Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Art & Sol

Today I followed up with Jose, the artist I met on Go Skateboarding Day.


While at his tattoo shop, I noticed the guy he was working on had a very cool tribute to his late grandparents. Seen from one view, the text is his grandmother's name, "Mary." Do a 180 and you see his grandfather's name, "Benito."


More coming soon...

-Daniel

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Fisher Family (Final Edit)

Here's the photo story form the Fisher family's trip to Baylor for Freshman Orientation.
























Apple series part 7: At the core

















-Daniel

Monday, June 28, 2010

Why you wait

In a tennis match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes (the previous record was 6 and 1/2 hours), all I could think about was the photographers that were still there waiting for that one last shot they had to have.

During the spring semester, I took pictures at many of Baylor's tennis matches. One thing I learned quickly is that there's not really a whole lot of variation when it comes to shooting tennis. By that I mean that a backhand is a backhand and a serve is a serve. The part of the match that gives you a chance to capture a "moment" is generally right after a point is won or lost, or at the end of the match.

So, as the tennis match between Isner and Mahut went on to its 3rd day of play, the photographers kept waiting for the end -- the defining picture from the match. Will you remember a picture taken 5 hours into the match? No. You'll remember the end -- when all of the emotion came out.

Here's a couple of links to reaction photos taken of that epic match...



Or my personal favorite, Link 3. Can you imagine playing an 11-hour match only to go home with a loss?

Apple series part 6: Take a bite

-Daniel

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

To me, the following two pictures characterize the opposite ends of the spectrum that Orientation presents.

From a boring session about Greek life...

...to an opportunity to socialize with newfound friends.

Apple series part 5: Apple Jacks

A delicious way to start the day.
-Daniel

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Orientation (continued)

While out there shooting Orientation, I found this outtake of a Baylor Bound leader killing some time.

Baylor Bound leader Clayton Cothran.

Also, here's another picture from the Fisher family series that I am working on...

The important process of picking the right schedule.

Apple series part 4: With the family

-Daniel

Friday, June 25, 2010

More Details

Still in the editing process of the photos of the Fisher family, but I wanted to offer up another detail photo. With the Fishers being from Spring, TX (just outside of Houston), here's a map showing the locations of the new students.





There's 3 different angles of the same map, and I'm still not quite sure which I like best.

Side note: I find it humorous how any time you ask someone from a Houston suburb where they live, they simply say Houston. Not the Houston area, or any variation on that, just 'Houston.' Very few people I've asked this question to have actually lived in Houston.

Apple series part 3: In its place

-Daniel

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Fisher Family

Today's task at Freshman Orientation was to follow a family to get an inside look at what they go through in a day.

I'm still going to editing process and am going to follow up with them again tomorrow, but here's something to hold you over...
The Fisher family decompress at the end of a very long, information-packed day (Christian -- front left, Barron (Sr.) -- back left, Barron (Jr.), and Shelly.


And now, some detail shots...


In the second detail shot, I think the thing that makes it for me is his name 'Barron' on his high school class ring.

And finally, this is what Orientation can to do anybody -- especially an 11-year-old younger brother.


Part 2 of the Apple study.

I find this one to be very geometric, because of the symmetry created by the shadow, along with the object being round.

-Daniel

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

An Outtake and an Apple

Today I headed out to take some more pictures during Baylor's Freshman Orientation. I'll be making a return trip tomorrow to follow a family for a day and cover some of the sessions I haven't gotten to yet, so for now, I give you an outtake from the Parent Dinner.


Maybe I'm a sucker for silhouettes, but there's something about this pic that caught my eye. I think it's the sun shining through his glasses.

Also, here's the first part of a study I'm doing on an apple. The purpose behind it is to train myself to look at things from many points of view. So here's part one -- a view from the top.

Until tomorrow...

-Daniel

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Introspection

Today's post comes as a result of looking inward, as the title might suggest.

Through this, I tried asking myself some questions in hopes of coming up with a mission statement - something I've been lacking. Well, here it is...

"To visually share/document/explain the world as I see it. Through this, I aim to connect with my viewer and evoke some sort of emotional response."

