Personal work: It's Spooky Season!!

Now, I am the first one to admit I hate being startled. So Halloween growing up was a little rough. I’m also fairly introverted so the idea of going up to a stranger’s door, knocking on said door and yelling “Trick or Treat!” still makes my face hot. But I still LOVE Halloween. I love the decorations. I love seeing people’s creative costumes. Pumpkin carving and candy and making spooky treats. The cooler weather and just happiness that just kind of floats in the air. It’s all wonderful.

So when I was asked to do a spooky season themed holiday shoot with an old friend I JUMPED at the chance. And I think we hit it out of the ballpark. It’s cute. It’s funny and I am so unbelievably excited about how the images turned out!

Stay broke, Shoot film, my friends.

Personal Work-- They really are GREAT

I finally got to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park ! I have wanted to visit this park for AGES. I’ve driven past them many many times. Driving up to them in the very early morning (I left my campsite at 4am) was stunning. I could see them at the base of the mountains but I didn’t believe those were SAND at first. I thought maybe they were just smaller foothills…. No…. They’re MASSIVE. I hiked all the way to the top of this ridge (after the sun was too high in the sky for photos), entirely barefoot. Just as dreamy as I imagined they would be. Definitely one of my favorite parks. It’s always a little risky bringing only film with you on trips, but these turned out exactly how I imagined them in my head.

There's just something about water.

You know? There’s just something about water that gives your soul a hard factory reset. It’s just magical.

A few moments with a friend

Took a little time to catch up with and photograph with an old coworker of mine. Catching up with friends and having some great big belly laughs is the perfect medicine.

On being an Artist

I spent some time this weekend with my friends Briley and Adrienne. They showed me around (safely) and I got a chance to turn my brain off for the first time in months and just enjoy the ride. I made the choice to only have one camera on me, when normally I have at least 3. Threw my Hasselblad and some film in my bag and hoped for the best. Shooting *only* film is always a little risky because you never quite know if it’s going to work out. But as we were walking around this one particular park, and Briley was taking some photos of me while I took photos of her, I had a moment of pure relaxation and joy wash over me. Looking around at the light through the trees, I took a deep breath and remembered how much I love to make photographs. Especially with the people I love and admire most. It made me happy and sad and calm and excited all at the same time. I’ve never been very well spoken, I stutter sometimes when I get anxious or excited, I am not that smart about most things (or I don’t feel like it most of the time), I’m introverted which makes it hard to exist in an industry that values being boisterous. But making art feels good. It feels like an effective way for me to communicate how I see the people around me or how I feel in any particular moment. Can a photographer be quiet and contemplative and still succeed? I’m not sure yet. Though my business is what I would classify as successful, I still need to have a full time job on the side to make up lost ground.

I’m almost 30 and I want to make art. I want to make art with all kinds of people. From all walks of life. Maybe someday soon I can figure out how to do that sustainably forever.

Austin Fine Art Photographer--Something a little different

I’ve been trying to shoot more with my 4x5 camera lately. Thinking up mini-projects for myself. This past weekend I thought I had totally ruined some film while on a solo photo adventure. I was really upset with myself and annoyed that I had messed everything up— And honestly pretty sad about it and definitely pouted the rest of the day. HA! But I got the film processed anyway.

Never underestimate the beauty and resilience of film. Even when I thought I had messed up royally, the images came out dreamy and whimsical. Not what I imagined at ALL. But I love them anyway.

This is just one sample of what came out of that morning. The fogging on the film came from the heat and humidity provided by an early Texas summer day.

Sometimes the unexpected is a real treat.

Austin Portrait Photographer--Color Gel Experiments

A couple of years ago, I convinced my friend Rocky to come to the studio and let me snap some photos of her with my new color gels. Now, I will say, that I haven’t used them SINCE… but that’s beside the point. I love these photos of her. And I think it’s time I share them here on the blog. That day was so fun. Chatting and catching up and melting my color gels because I put ‘em too close to the bulbs. I feel the need to share a few more personal projects here on the blog. Not too too many! Just some sprinkled among the pro shoots I do.

Whaddaya think?!

Austin Portrait Photographer-- Fine Art personal work.

You know, I genuinely love making photos.

Creating and making pretty things is just…. so satisfying.

Remind me to shoot more 4x5 film when I can.

I can never quite get enough.

