I Do...Again!

This title just seemed SO apt given the circumstances surrounding this particular event. No, I’m really not trying to rehash the “I Do” subject. I mean I have used it twice already in one form or another (have you been following my posts that long to recognize?). However, each one had it’s on distinct reason why. This one applies thanks to a do-over of sorts that took place due to this whole COVID-19 situation.

I have to admit that I was already a bit surprised that BJ and Chris selected me to capture their special occasion. It wasn’t the fact that the whole reason I know BJ is because she is the cousin of my ex. Sure..that could have made it awkward if I didn’t get along with that part of my former life anymore, but that fortunately wasn’t an issue at all. The surprise came from the fact that I’m not a local photog to their Kansas City locale. And knowing that Chris was also a photographer, I figured he’d have better selections there to choose from. So I was definitely honored that I was their choice. The pressure was definitely on.

The wedding was initially supposed to take place April 4, 2020. As you know, the Rona came around and put a monkey wrench in EVERYONE’S plans. They tried to hold out for as long as they could to see if things would change to keep it on that date. Things didn’t work out and they had to postpone it until September. But the actual date of marriage remained the same. The two of them still tied the knot in an exclusive ceremony on that same date. The postponed date would be the full blown out ceremony with all the bells and whistles. Now you KNOW y’all gotta be serious about the marriage if y’all want to do it twice!

The preparation for weddings is always a big stresser for me. This one had a unique twist to it with it being out of state. If it were local, I would normally have no problems finding a second shooter with all the qualified folks here. This one meant finding someone in KC that I could trust with skills at least equal to mine. The first person that came to mind was my uncle Jeff. Unfortunately, he was busy and couldn’t make it. He referred me to a few people there locally who he thought would be good for it. Of course when I reached out to them, not a single one got back to me. Turns out that was a blessing in disguise.

I was mentioning the wedding to my fellow photog Stephanie who also helps admin one of our local photography groups. Although she’s not from KC, she had been close to the area on more than a few occasions. Not only did she have more experience shootings weddings than me, but she was also hella good at it. Plus, I already knew from that surprise proposal we did in December that we have similar shooting styles with our composition of shots. I thought she might have an issue with it being so far away, but I lucked up there too. She had the hook up on flights = problem more than solved.

Now remember how I said the pressure was on? Well I added undue pressure on myself by also booking shoots in Des Moines the day before. I could have went down to Kansas City that night to make things easier. Nope. My stubborn arse spent the night in Des Moines knowing that meant I had to get up early to drive to KC. To make things worse, I was tossing and turning so nervous about shooting the wedding that I didn’t get much sleep. I estimate I probably got in a few hours tops. I mean I get nervous before every shoot I do anyway, but even moreso for weddings. That tends to happen when you only average one a year.

I once again lucked up with the couple that I had to work with. BJ and Chris could not have been easier to accommodate. Both of them were so laidback through not only the whole process but also the wedding day that things went smooth as silk. It certainly helped that Chris was a photographer who also shot weddings. This wasn’t their first rodeo. In more ways than one actually (see above).

To say this was a long day would be an understatement. This was a LONG day. I got up at 4:00am to hit the road for Des Moines. We ended up wrapping up with the bride and groom farewell exit at nearly 8:30pm. When I got back to my hotel, I turned on the NBA Playoffs, laid down then that’s the last thing I remember. I got in a full 10 hours of sleep in the first time ever. I was beyond tired. Every muscle I had (and some that I forgot I even had) was sore, but it was well worth it. We got some killer shots to bless my portfolio while more importantly pleasing two very deserving clients.

She's the Man

Oh I realize the title coupled with photo may lead some of you to believe I’m going in a particular direction with this. As usual, there’s a method to my madness so bear with me. I selectively chose to use the image from my session with my friend and fellow photog Pamela Tuckey for a very good reason. It’s the perfect example to illustrate my stance regarding the rant I’m about to spew.

Just the other day I saw yet another request from a person seeking a photo shoot and only wanting a female photographer. Okay…to be fair…it has been quite a while since I’ve seen one of those and that truly is a good thing. But regardless of when and how often it comes up, it still irks me to no end. I personally view that request as being sexist. I hold it in the same regard as someone saying they’d prefer a white photographer over a Black one.

Now I do get there are those one-off situations. Maybe the client had a bad experience with a male photographer in the past. Maybe she had a shoot and she had to deal with one who made some inappropriate comments and/or advances. That may be enough for anyone to decide they don’t want to deal with a male photographer again. Definitely not if it was a one-time occurrence, but quite possibly if it happened on more than one occasion and they had had enough. However, even then it still comes down to a person merely having to properly vet their photographer before shooting with them. That could easily prevent several potential creepy situations from happening.

Where I do take umbrage is when the aforementioned isn’t the case at all. When it comes down to the fact that they just have that preference because they simply just feel more comfortable with a female photographer. When it comes down to it, there are SEVERAL of us male photographers who have a penchant for being so professional that we make those around us comfortable. To just cut us off at the knees because of a personal surface bias and/or prejudice is quite unfair.

Which brings me to the image which I decided to match with this post. Pamela is a photographer who also shoots boudoir as part of her portfolio. She has the benefit of getting clients like the ones I mentioned because she is a female photographer. She could have very easily followed that same mindset having seen it firsthand. But when she was looking to have some classy boudoir done, she booked with me. Because what it should really come down to is who is the best person for the job regardless of race, GENDER or any of those identifications that always attempt to divide us.

It’s a struggle that us male photogs contend with daily. Many of us put in years and years of blood, sweat and tears into our craft. All done to get to the point of where we are respected in our field. Yet time and time again you will see requests like that. Some clients would rather book with a female photographer instead even if it means sacrificing working with a male photog with more experience. Some things just never change…

Water Running Dry

I have come up with some grandiose ideas for photoshoots, but so far this one has taken the cake. Now to be fair..some of the ideas I have come up with in the past never panned out for one reason or another. Maybe they were just too costly (usually the main reason), the model(s) I had in mind didn’t pan out, I just flat out lost interest or you name it. Could be any host of reasons. The idea of this shoot almost never came to be for a variety of reasons but something told me to stick with it.

