Tony Farmer - Lee College Basketball

I worked on a story almost a year ago that never ran. It still probably won't, but who knows. Tony Farmer was a high school basketball star in Cleveland who beat up his girlfriend in an apartment building lobby. He was sentenced to 3 years in jail and became an internet meme when he fainted in court after being sentenced to three years in prison. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ku6vyVoqsA After his release, he made his way to Lee College, a junior college in Baytown, TX, to play basketball. In 2017, he declared for the NBA draft but went undrafted.

Houston Rockets Media Day!

I shot my first media day with the Houston Rockets for ESPN shortly before the season started. The goal was to make the photos look like yearbook pictures. I think I nailed it! Check out the rest here - http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/20983014/nba-school-picture-day

The Athletes of Emery/Weiner - Part II

Remember Part I? This is Part II!

The Athletes of Emery/Weiner

Last year I photographed a bunch of athletes at the Emery/Weiner school here in Houston. These smiling/game-faced teens are now on banners hanging outside of the school's new stadium. Home of most of the outdoor sports and the defending state champion 6-man football team. Big shout to the Jags!

2015 TCU Horned Frogs Football

A while back, 9 months to be exact, I took a trip up to The Carter to photograph a few Horned Frogs of TCU during a bye week. Pictures were taken, fun was had and almost everyone showed up. Looking at you, Josh Doctson. Big Shout to Trevone Boykin, Mike Tuaua, Derrick Kindred, Kolby Listenbee and Jaden Oberkrom.

Julia Heymach - Texas State Cross Country Champion

Julia Heymach, junior cross country state champion from Lamar High School, was named girls runner of the year for the third consecutive year by the Houston Chronicle. She finally took home the state championship after finishing second as a freshman and third as a sophomore. Big shout to Julia for coming to school on the first day of her Christmas break to take a bunch of photos. On another note, did y'all know that Lamar High's class of '87 buried a time capsule that is scheduled to be unearthed in 2037? Can't wait!

Capturing the Personalities of 6th and 7th Graders

Last month, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing a fun bunch of quirky and bright 6th and 7th graders in their middle school library. Which, by the way, no longer uses a card catalog. Did y'all know that? I digress. The seamless went up, the lights were on and I was ready for action.

I didn't have very long with each kid but as soon as they stepped on the white and I asked them a few questions, their personalities shined through! There were athletes, actors, writers, musicians, dancers and artists all in this small group of 12 and 13-year-old children. The future is bright. Very, very bright! Click HERE to check out the full gallery!

Happy Almost Father's Day!

Happy Almost Father's Day ya'll! I'm gonna celebrate the 2nd place of parental holidays with a few portraits of my old man. After my creativity inducing trip to the Palm Springs Photo Festival, I decided I needed to make more portraits. And who better to start with than the most accessible subjects? Family. The first person on the list was Mike Sr.

I originally, wanted to shoot in a large open field that I was sure existed out in the wild west of Katy, TX. But after about a half hour of scouting, there was nothing easily accessible for the truck. As a side note, subdivisions in the suburbs of Houston emerge often and very quickly. Thanks to the HOA (haters) he can't park his work truck in the neighborhood so he rents a spot at a nearby storage facility down the street. I checked it out and figured we could make it work.

It had been a pretty long work day for Mike Sr., so I greeted him with a tall boy of Budweiser before we got the photo party started. In the end, I accomplished my goal of making more portraits, drank some brews with the old man and added to my tangible collection of family memories. Shout out to dads...Happy Almost Father's Day!

Pop Trunk and Portraits

"I'm posted up in the parkin' lot, my trunk wavin'

The candy gloss is immaculate, simply amazing

Them elbows pokin' wide on that candy 'Lac

Trunk open, screens on, neon's lit with fifth relaxed"

- Paul Wall on Kanye West's 'Drive Slow'

A couple of weeks ago, I heard about a Houston Slab Fest that was going to take place at MacGregor Park on the south side of the city. Yesterday, I showed up and there they all were. Houston is known for (along with hundreds of other things) these beautiful machines called 'Slabs'. These slabs are covered in shiny candy paint, equipped with rims that stick out 2 feet from their tires, trunks that open and close like they're nodding in agreement and adorned with neon lights displaying a short message. I found all of these features in all different candy colors as I weaved through crowds of people instagraming their favorite vehicles and local rappers shooting music videos. I also took the opportunity to photograph some of the owners of the cars who put a lot of work and money into their classics. 

The slab is part of a Houston culture that I'm sure will always remain in the city but hopefully the Houston Slab Fest will continue year after year so you can go somewhere on a Sunday afternoon and see them all at once! I'll leave you with this freestyle from ESG, the legendary Houston rapper, who pretty much summed up the day. 

Obligatory homage to DJ Screw