For the past few months Anna and myself have been in love with a song by Absofacto called, "Done With Love". When I saw the video I loved the song even more and I started to realize how simple the video actually was. The only real difficult part was figuring how to sync the mouth movement that was moving in slow motion while the normal tempo of the song is being sung.

This is the actual video - > Click me

Once I learned how to sync everything, I talked to Anna and King Quise about doing the video for me. I got to give them a lot of love and praise because this was out of their element. They needed to learn how to sing the song going twice it's original BPM tempo speed while conveying emotion. At the end of the video you see a few seconds of what they are actually hearing while recording.

The other challenge we faced...it was a cloudy day. The sun didn't come out til the end of the shoot. I was trying to keep everything a natural lighting because we were in a small vehicle. While compared to the actual music video they were in a more spacious vehicle. It was hard trying to keep enough light on King Quise being that he was in the backseat and the light wasn't strong there in some shots.

I would have liked to have had a person as a driver too. Freeing Anna up to be in the backseat with Quise, but no one was available and I hate rescheduling shoots. So, we went with the backup plan. Anna is a Uber driver, lol.

Towards the end of the shoot it started to get cold and in this last part I couldn't be in the car video recording them. They came back 4 or 5 times with not hitting the record button on the camera. Which was hilarious. I threw some outtake clips in at the end.

All in all, this was a lot of fun. I like to say that this experiment was a success. I hope you enjoy it as well. Please leave a comment if you like and thank you.

Check out that title right...?

Ok, here's what happened. I went on a impromptu shoot with Erin the other day. I wanted to check out this new spot to hopefully shoot in the warmer season. (Damn I need to live in Dubai or Cali or something!) Now the first location was kind of bummer...

In the background if you can see, there are these tunnels things where water ran through. Better image from google -> 

I wanted to go into the tunnels to shoot from there. The tunnel is very short. You can see both sides from the road in like 10 to 15 steps. The shadows and lighting interested me including the architecture. However the problem was that the was water too high at the time we were there...and it was cold...and we weren't going to try to walk through that water...so...yea...but that ain't the stupid...

We decided to go to the second location. We used google maps as our guide but once we got there we need to do a u-turn and go to the otherside. Erin was in her car and I was in mine. When she stopped, instead of me rolling the window down like a normal human being I got out of the car and my car (still running) locks itself...this is the stupid...

We literally sat there for 1 hour and half as I tried to break into my own car...Watched Youtube videos and everything and apparently my car is the greatest anti-break in vehicle in history...or I'm just stupid... By the way, we did call the police, but the police will only break into your car if there is a kid or pet locked in the vehicle. 

So...I had to call a locksmith...he unlocked my car in like 2 mins....no sweat off his balls...easiest $100 he ever made I'm sure. You know what made this the stupid that is pure "the stupid"...I had the hanger inside my car trying to pull the latch or the door handle to unlock my door and guess what I kept hitting over and over again...the window button...

THE FRIGGIN' WINDOW BUTTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...guess what the locksmith did...he pressed down on the window button...

...so...yea.

Now we are at the other location and holy hell is it 100% better than the first. The architect and shadow and lighting is everything. I can't wait to do more warmer shoots here. Check out some of the images -

She is so brave to be in that bodysuit for like 4 or 5 shots. I took lol. 49 degrees on this day but near water it felt like 33 degrees (per my app). 

So yea...that's my stupid moment of recent...what's yours? (Comment below!)

I got to work with California native Layla Larin last week. You might have read in my previous post that this shoot was stressful because of time constrains and things. I actually took a step back and let the photos marinate before I decided to start editing them. I'm glad I did because they turned much out better than I expected.

I've been wanting to shoot with Layla for over a year and a half. I love her work and look. I got lucky because she came to the East Coast for a project and had some time for us to shoot.

This is where things almost went seriously wrong ->

No one realized that the smoke grenade actually covered her hand. We didn't know until we switched over to the red smoke grenade. Luckily my make up artist had some wet wipes with her and we were able to get it off...However another problem presented itself ->

Look at the very top of the umbrella...the smoke grenade was so hot it melted through the umbrella, lol. The smoke grenades only last for about 20 to 30 seconds. We didn't have time to waste. I even had to yell out to Layla who was surprised by the smoke (she never done it before) to keep looking in my direction and model! That why some of the photos is of her smiling and not 100% modeling. 