Ever since I had seen the Boyz II Men video “Water Runs Dry” (as well a host of other R&B slow jam videos) I have always been enamored with the idea of doing a photoshoot in the desert. The only problem was I don’t live close to one. And I still haven’t gotten anyone to commission me to shoot in one so my expenses could be paid for the travel to do it. But then I found out that there was something similar not far from me in Monahans State National Park. And by ‘not far’, I mean it’s a six hour drive one way. Yep..you drive six hours from central Texas and STILL haven’t left Texas.

I knew with a drive like that, I had to find some reliable folks that would be down to make the trip. Not to mention they would have to be willing to pretty much give up an entire day since 12+ hours of our time would be spent driving. More than a few people were interested, but as I expected, they couldn’t dedicate that type of time on a Saturday. It was all good though because I actually preferred a smaller contingent. I was able to get it dwindled down to two of my favorite muses and my oldest son.

Leading up to the day, I was already nervous about how I was going to pull off these shots. I have never had the best luck shooting in harsh light conditions. I could never seem to get my settings right. Either the exposure on the model was too dark or the sky was blown out or there was always something off. It probably would have been a good idea to practice beforehand, but of course that would have made too much sense.

The plan was to get out there around 10:30am-ish. I figured it wouldn’t be THAT hot and still be bearable. Well we got there at a little past 11:30. By the time we walked to the area that I estimated to be the most optimal, it was pretty much high noon. But the good thing was there was a slight overcast. It was almost 100 degrees; however a little breeze was sifting through with the cloud cover so it actually felt pretty comfortable. That lasted for exactly 20 minutes. Then it was pure direct sun on nearly white sand the entire time we were there.

The other thing that I thought might have been an issue was protecting my gear. I’ve heard other photogs say they used bands around their lenses to make sure blowing sand didn’t get in. I wanted to be more careful than that. I purchased some waterproof covering instead. My entire camera and lens were encased in it the entire time. I think it may have also helped to keep it somewhat cooler once the temps kept climbing.

Even though I tried to plan as careful as possible to allow for the heat, it still felt like we underestimated it. I brought 2 12-packs of Gatorade as well as 2 12-packs of water. Before everything was said and done, we had went through nearly all of them. We also made sure to take breaks in what little bit of shade the park did provide. It may not seem like much, but it made a world of difference. Every little bit counted too because there was no cell phone service there so it’s not like we could have called anyone if something bad did happen.

So yeah…it did suck that most of our time that day was spent on driving. It wasn’t the most ideal climate conditions given that it was high noon and temps topped out at around 110 degrees. But I have to honestly say this turned out to be one of my favorite shoots to date. The images came out even better than I imagined. It was a lot of work and even stress, but I definitely feel like the ends justified the means.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Funny how things can change at the drop of a dime. Or at least in the course of just months. The last time I posted here was Black History Month with an amazing Fro Patrol shoot. Had some pretty big plans for the rest of the year. Including hitting the big 5-0. So many other shoot ideas, destinations and concepts on the horizon. Then along comes the Rona and everything has been downhill since. But I think we can all agree everything really hit the fan a lot more recently with the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of some cowardly Minneapolis police officers.

The whole thing put me a crossroad of such. At a few different crossroads if that’s even possible. I made an unspoken vow that I would try to keep these posts to just my photography. Really wasn’t trying to get political or definitely too controversial. The thing is with the recent events it has affected my photography. It made it so I had to say something for more than just prosperity sake. Today was an even better day to do it since it’s been earmarked as #BlackoutTuesday.

I realized that I have never really done a true Black Unity/Power or even Black Lives Matter themed shoot. It’s pretty horrible planning on my part. Every time Black History Month was rolling around I told myself I would do something then never did. The closest I ever came was some shoots I did around the same time that “Black Panther” was being released. Although throughout the year, I also did some one-off shoots that could qualify such as this one with my Frat brother Chris. Funny thing is it was actually done at my Lymphoma Awareness themed shoot. Even then I had this concept come to mind with the thought that it would fit a socially conscious post sometime in the future.

I think that part of the subconscious issue I also struggled with was the possibility of inadvertently making folks feel they’ve been segmentalized (yes..I made that word up). I’ve always prided myself on having pretty diverse clientele. Shooting all races, ethnicities, creeds, sexual orientations and everything. So would my clientele who were not people of color think I was being too radical with my ardent support of the Black Lives Matter movement? I ultimately decided that was a risk I was willing to take. People would have to just accept that this is part of who I am. I will not be on the wrong side of history by remaining silent and neutral. My legacy is more important than earning a few extra dollars.

Being upset about George Floyd’s murder was a no-brainer. Anyone with any decency whatsoever knew that was wrong. Where the dissension seemed to form was the subsequent protests and ‘riots’. I will unequivocally say that while I don’t condone rioting, I certainly condemn it. Even Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr— you know..the same one that folks always want to reference when they want folks to protest quietly? —even he said that a riot is the language of the unheard. What’s been happening is the culmination of years and years of folks getting tired of seeing no results from the other types of protests. The unheard were just trying to be heard.

The best thing that has come of all this and has been continuing to happen is people are actually finding more commonalities. We have been seeing more and more people who are not people of color also supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. They are also tired of the senseless killing of innocent unarmed Black men at the hand of the people who are supposed to be serving and protecting. They are realizing that of course all lives matter, but in order for that to be true, you have to realize the urgency of the moment that Black Lives Matter. They also see that while it’s horrible property is being destroyed, the bigger priority is that the killing of Black men has got to stop. Of course we all bleed the same... we just want our bloodshed to cease.

Fro Patrol

Well I promised I would get a post going into more detail about this epic shoot. It only took me a month to get around to it. Better late than never. Fortunately, the reason why this hadn’t been done sooner is I’ve been having a pretty busy first quarter. Although I’ve had some pretty awesome shoots in 2020 so far, none so far have been as much anticipated as this one.

