Derby time in Louisville, KY is crazy. Local fashion is at a peak and its a busy time for everyone in the industry. I usually don’t blog about anything other then my concept work, but this shoot was exception. I won’t go into detail like many of my other shoots, but I’ll tell the story the best I know how.
Fitz Fitzgerald is a well known clothing stylist in Louisville and when he approached me about shooting for The Voice Tribune, a local publication. I was more then honored to take on the job. It all came together very quickly.
I was pleased to find out that Ashley Smith, who had been one of my “GAGA girls”, would be the female model. Having a familiar face on the team really made the experience that much better.
Everything had been setup beforehand. 21C Museum & Hotel was the confirmed location and in the back of my mind I thought “Man, this is wild. No scouting, no phone calls, just showing up and shooting”. Which is exactly what happened.
When I arrived, I met the crew and Fitz was preparing the looks. While we waited for hair/makeup, I went around and scouted some areas in the building. It was my first time in 21C and its a pretty cool place. Although, I had seen many shots in the museum before, it was exciting finally get to take advantage of the artistic and contemporary place that it is.
I wanted these images to be stunning and worthy of publication. Quietly in my head I scanned through the knowledge I had learned over the past year and decided to experiment with some kicker lights. I really wanted a slick commercial feel, but with a taste of angelic drama and high-fashion. I wanted light everywhere, but I didn’t necessarily have the lights to do it. With some quick testing, I ended up with a cross light setup for all the indoor looks.
We started in the back gallery hallway. A more casual look, but very Derby-esque. Things moved quickly! I had never been apart of a shoot where I was simply the photographer and the creative director was at the helm. I always give direction to the model behind the lens and I did, but in this instance most of the direction came from Fitz, which really took some pressure off.
Because we were pursuing a certain look, Ashley didn’t have the freedoms like she did on the GAGA shoot, but she nailed it and gave off an impressive performance. Mike Edwards a 6’6” UofL high jumper, really didn’t have to do anything but look cool and that is exactly what he did. We blasted through the set and within 20 minutes, the models were onto the next look. We would head outside.
It just so happened that a white Mercedes had been rented for a couple staying at the hotel and it was parked directly outside the front entrance. We took full advantage of this. Fitz posed Ashley and Mike on the side of the car and I setup one light and bounced the sun with a reflector. Snap, snap, snap, done. Onto the next look. Yes, it was that quick.
Hair and makeup would have to be changed so I had sometime to experiment. The next image was a formal “Barnstable Browns” look and would be shot on the long metal steps down from the hotel to the museum. Thankfully, my light stand from “Cheetah Stand” raises to a towering 12 feet and I could really get some great exposure on the models faces. I decided to stick a kicker light at the top of the steps for a nice rim light. Then I placed my high-velocity “model” fan at the bottom of the steps. I tooled around for about 30 minutes and keyed in my light. I was confident in this setup.
When Ashley and Mike gained their composure on the steps, we turned on the fan and Ashley’s dress flew up as if being suspended in air, I think I heard a few “ooooh’s” and “ahhhh’s” from the crew. I sprayed the shutter hoping for the perfect shot. At some point during the set, I knew I had nailed it. I showed everyone several of the captures and walked back to the dressing room. Energy was high and I was damp with sweat from all the commotion.
That was it. Show was over. I packed up, threw all the gear in my car, cranked the A/C and took a deep breath. I felt like I had accomplished something great and didn’t come down until the next day.
Even though post processing is essential to any publicized work, once I imported the photos, I was proud that I really captured what I originally sought out to capture. Bringing a vision to life with little to no post processing is always and will always be a major goal for me as a photographer.
Thanks to The Voice Tribune, 21C Museum & Hotel, Fitz Fitzgerald, Ashley Smith, Mike Edwards, Diana E Ray and AJ Brock. Cheers to Derby 2012.
Even though many locals of Louisville, Kentucky dislike the tourist atmosphere of 4th Street Live, I’ve always been one to have an absolute blast in clubs like Angel’s Rockbar and Hotel(now Mosaic). For those that have no clue what I’m speaking of, 4th Street Live is a mall of clubs and restaurants, like the comedy club The Improv and restaurants like the Hard Rock Cafe. Try and go down there on Derby or New Years and it’s shoulder to shoulder.
Ever since I started photography, I sought an interest in shooting in the club Angel’s Rockbar. It’s a “rock” club that has contemporary seating, great lines and an ultramodern VIP section. When “GAGA - A Portrait Series” came around, I knew Rockbar had “The Edge Of Glory” written all over it. Even though “The Edge Of Glory” video took place mostly in a fire escape, I could draw from several other videos like “Marry The Night” and “Pokerface”. Conveniently enough, a longtime friend of mine, Andy Paul, ran the VIP area for Angel’s Rockbar, within a few conversations and calls, I had the place locked.
Sarah Klensch was one of the first models I signed on. January 3rd, 2012 I received a message on Model Mayhem inquiring about my work. Browsing through her portfolio, I noticed she had worked with friend and photographer Lana Wilson. After some quick conversation and a couple weeks passing, I asked her to be apart of the series.
Scheduling “Edge” was hell. I felt bad for Sarah when we had to re-schedule her shoot and bump her on several occasions. I had to work with Andy on the dates and since Angel’s Rockbar was corporately operated, things had to be by the book. When I was finally able to lock down a date with Micah and Sarah, it would be the day after the one of the biggest games in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Louisville vs. Kentucky. Rockbar was a no go.
So… plan B. But, I had no plan B. I racked my brain and came up with several ideas. Made the calls and most of the ideas fell through. However, I was able to land the Melwood Arts Center, thanks to a friend who would let me use his studios name for permission. The entire shoot would take place outside and on the buildings roof.
Day of shoot. I awoke to thunderstorms and the shoot had to be cancelled. I didn’t feel safe directing a model in heels up a wet fire escape and on a roof with possible lighting. In the back of my mind I thought, will “The Edge Of Glory” ever see the light of day?
By Tuesday we had managed to clear our schedules and book the shoot for the following weekend. This time at our original location Angel’s Rockbar. It was finally happening the way we had imagined and “Edge” was to become the final song in the entire series, which I felt was fitting.
During our shopping escapade at the downtown thrift store for “Love Game” we managed to pick up a few pieces for “Edge” which I couldn’t of been more happy about. Black bathing suit and gold chain belt. We would gather inspiration from the “Marry The Night” video and use a bedazzled jean jacket to complete the outfit. Our vision was finally coming together and I was excited to share with Sarah what we had in store.
Friday, I decided to take some of my tax return and hit Wal-Mart for some items that I’ve been needing for sometime. Duct tape, a high-velocity fan, extension cord reels, and emergency blankets. Yes, emergency blankets. Hold that thought, we will return to this later.
Saturday, I was feeling great about the shoot. Location was locked in, Sarah and Micah were on the way and even though it was raining, I didn’t have to worry about the weather.
The hair/makeup transformation would begin and by the time of completion it quickly became my favorite from the entire series. Micah brought it to my attention that I’ve made that statement after every look is complete, but this time it was different. Sarah actually looked like Lady Gaga herself. The mint lipstick just brought everything together. I never knew I would get so excited over a woman’s makeup, guess its all part of the natural progression into the world of fashion.
We loaded up the car and headed down to 4th Street Live. We were a bit early so I decided to start at the top of the 4th street parking garage which I had scouted the night before. The rain has seized and the overcast sky would be perfect for the ominous ”New York City” feel.
Sarah had little experience in modeling and hadn’t done much in the field of high fashion. This was new ground, but once her groove was found, she popped off poses and fierce expressions that require some serious talent. She held poses and followed direction with pause. She was brave enough to sit on the side of a 12 story parking garage if that says anything about her will. It was refreshing to work with new talent and it truly felt like a team. Micah had been a great assistant in posing the models throughout the process. We had to think like the fashion icon and a normal question asked would be “What would GAGA do?”.
Once nailed the set on the top of the garage we headed back inside to Rockbar. When I first arrived I was a bit overwhelmed, but I had visited Rockbar the night before to plan out my sets, so I was prepared. We started in the long red staircase.
