The Bats of Austin

Another sign of Spring.  Nearly 2 million bats return to Austin after spending the summer in Mexico.  We should start seeing signs of them within a few weeks and by mid April, they'll all be nestled under 1 bridge in downtown Austin, Texas.  It is one of my favorite things about this city.  This is a rare pic of them.  the always come out at sunset and fly South, looking for food in the nearby farm fields.  Most of the time, they fly along the tree line but on this day they flew a ribbon-like pattern over Towne Lake in downtown Austin.  They also came out just early enough that I could get some great photographs before the sun was completely down.  www.douggraybealphotography.com

Spring Fever

I have been wanting to post this pic for a long time but I insisted on waiting until the weather got warmer.  After  several weeks of temps in the 20's here in Texas and worse in other parts of the country, we can finally take a breath of fresh air as the temps should be in the 70's all this week.  To my friends in the Pac NW...sorry.  This is posted on my web site at www.douggraybealphotography.com under the tab "Fine Art For Sale".

Spring is an exciting time in Texas.  We get the majority of our rain and incredible thunderstorms from March through June.  There is nothing like a good ol' Texas thunderstorm.  But another exciting time is when the wild fowers start blooming.  In the 1960's, when Lyndon Johnson was president, First Lady, lady Bird Johnson, took up the cause of beautifying our highways.  She started a campaign to pass out flower seed all across the country.  given that the Johnson's were from the Texas Hill Country, it makes sense that this plan took off right here.  In the spring, you first see the Blue Bonnets popping up, and then Indian Paint Brush and then just about everything else.  Not only are the highways covered with them, but fields can be found with an endless sea of color.  A photographer's delight and a natural setting for fine art photography.

This picture was taken last May at Lyndon B. Johnson State Park, near Fredericksburg, Texas.  I can't wait for the Blue Bonnets next month.  Stay tuned.

Hiding in the Open

I call this portrait "Hiding in the Open".  That was a term I first got from my Air Force days when we would come up with ways to look like we were working when we really weren't.  Just walk around with a spray bottle and a rag in your hand and nobody will ever ask any questions.  In this picture, the look on her face, the pose and sitting in this windowsill looks like to me like she doesn't want to be seen.  But that's just me.  You may get something completely different from this pic.  You can find this and other pics of model Kaylin Johnson on my web site at www.douggraybealphotography.com.

So it's been a busy couple of weeks.  I've been making several big announcements and today won't disappoint. I've added Zazzle to my menu of sites where you can buy my photography.  Why so many sites?  Well, why not?  Red Bubble is where you can purchase greeting cards and prints up to 8 x12 in size.  Zazzle is for larger prints and Trillium Gallery is where you can find my top 10 prints.  all are printed on quality paper and can be ordered with special protective coating, matting and framing, or just order the pic, itself.  I have a few more to add and will be doing so over the next few weeks.

The truth is, by joining these sites with these amazing artists and photographers forces me to raise my game.  I have found so many great artists and see the level in which they produce work and, while admittedly intimidating, have become more motivated to keep trying new things and continue to improve.  I have two new photo shoots set up for the last two weekends of this month and can't wait to get the concepts out of my head and into my camera.  I don't know if I'll ever get to the level of some of these artists but it doesn't matter to me.  The quality of the journey comes from trying to get there - challenging, experimenting, exploring, testing, stumbling, learning and succeeding.  One pic at a time.

Another New Year's Resolution Accomplished

I heard recently that most people give up their New Year's Resolutions by mid January.  In fact, the most depressing day of the year is January 24th, in part due to reality setting in that many New Year's goals have already been abandoned.  Really, there is actually a mathematical formula to calculate this.  So, I thought by stating them publicly, I would make sure I accomplished my goals and avoid depression.  

1) Start selling pics online - check

2) Build new web site - check

3) Do more photo shoots - check

4) Get new camera - well, we'll call this "in progress"

This pic is another from my photo shoot with Kaylin Johnson.  It is one of my favorites from the shoot.  I like photographs that have a bit of irony or juxtaposition in them.  You wouldn't normally see a beautiful woman dressed up hanging out in places built with rusted corrugated metal.  And yet, she looks like she has succumbed to her situation.  Another one of my goals is to not only do more photo shoots - I have two scheduled this month - but to make them more creative with story telling images.

I've added this and other pics of Kaylin to my new web sitewww.douggraybealphotography.com.  Be sure you turn up your speakers and watch all the slide shows before clicking on the next screen.  As always, please send me your thoughts.

Is This a Painting or a Picture?

