Cheers to Langford

Last night was the last all-nighter of my academic career. It was a great finale. Before getting to work on our projects we enjoyed some roof time while the sun was going down. The roof of Langford is a very calming place. Up there you have incredible views of most of College Station.

While we were up there I remembered one of my first all-nighters at Langford. Sophomore year my studio decided at about 5am to go get breakfast then eat it on the roof together while the sun came up. That was a cold, crisp morning. In fact the roof was a bit iced over. We would run across the roof then just slide across the ice like kids. We had so much energy it was as if we hadn't just stayed up all night.

So being on the roof again last night was a bit nostalgic to say the least. So, cheers to Langford, its roof, and the late nights I've spent there!

Heart of the matter

My final study presentation is this Friday. We've been preparing non-stop on our presentations, so photography time has been limited. Guests are welcome to come to the presentations, so if you are in town please stop by. Below is a bit about my project:

CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, TX granted permission towards the use of their campus as the project site. Their campus is currently home to a general hospital and clinic, rehabilitation hospital, imaging center, professional office building, fitness center and park trails. This heart hospital final study project is programmed to be a 64-bed heart hospital with mixed-use components adjacent to the hospital in an effort to encourage healthy living. The integration of the mixed-use typology will generate a unique healthcare architecture.

Barrels, barrels, barrels

It's not often you come across a pile of old, discolored barrels. These rusty fellas were hanging out on the side of an old grave stone factory in Austin. Alejandro, Preston and I spotted this old factory a couple weeks ago after the MS150. Actually Alejandro spotted the factory and Preston and I just happened to be there, but nonetheless. When I came back to Austin the next week I decided I needed to revisit the building. The lighting was perfect. It was overcast which fit the character of this run down place well. In some ways this photo reminds me of the kids who would hang out around the corner after the bell rang in middle school. Potentially scheming, but mostly just wasting time.

What I love most about this photo though is the little weed flowers. They don't even notice the barrels. They are just keep doing their thing without any regard for the barrels. A nice little juxtaposition, I think.

Meet Enzo, the studio mascot

This is Enzo. He's the mascot for a senior studio next door to us. He is usually laying low and hanging out at his papa's desk. Enzo is a bit cautious. When he first met me, we were not instant friends. I had feeling though, if I gave Enzo some time he'd come around. Well sure enough, I was right. Me and Enzo had a photo shoot tonight. I got on the ground with him and just went to it. I snapped away for a while and he just sat there and let me. He'd move around a little bit to change the shot up a little. He was really into it. When I was done, he came over to me and licked me on the forehead. So suffice to say, me and Enzo are now friends.

Starbucks Soldiers

This is the Northgate starbucks, and the starbucks that knows my order. I actually threw them off the other day when I ordered a tall drip. The girl behind the counter said, "Wait, don't you usually get a short drip?" Yes, but today I'm going to live on the wild side! Coffee is currently my life-juice. An IV wouldn't be a bad idea. Seriously though, it's quite nice when someone knows your coffee order. Now if they'd just start delivering, we'd really be in business!

Just click the easy button

We all treat our studio lockers like refrigerators. Any piece of crap you feel like saving, but know you really don't need to, gets pinned to the locker. One exception is the easy button on Preston's locker. It's not crap. It's classic commercial memorabilia. Though it is broken (trust me, none of them work) it is quite fun to push. Even though life isn't any bit easier because you pushed it, it is still liberating to have tried. He's even adorned his locker with a magnetic checkers set. I'm not sure any of us have actually played checkers on it. But, we could if we wanted to! So, here's to expression and locker flare!

Looking forward

I am approaching the end of an era here at Texas A&M. I've pretty much maxed out the time you can be here in College Station without getting a real job. And yesterday it hit me that I'm really about to leave. The countdown has started. I'm seeing the light at the end of the academic tunnel. It is exciting. But I'm also a bit sad to leave Texas A&M. This is a wonderful place, with incredible people. But, with all that's behind me, I know there is just as much and more ahead. Hence today's photograph.

This is another jewel of downtown Bryan. Anyone who is the slightest photographer in this town, knows exactly what staircase this is. It stands rusted next to a beautiful brick wall, tucked away from the hussle of main street in Bryan. I desaturated the left side of the photograph because it seemed to be what it wanted. And, occasionally I name my photographs. Usually that name is pretty simple, whatever that photograph says to me. I originally named this one "history". How appropriate for this moment in my life. History is something to be appreciated and built on. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my time here in College Station.

She's a leaner

This past weekend I was in Austin for a bachelorette party. We had some time to kill before meeting up with the girls downtown, so we had a little photo shoot to occupy ourselves. This is Andrea and her little one, Aucuba. Aucuba is one of the sweetest dogs you'll meet. She's also a bit of a leaner. She just can't help but be near the people she loves. So, if Aucuba ever leans on you, take it as a compliment, she might have an affinity for you. One thing is for certain with Aucuba, she loves her mama, which you can probably see in this photo. It's a bit out of focus, and incorrectly exposed, but fun nonetheless. Worth a frame, I'd say.

