Scotland (in Black and White)
The first thing they teach you in landscape photography school is that you should shoot at sunrise or sunset whenever possible, and unless you've got some decent cloud cover you should avoid shooting in the middle of the day. The light is usually too harsh at this time and your photos can end up a bit washed-out looking. On my recent trip back home to Scotland I had great intentions of getting up at the crack of dawn every day to go out and get some fantastically-lit landscape shots. Then I remembered that the crack of dawn during Scottish summertime is at effin' four o'clock in the morning. I failed spectacularly.
If truth be told, though, seeing my friends and family was my main priority while back home. Photography kind of got put on the back burner most of the time. I ended up having to grab my shots whenever I could get them, regardless of time of day. To combat that washed-out look, I converted some of my daytime shots to high contrast black and white (see the color ones here). I liked the effect so much that I ended up converting a lot more of my pictures, even the sunset ones.
Scott Monument, Edinburgh
EdinburghShot from the stairwell of the Scott Monument.
EdinburghShot from the top of the Scott monument.
Scotland
This summer we spent a month in Scotland so that my ever-so-lovely parents could spend some time with their ever-so-lovely new granddaughter.
It's been nearly seven years since I lived in Scotland, but as time passes my appreciation for the country only increases. I love going back. I'm sometimes regretful that I didn't get serious about photography at an earlier age, as there are some stunning locations just mere minutes away from the house I grew up in.
Cathryn & Raleigh's Wedding
By the Gulf of Mexico, between the towns of Port Aransas and Aransas Pass. This was a cool place to have a wedding. The water, the venue, the decor - it was all just beautiful. It was a challenging shoot for me because of yet another insanely large wedding party, but once again I think I lucked out with the members of said wedding party. Everyone was so fun and laid back. Maybe even a little too laid back, if the photo I have of all the groomsmen mooning the camera is anything to go by...
New Arrival!
I'm not usually one to post personal pictures on this blog, but I'm too stupidly excited to not post this one. This is my new baby girl, who arrived this month. Ain't she cute?
SXSW 2013 - Saturday Showcase at the Central Presbyterian Church
Last day of the SXSW music festival, and I felt so fortunate to be shooting at the Central Presbyterian Church. SXSW is the only time of year when this place becomes a music venue. The rest of the year it just does regular old churchy stuff. And it's a shame there aren't more music venues like this because the acoustics are incredible (for me, the only other Austin venue that rivals it is The Parish). I honestly don't think any of the acts tonight (Dustin Wong, WALL., The Milk Carton Kids, Devendra Banhart or Iron and Wine) could have sounded any better live.
This event was a highlight of the festival for me in so many ways. For one, it was just such a unique place to shoot a concert in. Visually interesting, certainly, but what I found particularly unusual was the effect it had on the audience. They displayed a kind of hushed reverence throughout the night, even to the point where there was complete silence during the bands' sound checks. If you're not a concert-goer, that might not mean much to you, but you can take it from me it never happens. There's always at least a bit of audience chatter, so for there to be times when there was absolutely none was just a weird thing to witness.
Because this was a relatively low-key, subdued event, I also had the opportunity to talk to people a bit more than I usually do, too. It was great chatting with some of the punters, and the church staff and event staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. It made a hell of a difference.
Topping it all off, though, were some stellar performances by some top-notch talent. Opening act Dustin Wong just might have been my musical highlight of the entire festival. Armed with an electric guitar and array of effects pedals, he stacks loops on top of loops to staggering effect. Later in the night, The Milk Carton Kids were also a pleasantly surprising discovery. Closing your eyes, you could almost believe you were listening to Simon and Garfunkel (although as a male acoustic folk duo with a knack for vocal harmonies, maybe that's a default comparison). Rounding off the evening were indie-folk heavyweights Devendra Banhart and Iron and Wine. I was stupidly excited to see these guys perform and they certainly didn't disappoint. Impeccable.
