We’ve been friends with Wichita Falls photographer Jess Clark for some time, and many who’ve had their newborns locally photographed in the last few years are familiar with Jess, too, through her company, Midray Photography.

Perhaps not as many people are aware that Jess’ enthusiasm for photography extends to ominous, cinematic, and dramatic subjects, and with the spooky season upon us, we thought it would be a good time to share some of Jess’ eerie work.

Check out these Purge-themed shots Jess captured and had published in a magazine.

Cool, right? Badass chicks that are gonna beat your ass if you call them “chicks.” Wonder what you and your bestie might look like in a Purge-themed shoot? Check these out.

More recently Jess has been doing some amazing “Witchy” photo sessions that make us eager to see what’s to come. Check these out.

We are truly amazed every day with the amount of original, inspired art happening in our city. For birth and newborn photography, or to schedule your own witchy session, contact Jess Clark via Midray Photography

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

Some time ago TheFUSE became aware of the photography of Wichita Falls’ Giovanni Corona and we immediately became fans of his haunting and beautiful work. We had a chance to meet Giovanni, a self-taught photographer, outside an event at The Lab in downtown Wichita Falls recently, and we made a point to hook up with him for a quick interview.

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Wichita Falls, this overlooked corner of Texas that feels both crowded and empty at the same time. During the day, it moves like any other town with cars, people, motion. But when night hits, it slows. You feel the silence. The isolation. That’s when I see the city differently. That’s when it becomes mine.

Wichita’s my home. My starting point. A place people pass by every day without really seeing. Through my photography, I try to show them the version they miss, the quiet moments, the hidden beauty, the places that speak loudest when no one’s around. Each photo carries my perspective, but also a piece of who I am.

Are you a student, or what do you do in the daytime?

I’m not in school. I made a different choice.

Most days I’m working grinding to get new clients, scouting locations, editing photos, chasing the next moment worth capturing. It’s a constant hustle. I’ve got hundreds of shots no one’s seen yet, and I’m always building.

I chose to ride this solo, just me and my camera, sharpening my eye in silence. That path’s not easy, but it’s mine. And I wouldn’t trade the struggle, it’s carved out the artist I’m becoming.

For those who don’t know, what is a liminal space as it applies to photography?

Liminal spaces are those in-between places where something’s ended, but nothing’s quite begun. They feel eerie, nostalgic, even a little dreamlike.

I’m drawn to those scenes: forgotten corners, quiet buildings, empty lots at night. Places people walk by without noticing but that hold a weight if you pause long enough.

My goal is to capture that feeling in its rawest form. Black and white. No distractions. Just emotion and focus. Because sometimes the most powerful moments live in the spaces between.

And a question for the photography geeks, what's your go-to camera and lens when you're doing liminal space photography?

I shoot with the Sony A7 III and usually stick with the 50mm. It’s close to how the human eye sees, so it helps me capture that intimate, grounded feel like you’re really standing there in the moment. It’s personal. Makes the surreal feel real.

If you’re out past the witching hour in Wichita Falls, and you see a lone photographer crouching in the shadows, pointing his lens at nothing at all, just know it’s Giovanni Corona, seeing the things that nobody else sees.

Find him on Instagram and buy his images here.

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

In a photography context, "noir" refers to a style characterized by high contrast, dramatic lighting, deep shadows, and a moody, often mysterious atmosphere. It draws inspiration from classic film noir aesthetics of the 1940s and '50s, emphasizing themes of urban grit, suspense, and chiaroscuro (strong light-dark contrast).

According to Oxford Languages, “Noir,” when used in the context of film, means a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. Examples include Double Indemnity (1944) and The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Troy recently spent a night shooting downtown Wichita Falls in noir style, as rehab from an eye surgery, and came away very happy with the results. What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

If you’re a photographer or artist and you’d like to share your work with FUSE readers, contact us on Facebook. We’d love to host you.

Troy Larson is a Wichita Falls photographer. See more of his photography and get booking info at TroyLarsonCreative.com.

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

TheFUSE supports our local performers. Would you consider supporting TheFUSE with a free or paid subscription? We cannot survive without your help. Thank you in advance for your support.

Subscribe now

At TheFUSE, we’re always excited to see others doing creative and mindblowing things in our area, and Matt Hart is doing that.

Matt is a 4k FAA certified drone pilot doing some incredible things with drone videography, both indoor and outdoor.

Yeah, that’s right. Matt flies his drones inside as well as outside and can do a lot of cool things, like drone video of wedding receptions, real estate, parties, concerts, advertising, insurance inspections and more.

