Oops! - site update?

Some of you may have noticed a recent change to the galleries on this site. That was my fault. In the process of updating a few things behind the scenes I inadvertently wiped all of the galleries. For the most part, this was a good thing as it was a good excuse to clear out a lot of older work and add something new. But it also removed all of the images from my blog and killed the "hidden" links here as well. And that's a pretty frustrating thing. While scrambling to throw a few galleries back up, it dawned on me that the images previously shown here were stored on an assortment of external hard drives. So digging for everything that was up before is going to be a very time consuming process. And I just don't have that kind of time right now.

So here is the deal. I have decided that I really prefer to showcase recent images. The older stuff had its place and served as a great stepping stone to get me where I am now. Just as the content I shoot these days will be retired when I move on to the next phase of my work. So at this point, I don't see a need to recreate all of the "hidden" links and replace the missing images in this blog.

If someone has a special request and would like to purchase prints (for example, the artwork at Mercy Wine Bar), I have no problem putting together another hidden gallery for them to pick out images for printing. Simply shoot me an email with the request and I'll get it back up. But until that request comes, I'm going to focus on my newer content and continuing to let my work evolve.

Thanks so much for your understanding.

New Gallery Show: Mercy Wine Bar

Four years ago, I shot the artwork that now hangs in the restrooms at Mercy Wine Bar. Angela Ryan, Courtney Crave, Flip Ashley, and Autumn Greene were gracious enough to be the subjects. Since then, a lot has happened between my camera and I. This is a collection of my favorite images from that journey.

Mercy Wine Bar is easily one of my favorite venues in Dallas. They recently won an award for being the best wine bar in America. That award is well deserved. The staff is amazing, the food is incredible, and the wine list has no peer. I'm proud to be part of that family. Come celebrate the four year anniversary of that meeting with wine, music, and a warm handshake.

Prints will be available for sale, including some of my favorites that many of you know from the restaurant. All profits from the sales will be split with the wonderful models that helped make it happen.

This will be a great night to meet some new people, share some great stories, and check out some new art. I look forward to meeting all of you.

Camera Classes in Dallas

Cameras are becoming drastically cheaper these days. So when people are out shopping for one, they tend to pick up the most expensive one they can find for the budget they have. Cool. It happens to the best of us. And why not? We get so many more toys to play with when we do this.

But here is the problem. With all these extra features comes a LOT more reading to do with that manual. And really, who wants to sit down for their first few nights after buying a new camera reading? Not me, I would much rather be out there using it and seeing how great those photos look.

I've been shooting for around 15 years. I've worked with a lot of cameras throughout that time. And now I'm offering one-on-one classes to show you how to use that camera to it's full potential.

We will cover everything from simple mechanical functions, definitions and terminologies, to advanced shooting tricks.

Classes are $50 and will run for approximately two hours. And, of course, you are welcome to ask as many questions as you would like. We don't leave until you are thrilled with what you have learned.

Help Japan, through art

I recently read an article comparing the recent destruction in Japan to that of Hiroshima. I knew it was bad over there, but this article led to others written in the same vein. Needless to say, it was an eye opener.

So here is the plan. 50% of my profits from all shoots booked by the end of the summer go to helping Japan through various charities. 100% of my profits from print sales go to the same charities.

I don't mind tightening my belt while I have a roof over my head. There are entirely too many people that don't even have that much.

I recently posted a status update on Facebook asking how many people would be interested in a tutorial/class with me. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people are interested, so here are the details. It's pretty simple actually.

Email, call, or text me and let me know you are interested. We pick a date. I come to your place or you come to mine. And we go over everything. Yes, it really is that easy.

When messaging me, be prepared to let me know what you want me to focus on. A few topics I've done in the past are...

*Photoshop in general, and just do a tool-explanation lesson (it's a big program, trust me you will get your money's worth)

*Beauty retouching (this would also cover some shooting techniques to help get the final image)

*Color toning in post, color theory, ways to use color to make your flat image really stand out (this can easily last an evening, there are so many ways to go about this)

*Extracting subjects, new backgrounds, fake wallpapers, adding believable backgrounds and textures (there is a lot to cover here as well, better bring a notebook)

*Lightroom (I use it too, and an entire evening could be spent on the basics of this program, perfect for those interested in batch processing large groups of files)

*Digital bodypaint, fake makeup, etc

*shooting techniques to achieve specific looks (of course we can do camera lessons as well, not everything is about Photoshop)

And that's just off the top of my head from recent emails. We could hit it all if you are experienced in the program, or we could focus on one or two of these topics. It's up to you. But suffice to say, you will leave armed with knowledge that will take your photography to a new level.

We work a raw file from my camera and you see it all happen. Ask as many questions as you want, I have very few secrets. You will leave with a finished PSD and RAW file to use as reference as well.

Classes are $100 each. Expect them to run between 2 and 3 hours. But anyone that knows me knows how I tend to ramble, so it's entirely possible we could end up on a tangent and we take as long as 4 hours. But even then, that just means more tricks to try out at home on your own work. Either way, we don't stop until you are happy with what you paid for.

"But I'm not photgenic"

I love hearing this phrase. Stan and I used to joke around and keep track of how often we would hear that phrase when working for Estee Lauder on their "Facebook" events. And every single time, they would look at their headshot, smile, and tell us "looks like I was wrong." We got hugs from these people more often than not.

Being photogenic is a lot like wearing a hat. It's not about the hat and how it sits on your head, but the attitude behind the person wearing it. Here is a secret. No one looks good in a baseball cap. But everyone can pull off the look because they think it makes them look good. It's the attitude, never the hat.

The same people that claim to not be photogenic are often the first to lunge out, smile, and make some goofy pose when the camera phones come out during happy hour. And those are cute pics. So why the difference? During happy hour, they aren't feeling self conscious, they are just having fun. A photoshoot can be the exact same thing. But photos by someone that knows what they are doing reach a whole new level. Photos stop being cute. They become "beautiful," "jaw dropping," "gorgeous," etc.

So instead of just clicking "like" on the photos posted by your favorite photographers on Facebook, try hitting them up for a shoot. And even though we charge more than Wal-Mart or Sears, the work we produce is infinitely better than a basic portrait studio is capable of. We put our hearts into the images you print and hang on the wall. You will never get that from someone that clocks in for a living.

Gallery Show Coming up FAST

Interested in buying some of my prints? This is a great time to do so. I'm having a gallery show in The Colony (just north of Dallas) with local artist Chelzee Lentz. There will be wine, live violin, and much mirth and merriment.

Also, keep in mind, 50% of my profits are going back to the models that helped create these images. So you would be helping them out as well, just in time for the holidays.

December 18, from 7pm until 9 pm. I'll see you there.