David Cox Photography

Taylor's Senior Portraits

2011-10-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association May Madness

2011-05-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

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Hayley Voige & Mark English - A Beautiful Wedding at Sunset

2011-05-18T08:08:00.003-05:00

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Rich Kinney's 80th Birthday

2011-02-13T21:47:00.000-06:00

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Taya's Birthday

2011-02-05T20:54:00.005-06:00

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Heather in Austin

2010-10-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

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Robyn Dickson & Ron Garza Wedding Shower Photobooth

2010-10-09T19:58:00.004-05:00

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Kristan & Darby

2010-10-09T19:55:00.001-05:00

Pacific Northwest

2010-08-15T20:21:00.048-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association Bowling Night 2010

2010-08-12T19:34:00.026-05:00

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Joe Travelling Through Austin

2010-08-07T20:11:00.027-05:00

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Quinn Scott - The Wiglet's Birthday

2010-07-31T19:50:00.001-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association Property of the Year 2010

2010-06-11T06:06:00.000-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Property of the Year Awards Dinner and Officer Installation at the Hyatt Regency at Town Lake in Austin Texas on Thursday evening, June 10th, 2010. They saluted the Jewels of the Industry: the Austin Apartment Association’s Properties of the Year. Sarah Thompson, of Martine Properties, was installed as the 2010-2011 AAA President, along with AAA Officers, a new Board of Directors and new Products & Services Council Members.

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The new 2010-2011 AAA President: Sarah Thompson, Martine Properties

Austin Apartment Association May Madness

2010-05-16T11:04:00.003-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual May Madness event on May 13, 2010 at the Salt Lick BBQ in Spicewood, Texas.

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Kira Zhaurova & Brad Metz Wedding

2010-04-17T07:41:00.000-05:00

Kira Zhaurova and Brad Metz were married April 10th, 2010 at the always beautiful House on the Hill in Austin, Texas. The wedding was officiated by Brad & Kira's friend Jeremy Hudgeons and Austin band The White Ghost Shivers played the reception. Kira had a four layer wedding cake topped with bride and groom chocolate-dipped strawberries while Brad's was a retro Miller High Life groom's cake. Even though they are arguably not actually pimps, Brad and Kira sported matching Playa and Shorty pimp cup chalices for toasts at the reception.

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Shorty and the Playa, Kira Zhaurova & Brad Metz toast with their pimp chalices.

The wedding officiant Jeremy Hudgeons with his wife Kiran Mir.

The Austin band The White Ghost Shivers played several rousing sets of their own unique blend of western swing, vaudeville and early 20's jazz music posing as pseudo-rock. Above is Cella Blue who provides vocal, slide whistle, and kazoo for the band.

Kira had a beautiful chocolate-dripped four layer wedding cake topped with bride and groom chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Brad had a retro Miller High Life chocolate groom's cake.

Easter Portraits

2010-04-13T06:08:00.003-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association Casino Royale

2010-02-19T06:02:00.003-06:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Casino Royale event on February 18, 2010 at the Norris Conference Center in Austin.

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Click here to view a slideshow of the event photographs

You don't understand the word cold.

2010-01-05T00:28:00.003-06:00

When we left Nebraska to return to Texas, it was -7.

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Photo Christmas Ornaments

2009-12-13T14:50:00.003-06:00

I collected some of my favorite images from the past several years and printed them fairly large. Then I mounted them on foam core and cut them out on the jigsaw. I'm pretty pleased with it as it really makes the tree a great deal more personal.

Austin Apartment Association Holiday Gala 2009

2009-12-12T11:55:00.003-06:00

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Austin Apartment Association Gameshow Mania Trade Show

2009-10-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Trade Show at Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX on Thursday 10/16/2009.

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Click here to view the full gallery and order prints.

September 2009 Portrait Session Highlights

2009-09-27T18:27:00.006-05:00

I've been shooting a lot of studio work lately. Here's some of my fav's from the last few weeks.

House Update

2009-07-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

You may have seen several updates here regarding on ongoing updates to our house. We are happy to announce that we have now touched the last untouched room. Said room was previously known only as the warehouse as it contained a remarkable number of boxes and random furniture. Oh, and it had rose wall paper border and pink walls. Oh, and 300+ holes in the wall from the teenager who lived here before.

