Brick Ledge

This is from the same session as the last post.

I also fixed my Twitter link. Thanks Michelle!

"Fix your hair, please."

I'm fortunate to have an attractive daughter that when her father says "let's go take some pictures," she's always agreeable.

This was taken in Adriatica last summer.

Chocolate Chips @ Crystal Palace

Here's one from last year I recently rediscovered. Julia eating a cookie at the Crystal Palace in Disney World. I don't think she finished the cookie. She never does.

A "Real" Tiki Bar

This is where I spend most of my time...

This is a wide angle shot of the lounge area next to the bar. I've been to so many bars & restaurants that call themselves a "tiki bar" when they're actually the farthest thing from it. Just because you have some bamboo and serve tropical drinks (probably bad ones) does not make you a tiki bar. It's about atmosphere and escapism. Trader Vic's is the ONLY place in the state of Texas where you'll find it.

Craved Panels

These carved panels are some of my favorite pieces of artwork inside Trader Vic's. No two are exactly the same and they can be found throughout the restaurant. These are near the hostess stand at the entrance.

Tiki Heaven

Last weekend I worked at Trader Vic's taking Mother's Day portraits for families that were there to celebrate Mother's Day. Sunday afternoon was slow for a couple of hours, so I used that time to get a few interior shots.

The decor inside Dallas Trader Vic's is amazing. If you're interested in the history of this restaurant, I blogged about it here.

No shortage of interesting perspectives to photograph. I always manage to find something new. These tiki poles were carved by Oceanic Arts in the mid-60's and have been in place since the restaurant originally opened in 1967. The carpeting is not the original, but was reproduced to match the original when the restaurant reopened in 2007.

Natural Light

This is from last summer.

I noticed right around 7PM our family room was getting some good light from the setting sun. I set up a black background, had my daughter put on a black top and sat her with the windows to her right. I also shot at a really wide angle (18mm) and at f3.5 which is as fast as that lens can go. ISO 200, 1/60 sec. No flash.

I really liked the lighting I was able to get and I found that natural light is a lot easier to work with than artificial light when you're converting an image to black and white.

"Second" First Marriage

Another from Eric & Norico's "second" wedding.

Both were very kind and considerate even though we were constantly in their faces with our cameras. Photographing weddings is really hard work. I found it difficult to be at certain places at certain times trying to catch key moments...like when they were cutting the cake and the batteries in my flash died. Luckily, they photographer I was assisting was able to catch the moment in time. There are no "second takes" when doing wedding photography. When the moment happens, that's it.

Wedding Reception At Nasher

This is from a wedding I assisted on. Taken at the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas.

Eric and Norico were actually already married. They'd had a traditional Japanese wedding in Japan where they both live and then had a traditional American wedding for Eric's relatives in the U.S.

Cut-Offs

I don't usually like brick backgrounds, but on this particular day the light was good and I had about 20 seconds to get the shot.

My daughter was about to leave for school and came out wearing these cut-off shorts. They looked like ones that you buy in the store that are made to look like you cut them yourself, with loose threads hanging off, etc. But these actually were home made cut-offs. I asked my daughter to come stand under our front archway and I took 3 fast shots. I chose this one because she moved her hand up closer to her face.