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Man alive have we been slacking with this blog thing. Oh well.
The good news is things have been off the hook. We are full swing in AR season, and have been enjoying the road. Lots of science and technology work, lots of manufacturing, and some biotech. We also have a couple of aerial jobs booked. (looking forward to the flight.) I’ll make sure to post about those shoots.
Heading back out tomorrow for a week for a client outside of Rochester, NY. I will try to post some picks of the side show, however we have been mostly under contract lately to keep the clients on the DL when it comes to the blog.
Got some cool new shots for the “Road Kill” project. We shot some porcupines up on the tip of Cape Breton, NS at Meat Cove. Very cool up there.
Lately the big problem is the wear and tear on the gear. Totally blows. Almost all of the glass in the bag is out with Nikon now because of one bit of damage or another. Thank God for NPS (Nikon Professional Service.) One quick eMail, and a loaner 17-35, 24-70, and 70-200 were over nighted so we wouldn’t skip a beat. Thanks to Carrie over at Nikon for your help and fast turn around!
Here’s a quick image we grabbed of Rabbit in his proverbial test subject roll. I really like the feel of the shot. We did it in a tiled hallway in a ordinary coridor. The real shot (which I am not allowed to show…) had an engineer standing in the hall with a gizmo in his hand. We used the Profoto Octa just above his head. It’s cool what you can do with one light.
Rabbit posing again...
We’ve finished another Investigator Profile film for the Research Lab of Electronics at MIT. This one features Yoel Fink, and was a ton of fun to produce!
Go Rabbit go!
Off on the road again, but not without a laugh… We saw this officer at the airport while switching airplanes and just had to pester him for a ride on his Segway.
We both got a chance to run down the hallway beteween terminals. It was a blast!
Ok. You can stop eMailing me now….
I know that the photo I shot of the speedometer in the Tacoma turning 100,000 miles reads 60 miles per hour. I am guilty…. (earlier post)
I shot the photo on the highway whilst driving….. Living on the edge!!!
: )
Shooting and driving.... I know..... I know...
Not that you wanted to see me get a hair cut, because thats not the point. The point is that we live in a crazy, insane, amazing time here on the planet.
I posted this photo because I still cant wrap my head around the notion that I can sit in a barbers chair, the same chair that I have sat in for over 35 years, but now I have the ability to eMail a photo of myself around the planet….. Totally insane!
When my Grandmother was born, there were horses on the city streets. Now she can sit in her comfy chair, laptop on her knees, and read my meanderings on the world wide super interweb network. (Hi Nanna…)
Use your iPhone! Shoot, write, blog!!!!
(thanks for the haircut Pat!)
Rabbit in front of the Tacoma this summer...
Big day today…
Our company truck (2005 Toyota Tacoma) hit the 100,000 mile mark! Best vehicle I have ever had!
Between the stuffing the double cab, and the rear bed, there isnt much we cant carry…
I swear!!!! Every time we hit the road it gets more and more complicated!
Check out this line at security at the US Air terminal at LAX…..The line went out the door, around the corner, and all the way down the sidewalk outside the terminal. Took forever to get into the airport!
The best news was from US Air. I guess come Feb, the official carry-on size will now get even more restricitve and will become smaller.
Oh joy!
Richard, Chris and I hope you’all have a blast this weekend! (You can tell what we will be up to)
In the imortal words of the Beastie Boys: if your driving, dont drink, and if your drinking, dont drive….
Happy Turkey Day!
Calumet
Big thanks to our friend Jim Staples of Calumet Cambridge for keeping our little photo biz running!
If you are in Boston, and ever need ANYTHING, Jim is your man. He has peeled us out of too many scrapes to count. If you want to know just how hard we beat up gear, Jim is the man to ask!
We couldnt do it with out you J-Man!
Congratulations to my friend Tom Sperduto for winning this years Grand Prize in the Advertising Photographers of America National Photo Competition!
Winners can be seen at the APA National Contest site.
Tom Sperduto's winning photo
Strong work!
Picked up a new D700 body and accessories today from my friends over at Newtonville Camera. Although I am reluctant about how the camera will stack up to the D3’s, I do think I has a place in the bag. I am very excited at how small it is (w/out a vertical grip) and plan on sticking it in all kinds of awkward places! Stay tuned…
Picking up the camera from Bob.... Aint no one cooler!
