Dear Mr. Weather Person,

Yes, I’m writing you an open letter. Who ever is in charge of the weather conditions in Texas, please take us back to 70 degree sunny weather. I’m sick of the cold, rainy, snowy, sleety, stormy weather. For over a week it’s been gross and I’ve checked and I don’t live in Seattle! I don’t mind a few days out of the year to have these types of days, but for over a week and a half straight we’ve had this type of weather and I’m not a fan! If I wanted this type of weather, I’d live somewhere else! This is Texas, where its 108 in February. So as my final plea, please go add about 30 degrees to the current weather, lose the wind, sleet, rain and whatever else and give me some SoCal weather.

love it, live it, capture it.

~Jalys.

Music Monday vol. 10!

I’m BAAAAACK! Sorry for lack of posts last week. I was extremely busy to say the least and I neglected my poor blog. This past weekend was my Birthday! Happy 26 to me.. wow I feel old! Nonetheless, I’m back and will update as often as I can!  Let’s get back on track with a new Music Monday blog!

* Jack Johnson. Before moving to SoCal, I would listen to Jack Johnson and day-dream about what the beach and California would be like. Turns out, it’s better than I could ever dream about. Jack Johnson’s music always takes me back to the days I spent hanging out on the beach, watching surfers, waves and watching dolphins swim by. I’ll have to admit there is nothing better than driving down the PCH with your windows down and cranking up some Jack Johnson. I had the awesome opportunity to go see Jack Johnson at UCSB in Santa Barbara with you guessed it, my friend, Chelsea. It was an epic night and it was one of my favorite concerts.  The vibe of the concert was just chill and you had the ocean waves crashing in the distance with Jack singing thousands of fans. If you dl his album, en concert, a couple of his songs that are featured on there were recorded at the exact concert Chelsea and I were at! I will have to say my car rides in TX with Jack Johnson can no way compare to my memories of Cali driving with the ocean next to me and his music playing to keep my soul happy.

* The Black Crowes. Its Southern. Its Rock. Its Soul. It’s amazing. I couldn’t say enough about The Black Crowes. I love the sound, I love the voice, I love the meaning. They have a bluesy sound that is matches up with a southern rock vibe. They’ve been around since the 80’s and have rocked all over the world. Check them out!

* Heartless Bastards. No, that isn’t my nickname . They hail from Ohio and have a rock swagger to them. They were at ACL this past year and put on an awesome show! They are often compared to Spoon and the White Stripes. Definitely check out their latest album, it was one of my favorite records of 2009. Hopefully they’ll have a new record out this year! I love my shirt I got of theirs with a hunting dog on the front with their band name on there as well! I love wearing it on my mood days hahahahaha. If they are ever in your area, check them out!

Look for new blogs and photos this week! But for now here is a photo of my little Raider girl and Sir Rock!

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys

Kyle Park + Brian Burke Band

So I finally finished editing the photos from Kyle Park and Brian Burke Band at Midnight Rodeo. The concert was a great time, the fans were loud but not in an obnoxious way! hahahaha. It was my first time seeing either band and I left with two new music favorites!  Below are pictures from both bands. As you already know, I did a sneak peek of the Brian Burke Band a few posts down, so go look at those again!

Brian Burke Band

Kyle Park

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.

Music Monday Vol 9.

Another week another Music Monday! I Hope everyone’s weekend was awesome! I had a blastie blast of a weekend, I traveled to Abilene, my home away from home, home . I spent a great amount of time with my little cousins and my “sisters” Tia and Tascha. Tia is a hairstylist in Abilene so if you’re in the area and need your hair did, let me know and I’ll take you to Tia! I’ll blog more about my weekend trip soon, I’ll have some photos to show you too! But let’s get to Music Monday!

* Stoney Larue. He’s in the TX Music genre but I feel like his music shouldn’t be pigeon-holed into that category only. His songs are well written and his voice is amazing! I just wish he toured and put out more records, but you can’t rush greatness! He will be at Larry Joe Taylor’s Music Fest and cook off in April. I’m hoping to be able to shoot the festival and report it to you guys and also AustinTXLive. Back to Stoney, some of my favorite songs are: Oklahoma Breakdown, One Chord Song, Down in Flames, Let Me Hold You.

* Cross Canadian Ragweed. Love these guys. I love their old stuff as well as their new stuff. Cody Canada just might be a genius. Not just might be, let me retract.. he IS a genius! They’ve been around for a long time and they are one of the most popular bands in the TX Music scene. Their shows are always fun. They are always full of music, witty comments and of course greatness! Definitely check them out when they are in  your town!