Because there was no break in the steps lighting the staircase sets properly was tough. I had trouble working in my light and after 10 minutes of shooting I still wasn’t happy. But like Sarah, I had to find my groove. I pulled off my strobe transmitter, I relied on the natural chandelier light. I had to crank my cameras ISO, but the results we’re finally there. I eventually used a diffused speedlight for just the right amount of fill light where I could see dramatic results.
We banged out the staircase steps and moved upstairs to the long wall of white couches and then to the VIP cabana’s draped in red curtains. Since the birth of the “GAGA - A Portrait Series”, one image had stuck in my head, I didn’t know what song it would be for nor did I really care, I just needed to capture it. That being, a bright kicker light through the red curtains and the model standing with a fist in the air. My first vision was to create a silhouette, but after I had setup all my lights, the image was too awesome to change. About 10 minutes into the set I asked Sarah to raise her hand in a fist and output a powerful and solemn expression. That capture was to become the last image in the entire series, displaying prestige and beautiful confidence.
Back to the emergency blanket. I wanted to shoot against something bright, shimmery and silver. My first instinct was to look for backdrops for studio use, but then I randomly thought of my old wilderness survival books, insert the $3 emergency blanket. Once crumbled up, the foil texture would throw reflect light everywhere. So for the last set, we hung up the blanket on the large white couch and I had Sarah step 10 feet in front of it. I sprayed a ABR800 ringflash on full power to the side of the blanket and a beauty dish 45 degrees camera right. Results were almost there. I turned my 70-200 lens to 155mm and stood way back. Snapped the shot, within several captures we had it. The emergency blanket gleamed almost like a wall of sparkling lights and I was a happy man.
Just like that, we wrapped the entire portrait series.
I have so many people to thank, it deserves its own wrap-up blog post, which I will be posting within the next couple of weeks when this entire project comes full circle.
After leaving Rockbar, we arrived back to my home, I gave Micah a hug and cracked a Stella Artois in celebration. I sat down to edit the images from the day and thought to myself, well, what’s next?
At some point early in December on a crisp Saturday afternoon Josh Eskridge, my assistant Chris Miske and I set out on an journey to find a trashy motel for Josh’s documentary “Exposure” and his “Evolution of Style” concept. We had met beforehand for some lunch to discuss initial plans for the documentary, but decided that a nice Saturday scouting wouldn’t be a bad idea. After driving over to Indiana and all the way over to Dixie Highway we settled on a small motel named Biff’s. The shoot can be seen in the documentary HERE.
During that scout we ended up passing a mysterious and large house, completely abandoned off the side of the road, well within viewing distance from the highway. We decided to take a gander. We rummaged through the house and took a stroll across the several acre plot of land with shacks and garages. At that moment we knew we had to take full advantage of this location and setup something. Something big.
The house was wrapped in vines and looked as if it had been flooded hundreds of times over. From the top floor you could see the Ohio river bank. On this plot of land laid the remnants of a shipping yard or place of business. A large concrete flood wall ran the course of several hundred feet and rusty oil tanks sat decaying. This place was a photographers dream.
A month passed and we had finally wrapped up the “Exposure” documentary, my “GAGA - A Portrait Series” was getting started and things were hectic, but we knew we had to get this shoot on the map. We told no one of our elementary plans and kept everything under wraps, even when casting the models.
Long before this shoot even came into the picture, I wanted to do a shoot inspired by an image from Joe McNally. A woman in a swamp holding a lantern, her mysterious expression told a thousand words and gave the impression that she was searching for something and something was missing. Influenced from that image I began brainstorming concept ideas, but kept it to myself until I could formulate a plan.
TALENT AND TEAM
Becky Patterson, a stunning tall brunette from northern Kentucky was first to join the team. Josh had done some fitness stuff with her before that I claim are some of his best pieces, so when her name was brought up, I was 100% game. I couldn’t of been more happy to have Becky on board and was excited to work with her. She was immediately in-tune with the project and really got things kicked off for us.
Conveniently enough, Sarah Terry had moved from overseas(Wales, UK) to Louisville, KY because of her husbands work, who happens to be Rob Terry, a wrestler in the TNA. She had sent Josh and I a simultaneous message on Model Mayhem inquiring for a photoshoot. When Josh and I discussed this, we decided she would be a perfect fit for this shoot. Browsing through her portfolio we noticed she exalted an elegance and boldness that we needed.
In late January I worked with Katie Justis on a cinematography project for Scooter Ray. An incredible redhead who has one of those “all eyes turn when she walks in a room” type energies. Josh happened to be on the set and I seem to think that a decision was made right then and there, her poise and charm was the final piece of the puzzle.
The models had signed on and everything came full circle when we rounded up our fashion team of Isidro Valencia and Liz Lane. I had worked with Isidro on the “Exposure” documentary so I was stoked that I finally had the opportunity to shoot images for his fiercely creative makeup. Isidro not only brings original and striking makeup to the table, but also a lovable humor that can raise morale in seconds. Liz is just a blast, I also worked with her at the “Evolution of style” shoot for “Exposure” and her work speaks for itself. She could turn a horses mane into a Diana Ross curls, color it silver and style it for Vouge. That woman knows her hair. Both artists were ecstatic to be apart of the project.
BREAKTHROUGH
February 11, 2012 we created a secret group on Facebook and set a date of March 31, 2012, right around the time my GAGA series would be coming to a close(or so I thought at the time). The ideas started flowing and I really like what I was seeing. Our original thought was to put the models in some elegant and outlandish outfits and counterbalance them with the broken down aura of the location. The closer the date became the more I began to think of the story.
It wasn’t until March 17th, that Josh and I discussed plans for the “Searcher/Specter” concept for entire back story. I always wanted to the “searcher” theme, but never had the right resources, insert the group “Epic Abandoned House Shoot”. This was the ticket. Once I brought up plans for my concept, the ideas snowballed. Josh had been wanting to do some “levitation” images, where models, through camera composting, are perceived to be floating in mid-air and he showed me several examples, perfection. Why don’t you be the what my “characters” are searching for? Souls, ghosts, etc.
SEARCHER/SPECTER
I would be representing the “light” or “searcher” side, a more natural beautiful look, warm colors and graceful posing. While Josh would be the “dark” or “specter” side, a more edgy, contrasted counterpoise with restless lines.
Not only would it be a great narrative through imagery, but also a great way to cross promote each others work. An 100% team collaborative effort and something that Louisville fashion industry had never seen. Many photographers and models in this industry are out to get each other and knock people down to get to the top. What I’ve learned from my days in music is that only team work and keeping solid relationships alive and rich can get you where you need to go. This was a true example of how professionals working together can create a wonderful body of work.
My style is dark, I like shooting in the dark and creating a very dramatic ambiance. So this was the perfect excuse to really challenge myself and forget the 2 light setup and settle for the reflector.
EXECUTION
I pretty much packed up every single prop and piece of gear I owned. Hair and makeup started at 10am, the energy in the air was alive. It was beaming with excitement and I think everyone could feel it. It was something we had worked hard on for months and the time was now. When Liz whipped out a wal-mart bag and started making a wig on site, I was like, here we go! Then Isidro takes out a sheet of paper that had been cut up to look like Swiss cheese and started applying black makeup on top of the paper over Sarah’s face, I was floored.
We met our goal of heading out by 3pm and we packed in 4 cars and trekked out to the abandoned house. Our sets would begin by trading off models, I would begin with Katie and Josh would begin with Becky and Sarah, once Josh closed up his sets, I would begin with Becky and Sarah.
After un-loading all of our gear and getting a big stretch in, I whisked Kate and Katie away to the far end of the grounds where my infamous “concentration camp” wall gleamed. We setup shop on the outer side of the wall in a set of chest high weeds, placed one light with a diffused beauty dish, 45 degrees camera high right and popped off a few shots. Made some adjustments and ended up at 1/125, f/13, ISO 100 for the perfectly balanced shot. We borrowed a Vagabond-Mini from Josh for the flood light prop which Katie would be handling to “search” for her “specter”. We actually tried to use a fog machine but the Vagabond just didn’t have enough juice to power it. Working with Katie is always a pleasure, her posing is aesthetic and queen-like. She had a scorching hot flood light in her hand and steamrolled through it like it was no big deal. We did 5 sets with Katie in that look, mostly natural light and a reflector. After about an hour with Katie, I browsed through the images and knew I had what I needed, Katie went right into hair/makeup to prepare her “Specter” look.