Tonight on Cribs: Langford Architecture Center

It's official we've moved into Langford. We m-archers have very little time left to finish our projects, so as a result we are living at Langford. You'll find us there. 4th floor. We'll be the ones with headphones in and/or watching a movie playing on a 50" inch plasma screen (Kudos to the College of Architecture for purchasing those plasma screens, we love them!) So this photo is of our studio space. It's a wreck, but we like it like that. What's the saying... "a messy desk is the sign of genius" Bunch of einsteins, we are! That is Alejandro and Georgina in the photo. We have a refrigerator and microwave too. All we're missing is our bed and showers. Thank goodness, or I think we might actually take up residency.

You're welcome over anytime, our home is yours! We'll even share a tasty beverage with you (that's right, we still have our priorities straight!)

East Texas beautiful

With two weeks remaining on my Masters final study project, now might be a good time to share with you my beautiful project site. I was lucky enough to acquire permission from CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, TX to use their campus for my project. As many may know I am designing a heart hospital. The natural context for my hospital could not better. This is a photograph that I took last semester. October I believe. Mom and I drove out to Texarkana one Saturday. We must have left at 5AM. Which I am so glad we did. I was a bit early for my meeting so we were able to walk around the trails on campus for a while. The sun was still on the rise, so the shadow through the pines were long. It was quite wonderful.

This portion of the site is located right next to the main hospital, but my section of the campus is very similar. Tall pines everywhere. In my design I have called for a trail system that meets back up with the main campus trails. It's unforunate that this project is hypothetical, but maybe St. Michael will be able to use my plan when they develop that parcel in the future.

So when final study is bogging me down and stressing me out, I try to think back to this photograph. It will probably be very rare in my career that I have the opportunity to work with such a wonderful piece of land!

Tire tube summer

I spent last summer in Seattle, Washington. Though the whole summer was a bit of a vacation in itself we decided to plan a getaway trip even still. We took off for Lake Chelan, Washington in July. Kate's bosses' designed a house off the lake and told us we were welcome to use it any weekend that they weren't. So, we found a good weekend and the roomies packed up and headed to the lake. We got up there and it looked just right. Little kids in floaties frocklicking about, ski boats dragging skiiers across the water, and teenagers chasing after a runaway frisbee. It was time to jump in. Well the Texas girl that I am didn't think about the fact that we were about two inches from Canada and the water might still be cold even though it was summer. After a frigid introduction to Lake Chelan, we managed to get used to the cold water and float around. Eventually though we just ended up laying on the lawn in our tubes. It was just as enjoyable and warmer. We'd also rented a fish-eye lens for the weekend. I was playing with it while we were on the lawn. Kate was resting on her tube. I set up the shot quick without waking her, got her attention and then snapped it. It looks as if it's a nude shot, which I think is kind of cool. That just happened, Kate was actually in a bathing suit. But, because of this I think the CS Lewis book is even more perfect in the foreground. Probably one of my favorite portraits of all time. Kate's boyfriend, Brian, thought so too. He was pretty quick to request his own copy! I'm a big fan of photographing people in "raw" moments. No posing. Just their personality shining through candidly. I think I got you, Kate.

The things you find on campus

Some days you just have to take a break and walk around campus. Today is one of those days. I couldn't help myself. I had to be about outside. As I was walking away from the mothership (Langford) I came across this wooden sculpture that was created by the "Artist in Residence" class. Paolo Piscitelli was the artist who led the class. I just found out the title of the sculpture is "In between the lines". It's very enjoyable in person. You can actually crawl up in it. It sits on top of a natural footpath created in the grass. There's always a fun surprise somewhere on campus.

Snap-shooting the MS150

So, this is a snapshot, but who doesn't love a good snapshot. This weekend I shot with my new Nikon Coolpix S51 while riding in the Houston to Austin MS150. I didn't have a good snap-shot camera, as all my previous ones (Canons by the way) had broken, so I got a new one for the ride so I could whip it out and take photos. We had a great weekend which I will chronicle tomorrow in my other blog, Rookie Cyclists. I'll post lots of photos there if you want to check it out. My new little Nikon will be very easy to carry around, and it will be nice always having a camera on me! Tip: a lot of the camera companies are introducing their new lines, so a lot of cameras are on clearance right now. I got mine at Walmart.

Downtown Bryan looking up

Downtown Bryan is a cool place. It's always a good time to just go down there and walk around. Chad and I did just that a couple weeks ago. It was Easter Sunday in fact. After a couple glasses of wine and an outstanding dinner we decided to go on a photography retreat to downtown. There are so many opportunities for great photographs in downtown. Bryan, for the most part, has not aged gracefully, but downtown is an exception. Main street in Bryan is like the grandpa of the Brazos Valley. It has a history and a calmness, which comes through a little bit in the photograph. Usually I don't like photographs like this one. Looking up at buildings and taking a shot usuall doesn't work well. This one I like though. Maybe its the art deco flavor of the building that makes me like this shot, or the color of the sky that comes through in the windows. I'm not sure. I suggest taking a camera to downtown Bryan if you live here. You'll see things you didn't see before, and you'll begin to really appreciate the heritage of Bryan.