It all started when I was trying to think of a group shoot them to bring some of my favorite muses together. Now keep in mind, the theme itself wasn’t even the hard part. The most difficult thing was trying to get everyone’s schedule to mesh. It’s the reason why I usually don’t even attempt to do themed group shoots. The logistics never seem to work out in my favor. Well this time wasn’t any different. In my effort to get a diverse mix together, I once again failed to find a date to work for everyone. And then one of my muses came up with a brilliant idea.

Jazmine suggested half-kiddingly that I should do a shoot showcasing sistas with natural hair. At least I think she was trying to be funny. But it was actually a great idea. Mainly because I had been on a kick lately shooting a lot of sistas with that look. Plus it also helps that it seems to be the in thing with hairstyles now. More sistas are going to that look. I knew it would be easy assembling a group together. Now how many of them could actually make the shoot date and time was a different story altogether.

I had a group of at least a solid twelve I knew for sure I wanted to participate. Of course I knew they wouldn’t all be able to make the same date and time. Of course I knew that a couple or so would say they could but then end up not doing it for one reason or another. I figured the true number I would end up shooting after all that was said and done would be about half a dozen. I hit the nail right on the head. And it worked out just fine because it was a solid six at that.

I’ve seen similar themes done where they always want to go with the white tops and jeans look. I still don’t know why. Sure it looks real chill and casual, but I definitely wanted to do something different. I went with all white. It didn’t matter the material. It just had to be all white. On a simple all white background. Then to add to the vibe of it being natural, I had everyone barefoot. I’ve seen a lot of themed group shoots done, but none with all the vibes that I was capturing in one session.

What made everything work out even better is the chemistry that these ladies had. A couple of them had met before but only briefly. It was definitely the first time they had all been together to gather for one shoot. They instantly all gelled as if they had known each for years. No jealousy, animosity, none of that. Genuine sisterly love all throughout. It poured over into the final product and made the shoot go so much more smoother than I could have ever imagined.

I try every now and them to come up with themed shoots just to keep my creativity fresh. Of course also to switch up the monotony of solo sessions when I’m not doing paid gigs. That whole logistical issue thing usually gets in the way of me trying to follow through. Plus, this Fro Patrol shoot may have spoiled me to have the same high expectations on any future group projects. Even if those shoots-to-be don’t work out, this one made up for any future shortcomings.

New Year..New Me!

Yes I know some folks really hate that trite saying. I have to admit that I’ve always rather enjoyed it every year. Because every year really is a new beginnings of sorts. Honestly, every day is. So why can’t someone feel entitled to take is a fresh start to be a better version of themselves? Well that’s what we’re definitely doing here at FlemingPhotos. Our same commitment to high end quality products is staying the same, but other things are a changing.

First and foremost is the site overhaul. I’ve refreshed the galleries with more current work to reflect more recent customers. Still kept some of the favorites though. Even added some new galleries to reflect the other work I do. I changed the layout too so it’s more viewer-friendly on finding information. I even included a video of some behind the scenes work. That’s will hopefully be part of transitioning into a YouTube channel for FlemingPhotos. That will be a work in progress over this year.

The biggest change by far this year will be my pricing. I have done a lot of market research to determine what my pricing should truly be. I quickly realized that I have been short-changing myself for quite a while. My quality has continued to go up and up while my prices have stayed stagnant. In fact, I had actually almost been giving away the farm with some of the packages I was offering. I made some crucial tweaks to both my pricelists and my pricing structure. Please note that this may still be fluid. There’s still a chance that it could change again, but for now I am finally comfortable with where it is.

I was going back and forth with whether or not I wanted to put the actual price lists on the website. I ultimately decided that’s one thing that would remain the same and I would make them available only upon request. Although I did add an ‘Investment’ page to foster more interest. I just feel that by putting the pricelist on the website, all it is really doing is soliciting those type of customers that are just price-shopping rather than shopping for quality. That really isn’t the market I am going for. I want the customer who values the quality of their images and is willing to invest in that quality.

Last but not least, don’t try to read too much into the photo associated with this latest entry. There’s not much of a connection. I just really wanted to include another photo of the Millennium Falcon from my trip to Disney Hollywood Studios and this was just another excuse to do so.

HAVE A GREAT YEAR/DECADE EVERYONE AND LET’S MAKE SOME MAGIC HAPPEN!

2019 Year in Review

I would be remiss if I didn’t formulate a collection of my top 10 images of the year. You would have thought this year would have been more challenging because I was ill with cancer for most of 2019 and didn’t start shooting until late. However, when I finally kicked its azz, I made up for lost time by coming on like gangbusters in the last few months. So much so that I have images I haven’t even got around to editing yet that would have probably been good candidates themselves. Anyway…here they are in no particular order…

Lymphoma Awareness Shoot

Hands down my biggest triumph to date was beating cancer. Naturally, I had to do a shoot to commemorate the occasion. I cannot thank everyone enough that came out to be a part of the project. I am now determined to have a similar shoot every year to mark the occasion as well as bring awareness…

What the Gel

This one probably should have had its own post so I could explain the light set-up and editing. At any rate, I’ve come to really like gel-work and this quickly became one of my favorites…

Tereney

Hands down one of my biggest supporters since day one. It also helps that she’s so photogenic. When she wanted to book me for her yoga shoot, I’m glad I jumped at the chance. Just another example of why I love black and white photos so much and started the BDubb Project…

Surprise!

This one already had its own blog post and it wasn’t even that long ago. Go check it out! Let me also plug the fact that this one was my personal favorite shot from the session. Check out the Mickey Mouse diamond!

The Youngest

Like I said before, he didn’t let me do senior pics and now he’s wanting to shoot all the time. I’ll take that though. He’s already grown to that age where hanging with his friends takes precedent over hanging with his old man. So getting to shoot with him anytime is always a plus…

Kaysen

Now what kind of grandfather would I be if I didn’t include him in the Top 10? Plus, as photogenic as he is, he would be a natural for anyone’s Top 10 list. I was going to include the version that was him without the Christmas card, but I liked the way it looked as is..

