photography

3 minutes with Kevin Welch

2008-06-23T17:57:00.004-05:00

A while back somebody asked me on a internet tv show what I did to prepare for a shoot. Other than make sure my batteries are charged the night before that's about it. I used to stress for days before a shoot visiting the location over and over looking for the perfect set up and it seemed the more I planned the less happy I was with the results. Now I just show up and let the surroundings "speak to me". Last week I had a shoot with Kevin Welch at Blue Rock. The day of the shoot I was contemplating my set up and decided to keep it simple. 2 lights with Kevin sitting on a stool with his guitar. When I arrived at Blue Rock Billy told me we needed to keep it simple because we didn't have a lot of time. I guess the stars were in alignment that night. I did about a 10 min. rig with my profoto kit and waited for Kevin to finish his sound check. When he came back stage we had about 3 min. so I had him sit on the stool, knock out a few chords while I released the shutter a few times and we were done. I couldn't have been happier with the results either. I need to rush them all and quit letting my head get in the way of the creative process. For more on Kevin go to www.kevinwelch.com.

Joe Vitale Succeed cover shoot

2008-05-25T21:40:00.008-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Joe Vitale contacted me about doing a photo shoot for the June/July '08 edition of Succeed magazine. As always it was a blast working with Joe and he is always the gracious host. The best part of the day was photographing Joe with his new Panoz race car that was previously owned by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. So, to read more about Joe and to check out the amazing photos head over to www.succeedmagazine.com.au/mrfire.html to get your copy.

Stepping back in time

2008-05-24T14:42:00.003-05:00

I recently had a fashion shoot for LA designer Marrika Nakk. Marrika's clothes are very cowgirl inspired so I was looking for a really great barn to shoot in but since it was going to be 100 degrees the day of the shoot I decided to find something indoors. There is an old 1940's opera house in my home town that I have always wanted to shoot in and it ended up being the perfect place. I called up my good friend and make up artist Carol Wagener out of Houston to see if she would be interested in coming up for the shoot and fortunately for me she was available. I had to get at least one more shoot with her because she recently signed with Timothy Priano and is heading to New York in a couple of weeks.

Rocking with Ruthie

2008-05-18T00:15:00.002-05:00

I LOVE my job! I had the pleasure of spending today photographing the phenominal Ruthie Foster. I have been wanting to photograph Ruthie for a while so long story short I contacted her manager last December to see about setting up a shoot and after working around her tour we finally got a date set. It took us five months to finally hook up but it was well worth the wait. I contacted my good friend Billy Crockett at Blue Rock studios who I shoot for every month to see if I could borrow his studio for my shoot with Ruthie. He graciously accepted my request and gave me access to the studio for the afternoon. Not only did I get some amazing photos of Ruthie I also got my own free 2 hour concert. If you aren't familiar with Ruthie check her out at www.ruthiefoster.com, you won't be disappointed. Thank You Ruthie for a great day!!!

Red Dirt Romantic at Blue Rock Studio

2008-05-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Oh I Wish....

2008-05-02T22:29:00.001-05:00

After 37 years on the planet I finally saw the Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile in person and I actually had my camera with me.

Little rubber buddha visits Joe Vitale

2008-04-30T00:05:00.001-05:00

Last weeeknd Joe Vitale invited me to his annual Mr Fire House of Blues concert that he has at his home. This is the 3rd year that Michelle Malone has played there. A great time was had by all, especially Michelle when she got to go for a spin with Joe in his new Panoz race car that he bought from Steven Tyler. Hey Joe, I'm Next!

Michelle also travels with a rubber buddha that she photographs in different locations from the road. Check them out on her myspace page at www.myspace.com/michellemalonemusic

Elvis, Jesus and funeral food with the New Agrarians

2008-04-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

The New Agrarians: Kate Campbell,Tom Kimmel, and Pierce Pettis

The shows at Blue Rock have never disappointed and this past show was no exception. Kate, Tom or Pierce would have incredible on their own (in fact Pierce did do a solo show at Blue Rock about a year back) but the three of them have joined forces to create the New Agrarians. They have gone back to their roots and sing about what they know best, The South. The power of their songs was amazing. I have never seen an audience so affected. Their were several songs where there wasn't a dry eye in the room. It was a very powerful night. They haven't cut an album under the New Agrarians but they each have several albums of their own so be sure to check them out and hopefully their will be a New Agrarians album out soon.

