ghosts of summer

Summer isn't my favorite season, especially in Texas. The dry, dry heat literally zaps your energy and in the wake of this past summer I pray I never see 100 degrees ever again for the rest of my life, but I love the images summer evokes. Even the word conjures up beaches, pools, sand, sun, drinks, bathing suits, water parks, and the list could go on. The images of summer I really enjoy and I recently processed a roll that I had taken during the thick of the summer and had just been sitting on for a while. Well, here's one of my favs from the role. These were taken with an old minolta I had found at an estate sale, so these are more about memory than technically beautiful photography-but isn't that what photos can be sometimes, and ought to be, if not carefully preserved memories.

twins

Just for Mrs. Lisa, the new grandmother that sent me the official "nag" alert email that stated she could not wait to see a teaser of her grandbabies any longer! So (just for her) here's a little taste of the session I did with her daughter's new additions to their family. These two did wonderfully during their session and here are the pictures to prove it. There were many other great ones, but I have to give her something to look forward to!

monkey squared

With the summer heat drying Texas out more and more each day, I do best by staying inside out of the heat. Lately I haven't been shooting much, but been reading and writing and making the most of my summer! In need of updating, here's a pic taken at the last trip we took at the zoo. I'll try to get more pics up soon but in the meantime I've become addicted to Instagram, the coolest way to share pictures taken on the run. Please feel free to download the app, find me under 'artbrand' and follow along. Until then, stay cool.

parker

You may remember lil' Parker, I did his newborn pictures just about seven months ago. Before that, though, he was the very first baby I photographed with mommy holding the Polaroid in front of her belly. So now Parker's a little bigger and a lot cuter! Had so much fun with this little guy and his parents, Christine and Blake-longtime friends. Again, it was a pleasure photographing you guys and I was blessed to be apart of it.

foxy ladies

Finally catching up with myself when it comes to shooting, editing, and delivering orders, I am happy to show off a family session with very good friends Stephanie, Nic, and their daughter Roxy. I met Stephanie and Nic at the art festival in Kennedale and my wife and I fell in love with them and their adorable kiddo. They took some family portraits that we managed to squeeze in between those crazy storms that were hovering over North Texas a few weeks back.





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krista and ano-the big wedding post!

Congratulations to Krista and Ano Vargas, friends of mine who finally got married (...whaaat?!) at the A and M gardens in Azle just a few weeks ago. I had a lot of favorites from this wedding and tried to fit in as much as I could...

we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming...

Two days ago, and for the past three weeks in other parts of the country, storms have swept through, bringing high winds, hail, rain, floods, you name it. Two days ago rain and hail fell on my neck of the woods, but luckily no damage was done. It seems like we were just on the edge of brunt of it. Being on the edge you get to watch the clouds layered one on top of the other, on top of another. They would change dramatically in the matter of minutes from dark and brooding to light and fluffy, often colorful, then back to dark grey and blue. It was awesome to watch.

krista and ano-teaser

Currently working on Krista and Ano's wedding which took place at the A&M Gardens in Azle, Tx. Full post coming soon, but I just couldn't wait to post this image.

enter livingston parish

I picked up the last official roll of film that was devoted to the Livingston project today from the lab. As I held the negatives up to the light in the foyer anticipating what I'd seen, Steven, the guy I've been handing film to and picking film up from for years at Barron Photografix said, "You're the last of the medium format shooters." I laughed to myself thinking that I, oh me of so little, can't be the last. In fact I know I'm not the last by just flipping through a couple of photography magazines you will find another shooter or two still using film, but maybe rare is a more accurate statement. Many of the images are shot digitally, but after I got deep into the project and had a bit more of an idea of the direction I was headed, it was film all the way. Anyway, these two shots aren't my favorites, so who knows if they'll make into the book or not, but I thought they'd be a good send off image to commemorate the end of a personal project that took me so far into the woods, the eyes, and the beauty that south Louisiana is. Even though the image making process is over, I still look forward toward the next step, knowing the final chapter will only be closed after the book hits the shelves. Who knows then what other stories may be told after mine is done. I'd rather think of my story just as one of many others-like a puzzle piece fitting in with the rest of what makes the parish the place that it is, the people that live there, and the feeling of home.

posted

There aren't many billboards down the back roads of rural south Louisiana. What there is a lot of are posted signs. Most everywhere people are marking off their territory and their land to let you know these woods are not to be trespassed upon, hunted within, or explored throughout, for any means necessary. The problem with the message they send out is that no one listens to them. And that old adage about being "prosecuted on site"-in Livingston Parish you'll more likely be invited in for a pot of coffee. Reasons why I love the place.