Thursday, October 29, 2015

Desert Fox

Mt. Lemmon is definitely one of my favorite places to shoot. It's no coincidence that I keep coming back for the different backdrops provided by the mountain. I felt like this whole shoot with Kali Faith deserved a dedicated blog post. The images are really quite expressive and full of emotion. This combination of beautiful landscapes, hard lighting, and expressive art is something I feel is quite powerful. During this past week for TFW I had many conversations with various artists. One of the topics often discussed was how to share your art. My side mostly hinged on fine art as physical art, and if you are going to share them online, do it properly. Share those images in a way that does justice to the art. Which brings me right here, because I always felt my blog was a special place I could share images. A place I could not only express in writing how I felt about the images, but how they were created on so forth. Ultimately, its my favorite place to display the best work that you can only see here. If you happen to read this, look at these images and let know how they made you feel. Until next time











Fin

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Canon 6D Review

This is a post I have been really excited about completing. I say this because I've just really taken off with my latest camera. A new camera won't make you a better photographer, but once you've reach the limits of your existing body, it's a nice jump in performance. Since acquiring my Canon 6D I feel like I've really been able to push myself creatively and technically, considering the high performance of full frame sensors. This thing has allowed me to shoot natural light portraits in places that would have been much more difficult to achieve. One aspect you notice right away when switching to full frame, is the optical performance of your good glass. The view finder is much brighter and images really have incredible detail, color, and contrast when paired with quality optics. The dynamic range has to be my favorite feature. It has literally allowed me to shoot on location without flash, and still pull plenty of detail from the shadows. This is really really important for the way I shoot natural light. That in itself is worth it considering the results. A lot has been written about this camera so I won't bore you with spec and charts. It really is a great camera and ill let the images do the talking. Until next time

All images taken with Canon 6D and 50mm F/1.8 , 70-200mm F/4L















Monday, September 7, 2015

Vintage Fashion

As August winds down and comes to a close, I can't help but look back at a busy summer. There have been trips, events, paid gigs, and lots of personal art created. Saying it's been a productive summer would be a spot on assesment. Back in Late April, I picked up my beloved Canon 6D camera (which my next post will be all about, including full review) and have been using it non stop. My first major shoot to test out my new camera? A highly planned Vintage Fashion shoot 100+ miles away in Bisbee, Arizona. Planning for this shoot began the previous year while visiting with my girlfriend Vanessa. It was at that time I desperately wanted to come back, armed with a full team of talented individuals. The location of choice was the Gym Club Suites, "rainbow's end" room. It's a two story suite located right in downtown Bisbee, equipped with a private deck lookout. I picked this room for the large size, location, and old charm it would bring to the shoot. I can't even begin to stress how difficult it can be to create the concept, coordinate, plan, and execute gathering 8 people together for a shoot. Including transportation, meals, wardrobe, MUAH, and keeping morale high. The concept consisted of two days of actual shooting with different looks for each day. First day was all about the roaring 20s-40s. Second day consisted of a hybrid 50-60s look. I say those decades loosely because even though we sourced, scoured, and purchased everything we could find from those eras, not everything was going to match perfectly. After arriving and setting up shop in the suite, it was time to start beautifying everyone with hair and make up. I can't even begin to express my gratitude for my girlfriend Vanessa. This amazing woman did ALL the hair and make up for every model involved in the shoot, including herself, so very impressive. While the glam was happening, I took that time to setup my lighting and go over the storyboards I created beforehand. Once the team was all ready, the sun had started to set, and we were in business. The beginning of the first look was mostly done on the private deck, with various group shots and individuals being taken. I really liked shooting here due to the large open space, accessible electrical outlets (for strobe flashes), and scenic panoramic view over downtown Bisbee. The second location proved to be a bit more difficult considering the run and gun nature we were going for. Downtown Bisbee at night is quite a dark dramatic place so multiple speedlite flashes mounted on a bracket with stand were needed. Considering our large group with full blown outfits and flashes going off, we created quite the buzz for bystanders. Multiple people complimented the group, including two police officers asking what were doing. After a long first day of preparing and shooting it was time to wind down. While relaxing the group got the idea to  go ghost hunting around town. The Copper Queen at night time is definitely an interesting place to visit. If you hang out by the spiral stair case on the east side of the hotel. They say you can smell the perfume of a prostitute who hung herself in the adjacent room, crazy right? The second day of shooting was a much hotter and quicker affair but still very productive regardless. The high temps beating down on everyone really made it difficult to withstand direct sunlight for too long. Hiding under shadow canopies and behind old buildings was the name of the game. The first look was shot right outside Bisbee, next to the huge open pit mine. This area is really cool because of all the colorful rocks surrounding everything. Further down the road is a very old crumbling building and vintage shell gas station. Luckily for us there was a classic car parked next to the non functional gas pumps. It turned out to be a great prop for one of my favorite photos from the trip. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better team to help me create this vision. It really was a huge learning experience that I will never forget. Its not often such plans come together the way they did, but I plan on making it happen more often, for the sake of art! A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in any capacity, I love you all so much. You all made this happen. Until next time

Model: Dakota Tudisco @d_a_kota
Model: Eanondra Romero @lavadalove
Model: Vanessa Ballesteros @sin_of_vanity
Model: Laura Lacanette
Model: Cassie Acedo @cassiwolf
Model: Matt Acedo @cassiwolf
Model: Nick Ybarra

MUAH/Styling: Vanessa Ballesteros @sin_of_vanity

Concept/Photography: Ricardo Chao @chaophoto



Welcome To Bisbee

The third story private deck overlooking downtown Bisbee created interesting perspectives
Eanondra, Dakota, Laura, Vanessa




















End of Day 1


The next five photos were taken next to the large open pit mine









Ruined Buildings make for the great shoot locations

Fin