Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, Jun 11, 2013 @ 06:30 PM
So what do you think of when you hear the word Gospel? Soul? Power? Energy!?
Yes.
Now imagine that powerful, soulful music that makes you want to jump up out of your chair, dance around and start singing, then add some delicious food. Do this all on a Sunday right after you get out of church, and what do you have? Well that would be the House of Blues Gospel Brunch, led by none other than Gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin.
I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Franklin and the House of Blues as the Dallas commercial photographer for their latest promotional campaign of the Gospel Brunch. This was definitely a fun set of shoots, as it required me to shoot across several genres of photography. There were fun production shots, of the choir, promotional portraits, shots of all of the food, and of course, action shots of the Gospel Brunch itself.
First were the shots of the choir, then shots of the choir with Kirk Franklin. I’ve always admired Gospel music for the power and energy it contains as a form of worship and gratitude towards God. There just really isn’t any other style of music quite like it. We had a great choir assembled, and had a blast working with them. I can say with certainty that it was my first time to help direct a choir of any type, as we had to really zero in to get the specific shots required. That’s one of the great aspects of being a Dallas commercial photographer: you never know what kind of situation you will be involved in next. After getting the choir by themselves, Kirk came on to get photos with them. He is quite the professional, and hit the perfect look right away.
Mr. Franklin also has a super hip wardrobe. We didn’t have to have a stylist on set, and for good reason; he styled all of his own looks. He had some great color combinations that gave great punch, and wore cool socks. In case you are wondering, I am all about the funky socks, and have a nice multi-colored stripe number on right now. Oh yeah. Throughout our various locations that we shot at in the House of Blues, I made sure the photography looked as polished as he dressed.
Then there was the music. I love music of all types, and truly enjoy the energy that moves through it. As such, I was definitely rocking around during the performances. I don’t let myself get too into it, as I’d probably end up doing air guitar or similar onstage, no matter what the music was, but I had fun for sure. The group they had assembled was very talented, which made it such a joy to document them in action.
Finally, there was the food. I am a native Texan, and though we typically aren’t considered part of the South (Texas seems to have it’s own category), we definitely love our comfort food. Between the heavenly brisket, mac and cheese bar and the chicken and waffles, I was all set. Now one of the major perks as a Dallas food photographer, though it is anything but to my waistline, is the fact that I often get to sample the food that I shoot. I can tell you with certainty, that they have an amazing brunch going on over there, and the brisket was seriously some of the best that I ‘ve ever had. Given my affinity for quality Texas barbecue, this speaks volumes in my mind. I hope you enjoy the images, and better yet, go enjoy some Gospel Brunch!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Mon, Jun 10, 2013 @ 02:25 PM
Photojournalism is a term that is thrown out there quite a lot when it comes to photography, but I often wonder if people fully understand what all that entails. My Dallas event photographers style is based on this, but I wanted to explain the term a bit more in depth. Often the term candids comes in to play, as a client will want shots of people not looking. I think that is a great look to have, but when shooting with a photojournalistic style it can go so far beyond that.
There is a big difference between shooting candids and capturing the essence of an event in a photojournalistic style, and much of it has to do with educational background and experience. It’s one thing to shoot pictures when people aren’t looking at the camera, and it is quite another thing altogether to wait for the moment. When I gear into Dallas event photographers mode, my mind is scanning the room for moments. I want to find the emotion, get the perfect lighting and keep a very watchful eye on composition.
I spent the first several years of my career in photojournalism, and was blessed to be able to learn from so many talented photographers and editors on the subject of seeking moments. One is example is something I learned from an amazing photographer in New York that I studied under at the Eddie Adams Workshop. One of his points that stuck with me was that you keep an eye on the entire frame at all times.
This is such an interesting thought, as you normally focus on your main subject while you are shooting, and other details can get left behind. Now I have been able to train my eye to scan all four corners of viewfinder while shooting, so that extraneous or distracting items get placed out of the frame to make sure the moment is maximized.
