carlos amoedo photography

WE HAVE MOVED!!

2011-10-29T09:43:00.001-04:00

This blog has officially moved. Time for a fresh start.

Please visit the new blog at: www.carlosamoedo.com/blog

For commercial work visit us at: www.focustudios.com/blog

Landspeed Record

2011-07-26T09:49:00.004-04:00

In previous posts I've talked about good friend and client Mike Lee who's responsible for Techmounts. Recently while at his house shooting for his newest catalog we set up some shots with his daughter Jessica Lee. She recently set the landspeed record on this Aprilia RS in the 50cc modified category and set the 100cc production record. As if that wasn't cool enough, in the fall, this bike will be on display at Barber Motorsports along side this portrait of Jessica.

catching up..

2011-06-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

Another round with the infamous Mr. Lee Coombs..

Casting & Update

2011-06-16T17:31:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I've posted anything on the old blog. Truth be told I've been pretty swamped with fun creative shoots and I've been slowly adjusting to summer. Recently I've have a few shoots pop up and am in need of some talent. If you or anyone you know is interested in modeling for some print work, please email at info@focustudios.com

Stay tuned for some sneak peeks of the shoots I've been working on.

The new FocuStudios site is live!

2011-04-21T13:44:00.004-04:00

I am proud to announce the new face of Focustudios. With all the work being produced on a monthly basis, I felt it was time to update the look of the old site and showcase new commercial work. The past few months have been partially spent collaborating with good friend and very talented designer, Joe Tucker. Focustudios represents all the work I enjoy doing in our local and diverse market. We are excited to have you check things out and appreciate your patience, time, and support.

Link - http://www.focustudios.com/

Jumpman

2011-04-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting around to editing my shoot with Mark Russell and T. We shot these back in December and I never got the chance to edit thru them. Mark is a piano-playing, guitar-strumming singer-songwriter. To learn more about Mark visit his site Mark Russell

Get your Snap! On

2011-03-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

For any of you photography buffs who haven't heard of Snap!, I strongly urge you to check it out. Last years event was held over several days in several galleries throughout downtown Orlando. The main event was held at Church St. station in some pretty cool desolate warehouse-type spaces. There was a vast collection of international, national and local photographers. In addition to the galleries, Snap! hosted several photography workshops. I was lucky enough to lead one with fellow photographer Eric Sutton at Say it Loud.

This year I was asked to collaborate with Tammara Kohler on a creative teaser to help promote the show. To change things up we came up with a stopmotion theme and used dancer Julio Marcelino for his smooth dancing moves.

For more info on the show go here - Snap!

Here's what we came up with:

Snap! Stop Motion from carlos amoedo on Vimeo.

NudeNite 2011

2011-02-09T14:58:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe a year has passed since last years shoot. This will be my fourth consecutive year collaborating with the creative crew at Nudenite. If your curious about the show you should check it out. Show starts Thursday 10th and is up until Saturday the 12th. For more info go here - Nudenite

Faro & Paul Jr. Designs

2011-01-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

A few months back I was in Lake Mary, Fl shooting corporate head shots of the CEOs at Faro. At the end of my shoot, the director of marketing walks up and politely asks if I was at all interested in photographing the unveiling of the 30th anniversary Faro bike designed by Paul Jr. Designs. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Naturally I said yes and welcomed being part of such a special occasion.

For those of you that have never heard of Faro, they develop computer-aided coordinate measurement devices and software. Faro equipment is used by companies around the world such as Airbus, Audi, Boeing, BMW, General Electric, Honda, Lockheed Martin, Jay Leno, Nasa, and Volkswagen, along with a laundry list of other high-end clientele. The crew at Faro are very down to earth and a true pleasure to work with. Not only was I asked to be part of their 30th anniversary custom chopper build, but they genuinely made me feel part of the team.

On shoot day tensions were high as they always are around film/video sets. After the filming wrapped, my 2 assistants and I were able to quickly set up a make-shift studio for some portraits of Paul Jr, Rachel, Mikey, Vinny, Joe and some of the Faro crew. I was pleased to find Paul Jr. super down to earth like you'd imagine he would be. Mikey was also as you'd imagine as was Vinny. Soon after this shoot I started watching Discovery channel and have recently caught up with all the drama that has happened since I watched the show last.

Drama aside, the guys have built a really nice looking bike. With as much as I like the pictures they honestly do the bike no justice. Up close you'd think the carbon fiber paint was real. They fitted a really cool Garmin at the control center which really sets the tech side of the bike off. Overall a really, really cool deal.