We caught up with Matt and asked him a few questions.

FUSE: for people who don't already know what is FPV?

Hart: First person view.

FUSE: how long have you been doing drone videography?

Hart: I started getting into drones in 2019 but before that I was learning how to use a 3d printer and that’s a whole story in itself.

FUSE: Are there areas of drone photography and first person view that you specialize in?

Hart: Well, yes, pretty much all areas. I put a lot of time and money into fpv and it is a skillset that alot of people try and don't succeed and give up because flying an fpv drone is only half. The other half is building, programming, and tuning.

Then there are different styles of FPV drones for different types of jobs. Kinda like the right tool in your tool box for the right job if you know what I mean.

FUSE: What kind of jobs do you do most often?

Hart: Mainly Real Estate and Advertisement.

Check out Matt Hart’s demo reel, and contact Matt on Facebook or Instagram.

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

TheFUSE supports our local performers. Would you consider supporting TheFUSE with a free or paid subscription? We cannot survive without your help. Thank you in advance for your support.

Subscribe now

The question I’ve occasionally been asked by photographer friends is “How do you find good shoot locations?” The answer involves a fun research trip that pays off in the long run.

Here’s what I do.

I start by reminding myself that I’m looking for shoot locations. All the time. At the store, waiting in traffic, driving around town, I remind myself, “Hey you’re looking for places right now.”

Then, when I see something that hits me, I take a photo. Most of the time, its just a phone snap — that wall over there, that loading dock, that field of bluebonnets — but it helps me remember the places.

Also, I note the time of the day, and the direction the sun will travel, and I get a pretty good idea what time of day the light will be favorable for my shoot. I recently did this at this location:

I saw this wall, with the graphic lettering all over it and stucco texture, and thought Yes, that will be a good spot. I happened to have my camera bag with me and I snapped the shot above, so I wouldn’t forget. I noted the light would only be good until about noon. After lunch, the sun moves behind the building and leaves the front sidewalk in shade.

Later, after a week of trying to get our schedules aligned, the guys in Blank Labels invited me to shoot their band, and the wall in front of El Norteno Restaurante was the first place I thought of. The band wanted an afternoon shoot, so it was a challenge getting four guys together before noon, but we made it happen, and I was very happy with the final result.

Here’s another example of light scouting. I scouted the location shown here for Basics’ photoshoot and timed the actual session to coincide with the one hour stretch when the sun paints long shadows on the wall from beyond the rusty fire escape.

Back to Blank Labels. If I get lucky on an outdoor photoshoot, there will be a nearby spot that I can use as a second location. In this case, I had my eye on a spot in a patio area at a closed bar, and it also turned out to be a great spot.

Here are a few of the scouting photos in my folder right now:

There’s nothing really special about those, but now that I’ve photographed them I have their GPS coordinates on record (in the photo data), and I saw something in each of these locations that could make for a great photoshoot, with the right light and the right lens.

There are weather concerns with outdoor shoots, and a lot to consider in a photo edit as well. However, I believe a successful outdoor shoot gets a boost when you’ve scouted your light and locations and planned ahead. Doing some of the legwork in advance pays off. As the shoot with Blank Labels showed me again, having scouted a strong primary location gets me closer to a successful shoot, right from the jump.

Hire me for your next photo session! Booking now!

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

TheFUSE supports our local performers. Would you consider supporting TheFUSE with a free or paid subscription? We cannot survive without your help. Thank you in advance for your support.

Subscribe now

We get a lot of emails and social media messages at TheFUSE with questions about photography. Do you do weddings? Engagements? Action photography? How much do you charge?

Simply put, we have a circle of photography friends at TheFUSE that do all kinds of photography. If I don’t personally do a particular kind of event (weddings) I can refer you to a photographer who will do an incredible wedding shoot.

Yes, we do engagements, graduations, action photography, landscape and nature photography, and more.

If you need photos for your business website and social media, we can do that quickly and affordably with quality results.

For anyone needing photos of their events, we do action sports and more. Need photos of a certain athlete in action? We gotcha covered.

We’re best known for our performing artist photography of course. If you need promo photography for your marketing materials, it’s our strength.

How about marketing photos for your new music release — thumbnails for streaming platforms, album covers, and liner notes? We’ve done that, too.

And we do performance photography of all kinds — music, standup comedy, and a lot more.

We do everything, and we’ll even travel to cover your event. So, the question is, what do we charge, right?