When all of these elements, emotion, structure, lighting etc., line up, you have what is known as the ‘decisive moment.’ This is a term coined by photography legend Henri Cartier-Bresson, and is what I strive for in all of the events I shoot. Everything from a birthday party to a large-scale corporate event gets this particular approach from me. It is challenging to do, but I have always enjoyed putting the puzzle together, and it really helps keep me sharp and focused while out working. I honestly couldn’t do it any other way.
I wanted to show a few examples from a corporate event shoot I had a little while back. The client wanted to capture moments from when their president and executive team visited stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Some events can have more staging, which gives little or no time to go after spontaneous happenings, but not at this shoot. There were a handful of portraits, but I was given freedom for the most part to document the stay as I saw fit. At the end of the day it all hinges on what the client needs and wants, but I certainly enjoy getting to chase down moments when I can.
I spent the majority of my time roaming around, and searching out the creative angles that would all demonstrate interaction between the president and store employees. This is the point where it turns into a hunt, and I move into position and wait for the elements to come together. Sounds exciting doesn’t it? It certainly is to me, as I truly enjoy the thrill of watching moments come together. It gets me back to my roots, which I can never get enough of.
Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, May 21, 2013 @ 01:03 PM
Forgive me if it seems that I have a bit of baby on the brain, but it has somewhat consumed the lives of Aynsley and I since May 3rd. Plus, who doesn’t love photos of incredibly cute children? And yes, without any hesitation, I will let you know that my little Jack Jack is a total stud. He’s already gotten three phone numbers and he can’t even walk.
As most of you could have guessed, we have taken and will continue to take plenty of photos of the Jackalope. We have done a handful of shoots so far, and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s been a fun creative process for me as a photographer in Dallas, as I am continually pushing myself to come up with creative ideas in documenting this little bundle of wonder we are raising.
My photographer in Dallas mind comes up with all kinds of elaborate concepts, and from there it is just a matter of structuring things to where they line up accordingly with what it exists in my imagination. We did a few classic shots, such as Jack in the lamb looking chub and adorable, and I plan on stepping the game up as we go. One of my favorites from this particular series is Jack on the giant stuffed dog. This is striking to me because it strikes a rather personal chord.
The dog you see in the shot was given to me when I was just a wee lad myself by my Aunt Leah K. It’s a beautiful stuffed animal that she made herself, which I think is quite impressive. As you can imagine, it has gotten roughed up and dirty with so many years of use, so my mom decided to restore it to its former glory. She completely emptied the dog of stuffing, and then washed it thoroughly, restuffed it, and even sewed back on the nose that was lost in a scuffle with one of our living and breathing dogs. She then surprised Aynsley with it one evening, and it now resides happily beneath the crib in Jack’s nursery.
As it has so much sentimental value, I found it only fitting that Jack be photographed on it, it definitely looked like he was riding it, and sort of reminds me of the Never Ending Story. Anyone? Go look it up on imdb, you’ll thank me later.
We capped off the shoot with an outfit that my stepmom Barbara made for Jack Jack. I think it’s awesome, as he looks like a little bear with that hat on. At this point of the shoot he was pretty well worn out, and since you can’t give babies Red Bull I decided to get pictures of him sleeping. He seemed fine with that, and it made for some great portraits.
I wonder if with all the photos that I will take of him as he grows up, if he will enjoy photography or find it to be a nuisance. It’s an interesting thought I feel, he will either be where he can’t wait for the next cool shot we do, or just be embarrassed by his crazy photographer dad. As a photographer in Dallas, I contain an incredible amount of passion for the work I do, and it is such a treat for me to both create and consume photography. However, Jack will be his own person, and I can’t control that. It’s just like I hope he likes Tonkas and tee ball like I did, but there are no guarantees. He is also not even two weeks old yet, so perhaps I don’t need to be obsessing about things like this, at least not yet. I just need to start saving for college.
Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, May 14, 2013 @ 09:13 AM
Jack Jack. Jack Attack. The Jackalope. Call him what you will, little Jack James Kindig is here! Jack was born at 5:47AM on May 3rd, 2013, and weighed in at an impressive nine pounds even. I’m honestly still amazed at how Aynsley was able to carry him for nine months. She is a tiny little thing, so that took strength I can’t even imagine.
