Pik Tripper

one year celebration

2010-06-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

what an AWESOME success our 1 year celebration was!!!!!! we had a GREAT turn out and found an AMAZING little small-town photo studio that was going out of business... THERE i found a "steal of a deal" on a medium format mamiya RB67.

with this came 5 magazine back, a polaroid back, 3 lens and a case!!! WOW!!!! i am really eager to start running film thru this and even have some cool polaroids!!!!

here we were truly off roading to our destination, with our "mini-tramp" in tow.

cows out in west texas - hilarious!!!

we have arrived for the "mini-tramp" deput!!!!

great sky - cool angle - JUMP!!!

the horses there were SUPER friendly.

lunch was AM A Z I N G!!!! we stopped in at a quaint little place called "sweetie pies" on the square in decatur - great desserts too!!!

here is brian with our NEW iPad!!! the PERFECT thing for piktrippers to use during lunch to ck out eachothers pix!!!!

the courthouse in downtown decatur - cool building and an A M A Z I N G sky!!!

we even took out a few minutes to have a 'mini-pik forum' - one of the piktrippers was having trouble with her "focus box" and how to make it work for her - so i was demonstrating how to do that and using her sister as a model. : )

at the end of her day we are doing our 'final' retro mini-tramp JUMPS!!!

once again - A M A Z I N G sky!!!!

great end to a great day!!!!!

happy one year to US!!!!!!!

we do weddings.

2010-05-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

mr & mrs andrew englishbee - may 29, 2010 in newark texas.

krystle and andrew have been long time personal friends of mine and definately fans of pik tripper - we photographed their engagement, bridal and wedding ... and to see THIS journey of LOVE has been a real treat - NOTHING is more cool to be a part of than "love"!

i'm posting a few of my fav pix from their A M A Z I N G day.

mrs. andrew englishbee

and THIS is andrew!!!!!!!

just a "taste" of their personalities...

we had a BLAST!!!!!!!

cake-a-palooza : piktripper GIVES BACK

2010-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

a dream come true for me happened the day betsy caswell contacted me and said "hey, i LOVE what the pik trippers are doing!!!! would you guys like to come to an event the youth at milestone church are having and do what y'all do best?" i was THRILLED to have the opportunity to "give back". so here are some cool pix we took while we were there.

a HUGE thank you to besty caswell (above) for asking us to do a photo essay of the elevate youth ministry event!!!!! and an even BIGGER thank you to erica payne, brian dougher and anna campbell for helping me when i needed them MOST. ; )

pik tripper GIVES BACK.

2010-05-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

on may 1st, artspeak images attended tea for joy in lewisville texas for a time of "giving back". tea for joy was a benefit event for spina bifida. we celebrated the legacy of joy lynn michelle carter. we set up a backdrop and had families come and get pictures taken for keepsakes from this years event. here are a few of the pix we took and the neat people we met.

on may 21, some piktrippers will be attending cakeapolooza at milestone church. this will be a fun time of taking pictures at an event where they will be doing cake decorating, hearing an encouraging word and enjoying cupcakes afterwards. i was VERY excited when i received the call about having the piktrippers document this event.

i think it's ALWAYS a good idea to step outside ourselves and giveback.

follow us as we follow our passions!!!!

to be very obvious

2010-04-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

we were once described as "sticking out like a sore thumb" - so i decided to look that up in the dictionary. the definition i got was "to be very obvious". after a moments thought - i said to myself...that describes us PERFECTLY!!!!!!!

this june is our one year anniversary - we are all about connecting with people. here are just a few pix that say it ALL!!!!

would LOVE to have you join us for our summer activities!

anna polikarpova, fellow piktripper from russia, is the one who said..."i could find you all ANY WHERE, because you stick out like a sore thumb." ; )

SHADOWPLAY

2010-04-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

last week was a GREAT theme!!!! especially now that we have MORE light in the evenings, which means MORE shadows to get creative with. we have a VERY talented group of photographers that participate on a regular basis, which makes it difficult to choose the "showcased" work.

this was a cool exercise to see what the light "does" at different times of the day. 'shadowplay' wasn't as easy as you might think - HOWEVER take a look at some of the GREAT pix chosen!!!

photo by theresa davidson

photo by nikki martin

photo by brian dougher

photo by aggie brooks

we have a GREAT line up of activities over the summer - so follow us on twitter as we "keep snappin".

we should have our new iPad 3G by the next pik adventure!!!!

piktripper themes : CIRCLES!!!!

