Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith

Moving to Wordpress

2009-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I am moving my blog to

www.patrickmeredith.wordpress.com

I would ask that you update your bookmarks and I hope you will make the transition with me.

Thanks! -Patrick Meredith

Baseball!

2009-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

Finally!!!!

University of Texas baseball photography by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

Let me preface this by saying that I hate blogger and I don't understand why I can't get the layout functions to work like they should...

It seems like forever since I was sitting in a photo well, ducking line drives, chewing on sunflower seeds and fighting the Texas sun on a baseball field. .... .... .... Well ... ... ... The time has come!

I got my start in sports photography shooting baseball in Neosho, Missouri. I found myself in the dugout covering the baseball team for the college newspaper (which I happened to be photo editor of -small plug-).

Texas UIL State Tournament in Round Rock

I was still shooting film with a Nikon F4, a 70-300mm zoom lens and Tri-X 3200 that I developed in the college darkroom (which I also had a key to). I had a 500mm mirror lens that I used from time to time, but it was total junk...

Anyhow, I found myself fortunate enough to cover a number of local high school teams here in Austin, the University of Texas Longhorns baseball and softball teams, the Round Rock Express, the USA Olympic softball team and even some T-Ball on some weekends.
The University of Texas baseball and softball teams start their season in a couple weeks and this weekend, respectively.

Southwestern University in Georgetown

So I'm off to shoot the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational Softball Tournament here in Austin this weekend. Should be a fun time out in the nice 70 degree weather! Plus the softball complex has some nice photo positions, granted there aren't 5 TV crews clamming for space.

Texas UIL State Tournament

In order to kick off the '09 base/softball season, I took a quick look through some of my '08 assignments and thought I would post some here!

USA Olympic Softball - photos by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith

Here we go again...

2009-01-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

So it is 80 degrees here in Austin, Texas as I type this. It couldn't be more beautiful...

Having been a fan of Magnum (and a majority of the other photographers that have passed through the agency) since I picked up a camera, I was very excited when I heard Sebastiao Salgado's 'Workers' photography exhibit was coming to the Austin Museum of Modern Art late last year. I had totally forgotten about it until a taxi driver (who I was photographing) told me about the exhibit just yesterday.

Click HERE for more information about the showing.
photos by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

Some of the photographs were simply amazing. Bizarre, beautiful, heartbreaking and thought provoking rolled into a single lump, if that makes sense. The glimpse into the working lives of the sulfur miners in Indonesia was just....amazing. By far the best $5 I've spent in a long time.

A view of one room of the AMOA, which is currently showing Sebastio Salgado's 'Workers' photographs

Salgado also has a book, titled Workers, that showcases the collection. The AMOA has this book, along with several other books showcasing Salgado's photographs, for you to browse through as well. You can find it on many major websites used for under $50. I'll be buying it once I have the chance.

I broke the rules taking these two photos...

So as I was leaving the exhibit, I noticed a large police presence traveling north on Congress Avenue, followed by an even larger group of people carrying signs and yelling for "Peace in the Middle East"...

So I made about 10 frames and kept riding my bike...

Protesters call for peace in Israeli and other Middle East countries during a demonstration in downtown Austin on Friday.

In other news, I've been shooting a lot of of stuff with an old 120 film camera I got for christmas from my dad. I have a couple of projects going with all these 120/127 cameras I've got laying around. Now all I have to do is develop the film. yikes. I'll just add that to the over 30 rolls of 35mm film I need to get on as well. Someday...Someday. :)

I may be attending another photography meeting tonight, so hopefully I'll have some more photos to show. I'm still working on some of the dancing photos from last week. Here is one more....

'more to come'

oh no

2009-01-18T07:39:00.001-08:00

photo by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

I'll eventually upload some more photos here as I go through the take from last night...

"reporters should be barred from wars"

2009-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

Straight from Joe the Plumber.

Read it and watch the video HERE

...Amazing

Some recent photos

2009-01-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Josh ,a fellow Austin photog, brought out some big guns for a small photo shoot inside a little warehouse/parking garage in Austin last night.

Check out this rig! A 20x20 silk with six Alien Bees packing some heat...photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith

James was nice enough to park his Mini underneath for the first test run...It looked so small underneath the silk...

After setting up the rig and positioning the lights, we all took turns shooting the cars from different angles, moving the lights around a bit. Josh, the knee pads guy (can't remember your name...Doh!) and myself stayed for a little over four hours...My feet were defiantly sore by the end of the night

Everyone, except Nutter in the background, chimps from Josh as he fires away.

Interior of the Mini. I had never seen the inside of one of these cars and it was pretty cool!

After the Mini, we shot a BMW that wasn't much bigger than the Cooper. I should have pulled my truck underneath to get a nice photo of that big dent on my tail gate..

I also had the opportunity to shoot a portrait of a nice fellow over at Reagen High School here in Austin. The kid, a sophomore, is seven inches taller than me and can dunk. I don't think ANYONE at my high school could dunk...

I used a simple four light setup for this shot. One light in a silver umbrella directly right of me as key, one to his left that was snooted and pointed towards his shoulder, one to his right that was aimed at his shoulder/the ball and one up really high on a stand, snooted, pointing at the basket.
I got just a bit of spill on the background and killed it off with a slight levels adjust in post. An easy fix, but even easier if I had just flagged one of the flashes a bit better.

Till next time!
PM

Good news!

2009-01-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

Not only have I been shooting some very cool assignments this week, I am also getting together tonight with some local photogs for a small 'strobist' shoot.

But the best news of all?
I got accepted into the SportsShooter VI Academy being held in California in April! Sweet!

http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2150

(that's all)

2008 Favorites

2009-01-02T08:41:00.001-08:00

2008 marked the year when I started my freelance photo career and in that time I have photographed thousands of people, the NFL, every college and high school sport and traveled over 14,000 miles going to assignments across Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
I've battled flat tires, extreme heat. bad directions, late clients, pouring rain, poor cell service, terrible stadium hot dogs and weird hours.
2008 also marked my two year anniversary with my girlfriend, I got Hank, I turned a quarter of a century, and a bunch of other memorable stuff that no one else cares about.

I hope 2009 is just as good....

With that, here are a couple of my favorite shots from this past year. I gave a back story to some of the photos on my sportsshooter page @ www.sportsshooter.com/meredith/2008

I'm going to buy Soundslides next week and start my multimedia stuff!

Best of luck to everyone in '09!

Missouri, Miami, Seattle, Fredericksburg, Austin

2008-12-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sarah takes the wheel as Mitch looks over the ticket she just got on the way to Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, Texas....63mph in a 50. Do you know why I pulled you over? (photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com )

I think I've spent more time in a car this last week than I have the entire year...........Some photos from our trip to Missouri/Oklahoma and to Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, Texas.

Mitch looks over the park from some giant boulders we climbed up on Enchanted Rock.

Mitch jumps from one boulder to the next. Nothing like a big gap and a 30 foot drop...

We scrambled up the side of some steep rocks to get to the highest point on a set of rocks only to get to the top and see people using ropes to climb up. Looks like so much fun.

We went into the 'cave' at Enchanted Rock and it wasn't that exciting. There was some cool light shafts that could yield some interesting shots if you were there at the right time...

Hank loves the hell out of his Christmas present. Brazos got one as well...

Christmas lights in Johnson City, Texas

If only I was a giant...squish!

A photo from my seat on the plane on the return flight from Seattle to Denver a couple weeks ago. Mt. Rainer out there....So nice. I put my website address in there because I posted this photo on my Flickr account, where my photos always get stolen. I took everything off that people may want to steal...I think anyhow..

Naked man with sword pleads not guilty!

2008-12-09T11:44:00.001-08:00

So I was cruising the Statesman online before checking the weather and saw THIS STORY that I photographed while working at the Williamson County Sun.
The photos were never published and the editor didn't think the story warranted any photo coverage.

Here is one photo that I took from the incident and HERE is where I blogged about it in August.

David Thistle lays face down covered by his shirt after being apprehended by Williamson County Sheriffs after he stripped naked and wielded a sword inside the county courthouse in January.

Back in Austin!

