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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
Air Museum With The Hasselblad
Some random photographs today with a Hasselblad medium format digital camera. One of the things I like about the Hasselblad is the accurate color reproduction. It is called “The Hasselblad Natural Color Solution (HNCS)”. This is a real important issue with me especially when it comes to skin tones. Just take a more studied look at all the photographs you see of people, especially on Facebook, and you will see how so many photographers let skin tones go orange in color. Even with the tanning products that are used in bodybuilding and fitness, people should not look orange in photographs, they should look tan. Skin tones and colors in general are more accurate in medium format digital and known to be very accurate in Hasselblad.
Using the Hasselblad at the Palm Springs Air Museum
A Hasselblad Photographer
Very fun to be registered Hasselblad photographer! I have always been fascinated wit the history of Hasselblad and the incredible quality of their camera systems. How many of you remember that it was Hasselblad cameras that first went into Space and to the Moon!
A Little Inside News
For those of you shooting with me you can sometimes from now on expect this thing to be pointing at you.
SecondFocus Blog 