Another Star Wars Photoshoot (Teaser)

I’m in Florida shooting a few awesome projects (see a behind the scenes snapshot from today’s). Can’t wait to share the finished products with you! You’re going to love what I have in store. More to come!

Chillin' with the boys

My Sugar Ray Album Cover

My shot on the cover of Sugar Ray’s new album “Music For Cougars.” Pretty cool! Always a pleasure seeing your work on the covers of your favorite bands! Ill post a behind the scenes video soon (it was shot by the band, not me).

Art Direction & Album Design: Brian Porizek @iDesign (www.idesign4u.com)

Easy Way to Send Big Files Online – YouSendIt.com Review

Being a photographer, you will regularly face the issue of sending multiple images/files at once. There are many options for digital file transfer out there like getting your own FTP, sending multiple emails, or fedex’ing digital drives, but I have a easy solution that will work for most: YouSendIt.com

Mad Max Interceptor Replica Photoshoot

Did this photoshoot in Los Angeles earlier in May of Writer / Director (and Mad Max enthusiast) Paul Miller and his replica Mad Max Interceptor. You can check out Paul’s website: www.paulcmiller.net

This shoot is part of a much larger photo series I have been working on called the Unicorn Project. That series is dedicated to the collectors of movie cars, tv cars, and other unique rare vehicles.

More photos and video after the jump…

Photoshoot with Sugar Ray

Recently did a shoot with Sugar Ray in Los Angeles for their new album and marketing material. The band is so fun to work with. These are just 2 teaser shots. The album will be coming out soon and I will share the artwork. You may even see a behind the scenes video soon as well

Photos in Honor of Memorial Day

I wanted to thank the men and women of the military that have served or are currently serving.  For my friends currently serving across the ocean, may you keep safe on this holiday and the days ahead.  You are in my thoughts.

Two Great Clients Working Together

Two of my regular  clients, Geico & 3 Doors Down, got together to create two 30 second mini ads / music videos using 3 Doors Down’s single “Let Me Be Myself” featuring Geico’s cavemen. See the Geico press release and music videos below:

3 Doors Down goes primal with the new video, “Let Me Be Myself,” featuring the GEICO Cavemen.

The video for “Let Me By Myself,” the third single from the band’s new self-titled studio album, will also serve as the theme song for GEICO’s new auto insurance commercials with the GEICO Cavemen.

Since forming in 1995, 3 Doors Down has become a multi-platinum-selling band. Their current album, 3 Doors Down, is their second studio album to debut at #1 (as well as their fourth album to reach the Top Ten), and includes the #1 Top 40 and #1 Mainstream Rock track “It’s Not My Time.”

 

New Geico Campaign – Paul Tracy Indy Car Racer

I shot this for Geico a few weeks ago in the DC area of Indy car racer Paul Tracy. The challenge was accomplishing this shoot without a vehicle when the rest of the ads had them. We shot in a garage in Northern Virginia. I focused on surface and lighting to emphasize content.  I applied some slight desaturation in post-production and contrast to give it a “moody” look.

More photos after the break…

Teaser…Something For You Movie Car Buffs Out There

A sneak peek from a shoot I just did in Los Angeles yesterday. Can you car movie buffs guess what this is? The “awesome” answer coming soon!

My Book Cover Photoshoot with Sportscaster James Brown

Shot this in January in New York City on the actual set of the NFL pre-game show. The funny thing is we only had a short amount of time to take photos because we were shooting in-between breaks of the TV show. After the shoot, I got to watch the last Pittsburg Steelers playoff game in the CBS sports “green room” with James Brown, Coach Bill Cowher, and Dan Marino. What an awesome experience!

James Brown is one of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever met and I look forward to actually having a chance to read the book!

 

Obviously we had to get a photo on set!

 

Watching the Steelers playoff game

 

 

More info about the book: HERE

Some of My Talented Photography Friends

Happy Monday everyone! Sorry, for the lack of updates, I have been out of the country doing some fun photoshoots.  Will be posting a lot of new content this week. Also, the new blog is almost ready!

 In the meantime, check out the photography sites of my good friends:

• Michael Turek – An amazing international lifestyle photographer and my old college roommate at R.I.T. You may have seen his work in publications like Vogue Magazine and Conde Nast Traveller - http://turekphotography.com/

• Gabriel Scindian – A self-taught U.S. Marine that creates absolutely unique fashion imagery like you have never seen before (unless you have been to his site before). Gabriel is also responsible for that great portrait of me in the recent Young and the Guest List article (D.C.’s most influential under 40 list) and my black and white headshot on my website. - http://www.gabrielscindian.com/

• Melissa Dawn Keith – Creates some fantastic images of food and still-life and another good friend and classmate from my R.I.T. days  - http://www.melissadawnkeith.com/

Geico Advertising Endurocross Photoshoot – Behind the Scenes Video

Here is a behind-the-scenes video from a recent photoshoot I did for Geico to be used for some new print and web marketing campaigns.  I got to play with some awesome off-road motorcycles and ATV’s in Florida earlier this Spring. Hope you like the video!

