Archive for the ‘New Work’ Category

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Curtain call

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

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Well if there wasn’t for bad luck we wouldn’t have any luck at all… or something like that. I was pretty busy in November for Business Week’s SmallBiz magazine shooting for freelance photo editor Jane Clark (rumor has it she has now moved on to Smart Money). Just a week after I rushed in my final files for the new Dec/Jan issue seen above and below new owners Bloomberg shut the door on SmallBiz; thankfully no staff was fired.

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First up I shot a package on corporate diversity in the NYC area, visiting the fine folks at Neil Cerbone Associates and Double Platinum ad agency, both gay-owned businesses certified by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Despite taking place in boring offices we managed to find some fun and weird elements to incorporate into each shoot and the subjects were a great pleasure to work with. And fair warning out there: if I find a giant roll of packing bubbles I’m going to use it!

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After the success of the first two shoots I was called back to shoot the cover for the issue down in FL on a story about business financing during the credit crunch caused by the meltdown. Honestly I’m really upset with the pre-press/toning for this cover (my final file is above right) which is completely off from what I shot and delivered (the image of Neil Cerbone got abused as well), but c’est la vie.

The cover feature was for a story that had already been shot once, but they now wanted a different look. Unlike the vast majority of my work, the editors and art director had a very clear idea of what they wanted (background, props, etc) so I tried to make a mark on the details & lighting. We still managed a few different ideas and had fun, but it was a crazy shoot because the whole thing took place inside a refrigerated room at Field of Flowers florist in Davie, FL. That’s right, cover shoot inside a flower freezer… it was cold.

Big thanks to the subjects and my buddy Matt who assisted me for their energy and endurance. Here are a couple more of the Flipse family that I liked:

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Posted in Freelancing, New Work, Portraits, Promotion | 1 Comment »

New Work: Second Skin

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

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Fresh out on the newsstands in ESPN the Magazine’s Nov. 30th issue is a really fun feature that I shot on the Penn State University mascot, the Nittany Lion.  Though the shoot (which took place over Homecoming weekend and during that unseasonal Nor’easter last month) was not without its challenges, writer Larry Smith, assistant Brian Harkin, and I had a fantastic time stalking the Lion both in and out of costume. A special thanks to the Lion himself, Clint Gyory, who in addition to being a great athlete was also super patient with our crew.  And of course big ups to ESPN picture editors Catriona Ni Aolain and Joe Rodriguez.

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The main pleasure for me with this type of story was the freedom to go a hundred different directions with it, and my huge edit of final selects proved that we packed in a ton of ideas and set-ups into our snowy 2 days.  Lion found himself in the shower, outside shoveling snow, playing Rock Band, reading the paper (we really freaked out the dog with Clint’s costumed self), and doing other mundane household duties in addition to the (all lit!) reportage follow-along shooting we did of him at pep rallies, ice cream socials, parades, arenas, changing rooms, and of course the football stadium.  The college mascots life and energy don’t ever stop, especially during homecoming, and so we didn’t either.

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College athletics (and football especially) are my favorite as a fan and a member of the media because of the energy, passion, and unpredictability.  The Penn State fans were chosen for this article because they live and breathe it in this really compelling way… case in point the homecoming parade was several hours long in the freezing rain and snow and the entire route was packed with people screaming their heads off.  Sure State College is a tiny town in rural PA, but the atmosphere was infectious and it certainly helped give us a boost far after we’d have liked to head back to the hotel (which actually lost power and had to shut down).

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Here are a few more favorites that didn’t make the cut:

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Posted in Action, New Work, Portraits | 2 Comments »

Push

Friday, November 6th, 2009

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Depending on who you talk to, what day you catch them on, and maybe how the wind is blowing at that exact second… the economy and magazine industry is either waking up a little, or getting ever worse. With the summer slog behind us I’ve spent the last couple of months hustling my new portfolio and NYC address in an attempt to make my (just-past) 30th birthday a happy affair… and thankfully it’s been a busy few weeks at JLP HQs with new work for ESPN the Magazine, Business Week, O, and Men’s Health among others, most of which was shot out of the NYC office (Yes!).

In this sort of climate any victory is worth celebrating but I’m still way too superstitious to claim any sort of turning point or master scheme.  Truly I’m just out there pushing myself and making the most of each tiny opportunity, meeting, and shoot, no matter the circumstances.  Sounds simple, but I recognize that in times past when it’s rolling I’m not thinking that hard about every shoot… some of them have juice, others you just limp through, and you move on.  Right now I’m in do or die mode every time I’m shooting, whether its for one of my personal projects (the image of construction on 1 World Trade Center, a la the Freedom Tower, seen above was found while I was out scouting for a new project early this chilly morning) or on assignment for a new or repeat client.

Inspired by the total pain in the ass of shooting in NYC with a huge kit, I’ve also been pushing myself over the last few shoots to strip down and stay mobile with my lighting, cramming in more set-ups, ideas, and options into each shoot.  I’ve always been a 3-4 set-up (for a regular portrait job) sort of guy, but on a recent and super fun ESPN shoot (details coming soon) we did something like 20+ setups (fighting the cold, snow, and rain the whole time).  And of course when there are more ideas and options, editors and ADs get psyched, especially when it comes from an unexpected assignment.

JLPNY is closing shop over the next few days as my parents are headed into town for some very good eating, and then the party continues upstate for a few days of R&R with the Dr. in Lake Placid.  Have a great Veteran’s Day everyone and please keep the military families of Fort Hood in your thoughts following yesterday’s horrible and disturbing shootings.

Posted in Freelancing, New Work, New York | 1 Comment »

T-minus

Friday, October 30th, 2009

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On Wednesday, after a hiccup the day before, NASA launched the world’s largest rocket (nearly 330-feet, seen above fully stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building; notice the banners on the left which show the relative height of Ares vs. the shuttle) 25 miles into the air in a successful test flight of the Ares rocket program, which is on track to replace the space shuttle orbiter as the next manned flight vehicle.  The transition symbolizes a larger transition for the administration as critics from coast to coast attack the cost of the nation’s space program.

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Now any child can point out that this week’s test flight cost in excess of $500 million (which by the way is a drop in the bucket during this year of insane numbers) and that the economy is bad globally.  I feel that we as a nation have to decide whether or not we care about innovation, technology, and exploration… and because I think that the answer is YES! (it almost has to be if we are to move forward), I think we have to suck up the fact that the space program should and will continue even if it will be slow, expensive, and difficult work.

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Stepping down from my space soap box (just the same as a regular one, but more rad), I obviously think that NASA and space are basically awesome.  It was very cool to be back (you can check out my previous post here) at Kennedy Space center about a month ago to again photograph the Ares rocket program and some of it’s amazingly passionate and smart crew.  I have this idea that because I definitely touched some of the rocket “stages” on the previous visit, my fingerprints just went somewhere badass.  Do they wipe down the whole thing before it launches? I hope not.

Pictured above is the very base of the Ares I-X at right, and the thing in the middle and the tubes at left are part of the RainBird system which helps dampen the overwhelming noise of a launch.  Below is another view of the rocket fully stacked at the VAB, and for a sense of scale that American flag in the background is 50-feet tall (and if you look close there is a technician walking in the bottom right of the frame).  You can also see a lot more from my work of the Ares program in my archive.

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Posted in New Work | No Comments »

New Work: Lost in the Waves

Monday, October 26th, 2009

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Somewhere in the middle of last week’s Photo Plus Expo hustle and satellite events, parties, and a birthday for yours truly (the big 3-0), I spied the November issue of Men’s Journal on the newsstand which contains a harrowing tale of a father and son lost at sea written by Justin Heckert.

Justin and I spent some time with Walt Marino whose autistic son Chris was pulled out into the ocean at the Ponce Inlet just south of Daytona Beach, FL, as night fell, leading father and son on a terrible overnight water treading marathon.  At some point Walt had to let go of Chris or risk being drowned himself, and in the blackness they became two voices calling back and forth to each other Disney movie quotes (one of the few things that really connects with Chris as an autistic child), until Walt could no longer hear Chris. The only thing present the entire night was the sweep of the Ponce de Leon Inlet lighthouse, the tallest in Florida.

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The next morning a Coast Guard crew found Walt and rescued him beyond exhausted and assuming that his son was dead.  Instead of going to the hospital Walt demanded to stay with them as they continued their search for his son.  A short time later Chris was found, saved by the Y.M.C.A. swimming lessons that had sunk in.

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Unfortunately very little of the work we shot of Walt and Chris found a home in the magazine, which is disappointing but understandable after a challenging shoot (many thanks to friend Matthew Ratajczak for lending a hand).  It was certainly a distinct pleasure though to meet father and son and yet again affirm the lengths that people go for love and life, and work with Justin whose story is a really powerful read (find it online here).  Here’s one last portrait of Walt back at the beach where they survived.

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Posted in New Work, Portraits | 3 Comments »

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