The Briscoe Center for American History in Austin, Texas partnership with C-SPAN to publicize the center’s photojournalism collections will begin on Sunday on C-SPAN 3. The center video-recorded a series of oral history interviews with photojournalists who had donated their collections to the center. (These interviews coincided with the celebrations around the center’s News to History: Photojournalism and the President exhibit opening.)
C-SPAN will begin screening edited versions of these interviews weekly from Sunday, beginning with Frank Johnston. Other interviews include those with Eric Draper, Darryl Heikes, Lucian Perkins, and your fellow council members
David Valdez and Diana Walker.
The interviews will air on Sundays at 6pm and 10pm CT. For more information, you can visit the series page.:
https://www.c-span.org/blog/?4102/oral-histories-nationally-recognized-photojournalists

 NikonUSA selected one of my photos from my davidvaldezusa Instagram page for their NikonUSA Instagram, Facebook and Twitter page. I took this photo of my grand nieces in Carmel by the Sea, California using a Nikon D750 and Nikon 28-300 lens. The sun was setting so I didn't even need to use a filter. Follow me on my Instagram page at www.instagram.com/davidvaldezusa/

In between doing my photography I spend time with my 2002 C5 Corvette. I am in a few car clubs including Sweet Rides of Central Texas, Sun City Corvettes and Heart of Texas Corvette Club. The founder of Sweet Rides Shawn Jones, also manages the annual Corvette Invasion held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. I manage the Instagram account for the Corvette Invasion so that is how I incorporate my photography and cars. 
This month, July 2017 the Georgetown View magazine did a profile piece on the Corvette Invasion. I was fortunate enough to have some of my photos featured in the article. To read the article about the Corvette Invasion in the Georgetown View Magazine click here.

HEIF is the new photo format that Apple is using to replace JPEG. And it probably will replace JPEGs, because the iPhone is the most popular, most-used camera in the world, and as of iOS 11, most iPhones will be switching from JPEG to HEIF.
But what is HEIF? What makes it better than JPEG? And what difference will it make to you, really?
HEIF is smaller and betterHEIF — or High Efficiency Image File Format — is the still-image version of the HVEC — or H.265 — video format. Its main advantage for you and me is that photos saved in HEIF are roughly half the size of JPEGs, and of better quality. That means you can store twice as many photos on your iPhone before filling it up or, looked at another way, you can keep all the photos you have, while freeing up a ton of gigabytes on your iPhone.
To read more about this article from Cult of Mac click HERE

About once a month I lead a photo walk in the Georgetown, Texas area. My group is called PhotowalksGTX. We mostly post our photos on Instagram. I participated with PhotowalksATX when they came to Georgetown from Austin,Texas and have participated with PhotowalksATX a few times and really enjoy the leadership of @Simiwaisye. 
Recently I held a photo walk at Pioneer Farms in Austin, Texas. During the photo walks I offer photograph  tips on composition, exposure and lighting. Usually most photo walkers bring a Digital SLR but I also get photo walkers with iPhones. I have held several iPhone photography classes in Georgetown, Texas so I usually share my favorite iPhone photo apps like Camera+, Hipstamatic and ProHDR.
I always post my next photo walk on my FaceBook page, Instagram and here. 
Please join me on my next PhotowalksGTX soon. 

Photographer and Photography Instructor Randy Kerr is holding a FREE Light class at the Umlaut Sculpture Garden,
605 Robert E.Lee Rd Austin,Texas Saturday July 1,2017 at 1:30pm. There is a $5 garden donation offered at the gate.
We are meeting at Billy's BBQ 1530 Barton Springs Rd. Austin, Texas at 11:30 for lunch prior to the class. 
Randy will share some of his personal lessons learned and explain the common factors of speed lights. I know I will be there and can't wait to help and share some of my experiences too.

