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Warning: This Photo May Be hazardous To Your Health…

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/09/

The above article discusses a possible French law to label Photoshopped images with a warning. I am assuming it would not apply to basic cropping, color and contrast adjustments, and only to major alterations (like reshaping someone’s figure, removing their skin blemishes, etc).
It is an idea that will meet a lot of resistance from advertising agencies, and possibly some photographers. When trying to sell the public on your “perfect” product, you don’t want a disclaimer getting in the way. Just as the alcohol and tobacco companies initially lobbied against printed warnings for their products, there will surely be resistance in France – and here, if the US government ever attempts something similar.
But, why would a good photographer care about this warning? If it DID pass, companies would seek out better photogs who could capture a great image in camera. If the photog can get it perfect without the need to do a lot of Photoshop magic, the warning could be avoided. This means bigger budgets for good photographers and more demand for perfect photos. This would actually be a win for those of us who don’t rely on heavy post production!
Now, I’m not saying I am for a law like this. I’m just pointing out both sides. I wouldn’t want some silly “reality warning” pasted on any of my photos. I think people should be smart enough to live life without such a stupid disclaimer. I’m just saying that such a law could actually benefit our industry in the long run – or, at least those of us who know how to shoot well.
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Big Tex and my baby…

I’ve been a fan of the State Fair of Texas since as long as I can remember. I have not missed a single fair in approximately 31 years. Big Tex was always a highlight as a child, so to meet the modern day voice of Big Tex was a true delight!

I first met and photographed Bill Bragg (Big Tex’s voice) several years ago, while doing a story about the state fair for a national weekly magazine called American Profile. At the time, my oldest boy was my only boy, and he must’ve been just under a year old. The story required me to make several trips to the fair, and I took my boy on a few.
On the day I met Bill, my boy tagged along, and we took this photo of the two together (after I finished my portrait of him for the magazine):
Well, jump forward a few years. I just pitched a fun photo essay idea to Quick, called the ABC’s of the State Fair. I was really just looking for a good excuse to go to the fair a million times this year. Plus, I thought it would be a fun photo project for the readers. It’s basically 26 fair photos, one for each letter of the alphabet. Of course, I thought Bill/Big Tex would be the perfect photo for the letter B!
After completing our photo shoot today, I had Bill pose with my boy again – now about to turn 4 years old. He was so happy to have his picture taken with Bill, and was so excited to see Big Tex again. I’m hoping that he (and my other boys) will love the fair as much as I do…
On a side note, Bill was nice enough to say that out of the thousands of photos people have done of him, mine is his very favorite! He repeated that statement a few different times throughout our shoot today, so I imagine he really meant it, not like he was just being polite or anything.
I have to say, that is quite an honor to hold that distinction!!! I am such a huge fan of the fair and Big Tex, so to know that out of all the publications and all the photographers who’ve had Bill in front of their lens… I was the best! It’s the Texas State Fair honor of a lifetime for sure.
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Bikini Girls?!?

I’m not the kind of guy who normally takes pictures of hot girls in short shorts and bikini tops. However, I was that guy for the current issue of Quick. Now, before you start imagining some sort of party with champagne, loud music, models cavorting around in their underwear, etc… You must be thinking of a totally different photo shoot!
This one was actually pretty tame, though very funny and amusing at times. The girls were pretty down to earth and normal. The wife was working, so I had my baby asleep in his room and the two toddlers up in the studio with me – they have a corner with a play kitchen, so they stayed out of our way for the most part. It was a simple, smooth shoot with little fanfare, though it was pretty memorable when the boys cooked up some pretend hot chocolate for the models to drink.
The wife was surprised at first that I would have the boys up in the studio with these women, but quickly calmed down. After all, it was no worse than what the lifeguards wear at the country club pool the boys swim at all summer long. And the girls were very sweet and nice – nothing was said that couldn’t be said in church. It was really just another day of play for them and another shoot for me.

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Morton H. Meyerson, and Not the Symphony Center

A lot of Dallas streets, parks, schools, landmarks and buildings are named for people that most of us have no clue about. Well, I was thinking about it the other day, and thought I’d share some photos of Morton H. Meyerson. Yes, the man who’s name graces our Symphony Center.