The way I see it

Who knew coffee cups could be so wise. For a long time now Starbucks has graced their cups with quotes from all kinds of people. Authors, musicians, politicians, normal-folks like us and so on. The campaign was called "The way I see it" and anyone could submit. It was an effort, in the spirit of coffeehouses, to encourage healthy discussion. Some of the quotes were funny, a bit crazy, thought-provoking or simply profound. I loved it. Sometimes more than my cup of joe. Well, as far as I can tell "the way I see it" campaign is over. On Tuesday, Starbucks gave away their new house coffee, Pikes Roast. And with it they introduced a new brown quote-less cup. It's all a part of their "back to where it all started" campaign. The Pikes Roast was delightful. But, little did I know I was served my Pikes Roast in one of the last "the way I see it" cups, and boy was it a good one. "Love wins." How simple and true, and what a great end to that era of coffee cups.

From here on out, the s-buck will serve its coffee in the new brown-quoteless cup. Nice cup, but not nearly as interactive. Oh well. I guess I'll have to have my profound quotes served on something other than coffee cups from now on. Maybe this a good time to start bringing my own cup!

Doors with personality

I love doors. I have a pretty serious affection for them. They are in some ways like us, they have personality, character, age. They all say something and there's always something behind them that they protect. This photo is one of my favorites I've ever taken of a door (and I've taken plenty, and I'm sure I'll share a few). This door is in Austin. I took this photo while working on my final project in my photography class that I took in Spring 2007. The project was to be a series. Andrea and I found this door when driving back one afternoon from the South Congress area. I rolled down the window and snapped this one. No romance here, it was a quick shot. But, it worked out, we caught it at just the right time, I think the light was just right for this door. I particularly love the little blue ball that's just hanging out on the porch. This door is cool and he knows it.

I've posted the final series below. The two doors on the left are from Austin. The door in the middle is from Seattle. The doors on the right are from Dallas. I'll share the Seattle door with you sometime.

The middle of nowhere is somewhere

I've always been facinated with the stars and astronomy. Since I've had my Nikon I've wanted to take a "star trails" photograph. It takes patience to get a solid star trails shot. The moon has to be new (or nearly new), you have to have no clouds, no light polution (which usually means being in the middle of nowhere), a tripod and long battery life. And, when you have all that you have to get all your settings right on your camera. A lot has to come together to make a good star trails photograph.

Well it finally all came together in Big Bend National Park which is about 500 miles west of Austin (or basically a stones throw from Mexico). Andrea, Ken and I went out to Big Bend in January this year. I brought all the necessary stuff, I just knew we were going to get it right. I'd tried several times before that and it never worked out how I would have hoped (Lake Chelan, WA; Snook, TX; Enchanted Rock TX State Park). So I waited until late when all the campers had calmed down for the night and flashlights, grills and headlights were retired for the evening. I set up my tripod on a picnic table and aimed the camera towards the north star. The stars all rotate around the north star, and since that's the axis the earth spins on it makes for circular trails. We were in the Chisos Basin basecamp of Big Bend, so the mountains made for a wonderful foreground.

It was cold out there, especially that night. The silence makes it a bit colder. So I sat there in my folding chair and waited and thought. I still remember how calming it was to be there waiting. After the shot was done the camera still needed about 45 minutes to process the file (don't ask me why, but I guess thats just the nature of digital SLRs on shots like that). At this point I was so tired. It was very late and had been a long day. I tried to stay up and wait on it, but I ended up falling asleep in the tent. But the camera beeped when it was done processing the file and woke me up. I was like a kid at Christmas pulling up the file to see how it turned out. I was so excited. I remember waking Andrea up and making her look at it on that tiny little camera screen. You could hardly see it, but I knew it was good.

That's when I really felt like I'd made it as a photographer. I'd finally reached a shot I'd dreamed about. All it took was a short drive out to the middle of nowhere.

The first of many stories

Thanks are in order for my mom. Mom, you realize you are the one who got me started on this. You are the one who told me I had a good eye for composition and that I should pursue photography more seriously. You don't realize how much I appreciate your encouragement, as this hobby has become quite the occupation for me. And, I sure hope everyone enjoys the stories that are behind these photographs. Life is full of stories and photography helps us remember them.

This first photograph is of mom and her sister Leila, and was one of my first successful shots with my current camera. My folks gave me a Nikon D50 for Christmas in 2006. You should have seen me during our road trip to see the family in Louisiana and Mississippi over Christmas. I was shoting constantly. I took this photo on my Aunt Leila and Uncle Donnie's land in Mississippi. It was wonderful out there. Mom and Aunt Leila are such great friends and you should see the two of them when they get together, they have such a good time. I think this one really epitomized the two of them together. Here's to sisterhood.