Ghost of Gloria

About a month ago I had a shoot with a local south Florida band called Ghost of Gloria. We met at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. We had no clear cut idea of where we were going to shoot, but as I walked around, I ran into a friend of mine who I met playing basketball when I used to live in South Florida. He also happens to own the club Passion. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon and the club was closed to the public, he gave us access to shoot anywhere we wanted. It was a very fortuitous happening, and I was very grateful to say the least. 

Once we got inside the club and decided on a location to shoot, I started to set up my equipment, but we had an issue with a power source, so the setup ended up being my laptop, camera, and a folding reflector to bounce light from the window onto the band members. This created very hard light and dark images, but it seemed to work.

After we left the club, we went in the parking garage where we found a couple of red chairs sitting aside alone, so we decided to use them. I had one of the band members throw one in the air and then act natural like he didn't throw it, and a chair was just floating in the air. I guess I could of done this in post, but it was more fun actually doing it. Can you guess who threw the chair?

Here are a couple of solo shots that we shot in the club.

New York City Marathon 2008

Think Write Act with the Bill of Rights

Sitting quietly under a statue in Washington Square Park is where you may have seen Meggan Gomez over the past several months. She usually has a sign under her feet stating, "Ask me what I am doing" and her web address www.thinkwriteact.com I had an opportunity to sit with her last Monday to observe her project in action.
The idea is to get people thinking and involved, specifically with the original ten amendments. She prints out full page stickers with the Bill of Rights on each of them. She then sits at a location to hand them out, usually Washington Square Park. She waits for people to approach her and then she explains the project. Nine times out of ten, people are really enthusiastic to be apart of it and take at least one sticker if not more. Just for the day I came out with her, there were several people who wanted to donate their time or resources to the project. According to Meggan, her stickers have found their way from Boston to Los Angeles and many other places.
For more information you can go to  thinkwriteact.com

CMJ 2008 Music and Film Festival

Since 1980, CMJ has been a source for new emerging artist to showcase their talent in front of thousands of music fans throughout New York City. This year, like last year, I was able to cover several of the shows.  Here are a couple photo's from the week that was CMJ 2008.

During the week, I was able to check out several films at CMJ as well that I highly recommend checking out if possible.  

What About Me? 

Pressure Cooker

Sunshine Cleaning

 

It was a crazy four or five days of late subway rides home, but as always CMJ was worth it.

To view more  photos of CMJ and other shows you can go here 

Joining Howard Schatz and the Schatz Ornstein Studio as an Apprentice

About a month and a half ago, I sent an e-mail to Howard Schatz, a fine art and commercial photographer who has more then twenty years of experience in the industry. 

The reason for my e-mail was to inquire about  possible assisting opportunities. He replied letting me know he did not need any extra assistance at the present time. However, he was interested in one of my photographs, after he had viewed it from my website. He offered to trade prints, one of my prints for one of his prints. I thought this was a very flattering gesture, and possibly an unequal trade since his work sells for thousands of dollars in art galleries, and I have never attempted to sell a print as fine art.  

Since he asked me to come by the studio with my print, I realized this would be  a great opportunity to meet him and possibly open the door for a part time assisting position.

I went to the studio a couple of times. Each time I went, I was blown away by the professionalism of the staff and facility. I immediately knew I had to get my foot in the door. 

 So after meeting Howard briefly, I sent him another e-mail letting him know I was very interested in coming by the studio a couple times a week even if it is not paid just to gain more experience.

After I sent over my resume and numerous references, Howard and I sat down to discuss a possible apprenticeship. After our discussion, we determined I would be coming by the studio four times a week for the next year. 

I started the apprenticeship last week. 

To view Howard Schatz's work you can go to www.howardschatz.com