Boquillas del Carmen for the New York Times

I scored a great assignment this month from the New York Times travel section to visit Boquillas del Carmen, a tiny Mexican village just across the border from Big Bend National Park.

The border crossing at the Rio Grande River was officially closed in 2002 after the events of 9/11. With tourism dollars dried up, two-thirds of the residents of Boquillas had to relocate. Families were separated, some unable to visit from the US side of the border.

Last year, the river crossing reopened with a new $3.2 million dollar US border and customs building. Tourism is coming back to the sleepy town of Boquillas, but it has a long way to go. You can read the article here.

Boquillas del Carmen - Images by Julia Robinson

Michael Cunningham for Ed Tech Magazine

I photographed Michael Cunningham, UT Austin's Director of IT, for Ed Tech Magazine last month. Cunningham has shifted disaster preparedness from causes to effects - instead of preparing for a tornado, they prepare for the effects from that tornado. It's a simple idea, but one that gives the system redundancy and flexibility in the face of any disaster. We did the shoot a few days after a massive bomb threat was called into campus forcing a university-wide evacuation. "We had a plan for that one, too," quipped Cunningham.


Ed Tech - Images by Julia Robinson

Greenwood Hall for the Chronicle of Higher Education

Went out to Bryan, Texas for the Chronicle of Higher Education last month. Photographing a call-center is challenging, to say the least - cubicles, computers, headsets, sedentary workday. You'll never see a photographer work harder than when the visuals are slim.

"Thank you for calling Troy University," Ms. Martin answers calls to its 800 number. "My name is Adrienne. How may I help you?"

What callers may not realize is that she isn't at Troy's main campus, in Southeastern Alabama—or any of its other locations. She's not even a university employee.

In fact, Ms. Martin is taking calls from an office building here in Central Texas, some 700 miles from the city of Troy. Her employer, Greenwood & Hall, handles phone traffic for clients that include 35 colleges and universities.

Greenwood Hall - Images by Julia Robinson

Texas Medicaid Fraud for the Wall Street Journal

Texas is cracking down on Medicaid fraud including cosmetic dental procedures and unnecessary root-canals on small children.

William Steinhauer, a San Antonio dentist who heads a Texas Dental Association committee that specializes in Medicaid issues, said he is happy the state is cracking down on fraud. "For too long Texas doctors have been trying to profit off of poor patients," he said.

Archive (2012-03-24)>BlogPhotos>TexasMedicaid - Images by Julia Robinson

Bee Revival for the Wall Street Journal

Recent rains have provided relief from Texas' drought conditions and led to a resurgence of bees as wildflowers and other plants have made a rebound. A 40-year-old warehouse worker was stung more than 300 times after disturbing a massive colony of bees in Pflugerville on August 8. In a separate incident on August 6, a man was stung while attempting to remove bees in his home with a vacuum cleaner. He went into shock while driving himself to the hospital and crashed into a pedestrian, several cars and a house in west Austin.

Keith Huddle is the man they call to remove these hives. Business has been booming since late spring with Huddle doing 4-5 removals a day. Needless to say, it's hot in those suits. Think I dropped 5 pounds in 45 minutes. Whew.


Archive (2012-03-24)>BlogPhotos>Bee - Images by Julia Robinson

Cotulla for the Texas Observer

I spent an afternoon in Cotulla for the Texas Observer last month. This tiny town south of San Antonio is known in my family as the epicenter of Pig Fest, aka, the La Salle Wild Hog Cook-off. We've spent many a chilly March weekend sampling the finest chili, stew, roast, tacos, sausage, you name it, and watching the hog-themed parade down Main Street.

Cotulla is a different place now. In the last two years the population has more than doubled from 4,000 to 10,000 due to the fracking of the Eagle Ford Shale. Temporary housing and hotels can't be built fast enough. Heavy equipment and truck traffic roar through Cotulla's only stop-light, snarling traffic and damaging roads. The locals are happy with the boosted economy and higher paying jobs in the oil fields, but there is a cost. You can read Alex Hannaford's article here.

Eclipse

Like every other person with functioning eyes in America, I went out to chase the eclipse last month. My partner in eclipsin' Lance Rosenfield and I started out downtown where tall buildings threatened a total bummer of a shot, so we blasted out west finding a vacant limestone cliff just in time for the magic. Beer tastes better after a successful hunt.

Bob 'Daddy O' Wade for the San Antonio Express-News

Bob 'Daddy O' Wade has created some of largest folk-art in Texas including the giant boots at NorthStar Mall in San Antonio, the giant Iguana at the Fort Worth Zoo, the giant musical frogs at Chuys in Houston. Do you sense a theme? Everything is bigger when Daddy O is involved. Wade is part of an exhibit at Austin's Museum of Art at Laguna Gloria, where artists have designed a miniature golf course. Wade's #4 hole is called 'Chicken Ranch,' and pays homage to an earlier installation at the museum in which he also used lived chickens.

Peligrosa for the Statesman

Light monkeying around for Peligrosa, a Latin DJ collective that has a regular jam at the Scoot Inn.

SXSW 2012

Two months is enough time for recovery, right?

SXSW is a beast for any journalist to cover. Depending on what your client needs, which bands are 'breakthrough artists,' and how long the lines are, making the frames you want is a challenge. Most of these were snapped in the half hour I was running to the next line/show/sweatypresspit. I would love to street shoot the entire thing - following the sound of a good time, the good light, the randomness of the scene. You can only shoot so many open mouths at a microphone. Maybe next year.