There was some downtime to change up looks which gave me the opportunity to scout around for Becky’s “Searcher” shots. At this point we had company; two teenage fellows had come around curious. They seemed almost starstruck that all this was going on in there usual hangout spot, where I’m sure they get away, drink alcohol and cause a ruckus. I think everyone was like “who are these kids”. Instead of kicking them off set or ignoring them, I ended up chatting with them and Josh put them to work! One of them had a point and shoot camera and started snapping away. It was fun to have our own little paparazzi that day.
We started Becky’s sets, like Katie, on the far end of the grounds near a broken down garage and two decrepit shacks. I gave Becky a small LED light, I needed the prop to be different from the others and but still poignant. Her posing would be the thing that made or break the imagery, so it needed to stand out. As soon as I laid out my vision, Becky was on it. Boom, Boom, Boom. Her posing was technically unique and to the point, which made for some excellent shots. Because of her fitness background and stature, she pulled off moves that many models couldn’t fathom doing. It took some time to lock in the light, I had a hard sun to work with, but I played that to my advantage using it as a kicker light. After we nailed a few small sets with Becky on the grounds, we moved into the house and concluded her session with a dramatic one light set, which I ended up scraping in post.
We stuck to a schedule and knocked it out of the park. I had a few sets to wrap up with Sarah and we were done! By this time Isidro and Kate had to say their goodbyes and hit the road for previous engagements, but the rest of the team pushed through to the end.
Once I started with Sarah Terry, I really didn’t know what all Josh had shot, all I knew that it was going to be good. I had to bring my A game with these images. We we’re losing light fast, so things we’re rushed at that point. Josh had finished up with Katie and all eyes were on me to wrap the entire shoot. We started on the top floor of the house, I had Sarah hold a $20 fake battery operated lantern I had bought from Amazon.com for a previous shoot, but had never used. The lantern was clunky and almost distracting, so the composition would have to be just right or the shot was a waste. I decided even in low light to shoot mostly all natural with no artificial flash. It went against my better judgement and did what I try to usually avoid, that is, cranking my ISO above 800. Fortunately, my camera and a decent handle on noise and we nailed some solid ambient light shots. Sarah had done this before… her portfolio had been impressive and I was sort of nervous to be shooting her. But, once we got into the groove, every shot was my favorite! She had a class and rhythm to her posing almost like a ballerina.
We moved at a fast pace and 30 minutes later we were outside setting up my last shot, at this point the sun had set, so I setup one speedlight on 1/64 power and used the little natural light I had left to score a beautiful pose which was to become my final shot of “Searcher/Specter - A Portrait Set”.
Throughout the entire evening my phone was buzzing off the hook from people partying/watching the UK vs. UL Final Four basketball game and here we are in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t care, I was high on the success of the day and couldn’t wait to roll out the images. After a quick group shot, we packed our gear back in, threw on a quick change of clothes and headed down to Wicks for some beer and pizza.
SUCCESSION
Two weeks later Josh and I met and coordinated the simultaneous image upload and rolled out the coolest collaboration I had ever done. I was very proud of what we accomplished and what I gained. I reached outside of the box and challenged myself on location and in my office to develop some outstanding work that every member of the team can be spirited about.
Thank you to the entire team for an experience I shall surely not forget.
I met Olivia sometime ago on a shoot for NFocus magazine with Lana Wilson. She is super tall, blonde and demands attention with her presence, but outputs a sweet energy. Her confidence doesn’t overtake her personality, because she is one of the most humble models I’ve ever worked with.
Olivia Ross was our backup and reinforcement. We had a lot of scheduling issues and just in case a model fell through, we had Olivia ready to rock. However, the more I spoke with Micah the more we wanted to include her in the series with her own song. It was an easy choice and it didn’t take long, after a short conversation, “Love Game” was born.
I wanted to wrap up the GAGA series in March, but with the addition of Olivia I knew we would be going into April. After tossing a couple of dates back and forth we finally landed on Monday, April 9, which gave Micah and I plenty of time to prepare. Shooting nearly every weekend for a month and a half can take its toll, time quickly passes and next thing you know you’ve got 4 days to prepare for the next song.
Micah had found a dress while shopping at a local thrift store and we decided to go shopping at lunch one day a week before the scheduled shoot. It was my first time shopping for women’s clothing and honestly was a bit awkward. Nevertheless, we ended up picking up some really cool pieces and had some great plans for the final two shoots. It really made me wonder how much shopping Gaga and her team do at the local NYC thrift stores; $2 glasses and $6 dresses. Micah quickly reminded me that all of pieces are expensive designer clothing. Even the ripped up leggings? Yes.
I wanted to shoot in Waterfront Park Place, the multi-million dollar high-rise condominiums right on the Ohio river. I had made some phone calls regarding the “Love Game” location weeks ahead, but all came to a dead end. A good friend really stepped in and tried to score a condo, but fell short about a day before the shoot. I was frantic. I had no location, it was Easter Sunday and the shoot would begin at 2:00pm the next day. After meeting about our cross promoting concept “Searcher/Specter” Josh Eskridge and I ended up driving around the town looking for random parking garages, architecture or anything that could be used for my vision. During our “adventure” I was able to gather a list of phone numbers and names of various lofts and contemporary condominiums. But it being Easter Sunday, contact would be pointless and the calls would have to be made in the morning during hair/makeup. Talk about nail biter.
I stumbled out of bed at 8am Monday morning, 2 hours before hair and makeup and immediately started making calls. I contacted 4 relaters, an engineering firm and construction company. I had seeked out Glassworks, The Ice House, ZirMed Terrace, Fleur De Lis Lofts, Waterfront Park Place(again) and finally landed The Merchantile Lofts, thanks to the kindness of Colin Underhill, the buildings management. But, we would only be able to use the foyer and game room, which was perfectly fine with me. It was 9:30 and Olivia was on her way. I had to grab a quick shower and get ready for the day.
We had some very cool plans for Olivia, but with Micah’s work schedule and mine, some elements couldn’t come together in time, so we had to improvise. Insert $20 disco ball. I had originally bought the disco ball for a simple light experimentation on the “Paparazzi” shoot, but the more we dove into that shoot the less fitting it would become, so when “Love Game” came around, I knew we had a match made in heaven. Little did I know how crucial of a role that purchase would become. Honestly, the disco ball saved the shoot!
I realized that with a small screwdriver I could pick off each individual mirror on the ball and there was still enough glue or sticky tape on the back of the mirrors to stick it onto another surface. In this case it would be some $3 sunglasses and with the help of eyelash glue, Olivia’s face. While Olivia was in hair/makeup I was picking off each mirror and sticking it onto the front of the glasses, with the help of Micah’s vision we came out with some killer GAGA glasses.
We were running a bit early so we decided to kill some time down at the waterfront fountains which was my backup location. Me being the guy that will do anything for “the shot” decided it would be amazing to have a kicker light exposing the water running down the steps of the fountain. The pool of water below said steps was a full blown mirage and when I stepped in I didn’t expect the pool to be up to my waist and I fell in the water, luckily I held my speedlight above my head, but I was soaked from chest down. While Olivia and Micah we’re laughing, I shrugged off the big time fail. Unfortunately, during this set, I made a crucial mistake. Not shooting on a tripod and getting the flowing motion blur of the water, that simple mistake led me to scrap the shots of this set entirely, even though Olivia performed flawlessly. With wet jeans and a damp shirt, we hopped down the street and began our sets at the Merchantile Lofts.
I had a vision for “Love Game”; I saw light everywhere, cool colors and punchy contrast. I wanted to do this a bit different then the others and really experiment with light. I wanted to spray light everywhere and create lens flares and orbs that was unlike anything anyone had ever seen, well that was the goal anyway.