Here it is just before we purchased the house.

Here's the new and improved guest bedroom / craft room which we managed to complete a solid 36 hours before Taylor's arrival to visit.

larger

If you missed them, here are the previous updates on the house:
June 2007
July 2007
May 2009

Taylor's Visit to Austin

2009-07-12T19:09:00.003-05:00

Jen's sister Taylor came to stay with us in Austin for several days over the 4th of July. We had a great time having a Rock Band party at Michael's party house, spent some fantastic time with Jim & Betty Jo Bettersworth in their beautiful new home in New Braunsfels, saw some fireworks at the Dell Diamond, shot some fireworks at the house, and spent 2 days at Schlitterbahn Water Park.

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Hunter's 3rd Birthday

2009-06-21T17:03:00.002-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association Property of the Year 2009

2009-06-21T16:14:00.002-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Property of the Year Gala this year on the 17th of June in Austin.

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Crusin the Caribbean

2009-06-03T09:32:00.002-05:00

Jen and I got to spend 7 wonderful days with my in-laws and all their associated nuggets on a cruise celebrating Michele and Mike's 25th anniversary. We went to Jamaica and Cayman out of Galveston on the Carnival Conquest. In all, we had a group of 17: grandma & grandpa Kinney, 4 daughters, 4 husbands, and 7 nuggets.

Click here to see and order prints from the "best of" gallery (55 images)
Click here to see and order prints from the entire gallery (588 images)

Austin Apartment Association May Madness

2009-05-12T13:03:00.002-05:00

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The Austin Apartment Association held their annual May Madness Party at the Saltlick BBQ in Driftwood Texas May 7, 2009 with more than 600 attendees.

John Kermit Van Zant (11/5/1915 - 5/1/2009)

2009-05-07T05:44:00.004-05:00

Rev. John Kermit Van Zant of Garland passed away Friday, May 1, 2009, in Dallas. The middle of nine children, he was born to John Lee and Essie Trueblood Van Zant on November 5, 1915, on the family farm near Everton, Arkansas.

After working on neighboring farms as a teen to help support his family and continue his education, he felt God’s call to become a Methodist minister. Against the odds, he worked numerous and varied jobs in order to attend college and seminary. He graduated from Hendrix College in 1942 and from Perkins School of Theology at SMU in 1945.

He began his ministry in Huntsville, Arkansas and served churches in the Dallas, Garland, Rowlett and Beaumont areas for many years as a pastor. Later, he taught Texas history for twenty years in Garland at Memorial Junior High School. In his retirement, he loved to garden and produced beautiful tomatoes to share with friends and family. An active member of the Garland Host Lion's Club, he particularly enjoyed their annual BBQ Chicken Day.

Rev. Van Zant was preceded in death by Mary Mildred Simpson Van Zant, his wife of 61 years, his parents, two sisters and five brothers. He is survived by his son Jim Van Zant and his wife Debbie, their children Kerry and Emily Van Zant, and by his daughter Sue Cox, her husband Ralph, their son David Cox and his wife Jennifer. Also surviving him are his sister Merle Phillips, sister-in-law Emeline Thaxton and a large extended family. Rev. Van Zant and his late wife were lovingly cared for during their last years by the staff at C.C. Young Methodist Home. All will remember him for his love of God, service to others and wonderful sense of humor.

Visitation will be Sunday, May 10, from 6-8 p.m. at Restland Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Ave., Dallas. Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, May 11, at 1 p.m., at Restland's Wildwood Chapel.

Modern Furniture

2009-05-02T07:48:00.005-05:00

I finished building our cabinets for our living room. Click this link for more info and building details.

A Super Party

2009-02-13T00:52:00.002-06:00

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There was apparently a big football game on recently on a Sunday. We took it as an opportunity to have a bunch of people over, set up a photo booth, do some gymnastics, and eat a bacon explosion.

Oh, and Bruce Springsteen has really sold out.

The Bacon Explosion under construction. For those who haven't heard, it consists of 2 pounds of bacon and 2 pounds of sausage. Oh, and it was really good.

