photography – Nell Carroll Photography

Shuffling into 2024

I got caught up in a wonderful visit from my son for the holidays so I neglected the updates in favor of quality time watching him play on his computer with his friends at my dining room table. To be fair to him, he asked if I minded him being online. It’s like a bigContinue reading “Shuffling into 2024”

It’s Been a Minute

That phrase confuses me but I know what it means. It means I have not posted to my blog in ages. I became a lifeguard this summer and it consumed me. The city of Austin offered $20/hour so they could fully staff all the city pools this summer. After hemming and hawing, I took myContinue reading “It’s Been a Minute”

Respect those who blazed the trail

Some of the best photographers I know are age 55+. There is something about having to learn about exposure, focus and timing before Photoshop, autofocus and 20 frames per second (fps)motor drives. When I learned to shoot sports I was using a Nikon FM2 with a motor drive. I looked it up to see howContinue reading “Respect those who blazed the trail”

It’s not what you shoot…

I always tell student photographers to make sure their portfolio is diverse in content. That means don’t have all your portraits be of the same person or don’t have all travel photos from when you did a semester abroad. So many students get stuck on the sports photos. They complain that they can’t get intoContinue reading “It’s not what you shoot…”

Freelancing part 1

I decided to label this post part 1 because I am sure there will be more. In fact I am not entirely sure that this is part one because I may have written about it earlier. After working for newspapers for thirty-five year (Yikes!), I took a buyout from the last company I had workedContinue reading “Freelancing part 1”

Freelancing

My schedule is not yet packed with freelance jobs but I certainly wouldn’t mind it. I’ve had some good ones in the last few weeks. I try to answer my phone even when I don’t recognize the number because it always bummed me out when I called a freelancer and could not get in touchContinue reading “Freelancing”

Creative Types

I am a creative. It’s taken me years to own this, although I have always known it. I’m not the sort of person who can be creative on demand, like when you go to a meeting and the corporate types say, “Send us your creative, outside-the-box suggestions”. How can you be creative on the spot?Continue reading “Creative Types”

Saying goodbye to Journalism

It’s been two months since I left my director of photography job at the Statesman and I honestly thought I would have a clean house by now and be out riding my horses. No one ever warns you about all the stuff that comes with taking a VSO like getting new health insurance squared away,Continue reading “Saying goodbye to Journalism”

Austin City Limits Music Fest is a wrap!

I don’t get out to shoot much anymore for the paper unless we are short staffed or it is a special event. I’ve worked as an editor, not on site, for ACL Fest since it began but alway avoided the scene because I hate crowds. In 2018, we needed help shooting it so I reluctantlyContinue reading “Austin City Limits Music Fest is a wrap!”

Words of Wisdom

We’ve moved into our new offices away from downtown Austin, where we used to be right on the hike and bike trail next to Lady Bird Lake. We are now near the airport, farther away from downtown but closer to my house. The wall are white, the desks clean and hardly anyone is in theContinue reading “Words of Wisdom”