Archive for August, 2009
You are currently browsing the Clint Davis Blog – Greenville, SC Commercial Photographer blog archives for August, 2009.
29
Aug
2009
LA on fire
Enjoy the sights from the rooftop of my new loft in downtown LA. Those aren’t clouds, that’s the San Fernando Valley getting smothered by ash. There’s a downside to having perfect non-rainy weather everyday in SoCal, and you’re looking at it. The terrain get’s so dry, a simple spark can set off a raging 1,000+ acre fire. Luckily the wind is playing in my favor and my lungs get to breath the natural pollutated air of LA instead of thick burnt ash.
Click for high-res shot
27
Aug
2009
From neat to street
Time to break in my new AlienBee lights (1 ABR800, 2x AB1600), and trusty PocketWizard transmitters. I feel like I’m just picking up the camera and shooting cars 5 years ago, and feel that inspiration and drive once again. So now it’s shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot. Not all of my shots will be exactly what I want, but eventually I’ll get closer to that goal.
Next on my list is Jolin Barot, middle name Ripped. Not an ounce of fat on this joker! Makes my 75-rep push-ups and 50 mile bike rides seem like an exercise in relaxation. But first the “neat” shots, all button’d up and iron’d out sitting on the couch in The Chapman lobby. One great thing about photography is you can take a normally mundane location, add a little bit of lighting, and turn it into a portfolio piece. While shooting this location, at least 20 people walked inches behind my back doing their daily business.
Now the street shots. Same guy, sans the shirt, and literally 30 paces out the back door from the lobby. And instead of loft-dwellers, we had bums and liquor store employees passing by.
A few steps back shows what I was working with. Shooting against walls can be tough when trying to pull off rim lighting. But like i said shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot.
Big thanks to Tanisha from Lowrider Girls for hooking up the shoot, and of course my girlfriend Lauren for assisting me again and again and again. Click over to my main website to see the high-res shots.
18
Aug
2009
Hello Marchesa, goodbye Speedlights!
1 Craigslist post, $500, and literally 2hrs later, 3 of my 4 Canon speedlights were sold. I’ve finally made the switch to PocketWizards and AlienBees. Not the creme of the crop as far as strobes are concerned, but way more consistent and powerful. But more about that nerdy stuff in a future post.
Introducing Marchesa, being honored with the FINAL shoot using the family of speedlights. And I can’t think of a better farewell shoot. After getting Marchesa’s (Mar-ches-ah) name right over the phone, we were volleying ideas back and forth about our upcoming shoot. I’ve been dying to try this spot out down by the Long Beach ports. The area is an industrial playground, so when I saw this small patch of vegetation under a freeway underpass, my mind was racing.
After some testing around with the lights and compositions, I was hooked on these pipes surrounded by palm bushes.
Shooting through the palms, which gives the photo more depth. Oh ya I shaved my head mom.
Moving a little further back, and Marchesa being a little more brave, I aimed for a super wide angle shot. Personally I think it’s much more challenging to pull off a successful image where the subject is small, rather than filling most of the frame.
Again big props to Marchesa for getting a little dirty to make the shot. It’s not as easy as it looks.
A setup shot showing the scene. The forward-facing tripod had to be edited out in the final version.
One happy customer! Looking for a tall model? Well, I’m 6’4″ if that tells you anything. You get the idea.
The next shoot you see will be with my new lighting setup. View my website for high-res shots of this shoot.
12
Aug
2009
So what’s new in Art you say?
I’m constantly asking myself “what’s the next thing?”
Because certainly shooting a car with a rig, or rim lighting a person for the gritty look isn’t going to be the “in” thing forever.
No technical process or technique can create an artistic expression; this is reserved for the creative mind.
This artist nailed both. I wouldn’t exactly call NuFormer’s building projections THE next thing, but it seems clear to me that this style is definitely not a fad, and it’s something very very big.
Enough personal insight, enjoy!
Projection on Buildings from NuFormer Digital Media on Vimeo.
