Houston Wedding Photographer / Aric C Hoek

Hartley Engagement Session

I meant to get these on the blog before I left for my out of town wedding last weekend, but I just ran out of time. Sorry about that Paige. Thanks for your patience.

Paige had asked for me to put up the images she purchased from her engagement session for her parents to see, and I am more than happy to do so. I was able to create both bridal and engagements for Paige, along with here wedding which can be seen in the previous post. Her reception was at Brennan’s, and they always through a great party!

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Studio Tour

I used to work out of my home, and for years I saved with hopes of one day opening my own studio. The birth of my twins accelerated that process. I have been in my studio now for about 17 months, which just so happens to be how old my twins are currently.

I thought I would give you a quick photographic tour. I actually took these images over a year ago now, so things have changed a bit. I think these were taken abbout a month after the studio construction was completed.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Test Your Photographer

The next few posts may be a bit out of order as I have been rather busy trying to get caught up in my album production. I am a bit behind right now, which stresses me out, and the only way to get unstressed is to get them completed.

This particular couple had me photograph their engagement portrait before they even booked their date with us or their facility. It’s a good idea actually. If you are thinking of having a professional photographer at your wedding, and you are deciding between two or three, have one photograph your Engagement Session and Another your Bridal Session. That way you can compare apples to oranges before committing your money to a photographer.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Buddhist Wedding

Here are a few images from last weekends wedding that I thought you might enjoy. It was my first Buddhist wedding! Very cool. I love how my profession exposes me to the vast variety of culture found here in Houston.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Yentzen Bridal

When I shoot in my studio, I know I have everything under control. However, when you are asked to photograph a clients home, you never really sure what you are getting ready to walk into.

Here are three of my favorites from a bridal session taken at my clients home.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Zerda - Bridal Portrait / Rice University

I wanted to share a bridal portrait that was purchased today. My client had asked me to put the image online so she could share one of her selections with the rest of her family.

I want to note that additional retouching will be applied to this image before it is printed for our client. Most noticably, the shadows cast by the directional light on her back will be reduced.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Two from last Saturday....

Here are two from last Saturday taken at Second Baptist.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Recent News / Update

I have been so busy as of late, which of course is a good thing. Today I am writing from a hole in the wall BBQ restaurant in Sugar Land. I am sitting here enjoying a nice sandwich as I am about an hour early for a Bridal session that is to take place down the street.

Some small things are happening in my little photographic pond as of late. Liz, my new assistant is coming along nicely. I put a camera in her hands at my last wedding and I am looking forward to reviewing her images. I will make sure to post one here on the blog. She is scheduled to start full time in June. Beth and I are very excited.

About a month ago a writer for Photo District News called me at the studio for a phone interview. The conversation lasted for about 30 minutes. Yesterday there was a follow up call as they are getting ready to release the article and had some follow up questions. PDN has both a magazine and a web site. It is my understanding that the article will only be available on their web site. Either way, I am excited to read it. Once I find it, I will post a link. There is no internet access here at… you know, I am sitting here and I can not see one item that says the name of the restaurant. Well, wherever I am, they do not have internet access so I can not check to see if the story has gone live or not. http://www.pdnonline.com

I am taking a risk with my advertising. A change of strategy. I have not renewed one of my periodical ads. As I am sure you are aware, a magazine ad is not inexpensive. Quite the opposite. As a responsible business owner, it is my job to track how well our ads are working (cost per lead) so I can make educated decisions on whether or not to continue specific ad placements. That being said, I have dropped one of my ads. These advertising funds will now be used to take select professionals in the wedding industry to lunch in an effort to build lasting relationships and a stronger referral base. My guess is that will be money well spent. My first lunch invitation goes out tomorrow to Bell of The Ball. Wish me luck!

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

Studio Bridal Session. Taken 3/26

Now, I am no Rembrant. One characteristic that I like in his work is of course his use of light. When you look at a Rembrant, you know there is a light source just outside of the image, but you are not allowed to see it.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!

The Votes Are In!

The votes are in and two of my four entries scored high enough to earn merits! The two images that scored the highest were Heaven on Earth (the trees) and Kiss Me Here, Kiss Me Now (Paris).

I can guess why the remaining two images did not score as well. If you have ever taken a basic photography you will be taught that for an image to be considered “good” there must be visible detail in the shadow and highlight areas of the image. These criteria must fall into the minds of the judges in order to give some level of continuity.

Now, if you know my work, then you know I like my images to be a bit on the dark side. In fact, the use of shadows is a key element in my images. So, it really is no surprise to me that the remaining two images did not score as well.

So the question becomes, should I conform or should I continue to produce what I like? I think from now on, when I submit entries to a photography contest, I will submit half of the entries to meet all of the text book definitions on what good image should be, and the other half will be printed precisely to my own standards. Nice and dark.

Aric C. Hoek – The Master of Shadows
Solaris Studios
713-524-3303

Use the Subscribe Me button to make sure you never miss a story. Be sure to tell your friends about us!