merry christmas!

Hey everyone! I'm going to spend Christmas with my family in Louisiana. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas! I'll see you when I get back home. Be safe, everyone, and God bless.

gingerbread house

Here's a candid from one of several holiday gatherings. In this shot my oldest is putting some finishing candies on top of the gingerbread house we made (it came in a kit, I'm not that good). It was fun, I'd never made a gingerbread house before. Now the question is how long does it have to sit out as decor before you can eat it?

the boys

Here's some more of my kiddos from the session i posted earlier. Just wanted to share...

erika and daniel

Finally, here's a composite of Erika and Daniel's wedding! Shot in Louisiana, last month, it was really a lot of fun. Congratulations to the both of them!

flowers

...just something a little different from my usual posts. enjoy.

tradition

Every Christmas I take portraits of my boys. Not only does it document what they looked like at the end of every year, but it also serves as great presents to the grandparents for Christmas, them getting updated and current pics of the boys. Anyway, this year I went with a simple straight on approach. Aaaaand my youngest really wasn't in the mood for it, but sometimes you take what you can get, but with those faces, you really can't get enough-smiling or not!

the dress

Erika and Daniel got married the weekend before Thanksgiving. I'll have some highlights from the wedding up soon, but here's her dress. I like the three of these together because the difference of color temperature between each shot. They look like old photographs of different wedding dresses that were thrown together, but worn by different women at a different time.

calla lilies

I didn't realize calla lilies were so graceful until I set them upon my dining room table and took a step back. These flowers beg to be photographed, which is why I see so much of them in artwork. Anyway, here's my contribution. Happy Tuesday!

Christine and Blake

Christine and Blake are old friends of mine. I photographed their wedding some years back, and they called me up to get some updated pics of them. Thought I'd share a few...
I love old, run down stuff, and with their casual wear I thought the old barrel wouldn't detract.

creepy

This photo of a church in downtown Fort Worth is just a bit unsettling. The sun was behind the church causing the hot spot in the top right hand corner of the photo, but even the church fades into darkness the further away it is from my lens. I just thought it was a very haunting photograph.

thanksgiving square

Recently I took a trip to Dallas via TRE (Trinity Railway Express), a train that commutes between Dallas and Fort Worth. We were walking around down town when we came upon the Thanksgiving Square and the Chapel of Thanksgiving. I call it the snow cone building. So, I thought it appropriate to post these pictures for the holiday! I hope every one's Thanksgiving was filled with food, family, and friends.

"A small and quiet place of prayer and meditation for all people. It manages, in its circular form, to soften the downtown landscape of tall, angular buildings in which it is nestled, and in effect, brings the Chapel into prominence despite its comparatively smaller size."

Here is the view of the ceiling from inside the chapel...and really, this photograph doesn't do it much justice.

alice in dallas

This photograph of downtown Dallas taken in the reflection of another building may look doctored up, but it's really not. It's actually very close to the original photograph, I simply cropped the picture to minimize some of the greenery in front of the windows and then saturated the colors already in the buildings. The result is this really cool looking art piece. I love it!

fill light

One of the things I love about this photograph is the two light sources. The main source of light of course was the sun, shining in from the left, but if you'll notice the pillars of the church have light hitting them on their right sides as well. The sunlight was reflecting off of a sky scraper a few blocks down creating a natural fill light for the photograph. It gives the building a 'portrait' feel, I think.

the modern

A while ago I posted an image that was being used for an architectural project I'm working on with a co-worker. Here's another from that series. This is the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth. One of the coolest buildings to visit.

storage

Another image from my quest to find greatness in the daily life of a school photographer. Here is just a common scene of storage units found across the United States in many major cities. But, in grainy black and white and the right composition, it's simple yet amazing.

midevil times

I know Halloween has already come and gone, but here's my belated post. They're the two most harmless pirate and knight I've ever seen! I hope everyone's Halloween was great.

pigskin

Another from my little personal stash of photos I take while working just to keep my mind off the fact that I'm working... Taken during a homecoming game with Fuji 800 speed film using nothing but natural light and a steady hand. I like artsy photographs that explore the empty spaces that we sometimes don't focus on. If I had a degree in art I would be able to more describe this photo using terms like "line" and "space" and "composition", but I don't. I just like it because it's cool.

the kids stay in the picture

It's been a while since I took pics of my boys. But, one Sunday morning before church I had their hair punked out and chucks on their feet and decided I'd kill a little time.