2010-03-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

HERE is a selection of some of the GREAT "circles" that were taken last week - this was our 2nd week of this type project and we were SO happy to see the participation!!! each time someone would 'post' a "circle" to facebook, it would INSPIRE me to go shoot something RIGHT THEN!!!!
take a look at the pix we choose to showcase on our blog.

photo by brian dougher

photo by dana heckler

photo by erin brown

photo by aggie brooks

photo by artspeak images

photo by aggie brooks

photo by artspeak images

photo by aggie brooks

photo by tanja peterhans

looking forward to continued participation - most of these pictures posted (to facebook) were taken with just iphones and manipulated with cool iphone apps - MOST apps are free!!!!

Shadowplay has been a really cool theme -> keep watching for next weeks post on how creative everyone got with light and shadow!!!!!

in the meantime - KEEP SNAPPING!!!!!!

piktrippers weekly theme : GREEN.

2010-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

we started a collaborative concept in the middle of march called "weekly theme". it is designed to keep us all "clicking", "snapping" and being creative between pik tripper monthly adventures.

the entire collection can be found on pik tripper's facebook page, TONS of great pix were posted - but the ones eligible are the ones actually shot during the week of the specific theme. here are some "showcased" images that we wanted to share in our blog.

enjoy.

photo by brian dougher

photo by brian dougher

photo by charity roberts

photo by nikki martin

photo by randi dougher

photo by aggie davis-brooks

photo by vickie bullock

GREAT job you guys - THANKS for participating!!!!

biggest group so far.

2010-03-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

march pik tripper has been our biggest group so far!!!!

17 VERY talented people arrived in weatherford texas on march 6, 2010.

our initial group shot before lunch.

we enjoyed a GREAT lunch at the downtown cafe in the heart of weatherford.

pik tripper was established in june of 2009, with only 4 people, and has grown in size everytime we meet. our creative group is all about PEOPLE...exchanging ideas : gaining knowledge.

here is how our creative group saw weatherford texas that day in march.

theresa davidson of 3:17 video productions.

anna polikarpova (from russia) who found us in october of 2009 when we were in deep ellum and has attended EVERY time since then.

vickie bullock took this with her new nikon D40 - great job!!!

anna polikarpova saw THIS in weatherford - hhhmmm.

i took this with my NEW 70-200mm lens of carson ingle - a local actor/friend of piktripper.we call him "cool pik". http://www.artspeakimages.com/

another picture i took with my 70-200mm - we call tanja peterhans (from switzerland) "chaplin pik"...

beautiful architectual shot.

cool shot of the downtown courthouse.

another cool shot of deborah diershaw collecting railroad nails.

brian dougher took THIS cool shot at a friendly bakeshop that invited us in!!!

this is katie davidson and we call her "jr pik" because she 'used to be' the youngest piktripper - she prefers we call her "sweet pik".

ANOTHER cool pic from anna polikarpova - LOVE how she sees america!!!

this is our YOUNGEST piktripper - micah - he is 8 years old.

he had a BLAST!!!! he prefers we call him "smart pik".

we liked this stool SO MUCH the guy let us have it...

photo of randi dougher by brian dougher.

anna & sal - drove in from dallas to see weatherford...WOW!!!

and this is me - i AM piktripper!!!!

nikon forum group

2010-02-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

nikon forum group

february 27, 2010 kicked off our nikon forum group and what a great success it was!!!!

this evening brought clarity and encouragement to everyone who attended.

for those who had JUST purchased their nikon D40's, we opened the box and started from there, and ended up having a working knowledge of how to navagate around all the functions of their new camera - JUST in time for the march piktripper adventure in weatherford texas [march 6].

