cool yule

one of the great things about the warm texas winters is that we get to have fabulous outdoor christmas festivals - this is my second christmas living downtown, and i was not about to miss the over the top production known as the 'city lights festival' put on by neiman marcus - there was a great tree-lighting ceremony, hot cocoa, face painting, carolers - and then, a spectacular reveal of the neiman marcus window (the only department store window in america that allows the children to actually crawl into the display itself) the show was topped off with fireworks, and the most awesome santa entrance that i have ever seen! you'll just have to watch the movie i shot and see it for yourself!

twistin' the night away

kandi and i were lucky enough to attend this year's margarita ball - the world's largest invitation-only black tie charity ball - it is a non-profitable event, who's goal is to provide christmas gifts for at-risk children, as well as support the organizations that work with these children throughout the year - the mountain of toys was overwhelming, and the party was such a joyous celebration of the season! - see for yourself in this movie that i shot between dances:

nature in the city

i worked with a new client recently, and we decided to do a less traditional shoot and work in the park...in the middle of downtown - we were able to shoot during those last beautiful minutes of daylight, my favorite time of day for shooting - and with a little direction, a little cooperation, and a lot of courage to not care what others would think (the park was full on onlookers that day) i was able to get the modern lifestyle type portraits i was looking for - the sunlight, the park, the city backgrounds, the adorable family - all made for a fantastic and fun session!

check out the rest of the shoot right here

too much cute for one week

in the same weekend as my previous adorable kid photo shoot - i managed to book a second adorable kid - this little girl, who expressed interest in acting and modeling (the reason for the photo session) showed up initially a little shy - but with just a little encouragement from me to jump up and down, laugh, and dance - this little girl came alive, and a wealth of joy spilled from her every move and facial expression

see more from this all too fun photo session by clicking here

little boys are...fast

i had a shoot with a new client recently - we had such a nice day in the park! i was warned beforehand that he was difficult to photograph because of his energy and inability to sit still - and boy was she right - i spent most of the afternoon chasing him around in circles, up and down playground equipment, back and forth on the swings, and whoa, that kid is fast! but his dimples won me over - and the rest of the day we'll just call...a good day's workout...and pretty much how the majority of toddler photo shoots go

check out the rest of the shoot here

summertime, and the livin' is easy

my college roommate contacted me recently in need of some headshots for a new business venture - i knew she would be easy to shoot because not only does she have a great smile, but it is incredibly easy to get her to laugh...err crack up - headshots are a simple head and shoulders crop, which i think actually makes the shoot more challenging sometimes - it's fun to play with light and backgrounds and posing to try to get variation and life within such a tight shot - and i think she looks pretty great in every one of these shots

check out the rest of the shoot right here

ghouls and goblins and glitter, oh my!

so i guess i'm more of a videographer than a photographer these days - or still in the thick of a love affair with my iphone - either way, sometimes things are just better with motion and sound - and halloween is definitely one of those things - we had such a great time at the block party on Cedar Springs this year - the costumes were so great - and the personalities of the people we met were even better - follow that up with a great rock show, and you've got yourself a pretty magical all hallows eve...

one part friends, two parts tequila - shake well

i recently photographed some old family friends of mine - i was initially concerned that the history between us would make it difficult for them to relax and act natural - but on the contrary, it actually made the shoot a lot easier and more comfortable for all of us - i was able to joke around with them and get them to laugh easily - and then go for margaritas afterwards!

click here to see the rest of the shoot

the big apple

my most recent trip to NYC was a total blast! the movie i made shows it better than i could ever describe it - enjoy

you gotta have 'em

we tackled another 5k last week - but this one included more walking and smiling and girl-power, and a little less sweat and fire and mud - it was a great experience and really uplifting - the susan g. komen breast cancer awareness 5k is always a very empowering and community driven event - more than 30,000 people came out in support of the cause - and it was really an amazing sight to see - see for yourself and check out the video i made of the early morning fun:

today i stretched my designer hat over my photographer hat - it was a tight fit

i had the privilege of shooting these three girls for the 2nd fall in a row this year - and somehow, they have managed to get more beautiful since - and this time, mom and dad decided to join in on the fun for a few of the photographs - i'm wrapping up the editing of their shoot from this weekend, and have layed out and designed for them, 4 different christmas cards with the photos from our shoot - i've always loved graphic design, but have certainly never considered myself a designer - i have to say however, it was made a lot easier by having access to photos that i shot with my point of view, from which to derive inspiration

click right here to check out the card designs

let the games begin...

