Nicole called me to see if I had same day availability to make actorheadshots for her as she was going to audition for a role in a Netflix series and needed high quality headshots asap here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I already had another headshot session scheduled and a drone flight too, but I we were able to schedule a late evening photoshoot. The results, to speak frankly, could be my best photography work to date as far as a single person in studio photo shoot.
You may recognize Barbara and Dr. Norm in these photos as they are some of my best, repeat photography clients here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have done some cool headshot style photos and then a Christmas Day family portrait shoot too. This time we met at the ABQ BioPark Botanical Gardens to make commercial portraits for their newly branded nutrition business, Purple Mulch. We started out in the giant garden section making good use of the landscape of props. We then shot on train tracks, a hacienda, a vineyard, and more! It is always great to photograph people you already know so that relationship is there and comes through in the photos. There is a sense of ease and with Barb and Dr. Norm also a lot of fun!
A recent rural land photography & drone video trip took me southeast to Roswell, New Mexico. The photos of the land due to its setting and lack of topographical features were not spectacular. However, the photos I made of downtown Roswell, also for the same client to help sell the land, are much more interesting. As you get further and further into the heart of Roswell, the more and more aliens and extraterrestrials start to adorn businesses. Such alien themes are not restricted to local, independent business. Take a look below and see a huge alien holding up a Dunkin Donuts sign!
On a frigid November morning I was out in the actual desert with Maria and Glenn of 4Directions Branding for a drone video shoot. This commercial portrait shoot in the Botanical Gardens at ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, New Mexico in April was thankfully, much warmer! Our goal was to make the indoor desert garden surrounded by cement and glass, look like a wide open desert. With a little creative composing and editing, we were able to get clean, green backgrounds for these commercial portraits.
I have shown you a dedicated outdoor art exhibit in Slab City, California called East Jesus. Before you get there, you must pass Salvation Mountain. At a casual glance, this may appear to be a tribute to Dr. Seuss with its vivid colors and unusual shapes. It is in fact a very religious symbol, that you can walk on and over! You can walk to the top of Salvation Mountain along a vivid path that offers a wide open view. To the side is a labyrinthian area that is an even more of a Dr. Seuss meets LSD scene.
Simplicity for diversity in commercial photography
With the right lighting and creative use of depth of field, one can turn an engineering building campus into a diverse photo shoot location for commercial portraits, like I did for these photos in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I left it up to each person if they preferred indoors or outdoors for their candid photos (after I made headshots of everyone earlier). Whether I shot indoors or outdoors, my lighting setup was the same. A very simple and flexible lighting setup of my new 42” Cheetahstand SoupBowl softbox powered by my Godox AD600 strobe light. Just using a different background and positioning the light differently allowed me to get a different looking commercial portrait for each person. Which one is your favorite style?
From a summer western trip, I present in these photos the less famous bendy rivercanyon wonder of the southwest, Goosenecks State Park in southern Utah. The size and scope of this natural feature is tremendous, yet it is not apparent at all until you walk to the very edge of it. There is a tiny cabin booth to collect your entry fee, then that’s it. You walk yourself to the edge and behold the expanse of Goosenecks on your own. What must have it been like 200 years ago to be riding your horse and all of a sudden this is in front of you?