Given the fact that I’m a Dallas photographer, several friends and family members have expectations for images, so I figured I would share some images from the birth before he graduates college. Given he is 10 days old today, I am going to pat myself on the back a little bit on that particular accomplishment. Now please note the lack of a disclaimer, as there are no images of the actual birth, just the incredible results. I guess that was a non-disclaimer disclaimer. Oh well. I just wanted to share with you our memories of this incredible and miraculous day.
When Aynsley had Jack, she was exactly two weeks past her due date, so the strain on her had been intense. That was a Friday. She started laboring late Tuesday/early Wednesday of that week, and was going along well until the contractions stalled out. Apparently this is a common occurrence, so we just had to wait it out. Contractions then started again early Thursday morning, I’m talking 4AM early, and this time it looked like game time. We even called in the coach, aka our Doula Melissa, to help Aynsley walk through it. We were on the move… then everything stopped again.
I was of course frustrated, and I wasn’t the even the one in labor. This is our first child, so we had no idea how this was supposed to go. It was shaping up to be rather intense though.
I took Aynsley in Thursday afternoon to get a sonogram and meet with the doctor. Everything checked out, so that was good. We were very happy to hear that we had a healthy baby on our hands, though we did not see, as Aynsley and I both shielded our eyes from seeing Jack. At this point, he was still Baby K, and we did not know whether he was male or female, which is something we made quite clear to the doctor and sonogram tech. After all, we didn’t wait nine months only to have the surprise balloon be popped at the last second. That may or may not have made sense but I’m going to run with it.
Still not sure of what was going on, but knowing that Aynsley was hurting and tired, we headed down a few floors to see our doctor. Thankfully her response was very simple: We are getting a wheelchair and you are headed to labor and delivery. Yes!
This was such a relief, and now things were getting very real. This was about the same time when I started losing my mind. I tend to worry, and am a dramatic individual, but both of those tendencies went into overdrive in my mind. I tried to remain calm through the process, which was impossible.
Fortunately the nurses took great care of everything, and I managed to get a little bit of sleep as the night wore on, though I jumped off the couch every time I heard a weird noise or basically anything. We thought we might have a baby on our hands before midnight, but Jack decided to wait until the 3rd and not be born on Aynsley’s birthday. Even before his exit he was trying to be kind to his mom.
Finally, in the early hours of Friday, Aynsley was nearing the finish line. I called in Melissa the Doula, and they began preparations for a birth! I was completely crazy by this point, but was able to get completely focused and calm once Melissa arrived. When the coach is there, you know the situation is under control. Couple that with an excellent doctor (Dr. Light is a super pro!) and I knew there was nothing to worry about.
I was honored to be a part of the process, and cannot believe they used to keep husbands out of the delivery room. I could not imagine being anywhere other than right by Aynsley’s side the entire time. She needed a team to be there and help get her through, and we were all there to encourage her. She did great by the way. Aynsley’s family has a tradition of strong women, which I admire greatly, and Ayns really showed the physical and mental toughness she has.
From there, I can only describe the experience as a miracle. The birth of Jack was one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed in my life, and I have no other words besides miraculous. Once he was out, I had my camera to take photos as they handed him to Aynsley. As a Dallas photographer I pride myself on mental focus, and can shoot almost anything without allowing emotion in. Not this time. I was all but sobbing with an overwhelming joy as I captured Aynsley meeting Jack. It was awesome in every sense of the word.
Again, it was so incredible being there, and it was just a reminder of me how great God is. He created the miracle of birth, and it is a total miracle. There is just no other description that will do!
The rest of the hospital stay passed without incident, and then we took the Jack Attack home with us. Our friends were very kind to put up all kinds of beautiful signs, and make sure the nursery looked perfect. Thank you to all of our amazing friends and family for supporting us throughout, we couldn’t have done it without all of you! Enjoy!