For more info on Faro go here - Faro

Here are some pics of the shoot and the film crew..

Techmounts

2011-01-22T11:51:00.009-05:00

Any of you who know me know my deep passion for motorcycles. As a kid I was lucky enough to grow up on fun stuff like go-karts, dirt bikes and the dangerous ATC's (all terrain cycle), a.k.a three wheelers. As my 20's rolled around, I found myself living in cities like Miami and NYC where I had no business on a bike. Shortly after moving back to Orlando from NYC in 2001, I rekindled my love of the motorcycle with a 1978 BMW R80/7. I rode that bike until I literally wore it out. Shortly after, I bought a series of motorcycles and find myself obsessing about the open road.

A few years back I met Mike Lee, founder of Techmounts, at a model shoot where I was taking pictures of his daughter Jessie. Quickly I found myself talking shop with Mike and realized that not only is he a fellow enthusiast but a pioneer in the parts industry. Mike and the crew at Techmount fabricate really cool accessory mounts for pretty much any motorcycle manufacturer. The mounts hold nifty things like radar detectors, cell phones, gps devices or mp3 players.

Earlier this week I photographed some new product for the 2011 parts catalog. I set up a makeshift studio at the BMW/Triumph/Ducati dealership. Below are some product shots and a few snaps of the set up.

For more info on Techmounts click here - Techmounts

Guitar World with Mark Tremonti

2010-12-04T19:49:00.003-05:00

A few months back I got a call from the photo editor at Guitar World to photograph Mark Tremonti, lead guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge, for the Tune Ups section of the magazine. I went into this assignment pretty much blind as I knew little about Mark or his background. Upon arriving at Mark's house I was greeted by a very cool down to earth guy who I could sense had a serious passion for music. My assistant and I were given a grand tour of the home and I quickly realized locations would be plentiful. We ended up shooting in Mark's studio, living room and rooftop. I got lucky and went past the agreed 2 hour time frame I was given by Mark's publicist. Overall meeting Mark was way cool but knowing he is a fellow MOPAR guy made him even cooler!

Here's the article that's running in this months Guitar World magazine and a few extras from the shoot:

Playground @ Bok Towers

2010-11-11T20:51:00.000-05:00

With the holidays around the corner and photo season in full swing I had yet another awesome experience working with the girls from Playground Magazine. When we were planning this editorial I had a gut feeling that I was biting off more than I could chew. But thanks to the excellent planning from the crew everything came together quite nicely and I was able to focus on snapping fun pictures.

If your reading this and haven't visited Bok Towers I suggest you take the hour drive and check it out. Bring a blanket or plan on a picnic. You won't regret it!

Here is what we came up with:

Rollins College

2010-11-04T22:09:00.001-04:00

I had the honor of being asked to photograph this years Rollins College MLS brochure. This is my second year in a row having the opportunity and really enjoyed it. There were 4 different subjects and 1 group shot. The individual portraits were interesting to say the least. Hearing how the MLS program had impacted their lives and to see them using the skills in everyday life was very cool.

Special thanks to the ladies from Rollins and Rita for the experience!

Here are the results..

Fultons

2010-10-29T09:41:00.002-04:00

If you've ever been out to Downtown Disney or Pleasure Island its hard to miss Fultons on the lake. At first it seems as if Disney has a riverboat ride but after taking a closer look you'll find a super 3-story seafood restaurant.

Fultons recently underwent some major renovations. My assignment was to photograph each room with people interacting and lots of movement. Once again I enjoyed working with the crew at Levy. They are a really cool laid back group and give me creative freedom to create.

Here's a taste of what I shot.

Reality Check

2010-10-21T10:47:00.004-04:00

For this cover story I was asked to photograph independent candidate for governor Michael Arth at his office in Deland Fl. After our shoot I had the pleasure of having lunch with him at Stetson University. We had brief conversation about politics and what really goes on. I found Michael super honest, down to earth and very intelligent. The issues he feels passionate about are issues we all need to be thinking more about. In this crazed culture we find ourselves in we need more leadership from people who care about the real issues vs. politicians who run for the sake of money.

To read more on the article go to - Orlando Weekly

Here are the images we came up with..

More Swinger

2010-09-17T20:52:00.001-04:00

Things have really come along this week. With Brads help we managed to get the engine compartment, trunk area and door jams painted. This meant one final epoxy primer coat followed by base coat and in the engine comp - clear coat.

This morning we got the deck lid and doors aligned and bolted on the car for the final time!! Hoping to have the front fenders, beak and hood installed early next week for final sand and paint.

