People of Mardi Gras is an ongoing series / work in progress where I try to tell the collective story of Mardi Gras through portraits and photos of the people attending. It is the people that make Mardi Gras what Mardi Gras is.
I started this project year or two after I got into photography. It started off as just bringing my camera to parades and shooting photos. Then I started getting into portraiture and loved the idea of a person’s face telling a story. So, I started asking strangers if I could take their portrait, with the idea that I could tell multiple individuals’ story with a portrait, that I could tell the entire collective story of Mardi Gras in a series of portraits. It's still that, but as the years go it's become a way for me to try new photography techniques, play with different gear, and celebrate Carnival my own way. Some people indulge in food drink and partying during Mardi Gras, I indulge in street photography.
2021 was a weird year. We dressed our houses up, we dressed up, and we stayed home, something very un-mardi-gras-like The carnival spirit still shined through the darkness that was pandemic. I mostly drove around and met people in front of their houses and took their photo and interviewed them. One day I drove up to St. Charles and took pics of folks outside the big house floats on St Charles. On Lundi Gras when I was driving around I would come across random revelers costumed out just walking around neighborhoods. On Mardi Gras day one of my neighbors through a "porch concert" which at the time I recall was nice to hear live music, me and my partner ended up getting popeyes and sat on a blanket on the nuetral ground of Norman C Francis. Pretty surreal year.
Check out my instagram page @peopleofmardigras
Why am I just now posting 2021?
It's a photography workflow technique. I shoot all on film, so after Mardi Gras the rolls of film sit in my freezer until about a month or two before the next years carnival. Then I start developing them. I do this specifically so I forget what I shot. There’s a certain phenomenon that happens to photographers when they are making pictures. It’s a certain type of feeling you get when you make an image. It’s hard to describe unless you yourself caught the photo-bug and have experienced the joy/obsession of it. Allot of photographers mix that feeling up with the image itself. Just because I got a good feeling taking the image, doesn't necessarily make it a good image. So, hence why I like to wait a year. I've also found that it gets me in the carnival spirit going through my images just weeks before Fat Tuesday.
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New Orleans Small Business 12n12 is a project, by local New Orleans photographer Traven Stout, that promotes one small business a month. The idea is to reach out to other business owners and simply connect with them, to relate with them, to offer help, and to look for help with running a business by yourself.
Hey, thanks for coming and checking out the 12n12 project. Originally this project was designed so I would photograph one business a month in 2020 (12 businesses in 12 months- 12n12) But then 2020 happened. So were a bit off schedule but I am committed to finishing this project by covering twelve businesses.
...
This piece is on Bokah Bikes with Andy. Bokah bikes is a bike shop that does restorations as well as repairs. I bought a sweet 70's Schwinn with suicide shifters from Andy a few years back. It's an awesome bike. Andy is a good friend and an awesome dude. I highly recommend taking a look in his shop if you are looking for a bike.
(me)What does your business do?
(Andy)We are a vintage bike shop. Micah and I recover and restore bikes from the 50’s to early 2000’s. We mainly work on 70’s 80’s and 90’s bikes. We also offer repairs, services, and we try to be a positive influence in the community, as well as a bike shop where you feel welcomed, accepted, and not judged.
(me)How long have you been in operation?
(Andy)Technically we have been in operation for about 5 years, we have been incorporated for at least that long, too. We have been in this commercial spot for about three and a half years. Before that we were in a warehouse space for a year and a half; and before that we were just working out of my backyard.
(me)What is something people don’t know about your business that you want them to know?
(Andy) I mean I do not like to say this too often, because it feels like I am virtual signaling, but I think we help allot of the kids in the neighborhood. It is something we really like doing. Being a bike shop we naturally get kids in here. They come looking for work, small repairs, and stuff they do not have the money for. So, I think it’s really cool we're able to help them out, connect with them, and maybe be a positive influence and a safe place for them to come and get involved with bicycles.
(me)What are your goals for the next year?
(Andy)We want to continue to do vintage bikes, it is something we’ve done from the beginning. The pandemic has helped us double down on that, because getting new bikes has been difficult. At the same time we have also slowly been developing more effective and efficient ways of repairing old bikes. I would like to become more efficient in our process and to continue restoring older bikes, because it can be labor intensive.
(Me)Where do you see your business in 5 years?
(Andy)I would love to own the spot we are in. I would for sure like to stay in this neighborhood. I’d like the shop to be a bicycle wonderland when you walk in. I want to continue to do vintage restoration and a have a big operation aimed at that with that as the central theme of our business, with a larger space, more inventory, more employees. Sometimes I consider that maybe it’d be cool to do some kind of program to help the youth.
(me)What is your favorite thing about running your own business?
(Andy) I feel it's cliche to say, but since I decided to do my own thing, I don’t feel like I’m working like I did before I started my business, where it felt draining and very difficult to show up every day. Even though running your own business isn’t easy it doesn’t drain the life out of me, and I think I love that and I love the independence and the ability to be creative and decide which direction my business goes in.
(Me) What’s your biggest challenge within running your own business?
(Andy)Paperwork/ Clerical stuff. I do not like any of that. Accounting, anything I must do on a computer. I kind of realized that instead of painfully doing it poorly, I can just delegate it, and it is done efficiently.
(Me)What would be your number one suggestion to someone starting their own business?
(Andy)What I think worked for me, which may not work for everybody, but for me, once I found something that I felt an inclination towards, or a sense that I could do this; I just jumped in. I realized early on if I wanted it to be something it couldn’t be my side hustle. I couldn’t continue to give my energy to a 9-5 and try to do the bikes on the side. I was in my mid 30s so my energy level was going down, so I realized I had to completely devote all my creative energy and mental energy towards this or else it would never evolve.
(Me)Anything else about your business that you would like to add?
(Andy)We do not only restore bikes that we sell we also restore bikes for other people. So, if you have a bike that has been sitting up and you think it’s done for. Bring it by us before you decide that, and we can see if we can bring it back to life. We have done that for a few customers, and they have been very satisfied.
Thanks for coming to the blog and checking out this piece! If you want to help support Andy's business go like his instagram and face book pages or go to his shop and buy a dope bike! (also please excuse my grammar and spelling. I'm a photographer not a writer!)
IG: @bokahbikes
FB: Bokah Bikes New Orleans
Bokah Bikes is located: 4233 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117
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Yall know I love Mardi Gras. Every year I spend the entire carnival season documenting Mardi Gras through my People of Mardi Gras series. Despite parades being canceled, this year was not too different for me. Instead of photographing people at parades I went to house floats and got photos of their creators. As I was scrolling through Instagram I came across a dog house replica of one of the house floats I took photos of and after a few comments and direct messages I had a photo session setup to meet the creator of this dog house float.
@nola_snowball and her krewe typically parade with their pups Allie and Frankie in Mardi Paws and make really cool dog floats for their pups Allie and Frankie. This year they saw the dog house float initiative put on by Mardi Paws and wanted to get in on the house float fun. After talking to @nola_snowball I learned that after Mardi Gras they decided to put the dog house up for auction. All proceeds go to Scott's wish a 501c3 all volunteer ran nonprofit. The auction is up done on the 28th. So go bid now! PLEASE VISIT: https://www.doghousefloats.com/auctions
Mardi Paws Amabasadogs: Allie and Frankie and their human, who created the dog house floats, see more of them @nola_snowball
A word from Denise with Mardi Paws about the dog house floats that explains the dog house floats a little better:
“About our Dog House Floats initiative:
In a year when the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to take a bite out of all the usual fun of Mardi Gras, the Mystic Krewe of Mardi Paws, a beloved dog parade that has been taking place in St. Tammany Parish for 27 years, refuses to take the news of parade cancellations lying down. In response to those who are begging for a safe way to celebrate this unusual Carnival season, Mardi Paws is hosting its first-ever Dog House Float contest.
Inspired by the pup-ularity of the “House Floats” that are all the rage in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, where businesses and homeowners have hired professional float decorators to transform buildings into Mardi Gras masterpieces, Mardi Paws is encouraging pooches and their people to unleash their creativity and transform dog houses into works of art. Modern-day revelers can then drive around – or go for a walk -- to see this new breed of “float” in safe and socially distant ways.
The goal of “Dog House Floats” is to spread good cheer while drawing attention to the plight of the homeless pups at the St. Tammany Parish Department of Animal Services in Lacombe, the only open-admission animal shelter in the parish.
With Mutty Gras season having come to an end, we are so grateful for some last minute ideas from krewe members that will allow us to raise funds for our initiative transporting at-risk dogs out of high intake shelters to the northeast to save their lives.
Our first Dog House Float was a group effort spearheaded by AmbassaDOGS Frankie & Allie and their float building krewe! They found their decorated digs featured in PEOPLE, The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, USA TODAY10Best, you name it, and each pup felt they should take credit-lol.
As tension ensued, it resulted in a decision for the siblings to get their own spaces. Thus the creation of the "Night Tripper" Dog House Float. But living next door to each other wasn't as great as they first thought, and now having overcome their differences, they have generously agreed to donate the "Night Tripper" House to our non-profit!
“The Night Tripper” was the first house float launching the Krewe of Red Beans’ “Hire a Mardi Gras Artist” program which boasted a huge papier-mâché skull adorning the front of the shotgun house, along with snakes, irises and cypress trees by artists Caroline Thomas.
