The DecisiveDesign Blog

So it has been a while since I posted – I can explain!

You see, there were finals (projects, exams, procrastination, etc etc…), then there’s DallasBarReview (COMING SOON!), and my experiments with Social & Emerging Media… and of course the ever present attempt at becoming a professional photographer. There just hasn’t been time for an update!

That being said… I’ve got a pretty sweet list of articles/posts/galleries that will be going up in the next few weeks:

• UTDallas Portraits (You won’t see these, but dangit, they consume time!) – Editing Stages
• DFW Supras May Meet Track Day @ Eagles Canyon Raceway (ECR) – Editing Stages
• Xoe’s Pregnancy Shoot @ Halford Park – Editing Stages (almost done)
• DFW Supras May Meet Dyno Day, featuring Mel & Yoshi on sexy cars! – Editing Stages
• DFW Supras May Meet Drag Day @ Dallas Raceway – Editing Stages
• Maggie Mae in a playful, fun, sexy shoot – Tentatively Schedules for later this week
• Lone Star Jeep Club (LSJC) run @ BMRA – This coming weekend

This blog will likely be migrating towards more of a “hey, look what Jason is doing” theme, since there are a lot of projects going on at the moment, so I hope any of those that might be coming back for more will enjoy a look into those endeavors with me.

Peace, for now…

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.

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!

 

• 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.