Tortured Artist
Art Show This Saturday
25/05/07 09:32 AM | Permalink
I am hosting another art
show at the studio this weekend. It will be Saturday
night May 26th starting at 7pm. This time around we
are having a group show. I feel certain that the show
will be running well past 10pm. Come one, come all.
Click here for directions
Click here for directions
|
I lost a lot of money in Vegas...
29/03/07 07:10 PM | Permalink
Chris and Lynn
Jaska,
Jason Groupp, and
TJ Cameron
organized a night
shoot on the strip with several models. I did not
take a camera to Vegas because I simply wanted to
travel light and hang out with people and network
more than I wanted to shoot anything. I did take a
video camera but that was it.
Everything was fine until Colin Michael handed me his Canon 5d to shoot a few frames with. I declined but he insisted. A canon camera body could really not be any more different than a Nikon body that I'm used to shooting with. I've been Nikon for years and years. Never been lured to the Canons at all. I finally got a bit used to the controls and I shot this image.
The 5d really felt like I was back to 35mm street photography because of it's full frame sensor. I fell in love with that camera and more so once he sent me the file today. The image above was shot at ISO 800 at 1.8 @ 40th of a second and pushed 1.4 stops in Bridge. I'm hooked. I think you all will be seeing me make the switch this year. It is going to take a lot of getting used to because of the ergonomics of the camera, or lack thereof. Nikon owns Canon on the controls but the image quality matched with the full frame has me hook line and sinker.
So thanks a lot Colin. A street dealer in the truest form. "Come on kid, the first few frames are free." BTW, Colin made the switch from Nikon to Canon as well. Jeez, I did lose a lot of money in Vegas.
Cheers,
Zack
Everything was fine until Colin Michael handed me his Canon 5d to shoot a few frames with. I declined but he insisted. A canon camera body could really not be any more different than a Nikon body that I'm used to shooting with. I've been Nikon for years and years. Never been lured to the Canons at all. I finally got a bit used to the controls and I shot this image.
The 5d really felt like I was back to 35mm street photography because of it's full frame sensor. I fell in love with that camera and more so once he sent me the file today. The image above was shot at ISO 800 at 1.8 @ 40th of a second and pushed 1.4 stops in Bridge. I'm hooked. I think you all will be seeing me make the switch this year. It is going to take a lot of getting used to because of the ergonomics of the camera, or lack thereof. Nikon owns Canon on the controls but the image quality matched with the full frame has me hook line and sinker.
So thanks a lot Colin. A street dealer in the truest form. "Come on kid, the first few frames are free." BTW, Colin made the switch from Nikon to Canon as well. Jeez, I did lose a lot of money in Vegas.
Cheers,
Zack
What happens in Vegas...
27/03/07 06:47 AM | Permalink
... get's posted on the
Internet.
We have just finished 30 hours of networking and debauchery at the WPPI convention in Las Vegas.
I can't even begin to start the shout out's too all the folks I have finally gotten to meet while out here. The PWP party was a smashing success. Congrats to Karen and Kiki for pulling that off!
I was up for 26 hours straight yesterday. Took a 5 hour nap and hit it again today. I'm now at the airport about to take the red eye back to the ATL. It was great seeing SO many Atlanta photographers out here. Better yet though was meeting so many of you from all over the world.
Must. Get. Sleep. Too bad I have jobs lined up all week.
Cheers,
Zack
We have just finished 30 hours of networking and debauchery at the WPPI convention in Las Vegas.
I can't even begin to start the shout out's too all the folks I have finally gotten to meet while out here. The PWP party was a smashing success. Congrats to Karen and Kiki for pulling that off!
I was up for 26 hours straight yesterday. Took a 5 hour nap and hit it again today. I'm now at the airport about to take the red eye back to the ATL. It was great seeing SO many Atlanta photographers out here. Better yet though was meeting so many of you from all over the world.
Must. Get. Sleep. Too bad I have jobs lined up all week.
Cheers,
Zack
For My Friend Jim In The 312
16/03/07 12:11 AM | Permalink
Catching Up
06/03/07 10:05 AM | Permalink
Greetings from Gate C15
in Atlanta.
It has been an intense 3 or 4 months for me. There have been times when I thought this entire adventure that I am on would just come crashing down on my head. I've been a one man shop for over 3 years and my business has grown to the point that I can no longer carry the weight of it all on my own. I'm very please to announce that I now have a full time studio manager working with me. His name is Erik Dixon. Erik was my first intern and he proved to have the hustle and ambition to get the job done. I realized back in November of last year that I could not keep all of this going without help and Erik was the first person I thought of. He has proved to be invaluable since moving to Atlanta from Tulsa last month. It is an amazing feeling knowing that I'm heading out of town for 3 days and work continues in the studio.
