Charlie Mars performs at Blues on the Green
Charlie Mars performs at Blues on the Green in Zilker Park on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010.
Charlie Mars performs at Blues on the Green in Zilker Park on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010.
Blog // Austin American-Statesman
On the fly portraits
One thing I’ve found a bit stressful this summer is doing lighted portraits on the fly. Whereas commercial and fashion photographers often have days to plan out shoots, often I’ll get an assignment where I have to photograph someone in an hour in a location I’m not familiar with. It’s just part of the job and while it can be stressful, it can also be extremely satisfying when you come back with a good shot. (I recommend checking out Alex Garcia’s post about photographing Zac Efron for the Chicago Tribune in 5 minutes.) Such was the case for me today. I had about 30 minutes to make a portrait of Barry Evans, the CEO of Smooth-Stone Inc. As I was walked into the building, I started scoping out areas that might make for a good backdrop. Here’s what I came up with:
Barry Evans, CEO of Smooth-Stone Inc., poses for a portrait in the West Pickle Research Building on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010.
Austin Community Yoga
Yoga instructor Anna Gieselman leads a group in a stretch during a donation-based class at Casa de Luz on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010. The classes are part of Community Yoga, which collects donations and uses the proceeds to teach yoga to underprivileged citizens who can't afford the classes.
Jyl Kutsche, an organizer for Community Yoga, participates in a class at Casa de Luz on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010. The classes collect donations and use the proceeds to teach yoga to underprivileged citizens who can't afford the classes.
Aaron Peirsol practices at UT
My main assignment today was to photograph Aaron Peirsol, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, as he practiced at the University of Texas with the men’s swim team. Piersol is training for the upcoming U.S. Nationals and Pan Pacific Championships.
U.S. swimmer Aaron Peirsol, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, practices at the University of Texas with the men's swim team on Thursday, July 29, 2010.
U.S. swimmer Aaron Peirsol, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, practices at the University of Texas with the men's swim team on Thursday, July 29, 2010.
Robert Plant at Stubb’s
Baby, baby, baby, do you like it? Okay, he didn’t actually sing “Misty Mountain Hop” while I was there, but I always wanted to say that. Monday evening former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant performed with the Band of Joy at Stubb’s in Austin. I was allowed to photograph the first three songs from the soundboard area, which was roughly 80 feet from the stage. My photos weren’t as good as they could have been had I been allowed to photograph from the pit area in front of the stage. But as a Zeppelin fan, it was very cool to see Plant perform in person.
Robert Plant performs with the Band of Joy during a sold-out concert at Stubb’s on Monday, July 26, 2010.
Lady Bird Johnson busted
Joe Kenney works on a clay sculpture of Lady Bird Johnson at the LBJ Wildflower Center on Sunday, July 25, 2010. Kenney, who has been working on the piece off and on for the past year, hopes to have the soon-to-be completed bust cast into bronze and displayed at the center.
Rock Camp USA
Rock Camp concert
Today I covered the finale concert for a summer session of Rock Camp USA at Antone’s, a historic music venue in Austin. The camp is ran by the Austin School of Music as a way to encourage youngsters to play rock music together. During the two-week camp, the rockers are divided into bands. These bands pick a name, perform covers and record a demo tape in a recording studio. At the end of the session, they perform in front of parents, friends and family at Antone’s. I did an audio slideshow project on this using photos from this concert and a few that I took earlier in the week at the Austin School of Music.
Goodnight Lane guitarist and singer Janel Duarte waves to the crowd after a song in her band's set during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.
A young rocker from the group Teddy Bear Asylum performs during the Rock Camp USA concert at Antone's on Saturday, July 24, 2010.
Feature of signs
I was on my way to a different assignment today when I saw this guy walking down the street. I stopped the car, grabbed a body and lens out of the the trunk and shot this:
A Ron Paul supporter makes his way along Third Street with an anti-war sign on Saturday, July 24, 2010.
Camp of Rock
Hatin' on the Hair rhythm guitarist Liv Bregger, age 13, and Mason Crowell, age 13, jam before recording with her band during Rock Camp USA at the Austin School of Music on Wednesday, July 21, 2010.
Sydney Dotson prepares to put down a vocals track in the studio as her band, the Explosion of the Minds, are reflected in a window during a session of Rock Camp USA at the Austin School of Music on Wednesday, July 21, 2010.