The finished Bacon Explosion after being smoked over oak and apple wood and glazed with Stubbs and Honey.

I don't know how the gymnastics started. However, I did have a distinct feeling that it might not end well.

It didn't.

Austin Apartment Association: Casino Royale 2009

2009-02-12T23:59:00.002-06:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual casino night at the Norris Conference Center on 2/12/2009.

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Ari, Taya & Taryn Portraits

2008-12-23T11:15:00.002-06:00

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Austin Apartment Association: Holiday Gala 2008

2008-12-14T21:15:00.004-06:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual holiday gala Thursday at the Austin Country Club.

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State Fair of Texas 2008

2008-10-19T20:56:00.002-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association Trade Show 2008

2008-10-19T17:00:00.002-05:00

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Waco Cultural Arts Fest 2008

2008-09-24T05:58:00.002-05:00

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Inner City All Stars

Atash

Atash

Atash

Atash

Naseem Khozein

Brave Combo

Brave Combo

Richard Thomas & the Sesame Street Quartet

Capital City Pipes & Drums

Capital City Pipes & Drums

South Austin Jug Band

Dale Watson

Dale Watson

Waco Cultural Arts Fest

Austin Apartment Association Bowling Night 2008

2008-08-25T10:47:00.002-05:00

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Phoenix

2008-08-25T10:06:00.001-05:00

Jen

2008-08-25T10:04:00.001-05:00

Austin Apartment Association Property of the Year 2008

2008-06-24T08:03:00.003-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association May Madness 2008

2008-05-16T08:01:00.003-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual May Madness party at the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. Music was provided by the Pictures .

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Click to view the May Madness 2008 Gallery Gallery

May Calf Branding, Bassett, Nebraska

2008-05-11T17:48:00.002-05:00

My father-in-law took me to a calf branding on 3 ranches near Bassett, Nebraska. This is the true definition of a co-op. More than 30 folks arrive to help out with no pay other than lunch and some cold suds after the work is done. They rotate through all the local ranches during calving season so that all the work gets done. In fewer than 3 hours, more than 180 calves had been sorted, branded, medicated and castrated on 3 separate ranches. Its truly amazing how fast all this work gets done. The threat of oncoming rain certainly helped motivate folks as well.

While holding the back leg of a calf and getting ready to turn him out back into the pasture, I loosened my grip. He reminded me that even though they're small, they have a heck of a kick. My lip is almost back down to normal size.

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The modern urban cowboy. My inspiration for this photo came roughly from this Gary Larson "The Far Side" comic:

Taylor Hart Graduation & Confirmation

2008-05-11T17:28:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law Taylor had a big weekend. She graduated from 8th grade at the Bassett, Nebraska grade school, was confirmed at church, and is about to have her birthday.

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Spring Portraits

2008-05-11T15:48:00.002-05:00

We got the chance to spend some time with our friends Jen, Kevin, Ari, Taya, Taryn and Karen as well as their dogs. Some very nice portraits of a most blessed family.

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Amy Esdorn's Birthday in Blanco

2008-03-17T08:35:00.002-05:00

We spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend in Blanco at a fabulous house with our friends Michael, Amy, Tyree, Stephanie and Matt. I got a chance to work with some really nice light for some great portraits.

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Karaoke Night at the Water Tank

2008-03-17T08:29:00.002-05:00

Just some fun pics from a biker-karaoke-dive-bar which makes a great burger. If you live in Austin, be sure to check out The Water Tank on McNeil at 183. Steak night is on Wednesday and its excellent!

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AMODA Laptop DJ Battle at Club DeVille

2008-03-16T22:44:00.003-05:00

Michael and I went to the AMODA (Austin Museum of Digital Art) Digital Showcase #43 Laptop DJ Battle which was hosted during the South by Southwest Music Festival at Club Deville. All of these shots were made without flash at ISO3200 with a 100mm f2.0 prime on the Canon 40D.

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Austin Apartment Association Casino Night

2008-02-22T04:53:00.002-06:00

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Bussinger Birthdays

2008-02-21T09:13:00.002-06:00

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Christmas In Nebraska

2007-12-27T21:57:00.000-06:00

Its cold. Ridiculously cold. The people up here say its actually relatively quite warm. They also call lunch dinner, which apparently is different than supper. I think the cold is getting to them.

