Hasselblad

I recently checked out a recent Hasselblad event with Jing Jiang and got to play with all the great equipment, including the latest 50-megapixel death machine :-)

Where next?

Here's a challenge for my next employer - hire this player of character to help your organization grow into a much greater entity. Empowerment and high fives for all. I'm your man. Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!

With that in mind, here are some of the top places I'm looking at now and for future projects:

1. Hong Kong
2. Bangkok
3. Los Angeles
4. Austin
5. New York
6. Sydney
7. Toronto
8. Chicago
9. London
10. Brussels
11. Reykyavik - this place gets an "11"

Important to note are that India and Nigeria boast the world's 1st and 3rd largest film industries, respectively, Reykyavik is a very desirable place but not now (LA too), and Asia has a booming economy. I can also see myself working some time in Saigon, but Hanoi does not have extensive work in photography and film. Hitting Toronto means being near the New York scene, and staying in Dallas/Fort Worth means growing with the amazing Denton scene. I'd love to work in Mexican cinema, but am a little more occupied with Asia at the moment. This list doesn't necessarily include the cities I'm most likely to work in, just the ones I'm most intrigued with - though I've just sent a few resumes to Hong Kong...

Masters

Photography by participants of my Photography Masterclass.


I led a Photography Masterclass at Bigfoot Entertainment and the participants took some outstanding pictures in the process. I'm proud, yay! The photographer's names are placed below each of the photographs except for the first, which was taken at the Shangri-La by Konstanze Pelargus. I picked it as the first because it is reminiscent of Brigadoon, a very cool old school drama. For more of their work, visit bigfootphotoclass on flickr.

Self-portrait by Fiona Cross, she says:
"trying to get my reflection in the glasses, and have my pictures and family in the back ground.
I chose the sunglasses as a reflection for various reasons: because you are what the other see, because you wear sunglasses to hide yourself from others and because i just love those sunglasses"

Macbook abstraction by Tascha Eipe

Filipino boats by Nathalie Heugas

The sun at noon (yes, it's the sun) by Tascha Eipe

Melinda with a hoodie, by Nathalie Heugas

Cowrie's Cove by Konstanze Pelargus. Konstanze says:
"These water photos are inspired by Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir. Her photographs make water and other landscapes look otherworldly and mystical. I am transported into another world when I look at her photographs. They look magical to me and I wish I was there and even that this particular world really exists."

Sunset, sea, and the Hilton by Charles Lastierre

Tokyo: Scenes

From the Metro in Ueno to the technology shops of Akihabara, Tokyo is a happening place.

















Photographed Summer '08

Fun, free photography seminar :-)

Four days from now will be the first session of my photo masterclass for employees and interns at Bigfoot Entertainment. I am including 70 links that will provide inspirational and practical material for the course. Check them out:

Inspiration:
Zena Holloway
Nicoline Patricia
Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir
Jill Greenberg
Joseph Cultice
Chase Jarvis
Vincent Laforet
Richard Avedon
Lawrence Winram
The Year in Pictures
Paolo Roversi
Björk
Super Models.nl
Joey Laurence
Thomas Tukker
Lane Coder
Russell James
Article on Denis Darzacq's Falling People
Art Partner
Janet Bordeninc
VH Artists
Jed Root Photographers/Talent
Lund Lund
Lithium Picnic
Michael Grecco
Mark Laita
John Michael Cooper
Building Blog
Douglas Menuez
Gray Scott
GMK
Jean Philippe Martin
Julius Von Bismarck - Image Fulgurator
Scott Harben
Greg Booth
Serlin Associates
Wing Chan
Philippe Halsman
Ten Movies every photographer should see
Mark Bugzester
Drip Book portfolio site
TD Photo
Martin Prihoda
Rick Kosick
Carbon Made
Lost at E Minor
Pinhole Day
BBC in pictures
David Griffin speaks about photography at Ted Talks


FYI, How to & technology
Learn at Photo.net
Digital Photography Review - best for cameras specs
Lens Babies
B&H photo video - price check & equipment
Flickr - photo sharing
One Model Place
Studio Lighting.net
Hasselblad Cameras
Article on Tilt-shift lenses
Strobist - learn to light
Wet Pixel - underwater photography
Show us you lights! Lighting setups mandatory
Best Canon Lenses
American Society of Media Photographers
Lomography
All Things Photography
Model Mayhem
Take Better photographs - Wikihow
A digital picture of Britain
Ray Ring Flash

My bokeh is bigger than yours

Cars don't really fascinate me, lifting weights isn't my thing, I don't drink, and guns are boring. In terms of macho-ness, I'm just chillin', man - what's to prove! But the one expression of tradional, societally-taught manliness I will claim is the bokeh I get with my Canon 85mm L-series f1.2 lens. Sure, it's no Stanley Kubrick / Barry Lyndon f0.7 lens (or an out-of-production 50mm f1.0 Canon) but one thing is for sure: my bokeh is bigger than yours.
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Bokeh is a Japanese word used to describe the background blur achieved using lenses with a large aperture (or special effects lenses like tilt-shift & lensbabies) which give a large depth of field. In the process of lens construction, it is both difficult and expensive to manufacture high performance lenses with large apertures, thus a celebration of traditional manhood and patriarchy is achieved after one has purchased and photographed with this heavy piece of glass.
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Photo above is one I took while momentarily distracted by raindrops on a car hood in New York, while on a shoot with Sarah Renfro. Shot very, very late at night. My mommy wouldn't approve.

silent Tokyo