 

Fantastic Stop Motion Movie “The Long Haul”

“Photo and motion commit to a long life together in a movie made from 4000 great pictures and…

3 x pimped out stills cameras
2000 square feet of studio
11 x Obama lovers
2 x Producers with whips
450 kg of props
360 degrees of dolly track
15 hours of makeup
1 x clip on rat tail
2 x actors standing still for 22 hrs
1 x grown woman wearing a child sized dragon outfit
1 x 72 hr work work day
1 x “Bapapa” song

See the website at THELONGHAUL.ca for more information, download and insight.”

The “Photographer’s Survival Guide” – A Career Guide for Photographers

You may have remembered my previous post on this book HERE. Well, the book has finally come out and can be ordered from amazon HERE! You should pick up the book for solid career development advice. See my previous post for more information.

“Practical, real-world advice for commercial photographers. At last, a down-to-earth, no-nonsense guide that provides guidance and tools for all levels of photographers—from those just starting out to those who want to move to the next level. Turn to this book for ready-to-use guidance on navigating the ins and outs of the industry…”

Some of my marketing material discussed in the book

 

To order their book, click here => The Photographer’s Survival Guide: How to Build and Grow a Successful Business

What’s in my travel lighting case? Tips from a traveling commercial photographer

Happy Monday to everyone. Hope it’s a good start to your week!

Many have asked for awhile, what is in my lighting case? Well, the time has come! Here you go:

• 2 x White Lightning x3200 strobes (1320/330 true Ws,3200/800 effective Ws, 56,000/14,000 Ls)
• 2x White Lightning x1600 strobes (660/165 true Ws, 1600/400 effective Ws, 28,000/7,000 Ls)
• 4 White Lightning power cables
• 2 Barn doors
• 4 x X-Series 7-inch reflectors
• 2 Photoflex softbox speedrings
• Honeycomb grids as needed
• 2 dark extension cables (less chance of reflecting in an image)
• 1 8-plug power strip
• Multi-colored strobe gels
• Extra AA batteries
• 4 x PocketWizard Plus II Transceivers & extra connector cables

Let me know if you have any questions!

Coming soon: “What’s in my stand/softbox bag?”

Review: Pelican 1650 Case, My Strobe Travel Case

 

 

my well-worn 1650

 

You worried about how to appropriately fly/travel with your strobes without them getting smashed? Try a Pelican hard case!

As some of you may know, I live my life on the road (mainly in and out of airports and aircraft). My gear takes a beating and flies hundreds of thousands of miles.  I travel with a variety of cases and bags for my cameras, laptop, stands, and softboxes, but I chose the Pelican 1650 to carry my 4 primary White Lightning strobes (I will discuss what gear I travel with on another blog).

 

My lighting case has probably travelled about 200,000 miles and has the scars to prove it...

My 1650 is the case that probably sees the most action (aka. abuse) because it is the heaviest, and it gets checked-in at the airport the most often.  It has seen a wide-variety of climates (deserts to snow storms) and my gear has always survived (not including the clumsy fingers of airport baggage inspectors dropping lights when they inspect them outside of the case).

My 1650 with the padded-insert and lid organizer options

Most Pelican cases come with a foam core insert. You break/cut away the foam to the shape of the gear you intend to store in the case. I personally find that annoying, especially since you will always upgrade your great over time. For a little more money, I opted for the padded divider insert option as seen in the photo above.  You can order that option for just about any larger pelican case. It makes it easy to reconfigure your case layout, especially if you are carrying a lot of gear. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.  Also, make sure to pick up a lid organizer. You never can have too many pockets to keep extra cables, batteries, gels, etc.

Pelican’s Guarantee:

“You break it, we replace it… forever.

Pelican guarantees its products for a lifetime against breakage or defects in workmanship. Pelican cases are guaranteed to be watertight to a depth of 3 feet for 30 minutes (IP 67) unless otherwise stated if properly closed with undamaged o-ring in place. Pelican’s liability is limited to the case and not its contents. This guarantee does not cover the lamp or batteries (rechargeable or alkaline) for lights. Any liability, either expressed or implied, is limited to replacement of the product. This guarantee is void if the Pelican™ product has been abused beyond normal and sensible wear and tear. This guarantee does not cover shark bite, bear attack or damage caused by children under five.”

With a guarantee like that,  you know their cases are tough!  Even though I recommend you purchase a Pelican case from a reputable dealer, you may find some great deals on Ebay.  Pelican offers a wide-variety of cases for your needs, but I suggest not going any larger than the 1650 if you plan on flying with your gear. My case (filled) weighs in about 70 lbs, which is the limit for domestic airlines before they start charging you crazy fees. Besides! Do you know how annoying it is to lift a 70 + lbs case in and out of your car?

Pelican also offers a custom 3-line name plate that you can order for your case. It is attached rock-solid with adhesive.

 

Below are some links to pick up a 1650 for yourself, but I would suggest going into a camera store and seeing what size works for you best. Remember not to go overboard with a case too big for you! :

• The Pelican 1650 with the padded dividers

• Optional lid organizer for the 1650

• Combination lock for your new Pelican case that is TSA safe (TSA won’t have to cut the lock off if you check your bag)

Vote for me on the 2009 Photoblog Awards!

If you have a moment, click the image below and vote for this photography blog. The more votes, the more support and content that will come here! Thanks!

 

Snowball the dancing Cockatoo thanks you with a music treat: