jazz on the boulevard

This photograph was taken last year at the annual Jazz Fest held here in Fort Worth, Texas. I went with a buddy of mine and we just sat there on the grass in front of the stage and shot away. All was shot with ambient light, so the color photograph is saturated in red stage lights. I actually was conflicted about whether or not to make it black and white or leave the red. But, when in doubt, always go black and white. It's classical, it's vintage, it's always in style, much like the music itself. The one thing I would change if I could? I'd had moved that water bottle...eh, nobody's perfect.

the ol' front porch

Welcome back to the blog! I'm talking to myself mostly, and to try to get back into the swing of things here's a shot from my ongoing Louisiana project:

The moldy wicker chair caught my eye from the road as I passed this old home. I doubled back, pulled into the remnants of a driveway and parked my car. An elderly lady who lived next door was walking across her yard when I approached her to ask about the house, and if I could photograph it. Her power had just gone out, she explained, but the old house belonged to her and three other siblings...it had been her mother's home. The fact that the wicker chair still sits on the front porch just waiting for use is endearing, in a way, and very telling of life in the south.

so serious

No one takes playing in the sprinklers on a hot July afternoon as serious as this guy. Just look at that face...are you talking to him? Are you talking to him!?

rain drops

This image I like just because of the striking red flower and the empty space. Taken during my visit to Louisiana, but could've been taken anywhere, really. I shot a lot of film on this last trip so I'm just waiting to get that back from the lab. I'll still have something to post until then, though, so check back!

happy fourth!

I know it's late, but I spent the fourth in Louisiana and the fifth driving home. More pics from the trip will be here soon, but here's some to mark the occasion. I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday.

the question

A good friend of mine got engaged today. I was the official photographer of the event...

The setting:

First reaction:

The Question:

Mom and Dad:

The ring:

Congratulations Katherine and Raleigh! I was happy to have been there to capture it!

Michael and Rachel part II

Film lives!! I finally got the film back of Mike and Rachel's wedding. These were shot on 800 speed fujifilm which I rated at 1600 to optimize my low light shooting. BWC-a lab in Dallas that still specializes in film-push processed and scanned the negs for me. These are untouched except for making the composite images, and adding the sloppy border on the black and white.

the new 'do!

So, if you haven't noticed, I blog a lot of photos of my kids. Why? Well, they look great, are usually easy to photograph, and I typically get some great stuff. Today, though, was monumental. Why? Well just look and see...it's a boy! Ewan got his first official haircut-one in which he was long overdue (no pun intended).
Cute!

father's day

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there. Here's a family self portrait of me and my boys. I've been wanting to do a picture like this for a while and decided today was the day. What's my favorite part about this picture? I didn't have to coax a smile.

Mr. Jerry

Probably one of the most honest portraits I've ever taken, this was photographed with my mamiya c330, processed and scanned, about three years ago. It remains one of my favorite photographs. It's composition is simple, it's subject matter is relatively the same, but if anyone has spent any time with the man, this is a scene that is familiar, from the front stoop cigarette to the yard work shorts, this photo captures the essence of Mr. Jerry, a.k.a. 'Papa' to my boys.