I'm an uncle

2008-03-26T23:50:00.001-05:00

Brooklyn Elizabeth Bursiel was born March 26 at 12:07am in Austin,TX to my brother Mark and his wife Kari. She's going to be a super model or is at least going to feel like one with all the pictures I will be taking of her. I like her little dew rag.

MMMM MMMM MMMM, That Knuckle Yummy sho is good

2008-03-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

What's a Knuckle Yummy? It's the hottest thing to come out of the Austin, TX music scene. It is the latest vision of Dony Wynn. Dony was Robert Palmer's drummer for about 20 years and is now producing his own thing in Austin. Dony has teamed up with the incredible guitar stylings of Pehr Smith and the vocals of good friend Elizabeth Lee. How do you describe the sound? You can't. It is one of the most original sounds to come around in a long time but the first time I heard them I knew exactly the shoot we needed to do and the photo here is exactly how they sound. As Dony puts it the sound is red mud, sweat, cobalt smoke, whiskey soaked dancefloors, freedom. Elizabeth is currently on tour in Europe with her other band Cozmic Mojo but when she returns they will be hitting the stage at Continental Club so keep your eyes open and don't miss it.

Mac McAnally takes a break from cheeseburgers in paradise to enjoy Apple pie in paradise

2008-03-14T22:41:00.000-05:00

One of my greatest joys of photography is being able to shoot the shows at Blue Rock Studio right up the road from my house. Once a month I get the pleasure of hanging out with some of the greatest musicians in the business and last night was no exception. You might not have heard his name but you know who Mac McAnally is. Mac has toured with the best, including Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Amy Grant, Travis Tritt, Linda Rondstadt, Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Alabama, Patty Loveless and many more. Mac has also had his songs recorded by more than 30 national recording artists including Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait and Sawyer Brown. Mac is is also currently part of Jimmy Buffet's Coral Reefer Band.

Willy Porter was in my mailbox

2008-03-02T21:24:00.000-06:00

The other day I received a really nice surprise in my mailbox. The very first show I shot at Blue Rock Studios was of Willy Porter. Shortly after the shoot Willy's manager contacted me about using the photos which have now been used in several ads for Fishman Amps, one of Willy's endorsements. They also asked me about possibly using one of the photos for his tour poster. Several weeks went by and I hadn't heard any more so I didn't know if they were going to use it or not. In fact I had forgotten about and then it showed up in my mail. I think it turned out really nice. So keep an eye out for Willy Porter coming through your town and my poster hanging in the window.

More from Blue Rock....with Terri Hendrix, Lloyd Maines, Sam Baker and Walt Wilkins

2008-02-20T15:23:00.000-06:00

I've had two shoots out at Blue Rock Studio since my last post. The first was a two night sold out show on Dec 13th &14th. The Hill Country Christmas with Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines. They were also joined with Billy Crockett, Susan Gibson, Ray Bonneville and Sarah Jarosz. Terri is an amazing singer song writer out of San Marcos Texas and has recorded nine albums, her latest being The Spiritual kind. You can see more about her on her website at www.terrihendrix.com. Lloyd Maines is an Austin based musician and producer who has had his hand in just about everything to come out of Texas. He is probably best known for producing Natalie Maines (literally), the lead singer for the Dixie Chicks. If you have the opportunity to meet Lloyd be sure to ask him about his Columbia Records contract.

Sam Baker and Walt Wilkins took the stage February 14, Valetines Day. Sam and Walt were a true treasure to photograph and hang out with. Just down to earth great guys with incredible talent. Sam was the victim of a terrorists train bombing in 1986 while traveling through Peru. He lost most of his hearing and severely damaged his left which forced him to relearn to play the guitar but he didn't let this stop him. Sam is a unique talent. His latest album is Pretty World. Be sure to visit his website at www.sambakermusic.com.

