Getting ready for Ms. Lizette

Alex applying Lizette's make up.

I had my doubts when Lizette and I first put together the fabric choices for this shoot. The patterns and color choices were quite out there, at least for my taste. I usually don't set anything up before the day of the shoot but felt it necessary for this one. Once we hung up the backdrop and nailed down the floor fabric, my doubts disappeared quickly.

This shoot was a true team effort. Lizette approached me a while back to see if I was interested in doing a "pin up" inspired shoot. I first wasn't totally sure because bright colors/crazy patterns and generally flatter lighting is not really my thing. But it's good to challenge yourself to do different things and we ended up making this a trade. Lizette is a very talented illustrator (she's a concept artist at Blue Sky Studios) so I told her I'll do a shoot for her if she in return would make me an original piece of art work. Over the next months we were in constant contact talking about things that might work and finding props and fabrics (Ebay was a big contributor)... Lizette really did pretty much all of the prep work on this shoot. She found some awesome stuff (like the record player, phone, table......).

Alex working on fake tattoos.

If you know Lizette in person, you know that she is not like the bad ass rockabilly chick in the image which made the shoot so much more amusing to me. For one she doesn't have any tattoos and she usually does not wear much make up. I can't describe the amount of make up that was applied for this shoot, it must have been a nightmare washing it off. It was great working with someone like her who is willing to come out of her shell a bit. Alex as always did an awesome job with hair and make up.

Something different.

Saturday I got to check out some exhibits in the city. I was so inspired that I spent the next 24 hours drawing. I miss drawing. This is the first drawing I have done on paper in about 2 years which is crazy. I used to draw all the time but now-a-days it's hard finding the time and for me, if I don't keep up with drawing I get real rusty. This was done on water color paper with India Ink and Micron Pens.

Courting Condi

I would like to share the accomplishment of my good/old friend Robert Morris. He was the VFX Supervisor and Co-Producer on the film "Courting Condi" which has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Performance at the 2008 Orlando Film Festival. I'm super happy for Robert. I've always admired his ambition and talent and it's nice to see that he's getting recognition for his work (not that this is the first time). I like that Robert is not one of those people who just talks about doing something he actually follows through on things which I find is kind of a rare quality these days.

Anyway, check out the trailer...... www.courtingcondi.com and then go check out the movie, I believe it's coming out next week. Congrats Robert.

Monkeys, Tequila & Cigarettes

Model: The Amazing Ms. Jane
Hair & Make Up: Alexandra Jackson

Jane, Jane, Jane........ I love photographing Jane. From talking to other photographers I have found that everyone has one person they particularly enjoy photographing. A muse of some sorts, someone that not only clicks well with you but also fits your style. Jane is that for me. She fits my style perfectly, gets my directions and again, I'm always amazed at how different she looks once I bring her into my world. Alex did a great job with hair and make up she created exactly what I had in my mind.

The day started off as a bit of a disaster. I wanted those pointe ballet shoes and the plan was to go buy a used pair while Alex was doing Janes hair. I jumped in a cab only to get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic with no way to cross over to the westside do to a damn parade. Seriously it's like whenever i'm in a major rush there's a parade...... Anyway, I got out and ran over to the store only to find it was closed for construction. I ended up finding point shoes at another place but it was a hassle. When I got back I still had to staple on the ribons and spray paint them black because they only come in pink.

Anyway...... monkeys, tequila and cigarettes...... I believe that sums up this last shoot.

Jane Part Deux

Model: Jane
Hair & Make Up: Alexandra Jackson

This was shot in the elevator in Harlem. The elevator is normally locked up. When I saw it was open I knew I wanted to take a few shots in there. Jane was a tad nervous about getting in that old, rattly elevator but was a good sport as always. Lighting was a bit of a challenge because it is rather dark in that hallway and I only had a very limited amount of space. After a few tests I decided to stick with the lens flare effect.

Home Sweet Home

I got to spend a few days at home on our alp. Every time I go home I forget just how amazing it is. I usually visit in August because it gets cold in October...... and cold it was. I decided to hike up to the Sandhubel Mountain. The Sandhubel is about 2800m above sea level, it's quite a hike, takes about 4 hours one way. I used to run around in that area when I was a kid. For some stupid reason I opted for bringing all my camera equipment. I definitely had too much crap with me, my shoulders were killing me as I was climbing up.

You can usually count on crossing paths with a fair amount of animals. Groundhogs, mountain goats and capricorn are generally in that area. This time, I'm guessing because it was late in the season, I saw nothing. I hiked all day and didn't see any animals (besides some birds) and as usual no people at all. It's pretty amazing to just spend an entire day outdoors in this scenery all by yourself. Kind of feels like being on another planet. I love the isolation.

The problem with photographing these kind of places is that you often simply don't get a true sense of the scale nor how steep some of the places are (unless you have a foreground object to reference). But I like how textural and almost abstract these landscapes can become.

The house on the lower left used to be a diary farm.



The white and red paint on the rock is what tells you that you're still heading in the right direction. Sometimes the markers are spaced pretty far apart which I would think could be confusing to hikers.



Since I dragged my damn tripod all the way up I figured I may as well use it for at least one shot. Me.


The colors are so odd........ the purple in the back and the green rocks but this is the way it looks. Sigh.....wish I was there right now.

International Photography Awards 2008

I just found out I won second place in the 2008 International Photography Awards for one of my photographs (Non-Pro/Fine Arts/Portraits category). My image will be printed in their annual book. I also received 7 honorable mentions for some of my other work.

Big THANK YOU to Ella Bella, Jane, Jacqueline, Philip and Alexandra (hair&make up -Madame Jane, Jacqueline) for being part of my recognized work!


2nd place - "Peacock Girl" -Non-Pro/Fine Art/Portraits