Taking a good hard look at myself is something I've always thought of doing, but never really followed through with. I mean, sure, I think about myself, but I'm realizing it's only been in passing. Today might have been the first time I stopped everything I was doing and tried to look at who I was. And while I certainly consider it to be a work-in-progress, it was definitely an important thing for me to do, in terms of my photography. The question finally dawned on me -- how can I really expect to connect with the people I'm hoping to meet by doing this, without really knowing who I am? It's a give and take process, and a crucial step to earning the trust of the people I'm taking pictures of.

As a result, I've got a ton running through my head, but here's what I've managed to form into coherent sentences...

Why photography?
I consider myself to be a visual person. So, naturally, I found at home with having a camera in my hands. I also consider myself to be a shy person, so in one way, I think the camera has provided a sort of barrier between me and the subject. It's this barrier that I'm trying to overcome and push past to really get in close (both literally and figuratively) with my subjects.

Why photojournalism?
When I look at photographs, the ones that really grab me are the ones that have people in them and are loaded with a story -- either told through a single image or a series of images. To me, photojournalism is about taking a good photo -- technically or creatively -- and going one step further by giving it meaning and context.

-Daniel

Monday, June 21, 2010

Go Skateboarding Day

(See title) Who knew?

On a very hot day, I set out to drive around Waco and see what I could find. I stumbled upon a group of people gathered at Indian Springs Park (next to the Waco Suspension Bridge). Turns out, June 21 is the national "Go Skateboarding Day."



Meet Willie...

Willie goes to school at MCC and is learning to be a Paramedic. Actually, he said that the fall semester will fulfill the minimum requirement for enlisting in the military as a medic. His reason for wanting to be a medic rather than go into combat was, "Well, I didn't want to shoot people."

Willie unsuccessfully attempts to jump a bar set up for a "high ollie" contest.

Meet Jose...

Jose moved to Waco 7 years ago from Houston and is currently working as a tattoo artist at Art & Sol. Jose said that his mural work is a little easier to do then his tattoos, because he has the flexibility of messing up. Other mural work from Jose can be seen on the corner of La Salle and 18th.




Here's some Waco themed art that had been done today...

And finally, as I said earlier, it was really hot today (I'm sure it hit 100). So what better way than a slip n' slide! Here's Manny from Think Skateboards, a skateboard team based out of San Francisco, CA, taking the plunge off of his skateboard...



-Daniel

Sunday, June 20, 2010

The World Cup

More traveling today on my way back to Waco, but thankfully, I made a safe return.

In recognition of the great sporting event going on over in South Africa, I give you a link I found with some pics from the World Cup.

Highlights...
#1 - I certainly think there's a reason they led with this one. The detail is amazing -- you can even see a reflection of the clouds in the eyes.
#4 - Talk about repetition! One element that can lead to a great photo is a repeating pattern ... Case in point.
#8 - This one made me laugh. I feel like instead of the caption reading "Photographers are led onto the field..." it should read, "Photographers are herded onto the field..."
#10 - As an American, it's difficult to understand just how big of an event this is to everyone else in the world (see picture #38).
#11 - Having watched this goal live, this photo captured the moment perfectly, in my opinion. There was so much energy (both physically and mentally) that went into that kick.
#23 - This one reminds me of a boxing photo. The spray of sweat coming off Gallas's head reminds me of how much it hurts to take a header like that.
#28 - While only seeing a recap of this game, I think this picture pretty much sums it up.

-Daniel

Back in Texas!

630 miles + 5 states + 13 hours of driving = 1 very exhausted driver

While originally intending to arrive back in Houston around 10 p.m., we didn't make it back here till well after midnight, thanks in part to an accident that closed down a stretch of I-10 in Louisiana. 


Back to Waco tomorrow, but until then, here are some pictures from the road trip today...
Traffic on the bridge going over the Mississippi in Baton Rouge.

It was traffic like that, that led to feeling like this...
Joey grabs a power nap.

Our saving grace...
Here's the radio tuning knob shot through the macro lens.

And lastly, another sunset...
A Louisiana sunset.
-Daniel