Sunday, October 25, 2009

the livingston parish fair

One thing I've been trying to capture since I began my ongoing project focused on Livingston Parish is the fair. Growing up the fair played a big part of my life, being the place I hung out with friends, learned lessons about winning and losing and giving it my best, getting into trouble, getting out of it, and so much more. A lot of memories come from being at the fair and visiting it again, years later, was almost surreal because not a lot has changed. In fact, mostly nothing has except the faces of those that attend. Anyway, prepare for the greatness that is the Livingston Parish Fair captured with none other than my Holga. This post is also dedicated to my best friend Rocky, who was there with me every step I took here, I'm sure you'll find these photos all too familiar.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

terri

Sooooo, I took these a while back but couldn't reveal them to you before the wedding (we didn't wan the groom to sneak a peak at the dress before the big day), but here they are, Terri's bridal portraits taken at the Japanese gardens in Fort Worth. You have to hand it to her, the day was unbelievably humid, and hot, Fort Worth being bathed in sun after a wet and dreary morning, but she hung in there and here are the portraits to show for it.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

louisiana

I find digital photography a bit challenging when photographing fine art. Or let me put it this way: It's hard for me to trust digital to capture exactly what I see when I am taking the picture versus what I see later on either on a computer monitor or in print. Similarly I find it a challenge capturing depth, true color, and the actual emotion of the subject or scene I am photographing. Some photographers have this down. So, I am not blaming the digital process, but am saying precisely I have a hard time with this. Everyday I'm learning. Everyday I'm making small discoveries, experiments to improve upon these things so one day I'll trust myself to digital just as much as I trust myself to film. The photograph below, I commend myself on. I feel like that's exactly what I captured on that cloudy day in Louisiana, an old barn, stained with algae, mold, and age. It standing there for who knows how long, but not nearly as long as the tree has stood, huge and majestic, spanning an area nearly twice as big as the barn. This photograph I absolutely love. I think it's beautiful. It tells a little story of the area, old barns, damp skies, green, green, green everything. I love it. Posting it here doesn't even do it the slightest bit of justice. It needs to be viewed life sized on the wall in an empty museum room where all you can see or feel is the grass the barn rests on, the misting rain on your face.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

ewan-part II


Ahh, our hero gives himself a congratulatory yank-up on the ol' sport shorts.
No self-respecting super crime fighter is ever without his red boots.
Love this shot below...it just reminds me of...imagination, pretend, playtime, whatever. It reminds me of Where The Wild Things Are.Sometimes our hero must simply fold his arms in defeat, knowing that even though he may lose a battle now and again, he still strives to win the war.


So, in photographing Ewan, I wanted to depict him as his handsome mild-mannered self (in the first post), but I wouldn't be allowed to truly call those portraits until I've captured him showing off a little of his wild imagination. I hope these have adequately done so.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

found art

Shooting at schools sometimes affords me photographic opportunities that aren't usual. Like shooting onstage in North Crowley High's auditorium and finding these multicolored panels each painted by different people. It's a cool idea, but unfinished, so I just shot a small section of it. Cool. Anyway, I'm working on part II of Ewan's post, but not quite ready to reveal them yet. Stay tuned...

Monday, October 5, 2009

ewan-part I

Meet Ewan. Imaginative. Funny. Pretty darn good-lookin' and one heckuva PS2 player. He's a charmer, talking to everyone who talks to him and even those that don't. At almost five he's already memorized his numbers one through twenty and can say the whole alphabet. He spells his very own name and references Spongebob like the rest of us reference Seinfeld. But beyond that cushy, pale exterior lies...a hero...

Sunday, October 4, 2009

the ol' rotary

Found this old rotary phone on a theater stage at a high school. I took it's photos. It was happy. Happy to get some use in this cellular age.