Posted by Jason Kindig on Sat, May 05, 2012 @ 02:37 PM
I have been so excited about sharing these bridal portraits of Ashlee; I could hardly wait. Fortunately her wedding, which was so beautiful, was last weekend so now I can let you take a look.
In meeting with Ashlee for her bridal portraits she told me what she was looking for and then I came up with location ideas for her. Since she was an out of town bride, she needed my help to find the perfect location. She was looking for a large space, preferably a warehouse style space, so I immediately knew the perfect spot, the McKinney Cotton Mill. This is a beautiful place to photograph. In fact, my wife’s bridals were photographed here, though not by me. I have also photographed a beautiful wedding here too.
The Cotton Mill is very unique in that I see very few spaces that have this amount of character and/or are readily available for
portrait sessions. The space creates such an excellent juxtaposition especially for bridal sessions. There is a wonderful contrast between the beautiful and the industrial. You have a lovely bride photographed against a backdrop of dusty wood plank floors, high ceilings filled with giant wooden beams, and large plate glass windows. The end result is amazing.
Another great aspect about the mill is the amount of space I have to shoot in – a Dallas wedding photographer’s dream. I was able to photograph so many different looks for Ashlee and still wasn’t able to hit all of the places that I had scouted for her Dallas bridal portraits.
The other great part about this shoot was Ashlee’s choice of wedding dress and shoes. Her wedding dress was stunning and so unique. It had so many different layers and textures to it, and then there were the shoes. As a Dallas weddin
g photographer I have worked with a lot of brides, however in all of the brides that I have photographed I have never seen shoes like these. They were bright, bold, beautiful and blue. Ashlee has a very bubbly personality and her shoes really spoke to that. So, of course she had lots of fun showing them off during the shoot.
Below are some of my favorites from Ashlee’s Dallas bridal portraits. Enjoy, and be sure to keep an eye out for her wedding pictures that will be coming soon!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Fri, Apr 27, 2012 @ 12:43 PM
As a Dallas photographer, I have shot so many different types of portraits, and all kinds of photography. However, baby portraits are a very new thing for me. I wouldn't consider myself a baby or newborn photographer, but I have had the opportunity to take some baby portraits over the past few months for former wedding clients, commercial clients of mine, and as you will see here, for my family.
My wife’s cousin Kristi had her first child, little miss Faith, which was a cool experience for me. I have never held a newborn before, especially when they were just a few hours ago, so of course I documented it. You can see that blog post here. Now that Faith has grown up a bit, I knew it would be great to do some baby portraits, so we set up a studio at my place and got to work.
Kristi and Peter, being the very proud parents they are, brought all manner of props and clothing changes. Honestly, Faith probably had more clothing options than many of the models I photograph!
Also, babies can be quite a bit more challenging than my adult subjects, as they do what they want, and all on their schedule. Once a child is finished with the session, the session is over, with little to no negotiation room. To my knowledge, I’ve yet to have a model pout or start crying on set, so it has been a fun challenge for me.
Faith was definitely a trooper, we started with her baby in the basket look, and she was about as relaxed and tranquil as could be. This allowed me to get my Dallas photographer on, and get the lighting tuned in just right.
We were able to get several different looks in before Faith started to get hungry, and therefore get a bit impatient. I can sympathize, as I do the exact same thing. This is why my wife has been known to carry around crackers for me. I’ll let you decide if I’m joking or not. All together, I had a great time working with little miss Faith, and it brought so much joy to my heart seeing how happy Peter and Kristi were through the entire photography session. They say that children change everything, and I can already see a glowing difference in their faces. Enjoy!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Fri, Apr 20, 2012 @ 05:54 PM
People need doctors. Doctors need portraits.
I would never proclaim myself as a healer in any way. Just the very thought of me having to operate on anyone frightens me, so I am very glad that there are a lot of people in the world who are dedicated to that particular art.
I photograph Dallas doctor portraits and Fort Worth doctor portraits on a regular basis and wanted to share a few recent portraits that I have taken.
