Photography

Tara at Home

Tara has a familiar face if you follow any of my photography work. Ever since we first met about a year ago for a costume contest she participated in, we’ve continually worked together. Whenever I have a new piece of gear I want to test out or if I just get the itch to shoot, Tara has always been willing to pick up the phone. This time around we got to do a style of photoshoot that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time- to photograph a model in their own home.

Ever since I got a new set of studio lights I’ve been trying to get an excuse to use them. They come in handy whenever I have to do any kind of video work but not having a studio space makes it difficult to justify using them for shoots. Since Tara agreed to do a shoot at her place I wanted to take advantage of the resource.

Another side benefit of shooting at a models own home was the ability to do wardrobe changes on the fly. In retrospect there was a lot more that we could have done in terms of wardrobe but time played a factor on top of trying to keep everything with in Tara’s comfort zone.

We didn’t spend all of our time indoors. I don’t know who’s idea it was but at one point we all went about a quarter mile out to the Sandia Mountains to do some more out door photos as well… Because why not.

You can really see what a difference controllable indoor studio lights make. When you’re out doors you don’t get nearly as much control and you have to work around what the daylight gives you both in how you’re shooting and in post processing.

Now for a quick disclaimer for models (especially starting out.) You shouldn’t just invite random photographers you barely know over to your place to do photoshoots. Tara and I have worked together many times before this and have developed a rapport together and has established a certain level of trust. On top of that both our significant others were present during this shoot not only to help out but to mingle with each other and have a good time. Photoshoots are always a fun thing to engage in but you should always be careful because unfortunately there are shady, and sometimes even dangerous people out there posing as photographers.

Behind the Scenes of The Understudy

A few months ago when I was in the middle of a portrait shoot I got a call from my lady friend saying that the short film she was doing makeup work for wanted a photographer to do production stills and of course I said I was game.

Being put in a behind the scenes had me right in my element while at the same time brought it’s own set of challenges. The biggest of these challenges was that I had to avoid getting in the way. That seems like that would be fairly standard for shooting stills on set but when you what was so unique about The Understudy was that it was shot all on steadycam in one take following a central charter through the intricate inner workings of theater (and everything that can go wrong on opening night.) This meant I had to work quickly on the fly and well out of the way.

After the first couple of runs I got a clear sense of where I could and couldn’t be for all of my shots, what were the best vantage points and where the most visually interesting element were going to take place. What turned out to be most special aspect of the set was just how much was going on that the video camera wasn’t capturing. Makeup, costuming, line rehersals, vocal warm up, set dressing and the built tension that you feel before curtain opens were all happening as the single camera was rolling for a straight 8 minutes.

Great photos always come out of great challenges and shooting behind the scenes of the Understudy provided just that.

Albuquerque Comic Expo 2014: Street Photography on the Show Floor.

The Albuquerque Comic Expo has now came and went and there are a tone of photos to share from the show floor. Like Most Conventions I spent most of my time shooting in a candid fashion carrying myself as a photojournalist. ACE was so kind as to present me with a press pass for the event giving me free range to shoot where ever whenever (within reason.)

For this event I shot exclusively with my 85mm 1.8 on my D600 Shooting at f2.5 and 1/400 of second, changing my ISO depending on where I was and the lighting that was present. On the show floor my ISO was at about 3200 and in the lobby it was dropped to about 800.

My 85mm has always been my workhorse lens. I like having the short telephoto length to where I don’t have to be getting up in people’s faces but I can still be present in the scene. Many street photographers like using a more standard focal length like a 50mm or a 35mm. For me those angles are a little to much on the wide side. If I was confined to a tighter space I would probably use a 50mm but I didn’t want to be getting into peoples faces with my camera. I wanted them to act natural at the convention.

The greatest thing about these conventions is the visual variety. People will dress up as their favorite comicbook, video game, Anime or movie characters, They’ll wander around the show and look at all the artist and vendors selling their merchandise and they’ll interact with each other in unique ways giving interesting Juxtaposition.

I always leave conventions 1. exhausted but 2. pleased with the experience. I always leave making a couple of friends, taken tons of good images that seem to get a lot of people’s attention. And that alone makes the exhausting 3 day work weekend all the more worth it.

Albuquerque Comic Expo 2014: Preview

We are now officially a week away from the Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) and just like last year I will be there all three days with my camera equipment on the show floor documenting everything the show has to offer.

