Photography by Ian L. Sitren

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Family Photos

I was asked yesterday if I photographed family photos with children. Well yes but perhaps not exactly how most people might think of family photos.

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Photo Shoots In The Gym

From one of my favorite gym photo shoots ever. My buddy Chris from a advertising shoot we did for a multi page brochure for Bodybuilding.com.

Chris LaCascia in the gym for an ad campaign for Bodybuilding.com


The Eyes, The Body, The Moves…

One of the most incredible women ever in the world of fitness, Ava Cowan. The video and photo shoot we did for Bodybuilding.com promotions and advertising. Her body, her eyes, her movements… Ava is a magnificent work of art.

 


6 Seconds

Six seconds to get your attention! Does it work? The video from a destined edgy fashion editorial photo shoot with Amber Flowers. Why did I edit the video to six seconds?

My photography is very involved with advertising, editorial features and online content. It is my business. I make an effort to pay attention to trends and such that are related. I just read an interesting story and report in AdAge.  Facebook is working with some of it’s advertisers to develop the concept of specifically six second video ads.

So it seems to me that six second video overall might be interesting. Let me know what you think? Thanks!

 


A great body is…

A great body is the latest fashion accessory! The print ad that was shot during the video I posted yesterday. My all time favorite advertising photo shoot and the print ad ran in magazines in total hundreds of times. Thanks!

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BTS For Ad Campaign

I have been having great fun with short videos and especially “behind the scenes” in my photo shoots. The idea for me comes from a series I had done for Bodybuilding.com for their ad campaigns promoting “BodySpace”. Then a new social media concept for fitness people that when I came into the picture had only 7,000 members and then  grew to millions. That in turn helped grow the company to perhaps pushing towards a billion dollars of sales annually.

The videos were shot with a video crew and built around my photo shoots for the print and online advertising, features and content such as online wallpaper. The ads we produced are some of my all time favorites and appeared in magazines monthly for a long time. One of the print ads became a favorite for women, affixed to their refrigerator doors as fitness and workout motivation. I dare say the same ad was torn out and taped next to many a guy’s office wall or truck dashboard. So here is a favorite and watch for the “behind the scenes”.


Trying To Be Social Media Safe

I try to remember in photo shoots to create some Social Media safe work. A lot of my photography goes toward being “edgy editorial” or sometimes called “fashion nude” or “porno chic”, a term used to describe the photography of Helmut Newton, mainstream fashion photographer Mario Testino, and now most recently, the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent . So here I asked Kajira to keep things covered up. It kind of worked.


Get Your Kicks On Route 66!

Hey Everyone! My buddies at the Sun Runner newspaper are taking you on a great trip on Route 66. You can spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to go and what to do on a trip like this and still miss so very much. Spend the few bucks and grab your cameras and get onboard for a fun and interesting journey unlike any other. As is said in my all time favorite ad slogan… “Just Do It”!

Route66Tour


Alt Photo Media

I forgot how much I enjoy alternate photography media such as instant films. My buddy, model, Noel VanBrocklin in a behind the scenes photo using a Fujifilm Instax Camera. I am also really liking doing short video clips both behind the scenes and as a feature along with the photography. Great fun and I love the look!

The actual photo shoot was done with Broncolor lighting and a Hasselblad digital camera system. This photo with a Fujifilm Instax wide camera. But I also use Polaroid cameras with film from the Impossible Project. I shoot my video clips with Fujifilm X Series cameras. Thanks!

Noel VanBrocklin


Beating Rush Hour Traffic

What do you do when you both fly in but left your cars at the Chino Airport? You fly back! Michael Nightingale​ flew our T-28 Trojan in first in the morning. Then Tom Nightingale​ followed a little later in our P-51 Mustang “Bunny”. At the end of the day, back to Chino Airport in a T-6 trainer, a really nice one too! Interesting that all three planes were made by North American Aviation. They sure created some great aircraft! Interesting things going on at the Palm Springs Air Museum all the time! I am the Air Museum photographer, great fun! Thanks!

 


Bunny Coming Home

Bunny is the P-51 Mustang “Bunny” who resides at the Palm Springs Air Museum. You find me there often, I am the Museum photographer and also manage their social media. Thanks!

