A view of Griffith Park, the Griffith Observatory and Downtown Los Angeles
I’m happy to have a photo running in this month’s Outside Magazine. Second one in the past year! The photo shows Griffith Park and downtown Los Angeles and was used to illustrate a story called “Welcome to the Jungle” for a series on weekend escapes. Escaping on a weekend was likely why I was there shooting in the first place, so I’m glad the photo found an appropriate home.
Susan Metros, associate vice provost at USC
Last week I photographed Susan Metros, associate vice provost at the University of Southern California, for a story in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the increased use of student-produced video projects as homework, sometimes in lieu of traditional written essays. Although I’m not sure about using videos as a replacement for writing, I do agree that it’s a good idea to go beyond passive media literacy to actually having students produce videos and think visually. And it’s become easier than ever, with the majority of students having computers and at least some form of video device in their possession. Unfortunately, the shoot took place after students were done with any relevant projects, so there was nothing actually happening that I could photograph. But we tried to make the most of it with an empty computer lab and some helpful assistants who logged into every computer for me and put them all on the same website. Here’s a link to the article if the topic interests you: http://su.pr/30S4vM
Gustavo
Last week I had an awesome shoot with my friend Gustavo in Venice. An actor who moved here from Puerto Rico, he’s a very charismatic guy who is a natural in front of the camera. I recently had a discussion with a prominent Hollywood portrait photographer about how most of my subjects I shoot for editorial clients are not used to being in front of the camera and often need to be coached in order to look natural. I told him how much I enjoy it when I work with actors and models who know what to do in front of the camera and can really bring something to the shoot. He works with a lot of actors and said I’d be surprised how many don’t know what to do in front of a still camera. Fortunately that wasn’t the case with Gustavo, who gave me everything from goofy faces to quiet, reflective moments and was even dancing for awhile. Word is he’s a very talented dancer and competed a lot back in PR. Despite getting some great expressions, this moment stands out as my favorite from the shoot. If you want to see more, I’ve posted them on my Facebook page. Go check ‘em out! And while you’re there, feel free to “Like” me so we can keep in touch!
I’ve also entered this photo along with two others in the Photo District News’s Faces portrait contest, which happens to have a People’s Choice award. Please take the time to go there and VOTE for me by following these links! Looks like you can only vote for one though. And if you’re super nice feel free to copy the links and tell others to vote. Thanks!
http://facesphotocontest.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1009411558
http://facesphotocontest.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1009411559
http://facesphotocontest.com/bin/Rate?image_id=1009411560
Firefighters examine a large object lodged in the roof of a home neighboring the the Chabad House Lubevitch in Santa Monica.
I, and many in Santa Monica, had an interesting morning this Thursday. What was initially thought to be a bomb of some sort was found lodged in the roof of a home neighboring the Chabad House Lubevitch following an early morning explosion, causing the authorities, including the FBI, to swarm in and evacuate around 100 people from the area and rope off a two block radius. When I arrived it seemed there was no way to get a clear view of the scene, with the house at the center of the widely roped off area and the police had set up a media staging area far from the scene. Not content to sit there and wait, I starting hiking around the perimeter of the evacuation zone until I finally found myself with a slight view of the building, but no view of the roof. I then headed back the other way and happened to look down an alley right as a police officer was walking on the neighboring roof. I stopped in my tracks and, looking closer, realized that I could see the device sticking out of the roof a few feet from where he stood. I was soon joined by an LA Times photographer and, for awhile we had the only view of the scene other than those from the numerous helicopters hovering above. We were curious how it could be a bomb with police, firefighters and even someone from the gas company, walking so close to it and even touching it. We soon received confirmation that it wasn’t a bomb when a fireman came over and told us that it appeared to be a pipe stuck into a large block of cement and that the explosion had been caused by an agent someone must have applied to the cement to soften it so it could be removed from the ground without the aid of jackhammer. The pressure had somehow built up and launched the thing up in the air, where it ricocheted off the neighboring Chabad House (note the hole on the bottom right) and landed on the neighboring home. Seemed odd, especially when we found out the entire thing weighed 300 lbs. – must have been some explosion! – but that was what they thought. After safely removing it from the roof, which required a team of firemen and an large axe – we all soon cleared out.