I wanted to take a second and talk a little bit about how I created a particular industrial image the other day while out on the water.
The final shot
For some reason, I am really drawn to heavy industry. I love to photograph it. I love the colors, I love the scale, and I love the environment. It might be getting to go on huge ships, or hang out of helicopters, or maybe just getting to feel like a little kid around huge toys. I have no idea. All I know is I cant get enough! Industrial photography has taken me around the world, and I am thankful for every moment I’ve had doing it, and giddy with excitement at the prospect of every new job.
Every once and a while, we as photographers get to watch the stars align over our heads in perfect order, and we are lucky enough to work with a client that allows us the creative freedom to explore. For me, this client is the Research Lab of Electronics (or RLE) over at MIT.
Currently, we are involved in a very cool project where we have the privilage of creating a series of short films that cover some of the fantastic faculty at the Lab. These films are called “Investigator Profiles,” and are each between 3-6 min each.
Richard setting up for a video interview
The production of these films are seperated into two basic parts. The “A” roll, and the “B” roll. The “A” roll basically consists of the interview. This is shot on location at their facility on a simple background. We typically use a white seamless, or a black sheet of velvet. When we use white, we light it with two Tota Lights, blowing the background out by kicking them up about two stops over the key light. For the Key, we use another Tota inside a large Chimera with a 1000W bulb. When we have a black background, we use no background lights.
Lots of times you see people shooting video interivews with a hair light. I am not a big fan, and feel it looks too much like television lighting. I much prefer a more cinematic look, so the hair light stays in the bag. Remember, keep it simple…
Shooting "B" Roll
The “B” roll for these films is comprised of all kinds of footage taken in and around the campus as well as one or two full days of shooting in the subjects lab. Our process is to first construct the narritive, or the main vehicle that will bring the viewer through the story. In this case, this is the interview. After that is cut together, we then fill in the gaps with the “B” roll. Its really very simple when you get right down to it. Read the rest of this entry »
Friend and Weymouth Designer Robert Krivicich
Well I finally got Robert (above) from Weymouth Design out of the office and out on the water!!!
We snuck away from our respective Macintosh’s and headed north to Joppa Flats at the mouth of the Merrimack. I wish I could say I caught the larger fish, but alas, Robert is the better Angler and kicked my ass on both the fish count, and the size contest.
Robert is an amazing designer. This September, he and I will have been working together for nine years. We have worked on some interesting projects together.
My absolute favorite shot for Weymouth Design has to have been the Annual Report for US Shipping (as seen in the “campaign” section of the web site.) Robert was the creative director, and Aaron Haesaert (now at Catapult Thinking) was the designer. We agreed to shoot the job with Fuji Velvia film, and use a lot of panoramics. We shot that job with the Nikon F5 as well as both the Widelux and the Hasselblad X-Pan.
This is one of my favorite shots from the job. We were just off the surface of the ocean, 20 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico standing on the skid of a Jet Ranger. Talk about a fun job! These are my favorites, and I am always thankful to get the opportunity to make these pictures.
Here are some other of my favorites from that Annual Report:
Portrait of the Captain
Morning Briefing
In preparation for some personal work I am interested in doing on wildland firefighters, Richard and I flew out to Salida, CO to become certified as basic woodland firefighters. With this certification (called a “Red Card”) we would then have the basic fundimental knowledge to allow us to work on a wildfire.
My Squad
The four day S-130/190 class was held against the backdrop of the Western Slope at the Colorado Fire Camp. I was fortunate enough to be chosen as squad leader for my squad, which was a fantastic experience. The class was fairly straight forward, covering all sorts of crazy fire fighting material. The biggest kicker of all was the “pack test.” This was a 3 mile (forced march) while carrying 45lbs on your back. The test had to be completed in under 45min, and it nearly put me in the ground. (I did however manage to beat Richard across the line even though he is 10 years younger.)
Class Photo
I am always amused at how there is no original idea. Once we got out to the camp, we learned that a photographer from National Geographic named Mark Thiessen had taken the class the year before, got his certification, and had just published his work in the August issue of the magazine.
Mark’s work is certainly amazing and is well worth your time. You can also check out the August issue on news stands. I can only hope our images will be as breath taking! Kudos Mark!!!