for the D100 owners - we tackled some tough questions about the inner workings of mastering this wonderful camera for the perfect image, as seen in our hearts and minds. we solved the "EFF" dilemma that was throwing a wrench in 'all things creative' and "unlocked" the 'focus selector' to take charge of mastering the kind of pictures WE want. ; )

the evening was VERY timely for those who attended!!! there are passions and dreams for those people who came and NOW they are one step closer to acheiving their photography goals!!!

keep watching for MORE details about upcoming nikon forum group gatherings.

create. connect. inspire.

all about connecting

2010-02-18T08:40:00.000-08:00

february was all about connecting with people as we traveled EAST.

we saw sights, sounds and colors that INSPIRED us all.

NEXT month is weatherford texas - follow US as we follow our passions!!!

as you can see, DARLENE was thrilled to see us when we arrived at the EZ mart where she worked.

photo by erica payne.

colors of east texas!!!

photo by erica payne.

THIS shot is just brilliant!!!!

photo by brian dougher.

erica payne is AMAZING and her talent is "off the charts" as she documents her life!!!

brian dougher is an AMAZING photographer that has the God-given talent of capturing moments that preserve the "details' of life that enable you to feel as if you were there....
as you can see here, he captured a delightful picture of his BEAUTIFUL bride.

erica payne is making EAST TEXAS beautiful.

photo by brian dougher.

as we stopped for coffee, brian dougher went into his 'usual mode' and documented the BEAUTIFUL details that can so easily be over-looked.

life as brian dougher sees it - of course this is me...IN THE ZONE.

once again, brian dougher, saw a moment, captured it, and gave us a FOREVER hilarious memory...we were collaborating with 3:17 video productions to make a video

about the adventures of piktrippers. the theme this month was "where is michael cortez?" so we spent countless times driving off leaving him behind.

fun was had by all.

randi dougher, thru the eyes of erica payne. erica was able to INSTANTLY portray randi's beauty, even though we dont see all her face - AMAZING talent, erica!!!

AGAIN, brian dougher seized an intimate moment between anna polikarpova & sal ayala - and he NEVER had the leave the back seat. ; )

UBER COOL shot of michael cortez and the "mothership" we saw in east texas - brian dougher capturing the 'curious michael cortez'.

i was inspired by richard avedon's series "in the american west" - so i called my series "in the american east"

moment captured by brian dougher.

MY inspiration from richard avedon.

in this photograph is theresa davidson of 3:17 video productions.

http://www.artspeakimages.com/

erica payne has truly, tastefully & artfully captured
the essence of "what we saw when we drove east"!!!

inspired beyond belief

2010-01-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

i JUST returned from an AMAZING conference (jan 17-20) in austin texas - it was so cool to see how God worked out all the details, big and small.

i wanted to share with you the nuggets i gathered while i was there:

* comparison kills creativity
* look for ways to stand out
* dare to dream
* story trumps quality
* tell a one frame story
* let one word describe you
* trust is EVERYTHING
* make a friend, NOT a sale
* DO NOT buy into a lie about your business
* utilize EVERY minute
* give your client an 'experience'
* if you can dream it - you can do it

to see MORE about the conference that so impacted my life,
ck out http://www.infocusvideoevent.com/

create. connect. inspire.

create. connect. INSPIRED : by danny turner

2010-01-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

danny turner's portraits are all about adventure, discovery & humor!

i had the pleasure of re:connecting with danny turner last night (01.14.10) at lakewood landing in dallas and a handful of other local photographers (that i went to college with), and what a GREAT time it was. these are friends i don't wanna live without!!

danny turner shoots studio & location portraits for his editorial, entertainment
& advertising clients in both los angeles & texas. for danny, each assignment is an adventure, whether it is across town or across the ocean!

EVERYONE is interesting to danny, whether they are in jail or in a boardroom. he LOVES meeting people, hearing their stories, responding to their environment, the weather & the lighting. danny says his camera is like a 'divining rod', moving him through a location, helping him discover a composition or a point of view that will tell something interesting, humorous or cool about that person. NEXT, danny pulls the elements together to make the final photograph, like making a one frame movie!!!

to see MORE of danny turner's work ck out http://www.dannyturner.com/ - you will be just as inspired as i am!!!! danny and i talked about a project last night that would be a dream come true opportunity for me!!!! watch for future posts about my danny turner adventures. ; )

2010 : we are HERE.