Well, it is actually a painting that is made to look like a picture.  I went out last sunday with model Kaylin Johnson to do some urban style photographs.  We met downtown Austin at 7 AM last Sunday morning.  My plan was to use natural light and photograph her using all the unique buildings on 6th and S. Congress as a back drop.  There was only one problem....we had a rare day of rain that morning and there wasn't much light that early.  I had planned on renting a speedlight as a back up but the rental pace was out of them, so it was al-naturale (for lighting, anyway).  The first set of pics needed a lot of work to make them decent and this is what I came up with.  I kind of like it, even though it doesn't look natural.  Tell me what you think - good or bad.  www.douggraybealphotography.com

Happy Go Lucky

This pic has become my most popular on Red Bubble.

 http://www.redbubble.com/people/douggraybeal/art/6586576-1-happy-go-lucky#comment-38739821

It has been featured in 2 different groups (Urban Art and Story Through Image), has been commented on by 16 separate people and has been selected as a favorite by 17 people.  These are small numbers compared to some of the amazing artists and photographers on Red Bubble, but it is a good start for me.  I did a photo shoot this past weekend and will start working on those pics today.  Im also expecting to go live with my new web site any day now.  More to come....

Good Hair Daze

So, I'm building my new web site and looking for just the right picture to go on the front page.  I've gone through a million different ideas and themes.  I need something creative, catches attention, has that "Wow" factor and is a good example of what I can do.  I still haven't decided but I was leaning toward this one, yesterday.  Either way, anything with Alex is a good pic and I wanted to share it with you this morning.

Menage e Trois

I don't speak French...or spell it, so I'm not sure if I got that title right, but I love this pic.  I think it is one of my more underrated photographs.  I wanted to post it today because this just got featured on Red Bubble. ( http://www.redbubble.com/people/douggraybeal/art/6587525-1-menage-e-trois-louisiana-style )  These three trees look to me as if they are posing for the camera.  You could also say that someone sculpted them this way.  Either way, I think they're very cool.  They reside in the Honey Creek Swamp in Southern Louisiana, about a 30 minute drive East of New Orleans.  Click "like" or comment and tell me what they remind you of.  I'm still working on changing my web site and I am now locked in a fun photo shoot for next weekend.  Enjoy!

Reflections

Reflections has a double meaning in this pic. First, there is the beautifully scenic reflections of the trees and boat on the water and then there is the mom and two sons reflecting back out at the lake.  Not all of the pics I have make great pics to put up for sale but this is one of which many people can relate.  I think you can look at this pic and see yourself there as one of the people looking out.  There is a sense of serenity with the calm water that makes us feel good.  It is available for sale as a greeting card or print at Red Bubble.  http://www.redbubble.com/people/douggraybeal/portfolio/popular+art

I don 't do to much reflecting backwards, to be honest.  As I go through my pics, every single one of them (and I have thousands stored away) give me some memory.  Some are good and some I'd rather not remember.  Mostly good, though.  It is too easy to look back and think of mistakes or bad decisions or lack of decisions and missed opportunities.  But, I'm not sure that really gets us anywhere.  I'd rather look back quick, like looking at the sun or a woman's cleavage (hey, that's a Seinfeld joke, go with it), then think ahead.  Reflect long enough to remind yourself of the good memories and take a lesson away from the bad ones - then move on.  There is an old quote that, "a man is not old until regrets take place of his dreams".  Personally, I'd much rather dream than regret.  Onward, we march.

Lopez Island, WA

Lopez Island is one of hundreds of small islands in Northern Puget Sound in Washington State. One of only four accessible by ferry boat, Lopez is home to artists, writers, free thinking people and those wealthy enough to have a place that they rarely visit. The neighbors are seals, sea lions, deer, whales and bald eagles and an occasional hippy.

One New Year's resolution is already done.  You can now buy this as a greeting card or print and many others at my new Red Bubble site.  Please visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/douggraybeal/portfolio/art for a look at my portfolio.

My next project is to revamp my photography web site.  I'm starting that today and will have some cool announcements coming out in a few weeks.  Meanwhile, stop by www.douggraybealphotography.com and leave a message in the guest book.

Busy Bee

Another pic that I took about 4 years ago that I recently found.

Cape Alava, Washington State

If you have ever bee to the Pacific Coast in Northern Washington State, you know it is like no other.  If you want  sit on a andy beach, relax in the sun and surf...this isn't your place.  On the other hand, if you want to find a remote place, get back to nature and feel alive again, this place should be Mecca.  The beach is rocky and in some places, nearly impassable.  The weather is almost always cold.  Storms come in off the ocean and get locked in from the Olympic Mountains, creating a rain forest on the coast.  Even on days when it can be 80 degrees and sunny just a few miles inland, it can be 60 degrees, foggy or raining on the coast.  Why, then would anyone want to go there?

