hal samples aka volleyball head

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happy birthday, mary!

we celebrated mary's birthday last night at ye olde amsterdam. i was the official "shot documenter." #1 with the bartender. something fruity. on the house.

#2 with my old neighbor, brian. forget what this one was.

#3 with mr. miller. tequilla! and dood. it's only around 9:30.

mmmmmm, tequilla.

#4 with brian, again. vodka with cinnamon.

i miss my old neighbor!

mr. miller oozing something slightly suave, i think. that or he's in a ciggarette ad.

this is the point where the camera got passed around. i [insert sarcasm here] LOVE having my picture taken.

what time is it again? i was looking at these in photoshop and accidently hit a button and made myself turquoise. left it 'cause sometimes i like to morph into a graphic design. when i came back from meridian with food i found we had lost our birthday girl to the next table. (seen behind me) heh. so we ate most of the hummus.

happy birthday to the girl who's only request from me was to take any possible care of her that might be needed on her birthday, drive, and a bottle of rain-x.

happy birthday to my very first friend in dallas, once co-worker and now roomie whom i love and adore and appreciate beyond the greatest of measures. i think you're the greatest and penn and i are so lucky to have you in our lives. there is no one in dallas who is better to complain about life to. no one better to wave around dirty laundry with on the porch swing at midnight. no one gives a better pep talk. no one comes through in a pinch like you. no one makes a better 1/2 pump hazelnut soy latte. no one better to sit in the front yard in their underwear. *wink* and. well. lots of other truly amazing fantastic things .

you're the best, momma mary. thank you.

see more pictures here.

cleatus blackfoot and hal samples in space

had the pleasure of shooting with cleatus blackfoot and hal samples last weekend in space studios. (more on that later.)

i was the light girl for this one, which is completely bizarre. i stayed more on the sidelines. listening. watching. shooting. learning.

hal is like a sponge. he soaks up everything around him until he's full and powerless against his dancing and photographing body that throws him into the face and into the middle of everything.

hal had the transmitter most of the time so i shot with the little available light and instinct as to when hal would press the shutter. worked better than you'd think. heh. i compensated with abstracts.

space is the place. can't wait to tell you more.

click here for the rest of the photos. hal's will be up soon.

monday, oct. 2: texas democratic revolution

Press Release:

MUSIC AND ART AT THE TEXAS DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION:
RESISTANCE RALLY PRESENTED BY DALLAS COUNTY YOUNG DEMOCRATS

Local bands and artists headline the Resistance Rally at the Gypsy Tea Room
Peter Schmidt and His Gentlemen Scholars, PPT, Blackheart Society and Travis Hopper will headline the third Dallas County Young Democrats Texas Democratic Revolution event at the Gypsy Tea Room. Working with Amanda Newman of FineLineLive.com, the DCYD’s have put together an evening featuring an exciting mix of music and politics.

“Music is fundamentally a great way to unite a community.” says Amanda Newman. “To be asked to put together such a diverse show of amazing musicians for DCYC has been a real treat for me and I’m excited that these artists are coming together to share a stage.”

Local artists Sarah Jane Semrad, Hal Samples, and Carissa Byers will create a multi-media visual art piece on the spot, offering young voters a unique opportunity to express their concerns and opinions. Rally participants will be given an opportunity to express their political views on paper and have their “political mug shots” taken. The mug shots will become part of a video presentation that will evolve over the course of the evening.

“Our members are concerned about their communities and work hard to bring important issues to the public’s attention.” DCYD President Jennifer Roberts explained. ”This project is another exciting way to make our voices heard,”

The evening will also feature appearances by young local politicians, the “Rising Stars” of the Democratic Party, and opportunities to volunteer with the DCYD and the Dallas County Democratic Party coordinated campaign.

household images

a couple random images from a folder i'm just now looking at. the trees are filled with these. i remember being little and "pinning" them all over my clothes.

this flower came out of nowhere.

straight up in the middle of the yard. no bush or leaves or anything.

from here on out these two will be referred to as "thy dark escape artist and his enthusiastic follower."

carissa byers photography: 80th birthday

everything has its purpose. my job, as a photographer, keeps me in the company of love and celebration. portraits, weddings, events, etc., all surrounded by family.

and i don't know that i've always paid too much attention to my family. but seeing people get together every week while i'm working, like they did for gabby's 80th birthday, proclaiming in words their adoration for her and for one another, i again felt a pull towards the companionship of kin.