Last year ACE was my introduction to shooting not only conventions but doing photography in a candid and unique way. One thing that I do differently from most photographers at conventions is that I take a run and gun approach. I move around, I don’t stop my subjects and I try to capture moments as opposed just posed portraits. It’s a fairly unconventional style of photography when it comes to comic conventions but people seem to always enjoy the results.

Though I enjoying shooting in a candid style at conventions it’s not uncommon for people to stop and pose when they see the camera pointed at them. I don’t mind this in the slightest. I try to take more of the street photographer mentality of capturing candid moments but obliging people who want to pose in their cosplays that they’ve worked so hard on.

On top of covering the show floor I also take posed portraits of my lovely cosplay friends. Most of them have worked very hard to put multiple outfits together for the convention and I’m always happy to oblige.

This year I’m hoping to show off how much I’ve improved as a photographer in the last year. I’ve learned a lot of different techniques, rules and concepts that I didn’t know a year ago. So if you thought the pictures from a year ago were good get ready. Because shit is about to get awesome.

See you all at ACE.

Photos from Denver Comic Con

For just over a year now I’ve covered Convention that have graced the fair city of Albuquerque and I have enjoyed quite a bit of success at photographing the show floors of the conventions. Through my work at convention I’ve made friends, connections, and even a small following. However over the weekend I stepped out of the pond that is Albuquerque to shoot at the biggest convention I’ve ever had the privilege to covering at Denver Comic Con.

I got the opportunity to go to Denver when my buddy Seth M Beyers (@ThatSethMBeyers) got us approved for Media Badges for the Podcast/ soon to be media company Nerdout Hangout (Nerdout Entertainment) The essential plan was to drive up to denver with all my gear film, interview, photograph repeat through the whole weekend. Needless to say I’ve done that an now I need to sort through everything and make it into respectable content. All the photos have been taken care of but the footage may take quite a bit of time to get turned over. But without further wait here are the best of the best photos from Denver Comic Con

Taking Photos with Minimal Equipment.

As you dive deeply into the craft of photography and accumulate thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment, you start to over analyse your needs when you go out shooting. Often times you might end up packing your entire lens collection when you really only end up using one or two; you may pack a tripod even though you’re not sure if you’ll need it for any long exposures. This typically leads up with you carrying loads of equipment strapped to your back weighing you down when you really could have just gone with the bare essentials.

This Memorial Day, I went on a hike with my girlfriend up in the Sandia Mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico and I decided to only take my D600 with the 28mm 1.8g lens attached along with a strap and a 32 gig card with me. What I wanted to accomplish with this was to work with what I was given on the trail and not get caught up in what lens I should have on the camera. It also made things much easier traveling light, considering how treacherous the terrain would turn the further up the trail we got.

Now it should be known that I’m not a landscape guy when it comes to photography. I often times prefer working with people as subjects, whether that be a model or a pedestrian that I happen to get a candid of, so I don’t always know what to look for in a nature situation. I knew I wanted to capture intricate details, so I knew I wasn’t going to be working with shallow depths of field. I kept my aperture set at f8 and change my shutter speed and ISO accordingly for what the situation was. It was a bright sunny day and around noon so I was able to keep my ISO below 400 and my shutter never dropped bellow 1/125 of second.

The biggest difference I noticed between shooting portraits and shooting nature is that background had become the foreground and how I composed images had changed from finding what angles work to to finding how all the elements in the frame worked together.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience only working with the basic materials of a body, lens and a memory card and the results were pleasing enough, even though I don’t have much experience in landscape photography. I encourage anyone that the next time you go on a leisurely shoot to leave the big bag of equipment at home and just go with a body and lens and see what you can do with just that, and not to worry so much about being prepared for every situation.

Photo-shoots Should be Fun.

Since I started shooting portraits I’ve started to notice how slight details effect the image. Backgrounds, location, time of day, present light, wardrobe, hair makeup, Space, Ect. But there’s one detail that really makes or breaks the success of a photo-shoot, and that would be how easy the model is to work with. This isn’t necessary to say that some models are awful drama inducing divas who are impossible to deal with but it’s a manner of personalities working well together. I’ve been with some models who have been very stone like doesn’t interact well and sometimes require some extra effort to get the photos out of them. There are others who are just the opposite and approach photo-shoots as play time and just like to be free and crazy which to a photographer who is looking for moments, like myself, is perfect.

