Manzanar – Go See The Exhibit
Are you here for the Palm Springs Photo Festival? When you have extra time, go on over to the Palm Springs Air Museum to catch the last week of “Manzanar – The Wartime Photographs Of Ansel Adams”. It really is a wonderful exhibit and of course there is much at the Air Museum to entertain your camera!
Palm Springs Photo Festival This Week
Starting this afternoon you will find me for much of the week at the Palm Springs Photo Festival. I will still be filling day time hours with photo editing and my usual photography tasks. If you are going to be at the Photo Festival and want to say Hi, send me a text on my cell at 213-712-1929. Great Fun!
A Palm Springs Photo Festival To-Do
To all my photographer friends; are you coming out here for the Palm Springs Photo Festival starting Sunday? If you are and happen to be coming in on Saturday, here is a very fun photo op for you. The Palm Springs Air Museum will be doing a flight demonstration with their Navy T-28. This is a really astounding aircraft that actually will outperform many of the more famous fighters from World War II. You can expect it to be flying just after 2 PM but there is much more out at the Air Museum for you to keep your camera busy. If you are not coming in on Saturday, you have all week to check out a great collection of vintage aircraft and so much more to see. The Palm Springs Air Museum is very close by to all the Photo Festival venues. Here is one of my photographs of the T-28 and a short video. See you there!
Tilt Up Studio
I have been getting a lot of photogrpahers asking for a closer look at my tilt up studio background system. Actually I think they wanted a closer look at Randalene Sergent. Perfectly reasonable! To the left is Natalie Lyle who does so much of the superb makeup and hair styling you see on my photo shoots. Although I have huge space inside to do photo shoots, this system allows me to create all kinds of spaces, paint schemes and more designs. I can also shift to do doing scenes by the pool or tress without moving all of the lighting equipment or very much additional work. Thanks!
Earth Day
So I guess this is “Earth Day”. Thinking about what photographs I have shot speak to that, for some reason this one just jumped out at me. A tiny abandoned cabin left on federal land called Jackrabbit Homesteads in Wonder Valley California near Joshua Tree National Park. Maybe it is all the earth around the cabin or a post civilization remnant look, but perhaps it makes me think that this all what might be left if we don’t become better caretakers of the Earth.
Dark Corners In The Sunshine
Behind the scenes yesterday in my photo shoot with Randalene Sergent. I must tell you that Randalene is one of the most beautiful women I have ever photographed. Standing to the right is Natalie Lyle who did the most wonderful Makeup Styling on Randalene. It was perfect, exactly what I wanted and more! The heavy lifting and set up by my assistant Clyde Sawyer. From daylight poolside to dark corners we create it right here. Is that too fun!
Fill Her Up! The MiG That Is!
Why not use the self serve pump, save a few bucks. Although I don’t know that pilot Steve Hinton saved any fuel costs by filling up the MiG-15 himself. It was 100 gallons at $8 per gallon, an $800 fill up. Then again how many times will you see a Korean War Soviet MiG-15 flying? Here at the Palm Springs Air Museum for the dedication of a restored F-86 Sabre Jet. The two aircraft were dogfight adversaries during the Korean War. Be sure to scroll down and watch my video of this MiG starting up, Wow! Turn up your sound!
F-86 And MiG-15 Dogfight!
Last night at the Palm Springs Air Museum, the dedication and unveiling of the newly restored F-86 Sabre Jet by Museum Director Fred Bell. The F-86 was introduced during the Korean War and was met head on by the Soviet MiG-15. This MiG-15 will be flying today at the Air Museum following a one hour program at 1:00 PM. Be there! I will and with my camera!
The story of the battle between these two aircraft makes up the very first episode of the extraordinary historical series “Dogfights”. The series first aired on the History Channel and was co-created by my friend on Facebook and Emmy Winner Brooks Wachtel. Here is that episode “MiG Alley”…
I Am The Face!
Is this too fun! I am the featured face of the Professional Photographers of America. The world’s largest non-profit association for professional photographers, with more than 27,000 members.
Proper Lighting On A Bed
My photo shoot assistant for the day, Jennifer Chamberlin showing the proper use of the Sekonic light meter. It is not that easy to get the proper lighting on a bed at the Bellagio Las Vegas so Jennifer got right into the moment for me. Actually she was a superb assistant for a very long day, great posing coach and wardrobe stylist too! And if you don’t know, Jennifer has been featured as a model in many a fitness magazine and is a wonderful photographer herself.
Not About Me!
