BSCENE August 2015 Cover

David Allen August 8, 2015

Pursuing Eden

Over the past 5 months, I've had the amazing pleasure of shooting photos for BSCENE Magazine. I'm endlessly thankful for the people I've met and the experience I've gained shooting for them.

My most recent pleasure was getting to meet Kristal Childs and peeking around the inner workings of her business. Pursuing Eden is in the business of selling/renting vintage items for brides to decorate their weddings. As you probably know (and if you don't, you may want to sit down for this), but I shoot lots of weddings. So it was fun to see the inner workings of what make weddings so beautiful. I always tell brides that the only thing they get to walk away with at a wedding is the photos, and the best way to make your photos look their best is good decorating skills (aside from hiring the best photographer in town.... *cough*...)

They had rooms upon rooms full of decorations to help your dream wedding come to life. So anyway, I had a lot of fun speaking with Kristal and shooting the photos. Her business is awesome and so is she. She definitely deserves to be on the cover. Okay, enough talking and I'll get to the photos we shot that day!

Jack & Ciera

David Allen July 12, 2015

May 31st, 2015

If you've been reading my blog posts, then you have probably noticed that each wedding I shoot seems to have a common theme... they each seem to be unique in their own way. This wedding was no exception.

Jack and Ciera's wedding was definitely one of the more unique weddings I had ever been to. Princess Bride quotes, legos, doctor who wedding cake, superhero cufflinks... and more nerd stuff like that. It was... incredible. I've never felt more at home.

Anyway, another reason this wedding was special was that it was the first wedding I was hired to shoot where it wasn't a client referral or a friend's wedding. They simply searched Google, found my website among all of the other wedding photographers, and then chose me. I was incredibly honored to know this and felt like the many months of making my website optimized for google had not gone in vain.

It was also my first time shooting at Stone Oak Ranch (lots of firsts!) and I loved that venue! You couldn't ask for better lighting to be honest! And the barn was very cute, perfect for a reception! It matched Jack and Ciera's personality very well! Also they ended the wedding with freaking fireworks! That was awesome.. take note of this future brides!

Anyway, I will get to the photos. I hope you all enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed shooting them!

BSCENE May 2015 Fashion Shoot

David Allen May 26, 2015

I'm fully aware that May is almost over, but I have been extremely busy and unable to write about the May shoot for BSCENE until recently. Busy with tons of engagement, wedding, and bridal, and senior shoots. I'm extremely grateful for each and every opportunity.

But, I had the pleasure of being asked to shoot another fashion shoot for BSCENE last month, and even though the weather wasn't perfect, we were able to make everything work! Okay, I won't say much more and I'll just get to the photos! Click here to check out the digital issue of BSCENE.

Raquel & Jarrod

David Allen May 14, 2015

On April 4th, 2015 I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of Jarrod McKinley & Raquel Trevino. Their photographer had cancelled on them one month before the wedding and remembered me from a wedding extravaganza where we first met a few weeks before.

After a quick meeting at a coffee shop, Raquel hired me as her photographer's replacement and I was very excited to shoot my first wedding at the Villa Bianco. Okay, I'll keep this short and get to the photos! Thanks to Esther Yeager for doing an excellent job coordinating this wedding and congrats to Raquel And Jarrod!

Phlearn Contest

David Allen May 2, 2015

Wow... just wow.

So there I was... I had just finished editing a wedding and was waiting for it to finish exporting. I decide to check youtube for a minute and see if any of my favorite channels uploaded anything new. I usually only do this once per week and then just binge watch everything. Well, what do you know, phlearn is one of the channels that has a new video.

For those of you who don't know, phlearn is a website that runs a youtube channel full of free photoshop tutorials. All of the videos feature a guy named Aaron Nace, and he's a crazy awesome photographer and an even better retoucher. The free tutorials he creates are usually very short, but extremely informative. I've been watching his videos for a few years now and about 99% of my photoshop knowledge has come from him.

Well the website hosts a monthly competition that is free to join and you can submit any photo you'd like that matches the theme of the competition. I've entered a few times in the past, but these contests are extremely popular (typically 1000+ photographers enter) and every month the photos that make the top 15 are jawdropping. So I never really expect to place, but I think it's fun to enter.

Well back to me checking phlearn's channel, I see the new video is the results from the contest. I always enjoy these videos because I like to view the photos and motivate myself to create work that is as good as their work. Well about 5 minutes into the video... a very familiar photo popped up onto the video.