Moriah and Caleb

It’s always a blessing when two photogenic people get married. I may not have gotten a chance to shoot their wedding, but I nailed it with their newlywed pics…

Why So Serious?

Did more Halloween cosplay shoots this year than ever before. As a result, I may or may not be somewhat addicted to shooting cosplay now. This particular one is a theme I had been wanting to shoot for a LONG time and the end result came out even better than I expected…

Dante

The Manuel family has been another family that have been huge supporters for a LONG time. It was a blessing in disguise when they moved to my old hometown of Norwalk. I got a chance to shoot senior pics of a Black student at my alma mater for the first time EVER. And honestly (and unfortunately), not sure if it will ever happen again…

The Wahls

When Mom passed away in 2016, this cat was the only one from my Norwalk days who came to the funeral. He didn’t even tell me he was coming. Just showed up to support. I will NEVER forget that and he and his family remain among my favorites til this day…

Honorable Mention

I STILL cannot stress how surreal it was being this close and personal to the Millennium Falcon. The detail that they put into making this would have anyone thinking we were in the presence of the genuine article. And I STILL can’t wait to get back there again…

Up and Away!

So I got the chance to do another surprise proposal shoot recently. That makes a whopping two that I’ve done. And after just two, I can safely say that those type of shoots are the absolute best. Sure you can get some authentic expressions at weddings, but there’s nothing like that look of genuine surprise when the bride-to-be realizes gets that proposal.

Getting booked for it caught me entirely off guard. I had done a steampunk-themed couples shoot with Angela back in October. It was the first time I had ever shot with her. However, I was able to gain her confidence not only due to my work product and ethic, but also the fact that I was accommodating to make it a couples shoot. I actually thought at the time that her and Jonathan were already married. You sure would have thought so based off their chemistry. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Fast forward a couple of months and I get a call from Jonathan. He wanted to know if I would be interested in shooting a surprise proposal for his girlfriend Angela. That’s when I actually discovered that not only were they not married, they weren’t even engaged. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. Just check out the opening paragraph to see why. I just didn’t know how it was going to work. Jonathan had that all planned out.

Angela and I had already previously discussed doing a Nutcracker-themed shoot as we were approaching the Christmas season. Had the date all picked out and everything. Jonathan’s idea was to go ahead with that plan, but he was going to show up before the shoot even began to pop the question. Not only that, but he was going to have an outfit for her to change into so we could then go right into an “Up”-themed shoot for their engagement session. So he would basically be hijacking the session and the shoot we had originally planned wouldn’t happen. Well I knew that a surprise proposal would easily yield more powerful photos so I was all in.

One of the hurdles was getting the right location. Jonathan wanted some place with a hill so the pics with balloons would have a more epic feel. I immediately thought of this spot in McKinney called Adriatica Village. It is a large area where all of the commercial and residential buildings have a very photogenic Mediterranean look. More importantly, they had a hill overlooking a huge man-made lake. From the right angle, one could look they were touching the heavens

The second obstacle was getting Angela to agree to change the location without suspecting something. Our shoot was supposed to be in the studio I commonly use. Well that problem seemed to resolve itself when I found out that the studio was booked on the day that we had planned. I told her that we should switch to the Adriatica location instead and do a fall-winter themed shoot. I was banking on the fact that she would have enough faith in my vision to trust the venue change. Fortunately, I was right and she took the change in stride.

The last hurdle was making sure the surprise would work without Angela catching on before it was too late. How was I going to keep her facing one direction while Jonathan approached from behind considering how models like to move during their posing? I came up with the bogus charade that I had to get her framed in the shot so for her to stay looking at me the entire time without moving. It worked! She kept the pose. I quickly texted Jonathan the simple go-word “Now” and he was able to approach from behind while I was ‘framing’.

All in all, everything went down without a hitch. We even got lucky enough that the weather was absolutely perfect for it to be mid-December. It got a little windy toward the end, but by that time we had already secured several money images. It was safe to say it was a good day for everyone involved. Now if I can just transform this opportunity into a role as their wedding photographer…

Warriors...Come Out and Play-ee-ay...

Two posts within less than a week’s time period? And both of them are Halloween-themed?? Well definitely true for the first part. The latter could be up for debate. It just so happens that this shoot coincided with Halloween; however, it was a labor of love that has been in the works for entirely too long.

Whether it be Halloween or not, I have always been fascinated with doing shoots that would coincide with some of my favorite cinema classics. So many movies have either memorable cinematic moments or very memorable movie characters. Sometimes both. And things like that are just too good to pass up when it comes to shoot ideas.

This particular concept came from the 80s cult classic “The Warriors”. I’ve been a huge fan ever since I first saw it on VHS years ago as a kid. Of course it doesn’t hold up that well now. As with many movies from the 80s, it now looks a bit cheesy. It tried to come across as gritty back then and probably succeeded. It would seem very much tame in comparison to today’s R-rated fare. Which is probably why there is now blasphemous talk of remaking it. But again..I’m getting sidetracked. Let me stay on course about what went in to the making of this shoot…

First and foremost there was getting the costume. You would not believe how hard it is to get pin-striped baseball gear. Sure, I could have easily gotten plain pinstriped and then shopped in the logo on the back, but I wanted it to be authentic. There was only one place to get the entire get-up through Amazon. Of course just my luck, it wasn’t eligible for Prime two-day delivery. Because it was on backorder, it almost didn’t make it in time for the shoot. What should have taken 3-4 days to get to me took nearly two weeks. Good thing I was thinking ahead when ordering it anticipating such a delay so that it did ultimately get here in time.

Then there was the question of who I would get to play the gang members. Well getting a few people to do it was out for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s hard enough trying to get one schedule to gel let alone several. No way that would work with the way people’s schedules are these days. Then there was the issue of the pinstriped jersey. It was also too much of a chore getting just one. Definitely didn’t want to get more than one. And again, especially not if it meant running the risk that someone would flake out last minute. So I went with someone I knew I could count on and that was Julie.

