Hernandez Portrait Session - Georgetown, TX

This week I had a wonderful portrait session with the Hernandez family. The children wanted to give their mom a portrait of the three of them for mothers day so we were on a tight timeline but made it work! The Hernandez's were such a fun group and they were so easy to shoot. The session was done out at Lake Georgetown and the setting was beautiful. I was a little worried when I pulled up and got out and was almost blown over by 20mph winds. Luckily the wind was out of the south so we could work with our backs to the sun without hair blowing in their faces. I kept telling myself glamor photographers would pay hundreds of dollars for fans to blow this hard but we got ours for free :) We manged through the wind and got some beautiful images. I know their mother will love their gift! Let me know if you are looking for a portrait and we can get you on the schedule soon!

White Bluebonnets - Burton, TX

This is something I had not seen before but was given a tip that these white Bluebonnets were seen out in a pasture out in Burton. I would be curious to know if anyone out there knows exactly how rare it is to see these white bluebonnets. I have a couple photos of them and I found one group that was even whiter then the ones here. However the cloud formation was muchbnicer for this photo so decided to give this one first run honors. Let me know what yall know about these!

You Sure about That? - Waco, TX

Sprinkling in another zoo photo from the trip to Cameron Park Zoo early this spring. This alligator is part of the new Brazos River Country Exhibit. For the most part this gator sat there on his resting spot snoozing away with his eyes closed. He finally opened them for a few seconds and I took my picture. Seemed to be telling me something with his eyes so I moved on.

Red Poppy Field - Georgetown, TX

In celebration of the Georgetown Texas Red Poppy Festival that kicked off tonight I will share with you another angle of the Red Poppy Field I came across in downtown Georgetown. Come on out and join us at the Parade tomorrow morning 10AM.

Walking the Red Carpet - Burton, TX

I came across this field of Indian Paintbrushes on my way out of Burton Texas last weekend. It looked like a giant red carpet had been spread out across the land. It was an awesome sight. This year has been a pretty good year for the Texas wildflowers. why i just say "pretty good" is the weekend weather has not cooperated. Almost every weekend has been cloudy and dreary and sunsets and sunrises were few and far between so I just had to make do with the weather we had. I have so far been unable to capture a sunset or sunrise shot because of the weather. We have a few weeks left so still hoping. The clouds broke just slightly during this picture to have a little blue peek out in the sky. Also I mentioned this before but f you are in the Austin area over the weekend be sure to stop by the Framers Gallery in downtown Georgetown between 3:30 - 6:00 for a reception marking the release of my new prints. I would love to meet some folks that view my work online. Don't worry though no red carpet at this event just some good Texas fun!

An Era Long Past - St. John, USVI

This image was almost lost. I came across it tonight and I don't think I had posted it before on my blog. This is another photo of the ruins you can find throughout St. John. What is great about these ruins is you can walk right up to them and through them and sit among them thinking about the era that has long gone. Almost all the ruins on St. John are from the Sugar Plantation era where European colonist settled on the islands to try their hand at the sugar industry. When slavery was abolished the industry became unsupportable financially and this era on St. John came to an end.

Spring Calf - Burton, TX

This past weekend I was lucky and took my daughter with me to shoot some pictures with me. She is only 4 years old but is already expressing great interest in photography. On this particular morning she asked where I was going and I said to take some photos. she asked if she could come and there was no reason she could not so I said sure. She was super excited. We were on a private road so I let her ride in the front seat with the wondows rolled down. She would point out to me the things she thought were pretty enough for a picture. When we came across the cows she thought they would make a pretty picture so we decided to make some photographs of this calf. Her role as my assistant was to get the calfs attention so the moos began bellowing from her and this calf looked up to see who was calling. The moos continued all the way home with her head out the window, mooo, mooo, mooo, mooo. It was just one of those father daughter moments I will always remember.

Red Poppies - Georgetown, TX

The Red Poppy Festival is held each spring in Georgetown Texas as their adopted flower begins to bloom across the city. These poppies were found in an abandoned lot a block a way from the square in downtown. This festival is a celebration of the city and all the great things it has to offer. It will be a great event for the whole family and if you have the chance come out and have some fun with us, and don't forget to stop by the Framers Gallery where I will be hosting a reception to announce the release of 6 new original works that will be going on sale. Come in and enjoy some snacks and a cold beverage as you partake in all the fun of the Red Poppy Festival.

The Tower - Austin TX

Ok so I have done the UT Tower from above, shown you a panoramic now here is the one angle you see a lot. I even posted a shot of the tower from this location earlier but it just does not look as nice with out the orange and #1. To see the regular tower photo click here.

The Crosses on Good Friday - La Grange, TX

Over Easter Weekend we were in La Grange. On the morning of good Friday we awoke to some dense fog covering the area. On the grounds of camp lone star sits an outdoor chapel that look upon three crosses. The mood the fog set was very appropriate in remembrance of good Friday. This is a simple single exposure image that was gradient mapped in photoshop to bring some added contrast into the black and white presentation. Sometimes I thing the best black and white images are the simple ones that have a main subject balanced by clean negative space. This is the case i felt with this image. Don't forget this Wednesday is the Austin Smug. We are hosting 10 minutes shows where each member will have 10 minutes to showcase their work and have a group critique if they wish. You can RSVP here It is a great group of photographers and we have already learned so much. I hope you can join us.

