Life In Waco, Texas: Spending Some Quality Time in the Lone Star State

One of my favorite clients to shoot for is in the midst of producing some new pilots for a popular lifestyle network.  I was brought on board to help out with a pilot being shot in Waco, TX.  I was so excited to head to Texas and spend the month out there.  With the HDX – 900, Canon 5D, MYT Works Slider, and two pairs of cowboy boats packed I headed west.

Waco at sunset with the Brazos River in the foreground.

Waco has a bad wrap.  People tend to think of that stand off from the ‘90s but it’s actually a pretty nice small town.  It’s been really fun exploring the area.  Um, hello, the Texas Ranger Museum and Hall of Fame is here.  What more could you want? (Yes, Chuck Norris is in there.)

When I’m not paying my respects to Walker, Texas Ranger, I’m kicking it with the HDX – 900.  The first few days of shooting were all about house tours.  For those days we were shooting on two HDX – 900s.  Demo day was next and boy was it an intense day.  There was so much to cover.  To make things more challenging, the crew works extremely fast.  They definitely kept me on my toes.  Go Pros are a great way to capture action when you have to be in two places at once.  I definitely took advantage of the time-lapse feature.  In just three days we shot 43 tapes.  Our executive producer claims this is a record.  I believe him.

Texas Ranger Museum and Hall of Fame!

With Demo day behind us things started to settle down.  I was really looking forward to exploring the Texas landscape with the Canon 5D.  I love shooting scenic’s and beauty shots.  It’s these kind of assignments where you can take your time and get the shots that really shine visually.  Possibly the coolest scenic I have ever shot was one that I stumbled across on my day off.

This isn’t a “scenic” this is a work of art.

I was driving back to Waco from Dallas.  The sun was starting to set and I just decided to get off I-35 South and take the country road instead.  While I was about 15 miles outside of Waco I passed a red barn with the Texas state flag painted on its roof.  There was a white horse nearby.  It was literally glowing gold thanks to “magic hour.”  I had to have this shot.  Thank you Texas, thank you.

So far things have been going really well.  Our crew immediately clicked on day one and the atmosphere on set is super positive.  In the coming days we’ll be shooting sit down interviews with our talent outside.  In the distance is an old farmhouse that they are restoring.  I can’t wait to get to work on lighting that.  I also can’t wait to see this house from the late 1920s get transformed into a modern home.  Don’t worry; I’ll keep you posted.  Adios amigos! (Yup, picking up on some Spanish too.)

The MYT Works Slider kicks any shot up a notch.