I'm on my way to conduct a OneLight Workshop in Pittsburgh. It is going to be cold so my challenge will be keeping the OneLight running smooth indoors for the vast majority of the time. I did it in Denver so it should not be a problem. We are holding the workshop in Sewicky at a beautiful Inn there. Big thanks to Robin for doing all the leg work to make this workshop happen. It just sold out last night so it is keeping up with the trend that every OneLight fills to capacity.
Now that Erik is getting up to speed I have been able to take care of a lot of loose strings hanging around. One of them was getting the final votes counted for the 2006 music photo of the year contest. I'm proud to announce that Dear Enemy has walked away with it again this year. I received 3,659 votes for 72 artists in the contest gallery. I have got to get the voting system automated for next year's contest. I'm going to have to learn me some of that PHP or NBA or LSD or something.
What else? Oh yes.... I have to rave and rave about my new camera bag and travel set up. I am going to be doing a lot of traveling this year and I have never had a truly organized and simple way to travel with all of my gear. I have recently bought three bags. The two I am MOST excited about are the Airport Security camera bag and the Airport Check In laptop bag. Both of these are made by ThinkTank Photo. I first learned about these bags and Expo Plus in NYC last year. My number one goal at Expo was to find a new bag.
I looked at every single offering on the trade show floor and Think Tank was by far, hands down, the most thought out and well built bag any one had to offer. The $359 price tag for the Airport Security was higher than other bags but I tell you this.... It is worth every single penny. The founders of the company are working photographers and are extremely helpful when you call them up. I can not recommend their line of products enough.
The other bag I have gotten recently is a Samsonite Golf bag. It is similar to this one. I paid $99 for it at a local golf store. It came with the large padded case for golf clubs, a shoe bag, and a small duffle bag. My light stands, umbrellas, and softboxes strap securely inside the bag leaving plenty of room for clothes and other items I don't need to carry on. The beauty of putting your larger gear in a golf case is 1) airlines usually don't charge for oversized baggage if it is a golf club case and 2) you can get a great bag for $100 compared to the $300 and $400 cases made for the photo industry.
This is my first trip with my new bags and it has made my life 100% better. I uses to travel with 4 bags. 2 carry on (shoulder bags) and 2 check in. I'm now down to 3 bags. 2 carry on that fit together and roll behind me, and then one checked bag that carries my stands, modifiers, and clothes. All of it rolls smoothly from parking to check in. It is a beautiful thing I tell ya. Worth every single penny. Eerik and I shot a "What's In Your Bag" video this week for Simple Photo Life. I'll finish the editing on it when I get back from Pittsburgh.
That's a fairly decent up to date catching up on the blog here. I would appreciate your prayers and I continue to navigate some large transitions this year. It's going to be a great year of growth and learning and I can't thank Erik enough for taking the plunge and leaving family and friends behind to come help me work this field I have to work.
Cheers,
Zack
It has been an intense 3 or 4 months for me. There have been times when I thought this entire adventure that I am on would just come crashing down on my head. I've been a one man shop for over 3 years and my business has grown to the point that I can no longer carry the weight of it all on my own. I'm very please to announce that I now have a full time studio manager working with me. His name is Erik Dixon. Erik was my first intern and he proved to have the hustle and ambition to get the job done. I realized back in November of last year that I could not keep all of this going without help and Erik was the first person I thought of. He has proved to be invaluable since moving to Atlanta from Tulsa last month. It is an amazing feeling knowing that I'm heading out of town for 3 days and work continues in the studio.
I'm on my way to conduct a OneLight Workshop in Pittsburgh. It is going to be cold so my challenge will be keeping the OneLight running smooth indoors for the vast majority of the time. I did it in Denver so it should not be a problem. We are holding the workshop in Sewicky at a beautiful Inn there. Big thanks to Robin for doing all the leg work to make this workshop happen. It just sold out last night so it is keeping up with the trend that every OneLight fills to capacity.
Now that Erik is getting up to speed I have been able to take care of a lot of loose strings hanging around. One of them was getting the final votes counted for the 2006 music photo of the year contest. I'm proud to announce that Dear Enemy has walked away with it again this year. I received 3,659 votes for 72 artists in the contest gallery. I have got to get the voting system automated for next year's contest. I'm going to have to learn me some of that PHP or NBA or LSD or something.
