going flash ***UPDATE

working on some flash stuff. it will be a while. still a bit buggy.

click here for a the wedding slideshow.

feedback is welcome so i can have a better understanding about how it's running on the average machine.

(on mine it seems to work smoothest when i let them all load, then refresh and let the pics start with the music at the same time.)

music is "sonic bloom" by polyphonic spree.

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***UPDATE: click here for the "people" slideshow.

music is "into the light" by chemistry set.

note: i haven't asked the bands yet if it's okay to use their tunage, so that part might be temporary. but, i'd like to use all local bands.

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goodbye lakewood, i'll miss you

i just bought a new camera. i'm going to need a new car soon. i'd like to open a studio. penn's private school is an unfamiliar expense. i want to buy a house someday. i still have student loans. i'd like to do a lot of things that require financial means, much of which i can do, but not without really pushing my balances.

i love my home. but the cost of living here doubled in the unexpected loss of a roommate so the bills were paid, but the savings account wasn't. i never asked for child support. when the end of the lease crept up i pondered long and hard if penn and i should move back to the house with his dad in order to make the first paragraph goals more easily attainable.

what's more important: living alone and happy or money? fun or american-standard security?

let's face it. i'm a happy person anywhere i live. i bombarded everyone i knew with questions. pleas for advice. but it was my beloved friend that posed the first question i was able to answer without hesitation, "what's better for your business?"

i love my job. a lot. taking your picture and all of the paperwork, taxes, editing, organization and late nights is all really important to me. it's all fulfilling and fantastic. after almost four years of working for myself there is no going back.

saturday will be penn and i's last day here in my favorite little duplex. his dad and i will once again assume the role of parents and roommates. (for the record, we'd been doing this for a very long time before i moved out.)

here is the part where you eliminate all of your delusions of us getting back together, ever in this lifetime. seriously. grandma? i can hear you, miles away with your, "weeelllll, maayyyyybeeee . . . . ."------ no. not going to happen. ever.

ever.

seriously. i could not be more serious about how seriously serious i really am about the never ever part.

i'd just like to throw out a couple of words to get you started. like, "non-traditional" and "roommate" and "i-know-it-sounds-weird-but-it-isn't."

and, "not ever."

penn and i won't be there forever. this is not about "getting on my feet." i'm standing quite tall, thank you. this is to make the near future easier to accomplish. in the meantime, i will miss living in the middle of everything, but will enjoy the convenience of a big house again. penn and his dad will enjoy seeing one another every day again. i'll have the lake within walking distance again.

the experience here has been better than i could have ever asked for. goodbye lakewood. i'll miss you.

so there i was ...

driving along.
and then this giant concrete pole came out of nowhere!
and dragged it's concreteness along the side of my car. luckily my window was down so the side mirror could better fly, in it's ripped plastic splash glory, towards my face.

the moral: don't look down.

spectacular weddings

have recently received acceptance into a photography book by jolie carpenter entitled "Spectacular Weddings of Texas." she will be publishing four of the weddings i've shot across 20 pages. it will be available in bookstores nationwide.

click here to see some of her other books.

happy birthday's

mez & erica, originally uploaded by dealingwith.

[in the voice of borat]
was fun watching you get older and making birthday time with you, daniel.

[not in the voice of borat]
also, happy 21'st birthday to my sister! may we seek out landlines soon 'cause michigan's got crappy cell towers. love you!

Artvocacy: Advocacy Through Art

Darfur Portrait, originally uploaded by InternationalRescueCommittee.

the International Rescue Committee has asked me to participate again at their annual benefit "Artvocacy: Advocacy Through Art" on may 17th at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field. the letter i received gave me one of the best feelings about my work.

there are so many reasons i'm a photographer. i haven't even found all of them yet. but, being able to help people, in any form or fashion, with my art ... art in general ... is one of the most perfect dreams that occasionally comes true.

last year's event was amazing and i'm looking forward to shooting something new.

the IRC is an amazing organization. i suggest if you can do something, do something.

do something,
because you can.

lareuniontx.org

Shot the quickest photos including a strobe ever for La Reunion. Totally my pleasure to do anything that supports this organization.

From the site:
La Reunion is a Texas not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 to establish an artist residency program in Dallas. Our future home will be located on 35 wooded acres in Oak Cliff, seven miles from downtown Dallas. We will provide housing and studio space to traditional and new media artists, and our intimate gallery / installation / performance space called 'the living room' will be open to the public. Artists on the local, national, and international levels will be encouraged to apply for residencies ranging from one week to one year.

See their blog here to keep up with events.

i want this half of a building

there's this building i pass frequently on the way to the photo equipment store. with every passing the craving grows. it's basically empty and demolished with only 3/4 of the walls left standing. the tops are lined with awesome old cyan tinted panes, perfectly and sporatically broken. the dirty corners are home to some. i think it's beautiful.

i was near bubbly that daniel agreed to the break and entering of the space to shoot.

i've also always wanted the above photo due to the inevitable commentary: "he's-so-tall-and-you're-so-short."

click here to see more. i recommend the slide show for proper viewing.