Ready to Bid!
PLEASE VISIT: https://www.doghousefloats.com/auctions”
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People of Mardi Gras is an ongoing series / work in progress where I try to tell the collective story of Mardi Gras through portraits and photos of the people attending. It is the people that make Mardi Gras what Mardi Gras is.
I started this project year or two after I got into photography. It started off as just bringing my camera to parades and shooting photos. Then I started getting into portraiture and loved the idea of a person’s face telling a story. So, I started asking strangers If I could take their portrait, with the idea that I could tell multiple individuals’ story with a portrait, that I could tell the entire collective story of Mardi Gras in a series of portraits. It's still that, but as the years go it's become a way for me to try new photography techniques, play with different gear, and celebrate Carnival my own way. Some people indulge in food drink and partying during Mardi Gras, I indulge in street photography.
Happy Carnival! This year, 2021, will be an interesting one to say the least. When they announced that Mardi Gras was going to be canceled this year, I immediately went, "Hold up, You cant cancel Mardi Gras!" You can cancel the super krewes and the parades, even close off the quarter, but you can't cancel Mardi Gras. The people will find someway to celebrate, and this year they have done exactly that. House floats are a big hit this year and its amazing to see the creativity fly. What was even more amazing to me was seeing the traffic on St. Charles last week. People are getting in their cars to go look at house floats. Truly you can't keep New Orleanians off the streets during Carnival.
If your celebrating carnival this year, whether it be through turning your house into a float, or doing something else, please contact me. I'd like to take your photo and ask you what Mardi Gras means to you. Typically I can just walk out my door and find people at parades and in the quarter to photograph, but this year is clearly different. So please reach out to me on my instagram account @peopleofmardigras if your celebrating carnival this year. I'd like to take your photo.
People of Mardi Gras 2020
Mardi Gras 2020 was a beautiful year, specially considering that a pandemic hit shortly after that and it brought the world to a halt. As I look at last years images I long for when we can get together and freely party like this. 2020 was also busy year for me during the carnival season. I had a lot professional jobs, including photographing the Ball of Mad Hatters as well as their parade, a wedding on mardi gras morning, and a few convention headshots and event gigs. Nevertheless, I was still able to get out and document a few parades and capture all of Mardi Gras day.
Its seems as my method of using instagram to record interviews, that I started in 2019, is working. So check out my instagram page @peopleofmardigras if you want to catch some of the interviews I've done with the people that I've photographed.
Why am I just now posting 2020?
It's a photography workflow technique. I shoot all on film, so after Mardi Gras the rolls of film sit in my freezer until about a month or two before the next years carnival. Then I start developing them. I do this specifically so I forget what I shot. There’s a certain phenomenon that happens to photographers when they are making pictures. It’s a certain type of feeling you get when you make an image. It’s hard to describe unless you yourself caught the photo-bug and have experienced the joy/obsession of it. Allot of photographers mix that feeling up with the image itself. Just because I got a good feeling taking the image, doesn't necessarily make it a good image. So, hence why I like to wait a year. I've also found that it gets me in the carnival spirit going through my images just weeks before Fat Tuesday.
Thanks for looking at my work!
-Traven
]]>New Orleans Small Business 12n12: Southerns
New Orleans Small Business 12n12 is a project, by local New Orleans photographer Traven Stout, that promotes one small business a month. The idea is to reach out to other business owners and simply connect with them, to relate with them, to offer help, and to look for help with running a business.
Hey, yall thanks for coming and checking out the 12n12 project. Originally this project was designed so I would photograph one business a month in 2020 (12 businesses in 12 months- 12n12) But then 2020 happened. So were a bit off schedule but I am committed to finishing this project by covering twelve businesses.
On a personal level, I am so happy I started this project. Each time I meet up with another small business photograph and interview them I feel I gain more confidence in my business and with where I stand in the "business world." Running a business by yourself is tough, but very rewarding at the same time. It's also something that allot of people don't understand unless they have a small business themselves. Each time I've interviewed and talked with small business owners I hear similar stories of struggle and reward, ups and downs, and it's a solid reminder that I'm not in this alone, and to keep at the daily grind. So please if your small business owner and want to talk shop, reach out to me, I would love to connect.
Southerns
Bio-
Started Southerns in late 2018 Won fried Chicken fest in 2019, Currently doing popups in New Orleans.
Co-owned and operated by Gene and Anthony Cruz
What does your business do?
Food truck/ Food Pop up / catering.
How long have you been in operation?
2 years
Whats something people don’t know about you business that you want them to know?
We are passionate about helping with addiction in our community.
What are your goals for the next year?
Planning on opening a storefront in New Orleans
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
Multiple locations and firmly anchored in the heart and minds of New Orleans food scene
What's your favorite thing about running your own business?
Creative freedom
What’s your biggest challenge within running your own business?
Time away from family
What would be your number one suggestion to someone starting there own business?
Start small and avoid debt
What’s you social media accounts?
FB: Southerns
IG: @southernsfood
^^^^IMHO BEST FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH IN THE CITY^^^
Seriously if you get a chance to check out Southerns
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New Orleans Small Business 12n12 is a project, by local New Orleans photographer Traven Stout, that promotes one small business a month. The idea is to reach out to other business owners and simply connect with them, to relate with them, to offer help, and to look for help with running a business.
12n12 is BACK! We had a bit of a delay this year due to covid, but now I'm getting this project up and going again to finish up a total of 12 businesses in New Orleans. Every time I talk to another small business owner I get more comfortable with where my business is. It's nice to talk to other people who "get it", specially during these uncertain times. Angie's advice for someone starting a business is exactly what this project is for me.
This month I met up and interviewed Angie from Antball Landscaping.
What does your business do?
Antball does a little bit everything. We do clean ups and transformations. We do tree and plant installs. Drainage and Limestone. Fences and Gutters. We do small tree work, lily pad ponds. You name it we can do it.
How long have you been in operation?
2016
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
5 years seems a very far away place to to see from here, but I’d love to have my own nursery.
Whats your favorite thing about running your own business?
My favorite thing about landscaping is watching a new lily or sage bloom. Sometimes I get to bring my dog out on the job with me too. I love it when my customers are delighted with our work.
What’s your biggest challenge within running your own business?
Technology, Paper work, and numbers.
What would be your number one suggestion to someone starting there own business?
Make friends with other people starting off with their own businesses. So you can go back and forth sharing ideas with each other and helping each other out.
What’s you social media accounts?
Facebook: Antball Landscaping LLC
https://antball-landscaper.business.site/
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Lenses are measured by focal length and different focal lengths effect your images differently. Wide angle lenses have distortion and large depth of fields and Telephoto lenses have compression with shallow depth of fields. By knowing how these different effects take hold in certain focal lengths you can use the affects to your advantage while composing an image.
Focal length is measured in millimeters and determines your lenses angle of view. The angles of view get broken down into three categories Telephoto, Normal, Wide angle and Super Wide wide angle (sometimes four categories when Super wide angle is included) Telephoto lenses are lenses that are “zoomed in”, normal lenses are near to what are eyes see, and wide angle is a larger angle of view than what are eyes see.
For full frame cameras these are the focal length ranges:
Telephoto lenses range from 85mm-300mm (and longer)
Normal range from 40mm-60mm
Wide angle – 24mm-35mm
Super wide- 12mm-20mm
If your camera has a sensor (or film) smaller than full frame, like a cropped sensor your angle of view will be a different. Same goes for larger sensors (or film formats) Meaning your focal length ranges will be different.
Super Wide and Wide angle lenses
Wide angle lenses are very useful for when you don’t have enough room to step back and take the shot. For example I’m in a tiny room at a event and need to get a group shot but I can’t scoot back enough, a wide angle lens comes in handy. However if there isn’t time constraints and other location options to take the group photo, I will try to move the group somewhere to where I can use a normal or telephoto focal length. Why? Distortion. With wide angle lenses what ever is closest to the lens appear larger than whatever is further back in the frame. This is where the phrase the camera adds 10lbs comes from. So group shots and portraits are not usually best with ultrawide angle lenses unless you purposely use the distortion to your advantage.
In this image I used a wide angle lens to make the crawfish appear really big:
Here I used a wide angle to give the appearance that this 2nd Liner was larger than life:
Telephoto Lenses
Telephoto lenses have distortion too, but the distortion is opposite of wide angle lenses. It’s called compression. This is when objects in the back ground of the photo appear to be closer than they really are. Look at the bottom of the blog. See in the 200mm shot the fence seems right behind the manakin head. Now look at the 15mm shot the fence looks really far away. This is compression. I find myself using it when shooting portraits and I want my background to be a little closer to my subject. I’ll have to step further back then zoom in.
Here I used a telephoto lens to fill the background with the screen the the presenter was using:
In this image I wanted the background to be filled with my subjects AutoBody Shop. So I took a few steps back and filled the frame.
Here's some photos I took in Palmer Park for this blog post to show the difference in wide angle vs telephoto.
Notice the flag in the back ground, with the wide angle lens the flag looks like its across the park, with the telephoto its right behind him.
Here’s an example of 200mm - 15mm. Notice how the fence starts to get separated as the focal length changes.
So, use focal lengths to your advantage.
