Brian L Butler Creative

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Brian L Butler Creative

Gulf Coast Photography and Video Production - a.k.a. Beautiful Pensacola, a.k.a. Panhandlin' Images, a.k.a. Furious Fireflies Maybe you’re one of them.

The hub for all things Brian L Butler Creative. Over the years, I’ve tinkered with images and words in a variety of formats and places. From tourism, concert, architectural, and portrait photography…

…to video production including commercial television, documentary film, motion graphics, podcasts, voice overs, and educational classes for business and higher education…

…to decades of dabbling pr

ofessionally and unprofessionally with the written word, including script writing, blogging, humorous musings and that unfinished novel that’s begging to be completed. (You’re NOT going to get to see that here:)

So the point of all of this is while I may have the occasional good idea that causes me to pursue a personal project, that’s not how I spend most of my time. There are a LOT of other folks out there with good ideas. I’ve made my living using my particular set of skills to help other people bring their ideas to life, whether it’s selling, promoting, educating, entertaining or likely some combination. So if you have something in your head that you need to get out and would like to create something together, send me a message and let's see what we can do.

11/08/2025

Preservation Hall, New Orleans Louisiana, 2009. The image that would later be featured in National Geographic. (Well, Spain’s version of National Geographic:) Continuing the two decade look-back at my photography journey.

I took this photo on a trip to New Orleans with my friend Eddie 16 years ago. My first trip to the iconic venue. Signs were posted saying “no flash photography” and someone was yelled at for firing off a flash from the hallway next to the main room while we were there. But I don’t need no stinking flash. Low light photography is my specialty so, challenge accepted 🙂

I leaned against one of the posts near the benches to steady myself and took a few at what turned out to be a great angle. Just took a few then went back to enjoying the music and atmosphere. (This was before cell phone cameras were ubiquitous and the last time I went the signs read “No Photography or Video”)

Anyway, I was very happy with my souvenir and it was in my “Off The Handle” gallery on my website for years. Then about 7 years later I got an email from Spain’s National Geographic travel edition, who was doing a feature on New Orleans, asking about licensing the image. (I always wanted to be published in Nat Geo but I guess I never specified which one:) We worked out a deal, I was paid in Euros, and a few months later the magazine arrived at my house. Full, across the fold spread. I may have added internationally published to my bio 🙂

03/08/2025

Katrina and the Waves. Yep, that’s Pensacola Beach. Continuing my two decade look back at my photography journey. 20 years ago this month as Hurricane Katrina barreled across the Gulf, I got a surfing photo on Pensacola Beach that I doubt I’ll ever to top.

Pat Walters and Max Greenlee are the two surfers who made it out that day. The day before, there were tons of people out catching some good size waves being kicked up by the hurricane. But this day, August 28th, 2005, everyone else was getting beaten up and tossed back in before they made it out to where these waves were breaking, well past the end of the pier. Somehow, Pat and Max got out there and knew what to do when they did.

Talking to them after, both had big wave experience, I believe they both said in Hawaii.

After the photos of them on the beach, is the series leading up to the first photo from the catch to the drop to the final image.

26/07/2025

On The Subject of Nudes

I’ve decided to change my photographic focus a bit. I’m going to experiment with some new areas. Expand my horizons. The first expansion will involve shooting n**es. Very tasteful. Very artistic. There’s a long and respected tradition of the n**e form in photography and I think I can contribute something. I’ll start with images of my lovely wife and then begin looking for other models. So I’ll start with this image of Julie in…….Hold on a minute….

Yes dear…
…what!?…
…but I’ve already started…..with your photos….
…but we talked about this….yes we did…
…are you sure?…i coulda’ sworn…but…if you’d just…
…just calm down and I’ll…no it’s not like that…
…tasteful, I said tasteful….very artsy…black and white…
…yes it does matter…it’s all in the lighting…
…what do you mean you don’t care….
…honey, it’s art…beauty…tradition…but…just…
…you’re a beautiful woman and I thought…but why not…
…why should your friends and family care….embarrassed how…
…NO, I AM NOT BEING STUPID!…IT’S ART!…
…sorry…no more yelling…how about this…just listen for a minute…
…what if I start with other people first?…
…I met this woman yesterday and…OWWW! THAT HURT!…
…FINE!

Well, apparently I’ll have to find another horizon to expand. Until then, here’s another stupid sunset.

(The image and “story” above are from almost 20 years ago, continuing my two decade photo retrospective. I am at heart a wanna be novelist so the chance to write and post photos on the old photo blog was heaven. And for what it’s worth, the photo did make the cover of the Visit Pensacola visitors guide way back when)

13/07/2025

Blues from the Balcony 2025. With all due respect to Garth Brooks, sometimes it’s nice to have friends in high places 🙂

Pretty amazing weekend! Thanks so much for the hospitality Walshs and Smiths.

01/07/2025

Rhapsody in Blue: NYC in 2008. Continuing the 20 year look-back at my photography journey. Before instagram and before this focus on Pensacola, I photographed everything and everywhere I went. (Kinda still do but only Gulf Coast stuff makes it on here:)

Most trips, especially family trips, I get up before sunrise and shoot for a couple of hours before heading back to the room and joining the family for whatever we had planned for the day. For this one though, the family humored me while I stayed a little longer on the Top of the Rock to do a few long exposure shots.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been to New York but I usually come back with some nice photographic souvenirs 🙂

25/06/2025

Foggy morning kayak in Bayou Texar. Another from 2005 continuing by look-back at 20 years of photography. Most of my early work was exploring landscapes and life on the Gulf Coast and I still do that occasionally. So much beauty around here.

But the reason was a little different then. No insta or facebook around so everything was about photoblogs. And those photoblogs connected me with people literally around the world. I was inspired by photographers from Japan to England to India and so many places in between and I still keep in contact with some of those photographers. And I hope some of those photographers were inspired by me or at least my vision of my home. There’s a little of that now but social seemed to turn things inward somehow. Posts for people you were already connected to 🤷‍♂️ Plus it changed when photography became more of a job than play.

Enough rambling. Back to the universal language of photography 🙂

01/06/2025

Sunrise on Pensacola Beach, 2005. Continuing the look back of my 20 years of “pro” photography. One of Julie’s favorites and still hanging on canvas in our living room.

26/05/2025

Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, FL. Continuing the 20 year anniversary look-back, an annual Memorial photo from 2010

11/05/2025

Early morning on Pensacola Beach. Continuing the look back at 20 years of Panhandlin’ Photos, another from 2005.

08/05/2025

Bayou Texar at Sunset - We are celebrating an anniversary. My “professional” photography journey began 20 years ago this month. My photoblog Panhandlin’ Photos launched in May of 2005 and the photo you see here is the very first photo posted and kicked everything off.

It was taken with my first ever digital camera, a Fuji Finepix point and click. Everything my first year or so of photography, including some published work, was taken with that camera. I still have it.

If you’ll indulge me, I’m going to post some of this old work and reminisce a little about the images from that time. I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man because I love new gear and new photographic directions but there was something special about the pre-instagram photoblog world. That photoblog was the catalyst for what is now my career

14/02/2025

Photographed the production of Fiddler on the Roof last night. Could have used an assistant on this one because there’s a LOT going on 😄 The entire UWF team plus the cast from the university and the community was incredible as always but this one is epic!

It opens tonight and runs this weekend and next.

06/10/2024

Photographed UWF Football on campus yesterday. Huge win over Mississippi College.

I was mostly shooting atmosphere and VIPs and such but had fun with a little game coverage too. I lucked out and caught all four UWF touchdowns and even one that got called back. (I didn’t catch any Miss College TDs because they didn’t have any:)

Not that they all are great shots (except that first one:) but so much of getting key plays is being in the right spot at the right time with the right gear and yesterday I got lucky and got all four goal crossings.

Pick 6 by Kyriee Lewis is my favorite shot of the day. Scattered amongst other pics are punt return 1 by Virgil Lemons following his blockers and tumbling into the end zone. Punt return 2 by Virgil Lemons was called back but he again went head over heels into the end zone. TJ Lane walking across the line almost untouched and Jay Sharp leaping into the end zone in the fourth. He injured something going in when he landed funny and hope he’s okay but it gave a chance to show off the training staff a little.

Homecoming is next week so I’ll be doing more football next Saturday but first there’s a Homecoming concert to photograph and that makes me happy 😊

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