Our first set would be against the contemporary wooden walls in the foyer. I knew my friend and photographer Joey Goldsmith had done some amazing stuff with Amelia Gandara in the Merchantile foyer sometime ago, so I wanted to be careful not to replicate his shots in anyway shape or form. I posed Olivia about two feet in front of the wall and placed the disco ball on the ground and sat a SB-600(Manual, Full Power) speedlight behind the ball with the bulb facing me. SB-800,(Manual Full Power) 45 degrees, camera high right with a softbox diffuser. My normal start settings; 1/200, f/8, ISO 200. And I clicked the shutter expecting nonsensical light everywhere and a under exposed joke.
When I looked at the back of the camera, I saw flares, orbs and a perfectly lit expression that eventually made it to the final roundup of shots. The cool white balance and milky layer that I would normally apply in post was already composed on the shot. I was pretty much floored, but gained my composure and gave myself a quiet pat on the back.
In came the reflector for more experimentation, we used it in a couple of shots, but then Micah came up with the idea to use the gold side as a garment! We draped the reflector over Olivia’s head like a hood. Seen in the BTS shot below, the back side of the reflector hung down behind the speedlight reflecting even more spherical flare and more orbs into the lens.
We rocked out 6 more sets, some with the GAGA glasses other without. I used the Paul C Buff ABR800 ringflash a lot more during these sets then any other GAGA shoot, using it off camera quite a bit. When we reached the last set in the elevator, the “less is more” mentality raised it’s hand. When the light setup I prepared just wasn’t working, I popped off the strobe transmitter, boosted the ISO and began shooting natural light. Amazingly, the results were far cooler with ambient light then I could of imagined. The overhead lights and silver reflection of the elevator doors we’re creating a perfectly dramatic exposure on Olivia’s face.
Olivia Ross was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her talent and experience are far beyond her years, a senior in high school she already has tearsheets for days and I’m super happy to of had to opportunity to work with her on this series. Her emotional expressions and classy aura reek through images and captivate the viewer, these images, without a shadow of a doubt, surely show that. She is a true professional.
We wrapped up 15 minutes before our scheduled time and we walked out with heads held high. Arriving back to my office I busted into my office and began the editing process immediately, damp jeans and all.
In the short two years time as a photographer, I’ve scanned through dozens of modeling portfolios, but no portfolio has really grabbed me more then that of model Ashley Smith. The first images in her portfolio, were from Lexington photographer Alicia Calton and then good friend of mine Lana Wilson, both amazing and stunning. I knew I had to work with Ashley. Her look was original and her slight imperfections were the stars of the show, in turn making all of her images compelling in every way.
Near the end of my “Bond Girl - A Portrait Series” I had began networking with models for future concepts. In December of 2011 I reached out to Ashley and asked her to be apart of this concept; “GAGA - A Portrait Series”.
I began every “casting call” for GAGA the same way…Are you a fan of Lady Gaga? It was very important to me that every model involved had energy and an excitement for the project, otherwise we’d have 42 dead, lifeless images. I was lucky to have approached the right models and most responded with a resounding “YES”.
Our original song Micah and I chose for Ashley was “Monster”. We had the idea of using the death tunnel in the haunted and abandoned Waverly Hills Sanatorium. But after some brief tossing and turning, we met an agreement on Alejandro, which turned out to be more perfect and more fitting then I could have ever imagined.
It just so happened to work out that during my inquires for churches in the area for ”Scheiße”, I made connections with Marjorie Dunn the event coordinator at a church-now-event-hall, The Marcus Lindsey. The place had some history and caused some local controversy by having a sign out front that read: “NOW LEASING - THE PREVIOUS OWNERS LET IT GO TO HELL”. Apparently a Louisville couple had bought the property, remodeled it into high-class contemporary lofts and turned the cathedral into an empty event hall. Sometime in February, I scheduled a meeting with Marjorie and took a tour of the event hall. The place was beautiful. Clean lines, newly furnished flooring and restored stained glass. I had to use this place, if it weren’t for GAGA, then something else down the road.
Time passed and we ran into some scheduling issues. But after some calendar “fine-tuning” we finally had our time and date for “Alejandro” locked in. After Waverly Hills Sanatorium had come to a dead end, I called up Marjorie at The Marcus Lindsey and we had our location. However, the question that perturbed me; could I pull 7 sets of photos out of this one confined event hall. The answer would prove to be yes and more.
Monday, March 26. I was completely thrilled to be working with Ashley and working in this ravishing location. The day was a beautiful 72 degrees and the sun was bright. I made a last minute decision to hit the local costume shop before the shoot with Micah as Ashley was making the 4 hour drive into Louisville. I’m a prop guy. I love props, some might think its cheesy or distracting, but I think they can sell a story, especially if your doing concept work. Fingernails, monocle, horse whip, eyelashes and a fog machine. The bill wasn’t cheap, but I knew it would be worth it.
Marjorie met us at the church before her daily meetings and opened the doors, the place was ours. The hair/makeup transformation began and I started planning out sets with my assistant Kate Gregg with Pink Door Fine Arts & Portraits. I met Kate on a workshop several months back during my infancy as a photographer. Since we’ve became friends and I really admire her hard work and ideas she brings to the table. I think we have a like-mind and appreciate the same sort of lighting. She is a great assistant to have on board.
When hair and makeup had been complete and we finagled with the wardrobe, I was infatuated with the look. Big blonde hair, long black fingernails, bold lips and sharp eyebrows. This was it, this was GAGA. I could barley contain my excitement, but me being me, kept my professional composure and we jumped right into the first set.
80-200mm lens and a reflector; those simple tools really took this shoot to an entirely different level. The ambient light coming through the colored stained glass windows and the light fog from the machine was just too amazing to shut out with a small aperture. I really used ambient light to set the scene for my shots, whether that was shooting at 2 second exposures or just using a speedlight/softbox as fill.
As soon as we hopped into the sets, I knew Ashley had done this before. She wasn’t rigid with her movement, but very calm and methodical with her posing. Her method is focused and smooth. She knows how little details can cut an edge between and good image and a great image. The turn in the hand or the slight squint in the eyes can make all the difference. Her initial poses were so GAGA, It felt like I was shooting the real deal.
“You know that I love you boy / Hot like Mexico Rejoice / At this point I’ve gotta choose / Nothing to lose”
My favorite image to come out of “Alejandro” was our third set and one of those “beautiful mistakes”. While I was struggling with light options, my assistant Kate Gregg was downstairs shooting some behind the scenes. At some point, she showed me a shot she had taken. I was blown away and had to capture it myself. So I got on the floor, setup a reflector and moved the composition a bit. 1/200, f/2.8 at 20mm, boom I had the shot in the first 30 seconds. The ambient light from the windows and the smog was just enough to give it a heavenly and ethereal feel. Was it really that easy? I’ve learned from some of the best photographers, that less, in many cases, can be more, much more. Thank you Kate for seeing something I couldn’t see.
We were blazing through sets and when all was said an done, I had realized we had done not the planned 7 sets but rather 10! And I was worried about the amount of images?! Things had slowed down and energy was depleting, mine included. Ashley had just recovered from a bad ankle injury and there was no need to push it anymore. So we wrapped up the shoot and I headed back to my office to import what was to become some of my proudest work.
I couldn’t of been more happy with our team that day. Bravo.
Paparazzi, what a ride. Danielle Dafler was actually the first model I signed on for the GAGA series. It seemed like she came out of nowhere. A good friend Scooter Ray gave me a ring and recommended her, I immediately checked out her Facebook portfolio. I gathered Danielle had been heavily involved in the pageant circuit and had had some previous modeling experience, but nothing of the high-fashion sorts. But I was blown away by her demanding presence and almost felt intimidated by her after viewing her portfolio. Blonde, bombshell and very Marilyn Monroe. I needed a blonde right off the bat and she was it. About a week later, Danielle actually approached me. This was months before “GAGA - A Portrait Series” had even come into the light.
Some time had passed and when the concept started to gain ground I asked Danielle to be apart of the project. Her excitement and energy was exactly what “GAGA - A Portrait Series” needed. When the song “Paparazzi” was chosen for her, the ideas seem to explode.
