Models
Arizona Workshop – Day 3
I'm tired. Today has probably been the most taxing day so far. Not really in a bad way, but after three days of humping 50+ pounds of camera gear on your back, eventually exhaustion begins to take hold.
At breakfast I was given a chance to get my hands on a newly released camera, I didn't get a chance to shoot it...but I was told to share my thoughts with my Instagram followers. And believe me, I did.
After a very brief classroom meeting, we broke off into our teams and began some more specific one on one training sessions.
I've never really shot models with a bunch of other photographers all trying to get their own version of the same shot before. And although I felt very excited to finally be shooting something that really appealed to me, I also was frustrated because it seemed like everyone was struggling to get the attention of each of the models. I could tell it wasn't easy for them as well trying to give to multiple sources at the same time.
Shortly after our lunch break, the exhaustion set in. I've been running on such an adrenaline high so far all week that my body didn't exactly have a chance to catch up. I started to ache. My muscles were at their breaking point. And we still had 4 hours to go.
We ended up having an opportunity to do some optional night shoots involving light painting and longer exposures that was supposed to start at 7:00 pm. Once we broke at 5:30, I intended completely to attend, however, the hotel staff didn't exactly give us all of the details about where our dinner arrangements were. "Right down the street" must mean something completely different here. So after a 20-minute hike to the local Walmart, and then another 20 minute hike (and almost getting lost in the "desert" later), I finally was fed and only slightly delerious.
I got back to the resort around 8:00. Final images for the day were due by 9. I realized quite quickly that I DRASTICALLY over-shot for the day. All of that time fighting to find the right image caused me to shoot much more than I anticipated. I very quickly culled almost 800 photos down to 72, and then finally down to my final 10. I'm not unhappy with the work I did today, but I am far from satisfied.
Once I have more time I will be going through and re-visiting some of these shots, as I feel many of them have a lot of potential and didn't get the time they deserved. Tomorrow is our big shooting day. 8 hours in the Arizona sun. If I don't burst into flames, I think I will have fun.
2015: A Year in Review
So here we are, Another year in the books. And like every year I just want to take a few minutes and share with everyone my favorite 5 images I have taken this year. This list will probably have more than a few "runners up" as well.
2015 was a year in which I decided to get back to the basics and start fresh. At the end of last year I was a little burned out with my lack of creativity, and my goal for this last year was simply to "shoot more" which I did in spades. See the 52 rolls blog for more information. My original goal was to not pick up a digital camera at all, which I failed, but instead of counting it as a failure...I'm going to instead call the work that came from a digital medium a huge success. Re-shooting on film has caused me to slow down (as I hoped it would) and I ended up with a few great shots!
So without further ado, and in no particular order. Here are my favorite 5 shots from 2015.
I met Bri through another model I worked with this year. After seeing what Morgan and I were able to create she jumped at the chance for us to work together. This shot was taken very quickly as the sun was going down. And the effect that the lighting had, combined with her posing worked out very well to create the image that I had in my mind.
Hada Pixie is no stranger to this blog. After meeting her around 2011 while working with a lot of other talented photographers and models during "Beautiful Darkness" we have off and on worked together in many projects for Zivity. A trend that I hope continues on into the future. This was shot as a bonus to one of our Zivity sets, and in all honesty I liked it better than some of the other images that came out of that shoot.
I shot like a madman at DragonCon this year. But most importantly I had the lovely chance to work with Atlanta's own "team tank" (which also were my gracious roommates during the long weekend). My third Con and probably my favorite so far. These folks provided me a lot of great opportunities to shoot, laugh, and enjoy myself to such an extreme level.
Along with Team Tank, another one of my Con roommates was Nikki Nuke'm. Shortly after the release of Fallout 4 this year Nikki decided to let her inner vault dweller out into the world, and we captured this image among many. My only regret was not snapping a horizontal image of this one, but even the image I was able to capture I am in love with.
My final official favorite image from the year comes from working with Finite Automata. They saw my work and wanted some new photos for their press kit. After taking time to decorate a basement into a working set, we were able to snap a few great photos, including this one which ended up being one of my favorites for the year.
But of course I can't stop there, 2015 also brought on many great opportunities and even more wonderful people that I worked with. There are so many that I can't name or post from everyone here. But don't fret, I want to let everyone I shot this year know that I appreciate the time you spent with me, and I hope that we were able to create something awesome in the process!
"Titan Addams" was the first set I ever shot on a digital full frame camera (surprise I know). I loved how the tones came out, and that bokeh. Hope to see more come from Titan and I in 2016.
Stan, Justin, and Cody all helped me back to back while I was working the kinks out of my DIY black background. You can find more of that in an earlier Extra blog post.
Blix, Stevhan, and K all stepped up to the challenge when I needed to keep the 52 rolls project alive. Also a big thank you to Clockwork Calamity and Caprica Song. Clockwork and I did some great work for Zivity this year (hopefully more to come), and Caprica worked very hard for a spot in Poisonous Pinups magazine! So be sure to keep your eyes open for that very soon.