Check out my social media pages @travenstoutphotographer and on FB @travenstoutphotographer
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Your photography is only as good as your worse image.
It’s a pretty rough statement, but what it means is that when presenting your work, the weakest photos will always take away from your stronger photos. This is where the skill of culling comes in. Culling your images is the process of getting rid of the bad images you shot and choosing your best ones to edit or show to people. It is an important part of the editing process.
How?
There is numerous software’s out there that allows you to cull images. The most common are lightroom, capture one, bridge, and photo mechanic. The first two are editing software’s as well, the last is specifically for culling and organizing.
I use lightroom.
I cull multiple times through post production, a first cull without editing. Then I go through while editing and culling at the same time. Then cull again.
On the first cull I go fast. I try to go through them with out thinking about it and rely on my instincts. It’s also a way of trying to disconnect from the images. (I’ll get into disconnecting later)
On the second cull I’ll go though the images while editing and check in on details. I’ll zoom in and make sure my focus is correct, that there’s no motion blur, or no super distracting things. From there I pick out the best images from the shoot.
Here's a video I made showing the process of how I use lightroom to cull my images while editing:
After the editing process.
Culling is also used for artwork, portfolio’s, and editorial assignments. This is typically after the editing process and where I’m trying to decide which images best represent what I’m going to portray. In my wedding work I want to attract clients that like my documentary style, so I need to put images in my wedding portfolio that best represent that. Photojournalist (or their editor) deals with this when they are shooting images for a story, by selecting the images that fits best with the story. Culling for artwork or an art series is used for boiling down to what best portrays the meaning of your work. It’s a very difficult process if done right.
Disconnect
We must kill our babies. I know that sounds intense, but sometimes the process of culling feels like that. Sometimes you get down to two good images but only one of them can make the cut. It’s important to disconnect from our images for this reason, to look at them objectively. The connection I’m talking about is from when we take the image. Sometimes we get a certain feeling when we take a photo and then when we look at the image, we re-feel that feeling. That doesn’t necessarily mean when other people look at it, they will get the same feeling. It’s important to try to disconnect the feeling you got when you made the photo from the feeling you get when you look at the image. This helps you look at your image from your viewers perspective. Another way of doing this is to forget what you shoot. Literally forget what you shoot. I do this for my Mardi Gras series. I process and develop my film about a year after I take the photos. I do this so I can forget the feeling and connections I had while taking the image. That way I can look at them in a more objective manner.
Critical Critique
Get an opinion from someone you trust or even multiple people. There are good ways to critique work and bad ways, so again make sure who you are asking is really trying to help and knows what they are talking about. Be careful you’re not too emotionally connected to the images or prepare yourself to have thick skin. In the past, I have asked people to look at a series of work that I was deeply connected to. They were honest, and it hurt when they didn’t see what I was going for. I did learn from that though.
So, if there’s only one thing you take from this blog post: Quality over quantity is the key to presenting your work and Less is more. Cull, cull, and then cull one more time.
Some of the shots from the photowalk I went in in the video(from 80 images, I'm down to 5):
If this was helpful to you, consider sending me a donation. I’m a nonessential business and not aloud to work so right now anything helps. If your strapped for cash(trust me I get it) please share this on social media.
On venmo @traven-stout or through cash app- $travenstoutLLC
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Hope everyone is holding up alright with the quarantine. I wanted to share with y’all something I use to do all the time when I first got into photography. PHOTO WALKS!
A photo walk is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a walk while you take photos. I used to do this all of the time, when I didn’t have anything in particular to photograph.
It’s something I have decided to start doing again to keep mentally fit during this quarantine. Creative processes are extremely important for mental health. For me personally it is something that helps me get outside of myself and something to put all my positive (or negative) energy into. It’s something that can help me forget my anxieties just for a bit. I also can get my daily exercise in with a walk. If your at all into photography, give this a try. It's a great way to practice and hone in your craft.
So, how?
Well, get out of your house and take a camera with you. I’ll simply just go for a walk and if I see something that interests me I’ll take a photo of it. This is where all of the fun of photography comes in. Once I see something that I think will make a good photo I stop and ask myself: why? What is it that I am attracted to? Is it certain colors, textures, shapes? After I find what it is that I’m attracted to I try to isolate that thing and make it as pronounced in the frame as possible. Then take the photo.
Camera shy:
So this happens to me from time to time. I will see something that interests me, but I decide not to take the photo. What happens is I get in my head with weird thoughts of: What if someone sees me? What will they think? It’s across the street, I’ll take it later. I don’t think this will work compositionally, etc. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Seriously, don't get in your head about it. Just take the image, if it doesn't come out right just don't use the image. Experiment with composition. Try different stuff, shoot as freely as you can.
Now, on the flip side to that there is still social norms in society. If you take a photo of someone, their house, or their property, they might question that. I have had it happen to me. When that happens, I just explain what I’m doing and why I thought the photo I took made a cool image. Most of the time people are cool and understand, but be diligent, read the situation. Legally you can take photos of anything, as long as it is in view of the public and the image is not being used for commercial purposes, but don’t cause more drama in your life or others just because you can. Be kind, especially in the midst of all this covid craziness.
There’s nothing interesting to take photos of
This is what I love about photography. Photographers can take an image of something and turn that image into a work of art. We literally can take reality and turn it into art. If your neighborhood is not interesting, then make it interesting. We can do this with proper composition and lighting. Through this we can take the dullest subjects and turn them into art. Once I got into the mindset as looking at everything as images, I could not stop composing/framing images in my head. Everywhere I would look I think, that would be a cool shot. For me, it’s a lovely mindset to be in. It’s where I am truly free of worldly concerns and focused in on my art. Some photographers call this the photo bug.
No, you do not need an expensive camera.
All of the images in the below slideshow were taken with my cell phone. All you need to make “technically” good photos is an understanding of light and composition. All fancy cameras do is give you more control and more of range to handle different lighting scenarios. Yes, if you do have a nice camera with fancy lenses definitely use it, but if your interested in photography and don’t have a camera, start off with your cell phone.
Be Careful.
We are in a weird time right now with covid19 going around. Be as safe as you can, follow CDC guidelines. Don’t do anything you are not comfortable with.
CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Stay tuned into my social media. I have a Cell Phone Photography Workshop that I plan to live stream on sunday. I’ve had the entire lesson plan for the workshop written out since the summer and have been waiting until slow season hits to put on a class. With the quarantine happening and everyone going crazy I have decided to class up for free, with the hope to help alleviate peoples boredom and to get some people interested in a new hobby.
You can follow me at https://www.facebook.com/TravenStoutPhotography/
or on intsagram @travenstoutphotography
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Whatsup guys! Thanks for stopping into my tiny corner of the internet. With the outbreak of COVID19 going around and everyone starting to work for home I decide it might be helpful if I share my experience of working at home.
For someone like me working at home is hard. I simply just don’t want to do it. Period. 😊 I mean don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. I love photography, but making images is only a tiny part of my business. It’s the emails, contracts, phone calls, networking, marketing, website management, etc. These tasks can get very monotonous. So the question comes down to how do I force myself to do the things I don’t like to do? My number one solution to this used to be: grab the laptop and go to the coffee shop. When I was in college it used to be grab the backpack and head to the library. Well the CDC has advised us to stay at home. So no, can't do that.
So here’s some tricks I’ve learned over the years of working at home by myself. These tricks are what work for me. As someone once told me, take the meat leave and leave the bones. So please take what you want leave what you don’t need.
Tidy Work Space
First off, if you don’t have a work space, find one. The kitchen table, the living room table, wherever, but tidy it up. For me, I find it hard to focus without a designated, clean work space. I learned this trick a couple years back through a meditation app (headspace). Although initally i wasn't convinced, once I implemnented it I found it made a huge difference. Logically now if I think about it, it makes sense. With a clean and clear work space it is less likely to be distracted by things unrelated to your task. I feel the same way about having multiple tabs open on your internet browser. I was so often distracted by these things. I’d be working on one thing, then start another thing, forget what I was doing and end up on messing around on Facebook on my phone.
Leave Social Media Alone
Most of us enjoy all the positives that social media has to offer. I love the ability to hop on and see all of my friends and check in with family members. This, however, can be very distracting, especially right now being stuck in the house. I’ll check my emails on my phone and next thing I know I’m on social media, realizing I didn’t stock up on toilet paper, that I’m not going to have any for the next month, to OMG they are shutting down schools, to arguing over politics, to some kind of meme group, to a live feed of a press conference of the mayor banning groups of 10 and the financial dread of realizing me or my girlfriend don’t have any work for the next month, to looking up from my phone and realizing the entire day is gone. Yes, social media can be detrimental to getting work done. Put it down. When I really need to get a solid amount of work done I just put my phone in the other room. I would delete the app but I can’t. I use social media for advertising my business. If you can delete the app I’d say give it a try. Also, there’s apps which will block the social media apps from opening. I never needed to give it a try, but it’s out there.
To Do list
This is crucial. When I first started my business I use to get so stressed out with stuff to do. Without writing it all down on a piece of paper, in my head it became a never ending mountain. From that I’d get anxious and go to my immediate default of procrastination.. So now I write out a to do list, with the due dates of each thing next to them.