I have never had my phone vibrate so much in my entire life! Facebook messages turned into texts turned into 2 hour phone calls. I seem to remember being photo bombed with about 40 pictures in a matter of 2 minutes chalk full of GAGA ideas and random fashion shots. It was an initiative I had never seen in any other model. Danielle is such a passionate person, when an idea like this comes along she gives it everything she’s got.
During our initial brainstorming for locations I wanted to involve a limousine and parking garage mixed with a lot of crazy lighting, but when the thought of having one location and one set came to mind, I slashed it. Around that time I really started to study Lady Gaga, her videos and all of her antics. When I watched Paparazzi for the first time, I was taken aback, I needed “Paparazzi” to be dark and de-saturated, not bright and colorful. A few days later Danielle suggested exactly what I was looking for; a dark, mysterious domain, The Samuel Culberston Mansion.
Samuel Culbertson became the president of Churchill Downs in 1928 until his death in 1948 and was a very prominent and wealthy figure in Louisville. A few days after the mansion was brought into the picture I tracked down the housekeeper Rudy and booked a room in this historic bed and breakfast.
Fast forward. The series was 2 shoots in and we came up on what was to be our most challenging weekend of the entire concept. “Paparazzi” and “Scheiße” back to back. Paparazzi wouldn’t be your traditional shoot. During our trying time of scheduling hell we decided our only option was to start the shoot at 6….6PM. I knew this would be a long Saturday.
It was St. Patrick’s day. I had already assisted one session, completed a client shoot and Micah(Creative Director) had been traveling for Chanel all day. By the time we arrived at the mansion at 6pm, we were both running on fumes and things got off to a late start.
Danielle underwent a complete transformation. Micah created faux bangs and smokey eyes. Her lips looked like something out of Alice In Wonderland. It was totally GAGA. No one could have recognized Danielle after the two hours of hair/makeup preparation. I planned on taking advantage of that.
Scouting around the building, this place was creeptastic. Creaking wood and stories of specters didn’t appease any of us, but it added to the vibe of the entire shoot. I was a bit overwhelmed and slightly nervous, I didn’t want to upset any other guests staying in the mansion nor did I want to disregard interesting rooms. So I said the hell with it and decided to use every possible room available.
I was really blessed that Josh Eskridge agreed to assist on these sets. His knowledge of studio lighting really played a key role and I’m grateful for his assistance always! Lighting this place would not only test my skills, but prove to be essential in creating anything worth sharing.
Our first set began on a large antique chair setup in the corner of our suite. I wanted the all ambient light to come through and still create a dramatically lit image. Our answer? A tripod. We setup a SB-800 speedlight with a softbox camera right and a SB-600 behind the chair in the windowsill, pulled down curtain and drapes which acted as a natural diffuser. We experimented. After about 10 minutes of different techniques and camera settings, I finally reached that “it” spot. Using a remote and shooting a 3 second exposure at f/14 the results that we’re popping up on my iPad we’re gorgeous. The only thing that was in my way we’re the faux bangs which created a nasty shadow over her face. So Josh stepped in and popped an Alien Bee with a diffused beauty dish from below and BOOM, we had perfected the image. Those same lighting techniques were carried on throughout the rest of that shoot.
At a 3 second exposure, the model has to remain perfectly still or the camera will create a motion blur that isn’t appealing to the eyes. Not many models can maintain like Danielle did, especially at late hours. Danielle knocked it out of the park. Once that first set was complete, I think her anxiety and nervousness had all subsided and the only thing left to do was pose. From that point on it was smooth sailing.
Set after set, time slipped away and by 1:00am we were wiped out. I could barley keep my eyes open. I knew the “Scheiße” shoot with Brianna Newman would be an even longer day, so after 6 sets, I called it a night. It was a fun, sober St. Patricks day, full of trial, error and Red Bull.
Micah and Danielle put in a lot of time and effort into this look. She dyed her hair platinum blonde, she ordered one hell of a wardrobe and even had a one on one modeling course with Micah. What Danielle lacked in high-fashion modeling experience was made up quickly by her drive and spirit to create a compelling image as a team. The images need no introduction.
It all started over drinks one late night at a small Louisville dive bar called Cahoots. Micah Ruelas, Kaityln Tew and I were discussing models for GAGA series and we happen to stumble upon conversation about the model Brianna Newman. Her name sounded strangely familiar, we whipped out our phones and started stalking her Facebook profile. I realized I had seen her photography and modeling sometime ago during my infancy as a photog. So on January 23rd, I asked her to be apart of this wild and crazy concept. When she agreed with a lot of excitment, I couldn’t of been more happy. Our original song for Brianna was to be Government Hooker, but the more and more I looked at her work I just kept imagining a stunning, tall, powerful woman in red and black, it had to be Scheiße.
“I, I wish that I could dance on a single prayer / I, I wish I could be strong without the scheiße, yeah”
Everything for Scheiße came together fairly easy. As time passed and we had knocked out two other songs for “GAGA - A Portrait Series”, I was confident in both Micah’s ability to sell the look and my ability to create a compelling image.
Last year, I was hired to shoot a music video for a band out of Cincinnati; Rose Funeral. The concept was dark and had some controversial themes. The setting for the video was slated to be a church. After scouring the internet and making several connections via voicemail and email, came in contact with Bob Weber who owned a large abandoned church in Newport, KY. The Grace Methodist Church was built in 1866 and had been completely abandoned for sometime. Previous owners had used it for raves, parties and has always been a hotspot for police. It’s considered one of Newport’s most endangered buildings. The church is lays on the same block as Bob Weber’s place of business Dickey’s Glass. Being the stand-up guy that he is, Bob let us use the church all day with some simple paperwork and direction. I made a point to be 100% professional, keep things on time and “shoot the shit” with him to remain on his good side incase I wanted to return to the church in the future!
After the GAGA concept had come to fruition and Brianna has signed on, I did some research and made a few calls to churches in the Louisville area, all dead ends. All the abandoned churches had been sold off or had owners that weren’t feeling “creative”. So, lo and behold, I decided to give Bob a call. After some conversation he was more then happy to oblige and just like that we had a church.
Despite the scheduling issues, when the 18th of March came around I could barley contain my excitement. Brianna had worked with some top Kentucky fashion photographers and I was excited to be included on the list. I knew had to step it up and bring my game.
Brianna’s car had run into some troubles, so we would have to pick Brianna up from Lexington then drive up to Newport for the shoot, then back down to Lexington and back over to Louisville. It was to be a very long day, but I just knew it would be so worth it. We wrapped up the shoot for “Paparazzi” about 1:30am late Saturday evening and had to get up and high tail it over to Lexington by 10:00am. The next morning, we arrived at Brianna’s home a little late and bolted off to Newport, KY. Following my trusty iPhone GPS, I botched and missed the turn on I-75, soon enough we were on our way back to west to Louisville rather then north to Newport. I adjusted the GPS and it directed us to travel back roads all the way up, so that’s what we did, finally arriving in Newport around noon. What was supposed to be about a 2 hour trip turned into 3. But, once we settled at the Grace Methodist Church, I think everyone was energized and ready to rock it out.
By 12:30pm, Micah began preparing Brianna’s look and I scouted around the massive building for my 7 sets. I was creating images in my head using imaginary lighting and posing, one by one I came up with a game plan for each of the sets. At some point during the hair/makeup preparation I noticed a large piece of red polyester cloth draping over some piece of furniture. I took it off and looked over at Micah, the ideas just flooded my brain. “Can we use this?” I rhetorically asked to Micah. He nodded.
Micah did an outstanding job with the look on this song. It truly spoke to the core of Lady Gaga with its demanding power and confidence. Once we wrapped that dark red polyester ”cape” around Brianna’s waist, I had to crack a insane smile.