Walt Wilkins is another amazing songwriter and producer from Texas. Walt spent the last 10 years of his career in Nashville but has returned to his roots in Austin, TX. Walt has written songs for Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Ty Herndon and Pat Green's "Songs about Texas". Walt and Sam are great friends and it shows. If you get an opportunity to these these guys together don't miss it. You will be highly entertained with great music and non stop laughs. Walt's website is www.waltwilkins.com

Cabalgata de Cristo Rey

2008-02-02T17:26:00.001-06:00

Three days in the saddle for 10 hours a day is not something I would recomend to any one but I did it. A few years back a friend of mine who runs Coyote Canyon horseback excursions in San Miguel told me about the Cabalgata de Cristo Rey. It is a 3 day horse back pilgrimage where 2000+ cowboys ride to the Jesus statue in the middle of Mexico. It had to be done. I never thought twice about what I was really getting myself into. I've ridden a horse for four or five hours at a time without any problem so I didn't think it would be that difficult to double it, times 3. Boy was I wrong. That was the most grueling experience I have ever taken part in.

Rodrigo picked us up at Casa de Sierra Nevada (our amazing host) around 5 am. We had to be saddled up and on our way before sunrise. We started out from the ranch with about 25 people and as the day progressed other ranches began to join in with us. By the end of the day there were horses as far as you could see. It was quite an amazing sight. We travelled through lands and villages off the beaten path that not many people will ever see.

We made our first stop that afternoon in a small village for dinner and well needed sleep. After dinner we began setting up camp but somehow my equipment didn't make the transition to the truck that dropped everything off for us. Fortunately Rodrigo had an extra sleeping bag. Of course I had brought all my REI gear to help ease the "roughing it" factor but when it got left behind I was officially roughing it. Of course sleep was difficult being surround by hundreds of horses snorting and fighting all night.

The next morning we were up before sunrise and finding a place to use the restroom was not an easy task but finding a 4 foot ditch to fall in and rip all the tendons in your ankle is pretty easy to do. Somehow I managed to pull myself out of the ditch and make it back to camp in time to saddle and head out for day 2. Day 2 was much like day 1 just with a lot of aches and pains. I wasn't sure how I was going to make it but I had no choice so I sucked it up and headed out. It was a little easier to block out some of the pain because along the way we were making more friends and had more people to talk to. We also learned more about what the pilgrimage was really about. The most exciting part of the trip were the kids along the way. Each village we rode through, the children would come out give the riders letters for them to take to Cristo Rey. It was much like children giving letters to Santa. In return all the riders would throw candy to the kids.

We made it to Cristo Rey by the end of the second day where we attended a 2 hour long mass on horse back then headed back down the mountain a ways to our camp. Fortunately this time the van that had my equipment was there so I was able to sleep in a little more comfort but it was still rough sleeping. Especially when my boot almost wouldn't come off from the swelling in my ankle.

The third day was all on horse back but not as much riding. There were a series off masses at different locations at Cristo Rey. At the end of the day we loaded the horses into the trucks and drove home. Not sure I would have made it back by horse back. Not sure the horses would have made it back. It was a long grueling trip. Am I complaining? NO! I think I'm just trying to get my point across as to what these riders sacrifice every year for their beliefs. It was a true experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. Not sure I could do it again but I'm so glad I finally got to experience it. Hats off to you guys that do this year after year. My heart goes out to you and thank you Casa de Sierra Nevada for the nice cozy bed upon my return.

ISSA at Blue Rock

2007-12-03T00:42:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late in posting but a couple of weeks ago I had another shoot at Blue Rock studios here in Wimberley, TX. This time the artist was ISSA (formerly Jane Sieberry) and it was another great show. The following is the write up on ISSA by Billy Crockett. To see the video of the performance visit www.bluerocktexas.com.