In an era where on-line marketing is king I have noticed as a Dallas corporate photographer that many doctors and practices are looking for imagery to put on their varies websites, Facebook pages and other social media websites. Many express this need as their sole need and may not even be looking to use them outside of the web. This is a pretty remarkable transition.
People crave content and so the more quality content you can put on a website the better off you are at staying in the game. With social media it has made things much more personal so patients want to know the doctor they are going to see before they see them. Now, I don’t mean just know who they are but know their credentials, their accomplishments, what they look like and also check out reviews on them and their practice. This is why I see a lot of practices want not simply Dallas doctor portraits but interior shots as well so that their potential patients can see them and their facilities.
With potential patients looking at your website to see what your practice has to offer you have to make the best first impression possible. One of the ways to do that is to make sure your Dallas corporate photography is of the highest quality. Dallas doctor portraits and Fort Worth doctor portraits are well worth the investment.
Just as I would never try to treat myself, medical practices should not attempt to do their own photography. When you have a problem you want to see a specialist, so make sure to select a photographer that specializes in Dallas corporate photography when you need images that set you apart from the rest.
Posted by Jason Kindig on Wed, Apr 18, 2012 @ 08:08 AM
Pinch the tail, and suck the head!
Last weekend we helped host a crawfish boil with Aynsley’s two sisters and their husbands. When the six of us get together, you can count on one thing, there is going to be a lot of food and this party did not disappoint. Don’t worry, the Dallas photographer in me made sure there were plenty of photos to document the day.
We ended up having about ninety pounds of crawfish to feed around thirty people and that doesn’t even include all of the dips, desserts, red beans and rice and of course the spoon bread. In case you are wondering, spoon bread is like cornbread on steroids. You can see it in one of the photos mixed with cheese and hatch chilies. I made four batches of this stuff and it was all gone.
Aynsley and I have each only tried crawfish one other time, so we were both really excited about the boil. Ayns isn’t even that big of a seafood fan, but she loved her some crawfish. There is just nothing like having your food come straight out of the pot, spiced to perfection and then dumped out across a table of newspaper. When everyone caught wind that the crawfish were ready it was like seagulls on a cracker. Everyone flocked to the table and started devouring crawfish and also eating the requisite ears of corn and potatoes. Since everyone basically had to eat about three pounds a piece we had our work cut out for us.
When we weren’t downing crawfish we burned some major calories playing washers, or competition level bocce ball. For those unable to stand after eating so many crawfish, there were two tv’s outside playing the Rangers game. On a side note, Yu Darvish is awesome, I hope all of you got to see his tag out at home!
I said it earlier, that when the three couples get together there is always plenty of food, but the beverages keep pace as well. After all, when was the last time you went to a party where there was homemade root beer and homemade actual beer? We do things right around here.
For those of you who have never eaten crawfish before it is a different experience, but certainly one I would recommend! It was kind of addictive really, poppin’ open crawfish and eating that delicious tail meat and even some claw meat if you were lucky.
I get to photograph a lot of interesting events as a Dallas photographer, and it is especially fun when one of those events happens to be one that I am co-hosting. Enjoy and go get you some crawfish!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, Apr 10, 2012 @ 02:24 PM
There is a special place in my heart for cowboy churches. When I was a student in college one of my first photo essays was on a great cowboy church in Waxahachie, Texas. I took on this project for one of my upper level courses at the University of North Texas, which was taught by the great photojournalist Mona Reeder. I spent several months out there and had a great time documenting the church and learning all about the culture. So, when it came time again for this Dallas photographer to shoot another cowboy church, I was ready to go!
Cowboy churches have been taking off all across the state of Texas, so it was only natural that the magazine I shoot for wanted to write an article about them. All of the images you see here are of Triple Cross Cowboy Church in Granbury, Texas.
So, what makes a Cowboy Church a Cowboy Church? Here are a few observations I made:
* A cowboy church is a place where you can come exactly as you are, you don’t have to get dressed up unless you want to.