We started the first set right on the altar, I had borrowed an ABR800 Ringflash from Josh Eskridge for Paparazzi, so for Scheiße I really wanted experiment with it and I did! For the first set I used it as an off camera fill light and it worked fairly well that is until…
The church had no water, heat, air conditioning or power. I ran extension cords from my car through the building to power things such as a curling iron and blow dryer. When I decided to run the 320 watt ringflash on that same power strip, it didn’t like that at all. After about an hour of use, the fuse in my car decided to blow and that was it for the ABR800(I didn’t have a Vagabond). I was really blessed to get the shots I did before things went kaput.
As the shoot progressed we played with a lot of ambient natural light and I was using my tripod quite a bit. Shooting a 1 or 2 seconds exposures on f/22. It was something I had never done before, but the results we’re fantastic as long as the model remained posed as ice.
It was no big deal for Brianna. Being a photographer herself she has a massive advantage. She knew where the light was coming from and could predict movement before I even spoke. Other then Gaga herself jamming through the boombox speakers, the set was pretty quiet because there was no direction needed. Brianna knocked it out of the park. I seem to remember repeating “Fabulous”, “Great”, “Awesome”, “Hold That” and “Wow” quite a bit. She is hand down one of the best models I have ever worked with and I’m proud to of had the opportunity.
We moved quickly and were knocking out set after set. At some point, I noticed the sun had moved the shadows on the floor from the giant stained glass windows. I knew we had to start wrapping up to make the 3 hour trek back the Lexington and Louisville for it was getting late in the afternoon.
We closed up the day in the bell tower, which had to be accessed from a short flight of questionable very steep steps. I knew it was the perfect setting for the vision I had with the red polyester cloth floating behind like a cape. One light, one softbox at a camera setting of 1/50, f/14 and ISO 400. I sprayed and prayed. Brianna grabbed the ends of the cloth and swung it back over her head well over 20 times until I was confident we had the shot. I was nothing but smiles from that point on.
Just to add to the fun, as he did in “Heavy Metal Lover”, Micah decided to step in some shots with Brianna and play model.
We couldn’t of had a more beautiful day and I’m confident the images show that. The drive home was short and sweet, but everyone including myself was worn out and wanted to get home to enjoy some much needed time with Netflix.
P.S. Yes, that is my rottweilers training collar Micah is wearing.
Te’Anna Williams and I had worked together on a previous shoot, but I never got the chance to physically shoot her with my own camera. I was an assistant on the set with Josh Eskridge. Since that time we passed messages back and forth wanting to shoot together and then finally with this GAGA series we had the opportunity! I offered Te’Anna the position, not only because is she a fantastic model and person, but mostly because what the song “Born This Way” represents and I knew she could pull it off. I needed confidence and and someone comfortable in their own skin.
“You’re black, white, beige, chola descent / You’re Lebanese, you’re orient / Whether life’s disabilities / Left you outcast, bullied, or teased / Rejoice and love yourself today / ’cause baby you were born this way”
From the start Micah and I threw out ideas regarding “Born This Way”. Urban queen, that’s what we wanted, a subject who was confident and didn’t care what people thought. Immediately I thought of locations and props, I was positive from the start that anywhere downtown Louisville would be a suitable location. Somewhere public, but not public enough to get 100 people crowded around the the police called.
When the word queen came to mind, I also thought of a throne. Where the hell can I get a royal throne? I was clueless. Fortunately, I have a few friends in the film industry, I contacted them for ideas on prop houses and antique shops. I was directed to Joe Ley’s. A massive 4 story antique store with toys, furniture and props that can be both purchased and/or rented. I made the proper connections and soon enough I was in touch with Shelia. We texted our ideas back and forth until she found two thrones that were absolutely spectacular. After consulting with Micah I reserved the throne and it was on.
I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous on the actual physical look for this song. Micah and Te’Anna didn’t get a chance to get together before the shoot and I was unsure of what to expect, I wasn’t sure how we could top “Heavy Metal Lover”.
The day before the shoot I decided to drive around downtown and scout out a few locations and at least have a plan. I decided on a couple of locations, one being a courtyard I had shot in 3 different times. I was a bit weary of shooting there, but I had never actually shot outside in the courtyard during the day. Which is exactly what I ALWAYS wanted to do, this was the perfect opportunity. I just wanted to show the grand scale of the location and how amazing it really was. I knew after this shoot though, the courtyard would be tapped and I would probably never return with my camera.
I mapped out two other spots, both being in the downtown area and I was fairly confident. With the massive throne in the back of my car I headed home to get some rest, the shoot would come early.
Saturday; things got off to a late start, but there was no pressure, because this time around people/locations weren’t depending on us to be here or there at a certain time, it was just us, the throne and downtown.
As I stated in my last post, I’ve had to put all my trust Micah as the creative director on this concept, the looks were in his court and I was on the bench until shooting time. But this time around, after the look was complete, I took a look at Te’Anna and liked it. It showed confidence, but also a lot of freedom with no rough edges. No eyebrows!? This is crazy! Then, once we decided to rip up the fishnet tights, I was in love.
We arrived at the courtyard and I really don’t think they knew what to expect, honestly Micah and Te’Anna we’re probably, understandably, a bit frightened. After loading in our gear in between the fence line, we scouted around, turned up GAGA on the iPod player and the shoot was on…except I was missing a crucial piece of gear….
The metal clip that holds my speedlight to the bracket upon which I connect my modifier, was MIA. After a 5 minute search in my car, I knew I had to improvise. So I grabbed two twigs, duct tape and a piece of plastic and rigged a horrible looking brace to hold the light. But it worked for me and a week later I found the clip buried underneath two extension cords.
I’ve worked with a lot of models in my short career, but Te’Anna is one of those models that just loves the lens and the lens loves her. There was little direction needed. Click pose, click pose, click pose. Te’Anna’s poses and expressions were outer worldly, very alien, very abstract and seemed to be naturally inspired from the video “Born This Way”.
The sets we’re fast and to the point. Even though I pretty much had my entire studio with me, I took what I learned from “Heavy Metal Lover” and just rolled with it. One light, one softbox and a reflector. I might as well left my gear in the car.
I’ve had some police “interference” at the courtyard before and even though the officer is usually pleasant, they give out threats and tactics to try and scare you into avoiding shooting there in the future. So conveniently during our last set, guess who showed up! I noticed the police car and went out to the alley to speak with the officer. After some small talk and scare tactics, like “Your car is more likely to get stolen here then anywhere in Louisville”, the conversation ended and he went on his merry way. We decided to move on, but not before we we’re approached by some questionable men who we’re obviously drunk at 3 in the afternoon, brushing them off, we hopped in our cars and drove off.
Bouncing around downtown Louisville on a beautiful day, we definitely had some gawkers! Even some kids stopped by to take pictures with their phones of the photoshoot, which I didn’t mind and honestly was pretty cool.
We closed up the day by diving in headfirst and doing what I had imagined from the beginning. I was really hesitant, but we went for it. We pulled off Main Street and popped up the throne on the street corner, I setup my one SB-800 and Te’Anna ran over to the throne for a quick few poses and snapshots. The winning shot was to become one of my favorite images I have ever captured (seen below).
It was an absolute pleasure to finally work with Te’Anna and beyond the cops, crackheads and gawkers, the results out of post production were what I had imagined and more. Te’Anna truly was born a superstar.
Scheduling is hell. Going into this concept I wanted to go big or go home. All outlandish locations, crazy outfits and over the top makeup. When you’re dealing with a large team of people and trying to work out shoot dates, locations props, all while working outside of normal dayjobs, it can be stressful. So stressful I was about to make some drastic changes and cut the concept in half.
Two days before the first shoot, I came to the realization of something. Why do I do this? I do this to have fun and have a creative outlet. I do produce creative concepts to help my business, but more to have fun with friends and work with a great array of people, who like me also do this as a creative outlet. It was like a cloud disappeared over my head and I had a new outlook on photography. I haven’t looked back; I was ready for GAGA to begin.
I knew the location for “Heavy Metal Lover” had to be interesting and scouting for locations was going to be an important part of the entire series. I started small and worked my way up. Emails turned into phone calls and phone calls turned into meetings, meetings turned into booked dates. Luckily this is my second concept, so I used a few friends/contacts from “Bond Girl - A Portrait Series” to lead me in the right direction. For “Heavy Metal Lover”, I wanted a badass motorcycle juxtaposed to a rundown junkyard.