What else? Oh yes.... I have to rave and rave about my new camera bag and travel set up. I am going to be doing a lot of traveling this year and I have never had a truly organized and simple way to travel with all of my gear. I have recently bought three bags. The two I am MOST excited about are the Airport Security camera bag and the Airport Check In laptop bag. Both of these are made by ThinkTank Photo. I first learned about these bags and Expo Plus in NYC last year. My number one goal at Expo was to find a new bag.
I looked at every single offering on the trade show floor and Think Tank was by far, hands down, the most thought out and well built bag any one had to offer. The $359 price tag for the Airport Security was higher than other bags but I tell you this.... It is worth every single penny. The founders of the company are working photographers and are extremely helpful when you call them up. I can not recommend their line of products enough.
The other bag I have gotten recently is a Samsonite Golf bag. It is similar to this one. I paid $99 for it at a local golf store. It came with the large padded case for golf clubs, a shoe bag, and a small duffle bag. My light stands, umbrellas, and softboxes strap securely inside the bag leaving plenty of room for clothes and other items I don't need to carry on. The beauty of putting your larger gear in a golf case is 1) airlines usually don't charge for oversized baggage if it is a golf club case and 2) you can get a great bag for $100 compared to the $300 and $400 cases made for the photo industry.
This is my first trip with my new bags and it has made my life 100% better. I uses to travel with 4 bags. 2 carry on (shoulder bags) and 2 check in. I'm now down to 3 bags. 2 carry on that fit together and roll behind me, and then one checked bag that carries my stands, modifiers, and clothes. All of it rolls smoothly from parking to check in. It is a beautiful thing I tell ya. Worth every single penny. Eerik and I shot a "What's In Your Bag" video this week for Simple Photo Life. I'll finish the editing on it when I get back from Pittsburgh.
That's a fairly decent up to date catching up on the blog here. I would appreciate your prayers and I continue to navigate some large transitions this year. It's going to be a great year of growth and learning and I can't thank Erik enough for taking the plunge and leaving family and friends behind to come help me work this field I have to work.
Cheers,
Zack
Travel Is Sexy
14/11/06 10:08 PM | Permalink
Where Am I?
08/11/06 08:17 AM | Permalink
I had an interesting thing happen to me on my way
home from NYC this week. I had dozed off a bit on the
flight home and woke up in a daze. After several days
of traveling around in everything from planes to cabs
to subways, for a few seconds I wasn't quite sure
where I was. I looked to my right and saw a fellow
passenger with a sleeping 1 year old on her lap. I
looked to my left and saw that I was 5 miles in the
air. Whoa!
"Flying is so weird." was my final thought before the drink cart arrived to give me my complimentary sample of Coke.
Hardly getting a load of clothes through the wash, I began checking gear and charging batteries for a great job I am now embarking on. Last year I had the opportunity to travel around the country creating portraits for a company that makes radiation equipment and gamma knives. The portraits were used for a calendar that was given to their clients. The calendar was so successful with their marketing folks that I have the opportunity to do it again! The largest challenge this job offers to me is the travel schedule. I got the call yesterday that the job was on and I needed to be in Philladelphia today. Flights were booked and I ramped up my post production on a few jobs and wrapped up some loose ends that were hanging before I left for NYC. I return from Philly later tonight, shoot a wedding this weekend, then I have a day of shooting in Atlanta, Fly and shoot in L.A. on Tuesday, then fly back to finish shooting for this job in Atlanta on Wednesday. Madness!
To add to this madness, my flight is delayed here in Atlanta. I have a window of about one hour to get 3 portraits shot. The portraits are being made with a new machine they are introducing at a trade show so not only do I have limited time, I have to get this done on a trade show floor so that it doesn't look like a trade show floor. Those who know me well know that (1) I am a minimialist with my gear so I don't have a truckload of lights to relight the trade show floor... and (2) I don't rely on Photoshop. As in, "Oh, I'll just change the background in Photoshop." This should be fun!
Posts to come when I catch my breath - Final NYC photos, OneLight NYC Photos and recap, and Expo Plus recap with links to the cool stuff that caught my eye.
Cheers,
Zack
"Flying is so weird." was my final thought before the drink cart arrived to give me my complimentary sample of Coke.
