Carle Aldrete: Blog https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog en-us (C) Carle Aldrete [email protected] (Carle Aldrete) Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:03:00 GMT Mon, 16 Mar 2020 07:03:00 GMT https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-12/u561474510-o358395123-50.jpg Carle Aldrete: Blog https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog 90 120 The Dance https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog/2016/5/the-dance So cute!

It was Friday night, the final dance for the 8th graders at Grisham Middle School. The decorations were beautiful and so were the kids. I have photographed many events before and they're all the same - no one wants to be the first one in front of the camera and there is usually someone waiting for someone else, you know, the brave friend. But this dance was better than previous events I have photographed. These kids were not afraid to venture alone in front of my camera without their entourage nearby. 

Every now and then however I would politely ask a student to come back for individual photos when I sensed that they had more potential that they realized. This really took me back twenty years when I used to photograph Cedar Park Middle School theater students. Line 'em up and spend time with them until they relax. This young lady is the perfect example of how photogenic this class is. A classic cutie.

 

Jazele Yes, this was a masquerade ball and the masks were plenty. Occasionally there were challenges with reflective material but I think I had more fun photographing these masks than the kids had wearing them. I wish that we could have lined up the mask wearing individuals for photos because the masks were as unique as the individuals themselves. 

 

What I found most interesting was how much I have changed. When my son was in middle school his hair was so long and I could rarely see his eyes and it bothered me every day. Now I love to see kids expressing themselves with color and style.

 

I feel blessed to have been a sponsor at this event, to see my own daughter there, looking so beautiful and knowing that this was her last year of middle school was a real joy.

]]> [email protected] (Carle Aldrete) https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog/2016/5/the-dance Sun, 22 May 2016 23:14:20 GMT Say My Name! https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog/2015/12/say-my-name My name? Well, there's a right way and a white way to say it. "Carle" sounds like [car-lee] and that's what everybody calls me but mom always called me Carlitos. Living in Austin, Texas, I work full time for a commercial printing company and full time is an understatement. I am head of sales and marketing for two locations that are one hundred miles apart but in my spare time I am a father of four and passionate about photography.

I got my first instamatic camera when I was 12 years old and I took pictures of everything from rocks to the Pope from 150 yards away. I fell in love with the idea of capturing moments in time but I felt a little disconnected. At 14 I mowed lawns and saved until I bought my very own Pentax K1000, 35mm SLR camera. From then I wanted to photograph people and not just as the family photographer but as a way of meeting people and connecting with the cool kids.

When I started having kids of my own 18 years ago I gave up my small time portrait photographer job so that I could support my family. At the end of 2014 I sold all my 35mm film gear and with that little cash and a small bonus from work, I bought my first digital camera kit on eBay. Since then I have added studio strobes and other portrait gear and I am having a blast. My passion is renewed and these photos are where I'm at right now.

]]> [email protected] (Carle Aldrete) https://carlealdrete.zenfolio.com/blog/2015/12/say-my-name Sun, 20 Dec 2015 19:23:07 GMT