click here to look through the rest of this shoot

with fall comes great weather, and with great weather comes portrait season! just another reason why this time of year, is my favorite time of year - i had a hectic weekend of wedding photography, family portraits, and senior portraits - the first set i'm rolling out to the public are the senior portraits - this was one of my most successful and satisfying shoots to date - i am proud of the work and eager to share - and it didn't hurt that my subject was a very patient young artist with incredibly striking features - a complete joy to photograph

(fall appointments are filling up fast - check out thephotositake.com for available dates and rates)

the monster mash

the end of september means the beginning of haunted house season - and halloween just happens to be my favorite of all the holidays - i look forward to it like normal people look forward to christmas - it's not just the candy, the costumes, the parties, the mood, the chilly nights, the haunted houses, the spirit, the history, the ghouls and the goblins...it's all of it!

this weekend we headed out to a nationally accredited haunt in gainesville, a small town just south of oklahoma, where all of the proceeds from ticket sales are donated to the red cross - in these quick snapshots, i tried to capture the things that represent a recipe for a good scare: ticket booth hand painted on the side of a trailer..in the middle of nowhere, target practice, clowns, decapitated heads, and...porta potties

there is nothing more fun for me, than to visit these houses with people who are easily terrified and truely scared of, not just the spooks and startles, but the mere anticipation of it all - it's just not the same unless you have a screamer in the group, and luckily we had a couple - i'm really looking forward to screaming all over the metroplex for the next couple of weeks!

the end of summer

traditionally, labor day marks the end of summer - and this year it was a welcomed relief to steamy triple digit days, as well as a much needed triple day weekend.
mine was filled with cliche rituals of the american holiday...barbecues, block parties, new babies, and football - but, a nice change of pace from days filled with shot lists and photoshop and computers and hours of driving - it came and went all too fast


(and on a side note, the iPhone takes some pretty awesome photos too - as you can see)

and....action!

so i finally surrendered to the genius that is steve jobs...i got an iPhone - i've been a mac user since i was a teenager and i'm constantly trying to convert people because i have first hand experience in the superiority of apple technology - however, i've been putting off buying an iPhone for several reasons - the cost, having to become at&t's bitch, being that connected all of the time, and mostly - because i was sure i would be addicted to it soon after - well...i was right - and i'm already at the point where i can't remember how i survived without it for so long - within 24 hours of owning it, i decided to make my first iPhone movie - i think i was inspired by all of the filming that's been going on downtown - so i walked around in my neighborhood for a couple of hours and shot a few clips of my favorite places - i used the iMovie app to cut and arrange the clips, add music and text and transitions, and export...all on the phone - this thing is awesome!

enjoy the show.

quiet on the set

an unexpected perk to living downtown is getting to observe all of the movies and tv shows that are filmed here - the film crews are always really nice - and it never ceases to amaze me that i can wander around and take photos without anyone questioning me - i'm not sure if maybe my camera gear just makes me look like i belong there, or if they really just don't care - before my many adventures through the various sets, i would have thought there would have been more security on a movie set - or at least they would block off the street to the public - but i guess it's just too expensive to borrow main street for a night or two...?

the happiest kind of bar

a girls' night out at a gay bar is like smoke on a disco ball...
roundup is a fabulous place where you will find a karaoke stage, a dance floor, pool tables, a rooftop patio, and a few hundred beautiful, well dressed, charming,and totally.. uninterested men... who can dance.

after we cheered michele on in the karaoke room, we hit that dance floor where we made an adorable new friend - and we immediately began scanning the room to help find him a partner for the night - and successfully so! i can't remember the last time i danced, and sweat, and sang, and laughed so much in one night - and we can't wait to go back!

