Tag: Kawasaki
Urban Downtown Dallas Photoshoot – Finally!
by Jason on Mar.17, 2009, under Photoshoots
After at least two failed attempts at making a photoshoot happen near the Downtown Dallas intersection of Cockrell & Alma, also known as “Little Baghdad,” I was finally able to pull it off, with the help of a fantastic model.
Alaina, a fellow motorcycle rider and local model, is the first talent that I’ve had the pleasure of working with off ModelMayhem. I frequently browse through the newest member profiles to see if anyone meshes well with the work I’m planning at the time, and she fit the description. I shot her a message, and a few weeks later we put the shoot. My choice to contact her was definitely not a poor one, and I think the shoot was my most successful yet.
Below are the twenty images she chose for retouching, let me know what you think!
Lessons Learned
- Cloudy days shouldn’t necessarily be avoided, great things can happen!
- Wind is as cool as you think it is, you just have to be prepared to snap a lot of pictures – and work on your timing
- Pay more attention to the colors of your surroundings when scouting for locations. The bland tan colors in this location didn’t strengthen the shots, in my opinion.
- PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ANGLES! Some of these implied nudity shots turned out great, but admittedly they were created by accident – If I had been paying more attention, some even better shots could likely have been captured.
First Photoshoot – Downtown Dallas
by Jason on Jan.28, 2009, under Photoshoots
I was enjoying my Digital Photography class entirely too much last semester, so I decided to take it to the next level before the winter months hit. My first shoot, and my first leap, involved contacting everyone I knew with a cool vehicle, posting on craigslist, looking for amateur models that were interested in starting a portfolio and networking, then orchestrating it all.
It was all setup, I had spent a week corresponding with about 8 models, most of which said they wouldn’t have any problem making the Saturday evening photoshoot in Downtown Dallas. My “crew,” friends with the cars and motorcycles, would have an early lunch at Hooters, models welcome, to discuss the upcoming events, then cruise over to the SouthWest corner of Lamar and Young to meet the models and get started. At this point, I had confirmed probably 6 young ladies.
Long story short, two models, Amber and Nikki, actually graced us with their presence. (This being said, several have contacted me sense after seeing the actual results. They seemed to be understandably weary of meeting a random photographer at a random location downtown) This turned out to be a blessing: Lesson #1, overbook; Lesson #2, it takes longer than you would think to maneuver vehicles and pose models in different outfits, etc.
We enjoyed about 5 [long] hours of shooting, with over 750 RAW images captured. Sifting, sorting, and editing followed. Below you will find the results of many of the best shots taken that day.
First experience, a success! Comments welcome!
Lessons Learned:
- Overbook
- Be prepared with your shots or you will not get everything done that you planned
- Plan shorter events or span them multiple days if you can’t utilize the optimum hours of the day that yield the best light
- Engage your models more, direct them – Something I need to work on
A Note on the Location
The SouthWest Corner of Lamar and Young is used as overflow parking for the Dallas Convention Center, but is free when there isn’t an event and the guards do not mind you taking pictures there.
There is a large, covered interior space with many round pillars (see image of R6 above), some decent lighting, and very slick floors. The roof of this interior space doubles as a rooftop parking lot, where many of the photos were taken. I highly suggest checking it out for some very cool shots of downtown and decrepit architecture.
My New Toy – And No, I Didn’t Buy Another Bike
by Jason on Jan.27, 2009, under Photoshoots
For the Digital Photography class I had to take last semester, the first, and main requirement was, preferably, a Digital SLR camera over a certain megapixel rating ( 8?). I had just received my financial aid reimbursement, so I decided to continue living by my motto: go big or go home. After some research, etc, I decided to purchase a Canon Rebel XSi. The package, including the Circuit City “accidentally drop it and we’ll still replace it” plan, cost me about $1000.
I had always had an interest in doing some serious photography, and now was the chance. Below is a gallery of some of the first “real” pictures I started taking, mostly outside of class.
Enjoy, and feedback is welcome.
