Photography in Austin, Texas
In addition to the contest I mentioned earlier, “Baby and the Tramp” is getting some love over at Crash Taylor’s The Still Image blog. There, I talk about the approach, how I lit it and shot it. Head over there and take a look, and be sure to go through all of the excellent images posted there. Lots of good stuff!
Headed to WPPI on Saturday – if you want to meet up, catch me via Twitter or send me an email at eric //a t//doggettstudios.com.
WPPI is right around the corner (I’ll be heading out next Saturday). If you would like to meet up at some point, be sure to send me a message on Facebook or contact me via this site. We might try to organize a lunch or dinner if time permits (there are a lot of activities going on this year).
On the WPPI note, I just found out that the “Baby and the Tramp” shot I took of the boys a few years ago has been selected as one of the top 20 finalists in this year’s “Fresh Faces” competition! It’s one of my most favorite shots, and I am so happy that the boys are getting a little Vegas love.
The winner will be selected by votes and receives some gear and a spread in Rangefinder. So if you have a chance, please head over here and cast your vote for image #9. According to the website, you should “vote early and vote often”. So, please feel free to vote again. And again. And again. In fact, I am pretty sure that whoever votes the most probably loves Brandon and Trevor the most, so do it for the kids.
Lisa and I like to go all-out on our Christmas cards. We’re talking full-on, crazy productions. Last year all of us were playing Guitar Hero inside a Christmas tree. This year, we decided on a 50′s-themed card. We actually started talking about this idea last Christmas, and we love it.
Click the image to view a super-large version, and see if you can find anything hidden! When you are done, check out the making-of video at the bottom plus the details to to learn a little bit about how I shot this, and what I hid where.
Creating the Card
The first challenge was the location. I looked into renting some 50′s-looking appliances, but in the end I was able to shoot at the Austin Diner. It has a great retro vibe. Here’s a shot of the diner. Notice the details that wouldn’t have existed in the 50′s, like the beer signs and the digital clock:
Everybody was photographed separately, and then composited in. Thankfully, the boys were cooperative this year. We used a 5 light setup for each person, shooting against grey seamless. To make this shoot a little easier, I used a 50mm lens for everything. I also made sure to keep the tripod height and angle as close as possible for all the components.
Here are two of the unused images. Note the seamless-covered table. This was to simulate the diner bar, so that when I placed my hand on it, it matched up close to the original.
Here’s the final masked shot of Lisa, put against a black background. A few things to notice here.
That’s pretty much it! Be sure to watch the video above to find the hidden items in the card.
What do you think? Are you doing anything creative for your cards? If so, please share!
While it’s fun to play with new gear when it comes out, or try the latest lighting or processing techniques, it’s important to remember what photography is truly about: recording forever those that we love and care about. Even the most exciting, high-paying commercial job I will ever do will never hold a candle to shots I take of my family (grumpy as I sometimes may be about having to haul the camera out).
And in those times when we forget what’s important, we need a little reminder. Here’s one I received recently. It’s an email from a 2006 bride. She’s given me permission to post it here, and I think it speaks volumes about the importance of photography:
I keep forgetting to send you a note, or I may have already, who knows. My brain has not worked for a few months now. When it came time to find pics of my father as people remembered him, I turned to my wedding pics. We used them on the obit and pretty much everything else. I wanted to thank you for being the person to capture him and his spirit. i cherish those photos.
thank you.
Wow. That definitely set things in perspective for me. Her father wasn’t ill at the wedding, but suffered a seizure since then which took his life.
At weddings, I always try to be aware of older relatives, or those that have certain conditions where they might not live much longer. But every once in a while God brings home someone you didn’t expect him to, and that’s why it’s important for you, and me, to continue to capture those around us that we love.
My father passed away when I was 19. I am almost to the point where I have had more years alive without him than with him. After hearing this story, I asked my mom to email me some shots of us, and here they are:
A funny thing on that first picture – those of you that have seen Trevor before will probably think that I photoshopped him in, but I didn’t :) Oh and my dad looks like he’s 12 in all these shots.
So, go out and take some pictures of your family this week! I certainly will.
Brandon turned 4 recently, and we had a huge party to celebrate! His official birthday was on the 12th, and then we had the party the following weeks. Here are some of the highlights. With VIDEO!
Every year we head to Red Robin for his birthday dinner, and Lisa had brought along a little birthday pie for him.
This video caught Brandon losing his balloon at Red Robin! Luckily Grandpa got up to get another one.
For his big gift, we blindfolded him and took him out to the garage.
Ok you can take off your blindfold! Notice anything fun?
The party was at the Hoppin House in Austin. It’s a big, indoor play area that grownups have fun at too. Lots of slides and fun. Here’s Brandon’s mega-cool ice cream cake.
Lisa and the B-Man head down a slide.
The funniest thing happened when it came time to blow out the candle. The fan blew it out before Brandon did, and he totally LOST IT. He blamed the kid next to him for blowing it out. When we told him that the fan did it, he responded with “No it didn’t – the fan doesn’t have a mouth!”. So true.
Here’s the video showing the tragic moment. Watch how he accuses his friend.
Trevor was in charge of guarding any and all balloons.
Brandon and his cousin, Stella, who made a special trip in for the party.
Here’s a video of Brandon and me going down the slide:
And finally, here is a collage of images shot in the same spot every birthday (the Red Robin parking lot). You can see how he’s progressed through the years.
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