Issa (say “eeee-sah”), the artist formerly known as Jane Siberry, is internationally renowned for her angelic, filmic, and wonderfully compelling music. From her thirteen recordings, Issa has garnered five Juno nominations, gold sales status, and several People’s Choice Awards in her native Canada. Her performances across Europe, Japan, and Australia have been called “heart stopping” and “spellbinding” by the press.

Issa has recorded with Bryan Ferry, K.D. Lang, Indigo Girls, and Peter Gabriel. Her Brian Eno collaboration, When I Was A Boy, brought to life the song, “Calling All Angels,” which appeared in Wim Wender’s film, Until The End Of The World. This song also appeared in the soundtrack for the film, Pay It Forward, and an episode of the series, Six Feet Under.

An ever-changing iconoclast, Issa recently gave up her birth name, her Toronto home, her car, her electric guitar, and just about all of her possessions, including the masters of her recordings as Jane Siberry. (She’s keeping the Manolo shoes and her collection of Miles Davis records, however.) The music she makes is given away for free or a listener-determined fair price.

Issa offers absorbing concerts with music that comes from deep personal spaces. This rare Blue Rock performance will include pianist Tim Ray, bassist Rich Brown, and special guest artist Adrienne Pierce.

For more information on this artist, visit http://www.issalight.com

The next show is with Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines

Willy Porter at Blue Rock Studios

2007-09-14T15:57:00.001-05:00

If you live in the Austin area you owe it to yourself to make your way to Wimberley TX and visit the Blue Rock Studio. Last night I had the honor of photographing the amazing Willy Porter. The studio is probably Wimberley's best kept secret and is only 5 minutes from my house. I heard of Blue Rock through a friend of mine so I contacted the owners Billy and Dodee Crocket to see if I could photograph the concerts they have at their studio once a month. They gladly accepted my offer but I had no idea what I was about to experience. I arrived fully prepared but not expecting to shoot what I ended up shooting. I was planning on shooting just the show itself but ended up getting to do a private shoot back stage with Willy with my complete lighting rig while getting my own private concert. What an amazing night and an even more amazing guitar player. But things only got better from there. Of course I gave the photos to Willy and his manager contacted me the next week to see about using the photos for his tour poster and advertising campaigns which will be running soon in numerous guitar magazines for Fishman amplifiers. If you haven't heard Willy's music you have to check it out and if you ever have the opportunity to see him live don't miss it. He will blow you away. For more information on Blue Rock Studio and a calendar of events visit their website at www.bluerocktexas.com. Come on by, you won't be disappointed.

A day with JD Souther

2007-08-26T13:57:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hang out with one of the greatest song writers of all time. Cowboys and Indians magazine called to see if I would be interested in shooting the story on JD Souther. I think I said yes before they even finished asking the question. It was a long drive from Austin but I drove up to Amarillo and spent the day hanging out at Palo Duro canyon, JD's old stomping grounds. We met about 6:30 in the morning to take advantage of the morning light but without a cloud in the sky it was a difficult shoot. I got some nice shots but I didn't have "The" shot.
After our morning shoot JD had some things to take care of so I spent the day driving around Amarillo looking for another location but it just wasn't presenting itself. After several hours of scouting I got lost and ended up in an unfamiliar part of town but it was meant to be because there it was, The old 47 Knucklehead. This was going to be the shot. I went in and asked the owners if I could borrow the bike he was of course a little hesitant but when he found out what it was for he was more than happy to let us use it. I called JD and told him what I found but I think he was hoping for something else but when he saw the bike he was hooked on the idea. When he saw the final picture he said it was one of his favorite pictures ever taken of him. Those are the words a photographer likes to hear.
JD is responsible for many of The Eagles top hits and his music has been recorded by numerous other artists including The Dixie Chicks, George Strait, Linda Ronstadt and many others.

