http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com I am an uncommon thinker/doer with a passion for design, photography, film, music & art. en-us 2011 Jonathan Combs Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:00:00 CST jonathanbcombs@gmail.com jonathanbcombs@gmail.com http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/burger-up-nashville-tn Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:00:00 CST On a recent trip to Nashville with my soon-to-be in-laws we stopped by the amazing "fancy" cowboy restaurant known as Burger Up. Although the menu features familiar items such as burgers, fries, and fried pickles, the prepared dishes are anything but normal. My burger of choice this go around was the lamb burger without the bun and a side of sweet potato fries. Yum. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/new-mexico-adventure Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 CST Occassionaly I like to step outside of my comfort zone and try new styles and approaches to the things that have become too familiar. My photographic style is what I generally like to think of as realistic. I tend to take pictures that capture moments and when I edit those photos I do only slight color correction. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/austin-city-limits-10 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:00:00 CST Every year I look forward to traveling down to Austin for 3 full days of live music, tasty overpriced food and (usually) plenty of sunshine at the Austin City Limits music festival. This year the line up was epic as always and I brought my camera along to capture our experience of the weekend. What else would you expect from me? http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/new-mexico-adventure-preview Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:50:00 CST My dad is a chaplain in the army and recently returned from his second deployment in Iraq. To celebrate his return we traveled up to the New Mexican wilderness in order to enjoy the outdoors and hopefully bring home some fresh meat. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/before-and-after-kitchen-window Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:00:00 CST I recently lost both of my roommates; one to marriage and the other to greener pastures in LA. As sad as the situation is the empty house provides plenty of motivation to clean, reorganize and rearrange. Here is one step in the process, providing more natural sunlight to the place where you want it most: the kitchen. The biggest difference can be seen from the outside where the window is almost invisible under the thick vines. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/toms-at-acl-10 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 CST Recently I attended the 10th anniversary of the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX. It was a weekend filled with great music, great weather and great friends. I had to be stealthy to sneak my 5D into the festival but walked away with plenty of great shots which I will be posting soon. For now I bring you a collection of the many different Toms shoes that I saw running around the festival. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/crazy-food-night-episode-2 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:00:00 CST It would seem that this "tradition" my friends and I have started is as realiable as my picture posting habits. This episode of crazy food night happened several months ago but as you've probably noticed there's been quite a bit going on this summer. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/iceland-water-activities Tue, 22 Aug 2011 08:00:00 CST My recent trip to Iceland was full of some really amazing scenery and activities. Although the main purpose was to shoot a short film (which I will keep you updated on) we took plenty of time to have fun and still keep the cameras rolling. This is a little video I shot on my GoPro Hero using the underwater casing. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/travelportraits Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:00:00 CST During my recent trip to Iceland I decided to finally try my hand at a personal project I've been pondering for some time. I wanted to take very similarly framed photos of individuals throughout a trip in a number of locations. The result is the feeling of taking pictures on a green screen and dropping in different backgrounds...except without all the fakeness. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/t-shirts-some-of-the-time Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:00:00 CST After a long string of silence on my blog I decided it was time to post some random things that I've done over the past several months. T-shirts are something most of us wear and some of us love. Sometimes I get the privelege to feed peoples obsession with shirts by designing some randomness. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/halperin/thelastsong/ Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:00:00 CST Tim Halperin spent several months on American Idol making it all the way to the top 24 with his vocal and music skills. After being voted off in March he wasn't about to styop pursuing music. He approached Joe Childress and myself to produce/direct a music video for his upcoming single, "The Last Song." http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/storm-the-fort/ Wed, 25 May 2011 14:00:00 CST A massive storm hit the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex with plenty of rain, thunder & a few tornadoes. Luckily my part of the neighborhood didn't get anything but an epic view of the massive storm clouds. Emma & I were out admiring the sky and I took a few shots to remember the moment. Enjoy! http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/crazy-food-night-episode-1/ Mon, 03 Apr 2011 08:00:00 CST Sometimes it's the little things in life that can get you excited. Tis the case with a new typewrite we picked up today. We're currently working on a new project that was in need of the tactile quality that only a real typewrite can bring. You'll have to wait a while before the project will be blog ready but here's a few shots of our "new-to-us" Smithe-Corona typewriter. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/a-new-typewriter/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:30:00 CST Sometimes it's the little things in life that can get you excited. Tis the case with a new typewrite we picked up today. We're currently working on a new project that was in need of the tactile quality that only a real typewrite can bring. You'll have to wait a while before the project will be blog ready but here's a few shots of our "new-to-us" Smithe-Corona typewriter. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/tim-halperin-new-music-video/ Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:00:00 CST So it's been rather quiet on the interwebs version of my life lately. That's because my real life is out of control busy. There are lots of changes headed my way (and for this site) but one of the biggest things on my mind lately is the planning for the new Tim Halperin music video. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/fms/sitg_identity Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:00:00 CST Every year FMS holds a company reatreat to educate and motivate their leaders. A theme is chosen and used to determine the topics that will be covered over the course of the weekend. This year "Standing in the Gap" represented the thought of someone standing up for others and filling a need. The identity is based on basic shapes that represent what we try and fill the gap with. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/award-winners/ Wed, 02 Mar 2011 08:00:00 CST This weekend I was invited by my girlfriend EB to attend the 2011 Fort Worth Addy award ceremony. She had entered a few of her student projects in the show and was to receive an award for one of her packaging designs. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/eb-my-gf-is-a-ba/ Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:30:00 CST Recently I tagged along as my girlfriend EB was working on a class project. She's taking screen printing and their first assignment was to do a three color print with a thick black outline. Being the badass that she is she decided to do more than just complete the assignment. She came up with the idea of using the Japanese TV character DOMO and turn him into a valentines cheer spreading "like" monster. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/2010-the-year-in-photos/ Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:00:00 CST Even though we're a month and a half into 2011 I figure it's not too late to reflect on 2010. It was my first year on the Canon 5D mkII combined with the 24-70mm L-series lens. It made for a beautiful year. I whittled my favorites down to a list of 85 shots picked based on their imagery, content, subject matter or simply because they held a special place in my heart. I present them to you in chronological order for your scrolling pleasure. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/fms/sitg_videos/ Sun, 6 Feb 2011 12:30:00 CST FMS had a last minute idea for their company retreat. They wanted an epic intro and outro to fit into this year's theme, "Standing in the Gap". The videos would need to fit in with the decorations and print pieces that had already been created for the event. Using the copy that was provided by FMS, Rachel & I storyboarded the videos and worked tirelessly through several nights to create the final products. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/exi/branding/ Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:30:00 CST Education by Illumination came to me in need of branding for their newly developed company. There goal is to help teachers & schools use high end technology in order to provide more intuitive ways for kids to learn. Until their products launch I cannot speak of the specifics but I can tell you what they're doing might make you want to be a kid in school again. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/space-monkeys-like-chocolate/ Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:00:00 CST Sometimes when you're bored strange things pop into your brain. My girlfriend and her roomate recently posted a random video that they made for no other reason than fun. Feeling the creative urge I looked over at my desk and saw a little monkey action figure that my niece left in my car long ago. It was staring blankly at the bag of chocolates that sat next to my computer so I thought I'd let him have one: http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/fms/mac_building_photos/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST THE MAC BUILDING, which houses FMS and Accolade Home Health, recently finished construction in Denton, TX and was looking for photography to adorn their hallways. They wanted more than just pretty pictures. After a short brainstorming session we settled on the idea of black & white photos from every city that Accolade had an office in. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/everafter/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST My brother approached me to design a wedding invitation, but this was no ordinary wedding. The keltic style wedding would involve swords, torches, fire pits, goblets, and a background track that included Last of the Mohicans and Braveheart. Such an unordinary night called for an unordinary approach to a wedding invitation, even if the invites were going out via email. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/fms/nurkey/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST After Accolade Home Care searched through several stock thanksgiving greeting cards they approached me in distress. They were looking for something playful that spoke to the majority of their employees: nurses. After plenty of sketching I landed on the idea of a happy turkey dressed up as a nurse. The inside read, "Happy Turkey Day!" http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/jcm/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST For my first EP I wanted something that would stand out as different, especially in the world of thoughtless album cover art. Even though the 3 song album would only be available online I still felt the extra effort would pay off not only in crative satisfaction but in grabbing peoples attention. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/projects/halperin/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST When Tim approached me with a desire to do an unordinary music video in the likes of OK GO I jumped at the chance. Immediately I brought on Joe Childress to brain storm with me and co-produce/co-direct the video. After a brief meeting we had the general idea but needed more help. We bright on Sarah Combs (formerly Sarah Rogers) & Brent Richardson to bring our ideas to life through set design and art direction. The video is one continuous shot with no digital effects. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/inspiration/recently/cine_love/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST Watching movies is one of my favorite ways to relax, but it's also something I'm passionate about. There's nothing better than a movie that tells it's story not only through words and acting but through beautiful cinematography. Here's a few images from two of my favorites. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/inspiration/recently/photo_love/ Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:30:00 CST What better way to start off my inspiration section than with a little bit of love for two of my friends. In the world of photography there are plenty of people running around with a camera calling themselves professionals. Here's a few recent images from a couple of guys that do more than just click a button: they capture a moment. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/turkeys-have-healing-powers/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:30:00 CST Recently I was asked to do a Thanksgiving card for a home health agency. In my typical fashion I wasn't going to take the easy way out. The easy way would have taken an hour and involved picking a $5 image from istock, throwing it in InDesign, slapping a curvey font that said, "Happy Thanksgiving" and calling it a day. No.Thank.You. Creativity is too often put on the back burner in order to make a quick profit. I am not in the business of making a quick profit. I'm in the business of pushing myself to be creative no matter how small the task. I was in the mood to try my hand at something new and have been increasingly intrigued by the craft of illustration. I'm always one to doodle and draw any time I have a pen and paper in front of me but never put much effort into brining those things to life. Here's the process of bringing a doodle to life. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/coping-with-fear-through-photography/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:30:00 CST I'm now exactly one month into the Veritas Road Tour V.2. Being on the road for so long lends itself to a number of different sleeping arrangements. Throughout the trip we've been staying with random friends and acquaintances ranging from newlyweds, college kids, empty nesters, and full families. So far we've stayed in Irvine, San Diego, San Jose, Foresthill, and Richland. When you're staying in so many different places in such a short span of time the scenery and situations are ever changing. In our latest place of nomad residence I was in a basement. Alone. The basement was about 1,600 square feet with 6 different rooms. Needless to say it was extremely creepy at night. The silence turned any slight noise, pipe rustling, air condition pumps, etc, into eery dangerous noises. The different rooms included recliners, old mirrors, a christmas tree, a table saw, an old baby crib, and a rocking horse. Cree.Pee. The room I was staying in looked like it was decorated in 1982 and remained untouched since that time. Rather than sitting in bed waiting for Paranormal Activity to become a reality, I opted to translate my fears into a photograph. The final product was a composite image in order to create the correct lighting mood and over all feel that I was trying to achieve. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/through-the-window-glass/ Fri, 6 Aug 2010 12:30:00 CST I am currently on the road with Veritas Fashion out of Austin, Texas. One would think being stuck in the back of a car for days at a time would stifle creativity but traveling through every kind of landscape has it's advantages. In between Fort Worth, Texas and Irvine, California there's plenty of scenery to keep a photographer busy. Here are a few of my favorites so far. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/how-to-make-an-album-cover/ Tue, 3 Aug 2010 12:30:00 CST For as far back as I can remember I've always been obsessed with making things harder on myself for the sake of the experience. In digital age where photoshop can place the empire state building on the moon and special effects can make the entire world blow up, I find myself using my hands more and more to create things. My latest album cover art is no exception. I adapted an idea that I used for a skateboard design several years ago and brought it to a larger scale. It's the idea of an organized mess. A jumble of equipment all connected in one way or another to create a stand-alone studio recording system. What made me most excited about this cover was the fact that it's not too far off from my actual setup when I play. http://sometimesiliketodostuff.com/blog/tim-halperin-she-runs/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:30:00 CST Recently I had the pleasure of working with singer/songwriter Tim Halperin, a local musician currently living in Fort Worth, TX (Go Frogs!). Here's a little insight into what that experience was like.