Chain Link
It can be fun to go get around and photo shoot in places that you might not think would be great. But then it is. My model here the very beautiful Randalene Sergent.
Always Special!
I always try to make photo shoots something special. The locations here in Palm Springs sure help out. With Chris Polityka and my Hasselblad camera. Only the best! Thank You Chris, you looked outstanding!
Black Belt at Venice Beach
When Alex appeared on stage at Muscle Beach with his competition partner Maud, I had no idea what was next. But after the show for their photo shoot I found out how fun it was to be! Alexandre Michel Franchini exhibiting his black belt prowess all the way from Saint-Mihiel, France in front of my Hasselblad camera in the ocean waves at Venice Beach.
Sign up are now open for you in front of my camera at Muscle Beach and Venice Beach for the Memorial Day weekend. I will be shooting your photos if you are doing the show on stage and also backstage. You can also have your own mini photo shoot Saturday or Sunday before the show on Monday, Memorial Day. That is also for couples or even if you are not doing the show. It is only because I will be photographing a lot of people that weekend that I can make these prices so very low. But you must sign up ahead of time. I will not have the time to photograph everyone so please sign up as soon as possible. Here is the sign up page and Thanks… MuscleBeachPhoto.com
Blindfold & Shadow
If you are blindfolded and nude, is your shadow also blindfolded and nude?
Model Aristodeme in our photo shoot. Photographed with Hasselblad digital and Broncolor lighting. Only the best!
Aristodeme in Blindfold and Shadow. Photograph by Ian L. Sitren
Posing Your Face!
The incredibly beautiful Ava Cowan in one of our photo shoots. Posing is also facial expressions and engaging your audience. Ava gets a solid 10 for that one and more!
It’s All About…
It’s all about the shoes. Or maybe it is all about the jacket from St. John Knits. Perhaps it is all about the superb lighting by Broncolor or the incredible image quality from the Hasselblad digital camera. Well actually we are all looking at her. That works!
Making The Pit Look So Good!
Just perfect! My best buddy Maria Bertrand making the “Pit” at Muscle Beach look so good!
Maria Bertrand In The Pit At Muscle Beach
Hiking Wear
My friend Sherry Goggin with her selection of desert hiking wear from her own designs at FitGirl Wear at http://fitgirlwear.com/ So remember to wear the right clothes and bring water! Let me know and I will photograph you too!
Sherry Goggin In The Desert near Palm Springs
Lots Of T-34’s
Beechcraft T-34 “Mentor” military training aircraft at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
T-34 formation flying over the Palm Springs Air Museum
Iron Man Naturally Championships Competitors
Some great competitors who crossed my lens on stage at the Iron Man Naturally Championships 2016 at the FitExpo Los Angeles last weekend.
Jim Clifford at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Lene Alexandre at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Derrick Cole at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Alexis Donahoe at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Grace Marlin at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Johanna De La Vega at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
Charlisa Nicole Villar at the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships
That Was Me
Thank You to so very many for your kind words in the last few days about my bodybuilding and fitness show photography. Not a new thing for me to shoot shows.
Actually I am the photographer who was very first credentialed for Bodybuilding.com to shoot their very first Olympia coverage about a dozen years ago. That’s right! Before me Bodybuilding.com never was allowed a photo press credential for the Olympia.
I went on to shoot over 20 shows per year for them all around the country including the Arnold, other pro shows and the bigger amateur shows. Remember when you would get up in the morning and see the show photos from the night before on the Bodybuilding.com website. That was me shooting the show, staying up all night along with one person back at Bodybuilding.com headquarters getting that all online. We pioneered that along with many other show reporting innovations. I could tell you some great and fun stories for sure about those times.
Of course you have seen my show photos in the magazines and on the magazines covers along the way too. But my favorites have always been the advertising, both online and print ads for Bodybuilding.com. Even Jamie Eason was first seen for Bodybuilding.com when I photographed her for them for the very first time.
This is a computer wallpaper that was done back then. There was one of those done weekly and for a few years almost all from my photos. It was all great fun and I still love doing it! Thanks Again!
Winners!
From just this last Saturday, the Winners of the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships at the Los Angeles FitExpo. From left to right… Takeshi Kanemoto, Corrina Bailey, Melyssa Wacker, Prince Bada Lekan, Evina Del Pizzo Luna, Anthony Kurup, Victoria Gusto! A big round of applause well deserved. These people look outstanding. There is a lot of hard work for you! Thanks!
The winners of the 2016 Iron Man Naturally Championships. From L-R… Takeshi Kanemoto, Corrina Bailey, Melyssa Wacker, Bada Lekan, Evina Luna, Anthony Kurup, Victoria Gusto
Bodybuilding Winner!
Bodybuilder Bada Lekan, originally from Nigeria, winning the 2016 Iron Man Naturally at the Los Angeles FitExpo this last weekend. A truly well deserved win!
Bodybuilder Bada Lekan Wins The Iron Man Naturally 2016
Mike And Jean
My friends Mike O’Hearn and Jean Carrillo Carrillo Muay Thai meeting on Saturday, after two decades, at the Los Angeles FitExpo. Jean had trained Mike in Muay Thai at Gold’s Gym Venice. Mike as an actor and fitness personality has been seen on the cover of hundreds of magazines and is a huge fan favorite. Jean is a world famous Muay Thai and self defense trainer, training people in his gym in Santa Ana as well as special police units in France and around the world. Great fun!
Jean Carrillo trained Mike O’Hearn in Muay Thai 21 years ago at Gold’s Gym Venice.
Mike O’Hearn and Jean Carrillo. Photo provided by Jean Carrillo.
Photos Like This
Bodybuilder Dan Hill in front of my camera. I will be in Los Angeles this weekend, Friday through Sunday, for the FitExpo and Photo LA. Let’s meet and chat photography for your ads, magazines, features, portfolios, promotions. More to see on my website at SecondFocus.com. Send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com or text to 213-712-1929. Thanks!
FitExpo and Photo L.A.
Tomorrow, Friday through Sunday, find me in Los Angeles for Photo LA and the FitExpo Los Angeles. Time to just meet and/or talk about photography and my work in shooting magazine features, advertising, your portfolio and more. It would be great to meet you! Just send me an e-mail to SecondFocus@mac.com or text to my cellphone at 213-712-1929. And Thanks!
Never Enough
I can never get enough of photographs with Maria Bertrand. So I thought I would try four of this one!
Model Maria Bertrand. Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. Photography by Ian L. Sitren.
Not Much To Say
The photographs of Randalene Sergent from our photo shoots are just fine without saying much about them. What do you think?
Randalene Sergent with Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle. Photography by Ian L. Sitren.
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!
My Secret To Working With Gorgeous Models
I am often asked by newer inexperienced photographers how to get the most out of models during photo shoots. It can also be especially intimidating for new photographers when working with tall, gorgeous professional models like Maria Bertrand. I will tell you my secret… Cookies and Milk. Yes that’s it! You can get the best photo shoots ever with a model if you give them Cookies and Milk.
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?
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