sad valentine's day

Thank you to Sunita Deshpande for crying on command.

To Emma Feigenbaum for baking beautiful props.

To Jacqueline Menconi for runny mascara.

To ME reps for... What's a clever way of saying producing? Hustling? 


Happy Valentine's Day.

the tech scout

A big part of our recent shoots have been been pre-production: the stuff that clients don't always see, but end up making the shoot day move like clockwork.

One of my favorite pre-pro steps is the tech scout. This is where we take the camera to the location to see what the light is going to look like. We get to dream big here. Picking the perfect time of day to pull off the ideal shot. Sometimes we're looking for that dreamy back light that the sun gives us as it lowers toward the horizon.

I'll often circle around to our ideal locations several times during the day and shoot the best landscape I can get. We're able to flip through them later, noting the time stamps, when we're making our schedule.

This tree will probably be somewhere in the background of a shoot that's happening this week. Though It won't be nearly as prominent as it is in this scouting photo, it's fun to break away from shooting people for a moment and give the spotlight to a cool old tree.

southern sabbatical: four coursemen

Matt Palmerlee is a chef with the Four Coursemen in Athens, Ga. The Coursemen throw dinner parties in a shotgun house on Pulaski Street. More on that here.

He's generally pretty soft-spoken unless you get him talking about carving up a pig's head.

southern sabbatical: secret squirrel

While in Athens, GA this summer I was invited to a (literally) underground dance party at Secret Squirrel. I'd tell you where it was, but I think it really is secret.

southern sabbatical: claire campbell

Portraits are are the main thrust of my southern sabbatical in Georgia, U.S.A. Musician Claire Campbell was near the top of my list.
Lucky for me she's photogenic, loves vintage clothes, and has an awesome house in Athens, GA.

We hung out, shot some photos and drank sweet tea. (after the jump)

my soundtrack: Fan-Tan

A few of my videos have featured music by Brooklyn band Fan-Tan. Check 'em out!

I shot this photo at a Fan-Tan rehearsal last year.

behind-the-scenes: print ad shoot

Here's a look at how we work on an advertising shoot. The client on this one was Oral-B.

My agency ME reps wrote a bit more in-depth on this shoot here.
More on my technique can be found in my problem solving post.