The next day I’m reading the news and see a headline regarding a suspect in the Santa Monica synagogue bombing. My first thought was “Again!?” But upon reading it I realized that after further inspection of the scene it was now thought that it WAS in fact a bomb of some sort that was detonated early that morning, launching the cement block. The suspect turns out to be a homeless man who was known to frequent Jewish centers in the area looking for handouts. Apparently, the suspect is still at large as of this afternoon and no motive is yet known. A brief article about that here. Kind of scary, but given the approach taken, I can’t imagine what he was trying to accomplish other than to scare people. I’m interested to see how this turns out.
Maryann Pascal and Lola, in front of Lola's miniature replica an Encore resort poolside cabana.
Last week I travelled to Las Vegas to shoot portraits for a weekend feature on “pet palaces” for the Financial Times. Not being a pet owner myself, I was unaware of the lavish trend of providing to-scale, miniature models of actual homes for your pets, but it’s apparently quite popular. The most lavish example cited in the article is Paris Hilton’s $325k, scale model of her own mansion for her dogs. Sounds reasonable. The owner of palace and puppy that I was to photograph was Maryann Pascal, an executive with the Wynn/Encore Hotel resort, whose dog, Lola, has the privilege of napping on a daybed that was custom made to be a to-scale miniature replica of one of the poolside cabanas found at the Encore Hotel. The cabana was a surprise gift to her and Lola from a couple of her clients, who got to know Lola as a puppy when Maryann used to bring her in to work. Quite a gift!
This shoot presented three or four obstacles that, mostly through luck, I was able to work around. The first was that working with dogs, as with children, can be hit or miss in terms of getting cooperation from your subject. Fortunately, Lola was incredibly patient and obedient and was pretty much happy to sit wherever Maryann put her. The rest of the problems revolved around a request from the editors that the shot be very colorful, which I thought would be no problem as you can generally count on Vegas to have plenty of blue skies and sunshine. However, I arrived to clouds and cold weather, and even worse, blustery winds that I thought would put to rest any hopes of shooting warm, colorful images outside. Add to that a giant dust storm that covered most of the 35 miles between the border town of Primm and Las Vegas as I drove in. Luckily, the dust cloud dissipated by the city’s edge and high walls around the backyard pool kept the wind at bay. To take care of the rest, I cut out most of the sky and warmed up the shot with a CTO gel, pretty well obscuring the grey reality of the day. So, it all worked out. After the shoot had wrapped and the files had been submitted I then had an excuse to spend a fun couple of days in town with Erinn and some friends.
One of many sunken canoes on the Venice Canals after many, many days of rain. Bad weather can make slow times seem even slower.
Anyone who’s a freelancer is probably all too familiar with the deadening silence coming from your telephone during the month of December. Or maybe it’s just me? Between the extended weekends following Thanksgiving and the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Years, there’s not a lot of time where any new business actually gets done in the twelfth month of the year. One thing that’s easy to do is to sit around waiting for phone to ring, growing increasingly depressed as the month drags on and your bank account goes down. Another is to whore yourself out (so to speak) for a quick buck so you at least feel like you’re working. This year’s unusual rainy season has made the first option the easy one this slow season. The second is a bad idea for numerous reasons, including that you’d be undercutting your industry and your time could be better spent. I’ve tried both approaches and neither does much good. A worthwhile alternative is to use your head and try to make the most of your so called “free” time. With that in mind, I decided to put together a “Top Ten” list of useful ways to help your business and yourself when things get slow around the holidays. Other than enjoy yourself and the time you get to spend with friends and family that is! I also realize December’s almost over, but rather than wait until next year I thought I’d put this out there while it’s fresh in my mind. Something to put away for next year perhaps. So, in no particular order, here are the…
Top Ten (or Twelve) Things To Do When Your Photography (or Other Creative) Business is Slow
1. Read and/or watch movies – Books, magazines and films are great places to find inspiration and activate your imagination. We just checked out Daren Aronofsky’s Black Swan the other day. He’s someone I enjoy for both his storytelling and cinematography. I’m also reading The Complete Joy of Home Brewing and rereading The Catcher in the Rye, which I picked up on vacation early this month. Perhaps the latter in honor of J.D. Salinger’s passing earlier this year. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it! Highly recommended, just don’t start collecting copies. I’ve heard that’s a bad sign.