The cost of your photo shoot depends on the type of event and the amount of time required. Sure, you can have a friend take your photos for free, or offer your cousin $50, but we like to think you get what you pay for. Don’t forget, your photos are yours forever, to use for whatever you like.

Isn’t a memory like that worth a little extra effort?

Our rates start as low as $250, and you’ll get a professional shoot, hours of editing to make sure your shots are top-notch, and if you like, free promotion featuring your photos on TheFUSE.

Freeze time with TheFUSE photography services. Reach out on Instagram, Facebook, or via email at fallstownfuse@gmail.com and let us give you a quote.

See our photography services.

On May 9th, 2023, we photographed our first musical act in Wichita Falls — the James Cook Band — on a beautiful evening, live at Bud Daniel Park. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of photographing performers all over North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Here are a few of our favorite photos from the past year.

All photos by Troy Larson, except where noted.

Stanley Johnson performing an impromptu Christmas set in Park Central, Wichita Falls, December 11th, 2023.

Giovannie and The Hired Guns tearing it up in the former Times Record News parking lot, March, 2024.

Uncle Lucius performs for St. Patrick’s Day 2024 on Ohio Avenue, downtown Wichita Falls.

Landon Green of Brass Skulls, live in Bud Daniel Park, Wichita Falls, September 27, 2023.

Drummer Kevin Gilmore of It Hurts to Be Dead performs at the Dystopian Graffiti EP Release party, July 1st, 2023.

Micki Sweet of All Funk Radio Show performs in Bud Daniel Park, June 6th, 2023.

American Slang live at the Iron Horse Pub, June 2, 2023.

Desperado, a tribute to the Eagles, live at the Iron Horse, September 16th, 2023.

Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup plays a homecoming gig at the Iron Horse Pub, August 19th, 2023.

October 13, 2023 — The Wichita Falls authorities have issued an all-points bulletin for an escaped wildman. Last seen onstage with Hellen Bach and using the alias Chris Hunt. If you see this animal, please make sudden movements in the form of dancing or moshing and keep him appeased until the authorities can be summoned.

Ron Weaver and Greg Casillas trade licks during a Better Strangers performance at Legends Roadhouse, Wichita Falls, September 29, 2023.

Drummer Mike Hardison of Blank labels performs at The Iron Horse Pub, September 23, 2023.

Jaymes Jager performs with Dirt: A Tribute to Alice Chains, August 24, 2023.

Sean Snyder performs at the EP-release party for It Hurts to Be Dead’s “Dystopian Graffiti,” July 1st, 2023.

Dustin Bowen drums for Big Find at the Iron Horse Pub, July 1st, 2023.

Drummer Ricci Amador performs with Hannah Belle Lecter, August 4th, 2023.

Melissa Oden Williams performs with Escape Goats, September 30th, 2023. Photo by Ernest Cooper.

Them Dirty Roses performs on Ohio Avenue at The Burn Shop Block Party, September 1st, 2023.

Polly Pocket performs with It Hurts to Be Dead, July 1st, 2023.

There are way too many to highlight them all here. A sincere thank you to all the performers who made the last year so entertaining!

Did you see any of these shows? Which was your favorite? Tell us about it on the comments.

See Our Photography Services

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

TheFUSE supports our local performers. Would you consider supporting TheFUSE with a free or paid subscription? We cannot survive without your help. Thank you in advance for your support.

Subscribe now

With the Fuse Art Takeover, we turn over these pages to a local visual artist, to highlight their work and tell us a little about it. In this chapter, we asked Lorenka Campos to take over, and we’re absolutely blown away by her work. See for yourself.

Lorenka Campos is a visual artist currently living in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She is best known for her creative layering techniques and abstract photo manipulations, which often feature emotionally expressive portraits, strong contrasts, vibrant colors, and intricate patterns. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in numerous media publications. She was recognized as a “Most Wanted Visionary” at the 2015 “Florence International Photography Awards” (FIPA), was awarded 1st place in the category of “Visual FX” at the 8th Annual “Mobile Photography Awards” (MPA), and has received many other honors and awards for her unique approach to digital art.

Artist Statement

Sometimes, I find it difficult to communicate my thoughts and emotions verbally, so I use my art to express what’s important to me and to tell my personal story. I guess you’d say art is my visual journal. My stories are filled with simple joys, longing, pain and loss. The images I create reflect my psyche and vacillate between dark and melancholy and almost childlike in their rendering. My way of working includes taking lots of photos, layering and manipulating the photographs and then adding digital painting, traditional painting, or anything else I can come up with. I try not to limit or define what I create. I just keep going until I feel it’s done. As far as inspiration goes, I often listen to a favorite album over and over or a specific artist while working. This is often reflected in the titles of my work.

Subscribe now

At TheFUSE, we were totally wowed by Lorenka’s art and the pure creativity with which she crafts her pieces.

Should you or an artist you know be the next to takeover these pages? Send Troy an email at fallstownfuse@gmail.com and say hello!

Follow the author on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

“Welcome to My World,” an art exhibit by Joy SouthFox, opens with a reception September 22nd at The Galleria at The Forum and runs through December 1st, presented by the Arts Council of Wichita Falls. For quite a while I’ve been following Joy on several Instagram accounts where she posts her art from time to time, and I ducked into her DMs to ask her a few questions about her approaching show.

FUSE: Joy, what are we going to see at your show?

JSF: Hopefully me not standing in a corner trying to hide! I wanted to show things I enjoy about our world, in a simple way. Things that make me happy. And I hope those that visit the opening, see something that can make them smile. There will be more animal pieces than anything else. With a few pieces of scenery and people.

FUSE: What medium do you enjoy the most?

JSF: Acrylics! I first started out using oils, but the drying time was not something I enjoyed. It takes too long for a project to be finished.

FUSE: Your subject matter varies quite a bit... is there a reason for that, and do you have a "wheelhouse" so-to-speak, a subject that you favor?

JSF: I have always favored animals. Fur, feathers, fins and scales. Animals have kept the innocence of nature within them. I still marvel at the ability they have to live freely upon the earth. And not once taking more than they need to exist.

FUSE: Is your art also available to order online?

JSF: Yes, The Forum will have each piece listed, with information and prices.

Joy tells me they’ll be serving wine, soda, and water at the reception “along with hors d'oeuvres and probably cookies or something like that for kids. But if adults like cookies they can have them too.”

Good. I want one of those cookies. 😆🍪

Follow the author on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

The 4th Annual MEMENTO juried art exhibition begins with an opening celebration September 9th, and the exhibit runs from September 11th through Halloween at 9th Street Studios in Wichita Falls. However, if you’re expecting a traditional art exhibition, know you’ll get something more. From the press release:

This exhibition is a special experience for both the artists and the audience. Each piece of artwork is accompanied by a short narrative (presented in English, Spanish, and with audio recordings in both languages) where the artist has explained the significance of their Memento inspired artwork. The candid and vulnerable sharing of memories creates a bond between the audience members and the artists.

That sounds like an engaging experience to this appreciator of both visual and audible art. If you’d like to check out some of the individual artists, here’s the list:

Aarian Marrivada Alaniz, Audra Miller, B.C. Gilbert, C “Glen” Cummings, Candace Anne Wilkinson-Roney, Cheryl Hazelton, Cindy Kahler Thomas, Conni Caire, Courts Griner, Debbie Maestaz, Ginger Boller, Gretchen Davis, Joy SouthFox, Kerri Mullin, Lorenka Campos, Marion Helmick, Marsha Wright-Reeves, Miguel Castillo Lechuga, Miranda Paige Wilson, Natalie Oliphant, Rebecca Prince, Sage Edsall, Sally Struck, Sally Schneider Davis, Sandi Gant, Sarah Pippins, Scotty Coppage, Sherry Mason, Stormi Holcomb, Veronica Vaughn, Von Dickens Ulsa

The 4th Annual MEMENTO: A Juried Exhibition of Art that Reminds Us
Sept. 9th through Oct. 31st, 2023
9th Street Studios, 920 9th Street, Wichita Falls TX 76301

Follow the author on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

Author’s Note: With the sudden passing of Wichita Falls artist Glen Bacus, we look back at this FUSE Art Takeover from September 2023, in which Glen shared some of his art with us. RIP Glen, and prayers to Glen’s family.

Artist Glen Bacus' pop modernistic style depicts images of nature, space, shapes and patterns. His acrylic paintings appear in public and private collections including several public works around Wichita Falls. Some of those works include the Oil and Gas building pillars, the "love bunny" mural on the back of the Downtown Wichita Falls Development building and three of the painted horses, including the one in front of the Hamilton Building and Parkway Grill.

Subscribe now

Born in Mountain View, California and raised in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Bacus received his bachelor's degree in fine arts/ illustration from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He furthered his studies at The Boston Museum of Fine Arts school and the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

"I've always been drawn to color and patterns with one of my early influences being old Bugs Bunny and Loony Tunes cartoons, with one that stands out in particular. In the "Wackiki Wabbit" episode, the animators used simplistic patterns and shapes to indicate the jungle island setting and the style just stuck with me," Bacus said. He used this influence for a project while attending UMass Dartmouth and has developed his style using that theory ever since. His other influences are 80's pop and New York street art, music and nature. 

