An Evening with T.J. Miller

In December, I had the pleasure of working with T.J. Miller and attending his show at the Houston Improv. It had been a while since I laughed that hard—it was exactly what I needed. If you haven’t seen T.J. perform, I highly recommend it.

The night before our shoot, we had a quick chat to finalize ideas and the schedule. T.J. suggested a Christmas tree lot as the location, but I quickly realized that tree lots are few and far between in Houston. Luckily, I found Trinity Tree Lot that evening and got in touch with them. They were incredibly accommodating and allowed us to use their space for the shoot.

We had just under an hour to set up and capture everything before T.J.’s show. It was a fast-paced shoot, but we managed to get everything done, plus one additional shot on the street. Big thanks to my wife for assisting on the shoot and helping make it all happen.

All the shots were taken with the Nikon Z8. This was my first shoot with the Z8, and I couldn’t be more impressed. My Nikon D800E was an amazing camera, but the Z8 takes everything I loved about it and improves upon it in every way.

Return to Dust

In November, while browsing through upcoming shows in Houston, I stumbled upon the band Return to Dust. After checking out their music, I was instantly transported back in time, and I knew I had to work with them while they were in town. Luckily, everything fell into place, and we scheduled a shoot. I also stayed to capture their performance at Bayou Music Center. They put on an incredible show! A lot of the time opening bands don’t always get a lot of love from the crowd, but that wasn't the case here. It was incredible to witness the energy and enthusiasm as the audience fully connected with their set!

BANE & Desmadre

In November, I had the unexpected opportunity to connect with Bane for a shoot outside their show at The End. I had no idea they were hitting the road, let alone playing in Houston, until just a few days before the gig. Bane has been a banded I’ve jammed since high school, so getting the chance to photograph them was awesome. The shoot was a blast, and the guys couldn’t have been more welcoming or down-to-earth.

After wrapping up the shoot with Bane, I had the chance to connect with Desmadre and get some rad shots eith them. Big thanks to Zach for making it happen! If you haven’t checked out Desmadre yet, I highly recommend giving them a spin – you won’t be disappointed!

Mugshot - From the West to the South

Mugshot rolled into Texas last weekend to tear up the stage at No Sleep Fest, hosted by Brash Brewing. The festival was sick, and Mugshot absolutely crushed their set. Before the show, we linked up for a quick promo shoot outside the venue. Naturally, Texas weather decided to throw us a curveball with rain nearly all day. Luckily, we caught a break just in time to squeeze in the shoot—and we made it count.

Keep an eye out for them in Febuary 2025 on tour with Cane Hill!

Sickick - The World Is Ending Tour

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to shoot with Sickick before his performance at Stereo Live in Houston, TX. This was my first time at the venue, and while scouting for a spot, I discovered a killer room upstairs with a single loveseat perfectly placed in the center of a recessed area. The moment I saw it, I knew it was the one.

Pre-show shoots are always on a tight schedule, so I kept it simple with a two-light setup. Fortunately, I had some extra prep time while soundcheck was underway, which allowed me to get creative. Inspired by Sickick’s striking blue mask for the night, I decided to light the scene predominantly in blue, using gels to add some flair to the shots.

After the shoot, I stayed to cover his set. While I’ve photographed countless live shows, this was my first time shooting a DJ —and it was an absolute blast. Sickick puts on a hell of a show.

Huge thanks to Sickick and his team for being awesome to work with and for having me out.