Month: August 2014

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!  

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!

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.  

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!  

I love it when my photos show up in a half page advertisement!  Especially, when it’s something fun like these children racing little wooden cars at The Perot Museum in Dallas!  This place is so much fun, I wanted to put down the camera and build my own little pinewood derby car.