Watson-Owens Engagement
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Chris’ friend Scot Watson frequents our home when he’s not working one of his two jobs while bearing a 19 credit hour class load – we’ve become very fond of him – he’s a good kid. So last week, when he asked if I would take some engagment images for he and his finaceé Amanda Owens – “why soitinlee” I replied. Ready for the “…no good deed…” portion of the equation?
George Thorogood (L)
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Captured George Thorogood (Bad to the Bone, Who Do You Love) at Houston’s House of Blues last Thursday. Photo credentials required shooting from the sound board (approx. 60ft. from stage). This is a prime example of the circumstances the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS was conceived. However, any lens used to it’s extremes will usually result in some quality compromise — not in this case. I couldn’t have been more please with its performance – take a look -R-
Steve Howe of Yes
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Last Saturday, Yes (Steve Howe pictured) returned to Houston for a performance at the House of Blues. They had originally booked late last year, but due to bassist Chris Squires’ medical emergency, they had to cancel. According to the Rocky Mountain Music BLOG… “Rumors are fairly rampant on line – it’s been said that Chris Squire had blood clot(s) in his leg, that he felt numbness during a soundcheck in Houston, which lead to him being hospitalized (where, presumably, he remains).” -R-
Mountain Bike Racing, Woodlands, TX.
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Influenced by a local friend Rey, my brother-in-law Mark and personal interest. I decided to attend and shoot a local mountain bike race. I had no idea how the event was conducted, nor had I walked the course in advance to establish shooting points (more on that ahead). Read the rest of this entry »
Lacrosse
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Carson Sublett, the son of my wife’s co-worker plays Lacrosse for Cinco Ranch high school here in the Houston area. He’s was also part of Cinco Ranchs’ playoff football team. (click on image)
Haggard & Kristofferson
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Merle snuck Kris Kristofferson onto his Houston performance and inadvertently knocked most photographers out of the shoot as both their publicists were unaware of the photo request received by their counterpart –this make sense to yah? Well, it took me a moment to determine that I’ll riskily bypass the established procedure and ”handle it my damn self.” By the way– how is it that simple tasks can turn into such cluster-f#$%s so quickly? Read the rest of this entry »
Some Holiday Shots
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Gathering family members for our annual holiday shoot is like herding cats and will likely lead me to future acts of terrorism — “all praise be to all@#” -R-
Smoke Art
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Inspired by the outstanding work of Graham Jeffery, as well as the Smoke Art Group on Flickr®, I read some tutorials, setup in the wee-hours and snapped off a few mice elf (SS). The smoke is created by two incense sticks in a pitch dark room, one strobe and a reflector. Prefocus the camera so all you have to do is trip the shutter while you manipulate the smoke with your other hand or some object. As this is a first attempt, I’d like to try some using mesh or screens, or even a funnel, –whatevah. If they look presentable, I’ll add to this same proof group [more added 12-13-09]. -R-
Jackson Browne Acoustic
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Bad lighting, bad shooting angle and a subject seldom opening his eyes, mix in a more limited “first two songs, no flash” and I present to you images that I’d classify as documentation only. -R-
Dweezil Zappa
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
It’s an ugly, cold and rainy evening — and a 30 minute trip into downtown Houston to shoot Dweezil Zappa at the House of Blues. As I’ve shot here many times before, I fully expect good lighting for this high profile show — wrong! Damn good thing I brought the 50mm f 1.4 lens, it was a poorly lit and very challenging to shoot.
For those not familiar, Dweezil Zappa is the son of the late Frank Zappa…
“[Zappa] was a highly productive and prolific artist and he gained widespread critical acclaim. Many of his albums are considered essential in rock history, and he is regarded as one of the most original guitarists and composers of his time.” –wikipedia
Dweezil was very engaging, exuded a very cool vibe and he and his band performed at a truely pro-level -R-
Product Shot Samples
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
The late César Diaz put it best… “touring musicians are like pirates — few showers, same clothes, no sleep” (oh, and almost forgot the sex & drugs part) “studio cats are pampered, well-kept prima donnas.” Product photography is a studio musician. Read the rest of this entry »
RollingStone® pimps our Bonnie Raitt Image
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
Rolling Stone® secured one of our Bonnie Raitt images (rollover link for small proofing series) — published in their October 29, 2009 issue. -R-
U2, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Posted by rjdesign | Filed under Shoots
U2 performs in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. As typical for these shoots, the general rules are “first three” [songs], no flash.” Being one of the most popular and successful bands over the past two decades — they are very media savvy having actually choreographed the first three replete with mainstage “wings” bridging to an arc’d catwalk, all overshadowed by a 10-story replica spaceship. -R-
