Rescue Ready!
A Coast Guard helicopter overhead. Had one of my models needed a rescue out of my swimming pool during a photo shoot we are ready!
Loading Unloading – An Environmental Tragedy
In the distance you see the Salton Sea from what is a boat launch ramp. Perhaps a 1/2mile away from where I am standing to shoot this photograph. The disappearing of the Salton Sea, if allowed to happen, could be one of the greatest environmental tragedies to take place in the United States. Water, air, food, commerce, economy, and health will be impacted like a tidal wave starting at it’s epicenter but unstoppable with it’s reach.
Interestingly enough, there is an identical tragedy that has occurred on the other side of globe, cause and effect almost identical. The crisis of the Aral Sea, called “One Of The Planet’s Worst Environmental Disasters“. There is now very little time left to Save the Salton Sea.
You Are In The Library Of Congress
If you have been in front of my camera, you are indeed in the Library Of Congress. I do register the Copyright on my photographs. And the Library Of Congress is the repository of those registrations along with thumbnails of all of the photographs. When you think about it, that is kind of cool!
$75 For You, Millions For Me, But We Appreciate You!
‘We pay $75 per day for you to work in our booth at the Olympia.’ ‘We pay $20 per photograph that we use and we give you photo credit.’ ‘We don’t pay for articles but you will get a lot of exposure.’
How many of you have heard things like this from supplement companies and others? Now let me give you a real life example about how much money these companies are making when they tell you about their woeful budgets and hardship tales about paying you…
“During the period from October 2008 through October 2013, the conspirators collected at least $400,000,000 in revenue…”
“Transferred over $230,000,000… proceeds from USP Labs business account at Chase to the USP Charles Schwab accounts”
“… transferred over $154,000,000 to at least 21 other financial accounts maintained at Charles Schwab, Chase Bank, TD Ameritrade Bank, TD Bank, and Bank of America”
These are quotes directly from a Federal criminal indictment filed on November 4th against USP Labs and S.K. Labs and their principals. You saw their products at the shows and in all of the magazines like “Jack3d”and “OxyElite Pro”. The charges involve fake ingredients, frauds, deceptions etc. Importantly however, the indictment does give you an idea about how much money is involved with supplement companies and such.
Now I will say that there are good companies out there. Their products are good, real and they treat people well. But they are seemingly few and far between.
So remember that when you are standing mostly naked in a booth at the Olympia, feet hurting in those high heels that the money you should be making you have given to the owner of the company to go have dinner each night at some high end restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Or when you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your photo equipment, you are paying the interest on your credit cards so the money you should have been paid is being transferred, when the company owner drives over in his Mercedes SLS Coupe, to the bank to transfer a few million dollars to his other accounts.
The full indictment can be found here at United States of America v. USP Labs et al.
Free Exposure – Yeah Right
More following my prior posts about working for free etc. This is an e-mail exchange from yesterday. Another company trying to get free work by offering free exposure. Free exposure at best is worthless but from a start up company that has no exposure, free exposure is worth even less. Obviously the person just does not get it. And sadly they will sucker some people in who are just hoping to find some way of getting ahead and trying to be hopeful about it. I have left out the person’s name and the name of the company so as to not embarrass them, at least for the moment. Please read all of it. Enjoy the exchange and if I can answer any questions just let me know at SecondFocus@mac.com.
The Power Of No!
In follow up to my post below about getting paid for your work and not working for free or cheap. This is a quote from top model Patti Hansen from 1975. It appears in the book “Arthur Elgort, The Big Picture“. A photo essay of this most famous and respected of photographers. Sometimes you just have to say No!
Get Paid! Rant Ahead, Read At Your Own Risk!
GET PAID! Please! Rant ahead, read at your own risk…
As we are coming up on the Olympia weekend in Las Vegas, the most prestigious of all bodybuilding and fitness extravaganzas, I am again getting calls and messages from so many about this dilemma about getting paid. Basically it goes like this… “They want me to work their booth and want to pay me next to nothing. And last year they had $40 million dollars in sales.”
The next to nothing in this case is $100 per day. Others are not even getting that much or nothing. Stand around all day in almost no clothes and high heels for almost no money or none at all. No breaks, barely get to the bathroom. Why? Because starting back in about 2008 nobody was saying NO when the offers got less and less. Now you are all paying the price.