* When you drive up to church you may be greeted by cowboys on horseback.
* The church is usually a no frills, steel building with a concrete floor and folding chairs.
* You can bring your dog to church.
* There is an arena out back where you can do roping or rodeo activities after the service.
* Baptisms are done in a stock tank.
* Cowboy churches are not just for cowboys. All types of people go to cowboy churches.
One of the lay pastors I was able to work with put it best in saying that their whole goal in creating the cowboy church is to remove all of the possible barriers that could keep someone from going to church. It seems like they have done a pretty good job at accomplishing just that.
For instance, the pastor told me story about a hardworking cowboy. Every morning, including Sundays he had to feed and care for his cattle. This involved early hours and a lot of messy hard work. When Sunday morning rolled around his wife was getting ready for church while he tended to the cattle. Instead of rolling out of bed and getting in the car to church, this cowboy was putting in several early morning hours of hard labor and getting plenty covered in dirt and mud in the process. Eventually he got tired of racing in to get all cleaned up to avoid not being dressed right and getting the carpet dirty at church, and stopped going altogether. With a concrete floor and relaxed attitude/dress code, this is the type of person cowboy churches had in mind.
Just like the cowboy church I covered years ago in college, as a Dallas photographer I had a great time photographing this recent story. The people were wonderful and I even got to go to lunch and share stories with one of the pastors from the church. Enjoy!
Posted by Aynsley Kindig on Sun, Apr 08, 2012 @ 07:37 PM
So, quick question: How many of you guys are will be involved in an Easter egg hunt today?
I know I will, and it won’t have anything to do with hiding the eggs.
My wife’s family An annual tradition in my wife’s family is to have the “kids” do any Easter egg hunt. Now naturally this tradition started when they were wee children but somehow the tradition never ceased when they got older. Now they are a bunch of 20 somethings running around in a frenzy for Easter eggs. You may judge of course but let me also share that the Easter eggs are loaded with cash. It is for that reason, that I will not be sharing the address of where the hunt will go down.
From the Kindig family we wish you a very happy Easter. We hope that you are able to spend this time with family and friends and remember why we celebrate Easter. Jesus came to save us and on this day we celebrate His resurrection and life!
Happy Easter friends!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Wed, Apr 04, 2012 @ 12:01 PM
Man I love a good sandwich. When the ingredients are fresh and it is cooked just right, a good sandwich is hard to beat. That’s typically my standard lunch fare, though the sandwiches I normally eat don’t look anything like these. One of this Dallas photographers favorite perks of the job is taste testing, though I have had to go on a diet after shooting this particular feature. That right there should tell you that the sandwiches are very delicious.
All in all, I photographed around fifteen different sandwiches, some with soup combinations. The images were for a story on the best places to grab soup and or sandwiches in Fort Worth. I’ll share a few of my top favorites with you. One of the fun parts about this story was the fact that these sandwiches hailed from all different types of restaurants. I had sandwiches from great hole in the wall places that I have never heard of all the way up to some of the finest dining establishments in Fort Worth.
Meatball Bomber, JoEd’s Bombers
When I first walked up to JoEd’s, I got excited. The place epitomized a classic hole in the wall joint and really is that type of establishment that Dallas photographers love to photograph. It has been around for along time and was decorated to the nines in military memorabilia. They even had a parachute over one of the dining areas. I had never heard of a bomber before but apparently that is the term for submarine sandwiches on the East Coast. The meatball bomber had homemade marinara and homemade meatballs on it topped with cheese and a great combination of relish, onions and tomatoes. It was a combo that I have not had before. It was very refreshing though obviously very filling. I cannot wait to get back here.
Fried Bologna Sandwich, Ellerbe Fine Foods
I did not get to eat this sandwich, but it looked very delicious. The chef at Ellerbe, Molly McCook, only uses the freshest ingredients possible and judging by the looks of this baby it was top notch. When you add the great colors and textures of the sandwich with the colorful patio chars at Ellerbe, it is a Dallas photographers dream.
