Summers in North Texas can cook the heck out of just about anything. Around here we enjoy our summers but they always end right on time. The first signs are signs of new lives at TWU and UNT campuses, cars going down one-way streets the wrong way, bright shiny faces at all the dive bars … the usual signs. And work picks up in anticipation of new needs for promotional and publicity photography.

I was counting the other day, and I think we are in the neighborhood of thirteen years association with Texas Woman’s University, at both the Dallas and Denton locations. It has been a wonderful association with a creative final product. It does make me wonder where other universities in the area get their day-to-day photography. Specifically, Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University in Dallas and Fort Worth respectively, don’t show many signs of freelance photography. I guess it is an institutional norm. UNT, at about 45-thousand students, is a behemoth of a conglomerate where budgets can be big and small, and ruled by different department’s criteria. It’s a great place to work when those stars align.

I occasionally wonder where some of the students at these universities look for professional connections. It used to be I had a revolving door of paid interns, but even though the local professors know the phone number, I guess reality isn’t on the curriculum anymore. If a student really wants to learn – FAST – have a go at www.livephotolessons.com. I realize I created a concept well ahead of its time, but I always have to plug it to see if anyone has caught up yet!

Coming in September – just booked another photo shoot including sitting Texas Governor Rick Perry in Denton, Texas. That should be a blast. The fall also means campaigns go into full swing, and I get the feeling there is going to be a pretty good turnout on the National level this time around.