Winter Warmers

I shot this editorial series on "Winter Warmers" (mixed drinks for the cold weather).   You can find it in the Dec. issue of FDLuxe on stands now.  It was a blast meeting these amazing bartenders/mixologists, and even more of a blast trying their amazing drinks.

(click on image to see larger and slideshow)

The Big Boys and Girls in The Art World

I'm real proud of this feature I shot for Dallas Modern Luxury.  I just feel like it all came together so well and turned out to be a real cool looking shoot.

The photo editor contacted me to see if I was interested and said they are looking for a "moody, dramatic, 'film noir' sort of feel".  He said we would be shooting all 8 portraits at the Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theater in the One Arts Plaza. So I quickly said "Heck yes, I'd love to shoot it."

The art direction of "noir" and some examples sent over of back stage, film and theater looks gave me some great ideas.  But when I scouted the locations, there was a distinct style  that challenged the original direction just a bit.   The architecture was ridiculous!  It was much more modern and clean than the backstage idea I had originally planned.  So after a thumbs up from David Feld, we took it to a more "modern, clean and dramatic" look.  Which I believe everyone agreed would show the space and the characters so much better.

I was a little worried about working with some of the biggest Art people in Dallas.  I thought some of these CEO's and Chairmen could be a little stiff and have some strong opinions.  They might be hard to work with and direct.  But it wasn't that way at all.  Seriously, everyone of them were a pleasure to work with.  And all of them took creative suggestions extremely well.  John Eagle even started coming up with his own poses and looks that I never would have asked him to do.  He was fantastic!  The shot that was picked was actually his idea.  I never would have asked him to stand in a chair that way, being nervous of him getting hurt.

I had an absolute blast and could not be any more proud of the work that came out of this shoot.  


(click on image to enlarge)

Here are a few more that didn't make the cut, but I still liked them.

Local, Organic, and Fresh

I got to shoot a story for FD Luxe about some amazing local eats in McKinney, TX.  It was really nice because I grew up just East of there, and was cool going back and seeing the changes.  I was a little jealous how downtown has gotten so cool now, but when I lived there it was all antique shops for old people.  I love going back to visit my mom and stopping in to eat and grab a drink.

So hilarious...and true

I got this off of Melly's blog http://notastarvingartist.com

50 Reasons not to Date a Photographer

Was inspired to write one of these hehe.

1. They rather hold their bulky camera, than hold hands with you.
2. On a romantic date, you’ll watch the sun go down and think “Wow this is gorgeous” and they’ll go “mirror lock, tripod, and stop down f/8 at 1/125.”
3. You’ll never be able to enjoy tv, movies, or magazines because they’ll point out all the visual flaws.
4. They like to sit in obscure coffee shop and voyeuristically watch people for great lengths of time.
5. If you’re taking a walk outside and you come across some “interesting light” they will make you sit/stand/pose in public so that they can take a photo.
6. You’ll never get to enjoy freshly cooked meals because they’ll spend 15 minutes taking 20 variations of the same dish with their iPhone.
7. They get angry when your friends go up to them and say “I am interested in photography, can you recommend a good camera for me?  Nothing professional I just want to take pretty pictures.”
8. You’ll wait longer for them to finish analyzing art in a museum than you’ll wait at the dmv
9. Same goes with old used bookstores.
10. When you think they’re giving you their undivided attention, they’re really wondering how they could fix you with a little Clone Tool and Patch Tool.
11. Or they are actually using you to not look so creepy as they people watch everything going on around you.
12. They rather drop $1,000+ on new glass than a purse for you. 
13. You can’t take a photo with them without taking at least five more.
14. If you ask them if you look fat, they’ll say “don’t worry I can photoshop you later.”
15. They’ll never photoshop something simple for you if the content is not up to their “standards.”
16. That photo they randomly took of you yesterday?  Good luck getting them to send it to you.
17. They spend all their time on the computer (and not for porn.)
18. They can’t have a normal conversation with throwing acronyms and random numbers.
19. They still use film cameras.
20. They spend a lot of time with people cooler than you i.e. models, actors, musicians, successful rich people.
21. They’ll be fussy over the position of a common household object, like a coffee cup.
22. They won’t return your calls or text messages, but you can bet they’re still posting pics on Instagram.
23. They like watching old films that you’ve never heard or will ever understand.
24. They like looking at weird things in general.
25. Instead of having penis-envy, they have camera-gear-envy.
26. If there’s a natural disaster in a far away land, they’re already on a plane going over there.
27. Everything is watermarked.
28. They think everyone else’s photos suck.
29. They want to color correct a lot of scenes from Twilight and Jersey Shore.
30. They hate rainbows, especially ones spinning in a circle.
31. Whenever you’re in a group talking and the conversation goes deep, they’re taking notes in some form of Moleskin.
32. They use over priced Moleskin notebooks.
33. They like trespassing into old abandoned buildings filled with health hazards.
34. They always want to show a new photo they took, but don’t really care if you like it or not.
35. They hate your n00bie friend’s new artsy profile picture.
36. Bright, sunny days make them sad, but cloudy, overcast days are apparently great!
37. They’ll take you into places that have “culture” as well a high chance of getting mugged.
38. Your birthday present will be a portrait that they’ve taken of you.
39. You can’t go anywhere new without them stopping to take a photo of everything and anything.
40. They will always bug you to be a test subject.
41. Nothing can ever be naturally pretty, everything must be fixed in Photoshop.
42. Bringing their camera means, bringing 50lbs of equipment.
43. If you break any of their things on accident, you’ll owe them thousands of dollars.
44. You can’t get them a birthday/Christmas present without spending at least $500
45. They are natural hoarders, collecting and keeping piles of old newspapers, packaging, magazines, and other things that “inspire” them.
46. They are weird and geeky.
47. They have hard drives of photos, but probably have printed 10 images.
48. They are always secretly judging your creativity.
49. If you’re ever in auto mode, they laugh at you.
50. They orgasm every time they learn a new lighting technique.