Shish Ka Bob Sandwich, Central Deli
Restaurant-quality Greek food at a Texaco? Yes. The Central Deli, which is located inside a Texaco gas station off Central Drive in Bedford. When I rolled up for the shoot, there was one guy running the show, and he split duties between running the store and cooking meals to order on a big grill. Most gas station food is anything but appetizing, but I had a feeling this would be different, and it was. He prepared this sandwich and a platter with a full smattering of items, and it was all quite delicious. Everything tasted fresh, and it was cooked right before my eyes, so there was no question of how the meal was being made. If you couple that with a great price for what you are getting, I know I couldn't be happier.
Bison Sandwich, Reata Restaurant
This was one of my favorite sandwiches to photograph, though I did not get to taste it either. When the plate came out for me to photograph it was a monster. The layering the meats and condiments was intense so I had a fun time styling this sandwich and working with a great background.
Sardine Sandwich, Cuco’s Sandwich Shop
I saved the most interesting one for last. I have had sardines before but never on a giant sandwich. Upon arrive at Cucos I could not help but smile at the fact that the restaurant was a bright pink pastel inside and out. As the restaurant serves Cuban style fare, this made perfect sense. The Sardine Sandwich photographed very well and the fried plantains were mouthwatering I'm just not sure sardines are for me. Enjoy!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Mon, Apr 02, 2012 @ 12:40 PM
A few weeks back I photographed and engagement portraits for Ashlee and Josh at the Dallas Museum of Art in the Art’s District. The Arts District is fast becoming one of my favorite places to do shoots in Dallas because it has a wide variety of architecture with a modern appeal. Also, as a Dallas wedding photographer I can get a lot of different looks within the Dallas Art’s District without having to go all over the place.
Ashlee and Josh chose the Dallas Museum of Art for their engagement session because this is where they are going to have their wedding and reception. It is a fun idea for sure, as it will show the progression of their wedding story. When it came to Ashlee and Josh’s engagement photography, they were looking for a more relaxed, causal feel, nothing that was overly posed.
As a Dallas wedding photographer I have found that the way to photograph as successful engagement session is to just let the couple be themselves. The most beautiful engagement portraits come from capturing a couple’s natural chemistry. Capturing these natural moments is not always something that just happens. Most people are not photographed on a regular basis so it often takes a little direction to get them comfortable in order to create photographs that truly look natural.
The engagement shoot began in the sculpture garden. The lighting was absolutely perfect and gave everything a beautiful glow. I am a huge fan of lines, so I use the sculptures in the garden to frame Ashlee and Josh and offer interesting perspectives. I also worked with some vines within the sculpture garden, which were a great background with a lot of texture.
As we were walking back into the museum for a clothing change I noticed the reflections in the glass of the museum. This was a chance to make a more unusual portrait by having them inside of the museum with the reflections outside. It took some time to get the lighting just right on their faces, but it made for a pretty interesting engagement portrait, I always like to get something a bit out of the box on my shoots, and this qualified.
Once the museum closed we enjoyed walking around the Dallas Museum of Art and finding other fun spaces to shoot at. I spent a lot of time shooting them amongst some of the trees outside which also made for some beautiful Dallas engagement portraits.
Enjoy!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Thu, Mar 29, 2012 @ 02:42 PM
Ah, getting away. Those two simple words, when paired together, can wash such a feeling of relaxation over a person. Even if where they are at or what they are doing is nowhere near relaxing. There are many places to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle, with one of my favorites being the lake. ‘The lake’ is almost as general a term as the phrase ‘getting away,’ as I may be referring to any number of lakes I’ve gotten to go to, but no matter where I’m headed geographically the end result is the same. In fact, I don’t know that there is any way you cannot go and be relaxed at the lake. It is always a great time, and my Dallas photographer side always seems to find something interesting to photograph.
