TRASHION FASHION PREVIEW

Instead of throwing that coffee sleeve into the recycling bin, why not wear it as a cuff or, better yet, a leg warmer? That's the type of thinking that went into the creation of Denton's Trashion Fashion Program going into it's third year now. The award-winning program, a joint venture from the City of Denton's Solid Waste and Recycling Department and the Denton Public Library, invites designers of all ages to create clothing (or what they call "wearable art") from materials that would otherwise end up recycled or in a landfill. Every year, they see designs that really earn that "wearable art" title; impressive garbs from all ages made from items as inconspicuous as dryer sheets. 

The program has had months of preparation in the form of various workshops that help designers along the creation process. Last weekend, many of the models and designers had a photoshoot with Denton ISD's Commercial Photography class at the Pratt Recycling building off of Mayhill. Many of the photos from that shoot are embedded below. This saturday, at the Redbud Festival (Quakertown Park by the Civic Center), this year's program will culminate with an actual fashion show complete with a runway, judges, and food trucks. So, if you're the type who likes to chill out on the grass and munch on some banh mi (we're hoping The Pickled Carrot will be out), catch some live music, think about the environment for a bit (recycle that banh mi wrapper, dagnabit) and then catch a quick fashion show - you should probably go to the Redbud Festival. It is free afterall. Let's go ahead and look at some pretty photos now. 

Model/Designer: Angela Rawlings
Photographer: Lexi Drake

Model/Designer: Sam Cogley
Photographyed by Cynthia Pantaleon

Photographer: Cynthia Pantaleon, Model/Designer: Megan Gibson

Photographer: Lexi Drake, Model Jensen Owens

Designer: Dominique Brown

Model: Cara Walker

Kiba Jacobson

Christa Boyd-Nafstad

Katja Boyd-Nafstad

Aurora Boyd-Nafstad

Eryka Amaning

Alyssa Hoberer

Carolina Carrasquillo

EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer of this article, Will Milne, is affiliated with the Trashion Fashion Program in that he teaches the photography class that took the photos above. He also made this editor's note in which he proceeded to write in the third person. Conflicts of interest be darned. 

PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT: ED STEELE

You've seen the work of Ed Steele before. He's a photographer, but his work isn't the kind that slinks by you, unnoticed. Whether it's the super wide angles, unorthodox editing, or spicy subject matter, at least one of his photos has struck a chord with you before. Aside from that, his work is all over the Dallas Observer and the homepages of several local bands and burlesque dancers. Dude has the job that you dreamed of having in your high school photography class and he doesn't take it lightly. Steele is currently in the running for the Observer's "Best Music Photographer in North Texas," which you can vote for here. Read on for some silly questions about photography and cosplay. 

---

Ed. You're weird. Who the hell are you and why are you in Denton?

Denton and I go way back. My parents moved to Denton when I was a kid, and I grew up and went to school here. It’s been amazing to watch Denton grow and change over the years – I remember a time when there was literally nothing to do and now some days there are literally so many great shows and events that it’s impossible to catch them all. I honestly don’t think there are many places on earth that have the music talent and creative people that we do.

You’ve recently been named as one of the 12 best music photographers in DFW by the Dallas Observer. How’s that sitting with you? Are you better than us now or is your head still normal-sized?

Oh Will, it’s been an honor and extremely exciting to be nominated and the support I’ve received is astounding. Have you seen the Frenchy’s van asking Denton to vote for me? When Frenchy sent me the picture I was blown away to be on the Van of Fame! My head is totally normal sized though; if not, my Loki helmet wouldn’t fit.

You seem to be out at the local festivals quite a bit nowadays. What are you looking for when you choose a person or group to photograph?

There’s a “look” some people have that jumps out at me, and it’s difficult to explain. I will typically scan a room and find someone who catches my eye, and then ask them if I can snap their photo. It can be someone with unusual features, interesting hair, a colorful outfit; it really differs from event to event. But that little voice in my head telling me “that’s someone I’d like to photograph!” is always the same.

What’s in your camera bag?

Frenchy says vote for Ed Steele. Photo from Frenchy. 

My Canon 5D, a 580EX II speedlite, various lenses depending on the job, extra batteries, the usual. Perhaps the two most important items I’d recommend to any music photographer are a Glotto Rocket-Air blaster for touchless cleaning of dust from lenses and the sensor, and an ASMP Media badge. I recently spoke on a panel of music photographers to a journalism class at Brookhaven College, and one of the challenges many of them faced was access at events. It can be tough if you’re not shooting for a publication and an American Society of Media Photographers badge prominently displayed on your camera strap demonstrates a level of professionalism. I recommended membership to ASMP to the class and a few of them have given me feedback that they’ve joined, which is great!

