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Photographer, behind the scenes…

Here’s some behind the scenes footage of a recent photo shoot I did. I also helped some with the “official” video that will be up on Quick’s website in a few days – incase you are wondering why I was also seen operating a video camera.

www.vimeo.com/6953849

I’ll post a link when the photos and video come out. But I’m sure you’ll see them before I do, because you read Quick online and in print all the time… right?
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ACL extras…

I had a few mud shots from ACL Fest that couldn’t be used for publication, for one reason or another (either it was a redundant image or I didn’t have the person’s name for the cutline). I’m sure you’ve seen most of my pics up on the Quick website by now (more coming in this Thursday’s issue). Well, I thought I could toss the leftovers up here…

This man was mudhead. At least that’s what I nicknamed him. I suppose I might’ve sported a similar design, if I were bald. Or, worn a hat.

This girl made me laugh. She was relatively clean, compared to most of the ACL audience. She had to walk through this messy, sloppy, mud pit, which she wasn’t happy about. I saw her face squinch up as she started. Then she covered her eyes as she stomped through, like it would make the mud go away if she couldn’t actually see it.
The one above was someone I spotted while snaking my way through the crowd. I looked up, and there was this girl covered in mud. Completely covered! And she was so proud of it!!!
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ACL, from another point of view…

Hopefully, you followed my ACL Fest photo blog on Quick’s website this past weekend. Here is a link to three days worth of pics and postings:

I think I did an OK job of shooting the three day festival. I just started looking at other websites and publications to see what they got. Some of them got some pretty sweet shots – stuff I was envious of. Some of them seemed as if they phoned this one in – no effort, no talent. Here is what I found from the others. You be the judge and tell me who had the best shots of the weekend:
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ACL, Here We Come!!!

We will leave for Austin in four hours, so I can shoot yet another Austin City Limits Music Festival. I have photographed ACL every year, except for the very first year. The wife joins me, because she can network the media and sponsor tents for her work, and her parents will watch the baby boys (and cats) at our house. Even though I know they are in good hands, it is hard to leave them for three days straight.

I’ll be doing an ACL blog update for Quick at their website (www.QuickDFW.com), so be sure to follow along all weekend!
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By the way…

If you still haven’t figured it out, you need to ask for the sale, so to speak. I’ve had a few people state this fact, since the economy took a dive this year (I think Hal Samples can be credited to one of those times). And guess what… It is true!

I used to be able to do my work, and new clients would call me. I’ve heard a few people say their business was the same way. Those same people are saying they have changed gears and are now calling up potential clients and asking for the shoot. This doesn’t mean that you call them and start begging for work. It means you need to put your name out there and let them know that you are interested in working with them.
This proactive mindset isn’t as easy as the old days, when I’d have a new client call me. But, you know what? It is paying the bills. So, find a list of people that you think you should be working for (don’t call up Nike and ask to shoot their next campaign, if you are fresh out of college. Look for REAL day to day clients that you know would be a good fit for your shooting style and level) and call them. You’d be surprised what will come of asking for the work, instead of just sitting and waiting for the phone to ring.
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My Photo, as a Painting…

I always admired the work of Cabe Booth, a Dallas artist that paints rock and roll portraits to hang in local venues (you can currently see his work on the walls at Nokia Theater and hanging up at Curtain Club, as well as other places around town.)

As long as I’ve been shooting Dallas music, it took FOREVER for one of my photos to be turned into a painting. I was very happy when Cabe finally painted one of my pics a few years back to hang for everyone to see. The band was Advent, which eventually changed names, then broke up and moved on to bigger and better musical collaborations:
Hopefully, one day more of my images will be used by Cabe, because his work is amazing! It is very flattering to see him turn my work into something new…
Oh, here is a link to more of his work, incase you wanted to check it out:
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BJ and Lester…

This post may not mean anything to most of you. You pretty much had to grow up in the Dallas area during the 1980’s, like I did. During school days on channel 39, which used to be a much different television station than it is today, there was a children’s show called The Cartoon Clubhouse With B.J. and Lester. I watched it all the time. It was a great show for kids, back before children had twenty different cable channels all devoted to their viewing pleasure.

Well, fast forward to my adult life, shooting anything and everything performance and art related in town for newspapers and magazines. My job took me to all the best concerts, musicals and plays. A few years back – maybe in 2004 or 2005 if my memory isn’t failing me – I walk into a local musical to shoot the rehearsal for the Dallas Morning News and I see a face that is so familiar. Suddenly it hits me. It’s B.J. from B.J. and Lester!!!
Well, I shot another play review this week and B.J. was in it. It’s funny how I still associate him with this children’s show, even though it was something like 25 years ago. It’s also funny how it still affects me so many years later. Seeing him had me feeling like a kid again, and I left the shoot smiling. Now, if I could only meet Mr. Peppermint and Muffin!
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State Fair of Texas…

I haven’t had time to update the blog over the last several days, because I’ve been so busy with shoots. However, I wanted to put something up, so I thought I’d share a fair pic:

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Music, Music, Everywhere…

It has definitely been a musical week for me. So far I’ve photographed Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, Bowling For Soup, Boys Named Sue, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift. Oh, and some band I’d never heard of before (and can’t recall their name off the top of my head) on Universal’s label.

The music isn’t about to stop either! There are some acts performing at The State Fair of Texas that I’ll probably shoot and I’ll be headed to Austin next weekend to get in as many of the 150 or so bands performing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Yup, it has been a musical week all right. Well, really a musical month, if you look at the other bands I’ve shot earlier in September. I like it that way. I like music.