Either way, I'm glad I did this shoot. I wonder deep down what it is like working with people in other parts of the country or world. Are the expectations the same? Are people more asshole like in certain areas but not in others? I'm hoping one day to get back to traveling a lot again. In the meantime thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed me sharing this with you all.

I was wrong, lol. Anna got just as tired as Deshae did. Which made some of her jumping height decrease. I did get some good shots from it though that I really enjoyed. The other thing that I realize I didn’t like and will avoid next time is not have a completely white background. It actually took away from the smoke itself.

So I shot the low light test last night. Right away, focusing whether manual or automatic was extremely difficult. I constantly had to find a way with my 50mm to get the proper focus...fuck it...switching over to the 85mm...yes the little use 85mm...the lens I only bring out when all else fails...and sweet jeezus...it worked. I got a lot of good bokeh and good separation between dark and light.

One of my favorite parts of the shoot is shooting near a neon sign light. It was so hard to find one near my home. The image looked different to me. I never shot something like this before and got this result from it. Definitely will explore this style further.

The other problem we ran into was in post production. I shot everything underexposed as best as possible. Yet the grain was there and it was annoying, I couldn't get rid of it without sacrificing the image sharpness and details.

I will have to experiment more to try and figure the best to focus consistently. It was hard looking through the focus to see if she was focused. It was just so dark. I will definitely will need someone there with me next time to hold certain light mods for me. It was hard to try and one hand everything.

...and that's what I've done.

I don't go on social media anymore except for photography purposes. People who need me, to schedule stuff with me know how to email or get in contact with me. 

...and I needed it...I'm stressed ya and overwhelmed.

I had shoots planned for all of last week and guess what?! They got cancelled because of the flippin' rain! Well...one didn't get cancelled. Remember my good friend Zephyr? She came to town with her boyfriend Wetiko. She asked me if I wanted to shoot and of course I said yes, but I told her that my head has not been in the best place creatively lately and I didn't have a clue what to do. Plus it was raining and I wouldn't have time to lockdown a place to shoot. 

So, we shot in there home...mobile...short bus home...yep and it's dope ass fuck. They have a whole Youtube channel dedicated to their adventures and they actually included me in there most recent vlog!

The whole point of what I am trying to say is that when things start getting overwhelming and you start to not believe in humanity anymore...try to remember the people who count the most in your life. For me, seeing someone like Zephyr who I haven't seen in a long while was an amazing feeling. Finally, meeting Wetiko who is an amazing artist that I admire was needed. Talking to my sister and telling stories about our lives that are funny to help me through a frustrating situation was needed. Talking to my cousin and my two closest friends about a project I was having a hard time creating was needed...seeing my little girl and hearing her tell me she loves me was needed...

While there I met this amazing young lady named Rachel Kaye Eblin. I remember being in a bit of awe of her because at the time she was this signed model and was a beast at the shoot I was helping Larry with.

I remember Larry encouraging me to shoot with her and I was like, "Nope, I'm here to watch and learn." Really was just a bit shook at the opportunity to work with her and I didn't have the confidence to think I would do a good enough job. 

After that Rachel and I kept in contact and she eventually moved to Chicago and I told her, "You know I want to photograph you. I just need to find time and a way." By this time Rachel was more focus on doing make up work versus doing modeling work. I didn't give a damn, I want to photograph her anyway. She wasn't going to be that one that got away. Well...the new year came and told her..."This is happening...". I found a way to get to the Chicago without anyone knowing.

I just need to find how to balance the new agency work better. So many heads to talk to, so many people you have to wait on. I'm not use to that, plus it seems everyone wants to work on the days I have set aside for family or paid work (saturdays). So, while dealing with that I am not trying to let my wife find a reason to kill me and take the life insurances and marry some Italian stud in Portugal! 

....sorry...my imagination got ahead of me.

Annnnnnyyyhhhooo, I decided to take an impromptu reprieve from the norm. Deshae had some issues going on in his life and needed to release too, so we grabbed Anna and headed off to DC to explore and shoot. 

