From our not-engagement shoot from a few weeks ago with Noel and Denise. I knew in my head that I wanted to surprise the couple with a little something different. I have been experimenting more and more in the Still+Video hybrid shoots. For this shoot, I knew that I wouldn’t have access to my video function (that camera was elsewhere), but I did have access to my high speed burst mode

We went with a cinema theme because the happy couple loves movies! There will also be an appearance of the PropBooth at the Reception.

AzulOx Photography will be covering this wedding on 12/11/10.

Noel and Denise – Save The Date from Josh Baker on Vimeo.

Noel and Denise, I am so excited for you guys!

To get your super-awesome Engagements-Save The-Date video, please contact Josh at josh@azulox.com

I am super excited! Now that Zac and Emily have gotten hitched, I can finally show off the bridals from a few months ago. We didn’t want the photos in the wild and ruin the surprise of her dress.

In talking with Emily we decided that a San Antonio shoot would work best and after hearing her describe her dress, decided that the Art Deco District near Fredricksburg Road would be the place to get our photos on. We started at Eisenhower Park, so named because Dwight and his wife used to rowboat around the lake.
Then we hit up a couple of places with good sights along the way.

Thanks to Russ for helping me with the lights, and to Kate for helping Emily with her Dress.

Too many photos to share, so here is the slideshow from this gallery

Enjoy
– JB

It wasn’t Mr. Toads, but the last few days have been a journey for me, including the 768 miles I drove between Thursday and Sunday. The week started off with some new gear. I stepped up from battery powered strobes to an Alien Bee 800 with a 47 inch Octabox. For those who read this who have no idea what that last sentence means, I now have the sun in my bag. And yes, I did have to get a bigger bag.

Thursday, Headed out to Houston. Scouted the location of my Friday Corporate shoot in downtown. 16th floor conference room that looks out to the former Enron building. Well, it is still a building, just used to house Enron. Wrapped up the scouting, and proceeded to a Mother-Daughter head shot shoot. Had a wonderful time with Natalie, the actress, and Beverly, the corporate speaker. Beverly is from Alice and her family and my family were in a similar line of business back in the day, mainly oil fields and construction.

Beverly and Natalie

After the requirements of the shoot were done, we headed outside for a few Mother-Daughter moments.

Thursday night, Bari (friend from wayback), her few month old Max and I went for tacos at 100% Taco. Great little restaurant setup like a street vendor in Mexico. Even had the green taxi in the center.

Friday Morning, Downtown Houston. Corporate shoot for Enite Consulting, Thanks to Neal Hamil Agency for providing our clients and the awesome front desk help of Ashley and Brandon who made our time a breeze. Ashely is in film school, and Brandon does graphic design. Further proof of the creative mind looking to break out from behind the front desk. Another former Seguinite, Andrew, helped me with setup, grunt work, and detail picture taking. Thanks Andrew!

The shoot went great, lots of fun headshots/team shots/stocky shots. Can’t post em yet until the client is happy with them, but they will probably be their own post later.

Lunch with Andrew followed at The Hobbit? down by Rice U. Good blue cheese burger, The raspberry tea? not so much. Best part of the lunch. Guy in table next to us talking to three medical clients, “Don’t ever go into trading lumber futures, you can lose a lot of money in it” ….. What?!, I don’t even know where to begin on that one.

Friday evening, headed back to Austin in the rain. Dropped off the borrowed Vagabond power pack back to Jake North Photography (mine is on backorder), thanks Jake! Friday night was filled with backing up files, spinning hard drives and charging batteries. The glamorous life we lead

Muddy Buddy Mud Pit

Saturday morning up early to shoot the Muddy Buddy Austin race for brightroom in Johnson City. I was the photographer in the “pit”, 40 foot mud pit that the racing teams finished in. After 10 minutes of wearing sandals, it became a barefoot day in the mud. Great race, terrible parking, copious amounts of mud flying. (in my ear, on my beard, on top of hat, etc.) After I had cleaned up a little, enough to get into the wifey’s car, I helped a fellow photog get her car unstuck. Did I say cleaned up? I meant, splattered with mud from head to toe. Melissa, I am waiting for that six-pack….