I definitely can't forget Ilker and the rest of the team at REGen Magazine. Thank you for allowing me to cover a few great shows this year, and an even bigger thank you for publishing my photos in the mag. So happy to have been a part of your culture in 2015.
And finally, as much as I hate to end this year on a down note. I wanted to share a photo of my fluffy cat. Although she is no longer in my life, she was a big part of keeping me together in 2015. She may have only been in my life for about three years, but I miss her dearly. I'm happy to know she is in a better place and no longer in pain. <3
Sorry if I missed anyone. I've been trying to put this blog post together for the last month or so, but couldn't decide which images I wanted to show. Thank you again to everyone I worked with, and everyone I have yet to work with. Here's to 2016!
Top 5 Images of 2012
Hello Friends and Followers!
I hope everyone's year has been wonderful. Also I hope to have this post finished before too far into 2013 (but that's a whole different story).
2012 has been a great year for us here at UNDEREXPOSED, a large part of which is due to all of you. And in looking at my body of work for the year, I have done more work in 2012 than I have in any of the years previous. Multiple accolades at Zivity.com, my first legitimate publication, and the winning of the Kink Patrol art show. Lets not forget the website that you are currently reading as well. It's been a long road, but with your help 2013 will be an even better year.
Without further ado, let's get to today's blog post. I was inspired by a thread over at the Something Awful Forums (goon) to post my favorite shots I have taken from 2012. In no particular order...here they are:
Necrosis Synthesis:
Honestly speaking when this gentleman contacted me I didn't know what to think. He was referred to me by some designers that I had worked for in 2011. Even though I wasn't really in the market to take on new clients at the time, I took the chance to shoot him. This was from our second shoot together and even now "That picture of the 'hand guy'" has become one of my most well known images.
Shadow:
I first met Shadow in early 2011 and almost immediately we stuck off on a path that would become a very stable business relationship. Shadow approached me for a feature in Glam Rock Magazine for her company Soiled Dove Designs, and naturally I jumped at the chance. This was one of the images that came from that shoot, and subsequently was published. One thing that the picture doesn't show is how tall she really is. Combined with her tendency to wear high heels, it makes for an ever fun time for someone who is shorter like me.
Bobby:
Bobby AKA DJ Ghost and I have become close friends during my tenure in Atlanta. 2012 has brought a lot of work my way with this great guy. Shooting his appearances at Atmosphere X in early January, being the go-to guy at his Monthly Fallout Events, and even being the "Secret Agent Photographer" for his engagement are all things that stick out in my mind when looking at what I have accomplished in 2012. This image in particular was actually meant for Shadow or one of her many friends, but when she was not available I called Bobby in for the job. He came running after a long day at his day job and was eager to work with me...until he knew he would be blindfolded. Luckily we got past that pretty quickly, and ended up with an image we both would be proud of.
The Next Two Images Are Not Safe For Work:
Nicolette Emanuelle:
I met Nicolette originally at one of Bobby's Fallout events. I was immediately enamored with her large back tattoo (not that you can see it in this image). Many months later I was made aware of the Kink Patrol photo and art competition. When it came time to create a new image to submit, I knew Nicolette would be perfect for the part. Taking what I had learned from shooting with Bobby for the image above, we came up with an image that we both were very happy with and that ended up winning me the competition by popular vote.
Scarlett Quinn:
Miss Quinn was the first friend I ever made in Atlanta (under her given name of course). She came to me mid way through 2012 and asked me to do a series of photographs of her for Zivity.com. I have worked with her several times (making it very hard to select just one image...see below), and if things continue the way they are going now, expect many more great things from this girl.
Honorable Mentions:
Adrienne and Brian:
Generally speaking I don't like working with my own family as a photographer. Honestly what little time I get with my family is usually used for resting or catching up. However when my cousin came to me and asked for me to capture some images of her and her at the time soon to be husband. I took the job like any other. This image came from that series of photos. We took a nice long walk in downtown Valdosta. We settled on a few locations including an old burned out theater, and the picture below of the overgrown tobacco warehouse. Something about this image just stick with me, and even though I don't consider it one of the "5 best" I felt at least it deserved a re-posting.
Scarlett Quinn 2:
This image came completely by accident. When Scarlett and I started shooting for Zivity, we wanted to have a basic set in front of a white backdrop. After shooting and reviewing the images we took, we both just weren't happy with what came from it. It didn't have that extra bit of fire that makes a good image great. While taking a break and standing in her kitchen for a drink I saw just how beautiful and very "girl next door" she looked. After snapping a few frames it became clear to the both of us that this was going to take us both places.
What were your favorites from this last year? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Facebook page. Who knows...there may be something special in it for you.
Here's to a brand new year
-B
UNDEREXPOSED: Alternative Photography: Booking for shoots between now and the end of the year →
Not a lot of work coming during the next few weeks. I’m taking a little “Me time” to rest up and taking care of a few things around my office. I may still have some time to get some work done however.
October:
This weekend ( October - 26th through the 28th) is closed. Going to spend…