Seamless....fashion (???)

Despite the passing of Labor day, and the fall fashion season, I thought it appropriate to add to the "better late than never" cliché and write about a "fashion shoot".

Glam/Fashion photography provides one a great opportunity to push the creative envelope, BUT there's a catch: Product. Oh, and another catch: Intended use. The trick is to showcase the product (scene is secondary--usually) such that the deliverable (photograph) meets the marketing requirements of the client. Easy, right? Shhh-ure!

So, the client: Steven Barrett Salon. Event: Summer Look (hair by SBS--whom I would recommend highly...the ladies always look FABULOUS) and Fashion (Clothing from Barney's Co-op). Deliverable: "...something bright and simple that can accommodate text overlays".

Nothing too difficult. It is mid-june, the weather in Seattle (at the time) was GEORGEOUS. And, I had scouted a roof-top location that would allow for some great summer skies, with a little city-scape to add some feel (was going to be bright, playfully simple, and appropriate for all sorts of marketing shenanigans)! Beautiful, right? WRONG! ...did you miss the part about mid-June and Seattle...outside location...Seattle...(see where this is going???).... Rain. F-ing Rain.

Plan B:


Set up a seamless-backdrop in the parking garage. Add three profoto 7B heads, 2 battery packs, strip light and 3X4 softbox on one powerpack (the head with the strip light has a powercord extension to loose an extra 1/2 stop, thus a full stop below the soft box), and a "dynamically placed" beauty dish on the second power pack (1 stop above). (for those that want the tech details).

Fire off a couple test-shots...and, "SEND out the models": Out comes the first model, stunningly beautiful, and TALL (wearing 3+ inch heels). WHOA.....WAIT..."Houston we've got a problem..."---those heels make her taller that me --I measure 6'3", and...I had everything set for a subject 5'9" to 5'11ish.

So, "Raise the light light stands", you say.

...hang onto that snarkiness...and rewind to the parking garage scene...notice the setup---one spot, with a vehicle. Can you guess the "issue"??? No??? (I couldn't get 6'3"+, head-to-toe, in-frame.)


(...not that it was not a HUGE deal...just a word of warning to get the height range of your models, if you are "space restricted"...normally, not an issue....but then you get thrown a curveball, and it will save you from having to call in the makeup artist for a quick touch-up and powder to cover a sheen...which you haven't even shot yet. ;0 )

Needless to say, the shoot continued...we had 5 beautiful ladies, (from TCM),

5 wardrobe changes,

and we ended with evening wear.


All-in-all, despite the hiccups, the shoot was a success: the client was happy with the end-product...and the models had fun throughout...despite a hiccup or two (three really, but I AIN'T sharin' the last one).

Stay tuned!

Triathlons...the sentiment of the sport

WOW! Where has the summer gone? It is August: The best month to be in Seattle.... the culmination of SeaFair, and with it, the SeaFair Triathlon: An opportunistic segue into sports action portraits and some editorial comments about athletes, the event, and a photograph.

When doing a sports action portrait with a triathlete, one is never short on opportunity. These people (pardon: athletes) eat, live, and sleep their training regiment...especially if they are training for an IronMan triathlon: 2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi bike ride, 26 mi run. (Pure insanity!)
Consequently, one can usually find them in the pool...

And, when the weather gets nice, one (a portrait photographer) can get these athletes into the open water...to have them do repeated squat-thrusts (up and out of the water) in an attempt to capture a portrait.

..and just for fun, you can say, "just a couple more, *to be sure*" (...push-ups are good too.)

All fine and dandy, but when one goes to provide event coverage...the "models" become these programed bots driven to achieve a time.


Ironically, it was in the mist (at the onset really) of the SeaFair triathlon, that I noticed an oxymoron...the triathlon commune.

Do you see it? I had never considered the phenomena. In hindsight, however, I am not surprised.

I suppose that is one of the beauties of a still image/photograph: You can sit and analyze a static moment. Each subject. Each expression. Each Individual's body language. Perhaps there is motion, but you can sit and look....and look... and look...you can get lost in an image, stare yourself cross-eyed...and then, as if to see the forest through the trees....an epiphany.

Do you see it?

Stay tuned!

American Gothic Moo-Moos...isn't just a style of dress.

Since I have received some feedback about the "Re-creational photo: Diego Rivera style" post, I decided to add another to the re-creational genre and go goth...as in "American Gothic"

To give credit where credit is due, I must attribute the creative epiphany, behind the shoot, to my dog. (As some may remember from a previous post, Jezebel is the famed chocolate lab yearning for freshly mined mellifluous morsels.) Being a guilt ridden dog owner, I obligate myself to take Jezebel on road-trips...and I am particularly obligated to do so for Christmas.