2008-12-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Amelia and I just got back from Washington last night after spending a few days up there with her family. I can't wait to go back and photograph the mountains...I had to hold my breath and photograph them from a moving car...but that is pretty easy when her family lives right underneath them...more to come
As a matter of fact, one of her brothers, Brady, lives so close them that I shot this with a Nikon 85mm @ f4 in monochrome mode while driving to his house. The rain gave way to some fog, covering most of the hills...Everyone there says it is an everyday experience and thought it was funny I was so interested in it. Coming from Austin, it is a 180 degree change. Driving in last night all I kept thinking was, "Man, this town is boring..." ha!

VOLLEYBALL

2008-11-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

I haven't shot anything but sports in some time now. I need to get out and shoot something else....I had another car shoot scheduled with some fellow Austin shooters, but I had to cancel because of an assignment conflict. You can see some photos a fellow Strobist_Austin shooter got HERE. And speak of the devil....Just as I was typing this, I got two non-sports assignments for tomorrow!

Caldwell's Kim Crnkovic (#17) goes for the kill as teammate Callee Norman gets set during the Hornets 3A semifinal loss to Lucas Lovejoy on Friday in San Marcos.

I've shot more volleyball than I care to talk about the last couple of days. I've only shot four games these last three days, but that is four times as many as I have ever shot. You can see more on my SportsShooter site

I also shot my first game for the University of Texas last night. It was my second Longhorn volleyball game and it was a lot better than my first. You can see images from that on my SS site as well.

All-American outside hitter Juliann Faucette reacts after the #4 Texas Longhorns closed their second game over Kansas on Saturday.

More to come

High School football...

2008-11-16T17:36:00.001-08:00

It has been a somewhat busy time for myself taking photos here in Austin. I've got a couple projects underway and have been shooting football regularly for a couple publications here in central Texas.
As it happens to go, I didn't have an assignment to shoot Austin High's bi-district playoff game on Saturday, but I really wanted to see if the kids could keep it together for the win over Reagen at House Park.

After halftime, I climbed to the top of the press box to shoot the action from above. The sun was pretty great towards the end of the game, casting some long shadows around. It was pretty tough getting to the top of the box...The stadium was built in 1938 and I don't think the ladder has been changed since then either.

The only problem with shooting from above was the fact that I couldn't always get the face in the shot. This could have been cool....An 'almost'

Austin High ended up losing the game 20-24. It has to be tough to walk off the field for the last time as a senior, knowing you won't be playing again next season...Jay Janner, who works for the Austin American Statesman, shot some good photos of the kids outside of the locker room after I took this...Check out his blog titled "City Limits" in the upper right corner...

I wish all the games I shot were in the daylight like the ones above, but I've been shooting Thursday and Friday nights as well. Here are a few photos that I enjoyed from the last few games...

Llano vs. Bowie - Just out of reach

Liberty Hill vs. Westlake - Not enough

Christopher Koepnick, a sophmore at Bowie High School, prepares the flags as other members of the Bowie AFJ ROTC ready themselves before the start of the Bowie Bulldogs class 5A bi-district playoff against San Antonio Madison.

Bowie vs. Llano - Season end

Butter fingers

Celebration

Cheerabration

And check this out. The picture isn't great or worth printing...But what is worth noting is that I was in the opposite endzone shooting with a Nikon D300 with a Nikon 300mm 2.8 when I shot this. That is over 120 yards away...How about that for some resolution? I'm still amazed by this new technology nearly every time I pick up this camera.
And I'm over 50,000 shutter clicks on this D300. I got it 372 days ago! That is roughly 130 frames a day!

New photos

2008-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

I shot the Texas vs. Baylor game here in Austin on Saturday. See more of the photos at www.sportsshooter.com/meredith

ninth street jam photos

2008-11-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this by saying that I didn't really edit these photos except cropping some... Pretty much straight from camera. woooo. In no particular order....

Amelia put my dog in a pumpkin suit.

I found a photo of myself...

2008-11-04T08:02:00.001-08:00

sunflare
Originally uploaded by eschipul

...on flickr! woooooo

preview

2008-11-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

I've got several hundred photos from the ninth street jam and these are just a few from my first 30 second pass. More to come on Monday or Tuesday.

triple crown best trick contest

Long jump/worst wreck winner (some dude jumped right in my way when he collided with everyone...So I've got photos of some asshole standing right in front of me and about 3 other people taking photos/video) To the guy wearing the purple empire shirt. Love it

High air on the small jump

oodle noodle

9th Street

2008-10-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

9th street is on point for the Halloween Jam on the 1st. I shot a couple of (terrible) panos out there this afternoon. The street section is looking wild...

It should be a fun afternoon with a few hundred bmxers/hobos (if last year was any indication) having a good time.

Click on 'em for larger views.

You can check out some more info @ http://www.ninthstreetbmx.com/

Whoops

2008-10-23T12:20:00.001-07:00

Been a while since I updated...A lot has been going on. Restaurants, people, football, football and more football. Drove to Houston and saw the Texans play. And photographed them as well. I will update again at some point. I'm off to ride bikes now! Check out my newest photos from the NFL @ www.sportsshooter.com/meredith

Ahman Green (#30) celebrates his first quarter touchdown during the Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions football game on Sunday afternoon October 19, 2008 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The Texans defeated the Lions 28-21.
Photo by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

Last day of the Pump Track

2008-10-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

The construction crews kept creeping closer and closer to the dry riverbed running beside the trails over the course of a few months. Finally, on Monday, the crews moved in and started digging up the pump track to lay a pipe six feet in the ground directly through the middle of everything.
I wouldn't hesitate to say hundreds of people came out on the last two days to hang out and enjoy a cool October day in the woods and pump around a couple more times....
I snapped a couple quick photos, but I was more interested in trying to wreck my bike in some dirt mounds in the woods....

Josh kept standing on the landing of the newest jump when people were jumping. So funny. I don't think he meant to...He almost got plowed here...

Some old stuff

2008-10-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've had the opportunity to shoot a number of football games, practices and portraits over the last few months, but I haven't really uploaded much of anything here. Until now. Here is a small glimpse of what I've been doing every Thursday/Friday night.

If you've been following high school football in Texas, then you know who this Lake Travis quarterback is. He is already signed up to play at the University of Texas. Photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

I posted the frame before this one a while ago but upon closer inspection, I found this frame, which captures the peak action of the toss. I'm a fan of this picture. I really like the hands shooting up from the bottom of the frame.

House Park in Austin has some terrible light. When I say terrible, I mean ok. I have been to worse (think Liberty Hill or Granger) but it could be better. They just put in new turf but left the same lights that have been up since the 60's....

Since it is in downtown Austin, there are some pretty cool views to be had at House Park. The Frost Tower making an appearance.

Before the start of the Georgetown vs. Stony Point game. It was kind of cool seeing the GT guys play again. I hadn't seen any of the coaches or parents since leaving my position at the GT newspaper. I'm surprised at how many people said hello and recognized me.

The lights at Dragon Stadium aren't shabby.

Stony Point kids take it one notch above all the others. Always lots of paint, signs and noise makers.

One of the few games that actually started with some day light left. A.C. Bible Stadium in Leander has some great light in between the 25 yard lines, but the end zones are black holes.

Georgetown almost knocked off Stony Point, but had a hard time against their defense.

I've had 4 name busts since 2003. I can tell you every picture and what was happening in each one. I can even remember editing them. No more.

I also got some extension tubes for some macro work. It is pretty cool what just one will do to my 60mm macro lens. These ants were TINY! I think two of them could have fit on a grain of rice.

Friday Night Lights

2008-10-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

I had a blast shooting high school football last night. The D300 continues to impress me (even after nearly a year of service) with the high ISO capabilities. I can only imagine what the D3 looks like. I'm just happy to take photos in situations where I couldn't before. A couple from the Hutto vs. Lake Travis game in Hutto last night.

D2H, 17-35mm exposed for the sky

More to come...

This is happening now...

2008-10-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

James Nechtway
www.xdrtb.org

Thursday Night Football

2008-10-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

I had a blast shooting some high school football last night over in House Park in Austin. Although it took me 10 minutes (literally) to convince the guy at the door I wasn't a terrorist bent on destroying the stadium (literally), I got inside. I guess I need to shave...

