ISRAEL DOCUMENTARY I left off posting about my experiences in Israel. We did a lot of documentary work there and I had the pleasure of working with Stephen Vidano on that. Since then they have launched a full campaign to gain the rest of the funding. With that they have released a trailer – you can read more on The Christ Quake at their website - http://www.christquake.com/ This is the first full length documentary I have worked on and I learned so much. I am honored to have so many clips in this trailer and I am very excited to see the finished product.

WELD - After moving back to Dallas, I started the photography/film company. I began to work out of coffee shops around the city. Over time that became pretty old and the internet speed was never what it needed to be for me to get my work done efficiently. So I would work at home a lot. Which also got old after a bit. Then one day I was working at a local taco stop in east Dallas and this guy, name Paul Golangco,  came up to me. He asked me if I went to A&M and was in BCA, immediately we connected and I found out that he was a fellow photographer. He told me of a co-working space he was able to help start called WELD. I honestly had no idea what he meant by that but I went to the launch party and loved it. I joined the community after that and have been working out of this space since then. WELD is so much more than just a space, there is true community that is built here and it has been a place for me to be challenged and learn. As I look at this past year, WELD continues to be one of the things I am most thankful for.

UGANDA - I have never had the desire to go to Africa. Then I met Bill Brimer. Bill works at Soulthirst Church in Coppell and he is a leader of the Soulthirst Africa Movement. This non-profit works on bringing clean water to Africa. He told me that he leads trips over to Uganda and he spoke of how amazing the people there are. I thought that was great, but I never gave much thought to it. Then he introduced the idea to me about creating a few short films for them. For whatever reason I didn’t think much about. Then one morning I woke up from my sleep and it was the first thing on my mind. I couldn’t get the idea out – “Doug you have the ability to tell their story, do it!” I wrestled with that for a bit and then decided that was exactly what I was going to do. So I went to Uganda with Soulthirst Africa and created images, recorded film, and told their stories. It was unbelievable. As I look back in my journal, I saw a reoccurring theme about my writings there: Uganda is Joy. The people radiated with joy and it was undeniably contagious. Also they understand community in a way I have not seen it before. Both of these concepts/truths were huge takeaways for me. I can’t showcase the films I created just yet because we are waiting to launch them with the new Soulthirst Africa site but here is a clip of our time in Alimugonza, Uganda – In it I am trying to film these huts and these kids keep jumping in front of my camera and so we start making faces at each other and just laughing.

This is Pastor Raymond Kaiji and me in Masindi, Uganda. I am blessed to know this man and the love he has for all.

DALLAS, TX - I grew up in Dallas and did not think I would be moving back here after I graduated. I always thought this city was great but after moving back here that idea has only magnified. There is so much to this town, I am continually discovering communities, events, people. Just this last week I was invited to a gathering in Oak Cliff at a guys backyard where they served beer from a few taps set up on the side of their garage. These guys are starting a brewery and their craft is amazing. It’s been stories like Small Brewery that have made me love this city even more. There is a sense of ownership that is building, a sense of opportunity and an understanding that ‘why wouldn’t we follow our passions’. Living in Dallas has been amazing for me personally too, it actually has made me slow down life a bit, because of that I started running. In September I set a goal to run 40miles during that month. At the end of that challenge, I ran around White Rock Lake. It hit me shortly afterwards, ‘I would run the Dallas Half Marathon’. I started to train my body and with the encouragement of my sister, roommate and family I did it. It was an awesome experience to be with so many runners travelling throughout downtown and being encouraged along the way.  It was one of my favorite highlights this past year. Another major one has been working with Mark Couser and Karl Ashcraft on the church plant called “The Crossing”. I have never been apart of such a small, family like church community and it has been such a joy being apart of it. You can learn more about the community at - thecrossingdallas.org 

UPCOMING WORK - I am excited for the work I get to be apart of, especially one project in particular: Foodfinder. It’s a new food series devoted to Texas foods and ingredients. Premiering June 2013 on local Texas PBS station. In general, its hard to say exactly what this year holds because anyone can come to me at anytime with work but I know. One thing I do know is that I want to utilize the studio at WELD more. Also I have been asked to do more filmaking work than photography, which has been an interesting and neat challenge. I have found out that I really enjoy it. Be on the lookout for more film work.

So there is my attempt of a brief update on work and with my life. Thank you for keeping updated with my work but also my life. I cannot tell you how many times I run into friends and you all ask me how this project is going or that trip was, I am incredibly encouraged by you! Also Andrew Forrester is awesome. As always if you ever have any questions or want to talk, you can contact whenever. I hope you are all well and I look forward to posting soon again.

A few weeks into my time there I was contacted by fellow photographer extraordinaire Spencer Selvidge. He wanted to see if I would take an online food photography course which I immediately peaked my interest. The course was taught by Penny De Los Santos who has been featured in National Geographic. Her perspective on food photography was incredibly refreshing. I have seen many food photographers have people wax the food and fake a lot of things but her style was very organic. Well I decided to take the course and then it hit me. I was going to make a book this summer.

I started talking with my grandparents and told them my idea. We would work on a recipe book, take a lot of the rich family recipes, cook them and I would photograph them. I researched and found a publishing company called blurb that would print the books on an astounding professional level. From there I started designing the pages and we started cooking. For the few weeks we found favorite recipes and cooked them. I would photograph them and then we would eat them. It was perfect. The whole summer we worked on this book and then on Christmas day we gave a copy of it to the family members.