Daily Planner
This is a new one for me, but several people suggested it, so I gave it a try. It’s making huge strides in my productivity. What I’ll do is at the end of each day is: I’ll take my to do list, and prioritize stuff onto my hourly schedule. Doing this has really helped me learn how long certain tasks actually take. With my kind of work, little stuff will pop up as well (client phone calls, emails that’ll need to respond to immediately, etc) so I’m rarely finishing on time within the hourly schedule. Regardless, it helps in the sense of prioritizing my to do list. The trick is to just not get stressed out if certain tasks are taking longer. If I don’t finish something by the end of the day I just schedule it in on the next day.
Break up long tasks.
This is a thing I struggle with, and may affect me more than others. I do this for culling (selecting which images I’m going to edit) and editing. One wedding can take at minimum 10 hours total in post production. I can’t do all of that at once. I’ll get way too burned out, all the images will blend together, and I’ll start making stupid editing mistakes. So I’ll split editing into two hour or one hour increments.
Lunch Break
I try to schedule in a 30-45 minute lunch break for myself. If I don’t, I wont eat and turn into a zombie by the end of the day. The issue for me comes in after I eat and need to get back to work. See I’m one of those people that watches TV while they eat. It’s an issue, because I’ll get sucked into a tv show and just say screw it I’ll watch one more show. Then next thing I know my day is shot. (sometimes the same will happen with sitting on the couch after I eat with my phone(social media)) What I’ve learned is to simply put on a boring show. Something that I absolutely can not get into. My old tv was a smart tv. I would put on a youtube nature video, videos of cool scenery with music on as the audio. It helped a lot. As soon as I was done eating, I'd just start working again.
Tomato Timer
If it’s a really rough day and I can’t concentrate. I do 25 minutes on 5 minutes off. I set my timer for 25 minutes, force myself to work for that time, then set the timer for 5 minutes and take a break. It’s called the Pomodoro technique https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique .. I use my old dark room timer, but if you don’t have a timer, here is website with a timer on it. https://tomato-timer.com/ This technique big time works for me. It also keeps me from sitting down for too long of a time. Reminds me to get up and stretch.
Call a friend/Network
I find this essientail. Now if you're working with a team of people this may not be a big deal, but if you’re a one man show, CALL OTHER PEOPLE. There has been time I've gone days without social interaction, instead being consumed by work. I’ve learned to call, at least, one person a day. Working by yourself can get pretty lonely, pretty quick. I’ve learned that human contact is gravely important to keep up my morale and stay sane.
Hygiene
When you don’t have anyone to meet not showering all day and working in your PJs gets pretty tempting. Trust me, YES it is AWESOME to do that, but just like everything else moderation is key. I can easily run wild with it. Instead of just walking into my home office, in my PJs, and sitting down to work I treat it as if I am "going into work." This means I shower and get dressed as if I'm showing up to a standard desk job. It just helps me feel a little better, to sit down at my desk clean cut. Some days I even put on nice clothes just to sit in front of the computer. It helps.
Switching Work Spots
This use to help me a lot. I get antsy sitting in one spot for too long. So I’d work in the studio/office for awhile, then switch it up and bring my laptop into the living room. I’m actually starting to do this less lately. I think part of that is a new roller office chair I got.
Get Comfortable
So just switched out my chair from a kitchen chair to a mesh office chair. I’m really starting to see a world of difference in it. I am able to sit much longer in the studio than I use to and I’ve found myself working in the living room less. However, if you don’t have access to a nice chair try to switching spots if possible.
Let there be light
This might just be a personal thing, but I open the curtains all the way , and try to get as much light as I can into the room I’m working in. It seems to help my mood a bit better. Being alone all day for days at a time gets rough, I’ll take and try anything that will uplift my mood.
Just do it
Sometimes I find just getting started is half the battle. Once I’m started it’s a lot easier to stay focused. So most of the time, I am literally just forcing myself to do emails or my accounting. Once I get into it I typically breeze through it.
Coffee
This is my favorite. Almost too much of my favorite, to the point where it can get a little distracting. A year or two back I got into home espresso, it’s kind of become my dorky little hobby. So if I’m not careful I can find myself making shots of espresso as a form of procrastination. But bottom line stimulants help. Specially if you have ADD. I use to be on Adderall as a kid. I absolutely hated the way it made me feel. However, I did get stuff done when I was on it. Now I refuse to take it(just a personal thing). I prefer to drink two cups of espresso. Of course again, this is what works for me. Don’t start taking stimulants because some photographer on the internet said coffee helps him focus.
Boundries/ Time Management
One thing I've learned is sometimes I have to put up boundries with loved ones. This is the most challenging for me to do. When I am working, at the house I am still working. It's important for me to not be disturbed, because I can get so easily distracted. It's imperative to explain this to roomates, partners, and family, specially if they do not work from home. It's hard for them to understand, because I make my own schedule and I can do whatever I want. It's important that I make time for my partner and plan activities with them, but at the same time it's just important to take care of my work responsibilities. I've found in the beginning of my career I never had time to socialize, be it with my girlfriend or freinds. This was true in the sense of I was always working, but I was wrong in the sense because I was not managing my time properly. What was happening is I was losing time by procrastinating or not prioritizing certain tasks. Then a deadline would come up and I would have to work straight to meet it. That's why all of these mentioned practices are so important for me to do, so I can spend time with loved ones and so I don't loose my mind. All of this has taken me years to realize and I am still not perfect at it.
Easy Does it
I am my harshest critic. Like no really, I’m a complete jerk to myself sometimes. I am constantly reminding myself to chill. Rarely do I ever have a to do list done in a day. By design I write my to do lists so I can get as much done in a given time as if I’m going to be working at 200% productivity levels. Most of the time it’s not possible to finish my daily schedule. So I have to remind myself to take it easy. BUT at the same time I have to be careful that I don’t take that to an extreme and start becoming complacent.
So yea those are all my tips for working at home. It’s all kind of common sense stuff, but it’s stuff that no one really taught me. All of these practices I have learned the hard way.
I know there’s allot of people who are switching to working at home and I really do hope this can help someone. I’m not lying when I say working at home and staying focused is the most challenging thing about running my own business. I’m assuming I’m not alone in that. Just like I know I am not alone in going through this covid19 stuff right now. With this pandemic happening there’s a lot of unknowns hanging in the air right now and it’s scary. Half my friends have lost there jobs, my partner is filing for unemployment, and I have lost work for the next two months. No clue if this virus can actually kill me(I’m young, but definitely not healthy)and I'm terrified that it’s going to take out my older friends and family. Yet there’s a certain calm to me. I’ve been in this place before, New Orleanians have been here before. During Hurricane Katrina there was many unknowns. We got through that, we will get through this just as we did back then, by coming together and helping each other. We will be ok.
If this was helpful please consider sending me a donation through venmo @traven-stout. Or through my pay pal account: https://paypal.me/travenstoutphoto If your in the same boat as me(unemployed or jobless) and this was helpful, please share this blog. The more people that read this helps with rankings on google. So a share goes a long way too helping my business.
EDIT: I just turned on the comment section in this blog. Please if you have any tips on how to stay focused and productive please share them with us.
]]>It was a pretty fun day because I got to switch back and forth from portraiture to event photography. So basically during the general sessions, I shut down the headshot booth and did event photography. Once the speakers were done I reopened the booth and got back to taking headshots.
Here a photo one of my assistants took of while I was working the headshot booth.
What I like to do for headshots, is to shoot tethered. This means that the camera is connected to my laptop. So every image I take then pops up on the laptop in real time. This way my clients can see the images I photograph while I am taking them. After I get a few images done I then let the clients look at the laptop and pick out there favorite image so I can edit it and send it to them later on.
Here's a couple headshots from that day:
Thanks for taking a peak at my blog!
If your interested in getting your headshot done or in need of an event photographer send me an email through my contact page
]]>This Mardi Gras I was the official photographer for the Madhatters Parade. It was so fun and I am very grateful to get this job. Typically when I'm doing photography during Mardi Gras it's for my personal project People of Mardi Gras (a project aimed at describing Mardi Gras in New Orleans) This was way different from working on an art project and it was nice to approach photographing Mardi Gras differently. First off I was using a digital camera which makes shooting 100x easier. (I use film for my personal projects and digital for my professional work) Also I was able to hire out an assistant and bring out my strobe which was pretty handy once we got out the parade route.
We started the day off with getting photos of the celebrities getting there makeup and and costumes on. From there we hopped on a bus with every down to the staging area and I got a few shots of the celebrities and krewe members on there floats. Once the parade started rolling I got in position and made photos of the parade while it was going. This parade was the first year it rolled and let me tell you it did not feel like a first year parade. It was pretty incredible. All around it was a pretty awesome day. The weather was amazing, the light was perfect for photography, and everyone there was in such a good mood. It's gigs like this that really make me love what I do. Mega thanks to the krewe for hiring me out.
Costumes by: @prothrift_er
Makeup by:
]]>New Orleans Small Business 12n12 is a project, by local New Orleans photographer Traven Stout, that promotes one small business a month. The idea is to reach out to other business owners and simply connect with them, to relate with them, to offer help, and to look for help with running a business.
Wrought Ink
Owner:Claudia Rodriguez
What does your business do?
We create custom t-shirt designs inspired by Louisiana folklore.
How long have you been in operation?
2 and a half years
Whats something people don’t know about you business that you want them to know?