Dallas Photographer
Posted by Jason Kindig on Thu, Apr 18, 2013 @ 05:11 PM
Hey guys,
If you didn’t know, we are expecting a baby any day now! Aynsley’s official due date is tomorrow, April 19th, and we can’t wait to see what happens! This Dallas photographer has been gearing up in preparation, as I am looking forward to documenting Baby K when they decide to make their appearance.
We have what could be the final doctor appointment tomorrow, and will find out how far along Aynsley is, and see if we can’t start narrowing down a birth window. I realize that is basically impossible, but I really do have a good feeling about this weekend being the time to go. Aynsley is always relaxed on the weekend, so it only makes sense that Baby K would find that timing optimal for their exit strategy.
Now, I said that I was gearing up. That is not just a phrase, especially if you know anything about photography and me. I am always a prepared Dallas photographer, so of course I’ve been putting together a studio system that will remain in the nursery for whenever we decide a shoot is necessary. It should be operational very soon. In fact, I just need another component or two and it will be ready to rock. The tripod is loaded in the car along with other similarly important items such as the car seat and a packed suitcase for the hospital. I have been making sure my batteries are charged, and of course memory cards are never out of sight!
I figured before things got rolling, I would share some images that I did recently of Aynsley. Our families are super excited; especially considering this will be the first grandchild in both of our immediate families. Aynsley’s sisters came over so that they could get a commemorative shot of them with Baby K. We also took advantage of the time to get a few pictures of Aynsley and I together. Now, since we already have two furred children, we naturally had to get them included in at least a few shots. The Kindig household is a pug friendly one, so Baby might as well get used to being photographed with his or her older brothers. That’s right, I did say his or her. We have no idea if we are having a boy or girl, which only adds to the suspense, and in my opinion, makes it a ton of fun!
As the pugs are year-round shedders, we opted to do portraits of the girls without pugs first. I set up lighting and a seamless in our media room, and off we went (this is testament to the fact that a Dallas photographer can really create images almost anywhere)! Aynsley is very close to her sisters, so I opted to have a portrait that really showed how close they are. They are best friends, and you really see that in their portraits.
Then came the pugs. A little word to the wise: if you want to get a pug’s attention for images, you can allude to certain phrases, but you can’t ever say it outright. I will ask if they want to… or want a… but never use the T-R-E-A-T word. Caroline made that mistake, and Loafer became a wriggling mass of wrinkles headed out of her arms. After that the pugs were pretty well amped, so we had a lot of difficulty getting them to focus. At least it was entertaining. I do enjoy Loafer’s karate kick.
All in all though, we got some great portraits, and I am so thankful we were able to document such a wonderful moment in our family history. Now Baby K, come on!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Fri, Mar 22, 2013 @ 07:09 PM
Hey guys,
As promised, I have images to share with you all from my man weekend. A few days ago I posted up images from the weekend getaway that Aynsley and I had. If you want to, go check out that post here. I of course document so many things, being that I am a Dallas photographer, so we got shots of us having a great time out at the Gaylord, and interesting sights from the Dallas Aquarium. However, today’s post is a bit different.
First, let’s focus on the imagery. I took a portrait of Aynsley and I together, and also shot a portrait of all the guys. If you look at the images, you will notice they are certainly not part of the same series. As a Dallas photographer, I shoot a variety of lighting styles depending on what the situation demands and the client wants. Obviously no one was too demanding on these shoots, but I had two very different ideas for the shots. One is a nice picture to document our time spent together, and the other was to make us look hard-core. With a great background and killer sunset, it was almost too easy to make an awesome shots. Plus, the four of us exude manliness, so not too much effort was involved there either. In the end, I would have to say that the shot of Thomas with the Korean War era rifle over his head had to be my favorite. Nothing screams crazy rebel group like a wild-eyed individual with a firearm over his head.
Now we had a great hotel stay for our weekend. For the other, we were posted up in a camping trailer out at my friend’s place. It was certainly nice digs, and even had curtains. It may not have been a hotel suite, but we did have heating, which I was very appreciative of given that the entire weekend was beautiful, but very chilly. From a man’s perspective, I’d give it four stars.