Two furniture designers home

Arthur and Scott were fantastic designers with a gorgeous home.  They really made my job easy.  Most of the house had beautiful natural light that I just had to bounce around.  I only had to break out the strobes for one shot I believe.  It was also a pleasure to finally meet Rebecca Sherman (writer), whose stories I have been telling through my images for a couple years at least.  She has a great blog also... www.housesgardenspeople.com

The Selvedge Yard

Man, this dude was cool!  He runs the blog, www.theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com .  If you are a male, you have to check it out.  It's all about the "man's man".  Stuff on motorcycles, camping, Steve McQueen, girls, and all in the coolest old photographs.
This article is in the most recent FDLuxe mag. (Oct. issue).  It was a blast shooting and talking with JP.

Shooting for the Stars

I had the great opportunity to shoot for the Dallas Stars recently.  I was told that these will be for the covers of their programs handed out at the games this year, starting tomorrow.  We had a great time.  My assistant Evett Rolsten shot and edited this Behind The Scenes video.  I've also attached a few images that turned out pretty cool, I thought.  I'll put up the cover shots when I get them.

Marfa, TX

So while I was in Marfa shooting the assignment for Texas Monthly, I couldn't help but to constantly be pulling out my iphone to capture shots.  It is such a beautiful and creative town. So here is a compilation of my trip and surroundings in Marfa, TX.  I love that town.

All images were ran through Instagram.  If you are on Instagram and want to follow me, I am simply: justinclemons .

Texas Monthly October Spread

I shot one of the main features for Texas Monthly this month.  It is the October issue that just hit the stands.  I was real excited about this shoot.  First off because Leslie (the photo editor) has impeccable taste.  She always has some of the best imagery in magazines these days that I've ever seen.  So I was thrilled to work with her.  I just feel like our styles match up so well, and I can shoot images the way that I like and it totally fits for them.  Secondly because it took me to Fort Worth, Houston and Marfa, TX.  I love road trips and this one didn't disappoint.   So here is the final product. ( I didn't shoot the cover, its just for reference)

Living With Art

So I'm working with Lisa Brown, an amazing art consultant, on capturing spaces that incorporate fantastic art.  You might recognize her name from the well known art gallery, Dunn and Brown Contemporary in Dallas.  She recently split from the gallery and is doing her own art consulting, Lisa Brown Consulting.  She has an amazing eye and taste and knows every detail of every artist.  I loved walking through these beautiful spaces and hearing all about the pieces and the artists.  It just makes each piece so much more meaningful.  So here are a few of the shots we got for her brand new website, www.lisabrownconsulting.com . (beautiful website too)  You can see more of what I shot on this site as well.

