The Ballad of Johnny Pete

A close friend of mine in NYC has been requesting prints of my fine art photography. For some time now, actually. Since her birthday is approaching, I felt it best to post some of my artwork online for easy browsing. I also thought it best to post some digital scans that I pulled from found object slides that I discovered while shooting a photo series in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina wrecked the landscape. Arranged in sequence -though the found object slides did not belong to the same person- the series is called "The Ballad of Johnny Pete." The images are open for you own interpretation. Enjoy some found object vitamins for your optic nerves!

A Place in the Clouds

I can't stop looking at the spread Ken Hayden has in this month's Architectural Digest. Ken shot the principal photography for the article back in March, and I cranked out the photoshop editing within that week. It was a great shoot to work on and Ken's images make the apartment look amazing -and I was there. I remember how stunning the apartment is!

Jennifer Post also did some fantastic work with the Miami Beach high-rise apartment featured in the article and Ken's images show it. The photos make me want to take a looong vacation back to Miami. If they don't do the same for you then we need to talk, mon ami.

Now if there was only an easy way to continue working for Ken all the way out here in Seattle... I'm open to ideas and suggestions!

Because a Diamond is Forever

Call this a cautionary tale. Going through some old text messages the other day, I found this gem (I guess the pun was intended) of a picture message I sent out back in March. While assisting Ken Hayden on an architectural shoot, I found the following picture in an old magazine jewelry ad:

Now, just because a diamond is forever doesn't mean you throw in a poorly placed lens flare. This isn't a JJ Abrams movie. Why, oh why, did they place a lens flare on her right hand? It looks very.... suggestive. To say the least. I do think that this is my favorite jewelry ad in the world. I wish I could say who the ad was for. Perhaps De Beers? I don't know. But this goes to show that adding unnecessary special effects just for the sake of doing so doesn't always produce the desired result. Chalk up another cautionary tale for the blog. :D

Patriotism Starts Best Young

I couldn't resist the opportunity today for another photo shoot with Ophelia. She is the cutest, calmest and most photogenic baby. If I had time to post all the pictures we've taken of her... I doubt there's space on the internet for all of them! The other day our neighbors stopped to visit and gave us a wonderful present -a patriotic outfit that our Baby Spoon happens to be wearing today. Today being the Fourth of July, I threw another quick little setup together to make the most of my free time before going out to celebrate the holiday with relatives. When you toss a happy baby, an oversized American flag, and a patient father together into a photo shoot... this is what you get. Enjoy! And have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

To Sarah and Jeremy: Happy Anniversary!

This time last year I was experiencing Seattle for the first time thanks to my friends Sarah and Jeremy Vanderpool. They were married on July 4th last year at Shilshole Bay Beach Club. Whew. That place was a mouthful to pronounce then, and is still a mouthful now. Happily enough, Sarah and Jeremy are already proud parents! Their son Keegan was born on May 23rd. He's been keeping his Mommy and Daddy occupied and busy since then. Maybe someday he and Ophelia can have a play date together.

In honor of the Vanderpool's first anniversary, I'm posting some of the highlights from their wedding last year. Sarah and Jeremy, happy anniversary! I hope you two pass the holiday in more style this year than you did last year. Here's some nuptial vitamins for those firework-strained optic nerves. Enjoy!

Sarah and Jeremy had their "First Look" at Golden Gardens park. The entire day was coordinated by Merry Beth Turpin, from Aisle of View wedding consulting, and went very smoothly!
The weather was beautiful that day -a Seattle rarity- and we were able to get some great photos!
Sarah's bouquet was stunning and she looked amazing in her wedding dress.
The ceremony was held on the outside patio at Shilshole BBC and went very smoothly, thanks in part to the good weather and more importantly from the great planning by Merry Beth Turpin!
I was able to steal Sarah and Jeremy for a romantic shoot in the bay during the dinner hour, but we had to hurry to make the most of the fading light!

Here we all are at the end of the night! It was a fabulous wedding, definitely one to remember!

Other Film News

Thanks to Natalie, it occurred to me that I should throw a shout out to an old friend that I caught up with on the phone while driving back from Spaceship Terror the other day. Maurice Davis, founder and president of Maurice Davis Films, is currently producing a film titled Down Home. Written by Gena Ellis, this film has a great cast and will soon be green-lit to go into production. Maurice clued me into his new website -mauricedavisfilms.com- and the splash page features a production still that I shot almost ten years ago on a film of his that we worked on together.

It's a great compliment to have my photography held in such high regard that it is still being used to this day. I wish all the best for Maurice as he completes the pre-production for his film, and hope that our schedules align so that I can be included on yet another project of his. We'll see, won't we?