Kayaking the Blanco

2007-08-07T18:15:00.000-05:00

Cypress tree that washed onto River Rd. during the last big flood

We finally got a break in the rain but I am not complaining. You can see how much rain we have had by the picture above. It takes a lot of water to move a tree that size. It has been a crazy summer. I've never seen July highs in the 80's in Texas.
Me, Jake and Fred. If there is water we'll find it.

After a 3 year drought we finally got some relief. The lakes are back to normal and the Blanco river is full so we can kayak again. I bought my kayak about 2 years ago and have hardly been able to use it but have been making up for lost time lately. I was introduced to a run on the Blanco by a friend of mine and I can get out right at my parents house (makes it easy). We went last week, about a five hour trip and was completely different run than the week before. It's amazing how much the river changes. Makes it difficult to learn the rapids but you never get bored with the run.

If this ain't livin' then count me out.

I am heading to Amarillo on Thursday to photograph JD Souther for Cowboys and Indians magazine but will be back in time for another run on Sunday.

Joe Vitale's Zero Limits book release

2007-07-30T01:15:00.001-05:00

Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Hew Len

A few months ago Joe Vitale called me to see if I would photograph his Ho'oponopono workshop with Dr. Hew Len in Austin, TX, not knowing that one of my photos would end up being the author photo for his newest book Zero Limits. After the event I made a print and had it framed as a gift for Joe. He was so impressed by the photo that he immediately said this has to be in the book. Well, the day has finally come. Saturday afternoon here in Wimberley, TX Joe had a book signing and by the size of the crowd it looks like Joe has another #1 bestseller on his hands and I am proud to be a part of it.

Me and Joe

The day also had a few hidden gems. This is eight year old Landon, one of Joe's fans. He has set his sights on earning a million dollars though his web site www.thefartsite.com, kind of a bet with his mom that he could make a million selling farts. So far he has earned $500 but I have a feeling that number will start rising really fast. This kid is a true inspiration. Does anyone remember what they were doing when they were 8. It sure wasn't trying to build a business on the internet to make my first million. I was happy with $20 mowing lawns. To see Pat Obryan's interview with Landon go to www.patobryan.com/blog.htm.

Fallen Angels

2007-07-27T01:00:00.001-05:00

My latest shoot for Marrika was a huge success. I worked with Samantha again who is always awesome and she introduced me to Bobbie who was equally amazing to work with. I couldn't be happier with the shots we got. All of my work for Marrika has always been on location mainly because I don't have a studio but when you spend a small fortune on studio lights you kind of want to use them. The idea for this shot required a lot of space in order to set up the lights the way I wanted so I borrowed a friend of mines living room that was about 20X30 with 16' ceilings. It worked out perfect I was able to set up my profoto 2400 pack with my new 5' octabank softbox, 2 1x4 strip softbox and my new grids. We had a 6 hour shoot with about 12 wardrobe changes and the day just flew by.

I am heading out Sunday to Amarillo to do a shoot with JD Souther for Cowboys and Indians magazine then making my way west for several shoots and of course catch a few waves. More on that later.

Pura Vida!

Pura Vida!

2007-07-06T01:37:00.000-05:00

I just returned from the greatest trip of my life, or maybe the second greatest. It doesn't really matter because both times were in Costa Rica. It was such an amazing time that I am heading back in Oct. to look into buying something. There is no better place to get away. Amazing people, amazing food and amazing waves. We were 40 miles from the nearest paved road, no phone, no tv. Internet if you needed it. It doesn't get any better than that. I have never been more relaxed. Our typical day usually started around 5:30 when the howler monkeys decided we had slept long enough. After our morning session we would head to town for Gallo Pinto, scrambled eggs and fried plantains then head to the house and relax in the pool with and ice cold Imperial before we would head to the beach for another round of waves. Surf, eat, drink beer, sleep, repeat. My main intention while I was there was my photography but on arrival my plans quickly changed. I was too relaxed and having too much fun surfing I just didn't feel like lugging the camera around. In fact, I think I shot more with my small point and shoot. I bought a underwater housing for it so I was able to take it out surfing and get some great video footage. I'm working on a movie right now using imovie (my latest fascination) which will be available on Youtube real soon.
Pictured are Norman Talbot, Steve Brown, Jake Bradley, Me, Fred Ballard, Cornelius Morley, Dan Carmody, Scott Grusky and Ron Alcalay. Thanks guys! Can't wait to do it again. We have to keep the legend of Jake alive.

