It’s always good to have a brother that has gold, curly hair, like any surfer would want to have as he runs down a beach with board in hand… Anyways, Seth was subject to a quick test run for the new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra’s I procured yesterday. These little (and I mean little) lights can punch out some light! I’ll post a more thorough review later, after I’ve had more than a few shoots with them (just finished with a shoot where I used them with some bigger units, and they came in dang handy), but right now, they are looking like the ideal lighting setup for 80% of my work! If you’re in to portability, then this is it!

These are just a couple test/fun shots we played with yesterday. The top photograph was with a 39″ Elinchrom Rotalux Octa camera left with a shoot-thru umbrella back and camera right. The bottom photograph is the Rotalux Octa actually behind Seth, and the umbrella turned the other way around, camera left. Color in Lightroom 2 (Lightroom 3 beta is cool, but there are a couple export issues I want to conquer first before running a lot of photos through).

More to come!

I recently wrote about the current cover story for Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine (link to post here), and how we are noticing a drastic decline in Lesser Prairie Chicken populations in Texas. The story covers stewardship of land and enterprise amidst necessary renewable energy resources, as well as research that can aid in maintaining the population we do have. For some, it is a touchy subject, however, the article is a straight-on look at the big picture, and more than anything, hopefully prompts discussion and discourse on both sides of the bird’s future. All in all, it was a great story, and Stayton Bonner did a helluva job researching and writing the piece, and TPW Magazine did a great job of design!

I want to share a few more photographs from the story that couldn’t be squeezed in to print, just to give you an idea of what it was like photographing the story. This story actually took me and Stayton to McLean, Texas (northern Panhandle, east of Amarillo), to Austin. The idea of the story was to grasp all aspects of the issue, from land stewardship, to LPC research and population, to the political field in support of renewable energy, specifically in the form of wind energy.

Many a cold morning was spent in a blind before sunrise, waiting for the chickens (they’re not really chickens, rather a member of the grouse family) to fly or walk on to the leks. They are amazing creatures, and an initial thought was that they were actually much smaller than I, and I’m sure Stayton, anticipated. Nevertheless, it is pretty incredible being able to watch these animals, icons of the Plains, from relative close proximity.

When they begin their “booming,” it is nothing short of a ceremonial dance in order to win over a female. From their distinctive vocal sounding to their incessant stomping on the ground, their ritualistic parade of colors and hooplah is not like anything you’ve ever seen!

Even the way the males fight over a female is unique, even in it’s viciousness.

The culprit. A lone female posts herself higher than the males, to view their “booming,” and the battles over her that ensue.

The chickens were only part of the story, and a good part of it pertained to the human relationship with their existence. Researchers, like Blake Grisham, Nick Pirius, and Adam Bahney (second photo below), work with Texas Parks and Wildlife in order to determine LPC population health.

Heather Whitlaw, also works in conjuction with TPW and the Texas Tech University Lesser Prairie Chicken research that Blake, Nick and Adam conduct.

Jeff Haley, a cattle rancher and land steward in the Texas Panhandle, spoke of how he used to sneak up on leks in years past to watch the LPC boom, but he has not noticed much activity in recent times.

Paul Sadler, a former Texas state legislator, serves as the executive director of The Wind Coalition, a group that advocates the implementation of renewable energy producing wind turbines, yet recognizes the complex facets of the land that many turbines in Texas are being constructed upon.

Thanks again to everyone that helped make this story as significant it has become. Overall, this story serves as a good testament to a long issue of creation of habitat and co-existence, in which more than often, the right choice is made to benefit all involved!

I love West Texas wine! I had a conversation the other day with a gentleman about a friend of his that was a supposed “wine snob.” You know, one of those folks that will only drink $60+ bottles of imported wines, letting only the “finest” wines indulge his palette. Anyways, said gentleman sent his snobbish friend a bottle of West Texas wine (variety and winery not discussed), and while it was a fine gift, the friend did not have positive reaction…at first. After a while, the friend gave in, drank a glass, and voila, decided that West Texas wine wasn’t so bad, not bad at all, well, some really dang good wine!

I mentioned in a previous post about an article I am working on for a regional magazine about the West Texas wine industry. I wanted to share another portrait from the experience. Greg Bruni, pictured above, is one of the wine makers and owners of Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock, Texas. Bruni grew up in a California wine family, and his knowledge and techniques as a wine maker has helped shape West Texas wine.

This is one of my favorite portraits I have taken this year! The best part of it all is that it didn’t take long to get it! I counted up, Mr. Bruni and I took eleven total shots. He showed up right at sunrise, we ran out into the vineyard adjacent to the winery. The light was just impeccable for the shot. The sun rose just over his right shoulder, and a 580EX with an umbrella was placed just off the 45 on his front right. Just enough to fill in the shadow side of his face and get up under that awesome hat! Pump up the power enough on the flash, say 1/2 +.7 power, and balance it with a solid ambient exposure, and there you have it! Light makes color, and this is a very colorful photograph, telling the man’s passion for his work.

Hope you enjoy the shot, and please, enjoy yourself some West Texas wine soon! JF.

Seth has really pulled through for me with my photography over the past several years. He’s never turned down an opportunity to travel and backpack with me for extended periods of time (at the end of which my vehicle smells like one huge dude from the lack of access to household amenities), and he’s always been an extra hand or light stand when I ask him for help on a short portrait or product shoot. He’s even picked the camera up a time or two, so he knows what he’s doing with all those f-stops and shutter speeds.

This time, however, I used him as the talent, making use of his strong chin and pronounced cheekbones in testing out a new background kit I just bought for quick, on-location setups. I bought a gray background for a special project coming up, and this seemed like a good time to rip that package open as well. The shoot also allowed me to just play around in Lightroom a little as well, so, sorry Seth, you’ve been used again! Sorry buddy…

These are just a few images that we took, but then again, how much time does it take to test out a set of two stands and a crossbar, which by the way, I’m a huge fan of everything Manfrotto, but I use Giotto stands right now, mainly because their sturdier than other stands comparably priced, and in all reality, they just plain work good, and that’s what we want over at JFP, stuff that works: cameras, computers, lights, stands, people, etc…