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.

Zoom & Smooch...Or why my bike should be a tax write-off

A stock agency I shoot for mentioned they had very little New Mexico Mountain bike stock. After multiple (and very necessary) biking trips scouting some trails, I talked two friends into suiting up, driving to the foothills, and riding their bikes on the same 20 yards of trail over and over.

The afternoon was clouding up, and I was hoping for some spectacular light that often breaks on the mountain on summer evenings…instead I got light that looked like Iowa in November. To salvage the afternoon, I shot some motion blur with blooming choya cactus, and shots launching off drops. As the sun went down a nice sunset developed. Camera flapping behind me, we raced down the trail to an area where we could set our happy couple up against the fading sky. Awwww

On the Range

I just finished another shoot for Campbell Ranch, a ranching company turned developer that owns, literally, oodles of land east of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque. My mission: go take pretty pictures that will make people want to spends oodles of money on a 3-6 acre lot.

Checklist: hiking boots, photo backpack, pretty filter, big scary owl lens??

The area is not high mountains, but high desert with pinion, canyons and streams. There is a herd of wild mustangs, big open meadows cleared by early settlers, and Native American ruins. In addition to the mustangs popping up around every corner, I had an owl about the size of a refrigerator jump up from a nearby tree. I almost screamed like a small child. An amazing place.

Fun with Food

Yum! This was a recent shoot for Mudhouse Advertising. Their client, Centex Homes, wanted to talk about upgrades to their kitchens. The headline for the ad was "All because you asked us to build a well designed kitchen in which your gourmet chefs can whip up their latest creations." We had two just days to cast and prop. I found a great model through an acquaintance at my local CO-OP. For props, I roamed the junk food aisles at Target on an empty stomach, thinking like a five year old, which was alarmingly easy.

The day of the shoot, our biggest problem was keeping the model's big brother (and the photographer) away from the props. After the main shot, I saw the models hands and asked to art director to pour a glass of milk and had the model grab hold. They ended up using it as an insert shot in the ad.

In case you were wondering, neither Twizlers nor Gummi Bears are really supposed to go down the garbage disposal.