M. Christopher Holloway Photography

Tulip

2011-12-17T20:50:00.003-06:00

Self Portrait

2011-12-01T06:47:00.003-06:00

Passion

2011-11-25T22:21:00.005-06:00

Nate

2011-11-18T22:30:00.001-06:00

A Dark Window In Deep Ellum

2011-11-07T21:33:00.000-06:00

Taylor Made

2011-10-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Huong Dao Temple Grand Opening - 10.01.2011 Fort Worth Texas

2011-10-07T06:39:00.010-05:00

Amy Nga Le

Hanh Le

Mai Vu

Phi Ma

Chien Chinh (Benny) Truong

Ann

2011-08-29T20:56:00.017-05:00

The Justin Kipker Show Performing at Trees - Deep Ellum Dallas, Texas July 16, 2011

2011-07-19T22:47:00.002-05:00

The Monco Poncho Performing at Trees - Deep Ellum Dallas, Texas July 16, 2011

2011-07-17T19:44:00.003-05:00

Joe Ibanez Jr.

Manu Forti

July 4th 2011

2011-07-04T12:07:00.000-05:00

Laptop Glow Created By Nikon SB900 Flash

2011-06-25T01:30:00.007-05:00

For this image I wanted our network engineer shot to be slightly dramatic without going crazy with multi-colored lights. I also envisioned a believable but punchy glow emanating from the laptop display on his face.

I had only about 5 minutes to shoot the image so I quickly setup a Nikon SB900 flash to remote control mode and because the computer room lighting was fluorescent, I gelled the flash with a CTG (Color Temperature Green). I then set the camera White Balance to Fluorescent. Benny, our model, held the SB900 in his right hand toward his face from the direction of the laptop display. I shot a series of images adjusting the camera exposure EV in small increments, until I had dialed out some of ambient light from the computer room ceiling lights. Then I adjusted the flash output from the camera Commander mode, until I had a nice balance of ambient light and flash. I was able to create an image that our client was pleased with in a few minutes.

This is a shot showing the ambient only lighting of the computer room fluorescent lights prior to introducing the Nikon CB900 flash from the laptop position.

Nick Durham - The Monco Poncho - Lakewood Bar and Grill, Dallas Texas June 18, 2011

2011-06-19T13:04:00.002-05:00

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Monco+Poncho/+wiki

Alice Camille Cortinas Neal - June 4, 2011 Opening Bell Cafe

2011-06-05T11:08:00.002-05:00

Alice Camille Cortinas Neal

Eric Neal

Dave Prez

Mary Margaret Scott

2011 Allen High Prom Night at Maggiano's

2011-05-30T20:04:00.004-05:00

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

Graduation Day 2011

2011-05-29T14:57:00.001-05:00


Trey Michael Holloway

I spent the day photographing the 2011 Allen High School graduation ceremonies on the campus of The University of North Texas.

Holly Ann McLaughlin

Taste Addison Concerts May 21, 2011

2011-05-22T20:09:00.007-05:00

Trenton Wheeler - Seryn

Nathan Allen - Seryn

Miguel Fair - Tiffany Shea Band

Mike DeRammelaere - Jace Bersin Trio

Jace Bersin

Rene Ozuna

Tiffany Shea

Peter Wilkens

Jayson Bales

Johnny Ferrell

Lone Star Park - April 16, 2011

2011-04-17T12:18:00.001-05:00

Jayson Bales at The Opening Bell Coffee House, Dallas, Texas April 2, 2011

2011-04-03T18:41:00.003-05:00

Jayson Bales

Johnny Ferrell Guitar

Peter Wilkens on Bass

Carla Elliot

4 Reasons Unknown / InnerFaith 20 Year Reunion Autism Speaks Benefit Performance

2011-03-07T21:41:00.008-06:00

Photographed the 20 year reunion of 4 Reasons Unknown / InnerFaith at The Curtain Club in Deep Ellum, Dallas. The reunion was a benefit for Autism Speaks and raised nearly $10,000.

Gordon Keith is a radio host on the three-time Marconi-nominated morning drive show

on KTCK SportsRadio 1310 AM “The Ticket” in Dallas, Texas.

Buck Buchanan is a Police Officer

Meet the Man Behind Rotund

2010-11-17T22:00:00.002-06:00

We dropped by Hackberry Branch Studio to photograph Hal during a production session.

"I've been involved in music since my Mother made me take piano lessons at the young age of 6". Today at 59, he says he still can't play the piano.