Austin Portrait Photographer-- New Film Project?

The more film I shoot on my Hasselblad, the more and more my love for film grows. Digital portraiture is just not the same.

Austin Portrait Photographer--Women Who Shoot Film

I know, I know! Two posts in a row. Ick. BUT I’ve just found some post worthy images of my beautiful friends! And I NEED TO SHARE ‘EM— again while I was rooting around through my hard drives this morning— I re-discovered these images of Rachel. Rachel is smart and kind and always has the right words at the right time. I’m just going to leave ‘em here so you can also admire her too.

Austin Portrait Photographer-- Shoot it with film

I came across these couple of photos of my friend Samantha while going through a hard drive. I took these images on my Crown Graphic while having a emotional conversation with Sam. She is one of my very good friends that I have known for almost 15 years now. She’s truly a beautiful soul with amazing ideas and a big big heart. I’m lucky to know her. Shooting with film gives me time to spend with the people I’m photographing. I cherish that time to grow relationships like this one with a dear friend. I’m forever grateful to have this beautiful friend and to have these memories with her.

Single Frame--A Trip to Cajun Country

Took a few days for my birthday to head out to Lafayette, Louisiana! I spent my birthday last year in New Orleans and LOVED it, so going back this year was a much more low key but equally as fun adventure.

Ate my weight in great food, toured the Tabasco mothership and got to pet a baby alligator!

I’ll post more later but for now…. a single frame.

Single Frame: Boudoir session

A single frame from a boudoir session on Portra 400 shot with Hasselblad 500c

More to come in the future but this one is my favorite for right now.

Dia De Muertos in Austin 2019

This year’s Dia de los Muertos parade in Downtown Austin was wonderful.

Every year the Mexic-Arte Museum puts on the Viva La Vida festival and parade and this year was on POINT! The music, the color, the spirit—oh my! I can’t wait to attend next year. I shot all of these on Hasselblad 500c with Portra 400 (for the color) and Kodak Tri-X (for the B&W). Street shooting with the Hassie is much easier than with any other camera. Number 1, it gives you a talking piece when encountering new people and number 2, it makes it easier to shoot with the waist level finder. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this dang camera? Because—Like, whoa!

Merciful Heavens at Scholz Garden

There’s something about black and white 35mm that just begs to be used during live music performances. This Cinestill BWXX film has been blowing my mind lately. What a beautiful film. Just the right amount of snap, crackle, pop to tug at my heart strings. Thank you to my friends, Merciful Heavens for inviting me to come by and snap some photos during your show!

Black and White Portrait Session in Austin, TX

Sometimes a simple black and white portrait session is enough to set your heart ablaze. For a while there I was feeling burned out on black and white images. I thought that color images were really where my heart and soul were. But oh my, was I wrong. Don’t get me wrong. I love color film—it’s a big part of my creative vision, but black and white can tell a story that color cannot. It leaves so much more to the imagination— it’s more of a whisper than a shout. For this shoot, MD and I channeled our inner Jeff Goldblum and Cole Sprouse and Nico Tortorella. And let me tell you— it worked. Also, MD is a really fantastic assistant, so when I get nervous and make weird mistakes that are 100% avoidable and very DUH, they are there to make me feel competent and confident again. I have known them for more than 10 years now (which is crazy to think about). They are a really good friend and I’m grateful I get to be their go to photographer.

35mm: A Love Story

I will always have a soft spot for 35 mm photos. These days I think of them more as point and shoot— snap shot type images as I like to use medium format or digital for bigger projects. But sometimes snapshots are the most fun. And of course, snapshot doesn’t necessarily mean poorly composed or uninteresting— just that it was snapped in the moment. A “love at first sight” type shot. An image for posterity. A friend of mine reminded me recently that it is important to have a good balance of reverence and fun in all things you do. To not take things so seriously all the time. It was a great reminder for my day to day but also creatively. 35 mm does just that for me.

I recently purchased an on camera flash for my Nikon FE and have been playing around with a more snapshot look. I can tell you, I’m really loving the results and it has inspired a much larger project for the coming year.

I can’t wait to share it all with you.

Just for fun.

I’m the most grateful that I have friends who let me take pictures of them all the time and they never get tired of me asking. It’s a real blessing.

I chose to leave the raw edges on some of these film scans. Film… it doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun, right?