Deckman's World

I'm a telephoto guy, but you can't go wrong by getting as close to the stage as possible.

Madam Radar performing at the Texas Music Cafe in Waco, TX.

Shot on a Canon R6 with the cheap 16mm and the pricy 24-70 lens.

#concertshots #getclose #canon #rockstars #livemusic #guitarslinger #txmusiccafe

A harmonica player sings a song with blips of light in the background.

You don't sing the blues... You preach 'em.

Band: The New Chitlins
Venue: Bend General Store (Bend, TX)

#blues #gottheblues #harmonica #concertshots #concertphotos #livemusic #monochrome #centraltexasmusicscene #bendgeneralstore #deckmansworld

I'm fascinated how you captured those nice crisp edges on the clouds!

A cowgirl sits atop her horse on a dirt road.

A cowgirl photo from last year.

#cowgirl #sepiatone #vintagelook #mountup #trailride #horseandrider #portrait #photography

Dear public TV stations -

Don't offer me a tote bag for my contribution.

I got $500 for Steve Inskeep to bellow "Fuck Donald Trump!" live on air.

#fdt #pbs #npr #publicradio #publictelevision #nokings

#MenWithCats

A grey cat sits in a clay ceramic chimenea.

Current mood:

A man in a baseball uniform smiles as he leans against a chain link fence.

Coach is smiling because he loves the team, and he loves the game.

#baseball #sandlot #goodtimes #community #candids #portraits #photography

Four men in a variety of clothing styles playing live music on an outdoor stage.

A guitarist takes a solo, causing his hair to fly around.

A black and white silhouette of a bass guitarist.

Three shots of my friend Scott Taylor and his band jamming at my favorite pizza place in the world: Fire Street Pizza in Belton, TX.

#livemusic #concertphotos #rockband #reggaetunes #guitarsolo #localmusic #supportlocalmusic #deckmansworld

A young woman in graduation regalia and a mortarboard poses on a pickup truck at sunset.

If you haven't tried it before, off-camera flash is a game-changer for outdoor portraits.

#offcameraflash #environmentalportraits #godoxusergroup #graduationphoto #sunset #makeitpop #deckmansworld

Like ICE waits for a reason. They'll fabricate something.

Dear public TV stations -

Don't offer me a tote bag for my contribution.

I got $500 for Steve Inskeep to bellow "Fuck Donald Trump!" live on air.

#fdt #pbs #npr #publicradio #publictelevision #nokings

And you may ask yourself, well, how do I work this?

I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line.

Lots of regulation involved in immigration policy. Better start by defunding and disbanding ICE.

A woman in a white dress walks across a field at twilight.

A woman in a white dress walks across a field at twilight.

A woman in a white dress walks across a field at twilight.

"But there's someplace that she'd rather be..."

We got artistic in the fading light at the end of a graduation session. She had covered her mortarboard cap with a Billy Joel quote, so I was humming his songs while editing.

#portraitphotography #billyjoelsongs #motionblur #femininity #eastcoastkin

A guitarist takes a solo under a dramatic evening sky.

Someone said, "Just climb up on stage with the band." I was afraid that I might mess up, trip on a cable, unplug an amp, and ruin the show.

I didn't ruin the show.

#concertphotos #concertshots #livemusic #editedwithsnapseed #barrowbrewing #saladotx #wideangle #deckmansworld #eastcoastkin

Standing here with these legends @joancbaezofficial.bsky.social and Paul Simon contemplating our industry and our craft. They want to replace us with AI because AI won’t sing Deportees, or write ‘American Tune’. AI will do what the human on the input end tells it to do- Artists won’t.

A young woman in a white dress walks through a field of tall grass.

Away she goes.

#portraits #portraitphotography #blackandwhitephoto #pasturesandprairies #texasviews #goingplaces #eastcoastkin

A guitarist makes a face while wearing a stetson and playing a Telecaster.

Joel Allan getting it bent during a show at the Bend General Store.

#bendgeneralstore #bendingstrings #sansabatx #honkytonk #concertshot #concertphotos #telecaster #guitarsolo #deckmansworld

A portrait of a smiling dark-haired bartender

An impromptu portrait session at the Bend General Store. Last time I was here, I got a shot of the chef. This time, it was the bartender's turn. I made good use of a wad of string lights on the shelf next to the bar.

#portraitphoto #chiaroscuro #usewhatyougot #peopleandplaces #eastcoastkin

A black and white photo of a musician staring straight at the camera.

The same photo with some silly sunglasses photoshopped on his face.

Dawson inadvertently gave me the hairy eyeball during a show. Someone said he needs to start rocking shades when he's onstage, so I took to making that happen.

#concertshots #photoshopped #justforfun #sunglassesatnight #musicians #livemusic

The idea of a "100 year flood" was always a misnomer, but Americans are exceptionally bad at statistics. It means a 1% chance of a flood happening in a given year, and never had anything to do with big floods coming once a century. A 1% chance ends up being a near-certainty at around 30 years.

I'm fairly happy with the results! They're not "perfect" shots, but the beautiful thing is: they don't have to be. Do they communicate the speed and action of the rodeo? I think so.

Moral of the story: Don't be afraid to experiment with new techniques. Grab your camera and play with it!

Recently, I listened to a podcast with a couple professional photographers who specialize in autosports - Formula 1, Le Mans, and other car racing. They talked about longer exposures and panning with the racecar to create a blur from the motion. I caught a wild hair and gave it a spin last Friday.

A cowgirl competing in the barrel racing at the rodeo. A slightly slow shutter speed creates a blurred effect.

A cowgirl competing in the calf roping at the rodeo. A slightly slow shutter speed creates a blurred effect.

A cowgirl competing in the barrel racing at the rodeo. A slightly slow shutter speed creates a blurred effect.

A cowgirl competing in the calf roping at the rodeo. A slightly slow shutter speed creates a blurred effect.

I tried something different at the rodeo. I've always tried to freeze the motion and catch the sharpest shot possible, given the limitations of equipment and lighting. I've done blurry photos, and cowgirl portraits, but it never occurred to me to combine them.

#photography #motionblur #actionphoto

A farmer wearing a patriotic T-shirt and a camouflage hat stands in front of a table of fresh tomatoes for sale.

Sidney sells his veggies at the farmer's market held on Saturdays at Barrow Brewing in Salado, TX.

#barrowbrewing #saladotx #farmersmarket #portrait #americana #eatlocal #deckmansworld

A singer squints and smiles during an outdoor concert.

A Texas-sized bucket of sunshine poured onto the stage during the first set.

#concertshots #smile #sunshine #outdoorconcert #happiness #deckmansworld

That last wide-angle shot is jaw-dropping. Love it!

These are brilliant!