Fun with Hey, Sweet Pea

The weekend, there is nothing like it. A time to rest, rejuvenate, refuel. A time to wined down or wined up. A time to settle in or skip out. A time for family and friends, comfort and joy. No matter how many have come and gone, as each new one approaches I look forward to it like a gift I cannot wait to open. And somehow I am surprised and delighted each and every week. As so it goes on and on. This weekend, I was lucky enough to share my weekend with two people that are dear to my heart. This much needed adventure time was like food for my soul; a time to slow down, to catch up, to unwined, to take in, to savor, to be present, to give and to receive. This weekend, was simply amazing. It was just one of those weekends. It reminded me how lucky I am to do what I do. We laughed....a lot! Jammed to really awesome music, danced, pigged out on junk food, did some re-branding, made a promo video, and not to mention, took (and edited) what fees like millions of pictures!My usual philosophy when shooting in a new place is "ask forgiveness, not permission," so I had full intentions of jumping fences to get that shot, if I had to. But lucky for us, that wasn't necessary. I am totally in love with the photographs we got. There are like none I have ever taken before and Elise looks DROP DEAD STUNNING (is that weird to say about a family member?) Anyway......  Elise and I edited these together and "awwd" over these all night long. I'm really proud to show you my art. There really isn't much more to say, I think I should let them speak for themselves. Enjoy! 

We started out in this small little ally in the Arts Bishop District in Dallas.

The rest of these were taken in a huge, empty field behind Scott and Elise's place. I totally dig all the amazing lens flare.

I absolutely love this shot of them together!

Thank you guys so much for such an incredible weekend! I can't wait for all the photo-shoots to come! Love you guys! 

~The guy behind the camera, Chase

If You're Waiting For A Sign

What do you want? Really, What do you want? Are you living your dreams? Doing the things you have always wanted to? What are you waiting for? What’s standing in your way?

I believe that you know exactly what your dreams are and you know exactly what you want! So why aren’t you living them, experiencing them, enjoying them, seeing them in front of you. Why aren’t you feeling them, touching their tangibility? Why aren't you taking action? Seriously though, why? You can sing the "Live Your Dreams" song as much as you want, but at the end of the day, nothing happens when you sit at home on your bum wasting your life! Is it because you don't believe you can have it and/or achieve it? Or because you don't believe you deserve it? Let's get real here, I think we both know those statements are false! You can do anything with just your mind! But no matter how you eat your donut filled with lies, the only person standing in your way……………… is you! You either love what you do, or you don't!  You’re either accomplishing your dreams or you are not! It's truly that simple!  Dreams don't come true on their own! In order to see dreams come true, you have to turn your dreams into goals and your goals in to plans. That takes hard work and effort though. If you’re not willing to give some blood, sweat, and tears then you’re right, you don't deserve them.

You are totally in charge of you! You are the only one who can decide to live your dreams, to see them come true, to accomplish your goals. Its all up to you. Nothing and no-one can stop you! With a determined spirit you can do anything! Talent will get you far, but not as far as ambition! 

What’s standing in your way? What are you waiting for? There is no better time than now!  Now seriously! Go! Make you dreams happen! If your waiting for a sign this is it!!  

5 Tips To Taking Better Photo's

You asked for it so here it is! Here are 5 tips from yours truly to taking better photos. Off we go!  

 1). Alter Your Perspective

           Most portraits are taken directly toward your subject with the camera at the eye level of your model. While this is understandable and is makes sense, completely changing the angle at which you shoot can give a real wow factor.

You can shoot your subject from above or below or however you choose. Get creative with it. Whatever you do you will be seeing your subject from an angle that is uncommon in real life which will  create interest in your photo. 

2). Move it from the Middle:

A lot of people have the tendency to place their subject right in the middle of their photograph. This is a big no-no in my book! Instead, try throwing (not literally) your subject to the left side or the other!

See how I didn't  place my subject in the middle of my picture? Their feet are son the left side, not  right in the the middle.

3).Funky Lighting.

This is one of my favorite techniques. I love using funky or moody lighting. Try experimenting with types of lighting set ups. Shoot in low light! Play around with shadows. Have fun with it! 

4).Shoot candidly:

It seems to me, that all of my favorite photos are ones that are totally candid. Sometimes when you pose people they just looked so.....well, posed! Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This tends to put your subject at ease. You will always get nature looking shots that really capture your subject.

5).Obscure part of your subject.

This is the idea of zooming in on one part of the body to obscure parts of your subject’s face or body. This can be done with anything. Clothing, objects, their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image.

See how I covered almost all of my model's face? In doing this you leave interest to the  imagination of the image's viewer but also focus their attention on parts of your subject that you want to be focused on.

And there you have it! :) If you would like the read a part 2 then let me know and I will gladly write another! I love sharing what I know and want to see others grow as well! 

The guy behind the camera

~Chase.

Slowing down

I'm no fortune teller, but I can tell you how I imagine my life 10 years from now. I do not know what the future holds though. I don't even know what today has in store. All I am sure about is this very moment. 

To be honest, I find that all of my moments seem to end all to quickly. Way more quickly than I would like them too. I hate this! Things are just moving so fast. I just need a breather. Could I please take 5? or 10? or 15? In fact, could I please have a large Iced Tea, while I am at it? Live is moving at the speed of light and it's not getting any slower. While it's fun and I'm enjoying it, sometimes I just want to take a step back. I find myself wanting to enjoy the small moments in life. Those beautiful moments. The ones of going to get Ice Cream, a warm imbrace, family life, love, connection, the laugh out loud moments, time spent with friends, and everything else. But it's hard to remember to live in those moments when your always thinking about what's coming next.

 Life is short, way to short to have regrets.  So i'm slowing myself down. I'm don't want to be moving so fast that my life fades into blurry images. This is such an amazing part of my life and I want to remember all of it! Even the little moments, because the little moments will be my most cherished memories later. I'm slowing down to soak in every single little detail. I'm slowing down so that I can be grateful for the small pleasures in life.  I'm slowing down to be happy, so I can truly be greatful for everything that surrounds me, to live in the moment that I am put in. 

Here are some photos I took a few days ago. I love their beauty! Yes, they are blurry. I felt like they fit this post perfectly! Enjoy! 

Take a minute to breathe and relax and be grateful for all the beauty that surrounds you. 

Black and White, Part One

"Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which is forever subjected" ~ Robert Frank
The statement above is true. So very, very true! For me personally, black and white are the colors of photography. They really do symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which is forever subjected. 

There is just something about black and white photographs that I absolutely love. They have such extraordinary beauty and an unexplainable power that's truly amazing. I love it! I'm so passionate about this subject. :) I definitely think that black and white is my signature as a photographer. I do it often, probably to often. But I feel that is it my greatest strength and I'm really proud of that. 

I'm starting a new project. I can't tell you it's name, mainly because it doesn't have one yet. :( I'm just making a collection of black and white photographs. This is part one. I will add to this collection slowly. I will be blogging them as I go through it though. I am really looking forward to seeing the my collection grow. 
Enjoy.