My main assignments come from newspapers, magazines and media web sites, but occasionally I get a call to do something different. This time a client, a friend of a friend of a friend, wanted to commission a photo of the UT Tower to frame as a present for her father, a UT alum.
I was happy to oblige, and I began thinking in my head about shots of the tower. She requested a few shots of the tower, the fountain on the south end of the tower and the mustang statue located on San Jacinto Blvd.
Knowing that we were in the middle of the worst drought ever, I had to warn her that the fountain had been off for several months to save water. I also kept in mind that the grass on the lawn would be more yellow and brown than green. But I know that the tower is always lit up beautifully at night, so I decided to try some night photos.
I was sitting at home one evening watching the news, when I saw a story about the 75th anniversary of the tower, and that it was lit up orange with a 75 lit up in the windows. I immediately thought of my client and drove down town to get some pictures. It was raining lightly, so I didn’t stay long, but here’s one of my images.
Another concern was that I needed to shoot at a time when foot traffic was minimal. Slow shutter speeds (30 sec, give or take) allowed for some walk-throughs, but not a lot. I waited until spring break to go back for another attempt.
This time I showed up around 6 p.m. on a Sunday. I had enough light to shoot some daytime photos, but I wouldn’t have to wait long for the sun to go down so I could get some night shots.
I framed up a lot of the traditional shots, and experimented a little too. Here are a few of my favorites.
I hope my client was happy with the results and that her father received a great birthday gift!