Finally seeing the light.

2007-05-27T23:32:00.000-05:00

OK, I know it's been a while since I last checked in. It's been rediculously busy with everything going on. I had my first shoot with Cowboys and Indians magazine since my last update. I also had a fashion shoot at Brocante here in Wimberley, took a vacation from the country and headed to Big D for the weekend, designed a new ad campaign for Marriak Nakk designs from our last photo shoot and helped my bud Pat Obryan shoot one of his new instructional videos on internet marketing but more on all that later. First I have to tell you about my new toy.

As a photographer you can never have enough glass in your bag. I'm constantly hanging out at Precision camera looking for my next purchase. Of course I've never walked out of there without something in my hand. It's been a while since I bought a new lens, I don't care for flash photography and it's not always convenient to set up my lights so I went with the 50mm 1.4. What an awesome lens! You can practically see in the dark with it. And of course it's Nikon as if you couldn't tell from the pic. I will be posting some new pics with it soon. Lots more to talk about but I will tell more later. "Keep in Focus!"

Only in Austin

2007-04-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

After living in an area for so long you really start to take it for granted. Even living on a beautiful island you would eventually lose the appreciation you had when you first visited. Well that is what this photo did for me in Austin. Driving down South Lamar the other day I noticed a flock of pink flamingos that had taken roost on this beautiful art guitar. It reminded me of what a cool town Austin is and made me see this place with fresh eyes. So, my new photo assignments is to start roaming the city and photographing the things I would have noticed when I first moved here, starting with this one. Of course I will still be traveling to get the great shots too. Starting with Costa Rica in June. I've also got my first shoot with Cowboys and Indians magazine tomorrow. It is for their new architectural spread. I am shooting a home on Lake Travis. I haven't seen the place yet but apparently it is an amazing home. I can't wait.

Learning my lesson the hard (expensive) way

2007-04-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

I was contacted recently by a lady here in town to shoot a portrait of her daughter which I gladly accepted. I had a new sofa (actually an old crappy one) that I bought at a junk sale and had been wanting to use. The color of her dress was perfect with the sofa. So......I arrived early to set up my lights and turned on my car radio to keep me company. Obviously when Ally arrived I left it on because it's always good to have a little music on set. Not realizing we had been shooting for 2 hours (time flys when your having fun) I killed my battery. Of course we jumped it and it started but it was dead again the next morning. Time for a new battery. Our last shot Ally wanted to do with her car. She probably would have been happy with just a simple natural light set up but I wanted her to be happy so I did an elaborate light set up in the garage to get the perfect shot. While setting up I had the cable stretched a little to far on my cheap crappy light stands and you know what happened next. Yes it fell and it didn't come back on. Time to hit Precision camera to replace the bulb and of course buy a better stand like I should have done in the first place in stead of trying to cut corners. After it was all said and done.

New car battery $132
New stobe $369
New modeling light $ 39
New light stand $189
Old crappy sofa $150

Happy client with great photos: PRICELESS

Amazing compliments

2007-04-11T23:54:00.000-05:00

Another incredible week. As I mentioned in my last blog I had a photo shoot with author and star of "The Secret" Joe Vitale. Joe has not only fallen in love with the photos I did for him but he has posted them in his blog 3 times this past week. Not only that but he gave an incredible compliment, " Rodney is a genius at turning an ordinary moment everyone else takes for granted into a masterpiece of symbol and power". Talk about making someone proud of what they are doing. Check it out at www.mrfire.blogspot.com. I also got more great news today. I will be shooting for Cowboys and Indians magazine. My first shoot will be an interior shoot of a home on Lake Travis in Austin. We are also talking about doing a fashion shoot with Patricia Vonne in the near future. I can't wait. I have shot with Patricia before and she is amazing to work with. Very professional and lots of fun. I will keep you posted on developments. Thanks for reading!