But after picking up his Father’s guitar at 13, and influenced by his Father’s love of Folk music he learned to play the coffee house circuit in the 60’s. Influenced by artists such as Bob Dylan, The Ventures, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, Hal played in several Rock Bands through High School and later became a solo act throughout West Texas where he began his song writing career. While recording his songs for a local Lubbock Country and Western Radio show he noticed the engineer behind the glass and became intrigued with audio engineering.

Realizing his passion for audio production and engineering, Hal established Hackberry Branch Studio, where he now produces and collaborates with musicians worldwide. His success includes work with the renowned group "The Rifflink Junkies from Riffworld". Under the production name Rotund, Hal's music collaborations and audio productions can be heard on sites such as Riffworld.com and ReverbNation. Many of Rotund’s productions have received awards including “Song of the Month.” Hal's audio production studio uses state of the art software from leading companies including Cakewalk, Propellerhead, and Sonoma Wire Works".

Rotund's music copyright is held by StealitPleaseMusic and is hosted on many torrent sites with a tremendous audience in Russia.

Check out Rotund at http://www.riffworld.com/Members/Rotund .

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

A Moment of Isolated Joy

2010-11-10T23:37:00.000-06:00

Raising MaKenna

2010-10-31T10:59:00.003-05:00

Emma

2010-10-31T00:14:00.001-05:00

Saturday Morning Coffee

2010-10-22T14:56:00.002-05:00

Chris Holt at La Grange, Dallas, Texas

2010-10-11T09:23:00.001-05:00

Courage and Fear

2010-10-05T20:17:00.002-05:00

Winter

2010-09-28T20:26:00.001-05:00

Bethany Lea Todd

2010-09-25T19:21:00.006-05:00

Dallas Fire Department

2010-09-24T22:18:00.000-05:00

Addison Fire Department In Action

2010-09-15T22:39:00.002-05:00

Walked over one mile to get this image.

Testing The New Elinchrom Ranger Quadra rx Flash System

2010-09-13T22:19:00.002-05:00

After much research and debate I've acquired the new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra portable flash system. So far I've enjoyed the light weight and tremendous versatility of the system.

With 400 Watt seconds of maximum output the system is very capable of producing a lot of flash output for such a small pack and head. The pack has two asymmetrical channels. The 400 Ws maximum output can be reached using one head attached to A channel and provides a 4 stop range, or from 8.2 to 132 Ws if attached to channel B. Nearly a 9 stop range of output!

The other great feature is the Elinchrom EL-Skyport remote radio transceiver. The pack has a Skyport radio receiver built into the electronics. A Skyport transmitter connects to camera hot-shoe or sync cord and controls flash output in 1/10th stop increments. The Skyport controls up to 4 separate groups of Quadras for extreme zone lighting situations.

I used to carry the Metz 60-CT4 flash and battery pack. The potato masher style of flash with a battery pack slung over the shoulder. I custom-built brackets for the Hasselblad, PENTAX and Canon cameras I used. It was a great and reliable system. The battery was smaller than the Quadra and utilized TTL control modules but didn't produce the light output of the Quadra. Regardless, it was an awesome solution to portable light for shooting special events, weddings, etc. I'm working out whether the Quadra can be adapted to as versatile a system as that venerable Metz.

The Quadra flash heads come in two versions. The S head and A head. The S head has a slower flash duration, with 1/3200 second in Channel B at 33 percent output. The A head has an incredible 1/6000th second duration! Great for fast action such as sports. The heads also have a modeling lamp LED that produces about 20 watts of continuous light output. Just enough to visualize the light setup in locations that are low lit. It's definitely not the same as a 200 watt modeling light found in other studio flash heads. But it's come in handy a few times. Night time shoots will be easier.

One of my tests was to produce a simulated sun lit room. I setup the Quadra outside the front bedroom of the house on an Avenger C stand and fastened an Elinchrom Max- Lite 43 degree 40 cm reflector. This reflector is specially designed for this type of application where sun light needs to be reproduced. Virtually all Elinchrom light modifiers can be used with the Quadra by using the EL Ranger Q adapter.

I also experimented with portrait lighting by using the same Maxi Lite covered with a 1 stop silk. Pretty good light, almost emulates the 27 inch round beauty dish, but provides a deeper punchier light. Even on old faces!

My one complaint is the lack of a durable support on the head to stand mount coupling. I've already broken the head mount where the tightening nut screws down on the stand. This should be all metal construction, not plastic.

Overall, the Quadra system is a great portable / studio flash. Extremely versatile and easy to work with. A+ rating and a good investment.

