Much Goings On
Always so much going on inside and outside the Palm Springs Air Museum. My favorite place to bring my cameras. Check it out!
Photographed with a FujiFilm XT-1 camera and the FujiFilm 50-140 lens. What a great lightweight versatile camera system!
Nobody Does It Like Me!
Nobody shoots photographs like I do in Palm Springs… Nobody! Not even close! Ok it does help that I have the likes of the gorgeous Sherry Goggin in front of my cameras. But you get the idea I am sure!
December is a great month for shooting out here, the weather is great. Although we do have something like 350 days of Sun during the year. So whether it is your magazine features, fashion stories, advertising or maybe your own portfolio. From shoe fashions on beautiful women to fast moving airplanes or even a travel story. Just send me a note to SecondFocus@mac.com and we can chat about it.
Note that I shoot nothing but the finest of equipment. Hasselblad medium format digital and Broncolor lighting. For more portability and faster action I am now shooting the superb FujiFilm X-Series cameras and lenses.
I also have the finest makeup artists available and all kinds of shoot locations from desert to gyms. Just let me know and we can talk about it. And again, my e-mail is SecondFocus@mac.com. Look forward to hearing from you soon! Thanks!
Some Navy Training
Not only yesterday but pretty much everyday you can go take a ride in this PT-17 Stearman Navy trainer at the Palm Springs Air Museum. There were over 10,000 built in the 1930’s and 1940’s. If you learned how to fly in the military this was your classroom.
Photographed with a FujiFilm XT-1 camera and the FujiFilm 50-140 lens. What a great lightweight versatile camera system!
Fun In The Skies!
Yesterday at the Palm Springs Air Museum as their C-47 “What’s Up Doc” does a fly by. Always fun there, you could watch from the ground or even have grabbed a ride headed down to the Salton Sea and back. Bring your camera too and check out the goings on, pretty much everyday, on their website at http://palmspringsairmuseum.org
Photographed with a FujiFilm XT-1 camera and the FujiFilm 50-140 lens. What a great lightweight versatile camera system!
That Feel Good, Do Good Season
A feel good, do good movie that especially makes me feel good because I worked on it for 7 weeks as the stills photographer. The movie is set in Florida but was almost entirely shot in Budapest. That was also especially fun. Combined with a heartwarming story, laughter filled time and great music. Topped off with my photographs being used behind the end credits, the publicity photographs in publications around the country and the movie poster. It’s all good! And available on iTunes and Amazon. Yup, Very Fun!
You Are In The Library Of Congress
If you have been in front of my camera, you are indeed in the Library Of Congress. I do register the Copyright on my photographs. And the Library Of Congress is the repository of those registrations along with thumbnails of all of the photographs. When you think about it, that is kind of cool!
A Flight Of Beer On A DC-3
Yesterday you could have gone back in a time machine and flown luxury class on The Flabob Express DC-3 while tasting craft beers at the Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival at the Palm Springs Air Museum. The plane was originally designated as a C-47B and built in 1945. Very Fun!
Photographed on Hasselblad. Only the best!
Two Guys And The Ferrigno
These two guys have been hitting the gym at Palm Springs Fitness and getting ready. Travis Ely has walked away with a few bodybuilding trophies now and on his way in his best shape ever. Aaron Cruz is doing his very first show in Physique and has come a real long way down almost sixty pounds and cut up! The Lou Ferrigno Legacy Competition this weekend in Palm Springs California.
$75 For You, Millions For Me, But We Appreciate You!
‘We pay $75 per day for you to work in our booth at the Olympia.’ ‘We pay $20 per photograph that we use and we give you photo credit.’ ‘We don’t pay for articles but you will get a lot of exposure.’
How many of you have heard things like this from supplement companies and others? Now let me give you a real life example about how much money these companies are making when they tell you about their woeful budgets and hardship tales about paying you…
“During the period from October 2008 through October 2013, the conspirators collected at least $400,000,000 in revenue…”
“Transferred over $230,000,000… proceeds from USP Labs business account at Chase to the USP Charles Schwab accounts”
“… transferred over $154,000,000 to at least 21 other financial accounts maintained at Charles Schwab, Chase Bank, TD Ameritrade Bank, TD Bank, and Bank of America”
These are quotes directly from a Federal criminal indictment filed on November 4th against USP Labs and S.K. Labs and their principals. You saw their products at the shows and in all of the magazines like “Jack3d”and “OxyElite Pro”. The charges involve fake ingredients, frauds, deceptions etc. Importantly however, the indictment does give you an idea about how much money is involved with supplement companies and such.
Now I will say that there are good companies out there. Their products are good, real and they treat people well. But they are seemingly few and far between.
So remember that when you are standing mostly naked in a booth at the Olympia, feet hurting in those high heels that the money you should be making you have given to the owner of the company to go have dinner each night at some high end restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Or when you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your photo equipment, you are paying the interest on your credit cards so the money you should have been paid is being transferred, when the company owner drives over in his Mercedes SLS Coupe, to the bank to transfer a few million dollars to his other accounts.
The full indictment can be found here at United States of America v. USP Labs et al.
