dad, diana + the canadian

This is what happens when Dad comes to visit us and brings home a Diana Mini... and then the Canadian shows up for a surprise.

low light special

Frontier Bar - Austin, Texas - January 28, 2013

Friday night out at Frontier Bar, we got to watch Lindsey dance with the West African class she's joined since moving to Austin. This musician performed after they finished and I got a couple snaps. This is the reason why I love my new camera. The light was incredibly low, but I was still able to get good definition in the shadows with no grain all while keeping it in color. I really hated having to make a good color photo black and white just to increase the exposure so you could see what was happening in the image. Not to mention the D800 handles bright reds really well. Can't wait to see how it deals with neons and bright magenta and cyan during SXSW.

a time and place for everything

A big part of being a photographer is being in the right place at the right time -- and then also being prepared for it. It's like when someone tells you you're lucky -- I've been hearing that a lot since I started my job at the library. Well, luck is a part of it, but I think the bigger part of it is knowing what to do with the luck when it happens. In my case, I didn't just walk in the door and they said here you go, here's this great job. I worked hard to get two degrees in five and a half years, got my ass kicked, and almost had to start all over from scratch. I think this photo is reflective of all of this - my past, present, and future. Yes, it's of a sunset I know, but here is why. This past year I graduated from UT (which is the subject - the Tower), I was hired as the new photographer for the LBJ Presidential Library (which is the location the photo was taken), and the photo was taken with my new Nikon D800 (which is the first piece of quality equipment that I own). But the reason the image even exists on something other than my iPhone is that for whatever reason, I decided to take my personal camera to work today, got off at six, and was almost to my car when I turned around and saw the sunset. It never quite looks like this in Austin -- El Paso maybe, but never here. This moment reminded me of why I should always bring my camera with me. You never know what opportunity will present itself, but when it does, you best be prepared.

[For all those techies out there -- This image is unedited and was taken with a Nikon D800 and manual Nikkor 35mm f/2 lens.]

Sunset - Austin, Texas - 2013

mistake photos

I like mistake photos. I like going back through and editing photos when you haven't looked at them since you shot them. This is one of those. I was a little ambitious in my "year in review" blog post for today, but this is related. In October, we were driving on our way to Liberty County and hit a deer, totaling my car, injuring my wrist, and denting my computer. Kyle and my new Nikon where fine -- thank god. (More pictures to come tomorrow.) On our crazy journey back to Austin, we stayed with my dad who happened to be staying at the Hyatt in Houston for work. I feel that this image defines that week. Kind of a blur, but clear enough that you can remember everything.

Hyatt - Houston, Texas - 2012