Anyhow, I've been running into Jim Redman from MaxPreps a lot these days. Seems we almost have the same schedule on Friday nights. Jim is a super nice guy and always lets me complain to him about how bad the light is. At least he nods his head. 8)

I was running late last night as the game started at 7, 30 minutes earlier than it usually does. I usually try to get there at least an hour/45 minutes early to get my rosters, set up and take some photos in the nice afternoon light. I got there with 30 minutes to kickoff last night and had to spend 10 minutes at the door...I felt so rushed. I've got a photo in my head I want to get and I didn't have the time to nab it this time. There was a Chevy Prep Ticket photog that showed up at 7:30, mumbling he forgot Thursday games started early.

You can check out complete coverage from the game (with 14 more photos) over at www.statesman.com in the High School Football section.
Photo by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

I've got a game in Hutto tonight as well. I've got my fingers crossed! Now to the pump track for some bicycle action....

dogs dogs dogs

2008-10-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

I met up with Jamie and his roommate at Auditorium Shores in downtown Austin this morning for some dog park action. I went in with three tennis balls for the dogs to play with and came out covered in mud with one tennis ball. Strange how that always seem to happen. This is what my dogs do....

(Photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com)

shake shake shake

Brazos is such a dork

Blink!

Brazos and Hank fighting for the ball. Brazos was actually swimming!

Brazos is a jerk

Dirty dog

Dancing with the s..dogs?

Brazos fetched in the water!

Mike Tyson?

! (x2)

2008-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

(click for a larger view - Photo by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com)

I went to Redbud Isle Park this afternoon. This is what it looks like while standing in the middle of the dog run at the entrance to the park. 22 photos stitched together for a near 360 degree view. I'm finding out is it pretty hard to make a decent pano shot. I'm working on it though....The original, unedited pano file is so big CS3 crashed while I was working on it...ouch
Brazos is on the far left and Hank is hiding under a tree somewhere. Rode the pump track this morning with Jamie and some of the locals this morning...So much fun. Working tomorrow afternoon then more bikes / dogs. :) Life is good in Austin, TX.

Attack of the...

2008-09-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

...Flies

(Fly on the cutting board. Cross lit by two Nikon SB80DX flashes, D300 w/60mm macro.
Photo by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith)

I'm on my way to the Texas Chili Parlor to grab some chili and one of the strongest/cheapest/not bad tasting margaritas in Austin.

I bought some Nikon extension tubes off of Ebay for some more macro work that I've got planned! I'm pretty excited. They should be here tomorrow or Thursday. Barton Springs tomorrow?

!

2008-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

Went to 9th street and then to the pump track. Things are crazy with ACL in town. I'm glad all these people will be going home soon. I can actually go out to eat without waiting in line for 30 minutes everywhere :)

Sunday @ the pump track - Photo by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

I used three flashes for this quick shot. Camera right up high, camera left low and straight ahead on the ground. All around 1/4 - 1/2. mmmmmmmmmmm......

A good day...

2008-09-27T11:07:00.001-07:00

It is already 1p.m....
And today is going to get better.

Started off with the dog park this morning, 2 grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and now I'm off to get some exercise on the bicycle jumping some mounds of dirt out in the woods.

I had a minor emergency with my WIFI card not working on deadline at last nights football game, but I found a way around it. Here are a couple shots from Stony Point's win over Westwood in Round Rock on Friday. I haven't had the chance to see the paper yet, but a few of these ran in todays (9/27) Austin American Statesman.

Nykolas Mckissic completes a pass. -All photos with D300 + Nikon 300mm 2.8 - Photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

High school mascots can be amusing and provide decent photos.

Stony Point fans

Glasco Martin leaps over Westwood's Sherwal Foulstone - Photos by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith

Bike riding time.....

PM

One new photo...

2008-09-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

So I'm not shooting ACL, the Texas Longhorns football game or anything else that is happening in Austin this weekend. I've got one football game lined up for tonight and that is it. I'm pretty bummed right now and the weight of everything is starting to come down on me. I've been reaching out to different markets (both close to home and far away), but I have yet to hear anything. I've been knocking on doors for some time now and not getting a peep. Yikes. But I started a personal project a couple weeks ago that I'm hoping will turn out rewarding. We'll see...

So on my day off yesterday I took a photo I kind of like. I'm going to try it again and try to get it perfect on Saturday.

Strawberry splash - photo by Austin photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com

I'm off to fight traffic just to get to the store. I can't believe how many people are in town right now....Absolutely crazy.

Stuntin

2008-09-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

Mikey was nice enough to call me late yesterday to let me know him and some friends were going up to Liberty Hill to ride some bikes at Ramp Ranch Skatepark. So Mitch and I jumped in my truck and made the 8 hour drive north and watched some pretty crazy riding go down. Watched being the main word in that sentence. Mitch hurt himself at the pump track and I just did 180s.

I pulled out my camera and took a few shots. So funny...

BMX triples, the newest Olympic sport

Hanson

BRRRAAP!

Oh boy...

2008-09-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Let the fun begin! My partner in crime left for Colorado this morning and won't be back until my birthday on Sunday night...What to do what to do........I'm going to concentrate on not starving to death first.
Speaking of starving to death, here is one of those cheeseburger photos I was talking about the other day....mmmmmmmm

Hill-Bert's is pretty awesome.

I also got a new frame yesterday. I'm pretty stoked. Here are some quick photos. It has a custom paint job from one of the bike company owners and I'm going to leave it on there for the time being.... And man, I know how to make a bike look ugly...

Because I know you care -

Frame: The Take - Ivy
Wheels - (r)Odyssey lite Cassette 48h (f) stock Odyssey Lite 36h
Cranks - Profile
Sprocket - Tree 30t
Forks - Odyssey Race
Seat - (ugly) Shadow
Brakes - Hombre!
Bars - Liquor Bikes
Stem - Super Rat (prototype?)
Pedals - Odyssey plastic
Grips - ODI Longnecks (forever)
Tires - (r) Animal GLH (f) Odyssey Dirt Path (plite!)
Pegs - T1

holy..........

2008-09-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

Vincent Laforet makes my head hurt.
Canon 5DMKII
72 hours
Video:
http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/22/without-further-ado-reverie/

CB and Smith to hard 180s

2008-09-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

So I took a few photos of a double bacon cheeseburger for the paper today...Then I had one.
mmmmmmmm......

And now an oldie of Dusty at Ramp Ranch in Liberty Hill.

Dusty - Smith to hard 180 at Ramp Ranch - Photo by Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith

I've gotten lots of compliments on this photo via my flickr account asking how I did it. It was pretty simple really. This was all done in camera with one flash. I mounted a Nikon SB80dx on my D300, strapped on a 10.5mm fisheye and set my camera to capture 5 exposures on one frame. I set my flash on TTL mode and found the correct exposure for the scene. ( I can't remember what it was now) I then dialed in the aperture to throw my background dark and fired away when he was jumping, grinding in the smith, and the 180 and rollback. I wanted to focus on him doing the 180 to fakie, so I fired the last few frames as he was doing it. I set the camera up to single frame mode so I wouldn't accidently fire two frames and ruining the shot.
Easy as pie. Now if I could just figure out how to shoot trails.....

Pano

2008-09-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

(click for a larger view - Photo by: Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com)

I've wanted to take a panoramic photograph with the dogs in it for a long time. I finally remembered to do it this morning while we were at the dog park this morning. This is 7 photos stitched together using CS3. You can tell I was using a wide angle lens from the distortion in the image. The boat dock, for one, is a dead give away.
I've wanted a panoramic camera for a really long time, but have never pulled the trigger on it.

welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

I'm out. I have to go take a photo of some cheeseburgers...and eat them when I'm done. Taking photos for a living is sometimes pretty awesome. :p

Pump track

2008-09-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'm giving up trying to take photos....

Opposites....

2008-09-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

From the folks over at www.twofivefix.blogspot.com

This is seriously one of the coolest/stupidest bikes I have ever seen. I'm really stoked/not stoked on this bike. Ok, I'm pretty stoked on this. I got to ride a tandem bike while on assignment shooting a portrait of a father/son combo that were raising money for the MS150 a while ago...I can't imagine riding a 20" version...
Now if only we could slam those seats and put in some ti spindles.....

SPRFLS?

