Last Season

Some highlights from last season shooting for ETSN.  Texas High School Football at it's best.

Film

A few years ago I bought a little TRL toy off of Ebay for $40 and five rolls of 120 film.  I finally had the three rolls that I could find developed, two are still floating around the house here somewhere. 

A new Year, a peek at the old

Two shots from the last assignment of 2014. The bride in her reception Sari.

Uglyhat and Flag Day

Yesterday was Flag Day, and the Caveman Crawl in Bridgeport.  I took the first shot waiting for the first runners to show up to my obstacle, UglyHat  looks pretty good, all J.J. Abrams/Micheal Bay-ed with the lens flare.  Then while on my way home I saw this and thought, "Only in Texas."  I have been to about 40 out of the 50 states and have never seen the state flag fly with Old Glory on top of a crane. 

Golden Hour Blackberry Buds

Until a few weeks ago I hadn't noticed that the house we are renting is surrounded by blackberries on the fence line, it was a happy surprise, and something that my 3 year old really enjoys; hunting for the ripe ones is a little game we play now.  Looks like we will have another round in a little while.

Hazy Mother's Day in the Ouachita National Forest

I've said it before, I always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere or to get home, and never have time to shoot anything interesting or fun coming from or going to a job.  Case in point; two weeks ago I was assigned the graduation ceremonies for University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  I was late leaving and so I drove through the switchbacks of the Ouachita National Forest in Southeastern Oklahoma at night, and partially in the rain.  I described it as the setting for the horror movie Wrong Turn: Oklahoma because it's the kind of out of the way place that if you disappear no one will ever find you. 

Anyway it was night driving up so I got to see nothing, on the way back I was trying to get back because it was Mother's Day and the wife was understandably upset that I wasn't there to begin with and even more annoyed that I wouldn't be making it back into town before noon.  It was a beautiful morning with sparse clouds and I had a good sunrise getting out of Arkansas, but once I hit the Ouachita again a haze rolled in and blanketed the low peaks, this is the only look out cut into 259 that I saw and I caught it as a little sun was trying to break through.  I wish I would have been able to sit for a while and see if I could have had a little more hit the valley, but it's not a bad shot.

US 59

Sunday I had a PR assignment in Houston.  I am always in a hurry when I am driving there or back, but this time I told myself I was going to stop and take some pictures.  I had my oldest step-son with me helping me drive so I got to sit and look out for shots.

The top image is a closed down drive-in south of Nacogdoches on US 59, which the state of Texas is turning into interstate 69, and will be soon demolishing the old structure.  So, I had to make sure that I stopped and documented it before it was no longer there.  I don't know if I will get a chance, but it faces west and I would really like a shot of the sun coming up right next to it. 

The middle image is from downtown Houston, the sugar skull I saw on a junction box right in front a cemetery and  thought it was too perfect to pass up the shot. 

Finally, the bottom image is one that I have been dying to get since the first trip I took down 59 last January.  I have also seen the tag in Dallas and out on I-20 on a railroad bridge so I am guessing that it was the same person cruising around Texas throwing up the Bob Omb tag for us.  I just think it is excellent that this guy is just hanging out in the middle of the Big Thicket in between Moscow and Corrigan Texas it's too perfect.

Golden Hour Earth Day Flowers

Happy Earth Day.

Lonely Live Oak

This past weekend I was on the road on a Friday evening to get to a hotel room in Mexia Texas for a Tough Mudder race the next morning, so of course I had my camera with me and as I was driving south down FM 2015 just north of Tyler I came across this lone live oak standing sentinel in a field with the sun setting through it's boughs so I had to stop and capture the moment.  As is my new habit I grabbed my 5D my Lomo and my Iphone, and used all three.  The Iphone photo can be seen on my Instagram feed @utsanati and I am waiting to fill up my two rolls of 120 from the Lomo before I have one developed so that should be a fun day when I get those back.

Morning on Montgomery St.

This morning I took the wife to work since we are down to one car at the moment, and I need to run an errand today.  I took these on the way back from the high school on Montgomery St, right outside of Gilmer, with just the 5D and my phone this time; I have to change the film in the Lomo.  I had to stop and get this great light especially since I have to send the 5D back to the rental place, mine had to be sent in for repair, and we are stretched too tight right now for me to send in the repair fee, so I don't know when I will be able to take pictures like this again.  I rent so I can do paying work, but my art doesn't pay the bills.  Such is life. 

Old Red Museum Wedding

Last night's wedding in downtown at the old courthouse. 

Henna Hands

Friday night I had the opportunity to photograph the second day (night) of an Indian wedding, the Pithi I guess is what they term it.  I was the second shooter with little real responsibility other than make sure the primary doesn't miss anything when it gets "festive."  With this relaxed kind of assignment I was free to roam around.  I  took close-ups and of the attendees and some group family shots.  Having never attended a South Asian wedding ceremony I had some vague notions of what I was going to get.  I knew  vibrant color, and I knew I would see the Henna tattoos, so here is some color and some Henna.

The Henna tattoo being temporary is something like the Buddhist or Diné(Navajo) sand paintings, their grounding in the temporal is so much a part of the art and how you appreciate it, that I had to document what soon would fade and never be again.

The flower bracelets and the bottom blue dress are the bride.

Shenandoah Skyline Drive Detour

As was stated in my previous post (for anyone who actually reads this) I spent a few days in Virginia at the end of June for work.  My last work day there I was asked if I would like to drive the new company van back down to Florida...  Of course I said yes, I'm not one to miss the opportunity for a road trip, and so off I went on a 6 hour detour through the Shenandoah National Park.  I figured I could sit on I-95 in the DC/Richmond corridor in traffic for 6 hours or I could get my camera out and make use of it, while seeing something that would be new to me.  The park has a route that you can drive through called Skyline Drive that follows the ridge of the Valley; which allows for some really great shots, at various scenic turnouts, and the speed limit is 35 so you really get to take it all in for a little over three hours (its about 110 miles).  The last two shots are iphone shots; the final one being a North Carolina sunset that I caught after gassing up. 

It had been too long since I pulled out the camera and taken pictures for myself, and take my time getting somewhere.  Not a bad mental reboot for an over stressful summer that isn't done yet.