People have asked me if the images are computer generated, but I draw each one from scratch
and then prepare them for print on Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. I also screen print them
myself.
(images provided by Wrought Ink)
What are your goals for the next year?
To build a second display and increase my inventory so that I can participate in more pop-ups
for events and festivals.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I would like to be in at least 4 retail shops that order regularly. Hopefully, by then I also have an
office manager that works 20-40 hours a week.
Whats your favorite thing about running your own business?
I love having the freedom over my artwork. I’m used to making designs for clients. Although I
love helping people make their visions reality, I’m also a little heartbroken when they go in a
direction other than what I had in mind.
With Wrought Ink, I make the designs and people purchase if they like them. No revisions or
tweets.
What’s your biggest challenge within running your own business?
As the business owner, I am responsible for everything and time is money. There are plenty of
times I have tried to save a penny by doing something myself when I should have delegated the
work.
Also, you get what you pay for. A professional friend giving you “the friend discount” will take
longer to complete the work. If you hire an unskilled person, you may end up redoing their work.
What would be your number one suggestion to someone starting there own business?
Budgeting your time and money is so important. Once you start depending on the business, the
stress of making income can override your growth goals.
I have been working on an official website for so long, and it keeps getting placed on the bottom
of my to-dos.
Once you start making income, make some growth goals and decide if the income you are
making is enough. Plenty of entrepreneurs have had two jobs for while until they can fully
depend on their business.
Anything else about your business that you would like to add?
I have an Etsy or you can find me at the Palace Art Market on Frenchmen st.
Also I am looking for retail store that want to carry my shirts.
What’s you social media accounts?
Wrought Ink Etsy
Wrought Ink Facebook
Instagram Wrought Ink
Heres a ridiculous video from my instagram account of Nathan(my assistant) posing for a test shot
Here's a couple headshots from the day:
Some of the small group shots:
and the large group shot:
From a technical stand point that shot was pretty hard to light. I had a stobe camera right on on top of the stairs facing down and on camera flash bouncing off the wall behind me.
It was a pretty perfect day as far as corporate headshots go.
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It's that time of year again, where I revel in street photography. I try to get out in the street as much as I can during Mardi Gras to the point where every year before Fat Tuesday I feel like I’ve caught the flu from pushing myself to hard. But hey that’s what mardi gras is all about in a sense: Revelry in excess.
2019 Mardi Gras was a fun year. Fat Tuesday was a beautiful day, I met friends and family in the morning in the bywater and walked up with the krewe of St. Anne. I was dressed as a photojournalFISH. My girlfriend and I wondered around the quarter and ended the day up on the moon walk. I don't remember to much rain, or too much cold in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. The uptown parades were lovely and I even got hired out to shoot some portraits of some ladies in NYX while they were staging. Being a New Orleans photographer is awesome. I really do love my job, specially when work and play gets combined. As far as people of mardi gras project went, it had it’s usual set backs. My favorite camera broke and I didn't realize it until 5 rolls deep. I lost allot of images due to that light leak, but hey that's the risk I run for playing with 30-year-old film cameras. In fact, most years I've had some sort of failure from trying old and different camera systems. This year it was my Kiev 60 that failed me. It's the camera my photography logo is based off of. Besides that, I had a great time. I used a Nikon f5 with an off-camera flash, a kiev60, an 8x10, and my mom’s old nikon fm2. I've been trying to simplify it so I don’t go gear crazy before parades trying to decide what to shoot on. (lol Obviously I'm not doing to good of a job on that, but hey it's mardi gras I’m gon do what I wanna.) Luckily a couple years back i decided on black and white kodak film, so that helps a little. This year I shot on tmax and trix pushed one stop.
Throughout the years I've been trying to record audio from people so I can match it with the images. From the start of it I have been plagued with trouble. At first, I started recording just plain audio with my phone. But because of my workflow, style, and developing my film a year later I completely forgot who was who. So, then I decided to start doing video of people, so I could remember their faces. It worked brilliantly but all the video was stored on my phone and then my phone broke. lol. So, then I started to do the Instagram stories, and last year was the 1st year I realized that Instagram archives all the stories, so I can go back a redownload all of them. It works beautifully with the Instagram account. @peopleofmardigras Go check it out if you have an Instagram. I use it as a sort of contact sheet and post as many images on there that I have. All the interviews are on there too.
Why am I just now posting 2019?
It's a photography workflow technique. I shoot mostly on film, so after mardi gras the rolls of film sit in my freezer until about a month or two before the next years carnival. Then I start developing them. I do this so I forget what I shot. There’s a certain phenomenon that happens to photographers when they are making pictures. It’s a certain type of feeling you get when you make an image. It’s hard to describe unless you yourself caught the photo-bug and have experienced the joy/obsession of it. Allot of photographers mix that feeling up with the image itself. Just because I got a good feeling taking the image, doesn't necessarily make it a good image. So, yea here’s 2019.
I started this project year or two after I caught the photo-bug. It started off as just bringing my camera to parades and shooting photos. Then I started getting into portraiture and loved the idea of a person’s face telling a story. So, I started asking strangers If I could take their portrait, with the idea if I could tell multiple individuals’ story with a portrait, that I could tell the entire collective story of mardi gras in a series of portraits. It's still that but as the years go it's become a way for me to try new photography techniques, play with new gear (or old gear last year I brought out a 50 year 8x10 camera) and to see my style of photography grow and change as I progress as a photographer.
Thanks for coming to my website and looking at my images. If you see me out and about this year feel free to ask me to take your photo!
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So I started up a new project for myself. This year I'll be photographing and interviewing one small business owner per month. The idea for me is to reach out to other business owners to simply connect with them, relate to them, offer help, and look for help. One of the biggest struggles I found when I first started off as a photographer is that I have no idea as to what I am doing in terms of running a business. Photography wise I'm good. I kill it, I'm confident in it, I love it. Business wise, meh. I've been stumbling along the past few years taking shots in the dark with marketing, time management, branding, sales, accounting, taxes, etc etc. I got allot of help from fellow established photographers when I first started out. All of them encouraged me to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Over the years I realized that these struggles are things that all small business owners deal with. So I decided to reach out with the easiest way I know, my camera. Allot of what inspired this was an interview that 365 NOLA (check that out to see some awesome local artist/business) did on me last year. 365 nola was a project created by Leslie Hendel, it highlighted 1 business a day last year. I loved the idea of supporting small businesses, each other, and I also love photographing people while they are working. So starting this project was a no brainer for me.
First person I contacted was Jessica Broussard, owner of Mad Darling. I met Jessica at her shop/studio and had a pretty awesome conversation, while photographing her at work. It made me realize how badly I needed this project. To realize that hey I'm not alone, I'm not crazy, running a business is tough and solely relying on that business is tough, that it is ok to be stressed, that it gets better. It was really cool watch her make candles too.
Here was the follow up interview questions:
What does your business do?
Candle Business – I create scented soy candles inspired by the character and culture of New Orleans
How long have you been in operation?
7 Years
Whats something people don’t know about you business that you want them to know?
I have a physical location located in Old Metaire – you can come in and see me working or pick up orders.
What are your goals for the next year?
Offer candle making parties / classes. Up social media presence.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
In 5 years I see a larger location offering other candle lines, scent blending classes, candle classes.
Whats your favorite thing about running your own business?
I love the flexibility it offers. One of the reasons I started this business is because I wanted more time to be a mother and this allows that. It hasn’t been as easy as I thought and there are some seasons I may be away from Taylor more than I’d like, but during off seasons I am flexible enough to chaperone field trips and take her on mini vacations.
What’s your biggest challenge within running your own business?
Admitting that I don’t know exactly how to run a business. I’ve had to humble myself and ask for a lot of help. Sure I’m great at candle making and blending scents that you want in your home, but the business part of it I’m not so good, it defintely does not come natural to me.
What would be your number one suggestion to someone starting there own business?
Try and create your business around something you’re passionate about. I don’t feel like work most days. And when it gets hard (and it will) don’t give up.
Anything else about your business that you would like to add?
I offer gift wrapping – if you need a one stop gift come on by my studio!
You can find Mad Darling @ https://www.maddarling.com/ or on IG @maddarling
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As I'm sure many of you have heard Gene's poyboys has closed earlier this week. This poboy shop was a staple in the neighborhood. It was there my entire life and it was just one of those spots that screamed New Orleans with it's hot pink building. GENE's HAD THE BEST HOT SAUSAGE POBOY IN TOWN (and therefore the world.) It was located right on the edge of the Marigny triangle on Elysian Fields and Rampart. That whole area has been slowly changing the past 15 years and has been becoming "nicer" as some would say. Gentrified as I would say. So it was no shock to hear a couple months back that the whole building was for sale. When I heard this I knew I needed to get shots of the building and the people there. I felt the need to record and document this spot while it was still in service. Specially as of the past year with the death of many New Orleans greats (Dr John, Art Nevile, Leah Chase) and the closure of many iconic New Orleans places (f and f's, circle grocery)
As I was getting shots of the outside of the building an older man walked up from across the street with a hand full of groceries and asked, "You want a shot of me?"
Me: "No thanks I'm just getting shots of Gene's before they close."
Older man: "Yea I see that. I'm the owner.
Me: "Who are you?"
