Category: TX photographer Jason Janik

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Digging through old photos…

I was digging through old photo files, looking for an image that The Recording Academy (the Grammy Awards people) wanted to use. While searching for it, I found a bunch of photos that were either:

a.) terrible to look at now, but I thought were cool way back then.
b.) terrible then and now. Why did I even bother shooting them?!?
c.) still cool after all these years.
I always liked this series of images strung together. It is of the Texas indie band Eisley from 2002. I shot it with my good old Mamiya medium format camera using available light and a small extension tube on the lens. That camera made for some great images. I think these would still hold up today…
I also thought this image below was decent, considering where my skill level was back in 2002. If I shot it today, I wouldn’t throw it away, but I’d definitely feel like I phoned it in. It’s still got a place in my heart, though. And, at least it shows that I didn’t suck back then, but I’ve also grown a lot as a photographer over the years.
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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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Flip it…

When shooting a concert, flip the camera around and capture the crowd. You’ll sometimes come back with more interesting, moving pics of the crowd than of the stage performance! This is just a random sampling of crowd shots that I’ve taken over the years. Hopefully, it will give you an idea of the potential waiting behind you at a concert: