Photography: Personal Work and the Journey

Wow it has been forever since I put finger to keyboard and "penned" a blog post. Every time I produce an image I want to share, I take it to Instagram. If you aren't following me, do so by searching for me @jeffreybphotography if you are reading this in the future, or a few months after this was posted, I apologize if you can't find me or the "@" has changed. I am building a new site to host all the new work that has been produced in 2017. In the last 10 months, I have created some awesome photographs and can not wait to release the new site. Stay tuned!

Some other updates: I have a new studio. After 6.5 years in one space, I have moved on. I moved down the road about 4-5 miles to a larger space. I have been shooting a ton of head shots in the space. Very soon I will be doing some more creative work in the space, can't wait. Here are a few shots of the new space. 

studio

1000 sqft, natural light, minimal design, highly functional.

So I went to California for the first time. Yea, thats a thing. I was there in July. There will be a few posts about that coming up in the next few days. I have stories and images to share and am anxious to do so. Stay tuned!

The title of this post is "Photography: Personal Work and the Journey." 3.5 and a half weeks ago I bought a new bike, seen below. It is a pedal bike, not a motorcycle. I would love a motor cycle, but not right now, maybe never, who knows. I spent a few weeks looking for a brand that I could identify with, a brand that produces a great product at a reasonable rate. I was looking for something that had an aesthetic to it that wasn't the same ol road bike that everyone has. I was looking for a well designed, well built ride that could handle a ton of miles at a time. I have a down hill mountain bike that I am going to be getting rid of. I do not want to ride trails or mountains anymore. One of the sole purposes of the new bike is for fitness. In the last 3.5 weeks I have ridden nearly every day, enjoyed every minute of it, and have managed to lose nearly 15 lbs. My goal, to lose a total of 60 lbs. Now, that sounds like a lot, which it kind of is. I am by no means a contestant for "The Biggest Loser," but I am overweight. The last few years have been so incredibly busy as I built one of my brands and due in part to my wife's health condition, physical fitness wasn't at the forefront of my life. That has changed. 

Having purchased this new bike has allowed me to ride daily. The down hill bike is very limiting. With tires at a 29" size, you can't, can, but shouldn't be riding long distances. The ergonomics of the bike are not designed for long distances. The entire ride is designed for riding over things while going down a hill or through a rough terrain. I am sticking to asphalt, paved bike paths. My average daily ride is 10-12 miles. Every other ride is between 16-20 miles. It is those distances that are allowing me to lose weight. In addition to this cardio routine I am eating clean. Basically diet with cardio is allowing me to modify my lifestyle. This is very important for a few reasons. 

1. Being overweight is not healthy. I don't care who you are, having to much weight on your waist is not good, any Dr will tell you that. 

2. Physical fitness, being physically active as well as exercising allows our bodies to gain strength, build up a stronger immune system, and, it increases brain function. Truth. 

3. It is my zen. When I get out and open up and ride hard and fast, I am in my own space. I can clear my mind and relax while riding. I have developed some great ideas while on my bike. Basically riding is like therapy for me. When I have a shit day and I get out and ride, it melts away, or rather, the stress sweats away. Truth.

4.It is good for you. Anything good for you is good. Truth.

So what brand do I identify with? Brooklyn Bike Co. The link takes you to the model that I bought. I am in love with the ride, the feel, the ergonomics. The size that I have feels like it was built for me. They are the cool kids down the block. There are a bunch of brands that are popping up, but after doing my research, I kept coming back to them. Their Instagram feed shows their products in a manner that inspired me, talk about great marketing, right? None-the-less, I am a happy customer. 

On Labor Day I had a collision on the paved bike path. I was taken down pretty hard. I had my Fuji XPro 2 with me and the lens was damaged. A woman blindly made a u-turn in the middle of the path without making sure it was safe to do so. I was avoiding two people who were standing stationary on their bikes in my lane and when I came around them, the cause-r caused a collision. It was bad. I have a major contusion on my left forearm. A real whopper of a bruise and some swole that hurts. In addition to that damage, the camera made a deep impact on my rips on the left side of my body. There is an imprint of the camera body in the form of a bruise, left to remind of how others can be so careless and cause physical damage to others. In the years that I have been a photographer I have never damaged a camera. I have had a few lights die on set, get knocked over due to the environment or other reasons, but nothing has ever been so damaged before. Essentially I have to replace the lens. 

Two days ago I took an evening ride. I got in about 7 miles while roaming around with my Fuji. I decided to take it on a ride with me, something I was planning on doing with every ride up until I had the accident. I took it easy, not worrying about long distances and high speeds. I just wanted to ride, make images, and zen out. My plan was a success and I made some interesting, fun, unique images. When you see them, you will think there is some creative post-processing done to them. There is not. What you will see is a juxtaposition of the focus plane creating a focus in two areas. This affect is similar to what a Lensbaby Lens would produce. I swear, this is a direct result of the lens being pushed in a bit. When you look at the lens, it appears that the right side is pushed in about 10-15% percent. There are no corners to a circle, but it looks like the corners create a failed depth of field, lack of focus when you look at the photographs. It is a unique disaster that produces some rather beautiful images. See for yourself below. 

As I continue to build my business and my brand, I need to constantly be maintaining me and be building myself as well. My new ride is allowing me to do so. It is my hobby and one that I take seriously. I have always had a bike and have enjoyed riding. It is only now am I ensuring that I can dedicate time to do so. It is very important for me to have time for fitness and riding. It is important for my business, my health, and my life to be active. Keep a watchful eye for my new website and up-coming blog posts. 

Business Portraits: Less than 15 minutes

I have read countless articles and blog posts about those super famous, super high end photographers that shoot executives, CEO's, Celebrities, and the likes of famous and ultra busy professionals. While I am not shooting Fortune 500 CEO's yet, everyone I photograph is as equally important.  

This afternoon I stepped out of the studio and went to the rest room for a hot 20 seconds. I came back and found I had a missed call. Before I had a chance to call back, I received a text. I thought it was life or death. "Call me ASAP," a phrase that usually means someone needs something in a hurry. So I did. It was Bob, my assistant and second shooter for some work. His day job is shlepping paint on walls of homes and other buildings. The owner of the company, a serial entrepreneur, need some new head shots for some PR and Marketing purposes. I had a miss communication in my schedule and told Bob I only had a specific time I could fit him in today. They were set to arrive at 4 pm. Will, CEO, Owner, Important person, had a 5pm meeting or something and needed to drive to the location from the studio. I knew I would have a mere few minutes to capture him.

After realizing I fahcked up my schedule, glitch with cell phone calendar, I didnt have to worry about setting up the studio, lighting for head shots, while he was there. I pre set the studio with two different setups. Both set ups required two very different lighting set ups. I whipped that together in a jiff and was ready for them to arrive. Will was in studio for about 10 minutes. It took him longer to adjust his wardrobe than it did to make the photographs. Within an hour of the shoot, the images were processed, retouched, and in the dropbox folder. I may not be shooting the worlds most important people at the moment, but everyone I shoot for is treated as if they are the most important person whom has walked through my door, or sat in front of my camera.

Dance Photography: In Studio

Last weekend I shot some dance in the studio. The moment Sarah arrived I stressed that I did not want to see anything technically perfect. There is a time and place for perfection, this shoot was not one of those moments. One of the most important things for a dancer is to be just that, perfect, well nearly perfect. The pose, the movement, the right position within the dance, etc. Perfection or nearly perfect can make or break a performance. With this shoot, I wanted to convey a sense of portraiture, a sense of fashion, throw in some personality and lights, and we have a shoot. I like shooting dance, like I do fashion. The more I shoot, the happier I am.

The following set of photos are an homage, kind of an inspiration to Edgar Degas. Degas is known for his paintings, be he also made photographs of dancers. His work is both beautiful and iconic. I have had the luxury of seeing some Dagas paintings in real life. Yup. I stood right there looking at his brush strokes. Breath taking, for sure....