Sometimes, well many times, photo shoots come up very quickly in the reality of how things go for a professional photographer. Such was the case with Brian emailing me at 10:45am about a headshot, and by 12:45pm he was in the JCP Home Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a headshot session. Good thing I have replaced all my hard to setup soft boxes with great, new quick setup Cheetahstand ones!
I have already shown you what it is like to fly right under the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, California. And what the view looks like from beside it. This, now, is a view from only what a drone can see hovering out over the Pacific Ocean. I find it a lonelier view without the Sea as the background to the bridge. Is this what the Sea feels when it looks toward land? Is the Sea, sad?
I have been investing a lot recently in my lighting setup that I use for headshots and commercial portraits that I make in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the BTS photo above you can see three great new light modifiers all by Cheetahstand that I got just in the past week. I have long wanted strip boxes, but could not find the right ones that combined portability with quality and value. The same for the big octosoftbox used as the main light above. I can tell you that these Cheetahstand modifiers are as good or better than Westcott, as I returned my Westcott 36" Rapid Box XL because of the Cheetahstand 36" RiceBowl. I paid for all these modifiers, Cheetahstand is not a sponsor, but when I get outstanding customer service like I did from Edward of Cheetahstand, I like to be vocal about it and help them as they helped me with shipping speed and rates. Check out their website.
I first met Darrell when he came to my Home Studio for a headshot session in December of last year. I was very happy to hear he wanted me to be his family's portrait photographer this time. I was extra excited because after shooting dozens of families in Florida for sunset beach photos, this would be my first family desert sunset portrait session!
Having just photographed Albuquerque, New Mexico Mayor Tim Keller twelve days ago at the grand opening for General Atomics, this morning I got to make actual portraits of him as he gets ready to play in a Duke City Gladiators exhibition football game. Jessica went with me to assist for the shoot right in the mayor's office! What I did not know was the amount of other people that would be there and the limited time to setup we would have. These are the challenges of the professional photographer!
I first started photographing the ceramic artwork of New Mexico artist Noah Starer in October of last year. He creates a variety of ceramics from the figures in these photos, to pods, to bowls to flute type vases. See all of his work and purchase these figures or others from his website.
It is not everyday that one gets hired to photograph an event in AlbuquerqueNew Mexico that is attended by the mayor, a Senator and a Congresswoman, but that is what I go to do as the photographer for the grand opening of General Atomics! That is of course Mayor Keller in the above photo who I will have another chance to photograph soon for a Gladiators arena football team promotion.
