Month: September 2009

Posted on

Jason Janik vs. Drew Barrymore…

Maybe that title is a little off. Drew was awesome and very easy to work with. It SHOULD read “Jason Janik vs. Drew Barrymore’s fans” to be more accurate, because there were a lot of them to deal with. This shoot was a little bit wild, thanks to a bunch of rain, a late plane and hundreds of screaming fans.
You see, I was hired by Drew’s movie studio’s PR company to take photos of her during her publicity appearance. I was basically supposed to get shots of her interacting with the fans and with the media. Then, she had to rush over to her movie screening.
Well, fans started lining up 6, 7, even 8 hours early just to see her. It had been raining all day, too. As a matter of fact, the rain wound up delaying her flight, which pushed everything back. Then media kept her busy longer than they were supposed to. Finally, the eager fans got their chance.
Drew was so nice to each of the fans. I’m a decently nice guy. My wife is even more nice. However, I’ve never seen anyone as nice, sweet and sincere as Drew was with her fans. I’ve done tons of these PR events before, and many celebrities don’t care. They are doing it because they HAVE to. Drew was taking a real interest in what her fans were saying as they chatted with her. She was awesome!
Because of all the delays, Drew didn’t get to see everyone who was waiting for hours, but she tried her best. After security closed the event, Drew was nice enough to take a moment with me, as seen above. And, yes. I now have proof that she is as cool in real life as she appears to be on the silver screen…
Posted on

More Profoto AcuteB 600r talk?!?

I use my Profoto lights ALL the time, so I’m bound to have something worth saying on the matter. And since so many of you have discovered my blog by searching for more information on the strobes, I thought I’d provide a little more.

I can’t see who you actually are, but I do have access to a few details that brought you here (like what search words were used to find me). I noticed that one search was asking about troubleshooting the 600r with a Pocket Wizard transmitter. I know why that search was made. I had the same issue at first.
One of my packs would not fire every time. It was an expensive new pack and an expensive new PW MultiMax. I thought the MultiMax might’ve been defective, because my older, cheaper Pocket Wizard transmitter worked fine. Well, it was the MultiMax and it wasn’t.
I switched the MultiMax transmit channel and it hasn’t missed a single fire since. I guess a few of the channels aren’t very friendly with the Profoto gear. Oh well, no big deal now that I have it figured out!
Oh, and this should be obvious, since it states it right in the manual, but… Always fire your PW within thirty seconds of turning on you 600r pack. It will search for a PW signal within those first thirty seconds.
Posted on

Inside the Pelican case: Profoto heaven…

OK, so I’ve received a LOT of hits from my Profoto AcuteB 600R review found here:

It was a pretty good review, though it rambled quite a bit. This time, I figured I would show you some pics. For anyone who wants to pick up a pair of these portable powerhouses (I love alliterations), this will clue you in on the best way to make this system 100% portable.
This first picture is of the case: A Pelican brand 1560 wheeled case, with the dividers (not the foam). This case is great for maximum maneuverability and protection. Plus, it can double as a step stool, so that is one less thing to carry with me. I’ve stood on this case a bunch, and it holds up well.
This next shot is inside the case. You can see everything I need for a basic shoot:
A.) a Pocket Wizard Multi-Max transceiver – remember that the 600R has PW receivers built in.
B.) two Manfrotto stands. I think they are 3373’s off the top of my head. They are small enough to fit inside the case, but go tall enough for most shoots.
C.) Profoto AcuteB 600R power pack.
D.) Profoto AcuteB head.
E.) Pelican 1560 rolling case.
One more look at the case full of gear. As you can see, any softboxes, adaptors or other accessories have to be carried separately. No big deal, though. I can often roll this kit, carry a backpack with cameras and hold a bag of softboxes/misc items all at once. I can roll into a shoot without assistance, and be set up in five minutes…
Posted on

Slobberbone!!!

Denton, TX band Slobberbone was playing at an event I had to shoot for a client this weekend. However, their performance was not part of my shoot – I just decided to take some pics of them on the side, after I was done with my paying gig. I’m glad I did, because I came home with this nice little shot:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the band, they were popular among the indie and alt-country crowd during the 1990’s and were quite good. They are mentioned in one of Stephen King’s novels, who was a fan of the band. They broke up in the early 2000’s, but have regrouped for some shows here and there. I think they may even be working on a new record!
Posted on

Like father, like son…

I let my three year old boy (about to be four in a couple months) use my Canon 5DmkII (secured on a tripod, of course). He said he wanted to take pictures of me. I was very excited, so I jumped at the idea. Here is what he captured:

I reciprocated the offer by photographing him. He’s used to being in front of the camera, so he was very playful. I think he was pretending to be in a rocket ship here:

Posted on

Gordon Keith…

Regular readers of Quick probably know that I’ve photographed local radio and television personality Gordon Keith quite a bit. As a matter of fact, I’ve probably shot him more for Quick than anyone else. I can’t recall an exact number, but I can count at least seven or eight different shoots I’ve done with him over the years.
He’s a fun guy, and he’s a very nice guy. Well, here is the latest cover of Quick, once again honoring Gordo’s clever and creative public persona (did you like that playful pair of alliterations?). Hope you enjoy my newest pics of him…

Posted on

Stock Photography or not?!?

I’m not totally against stock photography. A lot of assignment and commissioned photographers are, though. I understand why. We are trying to create a five star dining experience, and along comes stock photography with its fast food prices (and in most cases, fast food quality).

But, stock DOES have its place in the photo world, just as McDonalds has its place in the food service industry. And, there are many parallels between fast, cheap photos and fast, cheap food. You buy them both out of convenience… out of necessity… as filler.
When to buy stock images:
1. When you just don’t have enough time to hire a photographer to do a shoot. You can usually find an acceptable stock image after an hour or two of searching. To hire a photographer and get an image knocked out would be really hard to do in the same amount of time. Most shoots are set up a couple days to a couple months in advance (depending on how involved/complex they are).
2. When you simply don’t have the budget to hire a photographer. To commission a photographer, you’ll spend a few hundred dollars to a few thousands dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the image and your licensing needs. To license a stock image, it could be as cheap as a dollar. Many images are under a couple hundred. Sure, stock images can sometimes cost thousands or more, depending on licensing needs, but the average person rarely spends that kind of cash.
3. When the project is low priority, a mock-up or a throw-away piece. Sure, every project should be a work of art, but reality doesn’t allow that. Stock images come in handy for designing mock-ups for clients or roughing in a design before the “real” image is shot. Or, for projects that are hidden at the very back of a website… Some projects just aren’t important enough for the extra cost and effort.
With that said, every priority should be taken to get original, unique images for your projects. Stock usually looks “stock” and feels bland and average. A custom pic can be shot to your specific needs, and made to fit your message perfectly. If the project is important enough, it deserves a unique image.
Posted on

Recent Quick covers…

I know a lot of you know me from my work with Quick, so I thought I’d share my cover shots from the last two issues. Keep an eye on the next couple issues, as well. They should be exciting (I know the cover shoots were)…