Reliability wasn’t the only thing that factored in when going with Julie as the model. She also had very similar bone structure in her face as the characters in the movie. Because let’s face it…they were a little effeminate. But more importantly, she’s a trooper. To pull this off, she would have to get in makeup for one character, shoot quick then take it off and get in makeup for the next. A total of 4 times during the course of one shoot. Not every model could pull that off, but Julie nailed it like a champ.

Then there was the MUA and of course there was only one that came to mind: my go-to MUA Alex. You can see it’s not an elaborate look; however, it’s a look that had to be flawless and quick. The MUA had to be able to get the makeup on photo-ready, then get it off and get the new look on. A total of 4 times during the course of one shoot. Actually, it was originally my idea to just do it a couple of times. Nope. Alex made it clear she could do it that many times with ease. And just like my right choice for the model, Alex knocked her role out the park too.

Last but certainly not the least most important part of pulling all this off was the editing. Because I was only using one model, I would have to do a composite edit of one image and multiple versions of her in it. I made sure she had a different pose with each different look. Then of course, one pose to show off the back of jersey. But the biggest challenge was getting all the images to come together as one composite. I may not have gotten all the shadowing just how I wanted, but I still think it came out rather nicely. Although everyone won’t appreciate this as much as I do, it was a personal project YEARS in the making that I’m so glad could finally come to fruition.

To MUA or Not MUA...

I’ve been doing this whole photography thing for nearly ten years now. Actually, it will be ten years next February. Be looking for a post to commemorate that when the time arises. I should probably do a shoot to commemorate the same thing. I don’t know what theme to use just yet. At least I’ve got some time to think about it. But I’m getting WAY sidetracked so let me get back to my point…

I’ve seen many photogs in the same timeframe that I’ve been shooting (or sometimes even less) establish a team of sorts. They have an assistant or two to help with lights. They probably have a stylist on stand-by. Some even have a reliable videographer. The one person that many, if not all of them, have is a go-to make-up artist or MUA. All of those really help to complete a shoot.

The problem I’ve been running into is that I don’t shoot full-time. That rather hampers the possibility or even the need to have all those individuals as part of a team. It also means that since I have a regular joe-schmoe job that keeps me occupied, the free time that I have available to shoot is severely hampered. As a result, it also limits the time that I would be able to get more than one person gathered for a shoot. It’s hard enough getting one schedule to coordinate. Imagine trying to coordinate the schedules of three or more people to a time that everyone could shoot at the same time.

Another issue I have run into is that there are some folks out there that call themselves MUAs that really aren’t. It’s not about having a professional designation to prove it. Although let’s be honest, that certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s just that some folks just aren’t very good at it. I’m not a fan of the clown-look where it appears as though the subject has the make-up caked on. I very much prefer the natural look when shooting folks. I’m still amazed at how little I see that nowadays.

This time of year when I do Halloween-themed shoots, I’ve been looking more for a reliable and talented MUA. These are the one type of shoots where you actually want that ‘clown’ look. However, it still has to be done right so the shot still looks authentic. Some folks can do their own and do a pretty job. Then there’s an MUA like Alejandrina Rosa who’s absolute beast when it comes to the Halloween themes. Again, there is still the issue of getting schedules to jibe, but when they do, it produces magic.

A look like this takes up to a couple of hours to do. Alejandrina personally did each individual tattoo in replicating Jared Leto’s version of the Joker. She had it to the point where they looked authentic enough to be actual tattoos. Even down the detail of giving them a weathered look so you would think the tats have been there for a while. As good as she is at special looks like this, she can also do the regular looks. The natural looks. So it makes it much easier trying to find a MUA to use when you know someone who’s versatile enough to pull off any look possible.

F Cancer

So it’s been nearly a year since I’ve posted. I said I wouldn’t start off another post with the whole “it’s been too long since I posted” intro, yet here I am again. However, I actually have a good reason this time. A lot has happened in that year since the last time I updated this blog. Starting from the date of the last one when I had just wrapped shooting a wedding. That was actually the beginning of an unplanned rollercoaster ride that I’m still on.

Many of you have been following my journey on social media where I’ve been recounting my personal health journey. No need rehash it all here again where many of the same folks probably still follow it. Just to give you the Cliff Notes version, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lyphoma. It started when I was on the road from recovering from a simultaneous bout of flu and pneumonia that hospitalized me late last year. While on the mend, I noticed an unusual lump on my shoulder blade. Then another one gradually popped up on my other shoulder blade. Next thing you know, after a series of tests later, I discover I have cancer.

Treatment consisted of 6 sessions of chemo therapy. They are just as bad as everyone always makes them out to be. Not the actual treatments themselves though. Those were fairly painless. But those side effects that kick in later that last for nearly a week sucked. That wasn’t even the worst part of it. Not for me. For me it was the emotional baggage of having the unfortunate recollection of my mother going through chemo in her final days. Each time I went in for a session, those images came storming back for me. The physical stuff was nothing in comparison to that.

To bring everything full circle to the photography connection, this whole ordeal took me out of commission of shooting for quite a while. I’m talking several months. I couldn’t ever plan any type of shoot because I never knew how I would be feeling on any given day. I didn’t want to set something up with a client then the day of shoot would come and I’ve got chemo side effects sidelining me. I would pick up the camera occasionally for different quick family things (my son’s graduation, for instance) but those were few and far between.

The next phase of my treatment was supposed to be radiation therapy. The way the doc explained it to me was the side effects from that should have been minimal at best. Of course that didn’t happen with me. It almost seemed like the radiation was harder on me than the chemo. It also seemed like the only time I got sick was when I did radiation. After careful consideration, I came to the decision it was in my best interest to stop that process. I’ll find out definitively at my next PETscan if that was the right thing to do. I’m physically feeling confident that it was.

Finally getting to the point where I’m able to get back to shooting regularly. Just in time for what turns out to be Lymphoma Awareness Month this month. As such, I figured there was no better way to celebrate my return to shooting than with a Lymphoma Awareness themed shoot to commemorate the occasion. The response was so overwhelming that I had to have two different days. What you see here is a fraction of the models and friends who came out to show their support. This fight may not be an easy one, but it is a little easier to bear with the help of family and friends…

I Still Do.

