFW Quick, American Profile and other publications.

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If you would like more information or have questions about Janik Photography editorial, advertising, and event photography, please call Jason Janik at 214/535-1062, or email Jason at mailto:jason at janikphoto.com

So sorry...

I'm sorry if I've been absent for the last several days. I've been super busy with photo shoots, editing and photoshop work. And any free time has been spent with the family. I'll blog about some of my recent shoots very soon. I promise!