 


Soaring – Photo Excursion

A photo excursion yesterday included a stop at the Soaring Academy in Llano Calif at Crystalaire Airport. Met the director of the facility, Chris Bennett. They not only do glider pilot training and glider rides but also do great programs for wounded service members and veterans. Good guy and a great place. I will be going back there for more fun!


Long Skirting The Issue

More behind the scenes posing fun with Kajira. We have more videos that you will only be seeing here and not on social media. Somewhat revealing. Think chic. “Porno Chic”…

A term created by New York Times art critic Hilton Kramer in the 1970s to describe the work of fashion photographers Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin and Chris von Wangenheim. Editorial and advertising photography that uses nudity, eroticism… sexual and sultry to be more than pornography. I also refer to it as “edgy lifestyle” and think it is great fun. That is why you see it in my photography. It is not just being naked.

Video on my Fujifilm X-Series X-T1. The strobes firing are Broncolor. The actual photo shoot on Hasselblad digital. Always the best! Thanks!


First A Great Model!

The first order of business… select a great model! Makes all the difference in the world. Gabriella Muttone is one of the absolute great models I have had in front of my cameras. An extraordinary photographer herself, she has a keen sense of body movement, facial expression and style. You can see in this photograph from our photo shoot at the Palm Springs Air Museum how she places herself so perfectly with this aircraft, engine and propeller. Just wonderful!

Photo shoot notes… Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lightning. The aircraft is a beautiful Grumman F8F Bearcat. The design for this was done by my good friend and superb graphic design artist Dennis Johnson. Only the best! Thanks!

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Red Posing Fun

Some fun with Kajira posing with background sounds by Broncolor strobes. Love having her in front of the camera! The actual photo shoot done with Hasselblad digital. Behind the scenes video with a Fujifilm X-T1 camera.


My Office

The other day in a T-28 Trojan taking off out of the Palm Springs Air Museum and landing at the Chino Airport. The Air Museum pilot extraordinaire Michael Nightingale. This truly is a great aircraft, very powerful with an over 1,400hp engine and you don’t realize how huge it is until you are right up next to it. The Air Museum P-51 Mustang “Bunny” and the T-28 will be doing flyovers on July 4th, first both over Big Bear Lake at 5:30pm and then the P-51 for the Fourth of July Celebration and Concert at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank at 6:30pm. So if you are out boating or enjoying the music, keep an eye out! Very Fun being the Palm Springs Air Museum photographer! Thanks!


Elegant At The Redbury

Gabriella Muttone in our photo shoot at the Redbury Hotel in Hollywood. Fashion, Makeup and Hair Styling by Gabriella herself. Gabriella is an extraordinary model and photographer. It makes her an amazing resource for models, especially for models who are learning and working better posing. She just knows how to light up that camera and that scene.

Join Gabriella Muttone for her movement and posing workshop for models on this coming July 8th or July 9th. Having done photo shoots with thousands of models, I can assure you that your time with Gabriella will be very well spent! Here is the info… https://lacphoto.org/event-category/modeling/

Gabriella Muttone photographed by me at the Redbury Hotel in Hollywood. Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Nothing but the best!

Gabriella Muttone at the Redbury


Waiting?

Is she waiting or just thinking she forgot something? A train station perhaps? Hmmmmm… What do you think?

Our photo shoot with NYC fashion model Nora Zainglein. Makeup and Hair styling by the extraordinaire Estee Lauder artist, Blanche LeBeau. Somewhere in downtown Los Angeles with a Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Assisted by the too much fun, Harmoni Everett. Only the best!

Nora Zainglein


Hair Raising!

A very amazing Harmoni Everett showing great control by being able to raise her hair by just thinking it. Yes! Notice her tremendous concentration as through great personal will and exceptional hair muscle power, she was able to get her hair to stand up as I photographed the moment. Don’t try this at home! Truly an incredible woman!

Harmoni Everett


Become The Heat

How to beat the heat during the Summer here in Palm Springs… Get in the pool and become the heat! Andrea Schulze in our photo shoot.

Makeup by the incredible Estee Lauder artist Blanche LeBeau. Hasselblad digital camera system and lighting by Broncolor. Only the best!

Kerstin & Andrea Poolside


Two Is Double Great And More!