I gave this one this title because I just checked my last wedding post I did. It’s funny how some of the same events that occurred during that wedding mirrored this one. Okay…just one really. That being the fact that my second shooter I had lined up bailed on me. This one was rather disappointing because it was someone I thought I could trust. Only to find out the week of that he forgot about it and made other plans. I can’t lie…that stung a little. Especially since this was the largest wedding I’ve ever shot.

No way I was going to let something like an unreliable second shooter get to me though. All that meant was that I was going to have be putting in extra work. I would be running all over that church and reception to get the different angles necessary for diverse photos. It just required a 5-hour energy drink and powering through some hand cramps to make it happen.

I was honored to even be selected for Courtney and Carson’s photographer. Courtney is the daughter of one of my former NHS classmates. Remember what I was telling y’all about Norwalk alum constantly supporting me? Still can’t say enough about it. They could have went with any number of photogs there locally. Instead, they entrusted me with their special day. That’s why there was no way I was going to let them down no matter what glitches would come up.

This time last year when I shot a wedding in Iowa, we got lucky and were blessed with some unseasonably warm weather. Like nearly in the 70s in December warm. Not this time around. I believe it was the coldest day of the year at 32 degrees. At least for me it was. And what really sucks is there wasn’t even any snow. Mother nature could have at least given us that so we could have had some really cool snow wedding images. I still have a plethora of ideas to use for that if and when it ever happens.

I got to experience something unusual that I’ve never had on any other weddings: a party bus! We took that from the church to the VA Hospital to visit the bride’s ailing grandfather in hospice. That was quite the interesting party bus ride. Heard some very entertaining music that I would have never thought the wedding party was into. Had my head bobbing the whole time. If the reception deejay would have played that playlist, the dance floor probably wouldn’t have been so full, but it sure would have been fun to watch the expressions on folks’ faces.

So I once again hit my one wedding a year quota with this one. It’s not something that I purposely set forth to do. It just seems to happen that way. Because that is the case, I always make sure I go all out when I shoot that one wedding. Like for this one, I actually helped the groom tie a Windsor knot for his necktie since neither he nor any of the groomsmen had that dying art. That’s just the way I roll as a full service photographer. I want do more than make sure your wedding photos look good. I want to make sure you look good in your photos.

Boo!

Yes I know we’re a bit past Halloween already. We should be prepping for Thanksgiving. And for some of us, already doing Christmas-y things. Well given the fact I’m horrendously behind in updating any entries here, just being a couple weeks past the ‘holiday’ isn’t that bad. I just had to say something about what turned out being one of the busiest months of shoots.

As just a tiny bit of backstory, it’s important to mention that I’m actually a fan of Halloween. Mainly because I’m a horror movie fan. Something else I can attribute to Mom. Although to be fair, I probably went to the extreme with mine. There wasn’t an horror movie that was too much for me. Mom drew the line once too much blood got involved.

The last time I did a Halloween themed shoot that I really enjoyed was several years ago. I was still in Des Moines at the time. Thanks to my friend Summer, we pulled off a pretty awesome vampire queen shoot. Little did I know at the time that some folks would really bug out over it. Got so offended they unfriended me on Facebook and everything. And that shoot didn’t even have any blood involved. It certainly wasn’t due to lack of effort though. We just forgot to include it.

Anyway, I had been thinking ever since then that I wanted to do more shoots even bigger and better. This year was the perfect storm since I’ve been doing my whole one photo a day project (which is something else I should probably be blogging about to provide more context). I figured I would try to get as much Halloween variety as possible in. I mean all of the major horror movie roles: zombie, vampire, slasher, demonic possession. If they hated that shoot from back in the day then these would REALLY drive them crazy.

The one featured here was done by local cosplay model Veeanna Nunley. I had shot her earlier in the month doing a Harley Quinn. Later on, I would happen to stumbled upon a post of hers where she did this for another cosplay function. Even though “The Nun” wasn’t as great as it could have been, the image they created with the creepy nun was too good to pass up for a horror shoot. Thankfully, Vee was down. We found the perfect location in downtown Dallas and knocked out some great shots.

Doubtful I’ll go all out next year like I did this year for Halloween. I actually have enough images to last me for a while anyway. I say that now, but of course there will be some ideas that come up between now and then. Or even sooner. You never know when the ‘spirit’ will catch you…

30 Years and Counting

You know there was actually a moment that I was contemplating not going to my 30th NHS class reunion? I really didn't have a good excuse either. It's not like I don't make trips back to Des Moines so the travel wasn't even an issue. Don't know why the thought even crossed my mind. You just don't miss something as momentous as a milestone occasion like that. So glad I came to my senses.

The event was held at a small event/reception location right in the town of Norwalk. The rather ironic thing about that is when we were all seniors in 1988 that entire business area that contained the event center wasn't even there. It was just more open field back then. As was much of the surrounding area of Norwalk that has since sprouted up houses and businesses. It's a testament to how much the "town" has grown in 30 years.

The setting was perfect for a class reunion of our size. We didn't have to worry about being disruptive in a restaurant. It was more intimate than a bar (which I wouldn't have liked anyway since I don't drink) so we could all hear each other as we reminisced. But most importantly, we could all enjoy the dance floor while the deejay spun some of our favorite tunes from one of the best musical decades ever.

I've never prided myself on being an event photographer. It is much more physically taxing than a regular studio and/or outdoor session. However, there are times when I always make exceptions to take on the gig. Especially in an instance like this. I knew I definitely wanted to enjoy the time with my classmates, but no way was I going to pass up the opportunity for an epic group photo. Who else is going to capture the essence of how great we all still look after 30 years??

You know the funny and best thing about the reunion was the overall fellowship. Of course we all had our cliques in high school. You would have never guessed it from our interactions that night. We were all one big happy family. We were enjoying each other's company like we hadn't seen each other in years and genuinely missed the time that had passed. It didn't matter that the whole class couldn't make it (I mean we're only talking about 124 people). What mattered was that the people that were there were reminded why the Class of 1988 was so special in the first place.

Let's Play!