can i get a little cheese with that whine

my family and i attended a wine and cheese tasting at whole foods recently - we had a very in-depth history lesson about the 6 different types of gouda we tasted, as well as the several whites and reds that were paired along with each cheese - the origins and the cultural references were fascin...blah blah blah - it was a lot of damn wine and cheese...and i can't wait for the next one! - what a great way to spend an evening amongst friends and family - and after the 7th or 8th wine that was passed around, an actual fist bump (or terrorist fist jab, as fox news likes to call it) occurred between my mom and sister, as my dad looked on entertained/embarrassed - and we managed to get out of there without blowing too much on our picks for the night - *clink* here's to the next tasting, family!

surrogat family at the lake

so i spent this july 4th on a beautiful lake in crockett, tx - a sleepy little town between here and houston, where all of the tallest pine trees in texas have decided to dwell - the lake house where we spent the weekend belongs to a friend of a friends' parents....hairdresser's second cousin's sister-in-law...jk - anyway - it belongs to two of the most wonderful and welcoming people that i have had the pleasure of spending time with - and it's become kind of a tradition for aaron and i to crash their family reunion come july 4th - and i spent the (all too short) weekend fishing, swimming, water skiing, kayaking, chasing kids, making s'mores, setting off fireworks, drinking wine, and photographing everything in sight so as to not forget those 3 awesome summer days and nights - thanks genie and chuck for another memorable 4th!

click here to see the rest of the weekend

surprise!!!!!!...sort of

so the plan was to surprise jason on his birthday by stuffing all of his friends inside of his favorite bar and screaming and jumping and waving at him when he walked through the door - pretty standard as far as surprise parties go, but a fun one nonetheless - when you're expecting to run in and take your annual birthday shot, and find 20 or 30 of your friends, dulce de leche cupcakes, and balloons - it's pretty surprising right?....unless you forget that jason knows what kind of cars we all drive, and we managed to line the streets outside the bar with them...oops - even though he was tipped off, he did indulge us all with a little manufactured shock and awe...thanks jason

check out the rest of the fun surprise right here

yee-haw

i had the good fortune of attending another central market cooking school class this week - it featured the chef, author, and radio personality, john demers - and with a texas-inspired menu like white bean frito pie, texas snapper, praline sweet potatoes, and shiner-braised short ribs with jalapeno polenta, how could we resist?? - and after one amazing bite of that creamy kicked up polenta, my mom exclaimed 'i love grits' - which, for you northerners, is one of those hand in the air/hand on the bible statements that you have to make before you can hang out in the south - we definitely picked the right week to report to class
chef john openly and passionately expressed his love affair with all things texas - as he chopped and sauteed and flipped, he sipped on a shiner beer - a local favorite brewed in shiner, tx. - that he would later use to braise the beef (this is my kind of chef) - he told tales of a 14,000 mile roadtrip around the state, his search for the best bbq, the many colorful characters in terlingua and marfa, and his life near the border - he got so lost in his own words and animated storytelling - a true author - and it suddenly became more of a show than a class - and we were the willing (and salivating) audience

clinks of drinks and birthday winks

it wouldn't be sarah's birthday without some karaoke at a gay bar, lining up to do 'the time warp', a little bar hopping, and at least a few rounds of shots
*table-cheers-down the hatch*
there is never a shortage of interesting characters in denton - what a fun town - even though i reside in dallas these days, i'll never stop thinking of denton as home - i didn't grow up there, but it made up for what was sorely lacking in my hometown...music, art, love, diversity, and local color///segue///the color of light in the different bars that we visited throughout the night was so eclectic and fun, that i decided to go with it - so i just enhanced it, instead of color correcting it - have fun looking through a few of sarah's birthday photos by clicking right here