Free Exposure – Yeah Right
More following my prior posts about working for free etc. This is an e-mail exchange from yesterday. Another company trying to get free work by offering free exposure. Free exposure at best is worthless but from a start up company that has no exposure, free exposure is worth even less. Obviously the person just does not get it. And sadly they will sucker some people in who are just hoping to find some way of getting ahead and trying to be hopeful about it. I have left out the person’s name and the name of the company so as to not embarrass them, at least for the moment. Please read all of it. Enjoy the exchange and if I can answer any questions just let me know at SecondFocus@mac.com.
The Power Of No!
In follow up to my post below about getting paid for your work and not working for free or cheap. This is a quote from top model Patti Hansen from 1975. It appears in the book “Arthur Elgort, The Big Picture“. A photo essay of this most famous and respected of photographers. Sometimes you just have to say No!
$75 Mostly Naked Booth Babe, Is That You?
I have talked with so many of you about my opinion of working for cheap or free as models for supplement ads or magazine features and more. Basically if someone is making money using you, then you should be paid. And not in $50 of supplements or standing around mostly naked for $75 as some booth babe all day. A company making like $40 million a year can afford to pay you. Time to just say NO! This is what top models are making for the last year per Forbes Magazine 2015. Yes they are at the very top but hey, this is a very very long way from free. In between would be much better for most of you I would guess. If you want to chat about it, just send me message and I will try to help you out. My E-Mail is SecondFocus@mac.com
Veterans Day
The World War II Submarine USS Pampanito as I shot this photograph the other day from the deck of the Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco. Another perspective of Veterans Day and history that should not be forgotten. Whether it was the right war, the wrong war, the right mission or the wrong mission, sitting behind a desk, under the water, on horseback, in the air, responding to a natural disaster or any number of special times in a far off land, the members of our armed services go when ordered and do their best. So on Veterans Day they all, past and present, deserve our honor.
I’m Back
I am back home from San Francisco courtesy of Virgin America. Sure an easy fight. I had no idea that Monster Children Magazine produced such interesting videos. Virgin has much more off the beaten path in flight entertainment.
Running Amok!
Ok if you are going to jog down Embarcadero in San Francisco when it is warm and sunny this is sure a good way to do it!
Sleeping With Torpedoes
Nothing better than sleeping just above a torpedo so you can jump on down and blow something up when necessary. Onboard the USS Pampanito, a World War II United States Navy submarine. First commissioned November 6, 1943. Completed six war patrols from 1944 – 1945. A Naval Reserve Training ship from 1960 – 1971. Touring this submarine was really interesting! In San Francisco.
I’m Here At The Republican Debates
Got to San Francisco yesterday. Happened to walk in on the next Republican Primary Debate! Actually at the Musée Mécanique, the interactive museum of penny arcade games and artifacts located at Fisherman’s Wharf.
A CPA To Keep You Afloat
My idea of a CPA! My buddy Greg Barton know his business and is smart enough not to be uptight about it LOL! Great guy, great fun and the go to CPA for sure! His firm has also been named as one of “Intuit’s Top 20 Firms of the Future”. Is that too cool or what! From our photo shoot. Thanks!
Dedication
It is dedication in all walks of life that makes us not just look good but to also be a better self. And in turn makes those better around us as well. Greg Tully from our photo shoot.
Photographed on Hasselblad. Only the best.
The Mask Behind The Shoes
The masked woman behind my photographs for Shoe Envy, Maria Bertrand. In front of one of the mesmerizing unique art works by Emma Ferreira. I love the Shoe Envy tag line… “Because Finding The Perfect Pair Should Be Easier Than Finding Your Perfect Date”. Shoe Envy from Envy Inc., “The Data Platform For The Fashion Industry”. The Booties and Poncho courtesy Skingraft. Art and Mask and Studio courtesy of Emma Ferreira. Thank You!
Photographed on Hasselblad digital and Broncolor lighting. My choice for superb detail and accurate colors. Only the best.
They Aced It!
Huge congratulations to my good friends Dennis Johnson and Hunter Johnson for having their art works selected for the 2015 Artists Council Exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Dennis for his “17 Reasons” painting and Hunter for his “Official Garage” photograph. As a side note, they are actually not related to each other, and I have other friends not named “Johnson”. Thanks!
Chili, Cars, Planes and Halloween
What a great combination! A Chili Cook Off, Car Show and all at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Halloween! You could even go take a ride in Bunny, a fully restored C-47! Too Fun!
My Ride Is Here!
Overhead this morning, the C-47 Skytrain “Bunny” out of the Palm Springs Air Museum. It’s nose art is “What’s Up Doc”. In service for 58 years and here painted with 1944 D-Day Invasion stripes. Also known as “Gooney Bird” it can land almost anywhere even with no landing strip. As the DC-3 it was one of the earliest commercial passenger planes.
El Día de Muertos Year Round!
El Día de Muertos never looked so good as it does with Natalie Lyle. Makes me look forward to it year round! The Makeup and Hair Styling done by Natalie as well as the wardrobe and body! I just managed to get the lighting in the right place and push the button on the camera. Thanks!
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