Are You Ready?
Jake Sawyer in front of my camera. His job on this photo shoot was to show up in shape and looking good. He did that! My job was to turn the scenes I had in my mind into photographs. The tools for this job were very simple, a few rolls of film (yes film) and a camera. That worked! Are you ready to do your job in front of my camera? Send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com and we can chat about it. Thanks!
Photobomb Or Not?
Photobomb or not? Maybe she is just ignoring him. Above the bay in Marina Del Rey California for a photo shoot.
Let’s Play!
It’s 2015 so let’s have lots of fun and shoot lots of photographs! Cara Jo Basso playing in the wind high over Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles.
And The Clock Strikes New Year!
More of all of my photography for 2015 coming your way! More bodybuilding, more fitness, more lifestyle, more sports, more fashion, more with an edge, more editorial, more magazines, more advertising, more of everything. And more of you! Come be a part of it! Send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com and we can chat about it! Thanks!
Cortney And You…
Cortney CortCity Solomon was so fun in front of my camera! And like Cortney you can be in front of my cameras too, whether in the gym for bodybuilding and fitness or edgy fashion lifestyle or other sports or concepts. It could be for yourself, magazine editorials or advertisements for your products or services. Just send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com and and we can chat about it.
I want to say that I am very heartened by how many of you have contacted me over the last week about shooting. I have heard from people looking to build their own portfolios and promotion, companies looking to shoot their advertising and magazines looking for something different and unique. It shows that people are thinking ahead and optimistic about the New Year. Outstanding!
Behind The Scenes With You…
You could be looking at behind the scenes photographs of my photo shoot with you. These are from one of my shoots with the more than beautiful and wonderful Stacey Naito. This is the time that I am really giving a lot of thought to my planning for photo shoots for the coming year just around the corner. Of course I will continue to do my photography in bodybuilding and fitness whether in the gym, in the pool, or on location. I am also continuing to expand my shooting more directed to lifestyle features, edgy and nude fashion, editorial and advertising. And as I have always said, I reserve the right to photograph anything I find fun and interesting. So if you want to be a part of any of those concepts, genres and ideas or just want to get in on the fun and interesting, it is time to send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com with what you are thinking and let’s chat about it. Thanks! 
It Has Already Started…
I started thinking about my photo shoot plans for next year. That may include many of you. So if you have been thinking about shooting with me or planning your magazine editorials or advertising campaigns, let’s chat. Yes I will be doing my work in bodybuilding and fitness, but let’s make it really standout! I am also doing work in lifestyle including fashion, edgy and conceptual. As I often say, I reserve the right to photograph anything I find fun and interesting. But seriously, whatever your concept, let’s talk! We can make it worthwhile and fun! Send me a note to SecondFocus@mac.com.
Here is a look behind the scenes on my photo shoot in the desert and wind farms with Sergi Constance. Sergi has become enormously successful as a model and our photographs made their way to magazines and more around the world.
Santa… She Says She Can Explain…
I really would like to be the Santa hearing all about this story from Maria Bertrand! Ho Ho Ho!
Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. Photography by Me!
The Intense Environment Of Salton Sea
The environment of Salton Sea can be very intense. Harsh Sunlight, desolate spaces, an eeriness to the Sea itself. In places a post apocalyptic look that would be movie perfect. But I find it uniquely compelling and beautiful. A favorite location for my photo shoots. Model Bailey Daniels.
Across The Windows…
If you saw her across the alley from your window in her window? But did she see you?
Melyssa across the windows in our photo shoot.
Turkey Sushi
Maria Bertrand preparing her signature Thanksgiving dish, Turkey Sushi Le Moderne. She says it saves a lot of work because there is no cooking time involved.
From our photo shoot with Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle.
Holiday Photo Shoot Behind The Scenes
Some behind the scenes views of a Holiday photo shot with Maria Bertrand. There is a very special series we did for Thanksgiving but you will have to wait a couple of days to see even a teaser of that one. It is just way too fun!
I have to say Thank You to my good friend and also a great photographer Jaime Klein for allowing us to invade his studio. He was also kind enough to shoot a few behind the scenes pics with my little point and shoot camera. Jaime is in Van Nuys, so especially if you need those head shots, go check him out! And he is moving to a bigger studio just nearby.
A big Thank You to Natalie Lyle for yet again, another day of Makeup and Hair Styling. Thank You to Chris my assistant for the day. Good job for the first time with me.
The big Thank You to my Super Model herself, Maria Yvonne Bertrand. Always beautiful, always knows how to look in front of a camera. And she has a certain sense of humor that makes it all work! You will see that soon!
How Lucky!
How can I possibly explain how lucky I have been to have some of the most astounding and beautiful women in front of my cameras. Victoria Kirsanovaout in hot Sun in the hills above Agua Dulce. Personal trainer, professional horse trainer and an amazingly creative individual with a fascinating life from around the world. From our photo shot with Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. Thank You!