not the barbarian

last weekend, my best friend and i had the pleasure of being among the few that witnessed conan obrien's 'legally prohibited from being funny on television' tour - initially a little skeptical about watching conan do stand up for a couple of hours - we were pleasantly surprised - it turned out to be a show full of sketches, musical performances, great comedians, and old conan friends and inside jokes - one of my favorite moments, pictured above, was a sketch where conan wandered aimlessly around his house in a robe, showerless and beardy, drinking far too much wine - all set to the tune of 'all by myself' - a possibly too-close-to-home depiction of his life since being fired from the tonight show

wacky tobacky

in addition to parades, another common traffic-stopping spectacle downtown are the many protests that occur, both peaceful and not-so peaceful - there was one of each last week, and while both carried validity, i decided my blog expressed too casual a tone to convey serious journalism, so i photographed the more peaceful/entertaining of the two - the legalization of marijuana - a diverse group of people came together to march, both young and old - pot head cliches, conservatives, hippies, artists, and even grandparents walked the streets of downtown dallas, carrying clever signs and chanting 'free the weed' - the cops monitoring the protest were in good spirits, which was lucky as many of the protesters were openly smoking the not-yet legal drug...i'm pretty sure i got a contact high

i am a warrior, hear me roar

click here to see the whole race

this weekend i participated in the craziest race to ever come through texas - the warrior dash - a 3.5 mile race through uncharted woods and farmland, with insane obstacles along the way - some of the obstacles included fighting my way through gale force winds (enormous fans at top speed - they called this one 'the texas tornado') climbing up and over a cargo net, sliding down a muddy river bank - crossing the river - and climbing back out the other muddy side, jumping over fire pits, swimming across a bog while pulling yourself up and over several huge logs floating on the surface, and crawling through a mud pit under barbed wire - at the end of the race, we were all hosed off by a powerful fire hose - and then it was on to the free beer, music, and turkey legs, all while adorning our newly acquired race medals and viking helmets - it was so awesome, i'm thinking of following it to another state and doing it all over again!

happy birthday to me!

click here to see the whole night

this weekend i celebrated my 28th birthday - after 21, birthdays seem to be mostly a let down - but this year was, by far, the best birthday i've had since childhood (you know, when mom was still in charge of the festivities) - the night started out with an amazing meal at a sexy restaurant with live music - then we headed back to my place, where we set up a full bar/balloons/cupcakes/the whole nine, on the roof of my building downtown - the weather was perfect, the company was perfect, the city lights were perfect - and just when i thought it couldn't possibly get any better...my friends surprised me with one of my favorite musicians - who serenaded us all for the rest of the evening - what a magical night!

we built this city

you know you're growing accustomed to life downtown when the sound of the traffic outside lulls you to sleep like ocean waves - the ebb and flow of the city begins to sound like music - and just this morning i was listening to the squeal of braking buses, and a chord emerged...i think it was c minor

'a flurry of groin-hugging spandex'

click here to check out the rest of the photos

last night i made my way out to the house of blues to catch a band called steel panther - it was literally like being in the movie spinal tap - take every 80's hairband cliche...exaggerate it - then add a lot of leopard spandex and incredibly offensive lyrics, and you get steel panther...so bad, it's good - there was actually a moment when the guitarist whipped out a mirror to check his lip gloss, and then proceeded to douse himself with hairspray - but antics aside, these guys are actually pretty amazing musicians - and it was one of the most hilariously entertaining rock shows i've ever been to

don't look down

i was reminded this morning about an aspect of city life that i had forgotten about...window washing - i awoke to a 'squeaky squeaky' at my window, only to find a man suspended from ropes just outside - i've been repelling before, but these guys take it to an extreme - it was pretty fascinating to watch them in action, but there was definitely a sigh of relief when they safely reached the ground

roll out the red carpet

my most recent photo session was with a young actress, who just finished wrapping up filming her first independent film - it is scheduled to premiere in new york, la, and dallas - and has recently become a contender for sundance - though her career seems to be taking off, she was really down to earth and fun to work with - and by the end of our session, she insisted on sharing my name and contanct info with the producers of the movie - so hopefully, the next time i see her, i will be photographing her on the red carpet at that dallas premiere!