"I don't really feel like I need a camera when so many proper photographers have documented me."
---daniel miller

*note: click 'em to big 'em

quote

"I wish art had the power he hallucinates."
---- Hakim Bey

right brain terrain

daniel also pictured here.

headshot

head shots are typically a short, goal-oriented shoot. one where we're sometimes little more focused on the composition of a bust shot than "the real you." however, this lady's always radiating her "real self."


she has lots of exciting auditions coming up and i can't wait to see her on the prime time. you might recognize her from one of your favorite soap operas!

thanks to space for another great shoot.

random pic of the day: thursday

this is what the tues/thurs work at home co-op looks like. sometimes being your own boss is tougher than punching a time card and a good cup of coffee and friendly face is highly motivating. bitching about computer issues, etc. is also more satisfactory when there's an actual ear there to catch it. thanks to d. for supplying such hospitality and speedy computer.

new baby

i've been contemplating hard about switching to canon. if i had to do it all over again, that's likely the route i would have gone. i love to hear a good cannon/nikon war. (camera brands are like football teams for geeks.)

but, i'm all set up nikon now and switching would mean all new lenses, batteries, learning curve, etc. expensive. little time consuming. worth it in quality, for sure, but i can also rent quality if we're talking that big ...

after much deliberation and much research and much borrowing of cameras, i've decided to stick with nikon. it's a system i'm just really comfortable shooting with.

and now that i'm actually home, cradling my new baby, setting her menus and time zones, charging her batteries and listening to the pretty clicks, can i just say WOOOOOOOOOO!

this was a good choice.

my work is about to turn into a whole new set of yum.

the part where he fell asleep and was beautiful

i love him so much.

can i have your keys?

i'm doing a piece requiring a number of keys. if you have any old keys, and you don't know what they unlock anymore, could you give them to me?

thanks!

polyphonic spree in space

spent the day watching hal shoot the polyphonic spree in space today. not to mention being surrounded by a slew of old and brand new comrads including fellow AIR (Artist In Residency) folks, the amazing fred (coolest kid ever, by far, pictured above, picturing me. catch his band at SXSW! ), and the lovely josh.

i'm a Huge fan of polyphonic so it was all i could do not to respectfully drool on somebody. and photography, on almost any level, especially this kind, gives me goose bumps.

was a good day full of art, inspiration and personal insight.

reminder: you still have lots of time to check out north by southwest! highlight for sunday 11th: salim at 7:00. highlight for tuesday 13th: denison witmer at 7:00.

*note, due to legal tape, this will probably be the only photo you'll see from me. but hal's will be up soon!

pre school search = over

i finally found a preschool for the munchkin that i like and has an opening and doesn't have outrageous tuition.

the core things i was looking for were:

• overall cleanliness/friendliness of facility and staff (i.e. as few cold grey cinderblock walls and creepy flourescent lights as possible)
• teachers who were nice as well as strong role models
• a good curriculum that i can also follow and enforce
• ability to be vegetarian (i.e. i can pack his lunch)
• security
• redirection and encouragement based discipline
• non faith-based
  
• ability to drop and pick up when i want

the private school i found exceeds all of these including computer classes and foreign language classes, cameras in every room and security on all doors including some fancy thing that scans your hand. the teacher is the sweetest thing. the children all looked happy and well behaved.

i'm excited about the opportunity for both penn and i. little bit sad at the growing up process.

Announcing A.I.R.: Artists in Residency

From the blog of Hal Samples:

Four great photographers currently comprise the first class of AIR at Space. Our first featured artist is Josh Haller. Josh impresses with his integrity and dedication. He comes to Space after spending 2 ½ years working at a church in Beijing, and embraces the opportunity to make a difference with his heart and art. Josh’s strengths are in artistic design, photography, integrity and spirit. His myspace can be found here.

Check back here to learn about other current Artists in Residency, who include David Leeson, The Amazing Fred and Carissa Byers. All shooting schedules and studio availabilities can be found here soon. Applicants to be a part of the Artists in Residency program will be considered on an ongoing basis.

Click here to read more.

i'm so excited to be a part of a community of artists and folks who care about art. i'm so excited to be present among people who are using their talents and coming together in global awareness, hands stretched out to see what they can do to make everything better despite recognition, funds, ego or prestige. one word: possibilites.

assistant needed

Carissa Byers Photography is hiring an assistant/2nd shooter for weddings. Must have own digital equipment and flash, have excellent personal skills, work well at direction and capturing requested shots, work well in low light and be comfortable organizing people for group photos. Editing knowledge a huge plus.

Please send email with "Photo Assistant" in subject line and link to some of your work.

This is a part time, mostly weekend job.

Students feel free to apply, this may qualify as an internship.


***my regular assistant, allison, has just moved on to bigger and better things. i can't even explain how much i'll MISS HER! gawd, but she's fantastic! so i'm on the market again. tell your friends.

lower greenville ...

pool's a spectator's sport if i'm in the room. darts maybe should be. but still had a blast stuffing my tummy and catching up with "my neighbor."

*sigh camera phones. perhaps i'll get the ones off of her almost-real camera soon.

quotes of evening:
me: me being short is just never not funny.

d.: i counted you as a lesbian because it took up less letters.

e.: i'd pay $100 to not look for a parking spot. (someone mentiones $5 valet) yes, but not that on principle.

fly

little obsessed with the song "el salvador" by athlete right now. not like it's on repeat or anything. just gets a bigger head nod when it comes on. ok, so, i do make sure it comes on ...

i'm planning a vacation in my head right now. has very few details other than "away."
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#
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i'd like a timeless weekend free to drink coffee and walk and take pictures and sit somewhere perfect and outside and kick around that ball of life a little more. wish i had more time to talk to people. to listen. to embrace my friends. to have a blessed minute where i'm not supposed to be doing anything else and understand the whole lot better so i can affect it more purposefully. to sink to the bottom of bliss and curl up inside something warm and comfortable.

i'd like more than an evening or hour here and there to really splash about ... drown ... in the drippy happy. instead of tacking it up like a metaphorical post-it note on the inside of my head.

fly to el salvador
i don't know why and i don't know what for
i've seen the picture for myself
---athlete