Austin - Home Sweet Home

I love this town. It has character. It becomes more obvious every time I am away from this interesting city. I feel comfortable here. I feel good here. I am becoming even more aware of its beauty as I take more and more photographs around town. People like to be photographed with iconic scenes of their hometown. There are so many here. I find them one by one. Some of them are commonly seen in photos, like the 360 bridge or the Capital building...and some of them are rarely seen in any photos like the one I have here of my boys in front of the Gingerman. They are all parts of Austin and they all provoke different thoughts and memories for each person.

Photo Tip: Get a new perspective on an old subject. Create a twist to an otherwise ordinary scene. You can do this a lot of times with changing your position as compared to your subject. For example get really low or even put the camera on the ground and shoot what you see. Photograph a building from a different angle than most people view it. You might find your way more interesting.

Oceans, Mountains, and Fun

It's been a long time since the last post. The summer has kept me busy. Photography has been good and family life has been full of adventure. Our travels took us to Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. It allowed me to try my hand at some serious landscape photography. Sometimes it seemed I got so overwhelemed by the beauty of it all that I couldn't pick a good scene to photograph. In those times I had to take a deep breath and focus....and then just follow my insticts as a photographer. Light is everything. It makes or breaks a photograph. It gives it life. So with that in mind I have a few photos of our trip that I will share with you.

Photo Tip: The hour before Sunset is the "golden hour". That is when you should photograph outside. In our great state of Texas most of the day is brightly lit. So keep in mind the quality of light. One thing you can do to fill in the shadows on a face in a bright day is to use your on camera "fill in" flash. It will give your subject's face a little less contrast and more of the eyes can be seen.

The Colors of Summer

Summer in Austin, Texas is known for its unbearable heat. Yet we still find reasons to leave our air conditioned homes. The colors of summer are just as hot as the temperatures. Intense greens, intense browns, and if there is a flower that survives, it usually has a pretty intense color.

Photo Tip:

In the bright sun, try avoiding the mid day hours for photography, the light is unflattering and shadows are very strong. But if you find yourself outside in those hours make the best of it. Since you have plenty of available light try to capture people, animals, or other moving objects in action. With plenty of available light you can get away with a very high shutter speed and very low ISO which allows you to freeze the action. A cannonballing kid off the side of the pool or a water bird about to strike at the fish in the lake.

4th Fest

So it was the 4th of July and more than anything else it was a time for kids to have fun. Here is Kian at four and three quarters. That's what he would say if you asked him how old you are! This photo gives you a quick rundown of his favorite things...he's a candy loving, hotwheels glasses wearing, soccer playing, photo taking proud resident of the WellsBranch community.


Photo Tip:
Try to compose as best as you can before you press the shutter release button. Composing afterwards by cropping is not ideal. But don't hesitate to crop to get a stronger photo if need be. What this basically means is that if you are photographing in a hurry and not thinking about your composition, you could get a mediocre photo instead of a really good one!

Black Bird

I was trying to see the beauty in this very common creature. We have a million of them in Austin. They can be annoying, messy, and sometimes even aggressive if they want your french fries!
As it turns out they can be quite graceful.


Photo Tip :
It's possible to take a photo of the most unlikely subject and make it work. The best photographs are not always made from the most beautiful subjects. Common subjects are most accessible.
In this case a silhouette of a black bird seems to work as a strong photograph.
To get a silhouette make sure the subject is backlit.

Fathers

He's my Dad:

Dad, can you teach me to walk? Teach me to talk? Dad can you put batteries in my talking doll? Dad can you take me to school? Can you show me the way? Dad can you mend my broken heart? Dad can you Keep us safe ? Dad can you teach me not to be afraid of anything just like you? Can you teach me how to not take myself seriously? Dad can you teach me to fix things? Can you teach me to be selfless? Dad can you teach me how to sacrifice my life for my children and never ask anything in return? Dad can you love my kids and care for them any time we ask? Dad will you do anything for me no matter how old I am? The answer to all of these questions are a resounding YES ... it's just understood. We never have to wonder. It's never spoken but he's not ever more than a few moments away if you need him. He will stay up all night and hold my newborn's oxygen mask ...all night... without a minute of sleep ... he's 72 but he has the energy of a 22 year old man. Never afraid of any hard work or pain. He's amazing. He's my dad. We love you dad .

He's my husband:


"I knew you'd be a good mom", he said. The truth is that I didn't even know that myself back then. His intuition was seeing far in to the future. A future we would build together. He is the angel that came into my life just when I needed him. He works hard, he plays hard. He provides and protects. He reads to our kids, he runs around with them untill they are all tired and sweaty. He teaches them about our world. He gets tired but he won't even take a five mintue break. He's worried but he never lets on. He tickles and chases and hides and draws, kicks, swims, hikes, bikes, and camps. He hugs and cuddles and kisses and is not afraid to show his love. He takes care of them when they're sick. He takes care of me when I'm sick. He would do anything for us. He is true to his word. He is exciting, he knows a lot, he's smart and can fix anything, he's my rock, he is my friend, he's my love, he's their daddy, he is their hero, he's my husband.
We love you Chris.

Photo Tip:

Photos of loved ones are a precious treasure. Take them often and chronicle the lives of the ones you love. Black and white can be achieved with most any photo-editing software and camrera out there now and it gives your project a photojournalistic feel.

A New Life

So beautiful to photograph a newborn. I so appreciate the parents that allow me to come in to their homes after only a few days of having a baby. The gentle cradle of mom's arms, the sweet daddy kisses and sometimes the gentle or not so gentle pats of a sibling. It's all so exciting and amazing to observe...and photograph. Hope these memories I caught in still photos last you a lifetime.

Photo Tip from Shadi:
Hands are a powerful symbol in any image. Little hands, big hands, newborn hands, old hands, hands playing an instrument, hands painting with a brush, hands sweeping the hair off of a lover's face...pay attention to the hands. Include them in the photograph. They tell stories.