janie wedding :: full post

A little late, but I finally got them up!  

dustin perkins :: bag of bones tour

Now that announcements have been officially made and photographs on Dustin's website have been updated I can post an image I've been sitting on since the day we shot it.  The same day of Dustin's Words photo shoot we shot for his up and coming Bag of Bones tour.  Since his tour has a man-on-his-own-playing-guitar-on-the-road-vagabond sort of feel to it, we shot aiming for that same concept.  Dustin, being the good sport that he is, rolled around in a dirt pile before the shoot and stared right into the sun several times over for me.  As rigs flew by us and commuters wondered what the hell two guys are doing standing practically in the median of an interstate during rush hour in the middle of Texas June temperatures, we shot pictures hoping for something that seemed rugged and epic and movie poster cool.  I think we nailed it.

   
If you want your very own copy of this photograph you can go to www.dustinperkinsmusic.com and click on the link to help support Dustin on the Bag of Bones Tour.  A donation of $5 or more gets you a postcard from wherever he's at on the road.  The tour doesn't start 'til August 22nd, so don't forget.  In fact, set a reminder on your phone now and get Dustin to his next gig.  A big thank you to Dustin and producer Greg White for letting me be so involved on this album and tour.  It's been-and still is-a blast.  

location unknown

I tried and I tried to find this building on Google Earth and Google Maps...no such luck.  I know it exists though, I mean I didn't photoshop an entire building; it stands where I say it stands off of Lancaster just past downtown-heading East.  It is charming and lonely, much like I suppose most older vets are, and therefore the building also stands represented as a metaphor and not merely a photograph.  I wonder what it used to be.  I wonder what stories it could tell if it could talk.  A photograph speaks a thousand words...but I think I'll just stop here and let you think of the rest.

820 & 30 :: crossroads II

I really think I may have been an urban landscape shooter in a former life.  Why do I love to photograph interstates so much?  Wasn't it Andy Warhol who said, "I like boring things." apparently so do I.

cotton pickin'

Before I grow old and die I have one thing I really want to see happen as it pertains to my photos:  I want to have a gallery show featuring all the images I've taken of Louisiana.  If you know me at all then you know that I've been hunting for a publisher of a book I've been working on for the past seven or eight years based solely on my growing up in Livingston Parish.  Yeah, I'm sure I've mentioned it a time or two here.  The images I've captured over the years of that region also have their share of "outtakes" on the roll of film that accompany the ones set aside specifically for Livingston, these are just random shots of the state that I've taken over the years.  In fact, the Livingston project began with a much broader theme in mind-the entire state of Louisiana herself-and so in the beginning I was stopping on the side of the road all the time.  Early on I realized that it was much to massive of a project to get done in any sort of timely (I'm using the word rather loosely) manner and that if I ever intended on actually finishing a project I should narrow my scope.  Which I did, focusing on just one parish.  As an afterthought though the "big picture" of capturing the state at large isn't such a bad idea.  In fact, I'm still pretty sure it is one I intend on tackling.  The only difference is now I have the knowledge and the patience to understand that like a woman, it will take years to truly capture all the beauty and secrets and intrigue and history that the state embodies.  I'm okay with that now as I realize that I've still many years ahead of me and rest in the simple fact that getting out there and taking pictures five, ten, twenty, thirty years from now is still exciting. All of this is to introduce this photograph, what may be the beginning of truly lifelong ambition. 

presenting : the Reyes family : portraits

 The Reyes Family.  Trinity Park, Fort Worth, Tx.  Shot with my D200 and Mamiya RZ Pro II on  120 Kodak Portra 400 speed film.  The results: beautiful.

 

 

louisianagrams

December 1st the Octavia Gallery in New Orleans is showing Instagrams of Louisiana by Louisiana photographers. I am fortunate enough to be apart of this gallery. Because the images were curated through Instagram I can't be sure which images of the ones I submitted will actually be in the show, so below are a few of my own favs. To see the others search #abpgallerypics on Instagram, and then visit the Octavia Gallery from December 1st - January 5th to see them with your own eyes as well as many of the other great photographers that are featured.

convenience

The working title to a new series of photos I am working on is "convenience".  Obviously dubbed so because of the subject matter, the series really is a more personal project based on my favorite pop artist Edward Rusha and his iconic paintings of gas stations, as well as my ongoing love of things old and forgotten.  Most of the photos in the series are shot in the same way and in the same manor, low angle looking up letting the structure loom overhead.  I think the photos are more dramatic this way and I like stressing the low-fi architecture of structures that exist literally on every corner that become almost dismissive until we need lighter fluid, toilet paper, motor oil, or cotton swabs.  Then they become invaluable.  They are like debit cards and ATMs, what did we do ten years ago...write checks?!  Now that the local 7-Eleven is just down the road, how did we ever do without?

music to my eyes

Buddy of mine Greg White of SG Studios is making a few changes to his website-namely making it mobile friendly, among other things-and asked me to shoot some promo stuff for the 'net.  The chance to shoot his studio is one thing, but the opportunity to shoot portraits of a good friend of mine is another.  Here's a few shots from the day.  Also, visit www.soundsgreatstudios.com to see and hear both of our work.

the blog.

It's been nearly two months since I last posted anything in this space. To some, like my mother who is one of my biggest fans, this has been brought to my attention; but in today's constantly changing world I don't know how useful this blog has been. Lately I've been actively not seeking freelance work, choosing only to shoot for myself and engage in those projects that are personal. I have a few baking, and others that I've bought ingredients for but just haven't been in the kitchen lately. Don't worry, they are still there, and they will come to light soon, but until then I'm taking my time-something that is hard to come by when so many things demand it of me. This is excluding my family of course, I always have time for them. With technology advancing so fast, and the exchange of information so instant these days I have been really giving thought towards taking the counter-culture route and slowing things down a bit. I plan on digging out my old film cameras and getting out early some mornings and hopefully pitching my tripod up beside some scenic wonderland, some abandoned gas station, some forgotten hotel, and take my time remembering how much I love this medium. Until then, this blog may be a bit barren, but don't worry. I am sure to have some beautiful images to share once the film is developed. Thanks to all who still follow.