Do you ever go into a local restaurant and notice one of those team posters they have showcasing one of the local high school athletic squads? Well of course I do. And each time I'm checking it to see who shot it. Then I'm wondering how they got the gig. It occurred to me that would be a pretty good area of photography to get into.

As with any other field of photography, team photos is a competitive field to break into. The hardest part is getting the in. I was able to finally make that happen by connecting with a longtime friend of mine who owns a local crossfit gym. I did a promo shoot for some of the girls that train at his gym. He made a poster of the image which now hangs in that gym. One of the mothers saw it and I was then commissioned for photos for their volleyball club photos.

I still get nervous before every shoot. It's probably the anal perfectionist in me. But even moreso when it's a massive shoot like this one. I wanted to make absolutely sure that everything came out just right since this would be my foray into a new photography arena. Get this one right and it could lead to more possibilities with more team photography. I will have to admit that I rather liked the outcome. Hopefully it paid off and does lead to more business down the same alley.

Loyalty

So Happy 2018! Yep..over 3 months in and this is my very first post of the year. Been so busy with my 365 Project (which I really need to make a post of its own) that I've neglected to hit y'all off with an updated blog. Well if it's any consolation, I've been thinking about this topic for a while. That should technically count as being an earlier post if I wanted to reach a bit.

If there's one thing I have really learned to appreciate in the business, it's customer loyalty. Mainly because it seems to be so rare. Especially in the Dallas market where there is certainly no lack of photographers. Now the photogs that are good at what they do are a little harder to come by. However, you quickly discover that many people don't care about that. They are looking at their bottomline so quality tends to take a backseat sometimes.

You also have to thick skin doing this. When there comes an instance where that couple you did a shoot for decides to go elsewhere for their engagement shoot, you can't take it personally. Or when the couple you did an engagement shoot for chooses someone else for their wedding photog. Although I can't even lie...that one does baffle me. If you really enjoyed the photos from your session then why not maintain that loyalty with the same photog? But I digress....

The Beamons are a shining example of those folks that have always been loyal customers. I first met them when a friend recommended them to me for their wedding. They didn't know me from Adam but took a chance on this little ol country boy anyway. It started with an epic engagement session and they were sold for the wedding pics also. The result was one of my favorite weddings ever. Not to mention what remains to this day one of my favorite pre-ceremony images ever of Courtney and all his best men.

It could have ended there, but it didn't. They came back to me again for their family pics which gives you the image you see here. To say it was an adventure would be an understatement. That little fella was quite the handful as we tried everything possible to get him to stay focused. I think we ended up getting some good images though as we all chipped in to make it happen.

I can't even stress how much I arppeciate loyal customers. I still have folks from back home in Iowa who faithfully seek out my return dates so they can shoot with me. That will never cease to amaze me. I keep hoping to have that same type of luck in the Dallas area. I refuse to believe that it's just a regional thing. I will just have to keep being persistent until it happens.

2017 Year in Review

I probably should have started much sooner than the last day of the year to formulate a 'best of' post. Now I'm sitting here trying to shove a bunch of favorite images into one entry. Of course that won't happen though. No one needs that type of sensory overload. Additionally, it wouldn't be fair for me to rank my favorites and have some folks thinking I didn't like their session as much as someone else's. No one needs to end the year on that type of drama either.

As I look back, I see that 2017 was a bit slower than the previous year. Both in TF shoots and definitely in standard client sessions. I realize I didn't market myself as much as I should have or even could have for that matter. Must remember to turn that around in 2018. It may require more networking on my part. That's fine as that should have been done before as well.

Once again it became clear that senior photos were my forte this year. I've always been okay with that. I like being able to capture that portion of a young adult's life. It always serves as a type of self-redemption as I think back on the senior photos that I had done. I always wished they were better. I never want any of my senior clients wishing the same thing when we shoot. Hopefully, the same will hold true for those in 2018.

I hit my one wedding a year quota in 2017. It's strange that it always works out that way. Folks are getting married everywhere constantly and yet I only manage to score one wedding gig a year. Again, I'm sure some of it is lack of marketing on my part. Hoping that word of mouth from the last wedding will get me business clearly is not the way to go. However, I do make sure that when my average is only one a year that that I do go all out for that one wedding. I would venture to say mission accomplished again this year for that objective.

My fashion/glamour shoots shined brightly this year. That would easily be the one area where i took a huge leap forward. That will be a hard area to crack into on a professional level with all the competition out there. Yes I still have a sense that my improvements in that genre allowed me to make a little ground. Even if it was very little. But every little bit counts. Just have to keep on grinding and hopefully the recognition will follow.

The one significant lesson I learned photography wise this year was how cutthroat the industry/business can be. Especially in this north Texas market. It seems like the better your work product, the more people you thought were your peers want to besmirch you. I can't honestly say if it happens to all photogs, but I know it happened to me this year. That's easily the one factor that caused my networking to suffer. Being sociable was the last thing I wanted to as it just seemed the best way to avoid more unnecessary drama. Admittedly, trimming the contacts on social media did help alleviate some of that so it should be smoother sailing going forward.

I have seen folks saying that 2017 has been the worst year ever. That they can't wait for it to come to an end so they can get a fresh start in 2108. I know exactly how they feel because that's how 2016 was for me. I don't know what they may have went through this year, but losing my Mom and grandmother within a couple of months of each other in 2016 cemented that Worst Year Ever title for me. I knew it would be extremely difficult for 2017 to be worse than that. It wasn't. Although it wasn't a banner year by an means, at least it was an improvement. That's what I foresee for 2018 as well. So here's looking forward to bigger and bigger things come 12:00AM.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

I Do.

Yes I realize it's a very simplistic title, but it gets the point across. You know that it's in reference to a wedding that I recently shot. Even though it doesn't accurately reflect this was one of my favorite weddings to date. Mainly because it was for a former NHS classmate. It has nothing to do with the fact that I still only average one wedding a year which means I go out of my way to make that one count.