Still Alive on Spaceship Terror.. for now!

Well, this week has been a busy one indeed. Right on the heels of shooting Riverpool at Fuel last night, I spent today shooting film stills for Spaceship Terror -the sci-fi slasher being produced by HarWen Productions. Again, due to contractual obligations, I can't post any of the stills until after the film's distribution. I wish that I could. I've been getting a lot of great images on set. What I can do is put up a pic of our on-set kitty, victorious with her kill. I wonder if the image is somewhat prescient for the characters within the film. Who knows! Tomorrow I go back for another full day of mayhem and horror for the hapless crew of Spaceship Terror! Wish them luck!

Riverpool @ Fuel

Well, folks, it's late. But I promised some photos of Riverpool, so here they are. Vitamins for your optic nerves. Be sure to catch them next time they're in town, they put on a great show! Carey Thomas, the lead singer, can crank out the vocals. The band's raw energy is matched by his own. The guys played a few new songs tonight, testing material for their upcoming album. It was awesome. With Justin Ankenman and Chris Halleck flanking Carey, Matt Arnits is poised behind to deliver that final auditory blow. The further Riverpool's set progressed, the better I was able to capture some great images of the guys playing some rockin' music. Fuel got rocked tonight. Riverpool play next at the Tonic, down in Portland. See you there!

Building a Fan Base

So I set up a fan page on Facebook to further promote my photography and the blog. Feel free to follow the link to see the various albums and styles of my photography. I'm excited to promote via Facebook since it allows me to post images that I have shot in the past, whereas I generally use the blog to update with current images.

Earlier tonight I shot Riverpool playing a show at Fuel in downtown Seattle. I literally just got back. Uploading the pics to the computer right now. Riverpool had a great raw energy and were good performers too. I can't wait to start editing the photos. I'll definitely put some pics of Riverpool up sometime tonight.

Enjoy the vitamins for your optic nerves when I do. Posting them soon. :D

My 'Lucky' Day

So on a different topic, some of my Recognoscere images will be on display in Wallingford today. The Lucky 7 Barber Salon will be showcasing my images. It's a nice step away from focusing on the fashion promoting -which I love shooting- and dealing in the fine art arena of my photography -which I also love shooting. Here are the images that I am putting up on display:

Ophelia's Rose

Today Natalie and I set up a fun newborn photography shoot with Ophelia. I've been wanting to do a few things with some of the roses from the bushes around the house, since Rose is the middle name of her aunt Nadia -my sister, who happens to share a birthday with Miss Opal. Here's the product of our afternoon effort. Enjoy!

This was one of our first attempts. Ophelia didn't seem to like the comfy blanket, so we switched to a black felt cloth instead. 
And with that small change, our little Baby Spoon was out like a light. She seems so peaceful...
Can you tell we started to get ambitious once we realized she was sound asleep?
Ophelia definitely will not lack for pictures being taken of her growing up. I believe we've shot something with her every day since she joined our lives. Ah, the perils of having photographers for parents...
My, my, how cute. Someone shows a little love for her Daddy on his birthday. How sweet!
Yes indeed, nothing better than having a fun little shoot with my fun little pumkin on my birthday. An afternoon well spent!

Earning Residuals in Eastern Europe

One of the reasons that I always try to watermark my images is due to a story that I stumbled upon thanks to Sheryll, another friend in the photog business. She posted it on her Facebook -as did I- but I felt like posting it up on the blog. The news has broken world-wide about a Missouri family's Christmas card photo being used in promo ads in the Czech Republic. Take a look at the images for yourself:

The original Christmas card photo above, as posted on the family blog.
And this is what a college friend discovered while traveling through Prague:

The Associated Press article says it best. I'll let this quoted piece from their article sum up my feelings on the matter:

The Smiths and photographer Gina Kelly hadn't authorized anyone to use the pictures. Kelly said she has asked a professional photographers' organization to help figure out how her image wound up in Prague.

Smith has gotten 180,000 hits to her Web site since she recently posted the story about the well-traveled snapshot. She said the photo wasn't used in an unseemly manner, it was just used to tell potential shoppers about the store's delivery service.

Smith said next time she posts a photo on the Internet, she's going to lower the resolution or add an electronic watermark to make it hard to reproduce.

"This story doesn't frighten me, but the potential frightens me," Smith said.

So the moral of the story is protect your images. There is no clue as to where they may end up being used. After all, in a situation like this how does one go about beginning to earn residuals in Eastern Europe?

A Family Matter

I love being a Dad. It's the best because I get moments to shoot great photos like this one here.This past weekend we went to the Salish Lodge & Spa. It was a much-needed mini-vacation and we enjoyed ourselves. Now that we're home again, I'll be posting some images of the great waterfall that was right outside our room. So hang on to your pants, more vitamins for your optic nerves are on their way!