I know everyone is going to want to know where I buy my clothes and get my hair done. But this Behind The Scenes photo is not about me. Photographing a scene with the beautiful Shawn Towne and Chaun Williams as an extra. Although Shawn and my assistant Jennifer Chamberlin seemed to think he was a center of attention. Our Makeup and Hair Stylist Christine Copeland did keep a watchful and professional eye on Shawn but also seemed to catch an occasional cell phone pic of Chaun Williams as well. Well like I said, it is not about me.
On The Floor
What a wonderful and beautiful model! No not me! Shawn Towne behind the scenes in our photo shoot at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas the other day. Thank You to my assistant for the day, a superb photographer herself, Jennifer Chamberlin.
Behind The Scenes At City Athletic Club
Behind the scenes the other day on a photo shoot at City Athletic Club in Las Vegas. An incredibly gorgeous Shawn Towne complemented with Chaun Williams providing the right atmosphere in the gym. And a huge Thank You to Jennifer Chamberlin who was a wonderful photo assistant, modeling coach and wardrobe advisor. A really cool gym and a huge Thanks to everyone!
Very Eerie
The Ivanpah solar generating plant as I drove into Las Vegas the other day. It is very eerie, very science fiction.
The Room View
The view from my room in Las Vegas earlier this week Such a unique place to say the least and I have been here endless numbers of times.
In Las Vegas With Film
Yes I still shoot some film. Here I am in Las Vegas earlier this week. Along with all my digital gear I brought along a film camera and some Kodak Professional film. I like the look!
Skidoo To You!
If you had been with me at the Palm Springs Air Museum yesterday this is what you would have seen. One of the very few, of maybe six or seven, still flying World War II P-38 aircraft in the entire world. I don’t think I have ever seen one before in person for real. How very exciting! And even more exciting that I got to photograph it as it flew by! Just WOW!
“Legs Forever” – This Is Her!
You have heard the description “Legs Forever”. Well this is her, Natalie Lyle. More than just legs, she is also abs, arms, sexy and beautiful. Would you believe that when she first started working for me as my photo shoot Makeup Artist she had never even been in a gym in her entire life! I think all of the bodybuilding and fitness photography I do has rubbed off on her in a very good way. You can see Natalie on stage this Saturday at the NPC Grand Prix Bodybuilding, Figure, Physique and Bikini Championships in Los Angeles. Or you can just keep staring at this photograph from our photo shoot the other day. I won’t stop you, I am staring at her too!
As Perfect As It Gets
My day with Sasha Brown, photographing her around the Salton Sea, was as perfect as it gets. Beautiful weather and great scenery, even our Starbucks stops were fun. And as I looked at her through the camera and see the photographs today, I can say that Sasha is indeed as beautiful and scenic and perfect a woman as it gets as well.
Woke Up Feeling A Little Old…
I woke up feeling a little old the other morning. Then I saw that the Rolling Stones were going on tour this Summer, criss crossing the country playing 15 stadiums. Wow! These guys started out in 1962 and are still rocking hard! I think I remember first hearing them in 1963. OK! Forget the feeling old stuff! If they can tour stadiums, I can get out of bed and keep at it too!
Tonality As In Black And White
I keep seeing color digital camera photographs converted to black and white and wonder why I do not like them very much. I prefer the tonality created by actual black and white film and most of the black and white conversions I see miss the smoothness of the changes from the whites to the grays to the blacks. So I do prefer to shoot film for black and white or if I do a conversion from a digital created color photograph I try to create that tonality. And that is what I did here for example.
This is model Maria Rogers during an advertising photo shoot I did for Bodybuidling.com. Maria of course is nothing short of incredibly beautiful with a body that is just totally breathtaking. And a wonderful model that day for sure. This is actually an outtake but the ad itself ran in endless magazines for quite some time. I got a lot of e-mail from women who told me that they had torn this out and it was on their refrigerator for motivation. I also got a lot of e-mail from guys, sometimes the word motivation was in those too.
A side note you might find fun, Maria is wearing my underwear! Well not really mine and they were new. I try to carry extra new wardrobe pieces in a bag on all shoots. Odds and ends or some things I just happen to buy or that get sent to me by clothing and accessory companies. In this case we needed a matching thong. And I had one in just the right color. I would say it saved the day! What would you say?
Yes I Photograph Men…
Yesterday I got an e-mail that I do get every now and then… “Do you ever photograph men?”. Well yes! Actually, I have had more magazine covers and features with men than with women. The same might be the case for advertising. But I am working on more new magazine features with women recently. That is why you are seeing those photographs from me.
I am always happy to hear from new guys for photo shoots, so if you are interested send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com. And you do not have to be a bodybuilder like Jake Sawyer, not everyone is! Thanks!
Turn Here!
Turn here and walk down this road. The curve in the road isn’t the only right curve for Tina Sansom. Fitness makes the right curves for her!
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