Older man: "I'm Gene."
Me: "Hell yea I want a photo of you man."
I ended up talking to him for a good thirty minutes. He had some pretty interesting stories about growing up in the city. He said he dropped out of school and started out washing dishes. Worked his whole life in the quarter. An opportunity came up to open his own shop and he went for it. Said he lived upstairs and ran the place from there a good number of years. I think he was staying up there when I was talking to him because he walked in with a bag of groceries then disappeared when I went inside to get some photos of the interior. This man is a true old school New Orleanian. I recognized it in him the moment he said "I'm Gene." As I was talking to him I couldn't get past the idea of how the city is changing and how an entire generation that helped define and make New Orleans what New Orleans is now, is starting to die off. It partly saddens me. At the same time it hits me that there was a generation that defined New Orleans before Gene's. So there's going to be a generation that defines what New Orleans is after him. It's up to my generation to keep, preserve, and at the same time add our own flavor to the mixing pot that is the culture of New Orleans.
This Friday August 9th there is an entire art show dedicated to Gene's Poboys at Arrow Cafe. (628 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116)
I made a couple of small prints that will be available to purchase at the show. $30 for a framed 4x4 print $25 for unframed 6x6 print. As I was dropping off prints I got a peek at some of the other art work they had. Some pretty cool stuff. Go check out this show.
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She said yes!
This is Dennis and Meghan, they got engaged this weekend and I was there to photograph Dennis proposing. Dennis called me a couple weeks beforehand saying he wanted to propose and wanted a photographer there to capture it. From there we nailed down where and when he was going to propose. He was from out of town so we had to do a couple emails back and forth with maps screenshots to nail the exact location. He wanted to propose in the exact same spot that they had a previous photo of them selves. The spot was on the edge of Jackson square facing Muriels. I got there 20 minutes beforehand and marked exactly where the best spot for him to propose for a composition with black tape. You can kinda see a little x on the street in the first photos. When Dennis got there he dropped a knee and I started shooting photos. Meghan's reaction was priceless.
After the moment settled down I walked up and congratulated them and asked if they wanted a couple of posed photos.
I've shot numerous proposals and every time I am blown away with the results of the shoot. I love being able to capture such real and raw emotion in an image. It always reinvigorates my creativity and fall right back in love with my craft.
]]>I have found my new life calling. THROWING TREATS AT DOG. Some people are passionate about exercising, eating right, sports or maybe hanging out with there friends. Me: throwing treats at puppers.
From my recent studies I’ve found that puppers love treats and make funny faces in photographs when trying to get those treats.
Getting these shots isn’t easy work. It takes many treats and 100's of shots to get that perfect photo. Most dogs are a little shy at first and even down right afraid of the studio. But after sitting down with them and feeding them treats in the studio I’ve always managed to calm them down enough to get some good shots.
Heres Gimli:
Hes a good boy and a good New Orleans street dog that was picked up from nola bulldog rescue. Gimli was afraid of the studio. He didn’t like the big light stands or how my paper backdrop made a funny noise if he walked to far back or even the click from my camera. After I sat with him for awhile in the studio(with a handful of treats) he slowly forgot about all the scary photography stuff. And became slowly focused on getting treats.
Here is Reuben:
He is pretty old and seems to be going blind. He wasn’t that great at catching treats, but very good at eating treats off the ground.
Here's Tex:
Hes a big dog and an older gentleman of sorts. He wasn’t that great at catching the treats but certainly gave it a try everytime.
This is K.
K is a sweet girl. Very hyper and very rambunctious. She was a bit scared of the backdrop, but eventually she got over it and caught a lot of treats.
This is Gypsy Rose.
She is my dog. Gypsy is a dog model pro. She knows that when a camera is pointed at her that she supposed to sit and pose. She is my #1 test subject. All of the photography gear I have has at one point been tested out on her.
This summer I’m offering a special offer on dog photography sessions. I’m calling them my Dogger treat boop sessions
Dogger Treat boop Photography session: $225
Includes 20-30 digital images and one of those images as an 8x10 matted pprint.
Contact me now through my contact page to set up a session.
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The ceremony was beautiful with vows read and speeches given. I can always give real photographic feed back of what was said by the reactions of the wedding guests and what was said at Torrie and Ben's Wedding, it was on point. The whole day was like that, it was really hard to catch a shot without people smiling in it and happy people always make for the best for photos. I loved shooting with these guys because they were so silly, for any posed shots they immediately went for the most ridiculously hilarious poses. During the reception it was hard for me to get away from the dance floor there was just to many great shots to be captured. Everyone was having a blast and showing off their craziest dance moves. Anyways, enough of me blabbing on about this wedding, take a peek at the photos.
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Back then professional photographers mainly shot on black and white film, color photography was thought of more of a “consumer/ amateur” type of thing because color film was new and not fully tested out to withstand time. Most wedding photographers also shot on big graflex cameras with flash bulbs. Cameras that aren’t really to great to catch candids/ action shots. Don’t get me wrong there’s great candid/ action shots from back in the day made on those cameras, but it was much harder to photograph. They would have to reset the film and flash bulbs each time they took a photo so they could not fire shots off as quick, because of this wedding photographers from back then would shoot more candid planned out shots. All of this is why most people relate black and white with that classic old timey feel.
A black and white wedding these days is an interesting contrast to me. To see fun party shots and candids done in black and white is an interesting vibe. Its like combining an old timey feel with a party club photos.
I had so much fun shooting this wedding.
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy time with my family due to “working.” It was actually the opposite, I got to spend some intimate moments with my cousin and capture it in a photographs. I love my family and it was a pleasure to make these photos.
These shots were the preview shots that I deliver a couple days after the wedding. Preveiw shots are typically 20-40 of my favorite shots(I got a little carried away with this wedding, theres atleast 80 images here) that I feel best tell the vibe of the day.
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Mardi Gras in New Orleans is my favorite time of the year and I've celebrated it every year of my life. It's a time when people take to the streets and party. Letting go and indulging in their there "sins" before (maybe) giving them up for lent. Yea it's rooted in catholic tradition and before that rooted in pagan celebrations. I don't know much about all that. I just know what it is to me- a collective party. I've spent the past five years making portraits, shooting street photography, and interviewing people in the streets trying to put into a larger perspective and to understand what it is and what it means to other people. If we can understand what it means to each individual maybe we can get an understanding of what means to our city.
NO 2018 IS NOT A TYPO. lol
For this series I have been using a technique where I wait a year to process and develop my negatives. These were all shot in 2018 and developed a month ago in my kitchen sink. Why though? SO I forget what I shoot. It helps me cull my images and pick out good photos from bad.
There's a certain type of feeling when shooting when you nail a shot(or think you nail a shot) Maybe something happened in your frame when you shot it, or for what ever reason you felt really good about the image you just clicked. Just because you get that feeling doesn't necessarily make it a good shot. So by waiting a year I can forget those feelings, and I can look at the work more objectivly
More shots on instgram @peopleofmardigras check 'em out.
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(^yes, yes he does have an espresso machine that makes amazing espresso's^)
This was a pretty fun photo session. None of these shots were posed or planned out. I just came in while Andy was working and started shooting. We could of stopped and posed shots, but I feel you start to lose the realness of an image when you do that. The joy in it for me is making good compositions and shooting on the fly. Capturing the moment instead of recreating it.
I've discovered that I'm not to great at keeping up with blogging. What I am pretty good at is posting and getting preview shots to my wedding clients a few days after their wedding. Since I don't blog about them I decided to put them all in one post so people could get an idea of what my recent work is like and what I deliver to my clients. It is important to realize that these are real weddings. Why is that important to know? It's common for wedding photographers to get together with other wedding vendors and create stylized shoots. Shoots that have models and hours of time to get the shot. They all use it for portfolio use and advertising. It's quite different from shooting an actual wedding. In an actual wedding I'm shooting with little to no time, with sometimes anxious brides and grooms(pretty common thing to be nervous on your wedding day) people who may or may not be in a photogenic mood, stressed wedding coordinators and vendors, drunken family members and so on. Is every wedding that chaotic? No, but some are, stuff happens and sometime you just have to go with the flow. Personally I love it. I love the ability to create art in hectic moments and to capture organic moments that truly capture the vibe of the day.
Each of these links are preview shots of my recent weddings. They are 20-40 of my favorite images that I feel best tell the story of the day. I deliver these within a few days after the wedding so my brides can quickly post images on social media, and so they don’t have to wait a couple months to see their wedding.
Cameron and Anthony's Wedding 3.4.2018
April and Kyle's Wedding 3.24.2018
Kelsey and John's Wedding 3.31.2018
Jesse and Sandro's Wedding 5.11.2018
Andrew and Shannon's Wedding 5.19.2018
Mike and Sarah's Wedding 6.16.2018
Maria Luisa and Patrick's Wedding 9.8.2018
Tonya and Keith's Wedding 9.29.2018
Matti and Daniel's Wedding 10.20.2018
Courtney and Max's Wedding 11.3.2018
Devin and Zach's Wedding 11.9.2018
I definitely have more of a documentary style than anything. My favorite weddings are when people are having a blast. When the bride and groom are into it and having fun it gets me into it.