As close as I live to DC I never really go here and walk around. We did some scouting and found a nice alley to shoot some floating and jumping shots. I was excited with the outcome of the images I edited as soon as I got home and the bts video. It felt...so exciting. The challenge and the fun of just being creative and not giving a fuck about anything for a few hours was well deserved, was well fully needed for all of us.

So if anything you take away from this post just remember when the shit is hitting the fan and is flying in your face with your mouth wide open, it's OK to duck the path of the shit flying at you. Walk into the other room wash that shit off and go outside for a walk and get some fresh air. So you can recharge and refocus.

...and with that here are some photos from the shoot.

BTS video....

As I sit here eating some pineapple and the impending closing of the 2017 is coming... I think about how much difference 2016 was to 2017. I will be honest and I didn't know it at first...my overall emotional health was terrible. I realize that most of it was from being on social media so much. New President, hate groups, green house effects, etc...all over my Facebook and Twitter feed. So, I left it...I left pretty all social media with exception to things in regards to my photography and video. Honestly...it felt so damn good. I feel better about life in general and that's a good thing.

In regards to shoot going into next year, I won't make promises of any sort. I know that there are things that I want to do. I know there are new people I am looking to work with. I hope to finally take my work to another level, but I am glad you are all here to support me.

This year I am doing something a little different with the release of my favorites images of 2017. I will have two versions I am giving away. One is a free 'Safe For Work' version and the 'Not Safe For Work' version is only $5.00. I plan on doing a giveaway for actual physical copies after today.

Again thank you and comments are welcomed. 

For those of you who don't know I really love Helmut Newton's work. 

 "Helmut Newton was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications." ~https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Newton

Mr. Newton revolutionized the fashion world with his work. It was in your face, hard hitting and yet ever so subtle. 

I try to (when applicable) throw in a bit of Helmut's style into my own style of work. I often try to make it point in my own personal projects to make you feel a bit uncomfortable, but you can't look away from what your seeing. I want you to talk about my work, whether it's positive or negative I want you to talk about it.

You know if they are talking about you, its means you are doing something right. I am encompassing your brain even for a moment, but you are talking about what work I've done and then just like any disease you spread it. 

See more information and images from Helmut Newton here - www.artsy.net/artist/helmut-newton

You know sometimes I feel like I am all over the place. Like I can't focus. You ever feel that way? I have so many ideas for shoots and stuff. Sometimes, I can't do them when I like because of family obligation, money, enough knowledge, or location. 

So what do you think of this Helmut Newton inspired shoot? Models in the photos are Satine Lynn and Anna Baby.

Ya stay up

Hyper Upper Cut

I have been way way way busy! Doing photoshoots! Taking care of my 1 yr old daughter. Going back to school and looking for part time job. I love photography and I am not giving up, but I just want extra money to do things like going home to visit family through the year for our daughter and also for projects. Especially now I am entering the slower season of the year for work. It's cool I had a good summer of work. Got to do some bikini shoots this summer something I had set out to do. I think I have two more to go. 

I've been doing a lot of development with some key models like Anna Baby and Hollywood. Test shoots with a few other young ladies. Also I've been going hard on my Patreon page which has given me some loyal fans who are donating their hard earned money to help me to create the content I make and in turn I share with them some great content that they get to see before the world does. 

So, today I am just going to share with you some of my test shoots, enjoy ->

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Maybe I am a bit of a perfection or not. I don't know.

Thoughts?

Enter Anna Baby, her and Samantha Trionfo helped to break me out dull mind state. I have been wanting to do some creative make up shoots. Samantha is so talented and very funny and gave me two looks that worked very well with Anna. Anna is a relativity new to the modeling life and has a lot of potential. She has the hungrier to do it and she is stepping up to every challenge. Both of these ladies are actresses and both model. Samantha helped a lot with some direction for Anna which I really appreciate. 

There is more to come with Anna and Samantha, but until then enjoy the pictures and behind the scenes video. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!!!

*Crush*

So I told her Anna what was up. She was still down to shoot and I was too, even though I was not happy about not being able to start my new project. All in all it was a nice shoot and I love seeing Anna and helping her develop her portfolio.

Quick note the above video is only about 3 mins and something in time. I edited about 14 images altogether and it only took 2 hours to edit everything. I edited all the photos while streaming on twitch.

Location: Washington D.C.