My Relationship With Keira Knightly
Well other than thinking that she is just gorgeous and I very much enjoy seeing her in movies and photographs, I do not have a relationship with Keira Knightly. Except for perhaps in agreement with some of her views about photography. She was recently photographed by famous fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier for Interview Magazine. And she also was the interviewer of Demarchelier for the feature. More below…
Keira Knightley by Patrick Demarchelier For Interview Magazine
In the interview Keira brings up a few points and asks questions of Demarchelier about shooting film versus shooting digital as she sees a difference in how photographers relate to the subject or model. Here are a few of those questions…
KNIGHTLEY: I’ve noticed that the people who started on film still have the ability to see the person in front of them. Whereas for a lot of photographers who have only ever worked in digital, the relationship between the photographer and the person who they’re taking a picture of sort of doesn’t exist anymore. They’re looking at a computer screen as opposed to the person.
DEMARCHELIER: Exactly. I love digital, but the only problem is less intimacy. People look at the screen right away. Before, nobody saw the picture before you saw the final picture. There was more privacy in a way.
KNIGHTLEY: Do you miss any of the physicality of it? I think I’m a horrific kind of romantic about film. There’s something about that single shot that was one moment in time, and something about the physical process of the light hitting the lens and the dark room. I find it difficult to see the romance in digital.
DEMARCHELIER: It can do that too, actually. I do a Polaroid before shooting. A Polaroid you do one picture, three pictures, it’s really a moment. Capturing that moment with those pictures is interesting.
I want to say that I really understand what Keira Knightly is saying. By example when I am shooting on location in bright sun and shooting digital, you can’t see the screen on the back of the camera anyway. So I do find myself shooting more like when I do shoot film. Less as an observer and more working directly with the model. There is more of a connection, kind of an eye to eye thing. I have caught myself lately making that digital mistake. I see other photographers, younger photographers who have not shot film. being totally detached like they are watching selfies on an Instagram feed. As a consequence their photos are truly uninspired.
So what have I done to stay connected? Simple things that make me slow down. You might see me shoot with the camera on a tripod. Let’s me pay more attention to the model and details. I do shoot way fewer photos than other photographers. I hear models tell me that they shot with some photographer and they shot thousands of photos in a photo shoot. That usually only means you have a whole bunch of mediocre photos to look through and the photographer is just being a button pusher and watching.
To paraphrase a story about the great photographer Helmut Newton; it is said that for the cover assignment for a very prominent fashion magazine he only shot three photographs as the selections. When confronted by the very famous editor that he only sent in three, Newton responded “Well you only need one”. That “one” was always a work of art and not just one of many photographs.
And from time to time you might see me shoot film. When you only have 12, 16 or 36 frames before you have to reload the camera that will slow you down. Especially when you consider that each roll of film will cost $35 – $50 each to be developed and scanned. Every now and then some of you may have even seen me bring out the Polaroid cameras. I intend to do that more as well. For many of you it will be a new experience. No screen to look at not he back of the camera. One model I worked with was very confused by it and she said “Is that like movies?”. Don’t worry I won’t make fun of you. It’s all fun!
Well I hope Keira Knightly sees this and stops by to do a shoot on film with me. Maybe she or Interview Magazine did call me about this feature and I was at the gym or something. I will just keep telling myself that. Thanks!
The Muse In The Forest
A force or perhaps only a presence, personified as a beautiful woman only seen in the fantasy of the darkness of a forest. A mystery from which you cannot turn, for you can only wonder and stare and dream. Stacey Naito from our photo shoot. Makeup and Hair Styling by Blanche LeBeau.
Geometrically and Architecturally Perfect
Geometrically and architecturally perfect. Maria Bertrand perfectly fashioned as any surroundings anywhere. From our photo shoot.
Venice Beach Fashion Then And Now
Could you not just see this magnificent beautiful woman on the Venice Beach boardwalk back in 1968 and then again now. The very fashionable Maria Bertrand.
Photo Lesson With Jennifer Henry
Thank you for all the kind comments about my photographs with Jennifer Henry. I have been getting a lot of questions about how we did this shoot so I thought I would show you. It was actually very simple.
First starting with a gorgeous woman is a big step ahead! Thank You Jennifer! Originally my plan was to do this shoot on my outdoor studio set but the humidity was unusually high so it would have been really uncomfortable. So we set up inside, hey I have 8 tons of air conditioning so why not!
Lighting as you see, strobes by Profoto USA. I believe in high quality lighting systems putting out really great light. There are only a few brands of lighting equipment I would consider. The light coming in from the sliding glass doors on the right is irrelevant because it is over powered by the strobes. And then as you can see I have a lot of room and can even create much more inside if needed.
The details that make the photographs work are good exposure, sharp focus, good posing. A big point that people miss all the time is skin tone. Go through photographs from so many and you see skin that is orange in color. Yes sometime the tanning products does throw it off but it is really bad for the photographer to not adjusting the “white balance” in post processing to get real life skin tones. There are times when artistic expression might change that. But basically if you get orange skin you have photographs that are not acceptable. It is not real and contributes to a blurry look.
Another point to remember is that photographs are easy to make look good for Facebook or Instagram because they are so small. Take them up to full size and high resolution for something like a magazine and often times they fail. Blurry and no detail in fabrics, white or dark spaces that look like they were painted on also with no detail. Those are also not acceptable.
So there you have my photo lesson for the day. Just wanted to answer a few questions. And Thank You!
SecondFocus Blog 