I have never actually unintentionally passed out before, but this I think I came pretty close. Here is the guy who is pretty much my photography hero, and he is talking about a photo I shot... and he is telling me everything that he likes about it. My goodness... it still feels like a dream. *pinches self*

So yeah, out of over 1500 images, I was in the top 15 (that's the top 1% for your math geeks out there) and I couldn't be much happier (except if I had won). I just can't believe that a year and a half after I started this photography business that I'm shooting magazine covers and placing in a worldwide photography competition.

I'm super honored to have placed in this competition, and it certainly won't be the last time I enter this contest. I won't stop until I win! Check out the video below if you'd like to watch it, there are lots of great photos in there! Also if you're a photographer, be sure to check out phlearn's youtube channel and website. There is tons of good information on both of those pages for you to learn how to edit properly!

The Proposal

David Allen April 22, 2015

Michael & Valerie

So if you know me, then you probably know I don't have a ton of friends. Sure I know a lot of people and I have conversations when I see them, but there are few people I call/text on a regular basis. One of those people is my buddy Michael. And I recently was honored to shoot photos of his proposal to his girlfriend.

Michael & I

Michael and I were classmates in high school. Notice I didn't say friends, because honestly, we weren't friends. We knew each other, but never really made it a point to hang out or anything. But after high school we started hanging out and then eventually we became roommates. And ever since then we've been buds. We have lived in several different places together, helped each other out through breakups together, and (most importantly) play online video games together!

Michael & Val

And then a couple years back, Michael met Valerie at work. As they grew close, I had to help convince Michael that she was definitely flirting with him and that she wanted to be more than friends (I think he also knew, but didn't want to admit it because he feared getting his hopes up) Anyway, he finally worked up the courage to ask her out and they've been dating ever since. This section is shorter because I don't know as much of their history as my own history haha!

the proposal

Well recently, Michael informs me of his plans to propose to Valerie. And of course when he asked me to shoot photos of the proposal, I accepted! No matter what the plan is, if I get to lie to Valerie about something... I'm in! (just kidding... but serious at the same time) Well, as we work out the details, we figure that he wanted to propose to her at the same location he used to take her to when they first started dating, which happens to be at Lake Tyler. He wants her family to be there because Valerie is very close with her family. So they will pop out and surprise her right after he places the ring on her finger.

A few days before, we start panicking a bit because the weather says that it will rain. And then the day before it says it will rain AND thunderstorm! We start making plans to move the proposal to the next day, but then her family wouldn't be able to attend so we end up risking it. And it paid off handsomely because, while it did rain most of the day, the weather cleared up just long enough for him to ask the question and get some pictures. (It rained HARD again during dinner that evening!)

Anyway, overall everything was successful (especially since she said yes!) Take a look through the photos and enjoy! Congrats Michael and Valerie on your engagement and I look forward to shooting photos at your wedding!

(Unless my secret plan to steal Michael away from you works out...)

Michael & Val Engagement (Reduced Size)-7.jpg

BSCENE Fashion Shoot

David Allen April 10, 2015

This is going to be a really short blog entry, because I'm about to run out of the door as soon as I'm done typing this (I also won't be proofreading, so I apologize in advance for any grammar/spelling mistakes). But I really wanted to show off these photos badly.

If you talk to anyone I know, they will tell you that my dream one day is to shoot fashion for magazines and do more commercial work. Well I got a small taste of it for the last issue of BSCENE and it was AWESOME.

The only problem was that my model, Kelsi Orms, was as equally as inexperienced as I was! So you had a photographer trying to figure out the best way to take fashion photos, and a model trying to figure out how to be a fashion model. So knowing that, you may be able to see how the first few photos are a bit awkward.

But as the shoot went on, everything got 1000% easier and we both loosened up and got some great shots. She was a delight to work with and we may be shooting some senior photos pretty soon, so stay tuned for that! Okay, enjoy the photos! And be sure to check out the digital issue of this BSCENE magazine here!

BSCENE Cover

David Allen April 4, 2015

About three months after I started this photography business, I shot some photos for a local play that ended up in a local magazine called BSCENE. I was so excited that photos I shot were being printed in a magazine that I went straight to my website, created a blog section, and immediately wrote about it (though that website is no longer with us, so that particular blog entry is gone!). Even though the two photos that ended up in the magazine were only about the size of a wallet photo, I was so very proud.

Back then, if you had told me that I'd be shooting the cover of the same magazine about a year later, I would have declared you the mayor of crazy town. But this month I shot the cover story and a fashion shoot (I will write about the fashion shoot in a future blog entry, but if you can't wait to see them, check them out in the BSCENE digital issue).