So happy they came color coded so I could tell them apart when I just wasn’t sure with a quick glance! Andrea and Kerstin Schulze, identical twins from the start and in many ways all through life. Both wonderful people with superb attitudes based on friendship, caring and love and a hugely positive outlook on life.

Both beautiful women 6 ft tall, who have built a life of fitness and competition. Different in that Kerstin has sought her career in fitness competition and acting, which has now seen her in many roles and big time real commercials. Andrea just now winning her first fitness competition, however the “go to person” if you need a multi million dollar data center built! So if you had any stereotypical ideas of gorgeous tall beautiful fitness women in your head… that ends here!

From our recent photo shoot in Palm Springs… The double duty Makeup and Hair styling by premier Estee Lauder artist Blanche LeBeau. My Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Always the best! Thanks!

Kerstin & Andrea Poolside


BTS Details

Getting lots of questions about my studio shoot last week with NYC fashion model Nora Zainglein. It was in a studio near downtown Los Angeles at the Brewery Arts District which is very cool I must say. Had not been there in many years.

Some of the really important details are the people I get to work with. Blanche LeBeau is a premier Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist working around the world with Estee Lauder. I cannot begin to tell you how lucky I am to have her enjoy shooting with me. This shoot was even more fun with her talent of body painting! Very Thankful for Blanche LeBeau!

Then there is my newer buddy Harmoni Everett. Wow is she a find! Harmoni is best friends with another best friend of mine, a most gorgeous professional model, actress and beautiful woman. Harmoni has been a professional model, a successful actress and has worked in producing photo shoots. And is a wonderful photographer herself. She not only worked with me on this photo shoot as my assistant carrying and moving heavy stuff, but also wardrobe ideas and shooting behind the scenes photos. On top of all that we photographed Harmoni too and those photos are astonishing! She is wonderfully creative! You will see those photos soon.

Then there is Nora and she is wonderful. Blanche introduced me to photos of Nora probably a year ago or more and I said then that I really was looking forward to photographing her. This is now our second photo shoot together and she is just perfection. Nora looks incredible in front of the camera, knows her stuff, easy and so very fun to work with. I adore this woman!

It is the people you work with who are so very very important! Now people always say it is the photographer and not the gear that makes great photographs. And that is certainly true. But for me I do not like to short change what I do or what I do for my clients. So I go with the best gear possible. It is just what I do.

My camera system for these types of shoots for me is Hasselblad. I have always admired Hasselblad cameras and the images they produce. And the history of Hasselblad creating the  photographs, the most memorable in history including going into Outer Space and to the Moon. Only sorry I didn’t start with Hasselblad sooner in my shooting. Then there is my lighting gear, Broncolor. For any number of reasons moving up to Broncolor is like going from a great car to a Rolls Royce or Ferrari. There is just nothing else like it.

I will not say that I am a great photographer but I can say I give it all I have got all the way around. So my results are quality, consistency and sometimes really great photographs. And I always try to make sure that everyone has fun doing it! That is my behind the scenes details on this and many of my photo shoots. Thanks!

Nora Zainglein Behind The Scenes


Hair Raising Behind The Scenes

Harmoni Everett managed to get the almost exact moment when Nora Zainglein had her hair at the top of the her head swing and the strobe fired as I shot the photograph. Wow! That Nora a great model to work with and absolutely beautiful! I love her in front of the camera and she is fun to have around too!

Behind the scenes with the very professional New York City fashion model Nora Zainglein. Body painting, makeup and hair styling by premier Estee Lauder artist Blanche LeBeau. Photo assistant and behind the scenes photography by Harmoni Everett. She is also great with wardrobe and a great model herself! Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Only the best!

Side note… my clothes are looking a little baggy, lost over thirty pounds since February. And more to go yet! I am liking this! Thanks!

Nora Zainglein Studio Photo Shoot


Beauty And The Bald Spot

Behind the scenes photography by my assistant for the day Harmoni Everett which clearly exhibits the incredible gorgeousness of our model from NYC, Nora Zainglein but also my increasingly declining hair volume. More ‘behind the scenes’ than I expected lol.

The incredible Makeup, Hair Styling and Body Painting (you will see that soon too) for the day by the premier Estee Lauder artist Blanche LeBeau. Studio photo shoot in Downtown Los Angeles, Hasselblad digital camera equipment and Broncolor lighting. Always the best!

Nora Zainglein Behind The Scenes