I'll be taking the Quadra into the field soon. More to come.
Cheers.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

Joseph Vincelli

2010-07-25T16:15:00.010-05:00

'Not too long ago, I was asked in an interview, "How would you like to be remembered?". For me, I think the ultimate way to be remembered is to strive everyday to contribute to the betterment of humanity through the instrument I have been given, which is music, and for people to know that it has come from a source greater than I. That is how I want to be remembered.' Joseph Vincelli

http://www.joevincelli.com/

Joseph Vincelli performing at July Jazz Addison, Texas.

Danielle Pockett Brown

el Gecko

2010-07-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

il Grotto

2010-06-24T20:34:00.003-05:00

Nikon D300, 85mm, f.1.4, Nikon SB900 with 3" tubular snoot overhead.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain.

Use of any image posted here as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

Evening at the NSERL

2010-06-11T23:37:00.010-05:00

The Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas. UTD invested $85 million and 2 years in the completion of this 192,000 square foot ultra-modern science and research facility. It is a world-class state-of-the-art green facility in form and function. The interior space is designed to promote collaboration across multiple sciences including chemistry, biology, physics, electrical engineering, semiconductor studies, and behavioral and brain sciences.

Inside the building houses a Class 1000 clean room that provides multiple mini-environments of the highest integrity.

Fifteen percent of it's exterior is covered by 22,000 anodized stainless steal shingles.

My mother, Dr. Jeanne W. Holloway, earned her Ph.D in Geology and Micro Paleontology at UTD in 1999, at the age of 69.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.
The intellectual property MAY NOT BE DOWNLOADED except by normal viewing process of the browser.

Arlington Heights High Graduation

2010-06-08T22:18:00.011-05:00

Arlington Heights High 2010 Commencement on the TCU campus in Fort Worth.

Amanda Narez - Well done!

A young videographer anxiously captures the event - now that's intensity!

Opening color guard is always dramatic.

John Tyler Todd- Nephew

Taste Addison Weekend

2010-05-23T22:54:00.022-05:00

Shot some awesome bands this weekend at Taste Addison.

The Joseph Vincelli Group...

And Robert Lee Kobb...

Mixed Light

2010-05-16T13:14:00.006-05:00

Using a Nikon SB900 flash in a Photoflex 1'x4' Halfdome light bank with grid to camera right. Light from the halfdome is reflected back on Cheryl's face from the wall. Window light from camera right illuminates the background. Camera was set at -2 EV to reduce the ambient window light while iTTL metered the SB900 power using spot meter. Nikon D300, 28mm, f/4, 1/4 second, ISO 200.

The purpose of this test was to use mixed light sources that were blended to look as if they were one source.

Cottonwood Art Festival

2010-05-01T23:44:00.019-05:00

I asked Jean Monfort if he minded me taking a few photographs while he painted.He obligingly agreed.

A few moments later, he asked me, "are you finished taking photographs? I have to go make some money now." Who am I to prevent a man from earning a living?

Caught Michael Elford of Blue Condition.

And Andrew Tinker. A Denton, Texas based band.

Julia Adamy is a great bass player...

Jeff Randal on drums...

Then we met Lorenzo...

In the absense of any other subject...

2010-05-01T09:46:00.009-05:00

Shoot yourself. NO! I mean photograph yourself.

I was testing a simple two light configuration for portraits late one night. Here I'm using a Nikon SB900 in a Photoflex Large Softbox to camera right, the "main" or "key" light. A second SB900 on a light stand behind the subject and camera right is bounced off a high ceiling to illuminate the background behind me. This creates two zones of controllable light. To cut light spill causing a hot spot on the background picture from my main light I setup a large black Foamcore card on a stand sitting vertically, camera right, and parallel to me and background.

Both light sources are controlled at the camera with the Nikon SU800 Remote Control Unit on the camera hot shoe. The SU800 uses infrared light to communicate to the SB flash units. It is a line of sight device just like your TV remote control. It's cheap to manufacture but it means the sensors on each flash must be able to see the infrared light from the SU800 in order to function. It would be easy for Nikon to incorporate radio controlled devices so the flash units could be placed in locations that are not affected by the line of sight restrictions infrared controls create. Last work from Joe McNally is they will not do this due to the many international standards fro radio frequency. Pocket Wizard claims to be working on a model that will control the SB flash units from Nikon, but to date have not released it.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain.
Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

Bethany Lea Todd

2010-04-15T05:55:00.008-05:00

My niece, Bethany.