Hardly getting a load of clothes through the wash, I began checking gear and charging batteries for a great job I am now embarking on. Last year I had the opportunity to travel around the country creating portraits for a company that makes radiation equipment and gamma knives. The portraits were used for a calendar that was given to their clients. The calendar was so successful with their marketing folks that I have the opportunity to do it again! The largest challenge this job offers to me is the travel schedule. I got the call yesterday that the job was on and I needed to be in Philladelphia today. Flights were booked and I ramped up my post production on a few jobs and wrapped up some loose ends that were hanging before I left for NYC. I return from Philly later tonight, shoot a wedding this weekend, then I have a day of shooting in Atlanta, Fly and shoot in L.A. on Tuesday, then fly back to finish shooting for this job in Atlanta on Wednesday. Madness!
To add to this madness, my flight is delayed here in Atlanta. I have a window of about one hour to get 3 portraits shot. The portraits are being made with a new machine they are introducing at a trade show so not only do I have limited time, I have to get this done on a trade show floor so that it doesn't look like a trade show floor. Those who know me well know that (1) I am a minimialist with my gear so I don't have a truckload of lights to relight the trade show floor... and (2) I don't rely on Photoshop. As in, "Oh, I'll just change the background in Photoshop." This should be fun!
Posts to come when I catch my breath - Final NYC photos, OneLight NYC Photos and recap, and Expo Plus recap with links to the cool stuff that caught my eye.
Cheers,
Zack
Having An Adventure!
02/11/06 11:02 PM | Permalink
I am having such an amazing time in New York! This is
my first full NYC experience and I'm trying to make
the most of every minute I have. I have not been this
excited to be somewhere in a long time. Part of that
is due to a few things. I often end up going to
places where I have already been or I'm flying in for
a job and flying out as soon as it is done so there
is precious little time to enjoy the destination.
I spent most of my day at the Expo Photo Plus show at the Javits center in Manhattan. I'll give an update about gear and services that really caught my attention once I get back to Atlanta and I have some time to sort through the 48 pounds of sales sheets and brochures that I picked up today. Today was also a day of meeting up with some folks I have not seen in a while or meeting folks I have never met in real life yet we have eKnown each other for some time due to forums and such.
Last night the party I attended was wonderful and I'm so very grateful to everyone for being so welcoming of me and so hospitable while I am here. I have so much to type and so little time. I have some work to do on the presentation for tomorrow's workshop, gear to check, and batteries to charge. I'll leave you with a few photos from my walk from the Expo to dinner with colleagues and friends tonight...
Cheers,
Zack
I spent most of my day at the Expo Photo Plus show at the Javits center in Manhattan. I'll give an update about gear and services that really caught my attention once I get back to Atlanta and I have some time to sort through the 48 pounds of sales sheets and brochures that I picked up today. Today was also a day of meeting up with some folks I have not seen in a while or meeting folks I have never met in real life yet we have eKnown each other for some time due to forums and such.
Last night the party I attended was wonderful and I'm so very grateful to everyone for being so welcoming of me and so hospitable while I am here. I have so much to type and so little time. I have some work to do on the presentation for tomorrow's workshop, gear to check, and batteries to charge. I'll leave you with a few photos from my walk from the Expo to dinner with colleagues and friends tonight...
Cheers,
Zack
Welcome To The New Blog
31/10/06 11:38 AM | Permalink
Here it is folks. A new blog. Much easier to use than
the last one. At least for me. We'll see how it is
for you on the end user side. I have a good bit of
work to do on it still. I wanted to go ahead and get
this online before I hit NYC.
I'm packing up to head to New York. I can't wait to get there. I have a full 3 days all to myself while I'm there. I'm not sure what I will be doing other than shooting and seeing what there is to see.
Must Do List: (in no particular order)
• Ground Zero
• Central Park
• 5th Ave. Apple Store
• Photo Expo
• See Some Old Friends
• Catch A Live Show
• Teach A OneLight
• Go To B&H And Buy New Camera Bag
• Shoot My Arse Off
• Party At Jason's Studio
• More Stuff To Do
I have so much to do before I get out of here in the morning. Off I go.
Cheers,
Zack
PS - The old blog can be found here.
I'm packing up to head to New York. I can't wait to get there. I have a full 3 days all to myself while I'm there. I'm not sure what I will be doing other than shooting and seeing what there is to see.
Must Do List: (in no particular order)
• Ground Zero
• Central Park
• 5th Ave. Apple Store
• Photo Expo
• See Some Old Friends
• Catch A Live Show
• Teach A OneLight
• Go To B&H And Buy New Camera Bag
• Shoot My Arse Off
• Party At Jason's Studio
• More Stuff To Do
I have so much to do before I get out of here in the morning. Off I go.
Cheers,
Zack
PS - The old blog can be found here.