The DecisiveDesign Blog

I’ve noticed a TON of search engine hits from people searching for Dallas Raceway, so I figured it would be courteous to at least post the pictures I took there.

It was a fun trip out to the track with the DFW Supra Club, and I got some very cool shots of some wheelies and wheel stands, etc.  I also got some shots of MVP Motorsports‘ record setting GT-R on its run. They’ve got a really nice surface out there, with some decent food at the concessions and cool people! I highly recommend making it out to some of their events.

Here are a bunch of the shots! Let me know what you think, and if you were out there that day and would like some edited pictures, please contact me.

 

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!

 

• 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.

It has been suggested that I write a piece on scouting for shoots, etc, and I intend to do just that with this post.  I have gathered several images from a couple of scouting trips to demonstrate the type of images I shoot when out looking for possible locations.

My #1 tool for these trips is my ‘07 Kawasaki Z1000 Naked Sportbike.  The pride and joy of my garage, she offers versatile and quick traveling to and from possible locations, along with a good initial subject for size and perspective models.  Otherwise, my Canon Rebel XSi, and sometimes my 17″ Macbook Pro, safely tucked in my Tamrac Aero 80 Camera/Laptop Backpack, is all I need.  

Before I go running around Dallas randomly, I usually do a quick Google search using keywords that best describe the shoot I am looking for – such as “urban dallas photography,” “dallas photography locations,” etc.  From there, I look up any addresses or areas using Google Streetview, to get an idea of what the location actually looks like, or search a bit more if I have found something specific I can research more in-depth.  The only thing to do at that point is to physically check it out myself and snap a few test shots.

Below you can find several of the test shots I took when scouting for an urban Downtown Dallas location, on one occasion, and a more natural , environmental location on the other.  The urban location is around Cockrell and Alma, in Downtown Dallas, and has, just today actually, yielded a rather successful photoshoot that you will likely see highlighted once I finish post production.  The other images are from a Sunday’s outing in efforts to yield new material and possible locations to do further shoots.  They were mostly taken around Lake Ray Hubbard, just Northeast of  Dallas.

Take a look – a lot of these quick snapshots yielded decent, usable photos, along with several ideas for future material.  It’s always worth snapping a few shots so you can plan real scenes and remember the setting.

 

• If you’re willing to get out there and invest the time, you’ll not only find decent locations, but often stumble across some great photographs in the process.
• Doing your research on the internet and using Google Streetview saves you actual on-site inspection time… you know what to expect
• Cruising around all day without specific purpose and just enjoying photography and nature is a magnificent way to spend a lazy, otherwise useless day – very therapeutic.