Mud Volleyball in Terrebonne

On my recent family visit to Bend, OR I met up with one of my favorite friends and photographers Sol Neelman for a little weird sports therapy. Sol has made a career of shooting events like the Outhouse Races, Urban Golf, Redneck Fishing, and ChessBoxing among many, many others including run-of-the-mill sporting events - you know, like the Olympics.

Sol's personal passion has culminated in a new book which is easily my new favorite photo volume. It's inspiring to see that come to fruition. In our new freelance paradigm we alone are in charge of our path. As Penny reminds us - "self-assign the dream assignment." Sol's done that and man it looks fun.

Thanks for the good times, Sol. See you in Denver!


MudVB - Images by Julia Robinson

Goodnight's Legacy for Texas Highways Magazine

Part 2 of the Goodnight-Loving legacy appears in the September issue of Texas Highways Magazine. Editor Griff Smith did a great job culling the take from the 2,000+ miles across Texas it took to shoot the story. Outtakes and the lede are below.

My Obsession with Charles Goodnight began with a nudge from my father, a one-time history major who, as a retired state employee astride a motorcycle, explored historical sites all over Texas and reported his observations back to me. When his father, my grandfather, became seriously ill, those exploratory trips became therapeutic. My dad latched on to Goodnight’s story, and as he lost his own father, he sought out a tale that wove manliness, mortality, and legacy into the mythic story of a man who became legend.


Retracing the Goodnight-Loving Trail, Pt 2 - Images by Julia Robinson

East Austin Parking for the Statesman

Jesse Flores suffered stroke in March of 2010. His neighborhood just east of downtown on 8th street, was jammed with traffic - visitors to SXSW looking for free parking. The ambulance ride to the hospital, less than a mile away, took over 20 minutes.

Traffic congestion and parking problems in neighborhoods bordering downtown have become all to common in the last three years. Thursday through Sunday nights are filled with constant traffic and loud bar and club patrons return for their vehicles in the early morning hours. With the city extension of parking meters into the evening hours, the problem will only get worse. Flores and other neighbors are petitioning the city for residential parking permits to ease the problem.

Retracing the Goodnight Loving Trail for Texas Highways Magazine

The August issue of Texas Highways Magazine has part one of a two part series on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, a historic Texas cattle trail, the story of which inspired the Pulitzer Prize winning epic Lonesome Dove. You can link to the article here, or grab a copy at your favorite local bookstore. Intakes and outtakes appear in the slideshow below.

In 1866, a young cattleman named Charles Goodnight forged a partnership with Oliver Loving, an established rancher 25 years his senior, and they blazed a new cattle trail across Texas to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. By 1868, the trail spanned some 2,000 miles, extending into Colorado and Wyoming. And the partnership that started with a handshake in an unassuming hamlet in North Texas became one of the most celebrated legends of the West.

The story of the Goodnight-Loving Trail represents the defining story of the last frontier, before fences and railroads changed the West forever. As a Texan born 100 years after the close of the frontier, I’ve always wanted to see the state as it was then—wide open to anyone courageous enough to take it on. Believing in the power of place to connect us to history, I decided to retrace the steps of Goodnight and Loving to call forth that sense of possibility and purpose.


Retracing the Goodnight-Loving Trail - Images by Julia Robinson

Scott MacPherson for the Dallas Morning News

Two-time All-American Scott MacPherson has joined Austin's Rogue Running team and is training for the Olympic marathon trials in January of 2012. The Dallas Morning News profiled MacPherson's eating habits for a series dubbed 'Eat Like a Pro'.

Scott was a great sport (pun intended) allowing me to drape him in linguine for a more fun take on the 'athlete with food' photo.

Kids Outdoors Zone for the Statesman

My relationship with my dad is one of the most important in my life. He's always seemed to 'get' me, always able to pinpoint the exact thing that bothers me or brings me joy. We share the same sweet tooth, an appreciation for small cute critters, and an irreverent, dry wit. I'm immune to most appeals to Hallmark sentimentality, but when it comes to depictions of Dads and Daughters I cry every time.

The Statesman called me last month to spend a morning with a group of girls who recently lost their dads. A faith-based organization called the Kids Outdoor Zone brings them together for a group discussion about their loss and then leads them into the great outdoors. I fell instantly in love with the cause of KOZ.

It was a gray, drizzly morning but the girls were bright spots of love for each other. You can read Joshunda Sanders' story here.

(Left to right) Nicole Basey, Kendal Rhodes, and Amy McInnes say a prayer during a KOZ group meeting on Saturday May 21, 2011. Kids Outdoor Zone is a youth ministry devoted to helping girls who have lost a father.

Destiny Richter, 12, (left) and Salem Severance, 9, right, look for a passage about faith the size of a mustard seed in the New Testament.

CC Vantrease, right, gives a reassuring hug to Salem Severance, second from right, as they lead KOZ group members to an open field for a lesson in tent construction at Mary Moore Searight Park in South Austin.

Salem Severance, left, and CC Vantrease, right, fold up tent poles while singing a song about team work.

Barley Swine for the Statesman

I've had a series of delicious assignments recently for the Statesman. Thanks, Nell!  I shot Bryce Gilmore last year for the Dallas Morning News for his awesome Odd Duck trailer in South Austin. This January Bryce opened a brick and mortar location called Barley Swine, combining his love of all things pork with microbrews from around the country.  Brilliant combination.  Maybe that's why Bryce was recently named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2011.

There's more than pork on the menu, my favorites, the crab stuffed crepe and barley crumble dessert, are below. You can read the long form review here, but my opinion, two pints up!

Budget Rally for the Dallas Morning News

This legislative session has been a non-stop series of protests at the capitol over projected budget cuts and shortfalls.  Some days crowds swell into the tens of thousands, other days only a handful show up to fight for their cause.  Whatever the size, their passion and sense of urgency is the same.

Ron Cranston, center, of Austin, listens to speakers during a Don't Wreck Texas rally at the capitol on April 1, 2011. Several organizations including the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities participated in an all-day rally and vigil while the Texas House debates HB1 the budget bill that many expect will cut funding to state programs and services. 

A mock funeral was held on the south steps of the capitol with coffins representing programs affected by projected budget cuts.

Dwight Harris, of Victoria, holds a coffin representing funding for nursing homes during a mock funeral on the steps of the capitol.

Morgan Spurlock for the Dallas Morning News

Morgan Spurlock, the man who enlightened us and totally grossed us out with 'Super-Size Me,' came through Austin promoting his new documentary 'The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.'  Spurlock once again takes us on his personal journey, this time into the land of advertising and product placement.

Thus ends the "5-minutes with famous people" posts.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for the Dallas Morning News

The comedic film duo that brought the world 'Shaun of the Dead,' Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, came through Austin promoting their new film 'Paul' about two English comic-book nerds who take an All-American RV roadtrip from Comic-Con to the fabled alien sites in the US. We had five minutes with these guys, but they were the funniest five minutes I've had in awhile.