Lana
I had a special treat this month and photographed an individual I photographed a few years ago as a model. She has transformed into an actress. Lana is a gorgeous actor out of the bay area.
I had a special treat this month and photographed an individual I photographed a few years ago as a model. She has transformed into an actress. Lana is a gorgeous actor out of the bay area.
I'm so pleased with what we made with the help of Ernesto makeup artist. There's a difference between posing as just a beautiful face and giving emotional content to the photographer. Lana did an excellent job giving me a tremendous amount of variety. It's so motivational when you get that kind of effort on the other side of the camera.
We started the day with a discussion and a plan of attack that we want to accomplish. With the help of Ernesto, we knocked out the locks, and I was able to match the lighting to the style of each look.
I typically have a plan on most shoots, even if it's a simple as lens selection. But with the best-laid plans, you have to be willing to alter or change direction quickly as opportunities or images present themselves. I feel it's like making a cake. I know all the ingredients, but I'm not sure how I will combine them in the end. Many photographers stick to a very rigid game plan, and I haven't found that it works for me. Being fluid and taking cues from your subject on the direction and look is what got me to where I am.
Lady Luck
Last month we had a Sacramento Magazine ad shoot for Thunder Valley Casino. Turned out to be a really enjoyable shoot. The challenge was how to include all the existing colors and lighting and still have the models stand out.
Last month we had a Sacramento Magazine ad shoot for Thunder Valley Casino. We had a great time as always. The challenge was how to include all the existing colors and lighting and still have the models stand out.
For the lighting we relied on mostly LED's with gels.
Thanks Joe Gonzslas for the BTS video..
Visit With Mackenzie
On a recent trip to LA my production manager and I had a few hours before we flew back to Sacramento. So I used the opportunity to work with a friend of mine, Mackenzie Firgens. She and I became friends a few years back when she worked on a project at the Preston Castle in Ione, CA. Whenever the opportunity arises I love working with her. She is such a natural in front of the camera very beautiful. It makes my job so easy.
On a recent trip to LA my production manager and I had a few hours before we flew back to Sacramento. So I used the opportunity to work with a friend of mine, Mackenzie Firgens. She and I became friends a few years back when she worked on a project at the Preston Castle in Ione, CA. Whenever the opportunity arises I love working with her. She is such a natural in front of the camera very beautiful. It makes my job so easy.
The location for the shoot was The Garland Hotel. They had completed some renovations recently, and it was a very nice boutique style hotel. It had a lot to offer for location shooting.
Because time was short I scouted locations while Christine (production manager) worked on outfits for Mackenzie to wear. We pulled the whole shoot off in about an hour and a half.
For the most part we shot with existing light on the Nikon D810 with my 85mm. I did use the D4 and my 50mm with a flash on the last set of images in the room. I love the light when the flash is directly lined up with the lens.
I'm so fortunate to be backed up by Christine to watch the clock because I could have just kept shooting, but then we would have been late for our flight.
I'm really looking forward to our next visit to LA when we get to shoot again.
About Mackenzie: She made her feature film debut starring as Harmony in the underground hit Groove, which was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival, and released by Sony Classics Pictures. Firgens originated the role of April in the film version of the Broadway sensation Rent, directed by Chris Columbus. As April, Firgens had the opportunity to create a new character for the classic musical, and shares the screen with Adam Pascal.
Firgens also starred in Quality of Life with Lane Garrison, which won a Special Mention Award at the Berlin International Film Festival as well as the Best Youth Film at the Stockholm International Film Festival. Additional film credits include Broken Arrows with Lori Petty and The Hamiltons with Brittany Daniel.
Firgens can be seen in David Carradine last film the action movie "Break" also with Michael Madsen and Chad Everett by the award winning director Marc Clebanoff. (Wikipedia)
The New HTC RE Camera
Earlier this week, HTC revealed some new products at their Double Exposure event in NYC. http://blog.htc.com/2014/10/double-exposure/ I'm honored to again create many of the images for their newest product the HTC RE, a small handheld camera.
Earlier this week, HTC revealed some new products at their Double Exposure event in NYC. I'm honored to again create many of the images for their newest product the HTC RE, a small handheld camera.
I've had several requests for a behind the scenes look at a commercial photo shoot, so I asked Edward to come film the team at work. He has put together a great video for you. Hope you enjoy it!!
Team Photographer- Tim Engle
Production -Christine Alward
1st assistant -David Harlan
Wardobe Stylist - Simone Vianna
Hair/Makeup -Jenifer Haupt
Video/BTS -Edward Khoma
Models- Melissa Brown & Hub Marc
Equipment used:
Aquatech underwater housing for the D810
Alienbees strobe by Paul C. Buff