Houston Wedding Photographer / Aric C Hoek

The Solaris Blog Has Moved!

As of today, all new posts are being transferred to the following address.

Of course you can just click on any link marked Blog on our site to take you to the new location as well.

All of the posts found on this blog are currently being transfered, one by one to the new address. Shouldn't take Beth and I more than a week to get it done.

Please keep in mind that the new site is very much still a work in progress. The software and blog entries are located on the Solaris site now and are not being hosted by another companies server. This is the main reason for the transfer as we believe that this will help our search result rankings in Google.

See you on the new blog!

Aric

Major System Failure.

We had a massive hard drive failure here at the studio over the weekend due to an explosion, and production has been delayed. No images were lost. No weddings were lost.

All back-up systems were in place and running at the time of the crash. Everything has been restored and production is starting again.

First order of business is to get the Brownn wedding online.

All appointments and portrait review sessions for the week are still good and there is no need to reschedule.

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

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Turner Bridal Portrait

No matter how many times I go to The Japanese Gardens, I always seem to find a new portrait there. The grounds are kept so nicely and the colors are constantly changing. The trick is to crop in on certain areas to create the illusion of isolation, while still placing the subject as part of the environment.

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

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Solaris Site Updated!

I hate it when I'm shopping online looking form information about a product, and I’m unable to find that information. My standard response to a site that does not provide me with the information I’m seeking is to just find another site that will!

So, I have decided to Zig, while my competition Zags. Standard operating procedure for a photography studio is to create a website displaying their best work and not much else. This is done so the viewer will become emotionally attached. However, there really is not much else. What would happen if I provided as much information as I could?

My guess is that people would like to see more! How much more confident will people be in purchasing my services when everything is out in the open? So I have decided to make my company as transparent as possible. Visit the new site! A few bits here and there are still being worked on, but for the most part it is ready to go.

The new front end to the Solaris Site was produced by Major Websites.

PLEASE! Let me know what you think by taking the Site Survey, also located as the last link on the right of the new site.

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

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A bit of wedding mayhem.

When I have time to watch TV, one of my favorite shows to watch is a British automotive show called Top Gear. I have to record it because I never have the time to watch it when it's actually on.

Top Gear is smart and fast, and it’s all about cars. Cool cars. Guy stuff. And because it’s British, it really takes a different twist on things, which I like.

Well, I was surfing through past episodes today, and I came across this. If you are tired of planning your wedding and you need a bit of comical relief, then have a look.

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

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Join us for Fine Art Fridays!

My good friends David Jones and Mitch Daniels and I have been off and on now for lunch at the Museum of Fine Arts. It's something that we have been doing on Fridays for I guess the past three years now. We like to call it Fine Art Fridays. There have been times when others have tagged along with us, but for the most part, David, Mitch and I seem to be the big die -hards.

We first meet at the Café Express located on the bottom floor of the newest building, and after lunch we don our iPods and walk through the museum looking for inspiration and insights into how we can develop our own work.

Well, David and I thought that we would give an open invitation to any other photographers or artists out there that would like to join us on our next outing. I haven't talked to Mitch about this yet, but zI amsure if he is aailable he will be there too.

Come join David and I at Café Express on October 19th at 11am. After lunch we plan on taking an hour or longer to meander around and brain storm. If you are interested, then please email or call the studio at 713-524-3303.

Hope to see you there!

------------
People Attending

1) Aric Hoek - Solaris
2) David Jones
3) Jennifer Schafer - Publisher of Premier Bride
4) Mary Beth Touchstone
5) Andie Smith

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

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Mariam, Waddah and Chihuly.

Mariam and Waddah were a fabulous couple to serve! Everyone was so stress free and the party was fabulous! I really love the couples that hire me and then just set me loose without any restrictions. I was free to create!

As an additional bonus Waddah’s mother and sister were able to fly in from Egypt at the very last minute to attend.

Their ceremony and reception were held at Café Artista in Downtown Houston. However, Mariam was getting ready at The Hilton Americas. In the lobby hangs a chandelier from one of my favorite artists, Chihuly.

Chihuly Video.

Thank you both Mariam and Waddah for your business. I will have your images online this week!

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

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21 Years Later

I was only 17 when I failed typing during my sophomore year at Bellaire High School. That was 21 years ago. However everything changed for me when I was introduced to photography shortly after. It was the first thing that I was really good at and I latched on tight.

I knew that when I graduated college I wanted to be able to photograph absolutely anything with some level of professionalism. Someone could ask me to photograph a car, a building, food, or an executive, and I wanted to be able to answer with a resounding “YES” to the opportunity.

At Salem State College I began to study commercial photography, and my skills were really put to the test. Two years later I found myself in Florence, Italy taking advanced black and white classes as well as some beginning cinematography. I finished my college career at Northern Arizona University studying under Dr. Gene Balzer pushing hard to learn additional commercial photography skills. I finally graduated in 93’ earning a BFA with an emphasis in photography and a minor in business.

After graduation I worked for three different photography studios in two different states before I found my self on the Gittings team. After Gittings I managed the digital department of one of the largest and most respectable professional photographic labs in the state.

All of that education is put to the test each week at each wedding. For a wedding photographer it all comes down to one moment. There’s no tomorrow. There are no retakes. Put up or shut up. And after each wedding is over, you find that you are only as good as your last image, regardless of your history and education.

I have no idea how many weddings I have been lucky enough to photograph, but I find I still can’t get enough. Every wedding I walk into I approach with the attitude that I’m getting ready to take the best picture of my life. All I need to do is just find it.

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

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Taken 8/18/08.

Katy and Joshua

Katy and Joshua have been fabulous clients, and they are so easy for me to work with. Love em! Their engagement session was taken behind The Wortham Center downtown and some surrounding areas. I hope you enjoy them as much as they do.

Shadows galore in this session due to the time of day, which of course was planned.

Katy and Joshua - Thanks again for the iTunes gift card! I bought the new album titled Snakes nad Arrows from Rush! Very nice.

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

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Weekly Escape - A New Image Every Week!

Well, there are no fancy images in this post, only a shameless promotion.

I have started an image of the week club! Sign up today and receive a new image each week! Think of it as a thirty second Weekly Escape from the grind of the world.

Sign up for The Weekly Escape here! Or, you can click the link to the right to subscribe.

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!