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Fun with keywords:
My photo hosting company (smugmug) allows for keyword searching of images across multiple galleries. This provides a pretty cool way to see someone grow over the years. For example, here's a gallery of images of Taylor Hart and Abby Beach.

Click here to see my keywords.

The cold got to these two (Jen and her sister Taylor).

We went sledding. Much fun. But it sure is a lot of work dragging those damn things back up the hill.

Dragging it behind the truck works alot better. Yes, that's Jen in a snoopy hat.

Uncle Bun with 2 of his granddaughters Allie and Jacie.

Never say you don't like black olives.

All the nuggets in one place.

Emmett Albert Thaxton Jr.

2007-12-20T15:04:00.000-06:00

March 8, 1921 - December 17, 2007

My great-uncle Emmett passed away this week. He was an incredible man with an incredible heart. He will be greatly missed.

Emmett made this recording in 1968 on open-reel tape. The recording primarily features my great-grandmother (Emeline Simpson), Emmett, his wife (Emeline Simpson Thaxton), his daughter (Margaret Thaxton Von Runnen), and their dog (Maggie).
Right-Click on this link to download the file to your computer (26MB).

From his obituary:
His parents were Emmett Albert Thaxton and Miladi Marie Skrabanek. He lived all of his life in Dallas and attended Robert E. Lee Elementary, J.L. Long Jr. High School, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1939. He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Texas A&M University prior to enlisting in the Army Air Corp. He served in the U.S. Army as a Forward Observer with the 191st Field Artillery Battalion in Gen. Pattons Third Army during WWII. He served in the Occupation Army after the end of the war. He was a 1st Lieutenant and was awarded an Air Medal for Distinguished Service. He attended SMU on the GI Bill and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He spent 30 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in the Auditing and Cash Departments, retiring as a Vice President in 1986. He had a lifelong interest in music, mechanics and ham radio. His call sign was "WD5HRK". His razor wit and sense of humor will truly be missed. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Emeline Simpson Thaxton, daughter Margaret Thaxton Von Runnen, son-in-law Jack Von Runnen, grandsons Reed Thaxton Dennis and Blain Hodgens Dennis. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Circle 10 Council. Restland 972-238-7111 http://www.restlandfuneralhome.com

Austin Apartment Association Holiday Gala 2007

2007-12-14T14:09:00.000-06:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Holiday Gala at the Austin Country Club on Thursday 12/13/2007. The event was fabulous with amazing doorprizes, food, and entertainment provided by Dysfunkshun Junkshun.

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Keithley and Vanessa Shorte Wedding

2007-11-25T08:58:00.000-06:00

Joe, Brian, and I met up in Houston for our friend Keithley's wedding.

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Thanksgiving with the Portii

2007-11-25T08:53:00.000-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving day with the Portis family during their last year in College Station.

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All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

2007-11-15T09:26:00.000-06:00

Sadly, the Rolly is no more. He was a good car for more than 10 years. But his ass was about to fall out (the transmission part of his ass).

R.I.P. Sweet Prince

On a happier note, I got a really neat truck. Image courtesy of AmALamma.

Austin Apartment Association Trade Show

2007-10-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

This week the Austin Apartment Association held their annual Trade Show and requisite After-Party at the Parmer Events Center in Austin.

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Teagan's Birthday

2007-10-21T08:55:00.000-05:00

Jennifer, Michele and I traveled to Dickenson, Texas (near NASA south of Houston) to attend Teagan's very special birthday party which was attended by more than 20 authentic 5-year olds. Wow. That's a lot of energy in one room.

All of the attendees were dressed in costume (including a pirate wench in cowboy boots) and were particularly adorable.

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Waco Cultural Arts Festival 2007

2007-10-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

I shot this weekend for the Waco Cultural Arts Festival.