This last week I did two photo-shoots with two people who really find themselves on the side of just having fun of shoots. Tara and Francesca are two people who I have worked with before in the past and they have been two of my favorite people to work with. Neither of them take themselves too seriously, they’re both incredibly humble and over all just fun people to be around. And as an added bonus they’re good looking.

The first shoot last week was with Tara who is not a model by trade but certainly has the talent and look of one. She’s tiny, adorable and her biggest strength she has no fear. We did our shoot in downtown Albuquerque and her adventurous spirit was beautifully on display throughout. Our goal was to just move around find interesting locations and goof around with the camera. This lead us on an adventure all around downtown, into a park and hijacking the Hyatt’s lobby.

Her willingness to move around, try something new, and even take risk during shoots makes her such a pleasure to work with. She has a lot of good stories she’s easy to talk which makes making a connection with your subject all the more easy. It makes shooting a much all more enjoyable of an experience.

Now onto the veteran, Francesca. She’s been doing modeling much longer than I’ve been shooting and has been a great asset to my photography. She’s always eager to go on a shoot she knows how to pose herself and give different looks and she takes direction very well.

Francesca is very fun loving, and playful and as result tries to pear pressure others into doing shoots with her (Which is fine by me.) She’s also not afraid to try something new and will take direction like a champ. We did our shoot down by Tingley Beach in Albuquerque and we wanted to get that “it’s now summer” feel. Out doors, Near the Rio Grand river, Trees all around and plenty of opportunities for something different.

What Francesca does so well is being confident. She know she looks good, she knows what she’s doing and when the camera is on her she is always active in front of it. Sometimes you need to bottle her up to get the shots of her but once you get on the same page as her the magic happens.

Both of these women are incredible people both in front of and away from the camera and I enjoy having them around. The truly represent what I enjoy about portrait photography. Their patient, daring, receptive, and most of all gorgeous. They’re amazing to work with and I can’t wait to get them in front of the camera again.

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May the Fourth Be With You

Growing up the one piece of pop culture was always Star Wars. As a small child whenever me and my sister were bored we would pop in the original trillogy into the VCR and just marathon through them. I was also at a very tender age when the prequel trilogy was being released where my critical understanding were less that stellar and the entire universe captured my young imagination. I remember swinging around toy light sabers in the back yard and playing the video games like Knights of the Old Republic and Battle Front all through out the summer.

Now as an adult the universe is very much still present not only in the public consciousness but in the world that I live in. Since I started doing cosplay photography you see many individuals in Star Wars attire. Madalorians, Storm Toopers, Jedi Seth. If it’s in the Star Wars Universe it’s been don in cosplay. There is even a faction of the 501st legion present in my home town.

Regardless of where the Universe is now and where it will be in the foreseeable future Star Wars is important to the shaping of my life and it’s still a very big part of the passions I find myself in.

To all my other Star Wars fans out there all I can say to you all if May the Force be with you. and Happy Star Wars day.

The Most Physically Challenging Photo Shoot Ever.

I don’t own a studio space making one of the biggest challenges of doing photo shoots is finding a place to do it. There are so many factors to consider from time of day, the weather conditions, how populated the area is and does it work for the images you want to take. On average I enjoy doing these shoots on location outdoors. It gives you a more unique look that you can’t get from a back drop in a studio. However you get less control and in case of this shoot that I did with my friend CheeseCakePanda in her Smaug cosplay from the Hobbit, was fairly dangerous.

We shot up at the base of the Sandia Mountains at a trail that went through very rocky terrain. I wanted to use this location to reflect the nature of the cosplay. The trail goes down quite a ways to the base of the mountain and then goes strait up in almost a rock climbing fashion. The higher up we got it became rockier and more cave like which was perfect. The issues became the amount of space I have to shoot and getting the model who is in full costume up the mountain.

I felt terrible about how difficult the terrain was to work with. Lucky enough the model came with a set of shoes and was a great sport about the whole thing. When I had chosen the location I didn’t plan for spaces being so tight and and the vegetation (like cactus) to be so abundant. I put me and the model in harms way and I felt so guilty about it. It also didn’t help that there were numerous amounts of issues that I was having with light and getting at the right angles.

I was very proud of the way photos come out but it came at the cost of a lot of trial and error. If I could do it over again I would say I should have done better scouting and made life easier on the model. I appreciate CheeseCakePanda’s effort and being such a great friend through the whole process. Hopefully I’ve learned from my mistakes but knowing me I haven’t and will do another adventuress shoot. But at least next time the model will be prepared.

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