John W

Here are some pictures of my friend John. I took some pictures of him for my film class and brought my DSLR with me to our shoot. He would not stop laughing! It's ok though cause the photos look more like him.

Pumpkin Head Regatta

For the Hilltop Views I picked up the Pumpkin Head Regatta assignment. I have never been to a rowing competition before, so I thought it would be exciting. Later on, after receiving the assignment, I found out that the rowing competition started at 8:00 in the morning and that was when St. Edward's would start. Luckily, my awesome friends Ashley and Vinny came with me to the regatta to keep me company and to make sure I did not get hit by one of the boats being carried down to the river.

It was a very cold morning. Austin weather is weird. So far, we've only gotten random weeks of cold weather. It would last for a few days then go back to 80s and sunshine. Sadly, this morning was not sunshine and high of 80. It was around 40-50 degrees. I was so cold.

The regatta lasted all day, but I only stayed a few hours. First the boys rowed, then the girls were about an hour later, but somehow the event ran behind. I had to leave before the girls went to race because I could feel my body growing numb.

Yvan and Kimberly Homecoming Portraits

It's that time of year again. Games, floats, and mums. High school homecoming is here once agin in the great state of Texas. If you don't know much about Texas, one thing you have to know is that we take our high school football seriously. We take football seriously, but high school is extra special. Homecoming is fun and lasts an entire week (with spirit days and getting pumped for the game and dance) or it lasts for a few months if you're a girl who picks out her dress way ahead of time. Personally my favorite part of homecoming were the mums. I still have both of mine that I got junior and senior year. In the Plano School District, homecoming was only really for juniors and seniors. Of course if an upperclassman asked you to the dance, you were allowed to go. It was mostly about the excitement and the energy. Looking back, I can't believe I allowed my date to spend $20 on a ticket to dance in our cafeteria. But it's the memories that are made that count.

I was given the opportunity to photograph these two girls before they went to their first homecoming. I like to think of how this opportunity came up as God intervening. I am based in Austin during the school year as I work to get my bachelors in Graphic Design. I was planning on going back home to Dallas, one weekend because we got a day off.

That Thursday morning, I was sitting in my computer science class. My professor was re-going over stuff from three class periods ago, and I knew the material so I went on Facebook. That is when I noticed a message was sent to my photography page Flying Lantern Photography. Yvan wanted me to take homecoming portraits of her and her friend that very weekend. This was amazing because I was planning on returning home right after class ended. I quickly replied yes, sent her to my website, and we started making plans from there.

Yvan and Kimberly both attend Plano East Senior High School. They are both juniors and are on the drill team. It was a pleasure working with them!

Jose

These are pictures from my shoot with Jose for the Hilltop Views! Jose plays on the men's golf team at St. Edward's University. He was featured in the sports profile in the Wednesday October 10, 2012 edition. You can read his full interview here.

Jenna: a Cyclist

I am starting to really enjoy shooting for the Hilltop Views. It's another thing to keep me busy and off Pinterest (hehe). This shoot was with Jenna and she is a cyclist. She re-started the cycling club on campus. You can read her entire interview here about the cycling club and about her life on the hilltop.

"I have always been really curious about downhill riding in British Colombia, although it seems a little too dangerous for 

me."

Joe Saldana: Basketball Inspiration

After my second week in my new college, I joined the St. Edward's University newspaper, the Hilltop Views. I am one of the freelance photographers the staff has. Each week I am emailed possible assignments and we ask for ones we want and hope they haven't already been taken. For my first assignment, I chose to do a portrait on Joe Saldana. We met for lunch before our mini shoot and he told me his story. It truly is a miraculous story about a college student playing intramural basketball and gets picked up by one of the coaches.

Here is an excerpt from the story written by Tyler Eldredge:

"With sweat dripping down his back, he lines the ball up with the basket. He takes a breath before bending his knees, exhaling and sending the ball soaring through the air to swish effortlessly through the net. Senior Joseph Saldana found a place on the St. Edward's University NCAA basketball team in a way unlike many of his peers—through an informal game as a member of an intramural basketball team." 

You can read the full story on the Hilltop Views website.

Ashley and Shannon: Sisterly love

I've taken pictures of these two separately and now together. It was labor day weekend. It was a hot Sunday afternoon and they were so awesome about doing a quick shoot together! These sisters are so close it's adorable.