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Bands included:
Queng Le (Waco, TX)
Gillis Family (Waco, TX)
The Tea Merchants (Austin, TX)
Trout Fishing in America (Prarie Grove, AR)
Yarina (Quito, Ecuador)
Ruthie Foster (Austin, TX)
The Klaras-Warren Collaboration (Waco, TX)
The Dave Wild Trio (Waco, TX)
c.h.o.r.d. (Waco, TX)
Richard Thomas and The Sesame Street Quartet (Waco, TX)
35 South (Waco, TX)

Ally the Shit-dle

2007-09-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

After many years, my mother decided to get another dog. Meet Ally, the 7-week old Poodle / Shitzu puppy. She's cute. She's tiny. She's named for the daughter she never had (makes me feel a bit uneasy about myself!).

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Heather's Birthday at Casa de Este

2007-08-21T07:49:00.000-05:00

I tried something new this weekend by setting up a small portable studio at Heather's birthday party. We had some fun. We got some nice pics and some stupid ones (think alcoholically challenged). You be the judge.

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Tumbling Jitterbugs

2007-08-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

Our friend Ari had her last gymnastics class this weekend for a while. We got a chance to hang out and I got to take some pics.

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DaHeBeGeBees at Dirty Dog Bar in Austin

2007-08-20T15:36:00.000-05:00

On Friday night, DeHeBeGeBees reunited for their first show in many years. It seems that essentially everyone who had ever played with them was there and at one point were all simultaneously on stage. The highling for me was their former keyboardist James Speer singing his near world-famous cover of Ray Charles' Georgia. Awesome. Amazing. And some nice pics too!

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Austin Apartment Association Bowling Night

2007-08-17T07:29:00.000-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association held their annual Bowling Night Extravaganza at 300 Lanes in North Austin Thursday August 17.

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Windrush House (Early July Update)

2007-07-16T22:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a whole batch of updated before and after pictures of the house. Is it finished? No. Is it better? Absolutely!

The Kitchen

Before

After

The Breakfast Room

Before

After

The Den

Before

After

The Guest Bedroom

Before

After

The Guest Bathroom

Before

After

Our New House (Late June Update)

2007-06-28T08:08:00.000-05:00

We've been in our new house for 1 month. After working our tails off, we're close to a preliminary stopping place for phase 1. So far we have stripped a LOT of wallpaper, painted the bedrooms & baths, refinished the kitchen cabinets, put in a new faucet, built a false ceiling over the sink to allow for a down-light, installed dimmed undercabinet lighting, replaced a LOT of outlets and switches with white ones, unpacked, and gotten some furniture.

Here's a before of the back room:

and After:

Austin Apartment Association Awards Banquet

2007-06-28T07:47:00.000-05:00

The Austin Apartment Association had their annual awards banquet this week at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin.

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Corn!

2007-06-13T08:55:00.000-05:00

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Austin Apartment Association May Madness

2007-05-18T14:45:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Austin Apartment Association had their annual May Madness event at the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX. The weather was absolutely perfect: cool, breezy, & dry. The music was exceptional and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Take a look at the gallery.

Rey & Gracie Portraits

2007-04-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

I got to spend about an hour near the LBJ Library on UT campus with Rey and Gracie. We were shooting portraits to try to show a professional real-estate team who are also husband and wife. I'm quite happy with the shots.

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McKinney Falls - Black & White Hiking

2007-03-05T11:49:00.000-06:00

Ryan, Jen & I went to McKinney Falls here in Austin this weekend and hiked around for a few hours. Given that we were there in the absolutely worst time of day (noon), the light was pretty harsh. However, I got a few shots I'm pretty happy with.

Specifically, I found an underground (shaded) area with water falling thorugh the rocks and got some pretty nice long exposures.

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Austin Apartment Association - Vegas Nite at Midnight Rodeo

2007-03-01T17:39:00.000-06:00

Last night, the Austin Apartment Association had their annual Vegas Nite at an all new location: Midnight Rodeo. The venue was awesome and everyone seemed to have a great time. The company which provides the games unveiled an all-new 32-person high-speed Texas Hold-em Tournament which was extremely popular. The fastest time to go all in and lose your money? 3 minutes, 12 seconds!

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Tom Jones made an appearance and a spectacle!

Some pretty rough characters for an Association Event...

