State of the Fair

For the past few years I have been the State Fair photographer and have accumulated an extensive knowledge of fried food you can eat while walking. This week, as my cholesterol grudgingly slipped back to it’s normal level that makes pharmaceutical stocks such a good investment, I came across some employee portraits I had done a couple years back.





The Fair has a limited number of year-round employees, and hires an enormous crew of temporary laborers to work the 17-day event. Most are paid minimum wage, many traveling from other states, sometimes as groups or extended families. Its tough work, and they are great folks. I got to know a few of them and they were the highlight of that year’s fair, the fried Oreos weren’t even close.

Non-Smoking

This summer I shot a campaign for Austin TX based TKO Advertising and they wanted a range of locations and models that represented typical New Mexicans. Of course, when the casting was over we had an Australian in the mix. All together we did seven shots over two days. They wanted this de-saturated, edgy look, which we achieved with location lighting, makeup and post-production voodoo.

About a month before the shoot, I was mountain biking and ran across a set of abandoned corrals close to the mountains, and thought it would make a great location. I envisioned a gorgeous young model in Santa Fe Style, but ended up with this slightly softer, rounder version of the Marlboro Man, Dan Strakal.

See Food

A few years back, I visited the country of Mali with a friend who had served there in the Peace Corps. I think it was the longest I have ever gone without ice cream (three weeks). For much of our time there, we stayed with Africans, often eating with our hands out of a communal bowl of rice, corn meal or millet. It was a privilege to eat, and people were grateful to have a full belly. This really affected how I looked at food, and it was shocking to come home to so much colorful food so carefully arranged and prepared. I thought about how we have elevated food preparation and presentation to an art form, and this naturally lead me to want to hang food on a wall. This latest batch involves a tossed salad and live blue crab, which were exceptionally difficult to train, and generally cranky at hanging on a wall in the middle of the desert.

These two pieces will be on display as part of an art show at 105 Studios, the building that houses my studio. Opening reception is this Saturday, May 10th, from 5-8 PM. Address is 105 4th Street SW. Feel free to call me if you need directions.

Too Friendly Skies

At 7:30 on a recent Friday night my phone rang and instead of the telemarketer I expected, it was a design firm in Alaska. A quick geography primer in my head confirmed the workweek was just winding up there. Turns out they have a client who did the renovation of the Albuquerque Airport and they needed photos.

After two calls to the airport to let them know I was coming and that TSA could ignore the terrorist with the tripod, I headed down to shoot. They wanted interior shots showing movement of people. I was shooting with a tripod and off camera flash, when I spotted two friends moving down the escalator. They were just off the plane from Argentina, and their travel-fuddled minds couldn’t figure out why I was at the airport to take their photos.

Amazingly, not a single security person approached me, just a pilot wanting to talk cameras. I think the TSA people would have been easier to get rid of.

Fit for a Trailer

I was hired by Esparza advertising, http://www.esparzaadvertising.com/, to head up to the four corners area and photograph for San Juan Regional Medical Center, the largest hospital in the area. We were shooting patients and employees for an annual report, and they also wanted a nice winter shot of the San Juan River. My assistant and I went up early and scouted a few stretches of the river before finding this spot.

The area is booming with oil and natural gas wells, and many of the roughnecks are fairly transient, living in trailers at campgrounds along the river. This particular unit, which my assistant dubbed “Trailer Pilates”, was the trip favorite, and about 100 yards from our photo site.

Holiday Spirit

Merry Christmas! The last few years I have created a Santa shot each Christmas. This year I had a biscotti baker in town ask me to shoot some product, and decided to give some twice-baked goodness to clients. I found a fireplace at a friend’s house in Corrales and talked my model into letting me paint his toenails. You haven’t lived till you have painted a chubby man’s toes red.

I have another friend in Corrales who lives in a trailer with loads of character, if your idea of character includes not having been cleaned since the first, and I do mean the first Bush administration. I figured if we were already in the neighborhood, we could squeeze in a second shot. I asked him not to clean a thing, because propping out a house like this would cost hundreds of dollars. He didn’t know how to take that, but agreed.

I have always seen Santa as a bit of a sell out, a used up exploited object, and this shot is a little reflection of that.

THANKSgiving

This Thanksgiving I took a week off and meet the family in Pensacola Florida. As a result of listening to way too much Jimmy Buffet when I was younger, I have a bit of a sailing fixation, and somehow my sister and brother-in-law became infected also. The three of us chartered a sailboat and sailed around the bays for a few days, meeting my parents at different spots.

There were dolphins swimming with the boat every day, good weather, and we had our first experience running aground (I wasn’t driving). I actually took this as a vacation, and because I have no experience in the care and feeding of cameras in a marine environment, took only a point and shoot for fun photos.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of my clients, friends, vendors and family for a great 2007!

Ohhhhh Mexico

A couple weeks before Thanksgiving, I got a call from Werner ladders wanting me to photograph in their new factory in Juarez Mexico. I love road trips, although I discovered that none of the on-line mapping services have any idea where anything is in Mexico. That not withstanding, I pulled into the industrial park at the appointed time and was greeted, or actually not greeted, by this sleeping stray at the empty guard facility. I love Mexico.

I was taking a Spanish class with a friend, and had to miss that week because of the shoot, but had a great time trying to explain to workers what we were doing, and getting them to sign model releases. I did not end up engaged or in a fight, but I am pretty sure most signed it because they felt sorry for the poor gringo with the laughable Spanish.

Don't forget the Sharpie

I am having a book signing tonight at Bookworks on Rio Grande, next to the Flying Star, just north of Grigos. My book came out a couple months ago, and according to certain experts (my mother), it makes a perfect gift for almost any occasion.

I for one think it walks that fine line between practical and romantic, that line men are so often searching for when shopping for a spouse’s birthday or anniversary. Inside are photos taken from places that you would totally take a girl if you were 18 and wanting to make-out. What could be more romantic? (There is a reason I am still single)

In addition to most Albuquerque bookstores, the book is available on Amazon.com, or I have a case if you want to buy in bulk. And for all of my friends, you can expect a flat, poorly wrapped present for any occasion in the foreseeable future.

Cookies and Smoke

Many months ago an agency contacted me about doing a stop-motion spot for TV. Suddenly this summer their client decided they wanted to do three. The idea was to show the life that goes on in one of their homes.

I worked with the art directors coming up with some ideas for action that would read well and be fun. To capture a realistic sense of motion, we shot sequences like movies, starting the action and opening up the shutter at 3 frames per second, with a mix of movie lighting and strobe. I shot into the computer, so the art director could watch the shots flowing across and get an idea of what the final stop-motion would look like.

Two things I learned on this shoot: 1. It is more effective to bribe kids to get them to do what you want, especially other peoples kids. 2. Do the cookie dough shots early in the day so you can bake up a dozen or two right away.
The client liked the three spots so well; they had us do one more.