Create

Here are a couple videos that I've seen recently that have been inspirational and encouraging to me.  Especially the Ira Glass one.  I listen to his "This American Life" on NPR every week.  They are just amazing stories.  If you can't catch them on the radio you can get them on the podcast.   Hope these encourage you in your creativity.

DFW Airport Ads

If you are in the DFW Airport in the next couple months you will probably see the ads I shot for them.  It was a lot of fun.  I worked with Scott Eddy from the Moroch Agency, which is always great working with those guys.  We also did this really cool flip flop, but didn't make the cut in the end.

Hungry?

Here is the feature that I shot for Modern Luxury recently.  I always enjoy shooting the food feature for them.  I meet some amazing chefs and eat some of the best food I have ever put in my mouth.

Colorado

One of my favorite places on earth is my grandfathers cabin in Gunnison, Colorado.  We were able to spend two weeks up there this summer and just got back last week.  It's absolutely amazing.  Basically we fly fish, hike, explore cool little towns and sit by the river and read (and smoke cigars).  It is such a nice break from work and the heat of Texas in July.  Here are a few iphone pics I snagged along the way.

The Marquee Bar and Grill

I shot this for Modern Luxury last month.  It is such a cool place in Highland Park Village.  It's connected to the newly renovated theatre so you can eat and walk through a door and see a flick.

Ridiculous Photo Composites

Dave Hill just kills it in this sort of BTS of what goes into his photo composites.  Absolutely amazing!  I haven't seen anything like it.

FOTO 8 Summershow

If you are in London today, you should stop by and see the FOTO 8 show at the Host Gallery tonight.  I am fortunate enough to have been chosen to be in this show, extremely honored by that.  I am in very good company, go here to see all of the images (in a video form) that will be in the show.  They are absolutely beautiful and inspiring.

'We are seeing… and what the response to the Foto8 Summershow illustrates – is a new generation of photographers redefining the medium and connecting with new audiences’ – The Times.

PDN - How I Got That Shot

So here is the article about my Death Row shoot in the PDN issue.  I'm very pleased with how it came out. Thanks Holly Hughes for the great interview and write up.  Go here to read the full article and see some behind the scenes shots.  Go here to see the rest of the Death Row series.

PDN - Home Page

Just found out that my article in PDN is online now(thanks Brian over at Bolt Productions), on their hompage.  Real excited about this article called "How I Got That Shot", that they did on my Death Row shoot I shot for Marie Claire UK.  It will be in print in the July issue, but it is already on the website.  You can read the article here, and see some behind the scenes shots.

48 Hour Film Project

Alrighty, here it is.  This is the Film that we created for the 48 Hour Film Contest.  Yes, that means that we wrote the script, filmed everything and editing the film in 48 hours.  We were given a genre, prop, character and a line and had to make a 7 minute film.  Needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of sleep going on.  It was the first time I've ever done a competition like this, and I loved every minute of it.  Sure, if there was more time we would have done some things differently, and tweaked some things more, but for creating a 7 minute film in two days, I'm very happy with what we got.   I was the Director of Photography.

We were fortunate to have the professional actor Christopher Titus in the film.  Thanks Chris!

What had to be in the film:
-Genre:           Cop/Detective
-Prop:             Ball
-Character:     Waitress
-Line:             "When do you need it?"

The Joys of My Job

I had a shoot at the restaurant, The Mansion yesterday.  I was photographing some pastries and the chef.  One of which is a possible cover shot.  It was a lot of fun, I'm real happy with how things worked out.  I'll post the images once they are published in July.  For now though here are a couple behind the scenes shots that I thought were cool.  On the left was my photo assistant, Evett, in this sweet room we found (we had some down time).  On the right, is the ridiculous dessert, after we got our shot.  Ah man, it was so good!!!

The Jazz Vocalist

I had a great opportunity to photograph Damon K. Clark for an editorial story.  He is an amazing Jazz vocalist in Dallas.  The magazine actually ran both scenarios I shot, in two different issues.  Damon was such a great sport and easy going that I asked if I could shoot some video of him for a personal project.  He agreed, so we set up a date and shot it.  We shot him in downtown Dallas and on a made up stage at my studio.  We worked until 2am.  It was so much fun, and am very pleased with what we got.  I've been really getting into shooting these short (1-3 minute) "video portraits".