Weekly Round Up

Arrived at today's shoot location early to have the opportunity to nail down camera angles, etc. prior to the arrival of the stylist & subject. On the slate was another in a series of environmental, testimonial portraits to be used in campaign literature & direct mail marketing pieces in the coming political election cycle. 


Overnight fear about less than ideal lighting conditions due to a sudden loss of the usual trade wind flow were confirmed in spades upon my arrival. The scene above was what I was faced with when I arrived. Beautiful to look at but completely NOT what I was hoping for. Stressing and fumbling as I swilled the remaining dregs of the coffee mug, a few minutes later the rest of the crew arrived. Snap decisions regarding wardrobe for the shoot were made in the parking lot. The talent was outfitted accordingly and just as everyone was taking their place, a breeze and cloud movement  occurred as if cued. North Shore weather conditions are always ephemeral and today was no exception.  Several posing & propping scenarios quickly run through with good results and it was off to the second, indoor location to finish up the last images for this portion of the campaign. 


Found this little ditty on Facebook this morning, posted by Burns Auto Parts-Consultants.  Freelance copy writer Bill Kurth had written advertising copy for Madison Avenue advertising giant Young & Rubicam for the agency to use to pitch an account. The agency won the account. The agency didn't pay Mr. Kurth for his work and after several months, stopped responding to his email requests for payment. Mr. Kurth made a little video about his ordeal. Mr. Kurth certainly burned his bridges with Y&R, but had a lot of fun doing it. He got paid too.  See his video below.





The deadline for entry to La's prestigious Art of Photography  show is 11:59pm on June 1st. Registration & entries can be uploaded online here.


The official start of the summer season begins with the arrival of the three day Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy your time off & try to spend a moment or two pondering the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. We'll be back at it again on Tuesday. 


Happy Memorial Day to all!

Foreboding Skies & Happy New Year

Leaving the studio around 6pm last evening after completing the final editing and uploading of images from an assignment for the US Census Bureau, I was treated to this incredible scene being played out in the sky. There is no enhancement or increases in saturation, I assure you. The intensely beautiful and colorful moment lasted only a minute or two before the skies turned black and opened up with a vengeance. Rain began pelting down just as I was climbing into the car for shelter... the drive home became at times nearly impossible as the rains lashed the windshield, lightening bolts criss-crossed the sky and thunderclaps rumbled in the distance. At several points, I was unable to see beyond the vehicle's hood during the drenching and had to pull over until the fury subsided. We've been receiving regular, steady drenchings now since December 22. The rains are much needed and have been, at times, island wide.

The mountains are green again, the reservoirs near capacity and the drought restrictions temporarily lifted. This afternoon... though skies remain mostly cloudy, there have been moments of the only full sunshine we've seen in over a week. No doubt if the rains hold back until midnight, the fireworks in my neighborhood will shatter the peace and send Max the wonder dog into fits of shivering fear. The good news is the grounds are saturated and the risk of fires will be at a minimum. Max will just have to take his Doggie Downers and hopefully sleep through the midnite chaos.

Some end of the year house-cleaning before we say goodbye to 2008:

Horsesthink has an entry today about Fuji's instant Polaroid-like films and a new large format film holder for their 10pack instant color films. Reportedly, a B&W version is on the way. Read more here.

Interview Magazine interviews the man who introduced color to the world of fine-art photography, William Eggleston here.

Photographer & blogger Justin James Reed makes his predictions for what 2009 will hold in store for photography blogs, emerging artists and more... here.

Post-Bebop trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and vocalist Eartha Kitt are now headlining in the Celestial Ballroom. They will be missed.

A very Happy New Year to all!