Temple and Claire...

I just watched Claire Danes as Temple Grandin tonight. The movie, titled Temple Grandin, is about a woman and her struggle with autism. I couldn't believe how Claire nailed that performance! It was so good and so convincing. I could've easily mistaken her for Temple, it was THAT good!

I actually had the chance to meet Ms. Grandin last year, as I spent part of a day shooting her at one of her speaking engagements. She is very nice and sincere, a little odd and very memorable. She is every bit like the movie (though Claire does smile quite a bit more in the film, whereas Temple is much more reserved. I guess Hollywood is allowed to take some artistic license).

Anyway, you should watch the movie. It is so touching and inspiring. And it's a true story about a very interesting woman.

I found some Midlake...

I was thumbing through The Dallas Morning News the other day, looking for a photo assignment I did. It was supposed to run, but I couldn't find it. No big surprise, since some stories get moved around, held up, etc... An original run date isn't set in stone.

So, it hasn't run yet, but I did find one of my Midlake photos, instead:

There's something about the moon...

I can't stop photographing the moon. I wish I had access to more lenses, telescopes and assorted gear, so I could take endless images of the orbiting object. I took this image a while back, when I noticed the beautiful colors in the sky. The moon came out right as the sun was setting, and it was mesmerizing.

War photography...

This is a very moving slideshow and narrative. If you are interested in war and conflict photography, you should really check it out:

news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8492000/8492777.stm

Women in photography, this Thursday...

You should really attend this event:

ASMP North Texas Women in Photography:

At The Women's Museum Dallas Fair Park

Featured Speakers:

JEAN ANN BYBEE, commercial
SUSAN KAE GRANT, fine art
CHERYL DIAZ MEYER, photojournalism
ALLISON V SMITH, editorial

When: Thursday February 4 (6pm social, 7pm presentation).
Where: The Women's Museum 3800 Parry Avenue Dallas, TX 75226 214.915.0860

Members and non-members are welcome.

Admission is free for ASMP members and $10 for non-members. $5 for students. Cash or check only.

Old 97's...

Lately, I've been shooting a bunch of corporate PR and marketing photos. It pays well, but isn't quite as exciting as my music shoots. So, instead of showing you a bunch of CEO headshots and corporate events, I figured I would share some concert pics from December 2009.

The Old 97's played four nights in a row at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas, TX. This was night three...

Definition of a photographer...

I couldn't resist posting this after reading it, because it is SOOOOO true! It was found at www.urbandictionary.com and couldn't be more correct:

What just about every scene kid and hipster under the age of 25 calls themselves these days. Many own Canon Rebel xtis and rely heavily on cropping and Photoshop filters to give their otherwise mundane photos an "artsy" feel. It is also not uncommon to see them wielding Lomography cameras (usually a Holga, now that they're sold at Urban Outfitters) on any given day. Typically, these "photographers" cite Diane Arbus, Robert Mapplethorpe, or, in the case of those Vice Magazine devotees, Terry Richardson, Cobrasnake, or Richard Kern, as major influences, because they couldn't name any other photographers to save their lives.

The typical subjects of their photographs include, but are not limited to: pidgeon-toed girls in Converse that have been drawn on with ballpoint pens and/or Sharpies, flowers/weeds growing out of cracks in sidewalks, juxtapositions of objects that typically don't go together (in one such case, a Queen of Hearts playing card on a cracked sidewalk), a girl who looks like something out of an American Apparel ad smoking a cigarette, decaying buildings, and just about anything that looks "vintage" (ie, yellowing washing machines in a laundromat)

A new use...

As I mentioned before, my Diana clone broke. I decided to find a new use for it... a toy/prop for the boys to play with! They still don't get to touch the Hasselblad, though.

Yes, it does snow in Texas!!!

I had to shoot popular indie band Midlake for a recent cover story. The band is based in Denton, TX, and the shoot was set for the last days of December 2009. As I made the 45 minute drive north, the weather turned pretty bad. I didn't mind so much, as it gave me a chance to shoot the band in the snow - something that Dallas photographers don't get to do very often.

The band's new album is a bit moodier and darker than the last, so the snowy backdrop was a perfect fit. Who knows when I'll have another snow shoot? Colorado photogs probably see the wintery weather as just another day in the office, but us southern shooters only get the rare flurry...

Mixed up message...

I think these people had a bad line while talking to God. Maybe there was a lot of static? I'm just guessing, because their message seems to be mixed up from what I was always taught about God's infinite wisdom and compassion.

Either way, it was sad to see this kind of extremist protesting happening in Dallas, TX. I decided to shoot some of it for a project I've been working on. I'll shed more light on that in the future, but for now, here are some pics of the protest...

My Diana broke...

I found a Diana clone at an estate sale several years back for three dollars. I shot a couple rolls of film through it and then put it up on the shelf. Well, today I decided to play with it again. I took it to a shoot and pressed the shutter, but it didn't feel right. I looked at it, and it's broken!

I'm not really planning to spend the fifty bucks or so for a new production Diana - the ones sold at Urban Outfitters, on ebay and elsewhere. And, I doubt that I'll find another one at a garage or estate sale anytime soon.

Oh well, it's not a big deal. I still have four Holgas, which are very similar to the Diana. I've also got some other "toy" cameras that I should pull back out. But, still... I'm sad that my vintage Diana clone is broken.