It’s time for poll of the week!

In high school, my favorite place in the entire world (other than a vintage muscle car) was the darkroom. I LOVED shooting with black and white film and printing my own photos while enjoying some Lynyrd Skynyrd on the stereo. I spent a fortune on Ilford paper. Although, I have not set foot in a darkroom in over 5 years. When I purchased my first digital SLR, the 3.3 megapixel Canon D30, I didnt want to smell developer or fixer ever again.  My poor Canon 1N 35mm and my Mamiya 645AFD film cameras have been collecting dust for years.

What about you? Still shooting film? Would love to hear your thoughts.

The GoPro “HERO WIDE” POV Video Camera

I watched the video above and wanted one right away. I just ordered one of the “Motorsports” kits from GoPro. It comes with a wide-angle lens and suction cup mounts so you can put it on/in your vehicle or your helmet. The resolution is only 512×384, but that should be sufficient for web (aka my blog). A 2 gig SD card gets you almost an hour of footage with sound. Should be fun the next time I hop into a helicopter or racing vehicle.

I definitely plan on keeping this in my main camera bag. I am wondering if I can find a way to mount it to my camera to get a first person POV while I shoot?

Order yours here:
http://www.goprocamera.com/

So I just found out I am going to Iraq…

So one of my music clients just got me hired to photograph a week in Iraq and Kuwait while he performs for the troops at different bases. The  photos will be used for a music magazine cover feature.

I have 3 months to prep, so I have already begun to shop around to get some new special gear for the trip. This includes new compact camera bag, a new more powerful compact battery-powered flash (since I cant fly with my typical 70lbs pelican cases filled with flash-heads), and some other fun little goodies. I will make sure to keep you posted as I prep myself and my gear for this incredible journey.

Orlando, FL Video Blog – Some Off-Roading

I'm in the driver's seat about to take off

So I am down in lovely Orlando, Florida for some shoots (okay Im avoiding the cold and snow up north). I met up with my good buddy Daniel, who wanted to show me his new toy, a mini off-road vehicle that goes up to 80 miles per hour and shifts like a motorcycle. I got to tear around in an empty lot.

Video taken with my Canon 5d Mark 2. Apologies for the wind noise and the shaky footage in-vehicle (didnt have a proper mount with me, this was a last-minute adventure).

Lenses used for the video:
Canon 15mm Fisheye (in-vehicle footage)
Canon 24-70mm 2.8L
Canon 16-35mm 2.8L

I'm getting the hang of it...

Sugar Ray Photoshoot

 

Mark McGrath and Craig Bullock of Sugar Ray after our photoshoot

Hey everyone. Greetings from semi-warm Los Angeles, California this week. Just had a great shoot with Mark and Craig of the band Sugar Ray yesterday. Had a blast. Will post some shots and behind the scenes video over the next week or so.  Just heard there is a “WINTER STORM WARNING” back east. Hope everyone keeps safe and warm!

 

From my previous shoot with Craig

Our Video Coverage of the Inauguration Parties

My video production company (8112 Studios) was hired to cover some of the cool celebrity parties during the inauguration this past weekend. We had the opportunity to rub elbows and speak with celebrities like Sting, Jessica Alba, Rihanna, Ed Harris, Shakira, Ben Affleck, Maria Shriver, Olivia Munn, Sarah Silverman, and Ron Howard to name a just few.

It was amazing to see the excitement in DC. There were so many great cultural and art events to be seen.

Posted a few of the videos we did below. See more HERE:

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If you’re not already on my mailing list, you should sign up to keep up to date on what I have going on (website and blog updates, seminars and classes, etc).

Sign up for the mailing list HERE

Quadcamera – Another Great iPhone Photography App

 

 

This is another sweet application I have on my iphone.  I have been using it a lot and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. You can program it to take 4 or 8 photos in a row and you can even set the time intervals. After the 4 or 8 photos are taken it creates a cool image like the one below.

4-Photo Sequence

 

Check out the video below to see how the program works:

 

You can find Quadcamera on the iTunes store HERE

My 3 Doors Down Blackhawk Helicopter Adventure Continued…

You have probably seen the first video of my first ride on a Blackhawk Helicopter with 3 Doors Down and Switchfoot as we flew up the Mississippi coastline and landed in the middle of the highway in front of the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS.

Well, 3 Doors Down has posted their own great video-blog from the gulf coast charity concert they held that weekend (see below). Make sure to check out their charity website. They have raised millions of dollars for needy families in the gulf coast: thebetterlifefoundation.org

One of my new favorite iPhone applications, Camerabag

Camerabag App Icon

Just downloaded this little jem a few days ago.  This application allows you to take a photo on your iphone and then convert the photo as if taken with one of 7 different cameras…you know…as if you had an entire “camera bag” on you iphone.  The photos below were taken using the “instant” and “Helga” settings of my Boxer, Winston Churchill (my favorite subject).

"Instant" Setting

 

"Helga" Setting

 

 

“The cameras included in CameraBag:

-”Helga” – A square-format toy camera feel with washed-out highlights and old-school vignetting.

-”1974″ – This is your father’s camera. Faded, tinted, and hip.

-”Lolo” – Shoot from the hip and take life as it comes with vibrant, colorful shots.

-”Cinema” – Dramatic, moody, wide-screen stills from the movie of your life.

-”1962″ – Dynamic black and whites from the photojournalists of a bygone era.

-”Mono” – Smooth gradation from black to white.

-”Infrared” – Simulation of the popular landscape photography technique.”

Download the application from iTunes HERE

So you want to become a filmmaker with a digital SLR?

I know when I first heard about the Canon 5d Mk2, I was excited about the possibility to switch between photo and high-definition video. I knew when I was doing some crazier shoots (like hanging out of a helicopter photographing a 250 mph jet-boat), I could get some sweet video for the blog. Although, it has also inspired me to film more short films/videos about life on the road as a traveling photographer.

How has the concept of high-definition video packed into your digital SLR affected your perception of the line between photographer and filmmaker?

Blog 2.0

So I am in the process of tranferring my old blog to this new FANCY blog system. Standby!

Thank you for your patience as I work out the bugs.

DJ Skribble Photoshoot

Just shot this recently in New York City of DJ Skribble.  Funny enough, shooting Skribble was one of my first editorial jobs when I was starting off. It is great to shoot him again to see how far things have progressed.

Check out some of Skribble’s stuff on his myspace HERE.

Photoshoot On The Set of the CBS NFL Pre-Game Show

Hey gang! Just hit New York City to photograph CBS NFL pre-game show host James Brown. I got to shoot on set during the Steelers-Ravens game. What a blast! Will post finished photos when they are done. Keep warm in this cold winter weather folks!

Back from Miami…off to the SoCal

Back from Miami for a day or 2 and already packing for an exciting trip to the California desert tomorrow. I was in Florida shooting part of a new print ad and web campaign for Geico. It involved rocket-powered speed boats, hanging out of helicopters, and a great t-shirt tan. I cant wait to share the great behind the scenes photos and video!

PS. The 5d Mk2 is still working like a champ!

My mention on Photoshop User TV this week

Check out episode 167, which aired on January 5, 2009

Click link: http://www.photoshopusertv.com/?p=296

You can watch the entire episode and learn some great photoshop and photography tips, but if you want to hear my mention, skip to 25:10 minutes into the video. Pretty cool!

I’m off to Miami today to photograph some racing boats for an ad campaign as I hang out of a helicopter. Should be fun! Expect some video clips when I return.

Have a great week!