Remember when you are nursing your sore feet, blisters and headache, the president or owner of that company will be at the best restaurant in town sucking down the best call Vodka, double, at $40 a glass. And then having that $88 steak.
I am going to tell you right now, don’t do it! I know you want to get ahead in the fit biz but no one is going to “discover” you while you are standing in that booth handing out little packets of fat burners. So just say NO and this is what you can do…
Buy yourself an Expo ticket and walk around and meet people and also enjoy the Expo you never get to see because you are stuck in that booth! Hand out your business card, talk to people. Just remember to get their cards too so you can follow up. Every one is distracted and busy at the Olympia Expo, be brief and to the point and make an impression.
By the way, many of you “photographers” are just as guilty. You worked for cheap or free and made it worse for everyone. Now you can’t buy lunch! I told you!
Get back to me with any questions and check out this short video from famed author and writer Harlan Ellison. It is to the point!
Just Two Guys Except…
Just two guys hanging out and sharing maybe some past times. Well maybe not just any two guys. That guy on the left is Al Pacino, and the guy on the right, bodybuilding icon Eddie Giuliani. Eddie was Al’s trainer for many years and so Al came out on this July 4th 2012 to induct his buddy Eddie into the Muscle Beach Hall Of Fame. Only at Muscle Beach/Venice!
Muscle Beach Photo Sign Ups
Muscle Beach/Venice, photographs and YOU! This Memorial Day weekend show, if you would like me to photograph you on stage and back stage, I am taking sign ups now. Please do not wait! Thank You and sign up here at this link… https://squareup.com/market/secondfocus
Writer!
Talking about Maria Bertrand yesterday. Long list of modeling credits including the top fashion magazines and fashion houses around the world, and acting in movies opposite the most well known stars, and top name brand television commercials; now add writer for West Hollywood Magazine! Chronicling “nightlife, dining, shopping, art, design, celebrity” Maria makes the magazine all that more classy! And more classy in front of my cameras is obvious like here from an excursion with me to Venice Beach. Click on the photograph to see it bigger and better full screen on my Website! 
Selfies And Photographers And Artists
As I mentioned yesterday, I like seeing selfies, they are fun. The one I posted yesterday was more fun than selfie but I like the photography. Anyway it got me to thinking of famous photographers and artists who have done selfies long before they were selfies. This is one of my favorites from one of my most admired photographers, Helmut Newton. And that is his wife June watching the shoot session. Some people thought it so odd that she was okay with him being around so many beautiful naked women.
My New Selfie…
I always say I like selfies so here is a new of me. Oh… that other person is model Bailey Daniels.
Greetings! You Violated My Copyright!
Yesterday I was made aware of yet another copyright violation of one of my photographs. The photograph was used by a company who lifted it from somewhere online for the purposes of illustration of an article which is of course to promote their business and make money. The unauthorized use was quickly resolved. But for those who think they have some knowledge of copyright based on what some people have told you or guessed online or you just think you can do what you want, guess again. You might be hearing from my attorney and then you just might find yourself being handed papers by a United States Marshal bringing you greetings from a United States District Court Judge. Thank You!
Photographs
I very often have to search my archives for photographs to fill requests from magazines, companies and other people. As I do that I often see again photographs I took that I really like. This photograph of Brad Gwinn from our photo shoot being one of them, that I happened to run across just yesterday. Being a photographer starts with being a huge fan of photography and photographs and sometimes even my own.
Seaside
Isn’t it just magic when you photograph a beautiful woman seaside. Maria Bertrand at Venice Beach.
The Photographer I Most Admire…
I am often asked which photographer I most admire as a photographer myself. The first person I always say is this man, Helmut Newton. His work ranged from erotic to kinky to fashion to scenes of life. Published in all of the finest magazines around the world as well as having photographed endless ad campaigns, he sought to photograph what he wanted to photograph and let the world accept what he did or not. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 83 but exhibits of his work are continuing to be shown in museums around the world. Google Helmut Newton when you have time and take a look. This is my photograph of a poster for an exhibit of his works last year at The Annenberg Space for Photography. Thanks!
Too Much Fun For Me!
Too much fun for me! Carrying a camera around I get to photograph the photographers shooting at so many events going on here in Palm Springs during Modernism Week. And in this case a photographer who looks really good in front of a camera too. Sandra Baroni at Gallery 446.
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