First thing was first, the bike. I called a favor from Jason Fessel of whom is the leader of the New Albany Riders Club, which I shot a calendar for. Thankfully he was more then happy to offer up his 2010 Honda Fury VT1300. I then called a friend in the automobile world; Glen Kern. He directed me to Tommy @ Gilbert and Mitchell Auto Salvage.
I chose Kelly Campbell for this song because it was unlike anything she had ever done. I knew she had the right attitude and look for the image, plus she is super cool! I suppose I like to feel overly prepared before going into a shoot, especially one that has a lot on the line. I felt under-prepared because the look of the models were out of my hands, but I wanted it that way. I’ve had to trust my models and creative director; Micah Severo Ruelas 100% and it’s something that I really have never done before.
10AM came early and both Micah and Kelly we’re on their way over to my house to begin the look preparations. I really didn’t know what to expect, especially with Micah asking me to straighten out a few wire hangers!
An hour in I was already blown away with the look and the confidence started swinging in. Okay, everyone is bringing it, so I better bring my A-game and pull out all the stops. By 1:15PM, Kelly was ready to rock and we all jumped in my car and hauled off to the junkyard.
Arriving at Gilbert and Mitchell Auto Salvage, I had my shot ideas in place and knew where I would be shooting, just didn’t know how quite yet. We settled on a small shed with about 20 engine blocks all thrown in together in a dis-organized mess. TOO COOL. Jason backed in the bike and away we went.
Lighting took about 20 minutes to key in and Kelly took about the same to warm up to the camera. Shooting on a bike is awkward, so once the groove was found and lighting was in place, things started clicking. It was sort of like a dream from that point on, the results we were seeing on the iPad(which was tethered to my camera) we’re better then I think any of us expected. We ran around the several acre junkyard finding little cool spots and cars we could “play in”. Micah jumped in front of the lens on few playful shots and we had an absolute blast, just doing what we love.
My goal for this entire series was to think outside of the box and sell the expression and pose of the model. The environment and lighting has always been key element for me, but I wanted it to simply be a amazing backdrop rather than the focus. So by the end of this shoot, I was pretty much sticking with one light with one softbox and or natural light. I experimented with A LOT of lighting techniques and what I realized is a small touch of soft light really brings out that expression and look I’ve always wanted.
Less is more. Is it a phase? Perhaps, but it’s working for me.
We wrapped up the shoot around 5:00PM and were pretty much on high from the days work. We we’re covered in dirt and grease and dog tired. But, surprisingly I ended up having one of the most fun nights I’ve had in quite sometime, that is being Josh’s Exposure party which I spoke briefly about in the previous post.
What a great way to kick of GAGA. I truly believe this is some of the best modeling Kelly has ever done, some of the best shots I have ever captured and I can’t say enough about the stunning styling/makeup from Micah.
More to come, so much more, so be prepared. We won’t be getting anymore sane with the next…
Last night was legendary. Friend and photographer Josh Eskridge and I officially premiered the documentary “Exposure” to a close nit group of creative people that were involved in the project. I really didn’t watch the actual film, but rather the people watching the film and their expressions. A smile came over my face when I reminisced about my personal situation a little over a year ago and where I am now. I picked up a DSLR camera in December of 2010 and now I standing in a room full of people I consider mentors and peers of a amazingly creative industry watching a body of my work. When the final credits came on and applause reverberated throughout the room, I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt more proud of a creative endevour.
I can’t lie, at times, creating this film was stressful. Collectively between my assistant Chris and I, we shot well over 10 hours of footage. The interviews, Mahtab and the evolution of style; All of that had to be smashed into a short mini-documentary. It came down to the wire, two days before the premiere date we we’re still cutting things up and making revisions. In the end, after all the bath of ideas we feel we have created a raw, intimate and fresh behind the scenes feature. We hope to inspire not only photographers, but makeup artists, models and anyone with a creative drive.
It all started with a simple question; “Do you know anyone that shoots HD video?” and from that moment on what was a vision snowballed to a grand reality. Ever since I took sight of Josh’s work on Facebook sometime ago I’ve admired his images and consider him to be a strong inspiration in my photography. To have the opportunity to document his passion and love was an honor.
2012, 3 video projects right out of the gate and now I’m finally getting my head above water to take a breath(exhales).
I decided to take a long overdue vacation to Florida and recharge my batteries. I soaked in some relaxation and a lot of fun! On our annual trip to Miami, I decided to contact a friend of whom I worked with on another fashion shoot here in homebase Louisville, KY; Mahtab Eva Forouzandeh. Why not take advantage of the warm sun, beautiful beach and a luxury hotel room by adding in a stunning model to photograph!?
I could only bring minimal gear and had just the basics to work with. No softboxes, grids or beauty dishes. Only 3 speedlights, a reflector, a light stand and the bright sun. Needless to say, it was a challenge.
This impromptu mini-shoot was really fun. No team, no MUA, just myself and Mahtab. We started out on the balcony of the hotel where the sun hit her back and ocean wind was fierce. Using a makeshift light stand and the heavy use of a reflector we nailed some shots composing the best image possible on the small 6x12 balcony. Within the hour we’re headed down to the beach where we would begin our second set: high fashion bikini.
South Beach is just amazing, not only for it’s night life, but also for its clear water and white sand beaches. Hitting a few tents and cabanas on the way, we finally made it to our shooting location near a badass peninsula of boulders and rocks. I stripped off my shoes, emptied my pockets and we walked 25 feet into the ocean knee high. Mahtab instantly started rocking poses and I instantly fired away.
When it comes to small session shoots like this, I pretty much wing it and go with the flow. In this case Mahtab asked me to shoot her in a “Give Tanks” shirt. An organization that strives to cultivate global hope by reminding anyone who sees its apparel to be “tankful” for the little things in life. Hey, I can dig it, so we posted up on the rocks and got some killer natural light images.
But, no photoshoot goes without some problems, the Pixel Soldier trigger that fired my flashes decided that it wouldn’t work that day so I had to move over the Nikon’s “onboard” triggering system CLS. It’s inconsistent, unreliable and honestly a big headache. But, I pushed through the shoot and by then end was happy we had scored a few compelling images.
Returning to the hotel covered in sand and saltwater I had to do a detailed check of all my gear to make sure nothing was damaged. I was positive my lens received a nice wind blast of water on a few occasions and may of taken a couple of knocks from climbing on the rock peninsula. Upon inspection everything seemed A-OK, nothing that a could lens cleaner and blower couldn’t take care of.
I hung my soaked clothes out to dry on the balcony and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. It was nice to get back to still photography and a great way to kick off my exit from video world.
Now that the majority of my video sessions have been completed, I’m anxious to get back into still photography. I plan on kicking that off with my next concept “GAGA - A Portrait Series”. This concept came out of nowhere and literally just popped into my head one evening. After the idea had been planted things began to snowball into something grand.
Myself being a pretty big Lady Gaga fan always found her antics and fashion intriguing and interesting. Over the top outlandish and I love her no shame attitude. What you see is what you get and I don’t care. It’s inspiring, and inspiring enough to base an entire concept around her works.
Lady Gaga is in the public eye for her music, fashion, videos and controversial lyrics, in other words she’s hot right now. So, while the time is right, lets take all of those elements of popularity, mash them up like a ball of clay and create our own piece of art! And, you better believe I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Gaga see’s the results herself.
This is a next level step and we are going big!
Plans are in action, storyboards are being drawn up, locations are being confirmed and dates are set. I couldn’t be more excited about this concept and I have one hell of a team. Micah Ruelas is my creative director, also styling, hair and makeup. We have 6 models, 6 looks and 6 shoots, my March is shot! (No pun intended). Be on the lookout.
P.S. Stefani Germanotta is Lady Gaga’s real name.
Before I close up this post, let me give a shout out to my “Bond Girl” team. As promised, the 8x12 print below was sent out to all the exclusive team members. This concept is really what told me “Hey, I can do this”. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on such an extreme creative work, then I did on this. I do believe hard work pays off and I couldn’t of been more happy with the results and I’m glad I had the opportunity to work with such great talent.