We shot these over a 2 day period.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway

Say Hello To My Little Friend!

2010-04-05T22:46:00.007-05:00

Used the new Nikon AF-S 70-200MM f/2.8 GII lens with Vibration Reduction. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the results.

Shot this close to my house this evening. This is a heavy lens (two pounds) on a heavy camera. I shot this "hand held" 200MM, (no joke), at 1/15th second, f/2.8, -.3 EV, ISO 800. It was 7:50PM. I'm down low in a creek. What's left of evening sun is struggling its way to my little friend through thick oak trees. I'm loosing light by the minute. I shot a burst of 3 frames in about a second with high speed motor drive.

To get an image this sharp with that long a lens and a shutter speed less than the focal length, you have to use a tripod, rock, sandbag, tree stump. Something to steady the camera. The VR system worked magic, giving me at least a 4 stop advantage.

Based on what I've experienced this technology works on camera movement, not subject movement. I was advised to turn VR off when fixed on a tripod to improve quality. Still experimenting, but I really like what I see so far. Can't wait to get to the next hockey game!

All images posted are copyright

M. Christopher Holloway Photography

Memories

2010-03-27T23:21:00.010-05:00

When I was a young boy my father used to travel overseas for the company where he worked. He'd be gone for weeks at a time. Once he brought back this carving from his travels and gave it to me. It's the only thing he gave me from his trips.

The other day I was looking at the blog of a photographer that I know. She had posted a photograph she shot of a Buddha in a shop window. It reminded me of my father and the carving he had given me. It made me smile. I still have it even today.

I think he left too soon. There was much I never said to him.

Trenton Daniel Holloway

2010-03-16T22:49:00.011-05:00

August 1, 2009 Trenton Holloway at The Lounge in Deep Ellum.

Images Copyright M. Christopher Holloway. None of the images posted here are within Public Domain.

Use of any image posted here as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright.

St. Patrick's Parade

2010-03-13T22:18:00.005-06:00

Took in some craziness at the Greenville Avenue
St. Patrick's Parade in Dallas.

Jody Dean - 98.7 KLUV

Xiaomei Chen - Dallas Morning News Photographer

Hooters Girl

Pirates on a street pirate ship?

Texas Tornado Hockey

2010-02-23T08:30:00.019-06:00

NAHL PL U18 Texas Tornado Hockey Team

Shot two days of hockey with the Texas Tornado, An NAHL Prospect League U18 team. Exhausting. By the end of the last game on Sunday I was having trouble holding the camera up to my eye. Regardless, had great fun. My nephew Ryan, #18, plays on this team. These guys play hard, are very aggressive, and are extremely quick. Coach Yockey allowed me to photograph from behind the players bench. It was a great vantage point and allowed me to not only photograph the action but I felt like I was part of the game. Caught myself cussing the ref along with the team once or twice. Got wacked in the gut by a puck. Ouch. The action, the sounds, and the smells. You just have to experience it to appreciate it. I was fortunate to be a part of it.

Head coach Tom Yockey

Ray Lyons, Hal Holloway, Trey Holloway, Ryan Holloway

The Frozen Gnome Gets Buried In Dallas Snow

2010-02-12T23:47:00.011-06:00

The Frozen Gnome woke up this morning to a white pelting in Dallas! Record snow.
Used a Nikon SB-900, 200 MM zoom through amber gel.

Max got to have some fun too!

Safe and dry at home.

Rocket Man

2010-01-28T23:15:00.006-06:00

Look again. The puck is stuck in Trey's jersey!

There you go. Nice stop..

Never, Never, Never, Hesitate!

2010-01-08T22:20:00.113-06:00

On July 18, 2009 The Dallas Fire Department responded to a six alarm apartment fire. Twenty six units destroyed. I could see the smoke from nearly fifteen miles away north of the location that day. I rationalized there would be no way to get close enough to the action and so I hesitated. It was well over one hundred degrees that day. I kept mulling it over in my head, should I go? Can't get close, too hot. Sitting in my nice air conditioned house, I finally snapped off the couch and said to myself, "self, get off your ass and go!". "Just see what you can get!"

Approaching the scene I pulled into a parking lot adjacent to the burned out apartment. To my utter dismay, I realized I would have had a clear view of the concentration of the activity through an iron fence that ran the length of the complex. I missed a great opportunity to record these guys putting down the fire. Nothing left but the cleanup.

"Knucklehead!"

Investigators determined the fire was the result of arson.