a birthday and an irish holiday

jj turned the big 2 - 8 this weekend...not exactly a milestone, but a wonderful friend deserving of a big celebration nonetheless - and all i really have to say about this post, is that i find my friends to be completely adorable...

click here to see more

and of course, we celebrated st. patrick's day this weekend - which, in dallas, means the largest parade of the year - a record attendance of 80,000 people and over 100 floats to observe - with bagpipes, green beer, mardi gras beads galore, and a host of other colorful characters...it crushed the christmas parade in excitement, energy, and just plain fun - i can't remember the last time i was in such a large crowd of people who were all totally drunk...before noon - you gotta love the irish!

check out my favorite shots from the day right here

i had the privilege of spending time with a very talented local film maker this weekend - we spent hours in his studio watching and discussing several of his edited pieces and documentaries - beautifully lit and well composed works of art, that for me, was like witnessing really great photography in motion - to see some of his work for yourself, visit his site right here


to keep my art buzz going, i decided to complete the evening with a little gallery hopping - the public trust and 500X had both great shows and great turnouts - several of my favorite artists were in attendance and we decided to keep the party going and the spirits flowing at a great uptown bar

click here to meet some of these characters

comedy, trucks, and chewy wine - i think i'll write me a country song

in the span of two days, i managed to drive up to oklahoma to watch craig ferguson live, down to arlington for my second monster jam in one month, and back to dallas for a wine tasting at the ritz - the little obsessions and interests of my friends, in combination with my own, have resulted in a series of ongoing spontaneous adventures - and i can't wait to see where we end up next!

trust no road

i've probably been watching neff perform for about ten years now - and i've always thought he was without a doubt, the best singer i have ever heard - after all of this time, my opinion hasn't changed, and neither has his talent - and bonus, he is probably the best looking guy i have ever seen in real life - click here for more shots from this denton good time

today, i went by ms. lindsay

well, i think i just photographed the next child superstar - he filled my sunday morning with questions, giggles, jokes, and dimples - and by the end of our session, i was ready to keep him (although i don't think his mom would have appreciated that) check out the rest of my favorite shots of this adorable kid right here!

white trash weekend

this weekend i ventured out to houston, met up with one of my best and most missed friends, and experienced my first monster jam - and what a loud, gas filled, vibrating, car crushing, truck rolling good time it was - click here to see more monsters

he takes photos too

it's great to be immersed in the art world again - free wine and great people watching aside - there is never a shortage of innovative new talent to explore and fascinating people with which to converse - and lucky me, dallas' art scene just so happens to be bursting at the seams with great shows to attend - to see some of the work from this show, check out matt's site right here

and many more

click here to see all the fun

we celebrated michele's birthday this weekend - and i'm not sure there was actually a point in the evening when we weren't laughing hysterically - while i'm sure the champagne and cupcake sugar high added to the fun - there's really nothing better than a night when all of your favorite people are together in one place at the same time

cheers!

it's all about the benjamins baby

while out at one of my favorite dallas bars saturday night, i met a group of guys who were celebrating turning 30 - as i was documenting their drunken debauchery, they became increasingly curious about my camera, my profession, and the resulting images - and before i knew it, they were shaking my hand in gratitude while slipping me $100 tip - have i mentioned lately that i love dallas...

check 1....2

...a few shots taken from behind the scenes during an arduous sound check on the saturday afternoon before the show

it was an unforgettable night - not just for me, but for an audience surging with loyal mus-tard fans - with lasers, smoke, video installations, and snow machines - this band does not disappoint - and even with all of the theatrics, the music and the talent still managed to shine through - i feel so fortunate to have been a part of it

and not to ruin their rock and roll image...but they are also 4 of the best guys i have had the priviledge of spending time with in a long, long time

click here to watch a video clip of my performance on 'friend' with ugly mus-tard WARNING:EXPLICIT LYRICS

today i made a new friend

recently i've been spending most of my free time rehearsing with ugly mus-tard for an upcoming show and i managed to get a few shots of the guys in the studio over the weekend
i just heard how many of you are planning to come to the show and i think that's awesome - i really appreciate the support