SXSW 2012 - Images by Julia Robinson

Unicycle Football

This month I was visited by one of my favorite people, Sol Neelman. Our friendship dates back to the first (third) Aphotoaday Geekfest that I helped organize in Austin in 2005. A few dozen photographers invaded the Days Inn and Star Seeds for a long weekend of photo shenanigans. Friendships were forged and paths forever changed. Sol left the world of newspaper photography, embraced the freelance world, and his love of weird sports.

Lo, these 7 years later (dang we're getting old), he's published his first book with a second on the way. Whenever he comes to visit, weird sports is on the agenda. That's how we found ourselves in San Marcos, Texas for the 2012 semi-finals of the Unicycle Football League. Cooper Neill joined us for some quintessential Texas weirdness.



Unicycle Football - Images by Julia Robinson

Bad Dogs for the Wall Street Journal

I had a string of dog-related assignments a few weeks back. One of them took me to San Antonio where a new court system dedicated to dog offenses is getting mixed reviews. City officials appreciate the focused attention on canine violations which they hope will reduce the 3,000 residents a year that are bitten by dogs and the more than 150,000 dogs roam city streets on any given day.  Residents say the system targets family pets, not strays, and levies exorbitant fines for minor offenses.

I spent some time with the pups and their owners caught up in the system. You can read the article here and see the WSJ slideshow here.



San Antonio Dog Court for the Wall Street Journal - Images by Julia Robinson

Derrick Wright for Thrivent Magazine

I met Derrick Wright last December doing a shoot for Thrivent Magazine. Derrick, a West Point graduate and Army officer, was working as security for US diplomats in Iraq when a rocket attack in the Green Zone left him clinging to life with shrapnel in his skull. Doctors later removed 2/3 of the left side of his brain. That was 2007.

Derrick has relearned to walk and talk, though he still struggles with reading and short-term memory. These days he writes about his family and the Small Victories that keep him motivated and moving forward. It's a life they never imagined, but one they've embraced.

Orville Neeley for XL

As Joe Gross put it in his write up of OBNIIIs, "Orville Neeley is a @!#$*% rock star." This guy puts on an intense and physical show. Catch him at Beerland one of these nights.

Eleanor Kitzman for the Dallas Morning News

Took a trip to the Hobby building to photograph the new Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman. My father worked for TDI back in the 80's and I recall watching the Fourth of July fireworks over Town Lake from one of the balconies. The skyline has radically changed since those days and even the lake has been renamed. Still fun to reminisce.

Almost tall enough

Winter has finally hit Texas with a big chill. Just posting an outtake today from those beloved warmer days when a light breeze and a river view are perfect for daydreaming.

The Last UT Hex Rally for Reuters American Service

The annual Thanksgiving game between the University of Texas and Texas A&M has come to an end. The rivalry that started in 1894 has grown to be one of the most revered match-ups in the NCAA. With A&M's move to the SEC next year, and Texas' non-conference schedule full through 2018, it will be a long while before these two teams meet again.


The University of Texas holds a hex rally the week before the big game, a tradition started in 1941 to break a curse and string of losses to the Aggies. Burning red candles during the rally has (arguably) led Texas to win 75 of 118 games. 

This last rally was bittersweet for Horns fans and students. They added another W to the record last Thursday, but everyone wants to know when the rivalry will be born again.

Sophia

Sophia Villarreal is the talented, funny, sweet niece of a good friend. She's applying to colleges and doing tryouts for dance departments. We spent a few hours playing with light and her amazing moves. Hopefully the photos will help separate her from the pack.

We met at the tail-end of a long day, but this shoot made my week. I caught the energy of an amazing young woman with the world before her. Good luck Sophia! Can't wait to see where you fly next.

Janell Smith for the Statesman

Janell Smith, a black belt martial arts instructor, teaches women and teens the techniques of self-defense. FitCity reporter Pam LeBlac and I sat in on a class at the School for Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Austin.

Lucy Morrison, 13, center, raises her fists for a punching exercise during a self-defense class taught by Janell Smith.

Aleta Neill, 13, center, raises her fists for a punching exercise.

(Left to right) Aleta Neill, 13, Cady Boyd, 15, Lucy Morrison, 13, and Katie Knight, 14, practice an escape technique during a self-defense class taught by Janell Smith, a black belt martial arts instructor, at the School for Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Austin.

Janell Smith, right, demonstrates an escape technique with Statesman Fit City reporter Pam LeBlanc, left, during a self-defense class at the School for Performing and Visual Arts in downtown Austin.

Drinking on the Comal for the Wall Street Journal

Playing a little posting catch up from the end of the summer.

The city of New Braunfels passed an ordinance that will ban disposable containers such as beer cans on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers within the city limits. More than 10,000 visitors a weekend come to float on the water or cookout in local parks. The costs of clean-up amount to $155,000 annually, but local business owners claim the influx of money from visitors to the area more than makes up for the litter problem.

The ordinance doesn't take effect until 2012, but this Labor Day Weekend saw a marked decrease in traffic on the rivers and with local businesses. Opponents are gathering signatures to put the issue on the ballot in November. Their motto, Can the Ban. You can read the story here.