Aidan and family milestones

In the crazy rush of my own fatherhood, I forgot about an important milestone for one of my younger brother's. Aidan, my brother Matt's 1-year old son, took his first steps today! The last time that I saw the little guy was during my Eight-day a week trek from Miami to Seattle. My family had a celebration for his first birthday at a local park in Louisville, KY. Aidan is a very happy baby, and my family adores spending time with him. The little guy had quite the turn-out for his first birthday, plus an uncle photographer ready to shoot pics of the entire event. Here are some of the highlights from Aidan's special day:

You can easily see here how Aidan feels about paparazzi invading his space! Haha, it's actually Kat, his Mommy, angling for a good photo.
What everyone loves about Aidan is the little guy's personality. You can catch a glimpse of it here.

Although I don't have a good photo of Matt pushing Aidan on the swing, I do have this picture instead. Being in the swing was a highlight for Aidan's birthday party.

Here's a great shot of Kat pretending to be in the movie Up. 

Xander, one of my other nephews, teamed up with me for a few photos by the tree.
Here's Xander doing his best to get up into the tree. 

 One of my secret talents is finding four-leaf clovers. I found one for Aidan, but he tried to eat it. So I gave it to his Mommy for safekeeping.And this is one of the final shots I have of the birthday boy. He won't be needing this stroller for much longer now that he can walk! As excited as I am over my daughter's milestones in her new life, it's just as great to hear about those being reached by my nephews.

Branching out onto Youtube

So these days it's usually the later hours that I've been able to find time to do any kind of work, now that Ophelia is a permanent resident in our home. Our schedules have been uprooted and now our entire focus is on our beautiful daughter. With that in mind, I try my best to grab some editing time around midnight -when Natalie and Ophelia are both grabbing some sleep between nursing times.

One of the projects that I've been slowly putting together are photo slideshows. I've done a few of them in the past, but recently realized that posting these videos on Youtube is a great way to further market my photography. Since I have yet to finish any videos -being a new father and all- I thought to post this satirical Youtube video about Creative-Client relationships placed in real world situations: 

In Miami, I worked for many other photographers whom dealt with the exact behaviour that this video exposes. Earning a living as a creative can be a brutal and tough business, especially when dealing with clients like the ones in the video. Thankfully, there are people who do value the effort a creative artist puts into his/her work. They are the people that make working as a creative the fun and fantastic job that it is.

Like I said, I'm still working on my own Youtube videos/slideshows. I'll post them as soon as I can. Until then, you'll have to wait for your weekly dosage of vitamins for your optic nerves. :D

"Celebrating the Arts in Full Bloom" Art Festival

On a different note than the posts from yesterday, I wanted to mention that I've been selected to participate in an art festival here in Tacoma. The festival is called "Celebrating the Arts in Full Bloom." It's being displayed this Saturday at the Tacoma Stake Center, one of the many LDS churches in the area, roughly between the Tacoma Community College and the Highlands Golf Course. If you can, I encourage you to attend. The program runs from 10 am til 8 pm and features fine art, music, performing and literary arts of local LDS artists.

I have two pieces of my fine art photography that I will be showing. One image is a popular favorite from the post-Katrina series that I did in Mississippi, another is from my travels abroad in France during the summer I lived in Europe. Both images demonstrate the different mediums of photography that I am adept at -film and digital. They are fine examples of my creative work. The festival coordinator has praised my photography as "adding another dimension" to the exhibit and with everything else that is in the program, I'm happy for the accolades. So be sure to make plans and attend! It's an all-day event!

Harwen Productions Sci-fi Slasher Recap

So the final verdict of the shoot today is that it was a success. Things began slowly, as is the case with most film shoots. The first scene is always one of the longest ones to take care of. While make-up and camera equipment was prepared, I did my thing and shot plenty of stills. I really wish I could post everything that I shot, but copyright prevents me from doing so. At least until I can arrange something with Harwen Productions. Until then, hope you enjoy a few pics of the cast. Unleash those optic nerves, here there be vitamins to drink.

Three of the cast members -Jenni, Kristin and Yuliya- strike a pose for the camera. These girls definitely had to glam things up after spending the day in futuristic spaceship costumes.
And here is the entire cast for Spaceship Terror: Emily, Kristin, Lacey, Steve, Jenni, Rhonda and Yuliya. The relief on their faces is because they can finally go home after a near 10-hour workday!
For enders, everyone goes for the goof pose. Ya gotta shake off that terror somehow, right? Or am I right?