Sexiest Summer FitBodies
Katie Madden featured as a Sexiest Summer FitBody for 2015 in the latest issue of Planet Muscle Magazine. And Katie is 56 years old! Is she just not too amazing for words! Good thing I shot the photographs. Makeup and Hair Styling by the ever wonderful Natalie Lyle. And yet another magazine feature photographed with my Hasselblad camera. Thanks!
My Mulholland Drive Tour Guide
My Mulholland Drive tour guide for the day. Maria Bertrand told me she had some good photo shoot locations in mind and wow was she right. And wow is she gorgeous! We did a few different looks for a few different themes to go with magazine feature stories and more. Here she is in a Guess by Marciano dress that was just made for her. Or maybe she was made for that dress! Just perfect! All photographed on Hasselblad which is why you are seeing so much detail in the fabric of that dress, the perfect colors and skin tones and the looks like you are there feel to the photograph. Also just perfect!
Girl Just Gotta Have Fun!
Behind the scenes, as Maria Bertrand and I went off to do a photo shoot along Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles last week. Maria is just too much fun! I am so lucky to have this woman who has been in the pages of Vogue and more in front of my Hasselblad camera! Keep watching here for a few photographs from this shoot. We did back up traffic along the highway for sure!
Another From The ProSolutions Tour
Another photograph from the Hasselblad Bron ProSolutions Tour at Edge Studios in Los Angeles the other day. Model Kristen Dugas looks incredible in this shot I did with a Hasselblad H5D-50c camera with a Hasselblad HC 100mm lens. The lighting was a Broncolor pack and head with the Broncolor Para 133 reflector. Truly amazing lighting and the skin tones and colors are perfect. Then there is the sharpness of details and an almost three dimensional feel to the photograph. I am very happy I am shooting Hasselblad and very impressed with Broncolor! 
Beautiful Model; I Say Use The Best Cameras And Lighting
Wonderful fun the other day at Edge Studios in Los Angeles, trying out and courtesy of, Broncolor lighting equipment and Hasselblad Cameras. Here I photographed our model for the day, Kristen Dugas with a Hasselblad H5D-50c camera and a Hasselblad HC 100mm lens. The lighting was a Broncolor pack with their very unique Para 133 Reflector. The photograph gives you an idea as to why lighting from equipment like Broncolor and the Para Reflectors is called light shaping. The dimension, detail and overall quality are equally only best interpreted by Hasselblad cameras. I am so very truly impressed with Broncolor and Hasselblad. Ok I am pretty impressed with Kristen Dugas too! Thanks!
Katana!
Had my martial arts instructor looked like Stacey Naito when he wielded a Katana, I dare say I would still be training with him. This woman is so gorgeous! From our photo shoot. With Makeup and Hair styling by the wonderful and very fun Blanche LeBeau.
Does A Body Good!
She is 56 years old! Born in 1959! Katie Madden is everything all about fitness and healthy living and the gym. This woman is what I call motivation!
Poolside in Palm Springs with wonderful Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. From our photo shoot with a Hasselblad medium format digital camera system. Lighting courtesy of 350 days of Sun here in Palm Springs. Body by Katie Madden!
This Is Muscle Beach!
This one photograph I shot at the July 4th competition to me speaks volumes about what Muscle Beach is all about. United States Marine Corp Gunny Sergent Jaren Wright looking good and having fun on stage. Obviously he has worked hard building his physique and I am sure he will keep it going. And he certainly deserved the two trophies he took home. But even more, Jaren will always remember when he stood on stage at the real Muscle Beach at the only real Muscle Beach competitions!
And as a photographer, again I am so very impressed with shooting with a Hasselblad camera. Bodybuilding and fitness photography has it’s own very unique needs to get right when taking photographs. Definition, color rendition and skin tones are what separates really great bodybuilding photographs from all the others. Just look around at other bodybuilders photos you will see orange skin, blurry looks and unrealistic color. Stop and compare to what you see here. When you do that, you see the difference. As I say, Hasselblad does not just shoot photographs, it duplicates reality, and maybe makes it even better!