What’s been your favorite festival or ‘con to shoot so far? Why?

In 2012 I photographed “35 Des Refuses” and it was a blast to shoot for many reasons. Obviously with the sheer number of bands in Denton it’s impossible for the 35 Denton folks to have everyone play, so 35 Des Refuses (which means “of the rejects”) was comprised of bands that just wanted to perform but didn’t make it into 35D. The event was held at Creative Arts Studio and of course it rained, so the main performance area was moved inside and spillover was held at Robin’s photography studio next door. Needless to say it was sheer madness: delays, some bands not getting to perform, more rain, you name it. Denton’s Brave Combo performed at 35DR that night and one of my photos of their set is the insert in their current CD. I literally shot music for twelve hours straight, and at the end of it all I was totally exhausted but euphoric.

If you were to cosplay at a ‘con of your own volition (not as a photographer), what would you dress up as?

Loki or Frank the Bunny from “Donnie Darko.” Some have suggested a mashup of the two, but I can’t figure out a way to wear the Frank mask with the Loki Helmet!

How long does it take you to do your hair?

Haha! Having shaved my head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation two years in a row, it’s quite different to have a full head of hair now.

“My head is totally normal sized though; if not, my Loki helmet wouldn’t fit.”

— Ed Steele

Asian food or Mexican food?

Oh gosh, I love both and I love spicy food! I’ve spent too long on this question trying to decide and it’s making me hungry….you buying?

Nope. What’s been your favorite band to photograph?  

I’ve photographed Greg Ginn of Black Flag, Vanilla Ice, Amanda Palmer, Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless - many wonderful and talented bands. I got my start shooting bands in Denton though, and I’d have to say it’s a tie between Denton’s The Wee Beasties and Brave Combo. In both cases, each band has that magical quality of being able to get a crowd to dance like they’ve never danced before. I mean, it’s one thing to see a crowd go wild over a famous band, but the ability to get an audience that’s never heard you before go wild and dance like crazy, that’s an incredible and amazing talent. I got my start shooting The Wee Beasties and Brave Combo; the members of each have been incredibly wonderful and supportive of me over the years. LoveSick Mary is another great local band that’s been incredibly supportive and I always have a blast photographing them.

Do you prefer to shoot bands playing onstage or getting them in your studio?

I love these questions! That’s really tough because on stage leads to the anticipation of the moment and being in the right place at the right time which is a rush for me, and in the studio leads to all kinds of silliness and fun with props and general conversation. If I had to pick I’d say studio, because it gives me the opportunity to get to know the musicians better and to flex my creative vision and style.

Are there any local photographers whose work you dig? 

I’d have to say Robin Gansle. Not only is Robin a fantastic photographer, but she’s also been incredibly supportive.

Who are some other photographers whom you view as inspiration?

I am a big fan of Glen E. Friedman.

What’s your favorite photo that you have ever taken?

Last year I was hired by the band Responsible Johnny to do a band portrait. Rob Michaud of RJ told me he trusted my creative vision so after much brainstorming I decided I wanted to do a spaghetti western sci-fi shoot. For good measure I added a model and two members of the 501st Legion - a group who does Star Wars cosplay. I selected an abandoned train car as the location. The story goes that the train engine is actually two of the remaining engines that were converted from coal to steam and it awaits placement in a train museum. So with everyone in costume and permission from the property owners we did the shoot, the results of which you can see here. I always love it when people ask if the train and background are photoshopped because the only thing that’s not real is the planetoid I added in the top right corner.

---

You can see more of Ed Steele's work at his website and you can vote for him for the Dallas Observer's "Best Music Photographer" contest here. 

DENTON CROWDFUNDING: MARCH

The (Mostly) Movie Edition

Every once in a while, we like to turn our web browsers (read: Chrome) to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to check out what the world of local crowdfunding has to offer. In this case, it's mostly movies. 

It’s been a while since we last took a while at the Denton crowdfunding scene. For those not in the know, crowdfunding is sourcing money from friends, family and invested peoples through the internet to help fund your project, idea, or startup. Zach Braff did it. That new Veronica Mars movie did it. Maybe they inspired this recent glut of Denton movies and short films to turn to Kickstarter to find some money, too. 