Aidan (on the right) reminds me of Johnny Knoxville in that shot.

before the bell

During the day I'm a school photographer. Photos for the annual, sports, clubs, homecoming games, etc. So, sometimes I'm at an elementary school long before anyone should be awake at all. Well, I began a small personal...project I guess you could call it. Not really a project but just something to keep my creative mind a buzz. So I began shooting what I call a photo essay about what I see as a school photographer. For instance, here is an elementary school at about six in the morning. Taken with Ilford 3200 speed black and white film it gives it a very grainy, artsy feel. I really like this. More to come...

friday night football

When I first moved here from Louisiana, high school football was just another extra curricular activity I had to photograph for the school newspaper. It wasn't the event that they are in Texas. So, you can understand my surprise when I covered my first high school football game for the studio I work for to find the bleachers packed, with people lining the fence line. It appeared that the whole town had turned out for the event. Well, that's exactly what they do here in Texas. Friday Night Lights and the sort. Look at Carroll. Wow. Anyway, now I know what to expect and enjoy bringing home images like these that contribute, in a way, to that Texas tradition.

raleighster

Here's an extra from Katherine and Raleigh's engagement session. Katherine wasn't quite ready for the moment so I just aimed my camera at Raleigh and hit the shutter. This was the result. I think it's friggin' awesome.

katherine and raleigh

So, Kat and Raleigh, I know you guys have been on pins and needles, so I stayed up late to get these posted as soon as possible. I hope you love them!

hayes and haner mtr. co.

I don't know why, but I have a fascination with old things. I think I might have blogged this before. Old buildings, ruined cars, broken windows, empty parking lots, abandoned warehouses, these things speak unbelievable amounts of beauty to me. Case in point: this used to be a small used car dealership that's now just a landmark on Camp Bowie West.

starfish

I don't really know... I just keep looking at this image thinking it's cool. Hope you guys like it. ~bh

cup of roses

I finally got some film back from my lab! Here's a shot I conjured up one day with a mini bouquet of roses and a simple coffee cup. I shot it with available light with my Nikon F100 and 400 speed Fuji film. I love the color here and wonder-quite often actually-why am I shooting digital? Film so often inspires and surprises me with beautiful color, skin tones, texture, etc. ah...film. Who knew? Oh, and if you're wondering where I found roses that are black on the outside and white underneath...it's because they're made from gaffer's tape.

twins

I pass these concrete grain silos everyday on my way to the studio. Even though they're on a farm they always give me this industrial feel. So, I finally stopped and took a coupla' shots.

errors again

I honestly had an image to share today, but errors were again happening with the blogger website. So when those things are corrected I'll be back. Sorry, also for the delay in posting updated images. I've been shooting more film lately and I tend to sit on the film longer than with digital. Eventually I'll be out and shooting again. Thanks to everyone who continue to check back.

extreme close up

Nothing special for today's post: This guy hung out on the door of my parents' house all day long. So, I figured if he was going to hang out, he may let me get some cool macro pictures in...and he did!

Old Neighborhood Grill

I had an art show last weekend at this little restaurant called Old Neighborhood Grill. It's one of those places you read about in books about small towns, or see on T.V. when T.V. is trying to make fun of life in a rural city-only Fort Worth isn't rural at all-which is why this place is so great. The art show was part of Art Goggle, and I showed photographs dealing with my current project focused on Louisiana. I'm not sure how successful it was, but I had fun nonetheless. Thanks to Peter, the owner, for letting me show my stuff. And thanks, also, for everyone who came out.

Erika's bridals

Went down to ol' Louisianne for Erika's Bridal session. She wanted portraits done at the old state capital in down town Baton Rouge. I've posted a picture of it before, but it looks like an old castle, how cool is that!? Well, the portraits came out gorgeous! Here's a sneak peek at just a few; I've still got some film at the lab waiting to be processed so I may post another one here in a week or so. Anyway, we had a really great time, and I can't wait 'til the wedding!

bayou state

Sorry about the lack in updates in this: my little part of the blogosphere, but quite honestly I just haven't been shooting much lately. Been too busy working for The Man. Today, though, I embark on another trip to the great state of Louisiana for a bridal shoot. Maybe you'll see some more from the Louisiana Project as well. We'll just have to wait and see what I find. This image will carry me through the weekend, I'll post something at the beginning of next week!

overpass

Another shot of an overpass taken with my Mamiya C330 on a particularly eventful morning. I was out looking for a shot that was a bit abstract but still had strong lines that filled up the entire frame. I took about five or six photographs, this is my favorite. I had the negative scanned, converted it to sepia in photoshop, sharpened it up to make it look real gritty, and increased the contrast just a bit.