* Brian Burke Band. I got to see these guys when they opened for Kyle Park a couple of weeks ago. They are a relatively new band but I dig their music. I enjoyed photographing them and even more, I loved their cd they gave out. They are from the DFW area and I’ll divulge more about them when I write my review about their show for AustinTXLive. You can download their album for $5 on iTunes. I mean come on, it’s $5 you can do it!

Those are my recommendations for this week. As you can see, I’ve been in a TX Music mood this past week. I think it has to do with the fact I was in Abilene for four days! hahaha Check back for more blog posts and photos this week! For now here are a couple sneak peaks from Kyle Park!

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.

Big Kid Dreams.

Through out the past few months, I’ve shared personal feelings and thoughts with all of you awesome blog readers! Today I thought I’d share another personal post with you guys. I refer to them as my “big kid dreams”, my hopings about what I want to achieve before I’m super old… like 32. HAHAHAHA I kid! My main main main main main MAIN dream/goal is to shoot a Rolling Stone cover before I’m 30. I love everything about Rolling Stone, yes, it’s biased but the writing that goes into these articles is very meticulous. I’ve thought about my first Rolling Stone cover and yes in my fantasy I get to choose my cover model. So here is my first Rolling Stone Cover… Pay attention, Rolling Stone Reps!

I will not shoot a glitzy and glamourous photo. The cover with the Jonas Bros trying to be sexy/manly makes me want to puke. Probably one of the worst covers I’ve seen, but that’s just me. I want to take it back to the real rock and roll where music is the real element and not some boy band heart-throb shoot. So on my cover of Rolling Stone, I’m going to shoot Slash- one of my biggest idols. Slash’s attitude and appearance scream rock and roll. So I’ve chosen him as my cover model. To set up the scene, I’m thinking three things: booze, cigarette and snake. I know he’s been sober for a couple of years but we can put apple juice in it. I am terrified of snakes, more than terrified actually. But for this scene there needs to be a snake. Trust me I’ve already hired security to keep the snake away from me.  I have this envision in my head and I believe it would be an awesome cover. I just see this rock and roll attitude mixed with more bad assness. So my people get to talking to Slash and Rolling Stone.. that’s an order. Oh wait my people is just me. EeeeeeekkkkkKKKKK.

Hope you enjoyed one of my big kid dream stories. This will be my last post of the week! I’m headed to Abilene to have a weekend with the family as well as shoot a band! Woot! Everyone have a safe and fun weekend! Oh and cause I need to always add a photo in a photo blog, here is a shot I took on my iPhone. It’s kinda artsy and I wanna shoot it again with my profesh camera when I have time! But for now you get the iPhone shot! Hint: it’s a shadow that’s casted on the wall by my computer area!

love it, live it, capture it.

~ Jalys.

Brian Burke Band

I am showing you guys a few photos from the Brian Burke Band, they opened for Kyle Park the other night at Midnight Rodeo. I’ll do a full blog including both bands but I wanted to show you guys some photos! Enjoy these for now and check back in a few days for a full post with more photo! Have a Happy Humpday!

THE Brian Burke

Clark Kaupke

Brian Kirkpatrick

Jacob Williams

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.

Cory Morrow + Pake Rossi

Thursday Night (Jan. 21st) I headed down to San Marcos to go see an acoustic set of Cory Morrow. I blogged a sneak peek about it the other day and so I thought I’d finish the sneak peek and show you photos from the entire set. Cheatham St. Warehouse is a definite cool bar, I loved the small intimate setting and of course the beer served in mason jars . I am excited to show you guys these photos. I did have a bit of a freak out before I shot just because the venue is so small and the lighting.. or shall I say lack there of. But I think I achieved some good shots. Let me know what ya think!

Pake Rossi

Cory Morrow

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.

Music Monday- Comedy Edition!

I hope everyone’s weekend was awesome! Mine was pretty interesting! I photographed two concerts and was shown some really awesome new music. I love being a concert photographer because you become exposed to new artists or artists you never heard of and you instantly become a fan! I’ll post more about the concerts and new music later in the week, but for now, let’s get into Music Monday! This week I’ve decided to shake things up and actually recommend some comedic recommendations that I think you’ll dig. Another thing I loved about being in SoCal, was the ability to go see some awesome comedy! I love Comedy Central and usually am recording the new stand up specials every weekend. So I hope you enjoy my recommendations!