In December 1983 I was on an assignment to photograph Barbara Bush, the wife of the Vice President of the United States. My assignment was through Nation's Business magazine where I was the Chief Photographer having been hired there after leaving my job at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the press photographers were waiting for Barbara Bush to arrive I heard from Associated Press Photographer, Scott Applewhite, that the Vice President's photographer was leaving and there would be an opening. Having been a photographer in the Federal Government and in the military, at U.S. Department of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development, I felt I had as good a shot at the job as anyone.
I did some research and found out that the Vice President's photographer reported to the Vice President's Press Secretary who was Shirley Green. Shirley, like a lot of the Vice President's staff was from Texas and coincidentally so was I, so a door opened for me. Thanks, Shirley, for hiring me and changing my life.
I had an interview with Shirley Green the Press Secretary and then I had an interview with retried Admiral Dan Murphy who was the Chief of Staff. He was very hard on me, pushing my buttons, to see how I handled a very stressful situation. Having started photography in the U.S. Air Force  at 18 years old, I certainly knew how to say Yes Sir! No Sir! and keep my composure. When I left the interview I just knew the Admiral hated me and I would't get hired. Well a few days later I get a call to meet with the Vice President of the United States, George H.W. Bush.
The Vice President was warm and gracious as he showed me around his office in the Old Executive Office Building. He was telling me we would be together in public and in private with his family. I was thinking, he thinks I have the job and at that point no one had actually offered me a position. I thought I had better ask him what the salary was. Well he didn't know but he said lets call Admiral Murphy. I could hear Admiral Murphy yelling through the thin walls of the Old Executive Office Building. "What! He's asking you about salary?"  Thankfully I was hired anyway. 
My first day on the job I was asked to fly to Miami where Vice President and Mrs. Bush were on Christmas vacation. Hector Irastorza, the White House advance person, picked me up and got me to Vice President Bush. The Vice President introduced me to Barbara Bush and I was off on a life changing experience. Later that first day I met Jeb Bush, one of the Vice President's sons. Jeb and his wife Columba had recently had a baby, Jeb Jr. Jeb had brought Jebby around to meet his grandfather. There were several VP staff in the room and they all left. I really wasn't sure if I should leave or not so I decided to stay. 
I took some photos of the Vice President holding his new grandson. A few weeks later I received a thank you note from Barbara Bush telling me, "As long as you take good photos of my grandchildren, you can go anywhere and do what ever you need." That was my ticket to access and the adventure began for me.
It was great working for the Vice President actually more fun than working for the President, because there were fewer people around which made my work easier. I was fortunate to also be working in the Reagan White House and had an opportunity to see and photograph President Reagan on occasion when he and the Vice President were together. President Reagan used to come by the White House Photo Office looking for his King Charles Spaniel, Rex. Rex used to sneak out and the White House Staff would keep dog biscuits in their offices and Rex knew all the stops.
My Vice Presidential Photo Office was in the Old Executive Office Building as they called it back then. The Presidential Photographers headed up by Michael Evans had office space in the White House. Little did I know back in 1983 I would be the Presidents Photographer and for the first time also the Director of the White House Photo Office. Prior to my becoming the President's Photographer and Director of the White House Photo Office, they had always been two separate positions. 
In the eighties when I was working at the White House all the photographers used Kodak color negative film. When I worked for the Vice President I used Nikon FM2 cameras and a Visitor 283 flash.We would all photograph an assignment, remove the film from our Nikon cameras then each roll of film would be put into a film envelope with a caption on the outside. The film was picked up hourly by the White House Communications Agency who processed the film. We would receive a color proof sheet back. Janet Philips who worked in the Photo Office for decades would input the caption into a data based that is used today in the Presidential Libraries. Thanks Janet for all your great work.
I would work from 3 schedules, a monthly schedule which was loose but you could see what domestic or foreign trips would take place that month or if a big event was going to happen. I would also get a weekly schedule which was tighter and you could better see how the week was scheduled. Then every day I received a minute by minute Daily Presidential Schedule. I would photograph every event on the schedule. I also photographed personal, behind the scenes happenings as they took place. It was fun for me to also be fortunate enough to meet and photograph the Vice President's family. 
All of the film I took is now housed in the Bush Presidential Library in College Station,Texas.
In November 1988 President Elect George H.W. Bush invited me to stay on and be his Presidential Photographer.
Below are a few examples of thousands of photo I took during the Vice Presidency of George H.W. Bush. To see more photos visit:​ The research section of the George Bush Presidential Library website.

I was invited to participate in the Austin Portrait Symposium hosted by Randy Kerr and Doug Box. The symposium was held at the Gusto Studio in Austin, Texas. There were 20-30 participants, photographers and enthusiasts from Texas. Although, I think I heard that one person was from Louisiana. Model Alva Sim, who works for the studio, posed for the group while Randy and Doug demonstrated lighting and how to interact with a model or potential photography client.
​After studio time we all went to lunch then met up again to photograph people on the street in Austin.
Doug brought his 4x5 film view camera along to demonstrate his portrait techniques. Doug is also a big fan of light meters and made sure everyone understood the importance of proper lighting of portraits.
I've always been an available light enthusiast except when I managed photography for Disney. There the photography, primarily advertising, was all about lighting and capturing the Disney Magic. This is a whole other conversation but the lighting options at Disney were so dramatically different than what I used when I was the President's photographer.
Hopefully I will be invited to the next Austin Portrait Symposium where I can share more of my experiences in photography.
Thanks to Randy and Doug for asking me to participate in their symposium. It was also great to meet so many photographers and share a few stories.

I have been invited by Randy Kerr, photographer to participate in the Austin Portrait Symposium in Austin, Texas May 27,2017. I'm looking forward to attending and hopefully I can help contribute by sharing some of my experiences. Below are a few portraits I have taken over the years.

Apple holds numerous classes in their stores to educate Apple users. I participated in a photo walk at the Barton Creek Mall Apple Store in Austin, Texas. I would highly recommend attending one of the Apple Store photo walks in your area. I know I will go back for another class.
John, the Apple Genius, led the walk after some iPhone camera instruction in the store. The theme of the the day was light and shadows. I have held iPhone classes myself but you're never too old to learn something new. John reminded us of the great exposure options in the iPhone camera, using filters before shooting and some of the great editing options. On Apple.com there are numerous short videos that give the highlights of iPhone photography to improve your images. Follow the Apple videos links to see some of the iPhone camera operation tips.