As far as cuisine, it was somewhat similar. Actually, no, it was not. I am a major foodie, and truly appreciate food of all types. I am never one to turn my nose from something, unless it smells truly foul. Whether it’s cooked in a top of the line kitchen or roasted over a campfire, I’m generally easy to please. That said, I did notice some differences from the meals we had across the two weekends. While one meal consisted of steak, crab cakes, and a lovely caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, the other boldly proclaimed sausage on a stick with a side of delicious Rebecca Creek Whiskey. I’ll leave it up to you all to figure out which was which.
Also, no guns were involved on the getaway weekend. With the man weekend, the entire time revolved around them. We had a blast taking out all kinds of inanimate targets, from water bottles to old laptops. (*Side note* I really enjoyed getting to have my own private Office Space moment with a laptop and very large caliber firearm). Shoot, it was about as good a time as one could ask for. Also, to answer your silent question, I am done with the puns.
There was one similarity though. Since we first began dating, Aynsley and I have always enjoyed long walks together, both on the beach and other assorted locales. On our getaway weekend, we were able to take a nice long, quiet walk throughout the hotel. We too did this on man weekend. However, it was a quiet walk with four guys at 6AM in the morning down a dirt road with rifles strapped to our backs. We posted up in a blind hoping to take down some wild hogs, but ended up just watching a nice sunrise together with no hogs. At least we got to bond by soaking in the beauty and fragility of nature. I mean, shoot at stuff then eat some jerky.
Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, Mar 19, 2013 @ 03:10 PM
Hey guys! Since Monica and Brian were just married, I thought I would go ahead and share some of their engagement portraits. It will help you all get warmed up for their wedding photos, which will be out soon!
As always, I cannot say it enough: engagement portraits are the best. Most couples don’t have much experience in front of the camera, and these portraits are a great warm-up. Plus they have the opportunity to see first-hand how I approach my Dallas wedding photography. It also allows me to get to know the couple and observe how they interact. I come from a photojournalistic background, where being a trained observer is the key to capturing great moments. As such, I always take advantage of the opportunity to do so with my portrait sessions. It really does make the difference in a couple’s Dallas wedding photography when we get to do an engagement portrait session together. Best of all, they get to feel like rockstars that are in love, can't beat that!
For their engagement portraits, Monica and Brian were very keen on doing the photo shoot outdoors, and wanted to have a location near the water. Based on their needs I was able to come up with some options that fit their needs, and from there they decided on shooting their portraits out and about at White Rock. There is such an incredibly diverse range of options out there; I can get everything from fields to forest, and then head over and shoot at the docks by the lake. In other words, it is total photographer’s catnip, especially if they do Dallas wedding photography.
We started out photographing underneath the cover of trees. It allowed me the chance to get the couple relaxed and in the zone for their portraits, and also allowed us to stay as cool as we could. You see, we shot their portraits in the summer, and if you know anything about Texas, you know it is hot out there. To help prepare, I always carry my portrait cool-down kit, i.e. a cooler loaded with ice, ice-cold water, and several chilled washcloths. All of those items go a long way in helping keep the couple from getting too hot, which in turn allows them to focus on enjoying their session and not worry about sweating the entire time.
I also worked on the logistics to keep them cool for as long as possible. Once we finished shooting in the trees, I took them to another spot that was sheltered from the direct sunlight. When you look at the images, you would never be able to tell how toasty it was out there. We then made our way gradually closer to the water, which is where the sunlight was strongest. Once the sun was in a more manageable spot, we moved out to the docks to take advantage of the golden light. I love the light around sunset, and this light made for some great portraits. It is so dramatic and really helps to give all of the images pop.