It may not be the best photo I've ever shot, but shooting this month's cover of BSCENE is an honor for more than just having my photo on the cover. It's an achievement. It is one step closer to the photographers who I look up to the most. It is one step closer to being the photographer I want to be one day. I'm excited for what lies ahead.

So instead of talking about myself the entire time, I feel like I should tell you to read the article and support these two people on their journey. The work they do with these puppies is super important! Until next time everyone!

Jade Mayfield

David Allen March 14, 2015

The Levitation Photo

If you know me, then you definitely know that I'm a major show off. I like to think I don't just immediately start talking about my photography, but whenever someone else mentions it, then I can't shut up.

Well, when I show off my work, everyone always stops me on the levitation photos and asks "WHOA, how'd you do that?" Well, it's been asked enough times that I feel that it's time to write a blog post about it!

The Shoot

Okay, so the first step was to pick a location. I had only shot at this location once before, like 7 years before. So Jade had to deal with me trying to remember where it was the day of the shoot (bless her for her patience), but eventually we found it and made out way back there.

After we found the location, then it was time to set up the shot. I picked an angle and placed the chair and then asked Jade to lay back on the chair.

No, I was not playing with my phone while on this shoot. I was triggering the camera shutter with my phone (yay technology), and that's why I look all silly in the above photo! In the photos below, you can see how I was flipping up the dress and shooting the photo at the same time. I didn't care that I was going to be in the shot, as it would be very easy to remove myself in post.

Okay, so the dress had been flipped up, but that wasn't enough. Her hair needed to be flipped up to complete the illusion that she was floating. The reason I knew this was that I have shot a levitation photo before, and forgetting to flip the hair up always bothered me.

It looks like she's trying to take a really uncomfortable nap and that I'm trying to sneak up on her

So we finished taking the photos we needed, which only took about 10 minutes. Then I needed to grab a quick photo with nothing at all, to help me remove things in post. I shoot this photo last, because I want the lighting to match the rest of the photos. If I shot this photo before all of the rest, then more time would have passed between them because I spent about 20 minutes setting everything else up and practicing... if that even makes sense.

Photoshop

Finally, the editing. To me, editing is the second most important part of photography, second only to proper lighting. Coincidentally, it is also where photographers spend 97% of their time... so when you question why they charge so much... now you know. Anyway, I'll explain each step.

First time, was importing all of the different photos and aligning the layers, because the camera moved every so slightly during the shoot.

Next step was to combine the images that I liked, the hand, the hair, and the dress flip, into one photo.

Then, I removed any traces of me and my shadows, and then the chair.

Here I raised the tree-line in the back (you probably didn't even notice did you?) and then I added a lens flare.

Finally some curves, levels adjustments, sharpening and voila!

The Result

So there you have it! Now you all know exactly how I shot this photo, and I can link someone to this blog entry if they ask me in the future! Anyway, a huge thanks to Jade for being patient with me while I flipped her hair and clothes all over the place! Here is her facebook page, be sure to check it out and hit the like button!

Ashley & Justin

David Allen March 10, 2015

On 1-31-15, I shot a very special wedding.

It was just because it was my first wedding of the year, but also because this is the first couple who hired me as "David C. Allen Photography." Before I started my photography business, I ran another photography business with a partner. After we parted ways and she took the business, I was left with no wedding portfolio. As you can imagine, this made my life as a photographer quite difficult because most brides (aka all brides) want to see previous work before they consider hiring you.

After 3 months of outreach and marketing and advertising, along came Justin and Ashley. Sure they were friends of friends, but I was so thankful that someone out there wanted to hire me for their wedding. I felt like my months of work were finally paying off. I met them at a coffee place in Tyler and I immediately felt very comfortable with them and their wedding photography needs. After showing them my very small portfolio, they decided to hire me. I remember walking away from that coffee house very ecstatic that someone out there hired me for their wedding, and I did it all on my own!

The Wedding

While the preparations and reception were held at the Cascades in Tyler, the ceremony was held at Lifepoint Fellowship Church. Justin & Ashley's wedding was definitely higher in energy than any other wedding I had ever been to (They also win for the wedding with the most guacamole I have ever seen). There were people dancing from the moment the reception started until it ended! They have an indescribable connection and I wish them the very best on their lifelong journey together. Congrats Ashley & Justin!

Ashley & Justin Wedding (Online Versions) (12).jpg