I cannot speak for all of you--out there in "TV Land"--but on a 10 hour drive, I often distract myself with every fleeting thought that passes through my brain. Just so happens, this past winter I decided to spend my drive devising a variety of shoots to embark upon once I arrived "home".... Ironically, I found myself completely amazed by the number of shoots (and subjects) I envisioned. The exercise turned into to a good reminder that "material" is abundant--a little town with so much to offer--I could spend months in my home-town shooting all sorts of crazy-fun images (again, another reminder: It is the ever-present "I" that is ones greatest ally and enemy...if you cannot make something interesting out of the familiar it's only harder with the unknown). So, I decided to start with family....

As some, or most, know, American Gothic is one of the most common 19th century American Artworks...my grandparents used to reference it as the reward of hard work, and symbolic to the "American Heartland".

...so I thought I'd give the concept an update.

I have an uncle that owns/runs a little cattle ranch. And, as required for ranching in cold climate, He has to feed the cows throughout the winter....what a great chance to capture images of my uncle hard a work...creating his American Gothic...

Imagine, if you can, 2 men out in a pasture.....one, gently walking around--with 3 Canon speed lights mounted on lightstands...one with a white umbrella....and a heard of hungry cows.

...ever seen how cows like to rub against things... you suppose a light stand would have a fighting chance??? Yeah, not so much, luckily, the model was entertaining the "extras" with dinner.

After several shots, the cows became a little more curious about these new "rubbing posts"...and a little less about their dinner. So, I talked Wayne into grabbing his wife (I'll call her "Aunt Sam") and meeting me in the corral--which housed the "new mom's and calves" curiously watching the photographic-antics in the pasture. The corral was where I wanted to capture my version of American Gothic.

Small cattle ranches are a family operation: Husband, wife, children, and a dog (usually)...thing about teenage girls, though...they ARE NOT going out on a cold December evening..warm evening for that matter, to have pictures taken in a corral with bunch of cows--they love their cousin-Drew; but, there are limits (and "images" to be kept)...luckily dogs are always game for something mischievous!

The work is hard, and while the intensity can wane, the work is year round. The cows must be tended, feed, and watered. The work is dirty...and if you think you have to put up with a lot of "shit" at work...I challenge you to clean a corral--then you will, indeed, be shoveling shit.

Cows, cows...and more f-ing cows...did I mention that the little bastards like to rub...

The American gothic: Moo-Moo style.

Stay tuned!

Bowling ain't easy....to shoot in the dark

Event photography is a challenge for many reasons--but throw an obstruction like low-light with action...and WOW does one miss a lot of shots due to hitting (or not) the focus....but it's good to practice. Luckily, a friend was having a bowling birthday party ('80s dressup was encouraged)....so I thought, "this could be interesting and challenging"

...interesting is usually enough, for me. So, I brought my gear to do a little shooting at Gina's 30th birthday party at West Sattle Bowl.


And, I really do not like to use on camera flash...but, one cannot really set up to shoot an action event without on-camera flash---unless one has 3-4 voice activate lights following synchronously. So, what I did was recruit one sucker (Gina's husband, Chris---whose mutual interest in photography usually wins him the distinction of being first to be ask. Thanks Chris).

I used Chris to create some rim lighting, then front-filled with 3/4 the intensity setting...kept the ISO @ 1000, f/4.5ish, 1/40th...and he and I moved about tormenting unsuspecting participants.

Strangely enough, probably the best time I've had bowling in a LONG time. ...I amalgamated the majority of the photos into a little video for fun...while I cull through the gems.

stay tuned.

Carl said it best....

Recently, I made a trip over to Kooskia, Idaho with the intention of photographing wild turkeys. The expedition was not my first attempt to capture images of wild turkeys, I had ventured over to Cambridge (Idaho) 3 years ago with no success (did not even get to hear a gobbler). I was assured, however, that I would have better luck in Northern Idaho, and the birds were plentiful (this year, after a favorable 2009 spring).

Now, I am not a hunter (thus the camera), but I have accompanied many a friend on various hunts (throughout life). To other non-hunters, such an adventure might sound daunting--and somewhat counter to the mantra of a conservationist. Perhaps. (Stick with me, though.) But the first step, of hunting for the non-hunter, is to acquire reference materials that allow to you understand the nature of the beast...and some expert advice on how one should hunt. --and for such advice, there is ONE such sage hunter...perhaps the greatest borne out of the '80s.


