Dean Fearing Is More Than Just A Chef…

Most people know the charming and always-friendly Dean Fearing for his amazing food, being one of Dallas’ best-known and loved celebrity chefs.  But, he’s also a wizard on the fretboard, heating up his guitar with his group, The Lost Coyote band.  I was more than happy to shoot the band’s promo photo, which they needed for an issue of Dallas Modern Luxury magazine.  I’d photographed him several times now, once for the cover Chefwear’s catalog and a few times for PR firms, newspapers, and magazines.  Here’s how Modern Luxury used my image…

Children at the Perot Museum…

I love working with children!  They are an absolute blast to photograph.  Maybe it’s because I have three little boys of my own.  Or, maybe it’s just because kids don’t try to hide their awe and wonder, which shows in their photos.  Either way, it makes shooting at the Perot so much fun!  My images are used on all sorts of brochures, billboards, media packets, and websites.  It’s exciting to see them in each new poster, newsletter, and banner.  Every time a new piece comes out, I get excited to see it.  
This new brochure was especially great to see, because it is so well done.  The card stock is a nice soft, smooth matte, and it has a heavy weight that feels just right to my fingers.  The images were used very well and they balance the text perfectly.  The design layout is great for a brochure.  My scanner really doesn’t do it justice… it looks soooo much better in real life.  And, the kids!  Look at all the learning, the fun, the wonder, the awe, the excitement!  I think their faces say it all… the Perot Museum is one of the best places to be in Dallas!  

Sarah Jaffe Goes Green…

It’s always been fun working with Sarah Jaffe.  She’s a wonderful singer and you can tell she has a great respect for other artists.  Having photographed her several times over the years, I’ve witnessed her growth, becoming more confident in herself and her amazing musical talent.  It makes the title of this cover story for the Dallas Observer even more special to me, because I’ve watched her bloom.

This cover shoot popped up last-minute, and we struggled with finding a good location to shoot.  I had several ideas, but there just wasn’t enough time to implement most of them.  Luckily, my friend Danny Balis offered up Twilite Lounge in Deep Ellum.  I’d been to his bar before, and I knew it was full of character… but, you never know how a location is going to jive with your subject until you see them there on location. 
I don’t know if it was luck or karma… or, maybe it was just Sarah’s impeccable style, but her hair, make-up, and clothing fit Danny’s bar perfectly!  This was a good thing, because there was no budget for a stylist or make-up artist on this last-minute shoot – we HAD to run with whatever Sarah brought in with her.

It only took an hour to shoot everything we needed.  Definitely one of the easier cover shoots I’ve done!  I love the way her floral print shirt makes it look like she’s blooming from this lush, green jungle.  The green background really makes her pop!

She joked that the angle of the cover photo makes her hand appear smaller than real life, but it’s designed to help accentuate her face and draw the viewer in to her eyes… magnifying their gaze.  Besides, who wants to magnify their hands in a picture?  You can compare it to the picture that ran inside with the story (posted below), and see how much different a slight perspective change can feel.  Add in the red background and dramatic lighting, and the image carries a MUCH different tone!  We kept the same shirt, so it could contrast with red wallpaper.  I love that shirt!

Dallas Editorial Photographer Best Of 2014…

As an editorial photographer based in Dallas, TX, I get to meet a lot of interesting people and shoot for a lot of great magazines!  I always love the D Magazine “Best Of” issue, because it’s crammed full of cool people and places throughout the Big D area.  Here’s my contribution to the 2014 issue.  As a bonus, you’ll get to see how I provided my original image, and how it was cropped, adjusted, and added to the pages layout to create the final product.  

Be sure to check out more of my work by visiting www.janikphoto.com

Dallas Photography Building Fun…

One of the advantages of working with such a fun, amazing client is that I get to join in on the fun!  I took my three boys to the Build It Garage exhibit at the Perot Museum in Dallas yesterday, and they had a blast!  Our car was the fastest around, and it didn’t lose a single race.  We probably raced it a couple dozen times, and it constantly won by at a car length each time!  The boys tried building other cars and rockets, too.  It was a blast!  

Some DMN Photos…

Of course, you can always go online at www.dallasnews.com and see a bunch of my concert photos, but there’s something nice about seeing them in physical, printed form.  Here are a few Dallas concerts that I photographed, and how they ran in the paper…

Photos above are of Queen with Adam Lambert (which you can see 33 of my images at the DMN website by clicking here), Kasey Musgraves, The Eagles, and Steve Earle.  To see more of my work, please visit www.janikphoto.com

Big Dallas Photographs!!!

With the Mayor’s Convention happening in Dallas this year, mayors from all around the country will be in North Texas.  As part of the conference, they’ll be shuttled around the city to see what Dallas has been doing right.  One of the most popular advertising/PR campaigns for the city has been the recent “Big Things Happen Here” push, with tons of people participating on Instagram and Facebook.  
The campaign has also included billboards, newspaper ads, television spots, as well as cards and brochures like the one above.  I’m so excited one of my photos was used as part of the campaign!  It’s great how the city is pulling together like this!  Now, if they’d just use one of my pics for a bus or billboard spot… that would be even better!

Sudie in the Dallas Observer…

It was a lot of fun getting the chance to photograph Dallas musician Sudie for the Dallas Observer cover recently.  I was worried the weather wasn’t going to cooperate, as it looked like some heavy rain was going to come down that morning.  Luckily, the bad weather cleared away right before we started shooting at White Rock Lake.  

Recent Concert Photos…

It has been a while since I posted pictures from recent concerts I photographed, so here are some images, tear sheets, and links to some fun shows I covered…
Journey performs at Gexa Energy Pavilion: 
Morrissey fills the Majestic:
Some images from the Dave Matthews Band concert in May that I shot for The News

Los Lobos put on quite a good performance at The Kessler:  
If you like these photos, please visit www.janikphoto.com to see more!