Monica and Brian are both graduates of Texas A&M University, and being the proud Aggies they are, they requested that I get photos of them in their school colors. So, after doing all of their regular portraits, it was time for photos in their spirit gear. I also made sure to get a nice close up of their class rings. By this time the sun had almost gone down, so the weather had cooled off considerably, and the light was perfect. It was the perfect way to wind down the shoot, the sunset beautiful, and I hope you enjoy the photos!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Mon, Mar 11, 2013 @ 05:02 PM
This is a fun week of blog posts for me, just because of how completely opposite they are. Being the Dallas photographer I am, I wanted to share photos from a recent getaway I had with Aynsley, and later on this week you will get to see photos from my man getaway weekend. One involved a great time cruising around Dallas, visiting a few places we have wanted to go to for some time, and the other involved firearms.
Aynsley and I are due with our first child in April, which is now only a few weeks away. I think my heart rate just increased a bit. We are both very excited, and somewhat over whelmed since this will be our first, and we are both the oldest out of our siblings. Thus, we will be the pioneers. Now I know that there have only been a few billion other people that have gone through this experience, but that doesn’t help us much.
Since we probably won’t be able to get away for a little bit, we decided it would be great to go out and have a great date weekend. There were a few places we have wanted to visit almost since we got married, so it was now or never. First on the list: Dallas World Aquarium. I don’t think either of us had gone there since elementary school, so we were long overdue. We had a great time checking out the incredible variety of wildlife, and as a Dallas photographer, I felt it was only natural to try and get some cool critter shots. We made our way all through the place, and really enjoyed it. Probably some of the most interesting species there were the seahorses. There were so many different ones, my favorite being the ones that looked like pieces of floating kelp. Talk about great camouflage!
After working up a terrific appetite, we just had to hit up a place I’ve been itching to try. Yes, we finally were able to go to Maple and Motor. It has taken an eternity for me to get out there, and was so rewarding. Aynsley had a great burger, and I took on the fried bologna sandwich. Pure perfection.
Once we had our fill, it was now time to hit up the Gaylord Texan, and begin our relaxing hotel stay. If you haven’t gone out to visit the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine before, you certainly should. Everything is over the top, and the service is top notch. As a Dallas photographer, service is everything to me, so I really appreciate getting great service. The hotel employees were great, and our dinner at Old Hickory Steakhouse was exceptional, both in how we were treated and the wonderful cuisine. I am such a foodie, so each part of the meal gave us something different to be enraptured by. From the crab cakes, to a caprese salad that had some of the best mozzarella and tomatoes I’ve ever had, to perfect steaks, I’m sorry I just started drooling. Suffice to say, amazing meal! Much kudos to them!
One thing that that makes the Gaylord so unique is the fact that it is its own little world by itself. By this, I mean there is an entire environment under one roof to explore. Aynsley and I have always loved going on walks together, so we were able to cruise around and check out scenery without leaving the hotel. It was a good thing too, as the weather was wet and freezing when we were there. They have incredible landscaping throughout the hotel, and we really liked getting to check out their own version of the River walk.
Enjoy the photos, and stay tuned for Man Weekend!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Wed, Jan 02, 2013 @ 04:59 PM
Hey guys!
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season! Aynsley and I were fortunate enough to catch our breath for a few days before getting the New Year underway, and we are so excited to see what 2013 has in store! There are a few built-in bits of excitement, such as the birth of our first child! My brother is graduating from the University of Texas this year, so we know there will be plenty to celebrate!
We also have more excitement to share, and though it came out at the end of last year, I am choosing to celebrate it now. In case you haven’t seen it yet, the latest issue of D Weddings is on newsstands everywhere, and we are in there. In addition to my Dallas Wedding Photographer ad, I have one of my weddings from last year in the Real Weddings section, you can go check out their Dallas wedding blog, and I also photographed one of the tablescapes in the book.
I did the tablescape shoot for D Weddings in the fall, which was such a fun experience. I was teamed up with several other great wedding vendors, and got to document the creations they came up with. Not only do the tablescapes provide excellent ideas and inspiration for the brides, but it also allowed different wedding vendors to really demonstrate their creativity and have fun with the theme. Each team was given a color theme to work with, and as you can see, we were given yellow. StarDust Celebrations handled all of the concept and design work, and Dr. Delphinium provided the floral and décor. It was a very bold design with the floral and vines going up and over the table. By having what was basically a vine-covered arbor arching over the setup, it really took it from simply being a dinner table, and turned it into an entire scene. I can certainly see it being perfect for any bride channeling her inner princess.