Oh yea. Austin Photographer Patrick Meredith www.meredith-photo.com I'll explain that one later......!!!!!!!!!!!

And I'll throw this one in there for good measure. A few weeks ago I did a small shoot with a couple of cars inside a plane hanger here in Austin. I used 4 speedlights and tried to light the cars using one exposure. I'm going to post some more after I finish sending them out.

Where babies come from

2008-09-19T12:37:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness there is a football game for me to cover tonight. This is what I'm reduced to with time on my hands.
Went for a bike ride this morning to a meeting that was apparently canceled. Just I didn't get the memo. Hank and Brazos chewed up more stuff than ever these past two days. Oh well. At least I get to eat some Smokey Mo's BBQ tonight!

hey now

2008-09-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

Pflugerville's Valentino Bishop pulls in a pass for a 76 yard touchdown completion over Leander's Daniel Ruiz during a game last Friday. D300, Nikon 300mm 2.8

So high school football is in full swing and things are going ok. I've managed to get a couple photos that I'm not embarrassed to have my name under. I've nailed a couple of good spots in the local paper and made a few photog friends along the way. The photo above is one of the ones that didn't get printed. :0 Can't win 'em all I guess.

It is really amazing to me that schools don't put more lights on their fields. But I guess nothing is worse than the Granger field up in Williamson County. People literally pull their cars up to the fence with the lights on to help light up the field. I am shooting a game tomorrow night up in Liberty Hill. LH has won the last 2 straight state titles. I had the privledge to follow them all last year...but their field is dark as all hell. I HAVE to use a flash. I'm talking ISO 6400 @ 1/250th at the 50 yard line.

Anyhow, I took a little walk down SoCo the other day and made a stop at one big building in downtown Austin.

Bet you've never seen a photo like this. I wonder if the security guards get tired of people coming in and pointing their cameras straight up? D300, 10.5mm fisheye

Hey Cupcake! SoCo cupcake stand that I really enjoy. Nothing like a streamline trailer serving up red velvet cupcakes by the side of the road. Austin is pretty rad sometimes. And yes, some people still say RAD! D300, Nikon 85mm

I've also started to mess around with different photoshop techniques (as you can see above)....I wish 120 film wasn't so expensive to buy/develop/print...I would love to just shoot with my holga.

mmmmm....new stuff!

I also bought some new photo equipment the other day. Namely a new background stand. I can't wait until I get the chance to shoot some athletes in the future. I've got some things planned and I can't wait to get it done. I just have to buy some backgrounds! I'm thinking I'm going to grab a couple rolls of white and red paper. Anyone have any whitelightnings or alienbees they want to get rid of? :p

I've started a new project and I'm really looking forward to it progressing.

more to come

D2H still produces

2008-09-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

Brazos and Hank fight over a stick. D2H, Nikon 300mm 2.8

----pointless and rambling post----

It is very easy to dismiss old technology as being worthless. For the most part, my old d2h doesn't see a lot of use. I carry it as a second body on every shoot and put a wide or mid-zoom on it while I shoot with another lens on my primary body. While the noise in higher ISOs is unacceptable for printing (but works 'ok' in newsprint), the camera is still producing great images at lower ISOs without killing memory space on my computer...Not to mention the AF spins my non AFS lenses much faster than my D300 does.

I've read posts on SS.com about a couple of billboards that were printed using RAW files from a D2H (I believe it was a photo of Lebron James actually)...but the biggest printing I have done from a d2h file was roughly 16x15...almost a big square. It looked very good at the time...I was coming from a D1H (and a D1 before that).
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Anyhow, I'm seeing these things go for less than $600 on some websites (used) and it kind of blows me away. I remember I paid almost $3,000 for my D1H years ago..and it was used! I remember eating ramen noodles for well over a year saving up for that camera. The D1X, however, was a dream that no noodles could match. I remember drooling over that X body...

All this being said, I sold one of my older D2H about 2 years ago and my D2Hs (s model that is) about a year ago today to grab my current camera. I kept my nicer D2H to do my dirty work...On the beach, at the dog park and bouncing around when I'm out riding bikes.

Sure it is 'obsolete' but it still takes good photos.....just like when it was introduced in early 2003. I never could get the wireless transmitter to work worth a damn though...

The neighbors dog in his pool splashing around. D2H, Nikon 300mm 2.8

University of Texas football...

2008-09-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the chance to shoot the Texas Longhorns as they opened their season against Florida Atlantic in Austin at the newly renovated stadium. A record 98,053 people packed into the stands to watch the game.

A sea of orange....

I shot the game alongside two staff photographers of the AAS so it gave me the opportunity to see the pregame activities more differently than I normally would have.
I climbed up what seemed to be 5,000 stairs with all my photo gear on (with one of those silly white vests photogs have to wear) and talked my way into letting the overzealous security people to let me stand in the handicap section where no one was sitting to take a photo.
For the photo above, I wanted to capture the sheer amount of people at the game. I put on a Nikon 10.5mm fisheye and snapped a couple of frames. I wanted to go to the next level (the part of the stadium you can see from I-35), but one of the main events of the night was about to happen.

Vince Young was on hand to retire his #10 jersey before kickoff. The other two AAS photographers and I had talked about what kind of photos we were thinking about getting. They told me they were going to be in the scrum (of sorts) getting some close/wide shots Vince as he held up the horns or did something photo worthy. (From what I was told, VY is very calm and doesn't show a lot of emotion)

With that in mind, I scrambled back up the stairs to find a position that might offer a different view. Normally I wouldn't have done this as I wasn't sure if it would yeild a shot or not. I knew the other two photogs would get something from down there, so I took a chance. I wanted to get a few people in the crowd in the shot, along with the media pack surrounding him. Once he was led onto the field and into position I pulled on my Nikon 300mm 2.8 and shot a couple frames of him talking and one of him holding up the horns. At such a long distance, you couldn't really tell what was going on.

I sprung out of my photo position and literally ran up another flight of stairs and another 15 yards to get a higher elevation and a different angle. Right as I raised my camera to my eye, Vince raised up the jersey for everyone in the crowd to see. I fired off two frames and it was over, just like that.

Former University of Texas football player Vince Young holds up his retired jersey before the kickoff of the Texas Longhorn's season opener against Flordia Atlantic.

I think it turned out alright and it ran 1A above the fold on the Sunday edition of the Statesman. I was pretty happy about that. (shameless plug!)

Since the longest lens I have is a 300, and the two photogs I was shooting with were using 400's, I was assigned the task of staying close the team and to follow them up and down the field. We tried to stay away from each other as much as we could and that led to some interesting results. I put myself in positions I normally wouldn't shoot from and came away with some ok shots, but nothing portfolio worthy. I nabbed an interception in the endzone and a defender hanging off of Colt McCoy in the backfield...But my favorite "no ball" shot came a little bit later in the night.

Earl Thomas (12) breaks up a pass intended for Lester Jean during the Texas Longhorns season opener agaist Flordia in Austin.

I'm pretty sure one of the other guys got the same exact shot from the other side of the field as well, but I still like the shot. I don't know how these guys get up and walk away from some of these hits.

It was very awesome and a big eye opener to shoot a big event like this. I just tried to take what I do at every football game and apply it here. Close my eyes, point the camera and hope for the best...

I miss....

2008-09-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

There were those days when I would wake up and I didn't want to get out of bed...Then there were those days when I had a feeling something good was going to happen....It was fairly simple. I would drive to work, check my emails, do photo requests, and finally in the afternoon when I had a moment to breath, I would go scouting for feature photos. I would talk to everyone I came across about what was going on. Who they were, what they were up to that day, what was going on in their neighborhood...anything to get some ideas flowing. Most of the time it didn't do a heap of good photo wise, but I found a few hidden gems in there. The elderly lady doing the triathlon, the lady rescuing injured animals at her home, the person scribbling stick figures having sex in all the local parks (that one never made it to print! :p ), the kids playing in the giant sprinkler systems on campus, kids doing drugs in the woods near a park (never made it to print either), the 4am swimmers in the local creek, the 5th grader who had signed with a college to be a kicker on the football team and even the spotting of bald eagles nesting at the lake down the road from the office. The list could go on and on.

Me taking a break from eagle hunting....