I was sure I had planned this one to death so nothing could possibly go wrong. Of course that was incorrect. Starting with the second shooter. Had one lined up ever since I first scheduled this momentous occasion months ago. So what happened just a few short weeks before the wedding? The second shooter informs me something comes up and they can't do it. Of course I had a back-up plan. At least three other options. Of course none of them could do it such short notice either. I was on my own. Again.

The photography gods still found a way to smile on me at least a little bit on that day for a couple of reasons. First was that it turns out that it was a rather small wedding. Only one bridesmaid (who was also the maid of honor) and one groomsman (who was also the best man). Second thing was that this was a Des Moines wedding in December that somehow got nice weather. It was a high of 55 which felt even warmer than that with the shining sun. Sure it would have been nice to capture some snow images for the formals and candids, but I certainly was not going to complain.

Phyllis could not have been a better bride. I've been rather fortunate in that regards too when it comes to weddings that I've shot. Never had a bridezilla yet. And this was the best opportunity for one to happen. Phyllis was taking a lot of the planning and organizing herself with no formal wedding planner. If she was stressed and/or nervous, she certainly didn't show it. Their big day could not have gone smoother.

Here was yet another occasion where I ended up second-guessing myself after going through all the final images. I used a drone for the first time and now wished I would have used the video option to do a short vignette to post. I should have used my strobe on a couple of photo ideas outside. I should have done more fun styled shoots with the bridal party. And about a dozen other things I beat myself up after the fact.

However, I am rather proud of the images I did capture. The bride reveal was pretty epic the way I captured Tim's emotion. The shot of catching Phyllis enjoy her daughter's toast while Tim admired her was right on point. The capture of the rings was straight money. But more important than anything is the bride and groom very much enjoyed the photos that helped to make their entire day magical.

A Veterans Day Flashback Friday

It was always and still is my intention to do a military shoot of some kind. I've got a few ideas bouncing around in my head. Just need to find a photogenic solider to pull it off. Or if I could even find a military family looking for family photos then that would work too. Until then, this image is the closest thing I will get to a military tribute. That's just fine by me though because this one is special for more than a couple of reasons.

First let me say that it's always a struggle to consider myself a veteran. I guess I technically am a veteran by the pure definition of the word. I signed up for the Air National Guard. I went through Basic Military Training. I did my full six years. I served active duty. I was even on active duty during the Gulf War. I was never actually deployed though. My service was done in a support role on the Air National Guard base in Des Moines. It just seems to me that the real veterans are those that did true active duty as their main role and not just in a National Guard type capacity.

The truest veteran to me is someone like Dad. Someone who was drafted when there was still a draft. Someone who served in Vietnam, one of the most baseless wars our country ever had up to that point. That's back during the time when the soldiers came home there weren't people thanking them for their service. Folks were cursing them out when all they were doing is serving this country. Yet Dad still manager to persevere despite all the obstacles that GIs faced then. He would go on to get in a full 20 years. Now THAT'S a veteran for you.

So the idea for this pic came about as I was going through some of Dad's old photos during my visit there in Bloomington. He has several epic pics from his days in Vietnam. I came across one where he was in a Vietnam hospital giving high five to some other cat and something just instantly clicked. That's when I got the idea to do a concept of young Dad meeting older Dad.

Dad was running errands while I was rummaging through pics and he returned looking dapper as usual. I told him the idea then had him stand in the living room while I captured the necessary pose. With some Photoshop trickery (and I'm not going to lie..it actually took a LOT of PS trickery because I'm not that good at it), I removed the guy who was there and we have past Dad giving a high five to present Dad. Honestly, it actually came out much better than I anticipated.

One of my favorite reasons why I love this pic so much is it was the last piece of my work that I was able to see Mom enjoy. This was near the end when she was slowly declining. I showed her the finished product and she loved it. I had done more shoots after that, but the next time I would get back to Bloomington, Mom was in her final days. She was unfortunately a shell of her former self. If she had seen any of my other work after that, she didn't have the strength nor even the ability to tell me. At least I was able to get her approval from an image that mattered. One of the man she loved and the one veteran that matters the most to me.

Booking It

I FINALLY found a way to incorporate the phrase I said I would bring back! In all seriousness, it is most applicable to this most recent event that I ended up shooting this past weekend. It was a book launch party for my Frat brother (for those of you that are schooled on the process, I was actually his Dean) Chris King. It had been quite a while since I've done an event and this one was well worth revisiting that type of booking.

I told myself a while ago that I would only do certain events (not counting weddings). There was once a time I would jump at any opportunity to shoot them. I would even actively pursue them. I assumed they would always be good networking opportunities. I could shoot the event, hand out cards and meet new people who would then hit me up for their future photography needs. Didn't quite pan out that way. I think I could probably count on one hand how many gigs I ended up getting as a result of contacts made at shooting events. 

When certain folks ask me to shoot events, the answer would always be yes. Family and Frat being at the top of the list. There may come a time where I won't be able to be so picky so for now I consider myself blessed that that's not the case. It works out very nice when I'm able to shoot events that are benefiting those folks close to me while it can also add to my portfolio in some fashion.

I felt a little bad because I didn't have a chance to read Chris's book "Black Jesus White Jesus: My Search for a Colorless Christ" prior to shooting the official launch party. The name alone reminded me of one of my favorite books "Black Lies, White Lies" by Tony Brown (ironically, also Frat).  That coupled along with the fact that I personally know the cat writing it has me really looking forward to reading it. 

As far as my involvement, I almost ran into a major glitch. Thought I had my batteries all charged and ready to go. Get to the venue and found out that I was down to 1 1/2 charged batteries with both my charger AND my back-up charger at home. Fortunately, I was able to get the most out of that charge to last the entire two hours without missing any money shots.

The event could not have went better. It was set in a venue of an intimate Frisco Art Gallery. It was the perfect backdrop for photos rather than looking at blandly painted walls. It provided extra conversation pieces for folks as they mingled. That didn't seem to matter though because every guest there was more personable than the next. I don't know if everyone knew everyone there prior to coming, but everyone got along and fellowshipped as if they had known one another for ages. It made for a very comfortable setting for all involved. If all events were as smooth as this one, I'd definitely try to shoot more of them.