Simplicity
Sometimes I prefer simplicity. A 45 year old Polaroid instant film camera and one of my favorite models, Aristodeme. I think I will do more of this in my photo shoots. What do you think?
Like She Was Walking On A Yacht
She walked into the party, like she was walking on a yacht. And they all dreamed that they’d be her partner, they’d be her partner… Ashley Owens-Gulina. Sounds familiar, do you know from where? From our photo shoot. Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle.
She Gets Naked
Seeing that my photography sometimes includes nude women, I am occasionally asked “How do you get them to take their clothes off?”. It is a question I find perplexing. It shocks me to think that people would surmise that these beautiful women are somehow tricked out of their clothes and that they are not freely being part of the art or creation. It truly befuddles me.
To that point I just read this wonderful story in “The New Yorker” magazine. “The Opposite Of A Muse” by Anna Heyward. I am not going to try to summarize but merely use a few quotes to explain the story of Isabelle Mage. Click on the photograph to read the entire feature and see more photographs.
“At the time she came to Paris, she had never met an artist, and had been to few museum shows, but she collected record covers and postcards of images that appealed to her. One Saturday in mid-July, she went alone to an exhibition by the portrait photographer Jeanloup Sieff at the Musée d’Art Moderne. Stunned by the images, which depicted anonymous and ordinary, as well as famous, subjects, she wrote to Sieff, telling him that she liked his work. To her surprise, he telephoned her a few days later. She wrote in her diary, which she kept from 1986 until 2008, “He calls me, I’m extremely moved, surprised, I feel drunk.” She asked him if he would consider making a picture of her.”
“She began looking at photography books, buying magazines, and keeping track of the names in the exhibitions she visited. Methodically, and recording her activities in brief, elliptical diary entries, she sought out other artists, explaining how she had encountered their work and asking to be used in it.”
“By 1990, Mège’s collection had grown to around sixty images—most of them black-and-white, and almost all nude, as she preferred to be photographed.”
“Nègre’s Fetishist,” a image from 1990 by Joel-Peter Witkin, whom Mège pursued for years before he agreed to work with her.
Autumn For Only Minutes
Only a few minutes into Autumn and I am already looking back at Summer. I can’t help it, I had such wonderful models in my pool for photo shoots like the breathtaking Noel VanBrocklin.
Shoot Notes… The wonderful makeup and hair styling by Blanche LeBeau. Hasselblad digital camera system. Lighting by Broncolor. Only the best!
Not Fall Flowers
This is not Fall flowers, this is Amber Flowers and she is just perfect. And wardrobe styling by Amber as well. She is so good!
Shoot notes… Hasselblad digital camera system. Broncolor lighting with the Broncolor Move 1200L pack and one strobe head in the Broncolor Para 133 reflector. Only the best!
Low Clouds
So many of you have been photographed in the pool in my backyard and seen nothing but bright hot sunny blue skies. Today is a very unusual day of rain and look how low the clouds are against the nearby mountains. I have friends over there who are probably completely fogged in. Very fun! Here in Palm Springs.
Hasselblad Demo, Samy’s Camera & Noel
When Hasselblad needed a model for the demo at Samys Camera, I sent them my latest great model, Noel VanBrocklin. Who better to show off the new 100mpx camera and the latest Hasselblad X1D! Of course Broncolor lighting with a Para 88 and Siros L. Perfect!
Scenic Imagination
So great fun doing photo shoots in interesting and scenic places. Sometimes they do not seem scenic at first, but then just use your imagination. The imagination of knowing what something will look like in the photograph. One of my favorite photo shoots, this time with bodybuilder Daniel Hill.
Shoes and Atomic Bombs
Shoe shopping in Rice California along Hwy 62. Rice was formerly named Blythe Junction. Now a ghost town, it was the home of Rice Army Airfield. It was the 2nd choice for the world’s first atomic bomb test in 1942. This is the somewhat famous Rice Shoe Tree. On a photo excursion and location scouting yesterday.
Wouldn’t you like to know who and why? I would.
That Way!
Sometimes these photo excursions and location scoutings are not much more planned than going ‘that way’. At Rice California with Arizona straight ahead.
Unseen
How often do you not see what you see? Driving along you look over and there is something over there in the distance. Driving up a road that seemingly does not take you to a destination. This is one of those. On a photo excursion and location scouting yesterday. What an amazing thing to see in the middle of nowhere.
The Metropolitan Water District Eagle Mountain Pumping Plant. Just look at that incredible building probably dating to around 1938. I do find it all fascinating.
“While water flows through much of Metropolitan’s service area powered by gravity, it takes five pumping plants along the Colorado River Aqueduct in the California Mojave Desert to ensure its final destination to Lake Mathews.