Downtown at Night - Austin, TX

While photographing the tower from atop Dobie center I couldn't pass up the opportunity to walk to the other side to get the downtown cityscape and capitol lit up at night. What a view from Dobie. The UT campus from one side and downtown Austin on the other. Downtown Austin is a vibrant spot at night with live music, clubs and restaurants keeping people up and moving around early into the morning. The tall building you see in the background is the New Austonian which is a high rise condo development. It is now Austin's tallest building.

Art Exhibit Opening - April 24th - Georgetown, TX

Coming up on October 24th, the city of Georgetown host their Annual Red Poppy Festival. This is a great event and one the whole family will enjoy. If you have never been you should clear your calendar for a full day of fun and music on the Georgetown Square. In conjunction with the festival I have decided to showcase 6 new works at the Framers Gallery. I don't show work in galleries all that often and this is a chance to see 6 originals signed framed and in print and if you really like one they all will be for sale. This is three of the works that will be up on display. I will be hosting a reception with some free food and beverages from 3:30-6:00 at the gallery. Afterwords join us for some camaraderie as we head over to the main stage for the start of the evening music. Its going to be a good time so please join me if nothing more to stop by and say Hi. You can RSVP on facebook here

Light the Tower Orange - Austin, TX

I love it when a plan comes together. I have mentioned in my previous tower post that I was working on finishing up my Panorama shot from the top of Dobie Center. I thought it would be much longer process but once I started it was like a good book, very hard to put down. About three years ago I shot the UT campus from the roof of Dobie Center and created an awesome daytime panorama. Ever since I shot that photo I knew I wanted to try and replicate this shot but at night and the next time a Longhorn team won a national championship. I didn't know if I would get the chance but when I heard the Men's Swimming and Diving team had won the national championship I knew the day I had to attempt the re-shoot, and it happened to be the same night as a full moon. I made a cold call to Dobie center and low and behold got hold of the person that could make it happen. I was on top of Dolby well before sunset and stayed probably a total of three hours waiting for the moon to rise in the east before firing off the shots for my nighttime panorama. The final photo is here but this size just does not do it justice. I set up a gallery that will allow you to see it much larger. Click here to see it. But the only real way to see it is in full print 42"x8" and I hope to have it ready by my show at the end of the month. ( more details on that later )

So how was this done you ask. A lot of patience a lot frames and a lot of time in photoshop. So I already spoke about how long I was there but when the time did finally come to make the photographs I took anywhere from 3 to 7 photographs at different shutter speeds and exposures depending on the light variance at each section. The final panorama is 4 multiple exposured frames all manually blended to create the single image. All in all I think it was 20 individual exposures. The far left with the tower and the far right with the moon had the most to get these brightly lit items properly exposed. Other than the exposure blending, stitching, some burning in the sky and slight curve adjustments there was not much more done, but on a file this large all those items probably took around 8 hours in photoshop. I hope this information was helpful and you like the final image. As a Longhorn alum it holds a special place in my personal gallery!

Jaguar of Cameron Park - Waco, TX

Here is another image from our trip to Cameron Park Zoo in Waco. Another giant cat but I have to admit the Waco Zoo has some very nice cats in this small zoo. This image was actually shot through glass but the sun was right to keep any reflections away and the Jaguar was very close to the glass which made for some very nice close up shots. I know it is Easter Sunday and this photo does not relate at all but I just got back from out of town and did not have a chance to process a photo more symbolic of Easter but I have some in the hopper. I did want to post however and wish everyone a happy Easter and I hope you all enjoyed the day!

Bluebonnets in the Fog - La Grange, TX

This is my first bluebonnet photo from this spring. Capturing the bluebonnets in the fog was a wonderful opportunity and I was glad I was up early enough to see it and capture the scene with my camera. I liked the way the oak tree stood in the background and stood mighty and tall among the bluebonnets. The fog added a very dream like mood and the calm still morning made it easy to shoot the wildflowers. Texans love their bluebonnets and it is easy to see why. The unique color is seldom found in wild flowers and this rich deep blue against the green grass of spring makes the Texas landscape pop!

National Champions - Austin, TX

Over the past weekend the University of Texas added yet another National Championship to their resume. The Men's Swimming and diving team took home their 10th national championship. Anytime a UT team wins a national championship it is signaled by lighting the tower orange and illuminating a number 1 by lighting select windows from inside. As a UT alum there is no prettier sight! When I heard the tower would be lit I scrambled around making some phone calls and trying to think of the best location to shoot from. After a brief conversation with the general manager of a high rise dorm called Dobie across the street from the tower I had my spot. From atop the roof of a 27 Story building I was able to capture a view of the tower all to myself. There are probably a million photographs of the UT Tower but I honestly think this is the first and only photograph I have seen from this angle with the Tower lit orange and the National Championship 1 glowing bright. I spent a lot of time up there and I have an awesome panoramic I am working on. Who knows when this will be finished but I can't wait to share it with you all.