Profoto dancer…

So, I went to the Profoto shoot that I mentioned in a previous blog… the one to let photography assistants test out their strobes and light modifiers during a free seminar with professional ballerinas as models. I was there as vice president of the Dallas ASMP to represent the group and answer any questions the assistants might have.

I shot some video of the event, which will be online later, maybe in the next few days. It was fun and the photo assistants and students that attended got some good experience with the new Profoto Pro 8a Air packs and Giant Reflector 180. I was eager to try out the new equipment, too. I snuck into the mix and snapped off half a dozen frames. Here is one of my better shots:

I definitely liked the packs and wouldn’t mind some one on one time with the reflector. It was too hectic to really get in there and play around with all the gear tonight, especially when this event was supposed to be about the students and assistants.
We are talking to the Profoto guys to come back in town sometime this fall and maybe give the ASMP members a closer look at some cool, new gear. That should be fun!

Not photography related…

I know you all follow my blog for photo tips, or to hear stories about my shoots around north Texas. Well, this post is not photo related. I just wanted to give you all a heads up, in case you feel like joining me.

Either the first or second week of February, I will be taking a large supply of hats, mittens and assorted clothing downtown to give to the homeless. Most likely, I will be doing this at The Bridge – the area’s homeless shelter. I purchased approximately 60 pairs of mittens, 40 warm hats, and a dozen or two shirts and light jackets.
Remember that February is still very cold for north Texas, and the average evening temperatures reach down to the thirties. Do you want to help out? Do you have blankets, shoes, socks, underwear, etc? Let’s do this!

What is wrong with France?!?


I recently licensed a photo of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell to a French guitar magazine. It paid well enough and all I had to do was email the image file to their editor… quick, easy money. They sent me a copy of the issue, and it looks great. A full page devoted to my image at the beginning of the feature story. Most photographers work a lifetime to get that kind of coverage. You would think I’d be happy (which, I am for the most part), but there’s a small problem: No photo credit!
They didn’t just forget to put a photo credit under the picture. They didn’t hide it in the gutter (the design/layout term for crease/crack in between two bound pages) like many magazines do. They didn’t have a page at the very back of the magazine listing credits and annotations. Nope. Not a single photo credit for any of the photographers throughout the entire magazine!
What is wrong with France?!? Is this a common practice for all French magazines, or does this one French magazine not respect artists? I was baffled when I saw a lack of photo credits for all the images in the issue. That is unheard of for North American publications. Oh well. Next time I’ll know to ask for a larger payment to offset the lack of photo credit.