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In the beginning of my career I didn't really know what kind of photography I wanted to do. All I knew was that I loved making artwork and experimenting with different types of photography. So, I turned to other local photographers for help. I've gotten a lot of help and advice for all aspects of photography, but the one piece of advice that I couldn't really settle with is that I needed to specialize in one genre of photography. This I could not do. I really love all types of photography and I love experimenting and trying new things. There is a certain type of joy when you try something new and nail a shot. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's where half my motivation comes from. I will always be trying new things in pursuit of that feeling.
(Shot in 2015 during my last semester at UNO)
So why events, portraits, and weddings?
Well, over the years I didn't specialize in one genre, but in one area of photography. Event, Portrait, and Wedding Photography are multiple genres that are all very similar.
How is wedding photography similar with portrait and event photography?
Well, it's both combined. From a photographers perspective a wedding is a portrait shoot combined with an event. The difference is there is more pressure to get good shots and a shorter amount of time to get those shots. Weddings may be a nerve racking experience for some brides and grooms. Some people get pretty nervous to stand in front of friends and family and declare their vows for there loved one. (I would definitly be nervous. I don't like being the center of attention) Part of my job as wedding photographer is getting people to relax enough to put their guard down so I can get good images of them. It's the same thing while shooting headshots or portraits. I get it all the time, someone comes into my studio they're relaxed and calm, I ask them to step in front of my lens and they tighten up. (I do the exact same in front of a lens, thats why I like to stay behind the lens) Well, I use the same strategy as I do when working with a nervous bride or groom. I talk to the person, I try to relate to the person, crack some jokes, etc. Usually after a couple minutes that person will relax enough to where we can get a good headshot.
How is wedding photography similar to event photography? Candids Candids Candids!
This is what I love to shoot and it's a real challenge to capture a real moment in a beautiful way. Sometimes I have less than a second to compose a shot and capture someones reaction. Other times I'll compose my shot and wait for the decisive moment of when to fire the shutter. I've learned a lot of this through my street photography (check out my people of mardi gras series and my puedo tumar series) and I just apply it to weddings and events. The difference is during a wedding I'm typically hunting for people laughing and having fun. At a conference I am doing the same thing except throwing in companies brand or whatever style they are going for in the image. I'm also typically trying to place company logos and stuff in the background of shots.
(Havana, Cuba 2017)
(mardi gras day 2015)
(mardi gras day 2017)
Theres one more thing that connects the three type of genre's for me: PEOPLE
I love people, people as individuals, and people in groups. It's interesting to me how people interact with their selves and each other. I guess I'm a sociologist at heart, it's what I studied in school and most of my art work has some kind of sociological aspect in it. So yea, that's why I do what I do.
Thanks for reading!
-Traven
]]>So those of you who are close to me know I just moved into a new place in midcity New Orleans. Guys I can't tell yall how excited I am about this new spot. It is a 2 bedroom shotgun double in the heart of New Orleans with a private fenced in backyard and a shed in the back. Well, guess what that spare bedroom and shed turned into. DUH! STUDIO / DARKROOM! ....
I am so excited about the new studio/darkroom I have decided to do a two week STUDIO GRAND OPENING HEADSHOT SPECIAL. From August 22nd, 2018 - September 5th, 2018. I'll be doing a special on headshot sessions. This will probably be the only time I'll be doing a special like this. If you have been needing to update your headshot now is the time to do it.
If you want something that will stand out take a look at my Antique Headshots. These are literally one of a kind images made in my 8x10 camera. These prints are made directly from the camera by using a special kind of paper called direct positive paper. I shoot the image in my studio then take it and you into the darkroom and process it right before your own eyes. The result is an 8x10 print with heavy contrast that is reminiscent of the tin type / dry plate process from the late 1800's. These are perfect gifts for loved ones.
I am doing a special on these as well. You get the original print, straight from the darkroom, It will be matted so you can easily fit it in a 11x14 frame. You will also a low res digital scan of the print, so you can share your image on social media or even use it for your unique headshot.
Or be a baller and get both antique print and digital headshot made for still under the price of a regular headshot session. I KNOW RIGHT?! it's a stupid dumb deal. I'm just too excited about the studio and want to show it off.
Call me at 504.315.0085 or contact me through my contact page to set up a session. Do it asap as prime time sessions spots will fill up quickly.
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We shot some digital portraits until we got close to the look we were going for and then started shooting film. I used my medium foramat camera with slide film that I cross processed in c41 chemicals to get funky colors.
After shooting on the medium format camera we switched over and used my large format 8x10 camera with xray film for added contrast. If you go to my instagram page you can see behind the scenes of the 8x10 process in my highlighted stories.
People have asked me in the past, why shoot on film. My answer is always for the aesthetics of it. It has a different look. A look that's near impossible to recreate on a digital camera. On the medium format and large format cameras the depth of field is a completely different beast. The result from shooting on these cameras is a softer blurrier out of focus area.
Here's Izzy's book cover and our end result of the portrait. You can read more about Izzy's book here: https://xidraconis.org/
(Images by my beautiful girlfriend Kailey Geary)
So first, an introduction of myself. My name is Traven Stout. I grew up in New Orleans in the Lakeview neighborhood. I was introduced to the arts a kid through my mother who was an artist herself. I remember as a child getting scolded for curiously opening the back of hef film cameras and ruining her film. I had a pretty awesome childhood up to the age of 11 when my mother passed away. It was pretty surreal experience, but besides dealing with a death at a young age I had an awesome childhood. My father took care of me pretty well. I was in Brother Martin high school when Katrina hit and I had my house completely destroyed by the storm. It sucked but I remember thinking it was only stuff. Looking back on it and comparing it to losing a loved one it was nothing. I was still a pretty messed up teen though. I attended multiple high schools after the storm due to too much partying. It wasn't until after high school and a year of failing out of college that I straightened up my act. I moved Monroe Louisiana to get away from New Orleans and all the partying. It was there that I got back into the arts and found myself really enjoying photography. After a while I began to miss New Orleans and decided to move back down and give college another shot. I went to UNO with the hopes of one day becoming a social worker or therapist. At the time I wanted to go into something where I could help others. While there I took photography clases. It was in the darkroom at the University of New Orleans where I fell in love with the process of film and analog photography. There's something magical about watching a print form in a chemical tray under a red light and a thrill of shooting film and not knowing how the shot came out until you process it. It also reminded me of my mother and almost felt like it brought me closer to her. I still have her cameras that survived the storm and I still use them. I graduated UNO in 2015 and upon graduating I decided I should give photography a shot as a career. For the past 3 years I have been soley freelancing as a photographer (sometimes videographer) in the city of New Orleans and I love it. It's not easy and its sometimes a struggle stay motivated specially when it comes to the business side of things, but there's really nothing else I rather do.
So that's me. I debated with myself a little if I should post this. Thinking maybe it's a little too personal, but I decided it was only fair that I open up. Only fair to share my past with my clients since my wedding clients share some of there most intimate moments with me during their weddings. It's an honor for me to photograph these moments and then share them back with my clients and it's one of the reasons I love shooting weddings.
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Drew and Malia as the run up and approach the grandstand. I was super stoked about this shot. The trees and light polls formed a nice and symmetrical scene. I stood on the opposite side of the grandstand on a step stool. I think it was right about here that Malia realized what was going on with me taking pictures and seeing the flowers set up.
Priceless reaction!
Drew and Malias freinds who helped out by setting up the flowers and cordinating.
Afterward we took a couple more photos. This grandstand was beautiful.
After we spent about 20 mins taking a couple of photos, they ran off to finish their jog. <3<3<3
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These photos are from last year. Most shots were made on my medium format camera shot on tmax 400 film, some on a large format 4x5 camera, and some digital.
Why did I wait a year to upload these photos?
1. So I forget what I shot. It's a photographic technique.
Sometimes when shooting it is hard to not get emotionally attached to a certain shot. It's important for a photographer to be able to detacth from the feelings they get when shooting an image to the image itself. Ever take a photo that you loved but no one else liked, then looked at it a year or two later and wondered what you were thinking? I have. It's typically because you enjoyed the feeling you got from shooting the image more than the actual image itself.
2. It's hard to process film, scan it, and edit it all that quickly. but mainly number one.
You can see more on my instgram account specificaly dedicated to this series.
]]>There is nothing more interesting to observe than when a group of talented, creative people get together. Being in New Orleans is amazing because there is never any shortage on artistic, thoughtful people looking to make art in all forms. This bridal shoot was the culmination of many talents coming together for a beautiful final product. Much of the shoot was styled around an incredible space found for us by Hily Trowbridge. Treme Market Branch is a truly historic, breathtaking venue with cathedral ceiling and 15 foot windows that allow in soft natural light. The mother and the daughter who owns the venue, were a pleasure, and after a bit of convincing we were able to have the daughter, Theresa, model for us. She was a natural and seeing her in a wedding dress was magical. Hily also helped style the venue for the shoot, making a aisle out of a vintage Persian rug and adding fresh cut flowers and candles. The entire shoot had an authentic, New Orleans, bohemian feel.
The models were absolutely stunning. Nora and Tiffany were both beautiful and patient throughout the entire shoot. All three girls nailed it. We were fortunate enough to have Pearl's Place loan us all of our lovely dresses. Lauren Chemin did all of the make up, giving Tiffany a more natural look while Nora’s look was more dramatic. She even did Theresa's make-up for us on the fly. Sarah Parvardeh styled all of the hair paying great attention to detail from flowers to braids to curls. She stayed close, hairspray in hand, to make sure the models looked perfect throughout the shoot.