I learned a ton about food photography making this book. I realized how important personal projects are for photographers and how it inspires but also challenges. Thank you for taking a look at this post and hope you enjoy the photography.

Any updates on the film will not come from me first but from Rick and his Facebook Page so if you want to follow that go and like his page. What I can tell you is the last film he made was a documentary that brought into discussion the idea that the Star of Bethlehem recorded in scripture actually happened. He uses scientific research and history to put forth an argument that an actual event occurred. He made that into a film and at one time it was the most sold documentary in the world. Now, like I said, I cannot tell you what this new film is about but I wanted to give you an idea of what I had been working on. I am very excited that I had this opportunity and I look forward to keeping everyone updated as more information comes out. Thank you all for your support.

What I want to leave you all with are some of my favorite shots from my last couple of days in Israel + Jerusalem. During those days we got to travel around the old city, which is the part of Jerusalem that is enclosed by the wall Sultan Suleiman built in 1538 AD. You can see it in the panorama I took of the city below. This part is sectioned into four distinct quarters: Jewish, Muslim, Armenian and Christian. We spent most of our time filming in the Jewish section when we went into Jerusalem. Also we spent time filming on the Mount of Olives and at the Garden of Gethsemane.

While we were in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem we walked up to the Western Wall. This wall and Jewish people there, make it one of the most iconic scenes in all of Israel. We walked up to the entrance towards the wall and at the front was a kiosk containing yamakas. We all grabbed one each and put them on as we walked up to the wall. There was so many things going on at the wall. Men were praying a loud, kneeling, moaning, crying, touching the wall, dancing, obeying, reading, quoting and observing. Stephen and I walked around with our cameras trying to capture as much as we could. The emotion was so rampant and the scenes so iconic that it was almost hard not to get a good shot.

According to the Tanakh(Old Testament), Solomon’s Temple was built atop the Temple Mount in the 10th century B.C. and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C, and the Second Temple completed and dedicated in 516 B.C. Around 19 B.C. Herod the Great began a massive expansion project on the Temple Mount. In addition to renovating and enlarging the Temple, he artificially expanded the platform on which it stood, resulting in an enlarged enclosure. Today’s Western Wall formed part of the retaining perimeter wall of this platform. It is what is left of the temple. The Wall symbolizes so much for Judaism and is easily their most sacred site in the world. It was said they never leave the wall alone. The Jewish people are praying at all times of the day every day of the year. This wall is also called the wailing wall because so many jewish people come here to mourn the destruction of the temple. They pain for it and yearn for its salvation.

Something I want to point out, because I think it is so fascinating, is the photographs with the papers wedged into the cracks of the wall. The reason the Jews do this is to get their prayers as close as they can to the Holy of Holies, the place where the Lord resides according to Tanakh. They stuff the cracks full and keeping shoving them inwards hoping to get them as close as they can.

I hope you have enjoyed these photographs and some of the information I was able to share. Honestly it is hard to describe this trip to everyone. It went so quickly but I experienced so much. It was a thrill to work on a set with Stephen Vidano, the director, as well as Rick and Ralph as we worked to tell this story. It’s an experience I will be talking about for the rest of my life and I am glad you all followed and continue to follow my work. The photographs underneath are of the team and the places we filmed at. I promise to keep you all updated as information unfolds about the film. If you have any comments, questions or want to talk about my trip feel free to contact me or leave a comment. Once again thank you for tagging along on my journeys.

Our guide took us around the markets and all of the sudden we were standing upon the mount, at the church of the Holy Sepulcher which tradition says Christ was crucified. My belief is that no one knows the exact place Christ was crucified but regardless it was so powerful to be in that area. Just being in Jerusalem has been incredibly eye opening, many people think of Christ as a moral guide or as someone that helps them be who they want to be but my goodness it was almost overwhelming realizing that this town, is where my Savior lived, died and rose from the dead.It was nice break today being able to just wander and take it a little more easier than then at the dead sea ravine. We got back early today so I edited a bunch of my photographsand feel free to share this link with whoever.

Had a great first day of filming, I am so tired so I am only putting up this photograph I took of the judean desert. This is where Christ wandered the desert for 40 days after his baptism. Matthew records it “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jerusalem and Israel has been such a sureal place for me. There are so many things that I am seeing and experiencing. I look forward to sharing more with you but I am running on 2.5 hours of sleep for the last 48 hours. Therefore I am going to bed, goodnight everyone and feel free to tweet this post and photo with the button below. Yall are amazing!

12th Man TV just put up the press conference and if you would like to view it, follow this link – Click Here

We did a shoot in Bryan and many of the shots you see on his website come from that. The shoot itself was spontaneous and very entertaining. We went around to different backdrops and even walked into a old barber shop. It was hilarious! All in all the shoot was a ton of fun and we got a lot of material from it.

Working with Ben has been a joy and so much that it has become a awesome friendship. Seriously if you ever need someone who is extremely talented at magic but also is a great entertainer, contact Ben Jackson. Here is his site, benjacksonmagic.com Also check out this video of a trade show he worked in Denver. I got to do the filming for it too.

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