So, armed with Carl's resounding wisdom, I set out to capture me some turkeys. I met my good-friend Vince (of ducking hunting fame, a previous post). ...and at 3:30 am, Vince and I set out on our first day of turkey hunting. ...See, you have to hike into the birds' roost before sunlight...get set-up when the birds cannot see you, and wait for the birds to come out of the roost...

(can you find "Waldo"?)
...where upon, one mimics the call of a hen in an attempt to lure a strutting Tom.

...and I came prepared with visions of all sorts of "Tom shots". (I had done my creative homework.) But, I'll be damned if the Agency didn't send a bunch of stubborn, skittish, and genuinely uncorporative models! (For the sake of maintaining professional decorum, I will not mention the agency's name, but I will never retain their services again... there is nothing more obstructive to accomplishing a shoot that requires getting up at 3:30am, taking a 45 min. ATV ride to the shoot, hiking 3-5 miles, morning and evening, than a group of models that will not cooperate with you--no matter how accommodating the photographer. Their Toms were so camera shy, they would only sit in the distance and gobble.)
...we went so far as to use a decoy to convey their intended role....

But, after 4 days of of obsequious pandering, a group of Jakes (juvenile males) and a hen did show themselves....they unfortunately, were new to taking direction...and retreated after a few test shots (I don't think they liked sound of the shutter release.)

All was not lost, however, I was able to mine a few key tricks for working with these difficult models...and, rest assured, I will implement these tricks on future adventures. TURKEYS!

stay tuned.

There are antics...and then there are shenanigans...

...and I definitely employed both, on a trip to hawaii.

Recently, two people (whose company I enjoy tremendously) "tied the knot" on the "big island". Approximately 45 people made the trip over....unfortunately for 44 of them, I took my camera. And, while I did not get to torture some individuals, to the extent that I would have liked, I did my best to impersonate the paparazzi. (that's what happens when a beer/beverages are served with a camera---be warned.) ...and for those that "escaped", be forewarned, I have you in my sights...and I will continue to harangue and goad you about creative portraits. (I promise!)

Over the course of 4 days, I captured a fair number of images...and while I will not "use" 99.99% of them, I thought I'd throw together an amateur "mash up" ...via the ol' iMovie...and post it for the participants (all) to enjoy.



as I mine the gems, I'll work another post to share a couple.

Stay tuned.

Re-creational photos...Diego Rivera edition

I cannot say that I know how other people come by their "creative motivation". I've definitely read others' accounts about how an idea was/is borne. I will venture to say that most, if not all accounts, can be summarized as epiphanies--the coincident occurrence of at least 2 ideas simultaneously within one brain (occurrences which are/were usually improved upon through a series of collaborative "sharings" with another brain). And since the concepts of epiphanies/creative visions are nebulous concepts (at best)...I thought I would share a recent epiphany...but--I suppose the purpose for doing these blogs is to present the mental process (epiphanies) as well as the product. So...this recipe begins with a Diego Rivera lovin Mexican, some fermented pineapple, and a spirited little girl.

(side-note/PC disclaimer: for anyone whose sensibilities might be razed by the usage of "Mexican"...you should first talk to a native-Mexican about being called Hispanic.)

Up on Beacon Hill (Seattle), there is a fantastic Mexican restaurant: El Quetzal (map).
The food is exceptional. The specialty juices are TO DIE For. AND, it's a great place to practice broken-spanish with a bunch of mexicanos authenticos that love to goad the gringos! (It's really the people that make the food so exceptional---it's no wonder "Like Water for Chocolate" is a Mexican tale.)

Anyway, El Quetzal is owned and operated by Juan Montiel and his wife Elaina (whose name I am most likely misspelling)...and when you visit, you cannot help but notice several prominent Diego Rivera prints (front and center).


Needless to say, I have been conjuring images and concepts with children as the center-piece...and, on saturday afternoons, one will (most likely) see Juan and Elaina's 3 kids around the restaurant... So, one saturday I'm sipping on a glass of (one of) Juan's finest confections (Tepache)...and over to-our-table comes his daughter, Laisha. --jabbering away in Spanglish, HAPPY-AS-CAN be. ...and--WHAM!--I look at Juan, and tell him, "it would be fun to "recreate" a Diego print with Laisha."

