Houston Photographer Patrick Bertolino - Real Estate, Commercial, and Wedding Photography » People and Places

Sam Houston REVISITED

admin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:12:03 +0000

Have you ever seen this equestrian statue? It’s General Sam Houston pointing in the direction towards the site of the battlefield that won Texas its independence from Mexico.

I’ve heard the sculptor erroneously placed the point of the finger in the wrong direction. I’ve also heard that he’s pointing to a route over the San Jacinto river or something like that. Either way, it’s a beautiful statue and valuable Houston landmark (More Info), and that’s why I photographed it at over 40 ft in the air. Take a look at the photo – have you ever seen this particular angle on General Houston? Note the monument visible under his horse..

A popular belief in the United States is that if the horse is rampant (both front legs in the air), the rider died in battle; one front leg up means the rider was wounded in battle or died of battle wounds; and if all four hooves are on the ground, the rider died outside battle. However, there is little evidence to support this belief. (wikipedia)
I know that General Sam was injured in battle – and that he was one tough hombre. Nicknamed “Coloneh” or “the Raven” by the Cherokee nation, he is the only person to serve as governor of two States. Here’s my favorite story about his character:

After Stanbery refused to answer Houston’s letters about the accusation, Houston confronted him on Pennsylvania Avenue and beat him with a hickory cane. Stanbery drew one of his pistols and pulled the trigger—the gun misfired.

On April 17 Congress ordered Houston’s arrest. Pleading self-defense, he hired Francis Scott Key as his lawyer. Houston was found guilty, but thanks to highly placed friends (among them James K. Polk), he was only lightly reprimanded. Stanbery filed charges against Houston in civil court. Judge William Cranch found Houston liable and fined him $500. Houston left the United States for Mexico without paying the fine.

Fleming’s BBQ Shrimp

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:07:06 +0000

Wow – Fleming’s BBQ Shrimp was actually more fun to eat than photograph! (one of the benefits of shooting food) I knew they had a great selection of steak and wine but never thought to venture out into other parts of their menu – Maeve Pesquera at Fleming’s River Oaks is ready to provide you great food and service!

The Fun Job

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:55:08 +0000

I was asked by a client if I had any photos of Houston’s beautiful skyline laying around. Since I didn’t I suggested they check stock photography for their needs, or hire me! Well, after a day of what I expect was unsuccessful or out of budget searching, I got the call. It’s one thing to get paid to do what you love, it’s another to get paid to do something you would literally do for fun! Enjoy…

Downtown Houston Skyline

Downtown Houston

Stages of Personality (Beta)

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:49:43 +0000

This is the first try in this particular style of showing the sides of a person…through images.

Miss Texas USA 2009

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:58:05 +0000

I had the great opportunity to photograph Brooke Daniels, Miss Texas USA 2009. She was so nice! A very fun shoot – I loved hearing her story about throwing the first pitch at the Astros/Reds game. And YES she made it to the plate – from what she told me it was in the strike zone….awesome. The shoot was for Deya’s Designer Jewelry http://deyadesigner.com/

David Copperfield

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:40:04 +0000

Hocus Pocus! These two images are actually the SAME image! This is what happens when you have to get a shot – against deadline – and someone has parked their car illegally in front of the building you need to showcase. I just wave my magic wand and voila! The car disappears!! This is Terry Stanfield’s new downtown office for Heritage Texas Properties.

The Ghost

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:57:54 +0000

Recipe: 1 Camera, 1 Tripod, a few seconds of time and a photographer with an imagination. This is what you do when you are finished wiht a commecial shoot and notice neat blue spot lights coming up from the earth. I was using 5-9 second exposures with the camera on automatic timer. Once pressing the shutter release I jumped in front of the lens, holding my breath to keep still and then before the exposure finished dashing to the side to create a blur and let the elements behind me to be exposed -thus creating the “ghost” effect…

Discovery Green

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:47:36 +0000

It’s funny how much pretty places can look at twilight. Especially with some interesting lighting. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to pull this shoot off – there were what seemed like thousands of people there to ice skate…on a Monday. Discovery Green is a breath of fresh air in a concrete jungle. It’s a great start – I certainly hope there is more of that kind of city planning on the way….

Hanging out in Ledbetter, Tx

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:56:25 +0000

I am truly blessed to have a little 10 acre track half way between Houston and Austin. It offers me a serene escape from the big city and all the hustle and bustle. It is unbelievably quiet out there – so quiet you can hear the leaves landing on the earth. Deep breaths and beautiful sunsets abound in Ledbetter. My dogs enjoy it so much, they immediately recognize the word “ranch” as that is what we refer to our little country place as. Have a look at one of their favorite past times!

Santa is Real!

admin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:38:01 +0000

It’s amazing. The look on a child’s face when he sees Santa. Of course, there are some that are afraid of Santa, ( I have calculated that 30% of small children are fearful of St.Nick ) but most are eager to confirm their Christmas Wishes to him in person. I love that one child needed to mention that they had moved since he sent his wish list, so Santa would need to be aware of the address change. The biggest thrill was watching the adult’s faces light up at first sight – I guess it brings out the child in all of us – and that is real and magical!