The tips didn't always lead to the greatest of photos and some of them didn't even make it to print...but that is all beside the point. I miss doing that. I miss being on staff somewhere, wishing I was at home instead of taking pictures all day. :) I wish I was hitting the road again, talking to strangers just for the hell of it. Trying to find a slice of life and capture it as it happens in front of me. As stupid as it may sound, I need to get back on that horse again. This bug won't stop itching.

I miss hitting the streets, taking photographs of ordinary things...People collecting money for Children's Miracle Network, for instance. This girl, along with a small handful of other volunteers, raised several thousand dollars for CMN in a few days by simply having people "fill the boot"

more to come...

Bored today...

2008-09-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

So today I didn't feel like trying to beat the heat outside on a bicycle....So I took the dogs to the dog park nice and early and let them run around for a while. After meeting up with Amelia for lunch, I decided I needed to take a couple photos before I went crazy.

This is the only one I came up with...A lime dropped into a glass of water. Pretty original.

So there you have it.

I lit the photo using 4 Nikon SB strobes. Again, this lighting is very easy.

I had one left and right of the subject pointing at the wall @ 1/2, one below and behind the glass, pointing up into the glass @ 1/8th, and one subject right wayyyyy up high pointed straight down at the glass at 1/2.

I pointed the two flashes at the wall at such high power to wash out the background (which was a white cloth tacked to the wall). I had one aimed at the wall at about stem height and one aimed at the wall at about the top of the cup to provide a somewhat even distribution of the blown out background. Unfortunately, I had to use the dodge tool in Photoshop to correct a couple spots, but nothing major (more on that in a second).

The main light (pointed at the subject) was positioned up high (and shot through an umbrella) to try to avoid hot spots and reflections on the glass. If I would have put the umbrella parallel with the subject, you would have seen a giant reflection with my flash in it. Not so pretty.
Keeping reflections off of reflective stuff is somewhat difficult (:p)...I shot something very similar to this a while ago and it was much easier as I covered everything in the room with something black to help keep reflections down...It didn't entirely work, but every photo is a learning experience.

(back to the first image) I set the glass up on top of a thin sheet of glass that I stole from a picture frame. The glass was held up by 4 water glasses and those were held up by a small table. I put my camera on a tripod and fired it with a shutter release cord. (can't remember their official name right now)

After I shot the photo, tore down the set-up and downloaded the photos, I realized that I hadn't quite blown out the background. There were still some spots that were not-quite-white so I used a little trick I read about in another blog (I can't think of it at the moment, dang it)...

I'm not a photoshop guy so this is really basic, but it came in really handy on this photo.
A simple click of the dodge tool, set to highlights and at a lower percentage (13% is what I used), I went over the dark spots in the photograph until they were white. The 13% makes it possible to go over small specks of water near the edge of the frame and not burn them out, but still lighten up the background.

So about 45 seconds of postprocessing and you have this photo!

I'm terrible at Photoshop (I can crop, resize, do some levels and basic color adjustments and that's about it) so I try to get it right in the camera instead of relying on the computer to help me become a better photographer.

I'm shooting some more football and I have the chance (depending on this damn hurricane) to shoot some more University of Texas football on Saturday. I learned a lot from the other photographers coverage and (if I get the chance) I plan on doing a 100% better job. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. (can you say ISO 200???) and I have some plans for some interesting images.....Please hurricane Ike, Ivan, Ingrad or whatever the hell your name is....

9th Street Trails

2008-09-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

Couple of photos from 9th street this afternoon....

In all of these photos I used 3 Nikon SB speedlights to light up the riders. A Nikon D300 and a Nikon 80-200mm AFS lens were used in the first two photos...The lighting diagram is pretty simple and very straightforward.
Take the photo below, for example. It was shot as the sun was just starting to cool off around 6:30p.m. Light at 9th Street can be pretty tricky. The canopy provides nice shade, but giant spots are open leaving the sun to shine straight through. Using no flash provides a very dull and boring picture in this kind of light, not to mention that the ugly road in the background becomes even more pronounced when you just meter the ambient light in and shoot that way...
My camera maxes out with a sync speed of 1/250th so I set my shutter for 1/250th and my ISO @ 200. I let my Fstop float (more on that in a second)
Now that you know that I've used 3 speedlights, lets do a little reverse engineering.
The tree leaves and the landing on the left side of the frame instantly tell you where one of the lights is sitting. Another clue is to look at the rider (click for a bigger view) and you can see that another light is lighting up his jeans on his left leg and the back tire, so that tells you where the other light might be. The third flash, which is set to a very low power, is pointed at a space just above the landing to make it pop out a little bit from the next jump (in the foreground).

So with this photo I had one flash directly to the left of the frame (@ 1/4th) and one directly to the right (@ 1/4th +7) and slightly behind the rider and one flash in front of the landing (in the foreground @ 1/8th) illuminating the jump.

I had the exact same lighting scheme for the photo below, but you might not guess that. I didn't change a single flash angle or power. The difference between the two photos is big, but very easy to do. When I first started out using strobes I went about and changed the power of each one to achieve a different look. D'oh!

The difference from the shot above and the very first shot is pretty simple. A turn of the aperture dial opens up a lot of light to hit the film. For the first shot, I was shooting at ISO 200 and roughly F5.6. For the second (and brighter) shot, I was shooting ISO 200 and roughly F3.3. The difference a couple of stops makes is pretty huge. I personally like to let my strobes do the talking and go with example #1.
For the photo below, I got as humanly close as possible with a Nikon 10.5mm mounted on the D300 and stood on the landing and waiting for Steven to hit the jump.
Three flashes and some powerful sunlight gave me what I needed for this shot.
Since I was using a fisheye, I had to be careful not to include any of my lights in my shot, which is sometimes hard to do.
You can see the key light is on the right side of the photo from the spillage onto the top of the chilli bowl...but what you can't see are the two flashes almost directly in front of the landing pointing up at the rider at 1/2 power.
I had to use a lot of power to overcome the harsh shadows formed under his hat / everywhere from the sun that was shining directly down onto us.

These photos aren't ones that I would send out for publication, but I thought I would take the time to explain what went into them from the *gasp* two emails I got asking me how to take them.

Some interesting work...

2008-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Phil Toledano has been been producing some very interesting work for some time now. You may or may not remember a post of mine some time ago about the photo story Days With My Father....I just stumbled across another book that is coming out a bit later this year, Phone Sex. Very interesting. He traveled to phone sex operators homes and photographed them in their natural environment and they wrote a couple paragraphs about what the do, who they are and etc. etc. Worth taking a look....

In case you don't read A Photo Editor, I found these links there. You can find a link to APE on my blogroll list on the right side of the page...

PM

Cory Branan @ the Cactus Cafe

2008-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

I barely made it in time to watch Cory Branan play his first show here in town since moving here about 3 months ago....I really wish more people could have made it out...God knows they should have.
Amelia was at work until 11p.m.....So she missed the entire set. I had to leave early so I could let the dogs out and feed them...Stupid spoiled dogs...
Once again, CB did not disappoint. The opening act was very good as well. I can't remember the guys name for the life of me now...Maybe someone could fill me in?

I also realized that the Cactus Cafe is one of the darkest venues I've been to...But it isn't all bad I guess. I like how the flood light on the upper left lights up the red background...But a red light shines from the upper right...You can't win them all. I used the D300 with a Nikon 85mm 1.8. Shot mostly at f2 @ ISO 2000.

Some more dogs..

2008-09-03T14:01:00.001-07:00

I went outside and sat in the front yard with the dogs for about an hour this afternoon. I thought it would be nice to snap a couple quick photos before we went back inside so I grabbed my camera and sat down for another 20 minutes....This is what I came back in with.

Hank, eying up one of the neighbors....

Brazos is a ham

Hank's butt

There were a few squirrels running around and Brazos was eying them up the entire time...

And Hank trespassing in the neighbors pool...He weighs 50 pounds...

Life is good...

2008-09-03T13:45:00.001-07:00

Hank laughing in the front yard. This sums up my day pretty well.

bmxin'

2008-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty pumped about riding again. It's been a while, but I'm giving her a go. Landing flat is where it's at. Here is a photo from yesterday at 9th street.

(click for lighting info/flickr page)

Now just to get Mitch out and riding again. Speaking of Mitchell, here is a photo of us two. I'll leave it at that...