Doing conceptional shots, I am finding, with children is TOUGH. Why? Because, one puts a child into a situation where a "stranger" is pointing a camera at them, and the child is expected to "act"..and for the current discussion, the photog isn't fluent in the "native tongue". ....somewhat fortuitously, the awkwardness helped to capture the "diego-ness".

having a gringo try to direct her in english...poorly conceived and unconjugated spanish verbs...helped to create a stern and pensive on the face of this light-hearted and beautiful girl (the "diego-ness").

and while I could not obtain a bushel of calla lilies "open" enough to really SCREAM "Diego"...I think the daisies worked out nicely.. (perhaps, when the lilies are in season--I might be able to bribe Laisha into another session.....but it will be a tough sell.)

All-in-all, I think Laisha did an excellent job being a Diego model....stern in her childish beauty, complimenting the soft white of the daisies...and finished off with a beautiful dress.

...within a bed of ivy.

A great modeling debut...Laisha let me take shots for 15-20 min. ..and then it was time to switch back into "play clothes"....enough with the "gringo loco".

stay tuned!

Play ball...Editorial vs OP-ED

Since the web offers the potential to get feedback from a large audience, I thought I would throw (pun intended for the post to follow) out a "survey question" about sports photography. To build on the promise of the previous post, editorial baseball coverage will be used to illustrate the question.

I am not the first to say this, nor will I be the last, but there is fine line (in editorial sports coverage) between the distinction of "catching the moment" and "capturing the art of the moment"---and distinct camps on the preferred image.

What do I mean by this?

The idea of capturing A/the moment is to freeze it in time--a crisp image that shows the event, the participant(s), an object that relates the event and participant, and an emotion/expression to add the "metaphor" that allows the viewer to relate. (Mind you, these are qualifiers defined by me as I look through images to discern the better from the good.)

For example, in this image, you have Jason Veritek.

Obviously, Mr. Veritek is up to bat. We have visual cues that tell us this: a bat and a pitched ball (in frame)...and if you know absolutely nothing about baseball, you can discern that Mr. Veritek is perhaps swinging the bat at the ball. And, you can discern that the feet is a challenge (from the expression on his face and the concentration shown in his eyes). The events and actions are shown in crisp detail, frozen in time.

Or take this shot of Russell Branyon.

Granted, the viewer cannot see the players eys, but you can see the pursed lips, the power of his legs, the strength in his forearms--the bat and ball are slightly blurred, which conveys some sense of motion... (One can almost "hear" the bat hitting the ball).

Capturing the component parts is not easy--and I venture to say that the hardest shot in baseball is trying to capture the ball. Some people might balk because at 10 or 8 frames per second "you should be able to capture the ball" ---but what one fails to understand: the time duration between frames is 1/10 of second...and the (rough) average time for a ball to hit the catchers glove, after release from the pitcher, is 3-4/10ths of a second. So, it's about timing...you watch the hitter...and learn their timing....
...try to catch Griffey hitting a home run...

..or Nick Swisher pulling a pitch hard down the line...

...maybe Jorge Posada pushing one to the left-side....

In each image you can see an instant (frozen) in the game--the hitter at the plate, hitting the ball, and the skill with which the athlete performs.

...and it's great, right??? or is it? Is there something more? This is a sport, right? Struggle and triumph in motion??? ...but you don't really get a strong sense of motion from these pictures. (do you?) I was once told by an editor, "you use your skills to freeze the motion" and perhaps that is the purpose of editorial photography.

But how about is the "skill" is used to capture a moment AND the art of the motion (an OP-ED sports shot).

Where one tries to capture the movement of the batter (the bat, the arms), yet the head is still...such that you can see the concentration and speed of the action.

This shot of Ichiro is a "miss"...you can see everything except the ball...the speed of the swooshing bat and hands, the concentration in his eyes, the abated breath poised to strike the ball. (These shots are a challenge because the timing is altered, slightly, and the shutter speed has to be slow enough to capture the motions of the arms and bat, but fast enough to capture the face.)

My best attempt at this sort of OP-ED shot is of Mark Teixeira...

For me, it contains all the component parts of a "frozen editorial"...and the speed and motion of the sport---the path of the bat, the travel of the struck ball, the sheer hand speed--YET a poised and concentrated head. You can see the beauty of Tex's magnificent swing. ...and, one can see that Teixeira KILLED this ball--line drive right over the right-field fence.

Thoughts? Opinions?

stay tuned.

Time Machine saves the bacon!

Since spring training is slated to start this weekend, I wanted to pay tribute. I had intended to highlight a couple Mariner games from the '09 season. But, as I was getting images ready I happened across a little "hiccup". Seems, in a house cleaning project, I had managed to delete several "good shots"--evidently I thought I had relocated the master images to my external hard drive when I had not (but I did manage to empty the trash). OOOPS! (you ever want to hear someone go on a little tirade???...that'll do it).

