Since Kate & Ismael's wedding day was so rainy, I offered to do day-after bridal portraits. They told me they were staying the Austin Motel. I told them that was perfect. We explored up and down South Congress and ended the shoot with a splash in the pool. Check it out below, and click to enlarge.
ATX: Humans of Austin that Responded to My Craigslist Post - Josh
Josh is my second Human of Austin that Responded to My Craigslist Post, but actually, I was the one that responded to zirs* Craigslist post. What started as a shoot to provide Josh with images to add to zirs alternative modeling portfolio became an artistic collaboration to recreate and document Josh's journey of self-discovery. Click to enlarge.
Josh has been an Austinite for about 3 and a half years, a transplant from Denton, TX. Ze came to Austin to pursue a career in theater design. "For me, Austin is a place to explore. I was a part of the independent art scene for three years. I live in intentional spaces where we try to create an urban tribe of friends and support. I try to live consciously."
Josh says that although ze loves Austin, the city needs to work to hold on to its uniqueness. "As Austin grows, it's turning 'weird' into a commodity, which defeats the purpose. By continuing to live in experimental spaces and exploring alternative ways of living - it's not always about getting a condo and a 9-5 job - I can help uphold the Austin ideal."
"If there's something you want to do, there's someone to do that with you," Josh said. "The relationships I've developed and the friends that I've gained are pretty awesome. There's such an amazing diversity among the people in this city - it's a good place to cut your teeth." For Josh, Austin was also a good place for self-discovery. Josh identifies as gender-fluid, or as having a neutral gender, but that hasn't always been the case. "For me, gender is a performance. For years I was performing as a picture of masculinity with bit of queer."
Next, Josh tried exploring the far side of the gender spectrum. "As dsyphoria hit, I started performing femininity, which was, for me, just as inaccurate."
"I then became more comfortable in a queer femininity that didn't try to mask my body, just decorated it the way I wanted," Josh explained. However, that wasn't a perfect fit either.
"Now, I have quit gender. I am way more comfortable than I've ever been. Historically, I've had a picture that I was trying to enforce - how I was supposed to look and behave as a man or woman - but both of these were wrong for me," Josh said. "I had a picture of how I was supposed to behave as a queer, which was closer, but still not quite right. Now I am no longer holding onto any pictures in my head."
Josh provided me with the names of some of the LBGTQ resources available to Austin residents.
Waterloo Counseling - providing affordable counseling services
Violet Crown Counseling - counseling specific to LBGTQ issues
Cheer Up Charlie's and Genuine Joe's Coffee are queer-friendly social spaces
QUEERY - an upcoming app "connecting the queer community, one person at a time"
*Josh prefers to be identified with ze as a replacement for he/she and zir/s (pronounced “zeer”) for him/his/her/hers.
ATX: Humans of Austin that Responded to My Craigslist Post - Sam
I'm super excited to announce a new mini portrait series! After feeling like a lot of the more common photography projects didn't mesh with my passion for capturing people and their stories, and feeling inspired by Humans of New York, I decided to visit the one place that has everything - Craigslist.
Humans of Austin That Responded to My Craigslist Post (no catchy acronym, sorry!) was born. Instead of photographing people on the street, I wanted to photograph them in their element, with a 30 minute mini session and go a little bit more in-depth about their feelings for the city they live in. Sam Turner, an ex-human of New York herself, was the first to volunteer. Read more about her and her passion for fitness below.
Sam Turner is a personal trainer and plant-based nutrition coach and has been an Austinite for 3 months. Previously an inhabitant of Brooklyn, she moved to Austin for better job opportunities.
As fun as she is tough, Sam is the right personal trainer for "people who want to get their asses kicked!" She provides guidance that's accessible for people of all fitness levels. "Baby steps! It's unrealistic to think you can go from eating Taco Bell and sitting on the couch all day to only eating salad and exercising for hours."
Sam, a soon-to-be yoga instructor, loves the Austin vibe. "There are a lot of new energy in Austin from people moving here that are working on getting their lives going," she said. Sam would also like to see Austin grow. "Since there are so many new people here, a lot of them aren't making the effort to connect to Austin. There needs to be an effort to get new people invested in their communities."
Looking for a healthier option? Hit up Sam's picks - Bouldin Creek Cafe for the vegan breakfast tacos, Juiceland for a mid-day pick-me-up and Wheastville Co-op for hard-to-find health foods.
ATX: Around Town (New Lens Edition)
Over the last 10 days I rented a a new lens to try out - the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM lens. I shot with it every chance I got - and fell in love. Here's some of the results:
Sasha, the bride-to-be from this engagement shoot, agreed to be my first test subject. We went to the Hope Outdoor Gallery, a super cool repurposed art installation on Baylor Street- it's basically a wall of graffiti. The colors and shapes got turned into a dreamy bokeh to serve as a backdrop for our portrait session.
I also was able to shoot part of the Austin Fashion Week event. There are so many talented independent designers! Of course, my main interest was the wedding gowns.
M.E. Shirley
Romey Roe
Romey Roe
G.I.A.N.
Adrienne Yunger
Adrienne Yunger
Adrienne Yunger
Adrienne Yunger
Ragg Dahl
After being bribed with bubble tea, Anjanee, one of my friends, volunteered to model for me for a quick mini shoot to work with some interesting lighting situations. She has such a gorgeous smile!
In the last couple days of my rental, I used the lens in day-to-day photography - miscellaneous shots of Austin, some wildlife, and a walk by Lady Bird Lake. All in all, I was really happy with this lens and will likely be purchasing it in the future.
The H Family - Christmas in Texas Hill Country
As a Christmas surprise, Chase & Jenn and Cassie & Tyler surprised their parents with their first ever family photo shoot! I set out to their new home in Texas hill country and marveled at the scenic drive - Texas is truly beautiful! Upon arrival I met the family dogs - who are all just bundles of love, by the way - and we got started. Here's a selection of my favorite images from the shoot - click to enlarge.
