Archive: October 2008   |   View all recent posts

The Ofenlochs ~ Family Time
WHAT: Families   |   WHEN: October 30, 2008
I love to photograph families that are just so laid back and easy going. It makes for a fun session, and it really makes a difference in the final images when you see real expressions and real personalities. I had the pleasure of photographing the Ofenlochs and their precious little girl, Morgan, recently, and I knew these were my kind of people when Melanie and I spoke on the phone and she said she didn't want any of the standard/traditional, everyone-sit-on-the-ground kind of images. So we headed down to Deep Ellum on a Sunday afternoon for a little urban backdrop for their images. Perfect weather, great light, and the sweetest little girl made for a fantastic session.

I'm really digging the 85mm f/1.4 lens lately. It's a little tricky getting focus all the time when shooting wide open at f/1.4, but when it's on, it's buttah. I love how the background just fades away.

Here are just a couple of my favorites of Morgan. The cautious stare and the way she's clinging to her favorite stuffed animal as she still getting used to me is such an authentic reaction.





She loves to dance and spin around.






[insert Jaws soundtrack here]




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The Hortons ~ Family Time
WHAT: Families   |   WHEN: October 27, 2008
I recently met up with a couple friends I hadn't seen in a long time. In fact, there's been not one, but two new additions to the Horton tribe since I last saw Jace & Melanie. We used to play coed flag football with/against each other back in the day. I shouldn't say "back in the day", since Jace and I are still playing football, and we're as fast and athletic as we've ever been... in our minds. Our bodies don't necessarily agree.

Big man, Tate, and his little brother, Nash, are the new guys, and with kickin' names like that, you know they're cool. We headed out to the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Frisco to create a few updated family photographs. Here's a few sneaks from our afternoon on the trails.






Nash had enough of this photography stuff. Time for a break. [Not] oddly enough, though, he caught his second wind when we told him we were going to hit the playground.









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Chuck. Is. Dumb.
WHAT: Fun   |   WHEN: October 27, 2008

So I'm sitting in my office at home about a week and a half ago doing a little photo editing and minding my own business, and I hear this random tapping noise in the dining room for about 2 hours before a lightbulb goes off in my head and I realize, "Hey, that's not a normal house noise. Maybe I should go check it out." What can I say, I kinda turn my brain off when I'm in edit mode and the sounds around me just become background noise. Anywho.

The curiosity finally registered and I went to see what all the racket was about, and walked around the corner to catch a glimpse of a cardinal flying away. I chuckled, shrugged it off, and went back to work. A few minutes later, the cardinal - then affectionately named Chuck - was back. This time I tip-toed down the hall Elmer Fudd style to peek around the corner to get the 411 on the what was really going on. There's Chuck in all his red-feathered glory demonstrating why less-than-astute people are sometimes referred to as "bird-brained." Yep, he was repeatedly trying to fly into the dining room through the window. Chuckie-boy, you're an idiot. I laughed it off and figured surely he'll eventually figure out his effort is in vain and move on to trying to find a nice mail box or something to call home.

[Cut to today] It's day 10 and Chuck is still trying to make his way in for dinner. Every morning like clock work, he takes aim at the window thinking it's going to be his lucky day only to beat his beak incessantly against the invisible force field. It's baffling really. I mean, c'mon, Chuck, it's not like it's even a clean window on the outside. How can you not see that? What, is it that hideous early 80's gold chandelier that's mesmerizing you? If so, you've got bigger problems than your inability to recognize glass. I can't wait to get rid of that thing, and if you're lucky maybe I'll hang it in the neighbor's tree and you can build a nest in it. For the love of God, man, stop the madness, would ya? I can't take it anymore. Use your head and fi... Wait, scratch that. STOP using your head.

It's really starting to affect my mental faculties. Every day we play this silly game. Chuck starts banging on the window. I walk in the room and slap the glass and tell him to go away. A few minutes later, he's back and the vicious cycle repeats itself. It's getting so bad that today I ran into the room waving myarms above my head shouting at the top of my lungs like a looney. If somebody would've seen me they would've question my own sanity. But it worked. For a while.

I'm a pretty patient guy. Seriously. I've got a long fuse, but I'm on the verge of losing my own sanity because of a bird. It's like a dripping faucet that you can't fix. Or, worse yet, it's like water torture where they drip water on your forehead until you go whacko. So, if anyone's got any ideas that don't involve a BB gun, seances, or bird whisperers, I'm all ears.

I'm teetering on the idea of putting a life-size card board cut-out of myself in the window as a long-term deterrent. A Matt Crow so to speak. I bet the new neighbors would love that. I can hear 'em now. "Hey, honey, what's with the nut job next door? He's staring out the window 24/7. Crackhead."

Maybe so, but if it keeps Chuck away, it's a trade-off I'm willing to consider.


14





The Bodnars - Family Time
WHAT: Families   |   WHEN: October 21, 2008
Not too long ago I met up with the Bodnars to capture a few images of this energetic family. Jen was referred to me by my friend Amy, so we all headed out to a park close to downtown to see if I could keep up 3 boys for 2 hours. My assessment? I need to start working out again if I'm going to continue to photograph fun families like this. Seriously. Here's a few sneak peek images from our session.

I love this first image. I just told everyone to pile on the bench, and here's what I got. Casual. Relaxed. Real.


Owen, Will and Ben just hangin; out on the bridge.



As you might imagine, we didn't do a lot of 'posed' family shots, but I think that's what's great about these. This is not an "okay-everybody-sit-over-there-look-at-the-camera-and-smile" kind of family. They're very interactive, and I think that's what shows in these images.



Owen and Ben praying that the session would finally end. [grin]




Bill and Jen in a rare moment alone during the session.



Thanks Jen, Bill, Will, Ben and Owen! Can't wait for you guys to see the rest of your images.


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Did I mention Boston? A few parting images.
WHAT: Travel   |   WHEN: October 19, 2008
Found a few more images from our Boston trip on the plane on the way back home. Loved all the textures and character of Boston. Such a cool city.





Little Spencer was worn out during out day out in Salem, but I love this moment between between mom adn son.



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