2. Street photography – Get out and shoot! Even if it’s raining! Forget trying to find a subject ahead of time. Just grab your gear and go shoot what you see.
3. Update website or design and print a book – Go through your images from the last several months and see what you can bring into your portfolio (and, while you’re at it, take out!). Or print a portfolio book or a book focusing on a recent project. Blurb books have become particularly popular or print your own and put it in a Pina Zangaro or Lost Luggage binding. Both are more expensive, but look great as long as your prints are good. Blurb and others often have proprietary design software you can download for free. I prefer to use Aperture, which allows you to work from within your archive and can output in formats acceptable to most printers. In preparation for a trip to New York next month I’m printing one on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl and binding it in a frost style Pina Zangaro jacket. Looking good so far!
Keep reading after the jump!
Sketch of LA Skyline
This is an image I’ve been sitting on, but thought I’d post in lieu of, or for lack of, a Christmas lights image this year. I shot this over the summer while on an assignment that had me at USC. It started as a happy accident with my setup. Once I saw the effect though I thought it was a unique take on the skyline and kept working it until I came up with something I like. I’m heading to New York next month and will try to repeat it there. Should make a nice collection eventually. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!
Venice Art Crawl - December 2010
Video projection by Jesse Nikette on Market Street
Live poetry readings by James Berkowitz
The December Venice Art Crawl appeared to be a success, with solid crowds braving the (relative) cold and darkness (no argument there) to come down to the beach and enjoy some local art. This month had numerous exhibitions, including a cluster of video installations on Market Street, collectively called December Lights. The street was illuminated with numerous video projections lighting up buildings from rooftops across the street, including an interactive projection of the Nintendo classic, Donkey Kong, which participants could play by holding up a cutout of Mario and running his shadow up the wall. Pretty fun! The evening flew by, and we eventually found ourselves at an afterparty before suddenly waking up the next morning with a dull throbbing in our heads. A reminder that a good time was had. Looking forward to next month!
Black Mambooza at the Kibitz Room at Canter's Deli
Devil at the Kibitz Room at Canter's Deli
Kibitz Room
I had a rockin’ week starting with watching my friend Curtis record a track in a garage studio behind his house and ending with a night at the Kibitz Room at Canter’s Deli where we watched his roommate’s band, Black Mambooza, perform. I’ve only had a few experiences at the Kibitz Room, but they’re usually memorable. It’s a dark place with colorful people. Photos from Curtis’ studio after the jump!
Lance & Sarah’s Los Angeles County Arboretum wedding – Images by David Zentz Weddings
Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Lance and Sarah in the Rose Garden at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. The couple, who live in San Francisco, were one of the first to book me after I moved to Los Angeles, well in advance of the big day. It was wonderful to finally witness their wedding after such a long time planning.
The couple started the day at the luxurious Langham Hotel in Pasadena where they each prepared for the day with their families. Then we all moved down the road to the equally beautiful grounds of the L.A. Arboretum for the ceremony and reception. Both were held in the Arboretum’s Rose Garden, which was the perfect setting for a small wedding such as theirs. The ceremony was held just at as the sun was setting, providing a beautiful warm glow to the scene. During the ceremony they had a unique ceremony called a ‘ring warming,’ in which the rings are passed from guest to guest before being exchanged by the couple. Following the reception I went off with the couple to take some portraits in the nearby herb garden while the guests enjoyed cocktails as the ceremonial space was converted to a reception space. A delicious dinner was then was prepared and presented by Contemporary Catering of Encino. After the reception wound down the couple then stayed behind to share a quiet and touching moment alone before exiting to a grand a sparkler send off. Following the affair everyone moved back to the Langham for a fun afterparty in the couple’s bungalow suite.
Overall it was a great day and I wish the couple much success in the future!