Nike+ Human Race

2008-08-31T21:55:00.001-07:00

I went out and shot a couple of quick photos of the Nike+ Human Race 10k in downtown Austin tonight. It was pretty amazing with all of the people running. Nearly 15,000 people in red shirts (except Lance Armstrong, who kept his trademark yellow going) flowing down the street.

(click for a larger view)

I finally got a Photoshelter account the other day too. Now if I can just get my website updated...The photos on there are so old...yikes.

And a special thanks to Jay Janner and Larry Kolvoord for showing me the ropes at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday. I never would have found where to eat without them. :p

Sunday Debut...

2008-08-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

So I wasn't totally up to par with my best shooting abilities last night for the UT game, but I got one shot that I liked. You can see the whole take over on the Austin American Statesman website...

I did, however, nab two front sections on todays (Sunday) paper. A 1A (above the fold) shot of Vince Young and another shot (6 damn columns!) on the Life and Arts section of the band Sounds Under Radio. Not to mention a few shots inside the Sports section and more inside the Life & Arts section as well...and a few in the Metro & State section of a new principal in Bastrop.

Normally I would never post something like this, but it is my first 1A cover for them. Pretty excited.
I've got one portrait this afternoon at 4:00 and a very large event at 6. Should be pretty exciting.

I'll post some photos in a few days....but in the meantime, here is a photo of Dusty at Ramp Ranch just outside of Austin.

Dusty, turndown over the box at RR skatepark in Liberty Hill

Relaxing...

2008-08-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

I whipped up a burger on the new grill outside......mmmmmmmmm

(Click for a bigger view)

A wild salmon burger complete with organic baby spinach, organic tomatoes, pepper jack and garlic cheese and topped with mayo and lemon pepper on a toasted bun. Washed it down with one of Amelia's LandShark beers...Which is surprisingly good.

I didn't set out to take a photo of my lunch, but it is good to take some photos of my own for a second. Speaking of, I was trying to catch this little butterfly gathering some nectar on these tiny little flowers but I scared him off. So here is a photo of the flower. The entire group is less than an inch wide...

(Click for a larger view)

I'm going to head out of here around 3 p.m. to shoot some pre-game stuff and to give myself an hour for traffic. I am listening to the radio and they are saying downtown is impossible to get around in right now. ouch. I can't wait...

Holy crap

2008-08-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

So I spent this morning taking Amelia to ABIA (before 7a.m.) so she could catch a flight to Flordia, just in time for the hurricane.
I went to Taco Deli but they weren't open. It is seriously the best place to get tacos in Austin. Hands down. I've pitched the idea to do a feature on the place so we'll see if we can get the ball rolling. Sooooo good.

After I took the dogs to the dog park, I came home and collected all the rolls of undeveloped film that I have sitting around. 11 rolls. Not much compared to a lot of people, but I don't remember what are on some of the rolls....

I spent all last night shooting high school football in Leander. It was pretty awesome. I only got to shoot one quarter because of a rain delay and my deadline, but it was fun to be on the field again.
The D300 coupled with the Nikon 300mm AFS 2.8 is a dream. ISO 3200 is a breeze. No noise reduction needed. awesome. I'll post a couple in a few days. You can see them @ www.statesman.com under the sports section. The Leander vs. Pflugerville series. wooooooo

I should have a couple football photos in todays paper, along with a front page feature of a band that I shot the other day in the Driskell Hotel in downtown Austin. what fun.

University of Texas football tonight! I'm very, very stoked on shooting this. I picked up my credentials yesterday along with my parking pass. Sweet!

want to piss a photographer off?

2008-08-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

When someone is taking photos please do your best to be a jackass.

Look directly into the camera in every frame, especially if you aren't the one being photographed.
Wave your arms in the air in the background while looking into the camera
Make stupid faces when you see a camera

Not that I would have used this photo anyway, but this guy has single handedly ruined more than 10 photos out of the 50-60 I took last night as part of the Nike Human Race event here in Austin. It looks like he followed me around....I bet he is that guy who you see at the bar that hits on you....Then when you get up the next day and upload your photos to your computer he is in the background of nearly every shot, looking like he is either A) going to kill you B) having the best night of his life pretending he is your friend.

Keep up the good work johnny smith

9th Street Trails...

2008-08-28T14:35:00.002-07:00

Jamie called me up halfway early this morning wanting to ride. I couldn't pass that up. Dug out the bmx and headed down to 9th street. I tried to get through the left line (I realized I never really rode trails before?) and wrecked doing a fakie, of all things.
Met a mountain biker that said he was looking for someone to take photos of him for his sponsor. So we'll see how that goes...

Jamie with a table @ 9th Street Trails. (click for a larger view)

Jamie with a fakie wallride @ 9th Street Trails

These photos were taken with a series of 3 nikon SB speedlights. Click on the bottom photo for lighting information.

Can't wait...Shooting high school football tomorrow and the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. yes!
PM

Nikon announces the D90

2008-08-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Nikon did it again.

Just announced this morning, Nikon rolled out with the D90, a 12.3-megapixel DX camera WITH a 24fps video mode built in. Holy shit. All under $1,000. That is incredible. The future of cameras was announced today. I can't wait until February to see what else they have up their sleeve. Rumors abound about a 20+ megapixel FX D3X camera.

Click here for a video about the new camera from Chase Jarvis, a pro photog who got to try the camera out a few months before the release.

I'm going to pass on getting the D90, but the next FF camera they announce I might pounce on it....
In the meantime, my trusty D300 is working just fine. :)

Team San Jose and some other ATT Crit photos...

2008-08-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

A few photos of the San Jose team during the 2008 ATT Downtown Crit in Austin, TX....With a few others mixed in.

Click on a photo to see a bigger view/view the photo on flickr

oh no

2008-08-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

toothpastefordinner.com

A couple quick photos...

2008-08-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Amelia and I ran into a fire last night just a couple blocks from where we live.

A three alarm fire broke out in these huge duplexes...Almost 60 firemen showed up to battle the blaze. We got there after they had put out the big flames. Blogger is seriously irritating when it comes to photo layout.

I've got to run...Two photo assignments today with a large scale event this evening. Should be fun. Now to go get a 24mm 1.8 ......
PM

An oldie...

2008-08-23T21:27:00.001-07:00

Like Lewsi and Clark, baby
Originally uploaded by pbnjamelia

Some men were meant to rule over all of the space around them. This may be one of those men. '07 trip to Colorado on top of some very large mountain in the middle of nowhere.

I'm shooting friday night lights this year and covering the University of Texas football as well. I'm pretty stoked. You should be stoked as well. Get stoked. More to come....

And a link to tie you over...
www.dayswithmyfather.com

OK two more....

2008-08-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, two more before bed.

I had the assignment to shoot a gentleman in Williamson County that was at one time the only veterinarian in the county.

One of these days I'll get around to scanning the layout in the paper, but this photo ran six columns in color in 1B (alongside a few others from the same series).

Nikon D2H with a 17-35mm.

Another photo from the archives of photos I have yet to
go through. I guess this was a couple of months ago really. The leaves are just starting to come in....

Here is Hanson Little busting a little move at 9th Street
in Austin.

I wish I could shoot this guy all day.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 80-200mm 2.8 AFS
SB80dx / SB80dx subject left and right on 1/2 bare
Fired via PocketWizards.

Cory Branan in Austin

2008-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

If you know me then you have probably heard me talk about Cory Branan before. And if you really know me, you know I never pimp bands coming into town. If you haven't heard him before, you should come on out. He is worth every second of your time...Simply one of the best in the business.
He is finally making a return to Austin and is playing a show on September 4 at the Cactus Cafe.

Thursday, September 4^th

Cory Branan w/ Special Guest Graham Weber

Cactus Café – Austin, TX

Doors @ 8pm / Graham @ 8:30pm / Cory to Close

$7 / ALL AGES

Check out some of his music here and here.

One new photo

2008-08-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do something like this for some time now. Check out the flickr page for lighting info.

pm

MacGyver!

2008-08-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about doing a little bike trip for a long time and we finally got off our asses and did a small jog to New Braunfels, TX from Austin.
We rode over 50 miles in the Texas heat on what seemed to be uphill most of the time.
I can attest that from Buda to New Braunfels it was a steady uphill ride. I brought along Amelia's point and shoot camera to keep weight down.

