Attitude Dancing

Photo Information

Taken:	2 August 2008 19:30 The Meadows at Brushy Creek
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 200
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/60

Backstory

Dec sure has that rock ’n’ roll attitude. Except for the small detail of his left hand, he looks like he just picked up his brother’s starter mando and is wailing away.

But that’s OK. Attitude has always been a big part of rock music. After all, it carried Dec to the point where he’s now a much better guitarist and all-around musician than I ever had the patience (practice ethic) to become. Now if he could just land some gigs…

–10 October 2012

Madam Butterfly

Photo Information

Taken:	30 June 2008 13:06 The Meadows at Brushy Creek
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 80
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/500

Backstory

I haven’t posted a picture of Suna in a long time. Coming across this one gave me the excuse. Isn’t she (and her hand knitted shawl) lovely?

–9 October 2012

Dad at Sunset

Photo Information

Taken:	29 March 2008 19:56 near Yorktown, Texas
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 200
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/60

Backstory

This is pretty much the same shot of Dad as the one of Suna posted earlier. But Dad’s face is less washed out in the flash.

Sunset and Suna

Photo Information

Taken:	29 March 2008 19:56 near Yorktown, Texas
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 200
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/60 flash

Backstory

The flash kinda washes out the highlights of Suna’s face, giving the foreground an almost poster-ish quality. It also, flattens the background into almost a grayscale. I think the overall effect is really cool—especially since I got it with a point-and-shoot camera.

—10 August 2012

Happy Birthday to Me

Photo Information

Taken:	11 March 2008 19:01 at The Meadows at Brushy Creek
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 200
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/60

Backstory

This is one of my favorite portraits of Suna and me. Just us in the back yard being happy on my birthday taken by Prince.

—25 July 2012

Father and Daughter

Photo Information

Taken:	8 March 2008 20:33 in The Meadows at Brushy Creek
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 250
	11.8mm, 0 EV
	f/3.5
	1/60 with flash

Backstory

This is one of my favorite portraits of Suna and Prince, even with the flash reflecting off Prince’s glasses. They are both so happy to be in each other’s company, just hangin’ in the back yard.

—23 July 2012

The Three Caballeros

Photo Information

Taken:	8 March 2008 14:24 at 1890 Ranch Shopping Center
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 80
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/7.1
	1/320

Backstory

We were supposed to be posing for a serious group portrait. Instead, Prince started teasing Declan about being “freakishly tall.” I had to join in by crouching and insisting Declan was the tallest of the three of us (which he is, of course—even without me crouching).

I’m glad Sue Ann took this one. I like it much better than the serious version.

—22 July 2012

Suna in a Tree

Photo Information

Taken:	16 December 2007 13:55 at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Camera:	Canon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 80
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/7.1
	1/160

Backstory

This is the last picture I’ll post from this trip to Enchanted Rock. It kicks off my portrait series, “People in Trees” with my favorite people.

–10 June 2010

Dad Shares His Wisdom

Photo Information

Taken:	14 August 2007 11:06 near Yorktown, Texas
Camera:	Olympus C200Z
Exposure:	ISO 100
	6.4mm, 0 EV
	f/3
	1/125

Backstory

I know pictures like this are the real reason most of my family ever looks at this blog. I love taking pictures of Dad not only because he’s my dad, but also because completely ignores the camera. Because of this seeming unawareness, he always looks natural. Even shots I compose look like candids.

This one was a candid. He was lost in thought talking about something, and I was able to get him with his trailer, truck, and tractor as a backdrop. This is who he is, and he makes no bones about it.

–25 May 2012

Almost Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Photo Information

Taken:	14 August 2007 11:15 Yorktown, Texas
Camera:	Olympus C200Z
Exposure:	ISO 100
	8.7mm, 0 EV
	f7.2
	1/400

Backstory

Suna stands among the sunflowers that are taller than her. This just can’t have been taken at the farm. It must be somewhere near there because Dad hates sunflowers and would never let them get this big!

Too bad there was no GPS in this old camera.

–6 May 2012

Tiffany Party Hat

Photo Information

Taken:	13 June 2007 17:21 Brushy Creek, Texas
Camera:	Cannon PowerShot A550
Exposure:	ISO 80
	5.8mm, 0 EV
	f/2.6
	1/60 autoflash

Backstory

Of course Suna took this picture, but how else could I get into my own photo blog?

To say “thanks” for painting the room over the garage, Suna secretly ordered a Tiffany-style pole lamp with a shade done in complementary colors. When I first saw it, I had to try it on in honor of my friend Matt. Suna tells me her dad also had a designated lamp shade.

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be a wizard in a conical hat or a colorful tin man. I guess you get to choose.

–17 May 2007

Suna’s Red Shawl

Photo Information

Taken:	21 May 2007 16:46 Brushy Creek, Texas
Camera:	Olympus C200Z
Exposure:	ISO 200
	8.5mm, 0 EV
	f3.6
	1/50 (indoor, auto flash)

Backstory

Suna is wearing a red shawl she just finished knitting. The image is a bit flatter than I had hoped. The flash didn’t help much here.

The original picture features Dec’s unkempt (and mostly unused) project table in the background—something I thought detracted from the artistic merit of the shawl. I removed the background by hyper blurring it with Pixelmator.

Pixelmator is a Photoshop equivalent available for a fraction of the cost on the Mac App store. It does almost everything Photoshop does, but the selection tools are not as robust as you can tell by some of the hard edges on the shawl. I guess you do have to lose some functionality when you use a $39 app instead of a $800 one. That just means I’ll have to be more careful in selecting the edges next time.

–16 May 2012

Springtime in Texas

Photo Information

Taken:	21 March 2007 09:47 at the farm near Cottonpatch, Texas
Camera:	Olympus C200Z
Exposure:	ISO 100
	8.2mm, 0 EV
	f7
	1/320

Backstory

Wouldn’t it be nice if rural life were really like this? Standing around watching the cows eat and the grass grow? <sigh/> It’s really a lot of work.

Nevertheless, I like the dream expressed in this picture. Suna is wearing one of her hand-knitted sweaters. The cows are grazing. The grass is green. All is right with the world.

–20 April 2012

Bridal Emotion

Photo Information

Taken:	17 November 1999 21:55 in Angleton, Texas
Camera:	Early 4MP model since lost

Backstory

I was taking random pictures at the wedding of X2 when I found the bride (X2’s neice) and her best friend. Weddings cause emotions to run raw. People let their guards down, which makes for some wonderful candids.

I must have made some noise just before I clicked the shutter. Or maybe the movement of the camera caught Sarah’s eye. Whatever caused her to notice, she looks like she would cheerfully render the camera a suppository.

–25 March 2012