These pumping plants move water supplies from the Colorado River Aqueduct with a total lift of 1,614 feet. All pumping plants have nine pumps, and each of the nine units has a nominal rated capacity of at least 225 cubic feet per second. Each pump is driven by a vertical, three-phase, 60-cycle, 6,900-volt synchronous motor, which is totally enclosed and water-cooled. Each Intake motor develops 9,000 horsepower.” – MWD website
Instant BTS
Fun shooting behind the scenes photos with instant film cameras. This one with the Fujifilm Instax. Of course no one really cares because I know you are staring at the magnificent Noel VanBrocklin. Model, actress and the stunning creature in the blue lagoon of my pool. Shoot notes… lighting is a Broncolor Move 1200L and Broncolor beauty dish. The actual shoot with a Hasselblad digital camera system. Often overlooked, the stand and boom are Matthews Studio Equipment. Wonderful and sexy makeup and hair styling by Blanche LeBeau.
This Is It
Among my very favorite photographs I have shot over the years. One of the most respected individuals in bodybuilding and fitness, my friend Doug Brignole. This photo makes me think about what we really do in the gym, struggle and overcome ourselves to be a better person. Not to just lose weight, have bigger arms or a more shapely butt. The idea is to be a better us and somewhat in turn, make it a better world in the best way we can for each of us. Thanks!
F-102 Restoration
The restoration crew at the Palm Springs Air Museum are nothing short of magicians. This F-102 “Delta Dagger” sat in a forest for 40 years. This entire rear section has been re-created from jigs and templates that were 3-D printed from a survey of an intact F-102. Standing next to it up close made me think two things… First, now it almost looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. Second, it is a much bigger aircraft than I had realized. Especially having seen it on a truck when it first arrived at the Museum some time back.
The Convair F-102 “Delta Dagger” was the Interceptor that served as the backbone of the United States Air Force. It entered service in 1956 and 1,000 were built, designed to intercept invading Soviet strategic bomber fleets during the Cold War. In various versions, it had a top speed of Mach 1.22 and a service ceiling of 56,000 ft. The F-102 served in Vietnam, flying fighter patrols and serving as bomber escorts, finally retiring from USAF service in 1976. There are no flying F-102s in existence today.
By the way, The first operational service of the F-102A was with the 327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at George Air Force Base, near Victorville, right here in Southern California in April 1956. I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this F-102 and it making it’s permanent home not far from it’s beginnings. Very exciting!
Before Photo Courtesy of the Palm Springs Air Museum
Muscle Shower
You can have her for yourself! All 6 ft tall in her bare feet Natalie Lyle with the water running down her sculpted muscle body. A special print selection I am making available with her. Take a look and maybe Natalie is just the motivation you have been looking for! Click here… http://bit.ly/2csao07
My World
The ever so gorgeous Maria Bertrand, often in front of my camera. And my friend! I am so lucky that so very many of the beautiful women and good looking guys I photograph become and remain my friends.
One of my buddies was walking around an event with me a few months ago. He said, looking around at the crowd… “None of these people look like the people you photograph”. Very true! Nothing wrong with it but the thought stayed with me. I do indeed work and live in a different world than many. Just different. I guess I did recognize that some time back when I named the portfolios on my Website as “My World”.
So maybe visit the “My World’s” on my Website at SecondFocus.com. Maria Bertrand is certainly there. Some of you too are there. And there will be more, changing it soon! Thanks!
Shoot notes… Maria Bertrand photographed by me. Makeup and Hair Styling by the Estee Lauder featured Blanche LeBeau. Hasselblad digital camera system. Broncolor lighting. Only the best!
First Shoots
It was not John Black‘s first photo shoot. He has actually been getting some good modeling jobs. But it was his first photo shoot with me. First photo shoots are important because it gets you into a mindset so you know how each other works. Then when I have an assigned or commissioned shoot, I can cast or recommend you with confidence. So John is now up at the top of my list. Shoot notes… Photographed here in Palm Springs. Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Only the best!
Specialized
I have good friends who specialize in action sports and sports portraits, really good photographers. So I thought I would work on my skills shooting sports portraits too. Here is my idea of a bicycling sports portrait. My model Aristodeme photographed with my Hasselblad digital camera system. Works for me!
Here We Go!
Coming up to that time of year when all of the activities at the Palm Springs Air Museum really get going. Flight demonstrations, special presentations and programs, chili cook-offs, car shows and so much more fun! And even when there is not something specifically scheduled, you never know what you might see.
This day we sure did know what to expect. A Navy EA-6B Prowler coming in from a carrier in the Persian Gulf to retire at the Museum. What a sight to see that was! Wow! You can check out that amazing aircraft today at it’s permanent home. Come take a look! You will often find me there with my cameras!
The Girl Is Just Beautiful
Model Amber Flowers is not only beautiful but so very talented. When I release some of the other photographs from our shoot, you will see how tremendously creative she is with wardrobe, her looks and shoot ideas. And I will hear this over and over after posting this photograph, because that is what happened on the last photos I posted of her… “She is so beautiful”.
Shoot notes… Hasselblad digital camera system. Broncolor lighting with the Para 133 reflector and Move 1200L pack. Only the best!
Dos Palmas Preserve
The Dos Palmas 14,000 acre wildlife preserve and oasis near the Salton Sea. It has become one of my regular stops. It almost seems like these palms could come alive and be some kind of fairy tale creature wandering the landscape.
SecondFocus Blog 