You would think it is named after some person from a hundred years ago, but it isn’t. I actually had the chance – no, the honor – to photograph Mr. Meyerson at his home a few years back for The Dallas Morning News. He was very friendly, very sincere, very cool. He just seemed… nice.
Anyway, I only spent an hour or so with him, but I think I got some good shots. Now, it makes me wonder what other landmarks are named after people I could still meet face to face. I know plenty of places are named after the city’s founders and early leaders, but it still makes me curious about the story behind every dedicated building or street sign I see.
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Jason Janik vs. Drew Barrymore…

Maybe that title is a little off. Drew was awesome and very easy to work with. It SHOULD read “Jason Janik vs. Drew Barrymore’s fans” to be more accurate, because there were a lot of them to deal with. This shoot was a little bit wild, thanks to a bunch of rain, a late plane and hundreds of screaming fans.
You see, I was hired by Drew’s movie studio’s PR company to take photos of her during her publicity appearance. I was basically supposed to get shots of her interacting with the fans and with the media. Then, she had to rush over to her movie screening.
Well, fans started lining up 6, 7, even 8 hours early just to see her. It had been raining all day, too. As a matter of fact, the rain wound up delaying her flight, which pushed everything back. Then media kept her busy longer than they were supposed to. Finally, the eager fans got their chance.
Drew was so nice to each of the fans. I’m a decently nice guy. My wife is even more nice. However, I’ve never seen anyone as nice, sweet and sincere as Drew was with her fans. I’ve done tons of these PR events before, and many celebrities don’t care. They are doing it because they HAVE to. Drew was taking a real interest in what her fans were saying as they chatted with her. She was awesome!
Because of all the delays, Drew didn’t get to see everyone who was waiting for hours, but she tried her best. After security closed the event, Drew was nice enough to take a moment with me, as seen above. And, yes. I now have proof that she is as cool in real life as she appears to be on the silver screen…
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More Profoto AcuteB 600r talk?!?

I use my Profoto lights ALL the time, so I’m bound to have something worth saying on the matter. And since so many of you have discovered my blog by searching for more information on the strobes, I thought I’d provide a little more.

I can’t see who you actually are, but I do have access to a few details that brought you here (like what search words were used to find me). I noticed that one search was asking about troubleshooting the 600r with a Pocket Wizard transmitter. I know why that search was made. I had the same issue at first.
One of my packs would not fire every time. It was an expensive new pack and an expensive new PW MultiMax. I thought the MultiMax might’ve been defective, because my older, cheaper Pocket Wizard transmitter worked fine. Well, it was the MultiMax and it wasn’t.
I switched the MultiMax transmit channel and it hasn’t missed a single fire since. I guess a few of the channels aren’t very friendly with the Profoto gear. Oh well, no big deal now that I have it figured out!
Oh, and this should be obvious, since it states it right in the manual, but… Always fire your PW within thirty seconds of turning on you 600r pack. It will search for a PW signal within those first thirty seconds.
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Inside the Pelican case: Profoto heaven…

OK, so I’ve received a LOT of hits from my Profoto AcuteB 600R review found here:

It was a pretty good review, though it rambled quite a bit. This time, I figured I would show you some pics. For anyone who wants to pick up a pair of these portable powerhouses (I love alliterations), this will clue you in on the best way to make this system 100% portable.
This first picture is of the case: A Pelican brand 1560 wheeled case, with the dividers (not the foam). This case is great for maximum maneuverability and protection. Plus, it can double as a step stool, so that is one less thing to carry with me. I’ve stood on this case a bunch, and it holds up well.
This next shot is inside the case. You can see everything I need for a basic shoot:
A.) a Pocket Wizard Multi-Max transceiver – remember that the 600R has PW receivers built in.
B.) two Manfrotto stands. I think they are 3373’s off the top of my head. They are small enough to fit inside the case, but go tall enough for most shoots.
C.) Profoto AcuteB 600R power pack.
D.) Profoto AcuteB head.
E.) Pelican 1560 rolling case.
One more look at the case full of gear. As you can see, any softboxes, adaptors or other accessories have to be carried separately. No big deal, though. I can often roll this kit, carry a backpack with cameras and hold a bag of softboxes/misc items all at once. I can roll into a shoot without assistance, and be set up in five minutes…
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Slobberbone!!!

Denton, TX band Slobberbone was playing at an event I had to shoot for a client this weekend. However, their performance was not part of my shoot – I just decided to take some pics of them on the side, after I was done with my paying gig. I’m glad I did, because I came home with this nice little shot:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the band, they were popular among the indie and alt-country crowd during the 1990’s and were quite good. They are mentioned in one of Stephen King’s novels, who was a fan of the band. They broke up in the early 2000’s, but have regrouped for some shows here and there. I think they may even be working on a new record!
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Like father, like son…

I let my three year old boy (about to be four in a couple months) use my Canon 5DmkII (secured on a tripod, of course). He said he wanted to take pictures of me. I was very excited, so I jumped at the idea. Here is what he captured:

I reciprocated the offer by photographing him. He’s used to being in front of the camera, so he was very playful. I think he was pretending to be in a rocket ship here: