It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to write on this blog. I’ve meant to for a while now and even began a post a week or so ago. Just never finished, or began. One or the other.
The last month or so has been pretty steady. We were able to work on some interesting projects and meet some pretty cool cats. Some of it I can’t show yet since it’s not out but as soon as it is I’ll have it on my site.
We shot a cover feature for Men’s Fitness Magazine a few weeks back. It was a great shoot and should be out this summer. I can’t name who we shot but let’s just say he was a great guy and was awesome in front of the camera.
A few days after that I flew out to San Antonio for a quick editorial shoot. Nothing crazy but it was cool. Traveling for a shoot can be an interesting experience. It usually goes like this: Airport, rental cars and hotels, pass by monotonous strip malls, visit local coffee shops and head to the location. Do the shoot and revisit all of the above in reverse order. Here’s some not so original images taken from the plane on the way back.
March has been pretty chill. Not too busy but steady. A couple of editorial shoots for golf, business and sports magazines. A few estimates out for ad jobs…but no confirmations yet.
I’m definitely desiring more time for personal work. But that’s a whole other issue and after reading other photographers blogs I know I’m not alone in this process. It’s the balance of making a living with your craft yet finding time to create your own personal imagery. The challenge is to equally share your talent, be it photography or another form of expression, yet still pull it back in when you need it most. There have been times where I have needed to challenge myself more. I should have realized it sooner and reclaimed my art for a period. I feel that time is now. Let’s see if I follow through.
Speaking of challenging yourself. We shot some portraits for a magazine a few nights back. The creative director and I had decided to use some physical materials to screw with the images in camera. It was a very collaborative experience and it reminded me of back in the day when I was first experimenting with photography. I would throw stuff in front of the lens or purposely hit the camera as I snapped the shutter so it would trip out the images. I shot with an old Hasselblad I received during my apprenticeship under another photographer for just over 2 years in the late 90’s. It was also an interesting shoot in the sense I am usually the director of my sets, but this was a bit more of a collaborative effort between the creative director and myself. A challenge, but a good one. I needed a change for a day and I got it. And from this experience I am already seeing ways of using this for not only personal but commercial work. Here’s two examples from Friday night. These are not the subjects that will appear in the magazine but two members of my crew. David, my first assistant and Janet my studio manager. (As with most crews they usually stand in for testing before throwing the subject in frame) Again, all coloring and/or reflections were done in camera with no photoshop craziness. We’ll see where this goes.
Not only has this been random but longer than expected. So why not end on a crazy note. This is from a shoot we did about two weeks back. We had just wrapped with the client and I decided to get in front of the camera for some crazy reason and have David shoot me jumping in the air. I really don’t know why but it felt like the thing to do at the time.
Peace.
Posted in Behind the Scenes, Commentary, Main