The other fun part about this shoot was the time that I was able to dedicate to it. As a Dallas wedding photographer, I usually have a relatively short amount of time to shoot table setups, floral and various other details at the reception. With this table setup I was able to tether to my laptop and work with the team to make sure every detail was perfect. For those of you who don’t know what tethering is, it basically allows you to shoot your camera from your laptop, and view the images on a 15” MacBook Pro screen instead of the back of the camera. Between the floral, cakes, silverware, stemware, menu cards, etc. we had quite a few details to check, but I am completely obsessed with details so it was fun for me.
All in all, I was very happy with how everything turned out. I also continue to be impressed at the various designers and teams around Dallas that put these kinds of spectacular tables setups together week in and week out on a pretty tight schedule. It is certainly no easy task, but they sure rock it!
I hope that you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed making them, also please be sure to check below to see the entire team that made this beautiful creation possible! I wish you all a very happy New Year, and away we go!
Concept and Design:
Marsha Ballard French, StarDust Celebrations
Floral and Décor:
Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events
Rentals:
Ducky Bobs
Linens:
William Horton Designs
Cakes:
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Stationery:
Printing With Pizazz
Posted by Jason Kindig on Mon, Dec 24, 2012 @ 02:29 PM
There is nothing like Christmas.
There are so many parts that make this time of year special, and Aynsley and I really enjoy Christmas time. There are of course so many things, like the dinners, presents, and just the feeling that happens this time of year. We love giving to others whenever we can too, so it is a fun challenge for her and I to get gifts for our family that are personal for them.
Though all of these things are wonderful, we also make sure to remind ourselves of why we truly celebrate Christmas. Without Jesus being born, we would not be celebrating Christmas. For Him to be born on earth is an unbelievably spectacular event where God came to us in the most humble way imaginable. He came here to save us from our sins and to sacrifice Himself, giving us all a gift that we cannot repay. All we can do is be humble and eternally grateful.
In the joyous spirit of Christmas, especially since today is Christmas Eve, I thought as a Dallas photographer I would share some of the Christmas-themed images I’ve been fortunate to shoot. The funny thing, as with most editorial photography, is that these images were shot months ago. In fact, if my memory serves me right, I shot all of this around Halloween. That seems like forever ago doesn’t it?
I’m not going to lie; it was pretty difficult to get into the Christmas spirit while doing these shoots, particularly for the fashion work. This Dallas photographer loves to work to music, so Pandora is an absolute must-have when I’m out and about. However, I tried rocking to my Indie Holiday mix and it just wouldn’t work. I had to go back to Deadmau5 and the like. If you don’t know who that is, you should Google him and look at the images, he’s pretty talented and the music keeps me pumped. Although, truth be told I haven’t listened to any of that stuff for the most part since Thanksgiving. We started playing Aynsley’s Christmas mixes and Pandora stations, most of which is focused around Michael W. Smith. He is an incredible singer/songwriter/arranger, and we were extremely blessed to be able to see him live at the Meyerson Symphony Center this year.
For the fashion shoot, the art director wanted a very warm look, to give all of the images the sense of the model being at a Christmas party. I wasn’t getting exactly the look I wanted, which can be rather frustrating as a Dallas photographer, so I ended up turning my lights off and just using the modeling lights. It gave me the same softness and plenty of warmth. If you know anything about modeling lights, they don’t put out nearly the light, so I had to get creative and was very thankful for a sturdy tripod! We had a great model too; she certainly looked and acted like she was partying down!
Judie Byrd created all the food images that you see, with she and I teaming up to style all of them. I had never seen a Croquembouche before, so it was pretty interesting to see Judie literally whip one of these up. You can see all of the fine threadlike material, which just so happens to be spun sugar that she made in her kitchen. It was a bit messy, but absolutely fascinating to watch. I am such a foodie, and always like to see the process behind the food.
I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, and that you are able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with family and friends. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