As cam be seem by the reaction of one of the attendees:

3 generations of the same family at an Austin Apartment Association event!

I'm A Flasher

2007-02-27T14:29:00.000-06:00

Well, last night Ryan and I did a number of strobe (flash) tests with some new gear that we've been trying out.

First, we experimented with 2x Canon 550EX (now replaced by the 580EX ) strobes and 1 Canon 420EX (now replaced by the 430EX ) strobe utilizing their integrated slaving ability. By using one of the 550's as a the master and the other two strobes as slaves, we were able to dial in a particular ratio of fill light as seen in this image:

This is a ratio of 1:4 (top light to rear left backlight). The rear right flash (the smaller 420EX) was set to -2 stops of underexposure.

Be aware that these files have not been corrected in any way other than setting white balance in Adobe Camera RAW (exposure @ 100, shadow @ 0, brightness @ 50, contrast @ 0, saturation @ 0, curve @ linear, detail @ 0). Originally shot in Adobe RGB (1988), these files were converted to sRGB by Adobe Image Processor when they were converted to JPEG. Unlike most of my galleries, these files can be viewed at original (6 megepixel) resolution.

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Given our druthers, we found the entire experience to be extremely frustrating. Don't get me wrong, the flashes are amazing and seem to automatically create great images. However, compared to studio strobes... whoa... what's going on and who's in control here?

Essentially the Canon strobes are extremely intelligent and the master only seems to call out for the other flashes to fire when it deems appropriate.

Here's an interesting shot that I took on a whim:

We were playing with a new Chinese Wireless Transmitter that I purchased off Ebay for essentially nothing compared to the (much) more expensive Pocket Wizards. Ryan was running around the house trying to see how far this transmitter would fire from. The answer, a LONG way (they claim 300' but I'm not sure I believe that). Anyway, I went and found him as the studio strobe was still happily firing as I walked around the house. I found him in the garage and he had the flash pointed down so this is a bounce shot off of unpainted concrete in almost complete darkness. Ooooh! Moody!

So, what did we learn? The Alien Bee's studio strobes are amazing compared to battery powered on-camera strobes... they're wicked fast to recharge, insanely bright, and much more easily manually controllable. Well duh, I just explained the reason anybody would buy studio strobes. Regardless, the portable flashes are of great use as well (no wires) as I'll likely demonstrate tomorrow when I shoot the Austin Apartment Assoication's Casino Night in a dimly-light cowbow dance hall (no natural light for those folks...). What else did we learn? Just as everyone says, there's soooo many dimensions to good lighting. We learned that there's about a billion things we don't know.

Austin 360 Bridge

2007-01-21T23:02:00.000-06:00

We went to shoot pictures with our friends Tracey & Ryan at the 360 Bridge in Austin. We climbed up precarious rocks for these images. Be thankful.

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Gangsta Trippin' at Little Baby Taya's B-Day

2007-01-21T22:56:00.000-06:00

Taya is 1. Wow.

Her sister Ari is a gangsta. Mad pigtails gonna pop a cap in you.

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We got Taya a kickin' pair of red leather cowgirl boots.... Velcro up the back.. oh yeah. Sadly, Taya's got feet like a two-year-old. Apparently they don't make kickin' red leather cowgirl boots with velcro for two-year-old feet. Boo little cowgirl boot makin' people.

Ice Storm 2007 or How the South (doesn't) know how to deal with Winter

2007-01-21T22:49:00.000-06:00

Ok -- I'll admit it: I was born in Houston and until last month, had basically never seen snow. Accordingly, those of us around here have NO idea how to deal with such things. We had about 1/2" of ice on the ground this week and appropriately got 3 extra days off tacked onto our weekend. We had our friends Heather and Michael over for several days and had a great time eating, watching movies, playing games, and not going to work. However, it does seem a bit weird that noone else (other than Florida) does this kind of thing.. they suck it up and go to work. That said, I can't complain too much about having some time off!

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Hunter Comes Over to Play

2007-01-21T22:22:00.000-06:00

Our friend Amber's baby Hunter came over to our place recently and we had a chance to shoot a little. She's a sweetie.