Finally there was our talented photographer, Traven Stout. Using vintage 8X10 and 4X5 cameras he captured everyone’s hard work beautifully. The skill level required to shoot on large format cameras is unparalleled, from accounting for exposure to checking the focus with a magnifying glass. Oh, and then there was me, Kailey, who held the lights and got the coffee and carried the gear in and wrote this blog post.
These final images truly show what creative, driven people can accomplish together. They are truly unlike any bridal shoots you'll ever see between the elegant venue, vintage camera, and a little bit of New Orleans showing through in every picture.
Written by my beautiful girlfriend and assistant: Kailey Geary
I shot all these images on large format cameras that are older than me. "What's a large format camera?" you ask. It's a camera that uses film equal or larger than 4x5 inches. The larger your negative size the better resolution you can get. Think of a frame from an old 35mm negative, now compare that to 4x5 inches. There's more space record the image on the 4x5 negative, therefore you can enlarge the images much bigger. I shot these on a 4x5 camera and an 8x10 camera. An 8x10 negative if scanned properly can far succeed the resolution of today's digital cameras. It also has a completely different aesthetic to it than a digital camera. Large format cameras have a shallower depth of field and I can tilt the front of standard which can give a selective focus. All of this gives the out of focus areas a much more creamier look. AND IT'S FILM! So I get all of the beautiful tones you get from the different film types that are impossible to recreate on the computer.
Here's a Slide Show of the Behind the scenes (click play to view)
Model:
Nora Donnely IG: @norafromatlanta
Tiffany Brooks IG @tiffanymakesameanturkey
Teresa Thomas : IG @teeleethom
Venue:
www.trememarketbranch.com
IG: @trememarketbramch
Hair:
IG: @proziumlove13
sarahparvardeh.com
Floral:
IG: @hilytrowbridge
htnoevents.com
Make Up:
Lauren Landry Chemin
IG: @laurencheminmua
Dresses:
IG: @pearlsplacebridal
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I will have on display and for sale 12 Limited Edition 16x16 prints from my puedo tomar tu photo series. I did a limited edition run of 3 16x16 prints. That means there will only be 3 16x16 prints of each one of these photos ever made.
"Can I take you photo?" this is what I was asking strangers in my broken Spanish. It was mostly met with a smile and a nod. I would take a picture of some one and then I would take a picture with my instax polaroid camera and give them the polaroid. Havana was an interesting city. It was like New Orleans x10000 in the sense that it runs on its own time. The people were very laid back and friendly. I, being a sociologist at heart, was very interested how their society and country worked. I constantly asked locals about their culture and their country. Their seemed to be sense of contradiction in people. As I was talking to one person my age he explained his love for the culture. The vibe I got from him was that money is no big deal, you can go out at night drink have a good time run out of money and it was fine. The next day you would still have a bed to sleep and food to put in your belly. The government provides for its people. But at the same time he said he was trapped. He said he studied computer development in college, but upon graduating he learned that there wasn't any good paying jobs, that he could make more working at the cigar factory. As he described his situation more he explained that even working a good paying job at the cigar factory it still wasn't enough to afford to travel. He was literally stuck. Despite this he laughed it off and asked if I wanted a swig from his plastic water bottle that contained rum. It seemed like their was a true sense of community there. The people had each others backs. I did however feel much like a tourist the whole time I was there and I couldn't help but to feel an us vs the tourist kind of vibe. The hustle in Havana is tourism. Being a New Orleans native I understood this. New Orleans thrives on tourism and while some tourist can be annoying and aggravating they are vital to the cities survival. It was interesting being on the other side though. Instead of hearing "I bet I know where you got them shoes," it was "cigars!." One of my favorite experiences there was when my friend Anthony bought cigars off someone on the street. He took us into a back ally way through a couple corridors and into an apartment. We walked in through a tiny kitchen and into a living room. There seemed to be at least 5 people, a family that lived in that tiny apartment. As my friend bought the cigars I snapped photos, of course only after asking "puedo tomar tu photo?". I looked int the corner and saw this:
A teddy bear hanging from a rope in the corner of the room. Under it was an altar of some sort. Havana much like New Orleans has a dark side of some sort. Come to the show and I can tell you the stories behind all the photos I took. All in all I loved it in Havana and I hope to go back again and explore the city more.
Here's a link to the Facebook event:
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Now besides having a wonderful time playing with my partner in the New Orleans swamps, I was super excited to shoot film. In particular the 35mm Color Infrared film. Color Infrared film hasn't been made for over five years and it's pretty hard to find in 35mm. I got my hands on some from the guys over at the film photography project. From my understanding they got a hold of some of the old kodak aerochrome sheets and cut it down to 35mm. Kodak aerochrome used to be used by the military. They would use it in spyplanes to spot the enemy hiding under fake brush. Anyways I got a couple medium format rolls and some 35mm last year and it's been sitting in my fridge until now. For this shoot I loaded up one roll of the Color Infrared, two rolls of medium format (one Lomochrome purple, the other fuji provia that I had cross processed) some Polaroids, and the 4x5.
The shots from the lubitel came out remarkably.
The above shots were made on Lomography's Lomo Chrome Purple Its a beautiful false color film that turns just about every color purple except red
The above shots were made on fuji Provia 400 and cross processed. Provia is a marvelous slide film with beautiful realistic tones, but if you cross proccess it seems to want to give a a yellowish green tint. I cross processed this because I knew it'd be perfect with the the greens of the New Orleans the swamp. Cross processing is when you take a film and process it in the wrong chemicals. Slide film is supposed to be processed in E6. I processed this roll in c41 chemicals.
These were all shot on the Color Infared film that I was drooling over. I'm so happy with the results. I got 9 more rolls sitting in the fridge and I can't wait to shoot more!
Yes Polaroids are still being made! A company called the impossible project bought some of polaroids old machines. Now from my understanding polaroid would sell them the machines, but would not give them the recipe for making the film. So Impossible had to make it up on there own. At first their films were pretty sketchy, a lot of time the image would be over exposed due their recipe being off. But over the years they have been working and improving their stuff. If you got a polaroid camera laying around go buy some impossible film and support the company. That company has single handedly brought back polaroid 600 cameras.
So the nice thing about shooting Polaroids (besides the fact that it's a polaroid, who doesnt love polaroids?!) is that I can make one of a kind fine art prints through a process called a Polaroid Emulsion lift. It's a process in which you rip a polaroid apart and peel off the emulsion layer. You then take this emulsion layer and place it on high grade water color paper.
Above is whats under the white tape of the polaroid, I always scan this because I think it makes the coolest boarder. Below is emulsion lift process.
The result is a beautiful fine art print that is read to be hung on the wall.
Last but not least was the 4x5
I shot a special film on the 4x5 too. Well it technically isn't even film. It's paper. Negative photographic paper is used to make prints out of negatives in the darkroom. (a negative film plus a negative paper = positive print) This is positive paper. So when developed it comes out as a positive print.
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"Fifolet is an old New Orleans pirate tale. Pirates would kill one of their mates and throw the body in with the treasure. The dead pirate's ghost was then destined to protect the treasure forever."
"The Louisiana Honey Island Swamp Monster first got attention in 1974, when hunters Harlan E. Ford and Ray Mills found giant four-toed footprints next to a dead hog with its throat ripped open. Legend claims the monster was the result of interbreeding between swamp alligators and a group of chimpanzees that had escaped from a circus train."
www.history.com/shows/
"Jacques St. Germaine lived in New Orleans in the early 1900s. One day he picked up a young lady and brought her to his home. Neighbors heard the girl scream and found her with bite marks on her neck after jumping out of St. Germain's window. When police arrived he was gone, but they found several blood stains on the floor of his wine cellar along with wine bottles filled halfway with wine and halfway with blood."
"Voodoo temple for goddess Erzulie, the goddess of love. Slaves were forced to practice Catholicism. Mother Mary was used to represent Erzulie to fool slave owners."
Best of all Claudia is donating 5% of Wrought Ink's proceeds to Save Our Cemeteries.
You can check out more of Wrought Inc at:
https://www.facebook.com/WroughtInk/?ref=br_rs
Mega thanks to Paige, Ricky, Nick, and Marley for modeling!
]]>I shot this all on my trusty medium format film camera (the arax 60), with kodak portra 400 film. Portra is my go to when it comes to color film, the tones of this film are absolutely exquisite when shot right. Along with the arax I brought a little instax camera (basically a newer day version of a polaroid camera). The instax camera was a hoot. I would go up to people and take one photo with the arax, and then one with the instax and then give them the instax photo. Man, some peoples eye's lit up when they watched their image slowly develop on the the instax polaroid film.
Anyways....Peudo tumar tu foto?
(swipe your screen or use your mouse to scroll through photos)
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Marty is a personal boxing trainer. If interested in training give him a call at 504 603 1633 or shoot him an email at [email protected]
You can also check out his IG page @kaosboxing
https://www.instagram.com/kaosboxing/
you can also see Lindseys @lindsthib
https://www.instagram.com/lindsthib/
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Congrats to Seth and Ashley, may god bless you and your future addition to the family.
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