First We Contact The Mars Rover…
First we contact the Mars Rover. Then we turn it around and light you up for my camera. And then I make you look so good! Try me! Send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com and Thank You!
Maybe Near You?
Have you been wanting to do a photo shoot with me but getting away to Palm Springs is really difficult. I will start letting you know my likely availability in other locations. So here we go…
I will have availability Saturday July 18th and Sunday July 19th in Los Angeles in the Venice Beach area. And again on Wednesday July 22nd. Other locations nearby would be considered.
August 22nd I will be at the Anaheim FitExpo and Iron Man Naturally. I will have availability to shoot in Orange County on Sunday August 23rd at a likely gym location. Other locations could also be considered.
Labor Day September 7th will find me at the bodybuilding and fitness competition at Muscle Beach Venice. I will again be doing competitor photo shoots of you on stage and backstage if you are doing the show. I will also be doing special individual photo shoots with you, even if you are not a competitor, on Saturday September 5th and Sunday September 6th. These shoots will be at Venice Beach or a beach in nearby Marina Del Rey. I price these photo shoots very reasonably because I can get a number of you in during the day. So you really want to take advantage of this pricing because I really can’t do it otherwise, not even close!
Most of those photo shoots that I do out of town are based on being less complicated and less time than I would usually be doing. So again they are very reasonably priced as compared to my usual shoots. You will still however get the great photographs I am known for creating! I really enjoy shooting with as many of you as as I can, so please try to take advantage of what can be as much as only 25% or less of what i would have to charge otherwise.
For those of you who would like to see me in an area near you, let me know. If you have a few others who would like to be in front of my cameras, we can bring your individual costs way down and make it work for me coming to you.
Please send me an e-mail with any of your questions or for more information. I am at SecondFocus@mac.com and Thank You!
By the way this is from a photo shoot I did in Marina Del Rey a few years back with one of the most popular and respected women in all of our world of fitness, Ava Cowan.
The July 4th Muscle Beach 2015 Over 50 Bodybuilding Champion
Billy Robinson became the Muscle Beach 2015 Masters Men Over 50 Champion this past weekend. When I saw him in the morning I knew he would be taking home a big trophy. It does take years of hard work to build thick mature muscle like that. Great job Billy and well deserved!
Not A Recent Photo
I did tell them that it was not a recent photo. If you are one of over 24,000 photographers who get Professional Photographer Magazine, there I am full page! For over 100 years with members in 54 countries, it is the official membership magazine of Professional Photographers of America. And no I am not still using that camera. Too Fun!
Travis Ely On His Way!
Travis Ely working it in the gym on his way to the NPC Universe National Bodybuilding Championships next week in New Jersey. This is a pivotal show for a bodybuilder because it is what is called an IFBB Pro Qualifier. Top placing competitors will earn the title of “Professional Bodybuilder” in the IFBB, the most prestigious bodybuilding federation on the planet. Travis has done a great job with 20 weeks of prep, making great gains in muscle thickness, symmetry and detail. I do not say this often, almost never actually, but I expect him to do good!
By the way from a photographers perspective… Photographed with my Hasselblad camera producing incredibly accurate skin tones, colors, contrast and detail. So very impressed with Hasselblad!
And a big Thank You to Palm Springs Fitness for always being a great place to work out and being with friends and for supporting Travis Ely! Travis is a personal trainer at Palm Springs Fitness, go see him!
A Couple Of Firsts
Behind the scenes in my photo shoot with Katie Madden just recently. A couple of firsts here; the first time Katie will be published in a magazine. And the first of my photo shoots to be published photographed with my Hasselblad camera! The superb Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. Very Fun!
Hasselblad Reality
When I announced that I had added a Hasselblad digital medium format camera system to my equipment, it generated a lot of interest. I received lots of messages and have been asked about it personally from photographers, models and people generally.
My decision to go Hasselblad, after trying out pretty much every high end camera system, came back to this one photo I shot of bodybuilder Travis Elywhen I first tried it out on a real photo shoot. Click on it to really get a look. The completely real colors, skin tone and definition were exactly what I wanted. It is more than a photograph, seemingly a duplicate of reality.
