Willy Porter was in my mailbox

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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.