Learned a valuable lesson that day. If I was going to take photography seriously I must always have a camera close. And Never, Never, Never hesitate again.

Chimping In The Park

2009-12-29T22:27:00.172-06:00

I recently collaborated on a family / engagement shoot with my partner in photo crime, Bethany Lea Todd. On this cool densely overcast Sunday afternoon I knew we'd have our hands full. Just a day before it was a beautiful sunny seventy five degrees.

The night before and through most of the morning it rained hard. Over four inches! Turned the park into a mosquito infested swamp. I've used this location many times in the past for portraits. The park is a dramatic and expansive location, with a wide diversity of scenery. There are trees, numerous bridges overlooking a well maintained creek and surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in the area. I knew the ground was already saturated and the possibility that we'd have to relocate weighed heavy on my mind. When shooting on location I try to have a contingency plan mapped out in advance. I scout the location within twenty four hours of the shoot, and try to imagine possible scenarios, cloudy, sunny, rain, wind, etc. I'll shoot the scenery around the same time of day and study the results. Had we discovered the location unusable or encounter bad weather I planned to fall back to an alternate location with a gazebo on higher ground just five minutes down the road. Planning is eighty percent of this business.

Using the Nikon CLS system we loaded an SB900 flash in a 32 inch round Photoflex Octodome. The Octodome is a flat surfaced light modifier and comes with several internal options for light modification, including soft white, silver, or gold lining panels. The panels have Velcro edges and fairly easy to change. It also has double diffusion panels, the external panel and a secondary internal removable panel. These allow a choice of diffusion, from hard edged to soft. Placed correctly it is a really great soft light source and adds beautiful catch lights in the subjects eyes.

For this late afternoon setting we decided to use silver panels and match the cool diffused cloudy day, and balance color cast in the camera. I did however gel the flash with a half cut CTO. To make the post production easier we shot several frames with a Canon Optical Alignment Card. This card has white, eighteen percent grey, and black panels., and a color spectrum chart. In Photoshop these panels can be used to adjust and balance color cast.

The Nikon CLS system is great for quick execution of lighting setup and adjustment.Taking queues from Joe McNally's work with the Nikon system (check out his excellent book, "The Hot Shoe Diaries" for more details) we shot these with an SB900 flash inside the Octodome, and SU800 remote unit on camera hot shoe. My D300 is set to aperture priority. I set one of the programmable buttons on the front of the camera body to disable flash communication from the SU800 to the SB900 and with a press and hold I can take as many frames as needed without tripping the flash. The camera still responds normally. After setting up the scene and making a few quick adjustments with each person, I take a few frames without flash and made a quick check of ambient light on subjects and background so I can get a general feel for how the image looks sans artificial sources. If I discover they look pretty good without light augmentation I'll shoot a few more without it. All flash units can be setup and controlled as separate zones, and light output controlled from the camera, as well. No more light meters, manual light controls or neutral density filters, film backs and Polaroids, and the image can be previewed in camera. I'll shoot a few test shots and view them on the large three inch LCD at the back of the camera through a Hoodman Loop. Fast and efficient.

Word of caution here, "NO CHIMPING"! Chimping is when the photographer takes an image, "Ooh ", then looks at the LCD, "Ahh". Ooh, Ahh, Ooh, Ahh. Don't do this to extreme. Use the LCD for an image check but stay focused and communicating with your customer, the object of your affections. Nothing worse than paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to watch a monkey show. The zoo is cheaper and more entertaining.

It's also a good idea to use the highlight warning setting for the LCD. When an image is viewed on the LCD with this setting you can tell if highlights are lost by the pixels flashing at you. This method is used to make adjustments to the ambient and artificial light. Think through the shot and determine in your mind what the final outcome should be, but don't drift too far away from your customer while doing this.

I always come prepared with ideas I'll incorporate in the images, but always leave room for input from my customer and collaborators. The shot below was a result of conversations with my customer and Bethany during the shoot. We initially had a series of very close cropped images in camera, and after showing one to her she suggested I pull back a little. The resulting image is one of her faves. It's all about communication, collaboration, and listening to the customer.

Shoot well, my friends.

Night time in Deep Ellum

2009-12-23T20:36:00.037-06:00

Photographed several bands in Deep Ellum clubs.
Eleisha Eagle at the Door in Deep Ellum, Dallas.

Tough to concentrate when she sings right to you...

Josh Harrison of Cabrio belted out the vocals...

While Curtis Barnett rocked the house
with his stinging riffs on lead guitar.