I met the IWE team early in the morning of one of the last days of the 50th Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta to make team photos with the balloons as the background. As anyone who was in town the week of the 50th Balloon Fiesta knows, the weather was pretty terrible. So taking that into consideration, the fact that there was a mass ascension without rain was a win, even though skies were overcast. Despite that, I was still able to make the group photos IWE wanted and the balloons were not as far in the background as I expected either. With 25+ people in a group shot, it takes a bit of setting up in terms of lighting and then orientating everyone in the photo. Using a 3 light setup, which you can see in the BTS shot below, I was able to add some fill light and make the IWE team standout from the overcast skies. Thank you to Aime and everyone at IWE for getting up early, getting organized in front of the camera, and for choosing me as your photographer! Thanks also to Jessica for getting up early and assisting on this shoot making sure the 42” SoupBowl stayed in place.
Getting creative with shooting and setting up for head-to-toe headshots in New Mexico
This past summer PayneWest had its annual awards event here in New Mexico where I made event photos, but before that, 27 team members visited the mobile studio setup for a head-to-toe headshot that featured their personality. Even after 13 years, new things can come up with a shoot, and this time it was using a seamless paper background on location for head-to-toe headshots, which I have done many, many times, but this time the space provided had carpeting! Paper on carpet is no good, with high heels instantly going through the paper. I had to think quick, and asked the staff at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa if they had any portable dance floor squares, thinking back to my wedding photographer days. They did! So then the head-to-toe headshots could proceed where I shot tethered (see below) so that each person could see instant results and change up their pose how they liked. Thank you to the team at PayneWest for choosing me as your photographer!
Hey Yooooo! Candid event photography at a traveling event focused on basketball and healthy lungs
More and more events are returning to Albuquerque and Santa Fe and I am glad to be back photographing events like this 2-day one called Healthy Hoops. The team with Healthy Hoops travel the country promoting basketball skills and an anti-smoking campaign. The coaches get the kids hyped up with yells of, “hey yooooooo!” Then the kids learn basketball skills before a hip-hop based presentation on the dangers of smoking featuring some very acrobatic dancers. It was great to be a part of their stops in ABQ and Santa Fe and I will keep saying “hey, yoooooo!” myself!
Branding Headshots and Interior Photography for Lawyers in ABQ
It was a fun shoot at Peak Legal Group here in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Sheryl and Harold and their dog who made an appearance in several photos. It’s all part of making good branding photos, including your dog, your own personality, and yourself! It was a wide ranging shoot at their firm making interior photos, as well as better than stock photography of the two lawyers with a “client,” and then also studio quality headshots. You can see in the BTS shot that I can make studio quality headshots even in the tiniest of spaces! Thank you Harold and Sheryl for choosing me as your photographer.
The Special Shapes of the 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
There were a lot of new special shapes at the 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta! From animals, to a UFO, to some others not so easily identifiable, I share below my collection of photos of the special shapes as well as the masses of balloons in the air. This year I chose to bring just one lens, my Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM. At first this might sound like a very limited lens to shoot a very unlimited event. Sometimes I prefer this, especially when just shooting by myself, to let the lens dictate how I can frame things. I shot exclusively at f/1.2 as well. What do I look for when framing a hot air balloon shot? I really like to have no balloons over lap, and I do not like balloons half out of the edge of the frame. From there I like to have a focal balloon if there are more than one.
A new studio in ABQ with a friendly owner and cool equipment!
Through the photographer’s grapevine, I heard of a new studio opening up in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque. The owner, Campbell, invited me to come check out YDS Studio for a personal tour. Campbell was so friendly and the studio space was so great, I used my own money to book it for two hours for me and another photographer friend, Tiffani, to go try out and basically just have fun in with all the different photography options only a bigger studio like YDS can provide. We started out with some headshot style photos of Tiffani showing her my usual setup. From there we got out the gels and chairs, as seen here, both orange for some personal branding photography. We finished with actually jumping around the studio! It was a great time getting to use the YDS Studio space and to be able to get creative with a friend in the studio, without the pressure of working with a client. I have already since used YDS Studio for a client and am now offering it as an option in addition to the JCP Home Studio. Thank you Campbell for having such a great space for photographers to use, and to Tiffani for being so great in front of the camera, and showing her photographer skills by actually getting a halfway decent photo or two of me!
Airbnb Photography for amazing listing in Albuquerque New Mexico
Danny is a new Airbnb owner in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a unique property he wanted comprehensive professional photos of to show off its many details and features. The rooms were all extremely well decorated, and there is a large nearly cafeteria like dining hall for guests as a community eating space. The exterior grounds are extensive for taking a stroll or letting the kids play, as the drone photos show, and in the future he hopes to host weddings there and accommodate every guest in one location. I think that is a great idea! Thank you Danny for choosing me as your Airbnb listing photographer.