After we tackled 1st street coming out of Austin, we soon found ourselves seemingly out in the country.
We came across a large fire hydrant that was shooting water out onto a field. Everyone was afraid to touch the water for fear of it ripping the flesh off your bones. But it happened and gib went for a boggy walk in the field.

Gib in the middle of the field / fire hydrant spray

Some videos of said action. I wish this little camera had sound....

At this point in the trip it became very clear that we had no idea what road we were supposed to take. Gib had been given a map by a fellow cyclist that looked like this and so we set out to find our own way....

We ended up riding on the access road of I-35 for more than a few miles after being totally lost and getting retarded directions from someone who worked at WalMart. It was amazing.

So here we were, riding along side cars that were going 60mph with no shoulder. We finally found another backroad and we took it.

Mitch on the road to somewhere

It looked promising. It looked amazing. It had a HUGE shoulder, cars were going 45mph, it wasn't uphill....but it took us in the wrong direction.

Gib on the road to nowhere

So we turned around again and got back on I35.

ride heat ride heat ride heat heat heat heat and my legs start cramping. awesome.

We find the holy grail of roads, Post Road, and make our way to San Marcos. I was lagging behind and stopped to take a pee while everyone else made their way up the long and winding road. I caught up with everyone about 5 minutes later at a dump station.

Mitch yelling at everyone to stop tipping the john while he was in there.

Gib poking Mitch with a stick through a small hole after being yelled at.

We got to San Marcos just in time to go swimming at Texas State.

I don't know if we would have made it if we hadn't stopped here. It was so hot I thought I was going to die. The water was cold, deep and there was a bridge me and Mitch jumped off of.

Mitch - "Arms go splash"

We got on the road again and got lost again. We eventually found the road we needed and it was uphill. The entire time. It was stupid how uphill it was. The sun was beating down so hard and the small amount of clouds didn't even seem to stop it. We found refuge under a large tree near some factory in the middle-a-nowhere to take a break under. I think Rick was having a heat stroke and he wasn't feeling very good. So we sat in the shade for a bit and watched cars and tractors go by.

The tree of life.

Gib eating some trail mix as tractors honk at us.

I managed to stick my hand right on top of a cactus while taking this picture. I got the needles out but the real pain started about 5 minutes later. It hurt for almost an hour.

After our little break, we got back on the road again. We weren't but a few miles away from where we were going to stay the night and things looked great.

Rick behind me.

We finally made it to our hotel and it was pretty laid back. We went to eat and ended up at Olive Garden of all places. On our way out, we caught a storm rolling in.

doesn't look that nasty on this video...of course

So once we started to see the storm roll in we did what anyone would do. We got some beer and headed to the pool/hot tub. After sitting around for a good hour we went back to the overpriced room to catch some ZZZZZZZZZZs.

I don't think that is allowed.

After Rick and Gib went to sleep, Mitch gave them a good 'ol steamroller. Nothing like waking up to some dude in his underwear rolling on top of you.

I woke up at my usual time before 8am and headed out to get some hotel breakfast. I found what could possibly be the best thing to happen to this state....

Only in Texas.

After our morning meal we went and tubed the Comal River with hundreds of other people. I'm tired of typing.

My Olympic Debut...

2008-08-18T12:02:00.001-07:00

USA Softball. More to come

So much work, so little time

2008-08-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

And now ladies and gentlemen, I am off to shoot in Lake Travis after getting up and driving to Round Rock at 7 a.m. this morning. Ah, what a great feeling!

And one from this morning

!

Finally....

2008-08-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Me and Hank in the biggest white space on the planet.

I finally grabbed a program that will put together still photos into a slideshow.

And lastly for now a photo of the recent UIL State Golf Tournament in Austin.

Chris Walker tosses his putter in the air after missing a putt on the ninth green during the Golf State Championships in Austin on Friday. The Woodlands golf team placed second overall in the tournament.

More to come

A couple more things....

2008-08-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Amelia is buying a car as I type this, so no Round Rock Express baseball game tonight. Instead I'm going to update with some photos that never made it to print.

Speaking of baseball, I shot a number of games for Southwestern University in Georgetown...

This one never was printed (for obvious reasons), but it was on the Mutiny Bikes & Coalition BMX sites a while ago. Hanson Little doing a nice one over the hip into the deep end on the last night of the Skatepark of Austin.

Hanson Little

When I was working at the newspaper in Georgetown, I had the double duty of being the chief photographer and the photo editor. All for a pay decrease and a 35 minute commute from the job I left to take the position. Not to mention the normal 60-70 hour workweek that included the weekends. ALL OF THEM.

One day I was sitting at my desk doing something and I heard over the scanner that a naked man with a weapon had barracaded himself inside the courthouse across the street from the office...
I grabbed my cameras and set out the door running. I climbed up to the third story to shoot from the story from above (they were on a balcony where you couldn't see up).
The man had stripped off all his clothes, pulled out a sword that was hidden in his cane and said he was going to kill some people, according to some witnesses that I talked to. That didn't happen. Pretty crazy still....

Surrounded by police and covered with his own shirt on the balcony of one of the oldest
courthouses in Central Texas....

This is out from the AP. Thanks to bmxboard I found this little funny story from the AP...

ST. PAUL (AP) - An orange trail of Cheetos led St. Paul police to three teenagers suspected of burglarizing a vending machine.

Officers were called to the Arlington Recreation Center on July 29, where they found a vending machine's glass had been broken with a chair. Most of the candy and chips were missing, according to a criminal complaint.

The officers followed a trail of snack debris from the rec center, around the side of the building and to a nearby home. Inside, they found numerous vending-sized bags of Cheetos and other snacks.

Police arrested three males aged 17, 18 and 19 who soon arrived at the home by car. The two adults are charged with third-degree burglary; the 17-year-old is charged with criminal damage to property.

All three denied being involved, the complaint says.

amazing.
More to come....

outtakes

2008-08-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

The car photos are coming...thanks for the emails!

I'm pretty excited because I put a bid in for a photo job and got it. I overpriced myself like a mother and it worked. Great!

Shot some football for the Statesman this morning.

Here is one of many that I didn't bother sending in. I'll put more up after they have been published....

And now we are off to the Round Rock Express baseball game in Round Rock! Should be a blast, as usual. $1 hotdogs / soda tonight. Cheap date? ha! I'll try to sneak in the 300mm again....heh. Worked last time anyway....

Jeff with a 360 table at Ramp Ranch outside of Austin (in Liberty Hill) this past summer

Car photography

2008-08-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to shoot a couple of cars inside a very cool location.
Before this, I had never shot any cars and it was very difficult to light these things effectively with such small strobes in very strong (and very ugly) ambient light.
I used 4 Nikon speedlights, triggered by pocketwizards, to help out with the lighting.
I haven't had the chance to edit the photos yet, but here are a few 'behind the scenes' looks on how I lighted the cars.

I moved the lights around a lot during the shoot and this is where they happened to be when I took these shots.

More to come!

Finally football season....

2008-08-08T09:22:00.001-07:00

It is FINALLY here...Football season. Not that I particularly love football, but I love photographing it.

I had the chance to shoot some high school stuff for the Statesman the other day and last night I had the privilege to cover the Texas Longhorns public practice. I got a couple shots that I like so that is icing on the cake. I can't show you any of my selects until they are published, but here is one small outtake. During warm ups...more to come

Swimming

2008-08-06T11:54:00.001-07:00

I went to Wimberly for a photo shoot this morning and I couldn't pass up the chance to go swimming at Blue Hole while I was in town. I had never been...It is well worth the drive and very unique. No wonder it made it in the list of the top 3 places to swim in Texas. http://www.texasmonthly.com/2008-08-01/feature.php

There were literally 4 other people there while I was there. One gentleman was there celebrating his 63 birthday. He grew up swimming there and made the trip back with his family from Ohio (I believe) to relive some childhood experiences. He was jumping off the dock and grabbing a swinging chain in the air. I am going to be lucky to be able to move when I am that old. Guy was nuts....But not as crazy as this fellow. One of the nicest dudes I've met in a long time.

