A Trip To Vegas and The Return of Howard Photography...

Wow! Way too long without a post, but it's not without good reason. I landed a cool gig the week before last, but it came with a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), so I couldn't talk details. I'm pretty sure that I can say I worked for the production company that shoots MTV's Teen Mom. However, I think I'll leave it at that until the show comes out. I think the NDA applies mostly to show content and I would be fine talking about my work, but I don't need any legal grief at the moment and the show is still in production so I don't want to jeopardize future work over the coming months.

Moving on to something I CAN talk about, I'm excited to be picking up another shoot with the HPT. I found out earlier this week that they'll be flying me out to Las Vegas for their tournament at the Palms Casino. Yes, it's cool to be flown out for a job, and yes, it's cool to be going to Vegas, but this job means a little more than that to me. This job culminates four years of building a working relationship with a company and earning their trust as a freelance employee. In the last year, it has evolved from me only working a local casino, to me traveling on my own to St. Louis, to them flying me out to Vegas. Not bad for something that started with a cold-contact email to the co-owner of the production company. It's been awesome getting here, but I'd be even happier if it lasted a great deal beyond this point.

Lastly, you've probably noticed that I haven't been doing much on the photography front lately. That is because I have been fortunate enough to be busy with production work so far this year. Should things start to slow down, or on the less likely chance someone requests photos out of the blue (since I'm not advertising), I doubt that will change for the time being.

OK. I left that above paragraph in this post because up until the point where I typed the last period, it was true. My phone rang before I could start another sentence and now I am booked for a senior photo session. Just more proof I have no idea what I'm talking about. :)

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

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A Little Drama Before St. Louis...

Well, now that we've had our first tornado (depending on who you ask), I suppose winter is over and spring has sprung. That typically means business is about to pick up. In fact, I've already been talking to my friend Bogac with Digital Odeon Productions about some jobs. The first of those jobs is actually very soon... as in tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow night I'll be headed to my alma mater Pittsburg High School to shoot their rendition of Legally Blonde The Musical.

Photo Courtesy Pittsburg Morning Sun

While I may not be thrilled with the play they've selected, I'm actually looking forward to this job. The last two plays that I have taped for them have been excellent and I'm sure this one will follow suit. This job actually represents everything I love about event videography. While anywhere from dozens to hundreds of people are paying to come see an event, I not only am getting paid to be there, but I sometimes get the best view in the house. While a local high school play might not be the most illustrious example of this, I still enjoy every minute of it.

Of course, taking in a bit of theater isn't the only thing on my agenda this weekend. Saturday I'll be heading to St. Louis for my second stop this year with the Heartland Poker Tour. The first stop was at Downstream Casino just across the Oklahoma border. I've been working that location for the last couple years, but this will be my first time working another city with them. However, I'm especially excited because this shoot will mark the HPT's 100th event. That's a pretty huge milestone, so naturally, it's looking to be a quite a party. There are six poker pros already slated to attend including Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker. If you aren't familiar with poker celebs, let me just paraphrase a little Ron Burgundy for you. They're kind of a big deal. As if that wasn't enough, we'll also be shooting at not one, but two locations this weekend. I'll only be shooting the final table, but qualifiers and the main event will be taking place at both the Lumiere Place and River City casinos. I'm sure it's going to be a crazy weekend, I just hope it stays on the good side of crazy.

Thanks for reading.

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