Recently I spent a guy’s weekend with some of my buddies at a friend’s lake house on Possum Kingdom Lake. There were some great highlights, including the chance to do target shooting with almost every caliber of gun imaginable, and eating massive manly burgers with grilled green onions and jalapenos. And of course sitting around the fire smoking cigars, with the sky lit up with an impossible number of stars was amazing. However, one of my favorite parts of the trip was when we decided to take the boat out and check out Hell’s Gate. Yes, we were boating in the wintertime, but as you may have noticed, the lakes in Texas aren’t exactly frozen right now.
Now a name like Hell’s Gate doesn’t sound like a leisurely destination, but we had to go visit. In case you don’t know, Hell’s Gate is a great chasm between two cliffs, and the view of it, especially up close, is something else. The cliffs were about a fifteen or twenty minute boat ride from the house, and we managed to get there right around sunset, which was perfect for the Dallas photographer in me. I can’t remember if I had ever been this close to them, though I certainly saw them many a time while attending scout camp at Camp Constantin, which is just across the lake.
My friend Ryan took the boat right up to the cliffs, and you could see all the different variations and texture in the rock, which I am always a fan of as a Dallas photographer. I took several angles, and tried to show the expanse of the cliffs, and then we headed back. Since there wasn’t much wind or boat traffic, the lake was as smooth as glass, so we got to drive it wide open almost the entire time to and from the gate, and it was so nice to be able to feel the cool wind on my face. That is vacation at its finest.
To top things off, there was a gorgeous sunset that I shot right as we got back to the house, I got it just as it was going out over the lake. I hope you enjoy the images, and may they get you ready for the summer ahead!
Posted by Jason Kindig on Mon, Mar 26, 2012 @ 12:49 PM
We knew it would be any day, but we have to admit we were a bit tired of waiting. I know that is an understatement for Kristi, since she was the one who was nine months and about a week pregnant. For a few weeks, Aynsley has been obsessed with checking her phone to see if Kristi had called or texted with the good news. Day after day we waited. Everything was prepared; all we needed was the baby.
Well, last Thursday Aynsley got a text, not just any text, but the text we both had been waiting for: Kristi was headed to the hospital! It wasn’t just Aynsley and I who couldn’t wait for baby Faith to arrive. There were tons of family members anxiously awaiting her arrival. So as you can imagine all of our phones started blowing up with the good news! Just to give you an idea, Aynsley’s sister is a nurse so she was unable to check her phone until after work. When her shift ended to checked her phone and had over fifty texts - all of them updates and excitement about the new addition to the family.
At five o’clock it was go time. Everyone raced home and grabbed a quick bite to eat then headed to the hospital. The time was coming and the texts were flying. Being a Dallas photographer I grabbed my camera and headed out the door. This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve photographed a celebration of faith. I also was there at the gender reveal party, you can check out that blog here. We jumped in the car and were racing to the hospital to try and make it there in time, when we received a text from a crafty cousin who decided it would be funny to say that Faith had already arrived. You can imagine that I had two pretty upset women in the car and a cousin who couldn’t stop laughing.
We got to the waiting room to find most of Kristi’s family had already arrived. We were all anxiously waiting for someone to tell us Faith was here. The hours came and went and we still were waiting, waiting and then we waited some more.
All of the sudden the new dad bursts through the waiting room doors and we knew that Faith had arrived! Peter was beaming as he told us all about his new baby girl and how beautiful she was. So, what do you think we did next? Meet her? Well no not exactly. It runs out that the new momma was seriously hungry and there was only one thing that would satisfy her post labor cravings. That would be chocolate mousse cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I would have to set aside my role as a Dallas photographer and become a courier on a mission. We raced off to the Cheesecake Factory in our new Mazda (Zoom zoom for sure!) and arrived with fifteen minutes to spare.
This was the first time in my life I got to hold a newborn baby, and she was so precious! Each family member just melted the second they saw baby Faith. As you can see from the images, I couldn’t help myself, the Dallas photographer side of me kicked in big time to document Faith.
Kristi and Peter, congratulations! Your baby is such a beautiful gift! Thank you for letting us all share in this special moment with you. I hope you all enjoy the pics!