Gainer
From full height.

at full height, he would pull himself up and spin the ring 360degrees and catch it and swing back. wild

the kids of summer

jumping off the bank to swing from the ring.... so much fun

Recent stuff

2008-08-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know I know...I haven't shot any bmx in about a month. I simply haven't been motivated to get it done. Lugging all the equipment around kills me. I did get a package from a fellow over at RideBMX that has given me some inspiration. So hopefully new shots soon. Jamie is moving here on the 15th, so that will defiantly help. No bmx, but this is what I have been shooting this past month. Some fun stuff and some fun work stuff. I shoot 3 portraits and a football practice tomorrow morning! sweet!

My Nikon F4 w/MB21 with my Nikkor 300mm 2.8 inside the studio. I've been shooting a little film now and again. I just spend $50 getting it developed anyway. I sold my medium format system for a Nikon 85mm and a couple more flashes. I regret it now though. Got rid of my darkroom a month or so ago as well. I miss it, even though I rarely used it.

MMMMM....one of my most favorite cereals inside my studio. mmmmm

I shot some food from Trudy's for the Austin American Statesman's XL magazine. Soooo good. Trudy's has the best mexican martinis in Austin. Hands down.

I recently got some umbrellas and have been shooting the dogs a lot with them...practicing. This is Hank. About 6 months old...

I shot some interiors for the Austin American Statesman homes section. Pretty wild stuff. It was a lot of fun and pretty difficult. The house was so dark...I'll give you a cookie if you can tell me where I had my four wireless flashes at. One is very obvious....

I shot a feature for the Austin American Statesman the other day about a house in the Crestview neighborhood that was built in the 50's and the original owners just sold it to the parents of the kids in the photo. When they built the house, they were the only family around for a few miles. Fields all around. Crazy to think about that now. The house (and the lady who sold it) is featured on a mural down the road as well.... A fun little story...
Hank being lazy on the couch after a day at the dog park.
I covered the Onion Creek Classic / Hooters Pro Golf Tour for the Austin American Statesman the other day. Pretty fun chasing guys around on foot. The winner won by one stroke in a playoff on the 18th hole.
Hayes Carll played at Threadgills in downtown Austin the other night. Good music, times and friends.
Hank laying at Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas at Lady Bird Lake. It was such a nice day. A nice day for a B&W photo anyway. Hot as all heck...(click it for a better, bigger view)
I covered these two guys for the Austin American Statesman the other day. The older gentleman is a baseball fanatic who lives in San Antonio and the guy throwing the pitch is a former MLB pitcher. The two make an interesting pair because the former pitcher is helping the older gentleman with his ball game, and the professor is helping the former star with the transition into a regular citizens life.

I've been going to the dog park a lot. Watching the dogs run around in circles in the heat. Pretty funny really. Brazos likes to terrorize Hank still...Hank is almost as tall as Braz, so it won't last much longer....

I covered a hula-hoop club for the Austin American Statesman a couple weeks ago. A bunch of people get together every week to hula-hoop in the park. Pretty strange, but a good bunch of hippies.

I also got a set of umbrellas that I've been playing with. Brazos on his chair after a day at the dog park. He is pretty lazy around the house unless there is someone knocking on the door or there is a fly buzzing around in the window...

oh yea

2008-06-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

how could I update without photos of my big 'ol Hank? He is a whopping 36.6 pounds as of today! Almost 10 pounds heavier than he was a month ago! Also some Brazos mixed in there. What a bunch of lovely coconuts!

working for a living

2008-06-24T15:44:00.001-07:00

mmmmmmmmmmm

I've spent the last 2 days doing (gasp!) sit ups, swimming and playing with the dogs. Tomorrow should be great as I get to do all these things PLUS shoot the USA Olympic Softball Team and a game here in Texas. Sweet! Get stoked! I've had the strangest itch to shoot some BMX here recently but I haven't been out in a while....I need to get on that asap...
I started a flickr account, just like I said I never would. http://www.flickr.com/photos/flatlander22/ to steal my photos. I'm not to keen on updating things there.....Check out my sportsshooter page for regular updates. www.sportsshooter.com/meredith ...damn it i hate blogging

whoa

2008-05-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

yikes

welllllllllllllllllllll

2008-05-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

Digital photography is pretty amazing.

oh noes!!1

2008-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

I put up photos from my brothers wedding on another blog located @ www.jennandjesse.blogspot.com

Here are some photos from our trip to Houston this past weekend...along with some photos of when we took the dogs to the dog park as soon as we got back to Austin. It was cold, windy, rainy and very funny. Brazos is an ass.

Amelia is an official junior zoo keeper at the Houston Zoo.

Amelia has a mustache already, but this is ridiculous!

Oh, Brazos biting Hank? No way!

I have no idea how Brazos' legs are like that. and that tail!

Amelia taunts a snake inside the Houston Zoo.

We went to a few museums in Houston. One of the coolest exhibits was made up of Aztec artifacts. I broke all the rules taking this photograph.

Russ might have broke this stroller that was found in the near empty parking lot. I was secretly hoping there was a baby mess he would sit on...

Hank out running Brazos for a split second.

Hank getting his revenge. I believe their heads collided....

Hank drying off. He has so much extra skin all over his body...He looks like he is made of putty when he shakes off...

Flying tackle. +3

Brazos still picks on him, but it won't last that much longer...

tabasco

2008-04-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

We may have went to a few museums in Houston this past weekend. Dinosaurs...Those things didn't exist. Photos from my brothers wedding are on the way.......

2008-04-24T07:23:00.001-07:00

slowly forgotten
early catapults squeaking
slyly, mists cursing

Rough times...

2008-04-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough day. I woke up early and went swimming with the dogs...Their first real venture into the water. I was to busy having a good time to really take photos...It's nice to put the camera down once in a while...but here they are today.... (CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR THE FULL VIEW...for some reason they are getting cut off....)

During swimming

and the coolest dog on the planet playing fetch in the water...Hank

Swept away. . . . .

2008-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

I caught myself looking through old photographs today...Not like a few years ago though.... There were no shoe boxes, no contact sheets or even prints to go through. Something needs to change...

Swept Away in Colorado. Ah, what a great trip.

I'm off to Chuy's happy hour. Unlimited queso, meat and chips for the price of a margarita. Before I moved to Texas a couple years ago, I don't think I ever tasted the sweet and sour mix. I can feel it coursing through my veins now. BIKE!

JOMOPRO

2008-04-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

Photographs from the '08 JOMOPRO contest held in Joplin, Missouri this past weekend.
If you are interested in using a photograph, please contact me directly @

info@meredith-photo.com
Looking for a photograph of someone not posted? Send me an email and I'll see what I can dig up!
-pm

Drew Bezanson - Flair

Ryan Nyquist - transfer

Will Love - Nothing Canner

Ricky Moseley (whoops) - Backflip no hander

Jeff Sadler - 270 the hip

Jeremiah Smith - No handed 360

Jeremiah Smith - No footed CanCan

Joey Hill - Superman Seatgrab

Ryan Guettler - 1 footed X-up flair

Anthony Watkinson - Invert

Anthony Watkinson - Turndown

Daniel Dhers - no handed flat spin 720

Daniel Dhers - Big Whip

Please remember that these photographs are copyrighted and may not be used without permission. Thanks!

working for a living

2008-04-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know...Something about how the late afternoon sunlight glints over the top of a baseball field that just gives me the shivers.

I started freelancing for the Austin American Statesman recently and I hope to all hell that it can continue. I'm going to be shooting my heart out every chance I get.

One of several hundred photos that didn't make the cut for sending in.

I'm in the process of building another addition onto my "studio".........I just wish I had more room to do it in. I have some wild ideas (thanks to www.strobist.com & www.diyphotography.net & www.photo.net) and I just need to give them some room to materialize.......

Hank and Mitch

2008-04-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I got a dog the day I parted ways with the newspaper in Georgetown full time. His name is Hank and he is the coolest little blue heeler on the planet. He is 3 months old and pretty much rules everything...Except Brazos. That little bastard kicks him around all the time.
I also built a small studio setup in my garage last week and have been playing around with it. Cool to shoot something different again. IT'S HAMMER TIME

It's hammer time!

Tough as nails!

Here he is kicking some ass at Redbud.

All 20 pounds of 'em.

testing

2008-03-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Campbell, medium size