Here's this weeks progress..

In the paint booth

Trunk ready for paint

Door jams ready

Final coat of Epoxy primer

Ready for paint

At last!!

Bolts after sandblasting, prime and paint

Cutting no corners here!

To keep the doors from swinging open

Coming along!

Swinger Update

2010-09-13T21:42:00.003-04:00

Things have really come along since my last Swinger update in April. Brad and the guys at the shop have been working hard at truing up the panels on the car. Cutting out rust, welding in steel using lead to fill in cracks and LOTS of sanding and priming. The results are truly amazing.

Picking out a color was a bit nerve racking but feel extremely happy and confident in the 1970 Mopar B-5 paint Brad suggested.

Next step is prepping the insides of the panels and painting them. Once all the panels are painted the car will get assembled for the final stage followed by one last sand, prep and then paint!

Here are some pics of the progress:

The Measure of a Man

2010-09-10T23:08:00.001-04:00

I met Benoit a few years back for an Orlando Weekly music column story. This time around he made the cover! The story is a bit of a difficult one having to do with his immigration issues. For more on the story read here - Orlando Weekly

In case your wondering.. "Glazer has conducted, directed and performed as the sole trumpeter for Cirque de Soleil’s La Nouba. He has also co-produced feature-film soundtracks that earned him Gemeaux and Felix awards (considered Quebec’s Emmys and Grammys, respectively), lectured to the world’s top trumpet players and he owns a U.S. patent on a new trumpet design. At 21 years of age, he was hired into a tenure-track conductor position in the world-class Jazz Orchestra Program at McGill University, a feat that the dean of the university says “hasn’t happened since and likely won’t happen again.” He’s considered a legend within the Drum Corps International movement, and he’s also an adept bassist (electric and upright), drummer, keyboardist, woodwind player and sound engineer. He’s the founder of an acclaimed nonprofit in Orlando, the Timucua Arts Foundation, which this publication called the city’s “best saving grace” in its 2009 Best of Orlando issue." - Orlando Weekly

Fashionably late

2010-08-25T21:39:00.004-04:00

I originally planned this shoot for 8 am thinking we would beat the heat. Unlike the cover shoot, this day felt about 120˚ outside. Since we were shooting at the Lynx bus station, the mix of diesel fumes with the heat had me wore out! I originally had planned a multiple light set up but in the end was happy with my 1 beauty light set up..

Here's the end result..

Playground Fashion Issue

2010-08-09T00:55:00.008-04:00

With fall around the corner, I had the opportunity in working with the girls from Playground on their fall fashion issue. Despite our record setting heat wave I managed to schedule our shoot in the late evening and lucky for us we had a breeze. For a location, I chose the side of Bloomingdale's @ Mall Millenia due to the industrial feel and muted color. My subject was Orlando Magic Jason Williams's beautiful wife Denika and two cool kids Jaxon and Mia. When I saw Denika walk out in those leather Chanel pants I was really thankful it wasn't 110˚ out!

Huge thanks to Tammara for a killer job on styling, Sunha for an amazing job on make-up, hair by Jessica Olsen and my two hard working assistants.

Here's the cover and a few behind the scenes..

Noble

2010-07-29T14:05:00.005-04:00

Occasionally I get the random call for product photography. This time around the call was from Noble Marketing Group. They were looking to photograph some binders they designed in house. Luckily the art director was super laid back and the process was painless.

Here are some of the designs and set up..

Portrait with Tom Drage

2010-07-13T10:13:00.003-04:00

Another last minute portrait assignment, this time with Orange County Attorney Tom Drage. I literally had 5 minutes between his meetings to set this up.

How Dare You

2010-07-11T09:39:00.000-04:00

My favorite kind of assignments are the ones where your not quite sure how they will pan out until an hour before the shoot. The type shoots that you almost have no control over and in the end require a minimal amount of gear and the approach is gorilla style.

This assignment was for the Orlando Weekly's music column. I shot the band at Park Ave CD's as one of the band members worked there. The second image was shot outside in their parking lot.

Thanks guys for making it happen.

.

David & Stacey

2010-07-04T23:23:00.007-04:00

I met David a few years back while working on location with Mike Fuller Group. We were often times stuck together for weeks at a time in remote towns shooting boat catalogs. Dave and I bonded working long 15 hour days and also through music and our creative outlooks on life. When I recently got the call to shoot David & Stacey's wedding I couldn't have been more honored. Meeting both families was a true pleasure and I wish this young couple all the best!

Here are some images

The Empyres

2010-06-22T23:41:00.006-04:00