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Reflections

2007-01-21T10:01:00.000-06:00

My Friends Ryan and Tracey and I went downtown to shoot. I played a lot with reflections. I'm pretty happy with these.

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Christmas in Nebraska

2006-12-27T13:08:00.000-06:00

We spent the latter part of Christmas and New Years in Nebraska with Jen's family. This was my first real exposure to snow. I have always had a respect for farmers and ranchers because of the the number of variables they have to contend with as well as the sheer quantity of physical work they perform. However, after feeding cows and weighing bulls in 20 degree weather with a strong wind, I have a completely new level of respect. I don't understand what would make a person decide to work the land in the North.

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Ari, Taya & Coleman at Grandmas

2006-12-27T12:27:00.000-06:00

While we were in Nebraska, we got a chance to visit Ari & Taya at their grandma's house with their cousin Coleman. This was a challenging shoot as it took place in a basement with very little light. I shot all of these without flash using ISO 1600 and prime lenses so there's a bit more noise but I think they look excellent.

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Demanda

2006-12-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

Amanda 'Demanda' and her family stayed with us before Christmas in Austin. I managed to grab a few pretty nice portraits of her playing with leaves outside the house.

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The Great Birthday Fun Scavenger Hunt of 2006

2006-12-16T11:42:00.000-06:00

Jen and her co-worker Elke planned an amazing birthday party for me and Elke's husband Oscar and I have the photo documentation to prove it.

We were told to arrive at the Drafthouse Pub with cameras in tow. I arrived in full bacon regalia. We were then given a list of destinations & tasks to complete. Each team could complete the tasks in any order and were racing to be the first to return back to the pub.

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Here's the rundown of what we had to do:

Welcome to the Great Birthday Fun Scavenger Hunt of ’06! Surely, this night will go down in the annals of history as one of the greatest birthday events of all time. Or not. In any case, we’re all gathered here to celebrate the birth of Messrs. L. Oscar Gonzalez and David C. Cox.

In honor of these two gents and their refined tastes, we’re sending you on a cultural tour of some of Austin’s finest purveyors of fermented yeast. All hail the dive bar! Go forth and sample all they have to offer. Talk to that regular with the one front tooth. Appreciate the fine oak paneling, rickety chairs and graffiti-emblazoned bathroom walls. Soak up the atmosphere until you have ten-year-old fry grease oozing from your pores. Most of all, be sure to lap up your share (within safe limits) of that elixir we all know and love: beer. Golden happiness. Liquid love.

Below please find an outline of your mission. You needn’t visit these spots in the prescribed order, but they are grouped geographically to save you time and gas money. Remember, time is of the essence. The first team back at the DH with all requested items will be crowned the winners and receive all rights and privileges afforded such status for the remainder of the evening. Good luck, be safe and have fun!

1) Mean Eyed Cat (1621 W 5th St)
Bring back: a Frito Pie (either the entire thing, or the remnants of such).

2) Deep Eddy Cabaret (2315 Lake Austin Blvd)
Order up a round of Lone Star longnecks for the team. Bring back: the bottle caps from the beer. Bonus points if you can figure out all the riddles from the caps.

3) Hole in the Wall (2538 Guadalupe St)
Bring back: a picture of the “hole in the wall” located in the men’s bathroom.

4) Texas Showdown (2610 Guadalupe St)
Bring back: a picture of someone getting weighed on the scale.

5) Nasty’s (606 Maiden Ln. One block South of 38th Street, behind Amy’s Ice Cream on Guadalupe)
Bring back: a picture of someone writing graffiti on the bathroom wall.

6) Barfly’s (5420 Airport Ste. B)
On the jukebox, play selection O1211 in honor of Oscar’s birthday. Bring back: the name of the song you played, written on a book of matches.

7) Carousel Lounge (1110 E 52nd St)
If you can, take a picture of Canadian Stella – the 70-something regular in a miniskirt who likes to shake it on the dance floor. If Stella is not there, bring back a picture of the scariest clown you can find.

9) Buddy’s Place (8619 Burnet Rd – Corner of Burnet and Rockwood Ln., a few blocks south of 183)
Split up the team and play a game of shuffleboard. Bring back: a picture of the team playing the game and a pinch of sand from the board.

