My Thoughts:
~ Following your dreams does not require following anyone on twitter!
~ A contest is not an election. You should not try to "campaign" to win one. A contest should be won on merit. Not begging for votes.
LOVE WHAT YOU DO. Well, this is pretty-much how I live my life and weight my priorities. It's not about the money... but the money is always nice.
KEEP IT REAL. My desire is to use available light, the location and the model's natural beauty without excessive post-production work. However, I do make proper use of Photoshop as I feel necessary. Please do not solicit me for retouching services. I do ALL my work, from "click to completion".
COLOR IS MY OBSESSION. Color is the best part of life. I see, play, love and live in color. I guess my love of color reflects my heart and soul. I think that the artist John Ruskin said it best... "The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most."
GET OUT AND SHOOT. I enjoy the surprise opportunities and inspirations that are encountered with an outdoor shoot. It is extra work to scout locations, but I feel it's worth the effort. What I appreciate most is the chaos and challenges outside the cocoon of a controlled studio environment.
LIGHTING. Since I shoot outdoors, there's rarely the luxury of relying on extra lighting, so I use available light as much as possible. Maui typically has strong tradewinds, morning to night, and light stands simply blow down or need assistants to hold them. Additionally, when shooting in public places, it's not conducive to having a lot of gear because it attracts too many onlookers. So I only shoot with what I can carry.
I CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE. My camera reminds me of this every day! I never think of myself as truly accomplished. If I am lucky, maybe it will happen one day. For now, I just do the best I can and push myself to do better.
WORKING TOGETHER. I typically have a clear and defined vision of what I am trying to achieve in a shoot. However, I am always open for suggestions and ideas from the model or client too.
PRE-SHOOT MEETING. I absolutely INSIST on a collaborative meeting. And not via email or phone either. Meeting with a model, before the shoot, is incredibly important. It only takes 15 minutes and will make the day we shoot creative, planned and comfortable.
MODEL ESCORTS. I happily encourage you to bring "your escort of choice" to the pre-shoot, "collaborative meeting". But, my preference for the day we shoot is usually no escorts. Keep in mind the shoot will typically take place outdoors at public locations. Not inside studios, houses, etc..
EXCHANGING IMAGE COMMENTS. The english language has so many wonderful and expressive words. I always try to use words carefully to describe what I like about someone's portfolio or image. I carefully comment in a way that is not only truthful, but accurate to the image and its creators. So, if you leave me a comment, which I deeply appreciate, please try to do the same for me. But if you can only find the time to leave a grunt or an oink... well... I will always understand.
RANDOM FRIEND REQUESTS. Comment on an image, leave a TAG, or simply say hello with a message. Random friend requests are just senseless acts of drive-by narcissistic networking foolishness!
I Y'AM WHAT I Y'AM. Just like the character Popeye would say! Well, what you see in my portfolio is exactly what I shoot. No hidden agendas and no f'd up fantasies or fetishes. I truly hate head games and drama. I always keep it professional and courteous. Yes, I y'am opinionated and stubborn. But I am also kind, generous, honest and fair. I know what I want and I know what looks good.... so models that shoot with me... learn to trust me. I am quite clear with advice or suggestions and always give straight-forward direction.
TF. T.F.I. (Time for Images). Yes, depending on the "mutually beneficial aspect", I can consider a shoot in trade. But here is what to expect... The model gets 5-10 selected and finished images. Nope, not every darn frame on the camera card! If that is what you're after... then I am not your guy.
In my tiny opinion... not many quality photographers, that I know and respect, want every frame they "clicked-on" in circulation. So, it doesn't matter if you think you're the frriggin' Gandolf of "Photoshop Wizards" or Kate Moss' or Naomi Campbell's baby sister, this is just the way I work.
I will always try to add more images to the disc if it is a stellar shoot. But I guarantee 5-10 professionally-shot, skillfully-edited and highly-creative images, on a CD/DVD, that any model would be proud to have in their portfolio. Oh yah... and I expect photo credits on TF work too... as I always give photo credits to every model I work with.
If you made it this far...
Wow! Thanks for reading and visiting my portfolio!
Photographers Who Deserve Remembrance Read about them here.
AVAILABLE FOR...
Aerial Photography - Helicopter Shoots (doors-off) - Always game for those! I own a Miller certified safety-harness... So I come prepared for any helicopter situation/configuration. No added gear needed by the client or helicopter company.
Outdoor Model/Fashion
Food/Product
Interior or Exterior Real Estate/Architecture
Surfing/Sports
Scenic/Travel
More Images Located Here!
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