Luckily, the fine folks at Apple programed this little app called "Time Machine". (Little disclaimer: I did have the images backed up onto CD, but who REALLY wants to go through that stack/well-organized-folder-of-crap?). Needless to say, I entered the Time Machine. Transported myself back to August 2009. Shuffled through the finder, and (low-and-behold) found my missing images. BEAUTIFUL....and elegant. I have to hand it to those people at Apple.



So, the post that I had intended for today will chivalrously acquiesce to it's savior-for-another-day!

And for all you Sox fans...it was images from the Red Sox-Mariners series.

stay tuned.

Breaking the "Celebrity Cherry"...

Since "firsts" are always memorable events in a person's life, I decided to write about the cover-shoot I did with Kasey Keller. For those who do not know, Kasey Keller is a preeminent US soccer-goalie, and he has international "street cred". (There is no need for me to plagiarize Wikipedia, so I suggest you have a read-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasey_Keller --his accomplishment are impressive, to say the VERY least.)



Why do I slather on? Emphasis. The cover-shoot I did with Mr. Keller was my first cover for Sports Northwest Magazine. Additionally, Kasey Keller was my first famous portrait. Already an international star, Keller was making headlines with the expansion MLS Seattle Sounders FC because he was a local icon who had returned home. The Sounders experienced tremendous success in the inaugural season, and Keller was the Captain that provided the senior leadership.

At the time of the cover-shoot, the Seattle fans were in a Sounders frenzy, Keller was approaching an MLS record for shutout minutes, and it was only June. As such, the headline story for NWM was to be Keller's desire to occupy a spot in the "front office" (when he is done in goal)....and, with that, Kasey was interested in a shoot on the condition that he would wear a suit, and the shoot would take place at Sounders HQ. ...in Tod Leiweke's office (the CEO). The stage was set.

I was able to show up 1 hour prior to the shoot. The editor had been hesitant to petition for extra time, but I emphasized the need to have everything setup-- so that, upon arrival, Kasey would be plug-and-play. I was surprised that I had to be earnest about my request--the editor was very concerned and emphatic about how we would only get 20-30 mins for the shoot. To which I responded, "it can either be a 20-30 fiasco, or a 20-30 min success" ....I needed to set lights and If I was going to have to setup "in the moment"...someone was going to be pissed (2 someones, and I was the least important). Luckily, it was no problem for me to show up early.

For the cover shot, I wanted to portray Keller's field presence in the office--He's the field general, so I wanted to show that commanding presence in a suit.



I was thankful that the weather cooperated...and felt the clouds in the background gave the scene an ominous mood. What I really wanted, but did not get, was to have Kasey wearing his keeper-gloves (with his fists on the desk... I think the gloves would have made this shot).

Next, I needed to get a "feature shot" to accompany the story (inside). Initially, my thought was to get Keller sitting at the desk--more of a measured business tone. But, as we switched gears (and through the course of conversation, as I explained the intent), Keller said jokingly, "why don't you get a shot of me doing what Leiweke does?" .... After which, Keller grabs the phone, leans back in his chair...and just about throws his feet up on the desk as he pretends to talk about a pending T-time. (He and I had a collective laugh over those shots.)



Just to be safe, I had Kasey sit for the "canned" shot, as well...which I thought showed his softer side. (...turns out he is an exceptionally nice person.)



...and then, I said, "Thank you. I think that'll do" ....in under 10 min. Keller was somewhat surprised "Really?".

"Yep, that should do it." to which, Keller replied, "Efficient. I like it when people are prepared and ready to go."

I was pleased after he said that....although, shortly after, I had a bit of a panic attack..."what if everything was out of focus, or if the editor doesn't like it...I should have changed things up a little more, not been tied by the vision I had...should have allowed things to flow a little more by using more time..." so on, and so forth.

But at the end of the day, the cover was shot, and the inside content as well...and, most importantly, the subject was very happy with the time that I used. I think he was glad that I ended the session as well...neither he nor the PR guy had to cut me off. The session ended on a positive note. ...my first famous subject had left pleased. I was left hoping that it was, indeed, successful.



Turned out, the Editor was very pleased, and very happy with the impression we left with the organization....I was a little disappointed that the designers and publisher took the mood out of the shot, and blanched the sky, but I think my first cover turned out well. (I will save the diatribe about the print-press coming out too red.)

stay tuned.