2010-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

what's piktripper, you ask?

every month, 15 to 20 photographers [and growing] ; ) join for an A M A Z I N G pik trip originating from dallas/fort worth.

we are:

having a BLAST every month
visiting great locations
exchanging 'nuggets', tips & inspiration
enjoying some cameraderie!

wanna join us???!!! see facebook link on the right side of this page. all levels of photographers are welcome.

here are some quick pictures from january's piktripper:

every time we go piktripping : we JUMP!!!

aggie

elijah

BFF's

SISTA'S!!!!!

good times

pete lacker : AMAZING

MR & MRS!!!!

stockyards

anna & sal

the creator of piktripper

create. connect. inspire.

January Pik Tripper

2009-12-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

January is coming up FAST! We want to make sure you mark your calendars for January 2nd. Hopefully, we won't have too many people out of town from the holidays. But we want to do our best to stay on track with the first Saturday of the month being our Pik Tripper day.

In January, we plan to stay close to home. We will be visiting a section of Fort Worth that is full of history and charm. Of all the historical landmarks in Fort Worth, THIS is one of the most recognized areas in Texas. The Fort Worth Stockyards are not only rustic and classic, but many of the original structures are still standing. This makes the Stockyards a unique part of Fort Worth, considering all the construction and renovations that take place on a daily basis.

Come see Cowtown, as you've never seen it before. That's right! We're going underground!!! This won't be your typical Cowtown trip!

For more information and history visit: http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/history_overview.aspx

create. connect. ADMIRE.

2009-12-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's finally here!! It's time to show off all your hard work. Time to relax and enjoy a beautiful evening, full of great food, and amazing photography. Time to regroup, and decide which castle we'll be storming next!

Bring your ideas for next year's Pik Tripper locations, and be prepared!!! The official PIK TRIPPER t-shirts will be unveiled!! Shirts will be available for purchase at $15 each.

We looking forward to seeing everyone!! And if you have any questions, please contact us at Connect@ArtSpeakImages.com

it's almost here! show your stuff : create. connect. admire.

2009-11-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

Check out the video, & contact us via Facebook or at 214.228.7730 to join in a great evening on December 5th.

SHOW YOUR STUFF promo video

november pik trip!

2009-11-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an amazing pik trip we had on Nov 7th to the Turner Falls, Okla area. Twelve enthusiastic trippers joined together for a picture-perfect day of fun and amazing shots! Take a quick look at a sampling of the day below. Enjoy!

the $2.50 cupcake

2009-10-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

To get in the spirit for the November pik trip to Turner Falls, Oklahoma, johnbrooks and I took our own quick 'pik trip' to the hill country of Texas on Oct 30th. Lo and behold a little ol' Airstream trailer by the side of the road in Travis county, offering amazing cupcakes of many styles and flavors! Instead of being about $1 each as you might expect, they were $2.50 each, but well worth every penny, says johnbrooks. Here are a few pics - enjoy! Visit http://www.heycupcake.com/ to learn more!

Pik Tripper is covered by The Examiner

2009-10-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

See the full article here: Examiner Article

October Pik Tripper - Deep Ellum

2009-10-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

For our "October Pik Tripper", we visited Deep Ellum in Dallas, TX. What a GREAT urban setting! Vacant buildings, graffiti'd walls, shabby diners, reminiscent of a community that was... There is no shortage of unique people in Deep Ellum. They all have a story.

In attendance were THE Tammy Brooks and Erica Payne, along with Pete Lacker, Tanja Peterhans Flynn, Katie Davidson, JR Barbee, Robin Weerts, Nikki "Keeks" Martin, Michael Cortez and his trusty Sidekick.

To see a full list of photos, follow the link below. But you must be a Facebook user to view them. If you are not a Facebook user, here are a few photos...

Visit Pik Tripper on Facebook!