Soon to be gone Sandals

Drove to Luling to grab some City Market hot links, then off to my mom’s in Seguin for a power nap. Saturday Night, my assistant Kaush and I tackled the wedding of Zac and Emily in downtown Seguin under the gazebo at Central Park. Following a horse drawn carriage ride to the reception area, Emily and Zac partied in the Coliseum of Seguin. All of their photos will be on my zenfolio site here

Emily and Zac

Drive back to Austin late, recharge batteries, dump files, backup files, catch a few hours sleep. Up again Sunday morning at 5am, picked up Tenille, my favorite Canadian Pro Triathlete, and headed out to Pace Bend Park for the last of the 2010 Rogue Trail Series, The BEND. Interesting course, in that the 10k and 30k racers finished in different directions. Gabe, the trail master, was trying to challenge me I know. Thanks to Minh for bringing me a breakfast beer up to my perch on the 30k course. The sprinkles came shortly after that, had to engineer cover for my flashes, and used a shoot thru umbrella as an actual, yknow, umbrella. Haha.

Umbrella'ed Flash

Finished up Sunday with another power nap, and then a Maternity shoot with my running buddy JP and his wife Vikki. Vikki’s daughter learned how to ride a bike that morning, so we got some snaps of that as well. Pretty powerful to be a part of both of those experiences, the expectation of a new child, and seeing another child hit a great milestone in their life. I have the best job.

To me, the journey of the last week encapsulated what I love so much about the photography business. Meeting new people, reconnecting with old friends for new purposes, challenging one self creatively, jumping into situations that make me feel a little uncomfortable – but surviving, and seeing joy in others as they pass into new life accomplishments.

Stay Thirsty My Friends, and enjoy the Wild Ride of your Lives!

The last thing I posted was all about my workflow, lots of words, no pictures. Let us change that up a bit for you and give you pictures with not a lot of words.

We have already covered some of Emily’s Bridal pictures, the 2 that I could show you. Now we get to meet Zac. Started out on the East Side of Austin, meeting at Progress Coffee on 5th and San Marcos. Then moseyed over to some cool loading docks.

On the Loading Dock

The running joke of the day was to “Act Natural”, as though those are magic words a photographer can say to elicit true emotion.

Walking by the Station

Hit up the Saltillo Plaza train station for some beautiful flowers, benches, a homeless guy sleeping, and stolen moments

In the Stairwell

The ran over to Town Lake/Lady Bird Lake. Of course it was Saturday, so a wedding was going on and about 3 other photography sessions at my spot, but luckily I bring my own lights.

Of course, I had to put Emily in front of some graffiti, she pulls this off so well. Emily probably will love it, her mother not so much.

Till Death due us part

And then right around the corner, I found my new favorite space in Downtown. This cool little alleyway across from a Bank of America (so Emily will know how to get back). I setup a flash as some backlight, and pulled out my low light special – 85mm f1.8. The lightstand almost got run over, but the pictures came out great. I think they are like something out of a forbidden romance movie set in New York.

Silhouette - Take 1

In the Movies

Take 3

In honor of Emily’s blue dress we tried to hit up the convention center parking garage, but some other photographers were there with on-camera flash ready to go. I stayed out of their way out of respect.

All in all, we had a wonderful time together. So glad I got to meet Zac, we connected on bad movie jokes and cultural references that made me feel old since Emily didn’t get them. Looking very much to their wedding in May.

For all the images in this set, head over here.

–JB

Emily at Woodlawn Park

Emily’s Bridal Portraits went awesome Sunday’s in San Antonio. I was assisted by my longest-time friend, Russ. Emily brought along Kate.

First off, the sky was beautiful, some wispy clouds, but otherwise blue. The wind continued my streak of Lubbock-like breeze patterns, hard and often. Undaunted, we set off on to the Deco District in San Antonio near Woodlawn Park. We roamed up and down the streets utilizing the funky architecture to fit Emily’s personality and wedding style.

Second, Emily is fantastic to work with. She claims to be shy, but I never saw that. Continuing another streak, she learned her model moves from America’s Next Top Model. That is a streak of 4 clients in a row for me, I had to confess again to watching it for the photography/modeling as well. Doesn’t help with the man card, but it helps with the photo card.

Em has a neo-funky dress which fit her awesomely, can’t show the dress yet, don’t want the groom peaking too much. Some traditions still hold and this is one I like.

Our favorite background is the one that Russ is modeling here.

Monroe Wall with Russ the Model

We went with an Orbis Ring Flash as the single light here. When Emily was in the frame, we used a white sheet as a scrim to block the sunlight and bring the ambient down some so that we could carry an aperture and get that ringflash look. If this makes no sense, head over to strobist.com .

Once the wedding happens in May, I will give it the full blog treatment with lots of pretty pictures!

– JB