In 2000 Bacus moved to Wichita Falls. In addition to painting, he also works at KFDX-3 News creating and producing video for local promotional content for the station. He has worked there since 2001 and is currently the Promotions Director.

Follow Bacus' work on Instagram

Are you a visual artist who’d like to do a FUSE Art Takeover? We’d love to host your work! Email Troy at fallstownfuse@gmail.com

Follow theFUSE on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

This is the inaugural installment of a new FUSE Feature, the Art Takeover. We turn over these pages to a local visual artist, to highlight their work and tell us a little about it. In this first chapter, we asked Derrick Holt III to do a FUSE Art Takeover.

My name is Derrick Holt III or known as Third Artistry. I am a visual artist born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas. I've been practicing visual art from the start of a very young age. Art plays an essential role for me in self-expression when it comes to releasing my thoughts, feelings, or views in my life.

When looking through my art, you will see it can vary from landscapes, portraitures, and animal drawings or paintings. My style of art can be categorized as realism or combining abstract and realism together in a single piece of artwork. I strive to leave the viewer with a sense of wonder and imagination utilizing essential artistic elements. My interest in art started with graphite as well as charcoal drawings. Memories of drawing my favorite video game and TV show characters as a child for my family and friends are some of my favorite childhood moments.

In later years, I developed a skill for realistic drawing through advanced art classes in school. Taking the skills I learned, I started to create more intricate detailed sketches and drawings. It wasn't until I sold a sketch I did of the Wichita Falls waterfall to the mayor, Stephen Santellana of Wichita Falls, did I think I could take my art a little more seriously. Furthermore, my choice of medium to use for painting is oil paints. Before I started using oil paints, I would use acrylics and watercolors. But I found it much easier with oil paints to achieve the quality of work I want. In recent years, I've expanded my choice of medium to spray painting on large stretch canvases. Spray painting on canvases had sequentially encouraged me to start creating murals.

This year in 2023 I created my first mural of my blue and gold macaw named 'Pauco' at the Humane Society in Wichita Falls, located on Old Iowa Park Road. In all, I consider visual art to have an important part in the human life experience. It has the power to enrich our lives, encourage creativity and critical thinking along with so much more. Overall, visual artists contribute to the enhancement and diversity of human expression, while also offering unique perspectives and creating visual experiences that inspire, challenge, and engage audiences.

To find more of my art, ThirdArtistry on most social media websites such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more.

Are you a visual artist who’d like to do a FUSE Art Takeover? We’d love to host your work! Email Troy at fallstownfuse@gmail.com

Follow theFUSE on Instagram

Every month, Wichita Falls Downtown After Hours Art Walk offers an excellent outdoor art experience, with artists and crafters showcasing all manner of cool creations, but the art extends beyond the visual and tangible. On this occasion, I went out looking for art you can hear.

Darion Ryan Roberts was playing in front of Ramble & Company during the August After Hours Art Walk, and I would be tempted to call him the hardest-working musician in Wichita Falls with how often I have seen him performing at public events.

Darion was wrapping up his set and talking with fans as I departed on foot with my camera in-hand, looking — and listening — for more music. I could hear brass somewhere in the distance, and just followed my ears, past rows of tables and booths with soaps and candles and beautifully painted ceramic tiles, until I arrived in Depot Square at 8th & Ohio.

The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra jazz ensemble was performing at 8th & Ohio, and they looked and sounded great. Are you hearing Art Walk yet?

I am sure music was happening in a number of other places at Art Walk, too, and I’ll be out there looking for them next time. The real climax of the Art Walk experience, however, might be finishing the night with karaoke at the Iron Horse Pub.

Can you hear that?

How about that one?

Can you hear that? I’m just taking photos, so if you show up and look amazing, nobody has to know whether you sang like Adele or a tone-deaf armadillo.

The singers included a who’s-who of local talent, our host Lelani, as well as beloved karaoke regulars like Kevin S.

If you’ve never paid attention to how much work it is to sing “Tubthumping,” post-Art Walk Karaoke at the Iron Horse will demonstrate, vividly. As Lelani pointed out, it was exhausting (and entertaining) to watch. There were truly so many entertaining singers.

Come out next month and maybe I’ll take your photo.

Follow the author on Facebook

Follow theFUSE on Instagram