I’m still here! But man, times are busy! I was approached several weeks ago to shoot a marketing video series for Missy Brown to kick off her new brand M Sqaured Photography. It is to consist of two shoots and a short interview session which will all be spliced into 3 short videos for potential clientele. When she offered me the job, I was more the happy to take it on and bring a lighter note to all the edgy film work I had been doing.
This past Saturday consisted of fresh-off-the-altar bride/model Katie Cunningham and another fantastic model Kaitlyn McGrath. The shoot was the take place at a newly established venue called The Ice House. 10AM; We started makeup/hair prep at model central i.e. Josh Eskridge’s loft and the fun started. We had a incredible group of friends that pitched in, which made out for a great time! Missy Brown, Joey Goldsmith, Chris Klapheke, Josh Eskridge, Peter Dedina and not to mention Micah Ruelas and Hank Walton!
Going into this I had a few ideas of the style, it would be long dreamy stedicam shots with a smaller shutter speed for better smoothness and motion blur, quite the opposite of what I had done for “Exposure”, that being more handheld, intense dramatics and a faster shutter speed for that “Saving Private Ryan” look.
The Ice House consisted of a labyrinth of floors and abandoned levels that Josh and I got very lost in. What was supposed to be a 5 minute scout turned into 30 minutes. The place is a haven for fashion photographers and you better believe a business card was passed onto the owner! I really hope I’m able to have the opportunity to shoot in The Ice House again in the future and really take advantage of those upper levels.
With this particular shoot we started in the cellar, a dark brick-walled basement that looked like something out of Underworld. The spaced was cramped, so the stedicam shots would have to be confined. But, by jumping over stacks of concrete, wood planks and swinging around tight corners I was able to capture some cool footage, in the process being covered in dust and remnants of an ancient under structure.
Once we returned to the upper levels it was like someone had opened the door to a entire new game of fun. Running around with my glidecam like a clown, I’m not sure what people thought of me. The area was wide open and I fully took advantage of it and started rocking the styled shots I originally had planned.
We closed up the 7 hour shoot on the roof where I believe to get some of the best shots of the day. Plenty of open room and the low sun flaring my off lens just appeased my appetite for epicness. But, my stomach wrenched when suddenly my camera wouldn’t let me record and it simply read “Card Error”. Without a second though I popped in my backup 32GB and setup for the next shot. In the back of my mind I’m thinking “Oh shit, all the footage I shot from today is on that card”. Nevertheless we finished out the last set and had a awesome dinner at Doc Crows. We said our goodbyes and exhausted from the long day I decided to head home.
Anxious to work the memory card problem I went straight to my PC to import all the footage. No go. “Card Error, Please format”. I was flabbergasted, what am I going to do now? I ended up trying several solutions to no prevail and eventually gave up and crashed out.
The next day I decided I would face this head on and a few hours later I had recovered all the footage off the card and backed it up to my hard drives. Close call! But a lesson learned, Luckily I had the backup card and luckily there is software out there that can save your ass in these situations.
Where do I start? I’ll try and avoid writing a book about my experience this past weekend….It was an event I had been stressing over and excited over for quite sometime. Months in the planning had finally become a reality and the time was now. Shooting a “commercial” for Scooter Ray and his amazing pieces. Not your standard commercial, more of a fictional abstract story, that really hits home with Scooter’s personal family life. Dreamy and out of the world. From the beginning I wanted to do something a bit different with this, something that would really make a mark and be a staple for Scooter Ray Designs.
It all came down to the wire. I was still answering emails and making phone calls less than 48 hours to shoot time. In the end things panned out, the locations had been setup, calls had been made and the shots lined up.
I was extremely stoked to work with Katie Justis, a beautiful person inside and out. I loved her work with Scooter in the past and I’m glad I was given the opportunity. Scooter and Katie we’re set to play the “on screen duo” and play out this entire story of love and life.
The first shoot was set for the Peterson Dumesnil house thanks to my dear friend Emilie! Gear had been setup and lights we’re ready to go and we started knocking out shots on our treatment(shot outline). Things we’re running smooth, even with a couple of mishaps here and there(like me tripping over a LED light and it exploding everywhere).
We asked a family friend Melinda who had access to a flat black 67’ Pontiac GTO, to bring it out for the weekend. She was gracious enough to agree and be available for an hour or two each day. Spending some time in the car, out in the cold and back in the house we grabbed all the right shots and wrapped up right on schedule. There was a reason to celebrate and celebrate we did, VIP style. Day #2 would come early…
It was pretty overcast and dreary that Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t stop anything, the energy remained at a good level throughout the day and into the night. We were able to get access to a diesel truck mechanic shop for the “CORE” shots, thanks to close friends Corey Heim and Patrick Wesley. The shoot was a quick one and we grabbed all the clips needed, packed up our gear and his the road to The Grand Theater where we would close the weekend up with nearly 25 extras, 6 photogs, 4 assistants and one badass car.
It started off fairly slow. Things we’re running a bit behind and I was slightly stressed, directing a group of 30 people isn’t easy. Our generator was acting up and some of the extras that signed up didn’t show up. I had to do some re-working of the shots and direct the extras in more of a mob scene then red carpet scene. I scanned through a few of the clips and a feeling of relief cave over me, it was really good stuff. It wasn’t cheesy or un-realistic and on the other hand it wasn’t flat or subtle. From that point on, I was confident that this thing could really be killer. The raw footage came out above and beyond my original vision. The energy was through the roof and everyone rocked it, onlookers I’m sure thought we had some real celebs in our presence.
After Josh Eskridge grabbed a few quick shots with the car and talent, we packed up and headed off to the local pizza pub down the road for a beer to close out one of the most fun weekends I’ve had in quite sometime. I came home imported the footage and went directly to bed!
Scooter is an amazing person and I can’t think him enough for all the doors he has opened for me.
I owe this to an amazing crew of people and the results should surely show that…
On Screen Talent: Scooter Ray, Katie Justis
Car: Melinda Allen
Locations: Emilie Heim Pfeiffer @ Peterson Dumesnil House, Corey Heim and Patrick Wesley @ Wesley Trucking, Tena @ The Grand
Assistant to Katie and Scooter: Joanna Baptiste, Jeanette Moore, Tammy Wiseman, Greg Justis
About two weeks ago I was approached by a metal group Johari Window about shooting their new promotional photos. I gladly took on the job and was pretty excited to explore some techniques I’ve learned in the fashion world to band photos. Being in a band myself for nearly 10 years, I learned what looks good and what doesn’t in band shots. So this shoot was something I had looked forward to for quite awhile. In the music business, perception is everything. If someone percieves you to be a “rockstar” with those “rockstar” photos, in their eyes, you probably are.
Arriving at a home in Floyds Knobs, Indiana I really didn’t know what to expect or what location we we’re shooting in. I pulled in, met all the members; Connor, Mike, Nick, Dylan and Chris. Very nice guys and I figured, with good people and good light we could make do with any situation. But once we traveled up the small his and arrived at our location, I saw the abandoned house on the top of the hill, I knew we had gold.
We scouted for about 20 minutes and I set at least three location points for shots. We would begin on the porch move throughout the house then around sunset move outside for the natural light shots. Around the time I was gearing up I realized I had left 2 Eneloop AAA batteries at home for my strobe receiver. I was down one speedlight, I would have to do this entire shoot missing an arm i.e. extra kicker light, which would probably be a good thing with shooting groups! But I liked a challenge and accepted it.
We shot all through the house, in the basement, outside and even started a massive fire to create smoke effect seen in the shot below. I had a great time with the guys and I’m glad everyone was super down to earth. It was their first promo shoot and I think they knocked it out of the park. They we’re as professional as it comes and I hope to work with them again in the future!
We shot nearly 10 sets and individuals in frigid weather. By the end of the 4 hour session I was freezing and worn out, but I really couldn’t wait to get home and see the results. Because I only used two lights, some extra post work was needed, but I’m real happy with what came out and I’m glad I had the opportunity to shoot Johari Window. If you’re a fan of aggressive metalcore, check them out.