10) Lala’s Little Nugget (2207 Justin Ln.)
Punch in D1215 on the jukebox in honor of Dave’s birthday. Take a picture of the elves above the bar. Bring back: on a book of matches, write down the name of the song you played.

11) Poodle Dog Lounge (6507 Burnet Rd)
Again, split up the team and play a game of pool. Bring back: A picture of the team playing the game.

12) Ginny’s Little Longhorn (5434 Burnet Road)
Bring back: A picture of the chicken cage out back. Bonus points if you can score a feather.

13) Finally, see the Christmas lights on 37th Street. (Just east of Guadalupe)
Take a group shot of your team enjoying the holiday splendor.

Austin Apartment Association Holiday Gala 2006

2006-12-14T15:52:00.000-06:00

The Austin Apartment Association had their annual holiday gala at a posh downtown hotel in Austin today. Everyone looked wonderful and the spirits were a'flowin.

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Goetz / Lalla Wedding

2006-11-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

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Kansas City

2006-10-22T12:28:00.000-05:00

Jen and I got the chance to take a vacation to her old digs in Kansas City this month. For the first few nights, we stayed with our friends Katee and Mark as well as their kids Amanda "Demanda" and Andy "The Hellion". We had a great time with lots of amazing Lebanese food.

We spent the latter portion of the trip with our friends Anne and Warren. Anne and Jen used to work togoether at the now-defunct Daniels Publishing. Warren is an incredibly talented knifemaker and chef. Take a few minutes and check out his site. After treating us to the previously-unknown-to-me breakfast delight of Candied Bacon, Anne and Warren took us to check out the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art where I proceeded to nearly pass out from the sugar rush of breakfast.

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Ari & Taya Portraits

2006-08-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

We got to spend some quality time with Ari & Taya as well as their parents Jen & Kevin. The girls are charming and adorable.

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Hunter's First Portrait Session

2006-07-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

We recently got the chance to spend some time with our friends Amber & Shane's new baby girl Hunter. She's darling and apparently makes very interesting poops.

Some of the facial expressions make you wonder if he's a newborn or a 60 year old constipated man. Perhaps the same issues regardless.

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Briskman / Machfud Wedding

2006-06-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

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Ruby

2006-05-20T15:26:00.000-05:00

On the occasion of going to Dallas to see my cousin Emily's graduation from high school, I was really excited about getting to stop by to see an old friend of ours. Ruby Agnew is the mother of my mom's friend Judy Agnew. A longtime resident of Garland, Texas, apparently Ruby even has pictures of my father with Judy at birthday parties when they were in Kindergarten. I remember Ruby and her late husband Jack as always being extremely kind to me when I was young and always being supportive of me later in life. She's an incredibly special lady.

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Wayne & Tamara Renewal of Vows

2006-04-29T16:09:00.000-05:00

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Taya's Christening

2006-03-19T13:54:00.000-06:00

Our friends Jen & Kevin had their daughter Taya baptized today. I had a chance to get some nice shots of Taya as well as her sister Ari. Many of these were shot with my brand new favorite lens the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8!

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Ridiculous

2006-03-16T14:38:00.000-06:00

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McQueeney Rifle Association

2006-03-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

For my bachelor party, I explained to my friends that I didn't want to go crazy at the bars, I didn't want strippers, but would prefer to spend a fun weekend with my buddies. To that end, about 7 of us spent the weekend on Lake McQueeney shooting guns, playing poker, drinking cold beer, eating lots of beef and generally having a great time. I'm especially happy that my buddy Joe was able to make it down from the Carolinas for this weekend.

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As always, Crazy Brian will be Crazy Brian....

Dave's 30th or The Night My Toyota Grew Testicles

2005-12-15T14:41:00.000-06:00

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Apparently these can be purchased in a variety of sizes (even chrome plated if you want) and are most popular with the large-pickup truck and 18-wheeler set. However, I must say they look most remarkable when attached to a 2400-lb imported sedan. I was later queried by one of the professors at work as to whether my car did indeed have a large set of testicles attached to it. I told him point blank, yes, and that I blamed the server administrator.

Animation

2005-12-07T14:35:00.000-06:00

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