Happy Halloween, BUHAHAHAHAH!!!!

So the wife had a business trip up to state college the other day and me being the bored easily creative type that I am, decided that I would try my hand at 3d pumpkin carving. Overall the effect is pretty convincing and the final product isn't too bad! Have a happy halloween everybody!!

Silent Bob Speaks!

Well I finally got back home from a job in Michigan last Wednesday and what should be waiting in my email inbox but a job assignment to photograph a celebrity! Now, keep in mind that I don't normally get all starry eyed for the famous (I have on occasion worked on jobs that included famous sports figures) but this was a bit different. As many of you may or may not know, I am a huge Kevin Smith fan; I listen to his weekly podcast (entitled SMODcast), I read his daily bulletin board, basically I devour all Kevin Smith related material. As luck would have it, they were doing a premiere here in Pittsburgh for his latest movie "Zack and Miri make a Porno" and the Pittsburgh City Paper needed a picture of the Director, Kevin Smith, to run with an article about the premiere. After re-reading the email several times and then picking my jaw up off the floor I started making phone calls to the appropriate people to make this thing happen. The people at the Pittsburgh Film Office could not have been nicer and told me to come down to the theater around 8:15 p.m. and they would let me in to photograph Kevin. So that evening came and I made sure I was there early just in case anything went haywire. Apparently there was some sort of traffic issue (I know, who would of thought, traffic issues in Pittsburgh) and Kevin was running a bit late. Not a problem, I was able to find a single seat in the back row of the theater and I caught the last half hour of the movie. I can't remember laughing that hard in a long time! Finally the movie ended and it was time for the Q&A to start. By then I had secured a place right down in front to make sure I had a good angle. Well, no sooner do I get situated does the man himself come strolling down the aisle, in his trademark silent bob coat! The crowd went nuts and I started snapping away. The theater was practically a cave in terms of lighting. I had my poor metz flash working overtime by the time the night was over. I found Kevin to be quite the engaging and self deprecating speaker. He talked about everything from the inspiration behind the movie to upcoming projects to his favorite places to eat in Pittsburgh (which happened to be Gallifty's and Primani's). After the Q&A he made some time to sign autographs outside of the theater for fans who couldn't get in. All in all, he couldn't have been a nicer guy, and he didn't seem to mind me snapping away like some kind of crazed paparrazzi reject. So, for those of you keeping score:
1. I got to meet famed movie director Kevin Smith
2. I got to see the last half hour of his latest movie "Zack and Miri make a porno" before it hits theaters.
3. I got paid to do all of this.

Yep, life is pretty good!

Rainbow Power!!!

So I have had this idea for a long time of doing a photoshoot where it would be raining smiley face balls onto a willing participent while she is under the protection of a very colorful rainbow umbrella. After the initial sketch and production notes were drawn up, I called my trusty assistant Lauren and the wonderful clothing designer Alli Pace to see if they were down with the idea. Both were enthusiastic and were ready to rock n roll. We wanted to cast for a colorful, vibrant looking model that would jive well with the theme. I decided on Miss Jenna from Ohio because her look was unique and I thought she would add that extra special "sumthin" to the overall production. As luck would have it she was available and we set up the shoot for a beautiful day in September. It was a simple two light setup with the camera angle being low to capture Jenna's expression. What I hadn't anticipated was how the bouncy balls would look in the final edit. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get them to look just right. In the end I ended up scrapping the smiley faces in lieu of a digital rainbow and some illustrated "rainbow brite" power! I really digg the illustrative aspects of this photo, it's something different that I think I would like to push towards in the future. Tell me whatcha think!

interesting article

A few weeks ago I had talked a little bit about the cost of doing business and what not. A friend of mine just sent me a link to a wonderful article about the state of editorial photography and the costs associated with it in the digital age. I find the numbers quite astonishing in that since 1984 editorial rates have risen a scant 14% while equipment costs and inflation have risen 1000% and 80% respectively. Am I the only one who thinks this is insane!? 1000% increase in the equipment we utilize to do our business and yet the rates stay virtually unchanged!? I feel like that guy in zoolander who says "Are all you people taking crazy pills?!"
It is so important right now to utilize the strengths of your photography and the the value that they present. Too many people are out there shooting for free or for publication that it is destroying the market right out from under us. People like me are having that much harder of a time getting started because someone else will do it for less. It's a sad state but its one that can be amended.

Christmas in August

Yay, they finally came! The week before I went on vacation I made a last minute order of a new (to me at least) speedotron power pack and a few strobe heads. So far I must say that I am pleased with the results and I'm hoping to add one more light to the setup. I think I will keep my AB's for location work and use this new setup strictly for studio work. I also had the great fortune of meeting Kimberly Reed, a local wedding photographer here in Pittsburgh. She was looking to get rid of a 70-200 2.8L lens. As luck would have it I had a 50 1.2 L that she was after, so we had an even swap. Sometimes things just have a way of working out!

So what did you do on your summer vacation?

So after a week long vacation to Baltimore and D.C. I am finally back home. The wife and I had a wonderful time taking in the sites and seeing some old friends. We started out the trip in Harrisburg, Pa. for a wedding of an old highschool friend of ours. It was good to see her so happy and to hear how things were going for her. As an added bonus, the wedding was taking place in Harrisburg which is where we used to live. During a break in the action we took a quick side trip to one of our favorite eating establishments, the Soda Jerk, and a short jaunt over to Hershey's Chocolate World. I know, I know, it sounds cheesy but we had a good time. While we were eating lunch at the Soda Jerk, this strange looking little car pulled up. Here it's an old electric car from the 70's that the owner liked to tool around town with, very interesting!
After the wedding we headed off to Baltimore to visit with some relatives. It was nice not having an agenda, most of the week I just sat around and read a book (the twilight series, which I must see is a decent read!) Towards the end of the week we took a trip into D.C. and went to the new Air and Space Museum hanger. The place was packed floor to ceiling with all sorts of flying contraptions, it was quite awe inspiring. Anyways, we had a good time and now it's back to the grind!

Going to the chapel!

So last weekend I had the wonderful pleasure of photographing a wonderful couple (Joe and Amy) at a wonderful country club. Everything went off without a hitch, with the exception of it being hotter than blazes and the wedding was outdoors. Not a problem, we persevered and came away with some fantastic and fun looking photographs. It makes such a difference when the people you're photographing buy into the vision you are trying to achieve. In this instance, because the Joe and Amy are fun an energetic themselves, I thought it would be appropriate to get them doing some off the wall kinda things. They went right along with it and came up with some ideas of their own that fit into the whole motif. In fact, one of the best images we got (pictured above) was their idea! I had a good time and I'm looking forward to their reaction towards the finished product.