i wonder too, if having penn isn't part of this thought process. there is an aspect of love and family that is only felt by parents. this is a hallmark card waiting to happen.

this was a lovely birthday party in a lovely venue put on by a lovely person you'll probably be seeing here soon. *wink*

in the meantime, happy birthday, gabby! you and your family's awesome accents were a joy to photograph. hope to see you at your 90th.

by richard ross

when i went to pick up my art from the bishop arts show i had the great pleasure of meeting, among others, richard ross. i suppose he could feel me coveting his work and proposed we do a trade. so, on top of selling a couple, i came home with these two awesome paintings.

penn says the above is him, momma, and the man.

i'm not sure who "the man" is, but penn is quite definite in his talk about it. he says they are his. needs to hold them and had to help hang them. every day we draw on the couch. he has me drawing the little men over and over. he's been to enough art shows that he's already pretty critical of what he sees. these, he says, are "beatiful."

i agree. thank you.

cash money

we've had canine company over the weekend. she goes by cash. after a weekend vacation here she probably thinks her name is "ewwww" or "get off the bed" or "pllleeaaasseee come?" or maybe, "oookay, everybody outside!" my dog is fascinated with her tongue. can you blame him?

my son is fascinated with her tongue too. it's really amazing. until it reaches across the livingroom and slaps you across the face. i think her daddy comes back today. my kid and dog will be depressed. i think i'll get over it while i'm mopping up bulldog prints. heh.

i heart i heart trouble

although i was bummed that mr. daniel's crushed stars gig got cancled, the night was still a musical winner as we headed to dada to see i heart trouble.

i've known anna for how long and can't believe this is the first time i've watched her play. i decided that she's sort of a cross between 4 non blondes and natalie merchant. sort of.

whatever the case, i'm in love with the charisma in stilletos.

click here to see more pics.

la reunion at the bishop arts district TODAY!

Saturday, Sept. 16, 2:30pm – 8:30pm – Bishop Arts District Block Party

Include us in your Gallery Walk hop! ZEN Sushi has generously donated their not-yet-open restaurant space for an art show. We'll have iced tea (for a donation) and a portion of proceeds from artwork sales will benefit La Reunion TX. Local artists showing include Patrick Rhodes, Carissa Byers, Lance Jones, Richard Ross, Margarita Buenaventura, Zachary Broadhurst, and Therese Power.

ZEN Sushi (in the Bishop Arts District) 380 W. 7th St., Dallas, Texas 75208

*artist links coming as i find them.

carissa byers photography: bridal portrait

this one's my classic bride. not in the photo's so much, but her overall look. storybook. straight out of a disney princess fairytale.


we had fabulous weather. and finished up just in time before the rain hit.

she also kindly spun around and jumped through the arboretum for me with no hesitation.

i'm super excited about this upcoming wedding. thank you, sarah, for letting me shoot your bridal portrait!

polyphonic spree

could last nights polyphonic spree show at the granada have been more fun? i. think. not.

http://www.thepolyphonicspree.com/2.0/

carissa byers photography: sr. portrait

i had the best time shooting this recent grad.

she wanted something a little different, and i was ready to shoot something different.

a lot of my work is bright, high contrast and very saturated. i've spent so much time putting light on people, i find myself wanting to take it away now. so i took advantage of our basement location and capitalized on the shadows.

i'm really happy with the stuff we got on the rooftop.

dallas doesn't make a bad backdrop, eh?

thanks for making such a fabulous shoot!

carissa byers photography: christina and brandon

another beautiful wedding!

this couple were so much fun. her hair was gorgeous thanks to the lovely kinome.

kinome's hubby, collin, is probably one of the nicest, most photo-friendly people i know. even in his stockings.

i could have easily shot just the children there.

these particular kids probably wouldn't have minded.

church rules kept me in the balcony the whole time.

although it's restricting, it is neat to see the ceremony from the arial perspective. super lens lets me get close enough and as long as i don't breathe, ha, i can keep my focus.

this family knows how to party.

they picked a great venue for the recpetion. a huge white room full of natural light.

it was tough trying to decide whether to be on the side with the light (thus getting light on their faces) or on the other side of the room to get that great screen background.

rock star is the only word to describe this kid.

you can never go wrong with a disco ball.

you know how sometimes the wedding dance floor is a little intimidating until guests have put a dent in the cash bar and the dj plays "YMCA" or "funky cole medina"? yeah. this group didn't have that problem. at. all.

so i had a blast and wish you guys the best. thank you so much for letting me photograph your wedding!