Have a look through the following three campaigns and decide for yourself if one tickles your fancy. If so, hurry over to their page and donate. You’ll feel good about yourself for the rest of the day and maybe get a prize or credit later on.

#SavingScott is a hopeful short film from UNT students about a Youtube celebrity with a major lie that inevitably overtakes his online identity. While we're usually averse to movies with hashtags in the title, this short film sounds fairly interesting. Also, if you've ever just wanted to put an "Associate Producer" credit on your resume or something, you can do that if you donate $100 to #SavingScott. Donate here. 

The Phoenix is a horror/thriller period piece set in the 60's about a murder investigation. The film is from Amanda Barajas who is a member of UNT's Advanced Film Program. Barajas is looking for funding for things such as lens rentals, permits, and even craft services. A pledge of $25 will net you an 11" x 17" poster of the film. You can donate here. 

Amygdala is a personal project from Jordan Sutton about a man's life after suffering a debilitating brain injury. This movie is  different from the above two Kickstarter projects in as much as it has already been filmed. The movie was shot earlier this month and Sutton and his crew are just looking to recoup certain expenses and gain some money to help submit Amygdala to festivals and the like. This is another UNT student film that was shot with a Red Scarlet. You can donate here. 

---

There are also a few non-movie campaigns going on right now, too, believe it or not. This gestural-friendly Arduino module on Kickstarter from Dentonite Grabo, has just surpassed its goal of $10,000. If you're the type to tinker with a Raspberry Pi at home, you should kick it up a notch and look into this. You can still donate at the early bird price and get your own GestureR Tiny for only $16. 

Last, but not least, our friends at SCRAP Denton have just started their campaign to raise money for their education programming for both adults and children. It sounds as if they want to do it up big with their classes - they even plan to offer SCRAP Camp for kids this summer -  and we'd really like to see it happen. They're looking to raise a total of $8,500 and the campaign has 39 days left as of today. There are some pretty cool perks, as well. A donation of $75 will get you a pass to one of their future adult classes - well, that plus the satisfaction of having backed a potentially very cool thing. You can donate here. 

FRIDAY VIDEO THREESOME

Pop pop! Ron English gets up with Chris Brown about what it takes to follow in the Pop Artist's footsteps! After a long day of being a Star, signing like mad men at their new toy collaboration release with Garage Works, the two rushed over to Cory Helford gallery to paint live for their friends, and fans, an oversized version of the toy they released earlier that day at Toy Art Gallery...

Ron English's closing Reception is tonight at 5PM at UNT On The Square. Get ready for it by watching this strange interview with him and Chris Brown.

2nd term City Councilman Kevin Roden has announced a 24 hour crowd-sourced exploratory committee to see if he should run to be the next Mayor of Denton, TX. If he did, a campaign video might look something like this...

Last week we saw a 24 hour poll we're calling "Kevin's Will He, Won't He?". Even though he decided against the Mayor's race this go-round, we're left with his thought provoking video blurb that framed the race in a way it hasn't been yet.

Since we've been gorging ourselves on local roaster's coffee we figured we'd offer up this throw back WDDI video we did on Clay Rozell and his Bookish roasting process.

FRIDAY VIDEO THREESOME

Dudes, it's Friday again. This sure seemed like a long week for one that started off on a holiday. Oh well, the weekend is here and 5pm is only eight and a half hours away. You can do it. We can help. Below are three WDDI hand-picked videos for your viewing amusement. We've got Midlake's new video for "The Old & the Young," a video from Denton's first Help-Portrait the other week, and some sort of weird mood setting video for this year's "Denton Mafia" thingamajig that we had not heard of until this year (but are now extremely excited about). 

We love this new video for Midlake's new single, "The Old and The Young," from their new(ish) album, Antiphon. 

Help-Portrait: Denton 2013 from Help-Portrait: Denton on Vimeo.

Above is the Behind the Scenes video from January 11th's Help-Portrait: Denton. The next event will be held December 6th, 2014, but you can follow along and find out how you can help by following them on their Facebook page. The video was shot and edited by the always awesome Ryan Polly. You can check out more of his work on his website. 

We're still not exactly sure what Mafia 2014 is, but we loved watching this video featuring parts of Denton as a scenic backdrop and we now know that if we happen to see people dressed in mafia regalia between January 27th - February 1st, that we shouldn't freak out. That's about it. You can find out more at this website.