Photo shoot with Joe Vitale

2007-04-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

Another great photo shoot. I had the honor of photographing #1 best selling author and good friend Dr. Joe Vitale. I have been wanting to do a shoot with Joe for some time now but the opportunity never presented itself because of Joe's busy schedule, until today. Of course I had been racking my brain for days trying to come up with something and it just wasn't coming to me. So, I finally just quit worrying about it and decided to let it come to me when I got there. I arrived at Joe's today about 3:00. He showed me around the house and we talked for awhile just catching up and of course the conversation led to his beautiful car Francine. I thought about shooting him with Francine but it had been done before and I wanted to do something different. But of course when I mentioned it to Joe his eyes lit up and decided it must be done. And am I ever glad that we did. I am so excited about how this photo came out as is Joe. Check out Joe's blog at www.mrfire.com to see the kind words he wrote about the shoot. Be sure to also check out his new book Zero Limits due out this June. I shot the author photo for it.

Vegas Baby!

2007-03-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

I have actually been back in Texas for about a week now but it took me that long to recover from my 2 week road trip to Phoenix, LA and Vegas. Vegas was my final stop. Loaded with a car full of Marrika Nakk's clothes, I headed for the desert where I met up with Emily and headed out to Red Rock Nat. Park. What a great location for shooting. There is a narrow window for shooting there though. Too early and your fighting mid day sun and too late you lose your light pretty fast behind the mountains. We got some great shots. It wasn't all shooting though, I was in Vegas afterall. One of my best friends, Fred Ballard and his wife Terry were there too so we met up at the MGM and hung out for the evening. Nothing like $7 beers and $15 Frech toast for breakfast. Now it's time to start editing pictures so I can update my website. I'll keep you posted

Last day in LA

2007-03-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

I had another great shoot with Lauren today at Marrika's house. We had a short day because Lauren had several auditions this afternoon. I seem to do better when I 'm under pressure with time. I think I got some of my best shots today. All these new photos are going to be used on her new website and for her ad in Cowboys and Indians magazine that I will be designing also. Tomorrow I am heading out to Vegas to shoot with my good friend Emily. I probably chose the worst weekend to go though. Spring Break and MArch Madness is going to make it a nightmare getting there from LA. I'll let you know

Another day in paradise!

2007-03-13T15:56:00.000-05:00

I am hanging out today enjoying my day off in Pasadena, CA. This trip has far exceeded my expectations. Upon my arrival I met with Marrika and her assistant Corrina over dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel. Corrina is from El Salvador, where I just returned from a surfing trip so we had a lot to talk about since she hasn't been home in 15 years. Her story was amazing. Marriaka has been a joy to work with. Our first shoot was in her Hollywood home with the lovely Lauren Elaine. Lauren was amazing to work with. She made my job very easy. Things went so well that we are shooting again on Thur. and I am so looking forward to it. I am heading to Marrika's house this afternoon to schedule our next shoot. Sunday I had an 8 hr shoot for an independent film poster. I can't post the pics yet but trust me, It's going to be awesome.

Exciting times

2007-03-02T17:27:00.000-06:00

Well, all my hard work is finally about to pay off. I am heading out to LA in the morning to meet with fashion designer Marrika Nakk. I discovered her work by shooting for Brocante, a small boutique here in Wimberley TX. I emailed Marrika to see if she would be interested in letting me photograph for her. She called me back immediately and started sending me clothes and giving me complete creative control of the shoots. Things are really taking off between the two of us so now I am heading to LA to actually meet Marrika and do some shoots there. While in the area I will be shooting with several other models including the beautiful Alike Boggan, #20 on Deal or No Deal. On my way to LA I will be stopping in Phoenix for a shoot and after LA I will be heading to Yosemite and then off to Vegas to shoot with Emily. An amazing friend and model who helped me build my portfolio when I was first starting out in fashion photography. So, I will keep you posted on my travels. Adios for now