Un Jour Dans La Vie D'un Coureur -> Final Cut

As promised in last November's post, the media portion of the running test is up and ready for review here on the blog or in the JC|P Motion section of the website.

Un Jour Dans La Vie D'un Coureur -> Final Cut

Superior bound one frosty morn...

"To say that Lake Superior is the greatest of the Great Lakes is to say much, but it draws no picture of the vastness of this haughty queen of fresh water who has a copper crown, the iron hills for a footstool, and the coldest blue eyes in creation…" - W. Ratigan, Pretty Tall Water Here, in Shipwrecks and Survivals (1969)

Awaking at 4:30 a.m. on a recent morning, my assistant and I set off for Superior, Wisconsin on an assignment for Chicago Magazine. Our subjects were a husband & wife team, originally from Chicago, who made an unconventional late career change. Taking up a new life together, they have focused their efforts on the monumental job of salvaging 6 million board feet of virgin lumber from three free standing, 133 year old grain elevators along the shoreline of Lake Superior.

The images above were shot just minutes before we arrived, traversing Lake Superior as we left Minnesota for Wisconsin. While not an idyllic mid-winter destination, from a travel agent's perspective, I always welcome the chance to head north, shedding a bit of the city for however long I am able. For me it's the first glimpse of Lake Superior that signifies the arrival of "being up north." Travel north this time of year and at this time of day offered a new perspective to a fondly familiar place.

Our next project takes us due south to Texas for a week of shooting - a nice project + destination I certainly welcome this time of year...

Superior bound one frosty morn...

Bright Lights, Metal in the City: An After Hours Project...

Talent at the ready, four wheels and a skin of metal punctuated with a blue and white emblem translated to quite a visual afternoon + evening in late November. The shoot was loosely storyboarded as: a model, a car, and some pre-scouted locations within Minneapolis' Warehouse district. The logistics and weather came together perfectly to shoot this project which had been brewing for some time. The vehicle was acquired via Euro Cars in Eden Prairie and Matt our talent from Caryn Model and Talent Agency. As with the Runner shoot we brought in Alex Horner once again to capture video assets alongside the stills I was gathering.

I am always working to find something new to shoot- a person, place, or subject matter that I've yet to spend time amid. This was my first foray into shooting anything auto related. I approached visually as I have other unrelated projects and am very pleased with the imagery we came away with. Thanks to the crew for hustling this one together- seems to be the trend these days and I don't foresee it changing. I guess that's what keeps it interesting...

The video portion of this shoot should be out soon - I look forward to announcing in a future blog post. For now please check out the gallery of additional stills at the archive section of my site. I am also planning an upcoming e-mail blast based on one of the shots. Keep an eye on your inbox as this will hit very soon.

We've been keeping busy and have some exciting things in the works including a new portfolio- almost all new imagery. We've had a couple of pre-showings with local buyers to get feedback on image selects + pagination. Response has been very good with only minor tweaks suggested around pagination and flow- based on color palette and image selection. We'll be ordering up the books and anticipate them hitting the streets around mid-March...

Bright Lights, Metal in the City: An After Hours Project...

Under the Golden Arches...

"If it's flipping hamburgers at McDonald's, be the best hamburger flipper in the world. Whatever it is you do you have to master your craft." - Snoop Dogg

Just when I thought 2009 was over, one last hurrah came up days before the new year to shoot a project for McDonald's. It was also a nice first project to arise as a result of my recent partnership with Paula Gren of Paula Gren Representatives.

The project offered more creative freedom than is typical. I was told to "do what I do," within and outside the walls of one of McDonald's newest restaurants; one that features the latest in terms of design and architecture. Upon first glance the interior layout and design reminded me of something one would see in Holland or another northern European country known for their avante garde designs. The overall modern look and feel of the store didn't take away from the time tested expectations of the golden arches.

The project involved a pre-shoot casting in the restaurant, gathering a varied pool of "real" talent; everyone from toddlers to teens to seniors. The end product was a library of images - "a day in the life" from an employee and customer point of view. Young and old, people were genuinely psyched to take part. The content we came away with is as unique as the new look of the updated McDonald's.

I've got to say whether working or eating - people are truly "lovin it."

Under the Golden Arches...

EightHourDay + How Magazine

Recently EightHourDay was asked to be featured in the June 2010 issue of HOW Magazine. The 6 page article will feature an interview with Nate and Katie as well as an array of their work. In maintaining their small business feel they asked me to capture their day-to-day life(style) as an intimate design couple. The shoot took place at EightHourDay's studio and presented a rich palette of options suitable as stand-alone images or as backgrounds for the portraits. As always it's a pleasure to work with talented folks in the industry. I look forward to seeing the article in the summer issue of How Magazine.

A happy New Year to all who follow the blog. The best for all and the industry as we move into the new decade...

EightHourDay + How Magazine

Ice Time In The Off Season

”You do dat, you go to da box, you know, uh, two minutes by yourself, and you feel shame, you know, and then you get free.” - Denis from SlapShot

Final ads from this summer's Bauer shoot via Olson were just received - a couple of selects are featured below. The ads were shot in Atlantic City, NJ this past July at Bauer's "2009 Athlete Camp." Bauer brought in over 20 top NHL players they are partnered with for two days of apparel / product shooting both on and off the ice.

I spent the first of the two days shooting in a locker room environment- fabricated inside a hotel conference room. Five lockers were taken from the Philiadelpha Flyers locker room and trucked to Atlantic City for this shoot. It was tough to visualize how this would look in our early pre-pro meetings. Once on site, all came together quite nicely. One of the locker room scenes I was tasked to capture involved atheletes working with (taping, flexing, etc.) Bauer's latest addition to the stick market - the Vapor X:60.

Check out Bauer's new site- it features dozens of shots from projects I've worked on over the past few years. If you care to go deeper check out the Bauer Blog, specifically the November 16th post where you'll see behind the scenes footage from this summer's shoot.

Happy holidays to all who happen upon the blog. Thanks for checking in from time to time and of course best to come for all in 2010...

Ice Time In The Off Season

In the still of the night...

"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain

A slower pace is what I associate with trips to the deep south. For me it’s a welcome change when I am visiting my retired in-laws near Lafayette, LA (the childhood home of my Mother-in-law). One evening while driving with my five-year-old son Wes, we happened upon a game of street basketball near the campus of USL (University of Southern Louisiana). The game suggested anything but the aforementioned pace. Arms flying about, the squeaky sound of soles on worn pavement, and a flurry of ball handling captivated us both. I pulled out my camera to grab a few frames as Wes sat beside me.

Editing the images weeks later I am reminded of the sights and sounds -- the rhythm of the players interspersed with the empty metal gong from a missed attempt; a court tired and worn-surely to have been replaced in most other parts. The experience altogether nicely summarizes what I look forward to when traveling to this part of the country; unpolished living that may lack in luster, but as a result makes living seem all the more richer.

In the still of the night...