* Jo Koy. I actually saw him before I moved to SoCal. I was out there visiting and happened to go get into the Laugh Factory one night. He is absolutely hilarious. He is a regular on the round table on the TV show, Chelsea Lately. He’s a favorite in the LA comedy scene and has toured with such comics as: Russell Peters, Chelsea Handler, Whitney Cummings, Loni Love and plenty more! I’m excited for April because he’ll be here in Austin with Chelsea Handler.

* Dov Davidoff. I saw him with one of my good friend Chelsea, in LA at the The Comedy Store. We were there to watch Dane Cook and Dave Attel and Dov did a set that night. I was instantly a fan and as soon as I got home I dled his CD from itunes. He has this scruffy, scratchy voice and his material is definitely relatable! He doesn’t tour much but I’m dying for a chance to see him again as well as get new material out! Definitely add him on facebook and dl his cd from iTunes.

* Daniel Tosh. I’ve been in love with this guy for a long time! His sense of humor is pretty much parallel to mine! I saw him at the Laugh Factory in LA and was blown away by how sick his sense of humor is! I got ahold of his cd and dvd specials and memorized his set. And as luck would have it, he received his own show on Comedy Central called Tosh.O. I absolutely love this show. His dry sarcasm and witty commments make me laugh until I cry every episode. His show comes on Wednesday night @ 9:30. Check it out!

* Nick Swardson. I haven’t gotten to see him live but he’s definitely on the list! He played Terry on Reno 911, one of my favorite shows! He recorded his latest cd in Austin! He’s been in several movies, including two of my favorites, Grandma’s Boy and Blades of Glory. Check out his comedy and his movies… totally a funny funny funny sarcastic demeanor! Loves it! TERRRRRRRRRYYYYYY!

I have so many more comedians that I would love to reccoommend. I think I’ll do a comedy music Monday every so often. I hope you check out them out and give me some feed back! Here are a couple of sneak peeks from the Cory Morrow concert in San Marcos, Saturday night!

Pake Rossi

Cory Morrow Band

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.

Project 365 update # 2!

I thought I’d end this weeks’ blog posting with an update from my personal Project 365 on my iPhone. A fellow Red Raider and friend, Robert Peinert, commented last time asking if I was using the Project 365 app to keep my photos sorted and I just wanted to respond by saying yes, I am! I love this application, it helps me keep everything organized. Robert is doing a professional Project 365 so you guys should check out his blog! Last night I photographed Cory Morrow for an acoustic set at Cheatham St. in San Marcos. It was my first time at the joint and man was it eye-opening! They sell beer out of mason jars. I find this hilarious, I might live in the city but I was back to my country roots last night! The band has been in the studio the past week laying down tracks for a new album! Check back in a few days for those and tonight I’ll be photographing Kyle Park at Midnight Rodeo in Austin. I’ve been there before and no, they don’t serve Shiner in a mason jar OH and don’t forget to check Cory Morrow’s facebook page… my photos are being featured as well as his profile pic.. cha’ching! Ok now back on subject of the blog! Check out some of my photos from my project 365!

January 13th- Gruene, TX

January 14th

January 15th

January 18th

January 20th- Red Bud Isle

January 22nd

Last night at the concert, I shared a table with three boys. One of them turned out to play on the University of Texas football team. He was a good spirit when I told him to get away from my table, its Red Raiders only! We shared a few convos and when I left two of them wanted me to take a picture of their manliness, the third guy was off probably buying another Smirnoff. Below are my new friends from the night! (The one on the left plays TE and snapper for UT) RAIDER POWER! .

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys

Design, design.

So I’m working on a quick design to put on my photos that I send to clients. I know some people don’t know the rules or forget to photo credit me when they put my photos on their web sites. So I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and put the logo on myself. My friend, Lynsey, is currently designing a new logo for me but in the mean time I need something to put on the larger photos I give people. When I upload photos to my blog or facebook, I size them down to about a 4X6 with a logo I designed. But I wanted something different for the larger photos and I didn’t want it to be too distracting and take away from the photos. So I did a quick design and here is what i came up with. I’d love some feedback and constructive criticism on what you guys think I could change! I put the said logo on a few of examples below!

Again, I’d love to hear what you have to say! Be sure to check back soon as I’m shooting Cory Morrow again tonight and Kyle Park tomorrow!

Love it, live it, capture it!

~ Jalys.