Behind the Scenes Blog

BLOG MOVED

2008-07-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

I've moved my blog here..cheers!

Before and after: Punk Class

2008-05-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

As promised...here are some before and after shots:

These are the original two photos (taken separately)

I combined them later in photoshop and did some burning & dodging

Here are some details of the face and eyes

Notice the change in the shadows & highlights as well as the people are gone in the final photo! ;)

Classy Punk

2008-05-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

This was my VERY first BIG PRODUCTION shoot! :) It was amazing! I got to work with the amazing and talented, Miki Moro, three amazing mua's (make up artists) Ms. Morina, Samari Rodriguez & Marilyn Wild and last but not least the FOUR beautifully talented models (in order by appearance on banner from LEFT to RIGHT, Ginelle. Jessica Rachael, Ivette R & AJ Knapp!

We originally were supposed to have 7 models...but the other three couldn't make it. And we were also supposed to have a hair stylist...but same issue. However, the mua's did a great job with hair and I also helped style Jessica's fauxhawk (it fell apart..kinda cuz of the humidity and not having hair glue didn't help either...) and AJ's hair.

I'm going to put some before and after shots here but I'll put a slideshow so it's easier to view on here...and I will post them on flickr as well.

The shoot was amazing. I really felt like a guest photographer. Jessica (aka Miki Moro) and I took turns with each "set" of models, the classy group and the punk group. I wanted to combine some shots with the two of them but since one of our punk models had to to go I didn't get a chance to execute that shot...and duh I forgot also.

I was also the art director for some of the shots by Jessica (obviously my own shots I directed) and a WARDROBE stylists :D. I was so excited! It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people and got a taste of what it will be like working in big production shoots in the future. :)

We shot this at Jimbo's in Virginia Key (Miami) Florida. A lot of interesting people there...fisherman really, enjoying their booze and fishing. We got to strike up some conversations with many of the people there...and Richard (Jessica's boyfriend) even scored as the use of this guys bike! :)

It got kinda uncomfortable at some points just because you'd occasionally hear some rude, sexual comments, like "why are you putting more clothes!? Take them off!", people walking in our wardrobe changing room, or make up set. >.<

There were many other photographers there (it's a popular spot...and apparently them filmed Flipper there!)..one photographer kinda just went right through our make up area and started photographing in a little shed that we were using as a changing room. I thought it was rude because she didn't even ask if it was ok for her to shoot there even though we clearly had been using that area. I felt so bad cuz the models had to start changing outside where all these...hmm..horny drunk guys were watching. It pissed me off but I didn't know what to say. I know it's a public place...but still common courtsey.

I even asked this guy back at the mud pit for permission to shoot by the pit, hahah.

You can view the images here on flickr with full commentary by moi.

Here's the mini slide show:

Days are getting better

2008-04-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

I captured these two kids yesterday...absolutely infatuated with one another lol...it would be cute if they end up together in the future...but their 4/5 now! lol

I laughed my ass of yesterday...work has been getting more and more fun. And today this little baby farted (I mean HUGE LONG ASS fart!) in this girls face lmao...hilarious!

I'll put up some funny photos later...that's it for now!

...still working on the three last shoots I did :faints:

Workity Work Work Work

2008-04-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

SO...today I finally went back to work. I got sick again...go figure. It's the fucking dogs...well they aren't here right now so :D I'm starting to get better...

I've been trying this new technique...it's a cheap way to fake an HDR image without all the work of actually taking an HDR image :D

Basically you see the original (what the camera shitted out, after post production within the camera-raw program(?) in Photoshop...and than after Photoshop which is me basically burning and dodging :D Hahahah...I'm so cheap. This handy tutorial came from Jake Garn. Who found that photographer Dave Hill also does this technique with ALL his photos...but he really exaggerates it.

I try not to push it too much so it still could look believable...cuz you know...in the wrong hands those two tools can be DEADLY!

Photos from Work

Here's some photos I took today at work that I consider to be more "creative" and "artsy fartsy"...each has their own little story/comment...if your lazy ass wishes to visit the link with the ACTUAL foto :D

Obviously I half-assed them...fixed them up a bit but no serious HOURS of editing...I could but...that's not the point ;)

I love how this came out!

classic artsy pose

trying a new angle...

Practical Joke

2008-04-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Janitor

This was from the last school I did on Friday before I got sick. I swear to god...it feels like I'm 80 and just keep getting sick all the fucking time. I might have to go to an allergy specialist...wonderful more fucking shots..and blood samples...and me fainting >.<

Anyway...this school was well..phew...pain in the ass. I combed a girls hair and touched it and styled it...to later find out she had fucking lice! No one said anything to me...'sides givin me the stink eye lol (yes...i quoted that from Juno..and I love it!)

Anyway...enjoy..I also forgot to put up three fotos of behind the scenes from the Hooker Green shoot...I'll put those up asap.

oh btw...the teachers threw this get up on her as a joke...I hope they buy it! It scared my husband lol

Hooker Green Shot

2008-04-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Click on above image to view whole shoot

I did this shoot with Joanie-Ann, a brand spankin' new model...about 3 weeks ago? But I really want to put up an entry about it cuz it was a hilarious shoot and experience.

Joanie had told me her idea of some hooker all glammed up but thrown in a mud pit. I expanded the story to make her seem as if she were doing her normal "duties" and than was murdered and thrown in a pit. But it came out looking more like she finishes her job and than becomes MUD GIRL...going back into her pit like Grendel or something...^^;

I really wanted to shoot this mud scene but I had no fucking clue where the hell to find a mud pit. So, I remembered Nicole telling me about a jacked up abandoned horse stable near my house on wiles road...but I didn't know if it was West or East...so we drove West. And man was I lucky...Joanie was driving and I spotted a beautiful mud pit as we drove by this deserted piece of classic everglades land.

I was so excited I was like "turn around"...we fucking found it!" Than when we drove back...I saw this red jeep (full of mud on the tires and body)...I didn't remember seein it before but I didn't think anything of it.

So we got out of the car and started shooting near the pit first..since I wanted pix of her "clean" and than in the pit later. Than this monster mud truck comes thrashing out of the pit trail. That was cool...but scary.

The kids...not to be...um mean we're rednecks and apparently this was their mud ridding pit.

You can just imagine..the whole time we shot we had to keep dogding the trucks. Ever couple seconds she'd go in the pit than we'd hear a truck coming and she's have to scurry out.

Here's that play in action!

This is wonderful Jeep driving through our shoot location, lol

Joanie cracking up while the guy gave us his warning speech...lol

And then of course we had the infamous 300 questions...

(drive by...stop jeep...stare backwards...laugh...drive back towards us)

"What are you guys doing?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"What is this for?"

"What's the point"

And my faves:

"Is this a good shoot or a bad shoot?" <--WTF?!

"Why is she getting her expensive dress dirty?"

And the awards for stupidest remark goes to this one dude who while trying to cross the pit and wailing for his buddies to come pick him up and claiming he wasn't a pussy clearing warned us that...

"Man, that's dangerous! If I was driving...I wouldn't have seen you...and I would've ran you over...and well sorry...that's just how it would have been!"

Maybe not in these exact words but you get the point.

After we were satisfied (and still alive) I drove me and mud girl back home and she took a shower at my place...see the evidence.

All in all, awesome shoot, got some great shots, awesome model as well and I got to try out the speedlight. :D

EVIDENCE: We purposely put these heels out here to now get dirty...Jeep speeding through the mud ruined that...

Curiouser Photoshoot

2008-04-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Click on above image to view whole shoot

This was my first collab with fellow photographer and now good friend, Nicole Jean! We just started chatting and have begun using the same model lol, Jenny, and we figured why the hell not work together! Great minds think a like, right?

Anyway, so this was the first time for us meetings…and the first time for us shooting! OMG, lemme tell you! I was so fucking nervous hahahah! It’s weird having another fellow artist there watching you…makes me feel like they are judging me at first…but than I smack that idea outah my head and just concentrate.

It was insane in the beginning…I rushed through makeup, hair and wardrobe..we also…(I dunno seems like it’s becoming a tradition)…sat down and viewed my last shoot “Mudd”..seems like we always end up doing this and it takes up so much fucking time! But it’s fun =)

Nicole captured some shots during that mess lol…oh lord…just ignore my vast…erm…chubbiness.. heh! =)

Than we rushed to the site…whoa! I was in awe! I went crazy..than we started shooting! It was crazy! It was like…mad paparazzi lol. Nicole would put her in a pose and we’d both stop shooting, heheh…I think we drove Jenny crazy! Nah, she’s insane like us ;)

Than we kinda broke apart and did our own thing. It was hard for me to focus..,but I’m pretty surprised and happy with how the photos came out!

Alice than showed up..and I completely lost my train of thought (photoshoot wise)…I was stuck on the irkiness that I wanted to get her into a crazy 60’s dress too…but Jenny had to leave soon…so we scrapped the shoot of them together for another day.

I might not redo it…prolly do something else…to not make it so repetitive...

Candid Nicole while she was directing Jenny

Me directing...I pixelated it out cuz I look like a cow :D

Traditional Jenny Pose for the lighting test shot

Jenny as a witch..reminds me of this shoot.

Alice & Jenny goofing around

Alice's little brother poking around the location :D

Jenny: Ahhh! Alice: "You bitch!"

Confused models

#1

2008-04-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

See, I have a sense of humor at work.

So, here is the first entry to my photoblog…why you ask? Well, personally if my fave. Photographers had their own Behind the Scenes blogs, I would no doubt be reading and looking at them!

I think that a lot of the time, the final selection that the photographer makes can leave out some other pretty good photos…and it’s always fun to see/hear what went on in the “background”.

Thus, I made this…page? Yeah, so I love to write and talk a lot so you’ll find lots of things to read about photoshoots…I’m not sure if I’m going to go back to the past shoots..or just start from today on forward…

Anywho, enjoy!