There are other reasons I chose Hasselblad. It is a legendary manufacturer of cameras made famous when chosen by NASA in 1962 to be the cameras to go into outer space. And of course used by so many famous photographers in the past and today. So who is next in front of my Hasselblad?
Saw Randalene In A Coupe de Ville!
Oh wait! That was Maybellene when Chuck Berry was singing about her. Randalene Sergent would look good in a Coupe de Ville! I am thinking if he had seen her, that very first rock and roll song would have been “Randalene”. Actually Randalene looks good everywhere and especially in front of my cameras. And she will be in front of my cameras again on July 4th weekend. You can too!
I will be shooting at the big Muscle Beach show on July 4th. However even if you are not doing the show, you can shoot with me at the beach in Venice or Marina Del Rey on Friday July 3rd or Sunday July 5th. I will be working with a few people each day to keep it as inexpensive as I can for you. I would love to shoot with as many of you as possible but there is only so much time. So please sign up as soon as you can, it is right around the corner. For more details and sign up click here and Thanks! https://squareup.com/market/secondfocus
Just Wonderful!
There are so many wonderful’s here in this photograph but I will start with Katie Madden. She is just incredibly gorgeous and has built herself a beautiful fit body. A health and fitness professional she actually started in fitness at the age of 42. I first photographed and interviewed her at the NPC Nationals competition in Miami 9 years ago. Now are you ready for this… Katie in my pool here in Palm Springs for this photo shoot on Monday at the age of 56!
The next wonderful is the Makeup and Hair Styling by my ever present Natalie Lyle. She never ceases to do wonderful work and brings a trusted professionalism to every one of our photo shoots!
And another wonderful is Hasselblad. A historic name in camera systems that has seen work in the finest fashion houses, in the hands of the most famous photographers and has even seen Outer Space and the Moon. Now in my hands producing a realism, perfect colors and skin tones and the definition that I have always wanted to see in my photographs. Don’t be fooled, lesser is not just as good.
Always So Many!
Only some of the many looks of Katie Madden from our photo shoot the other day. The hard part for me is always selecting the very best shots when all are so good! MakeUp and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle who makes it equally tough on me by doing such great work!
When It Is This Hot…
Behind the scenes from Monday with a totally captivating Katie Madden. Finished doing our studio shoot and with it being so very hot here in Palm Springs what better then to move the photo shoot to the pool! I must say that Katie did not do anything to lower the temperature!
Makeup and Hair Styling for the day by an also very hot Natalie Lyle. The hard work was down by my assistant Clyde Sawyer. And I got to use my new favorite Hasselblad camera. Outstanding!
A Real Time Saver
Very time efficient when you can get lots of services in one place. Actually a store front that caught the interest of my camera on a photo excursion the other day. This is in old downtown Indio California.
OK Smile!
Actually a small part of a building size mural in old downtown Indio California. Went on an excursion yesterday to photograph around old downtown Indio and Coachella and anything interesting along the way. There were many a great mural of incredible art. This one was especially extraordinary. I photographed with my Hasselblad medium format digital camera. The results are more astounding that I had imagined. The realism, color accuracy and sharpness create more of a duplicate of reality than just a photograph. Another photographer asked me if I had the clients who warranted such an expensive camera system. I said yes… Me! I expect the best photography I can do from me!
Maria And My Camera
Maria Bertrand in front of my camera. She is always just so beautiful and perfect. We had just finished shooting photographs for magazine features she is writing on Yoga. Maria slipped on a sweater and some heels, just her and myself and a camera among all of the other people at the beach. My favorite kind of photo shoot. Ok so who is next?
Wild Times In Seattle
I am here looking for some wild times in Seattle before I get to wild times at Muscle Beach/Venice on Sunday and Monday. I think Google got my request wrong. But this is fun too!
When She Crawls In To Bed
From my file of Photographer Best Hints. When your beautiful model crawls into bed, take a photo! From my photo shoot with Shawn Towne on Facebook at Shawn Towne Modeling. Makeup and Hair Styling by Christine Copeland. My assistant and posing and wardrobe coach for the day, Jennifer Chamberlin. — at Bellagio Las Vegas.
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