Because it is awesome!  For me, there is something honest about the place.  You are miles away from any roads and well over an hour's drive to any civilization.  Deer, elk and even bears roam the area with confidence.  They stare at you sending the message that you are the visitor in their house.  A few miles up the beach are indian petroglyphs (rock carvings) that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old.  Whales breach just a few hundred yards off the coast and Seals and Sea Lions nap on the rocks and beach.  It is primitive, quiet and wild.  Just like Mother Nature intended it to be.  

This pic was taken on my last trip there in 2008 with my son.  He has been hooked on primitive camping ever since.  This sunset was the only glimpse of sun we had that day and it says it all.  A warm sandy beach is a great way to spend time on the ocean but nothing beats Cape Alava to strengthen the soul.

Winter Berries

I feel my blogs and choice of pics have been a little weak lately.  I've been putting more time in to reorganizing my portfolio and not as much time in to blogging.  I spent the weekend working on my pics and should be done going through all of them this week.  I didn't realize I had so many.  The hardest choice is deciding what makes the final portfolio and what doesn't.  Once I'm done, I'll be revising my web site,www.douggraybealphotography.com.

This pic was taken in Leavenworth, Washington a few years back.  I had forgotten about it until last week and when I came across it, I was excited like finding a lost pair of socks.  My question to you, the readers of my blog is....would you rather just get the pics or do you actually like the blog, too?  I can post a lot more pics, or more frequently post pics, but writing the blog takes time.  My dilemma right now is, do I just post pics or do I keep writing the blog?  I'm curious what you think. Leave a comment on my blog page or on my web site if you read the blog to let me know if you want it to continue.

Either way, this page will continue to grow and more pics are to come.  I'm now planning my next photo shoot and can't wait to get some great images to share by the end of the month.

"What? This apple"

I'm still going through pics from years past and pulling out my top ones.  I've found pics that make good stock photos.  Pics that are good for my portfolio.  and a few that might be considered fine art, although I think I have room to improve, there.  Either way, I have a lot more than I thought.  Only some of these are on my web site (www.douggraybealphotography.com).  The rest will be showing up in a new form within a few months.  I'm even finding some pics that I had turned away before, but now that my photoshop skills have improved over the years, I'm pulling them back out and taking a second look.  That's where this pics comes in to play.

These are two female moose at an animal park in Sequim, WA (that's pronounced skwim, for you non-Washingtonians).  We visited this park 4 years ago,now, along with my sisters and their families.  All in, 14 of us rented a cabin near the water for a week, just a few miles outside of Olympic National Park.  In actuality, it turned out to be a mosquito infested rambler in a regular neighborhood, nowhere near water and about a half hour drive from Oly Park.  But, we still had a lot of fun that week.   This animal park has everything from bears to peacocks and, yes, moose.  As we drove through the park, this pair watched us like a couple of gang bangers waiting for you to get out of your car so they can help themselves to your tires.  There are even a lot of retired hollywood animals at this park.  It is a great place to visit if you've been to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

Going through these pics is like a walk through memory lane for me.  How quickly things change.  How quickly our kids grow up.  What a difference a few years makes.  It has been a fun project but I'm looking forward to finishing and getting to my next phase - a new web site to sell my pics!

Brothers

Yesterday, I began working on my goals for 2011.  I am going through hundreds, if not thousands, of pics and pulling out what I think are the best of my best.  I found a lot that I took 3, 4 and 5 years ago that I had ignored or forgotten about.  Some of them would be pretty good if they had a little work done in photoshop.  Others might be decent but still won't make the final cut.  I came across this pic and instantly decided to put it in today's blog.  I haven't done any work on this in photo shop yet, so it is a little bland, but I like the concept.  

For some reason, I like pics where people have their backs turned away from the camera.  It tells more of a story than if you're simply looking at the camera.  In this case, we see two boys looking out at the water but to me, this pic brings a lot of questions and a little mystery.  What are they talking about?  They see the boat in the water...are the dreaming together?  Or, are they so anxious to run around again that they don't really notice it and instead are plotting their next beach game? (Trust me, I know these boys, they're plotting something.)  It feels like we're able to catch a brief moment of their childhood that is a little more real than simply posing for the camera.

I'm excited for 2011.  I have lots of plans and dreams myself and am looking forward to sharing and blogging about them over the next several months.  There is a lot to do and no time to waste so stay tuned and enjoy the pics, add your comments and tell me what you like and don't like.