5280 Magazine March Fashion Spread

Here's a fun 8 page spread I shot for 5280 Magazine. At a pre production meeting with the PE, AD, and Fashion Editor, we looked over several stylistic directions the spread could go. After learning that the wardrobe would have a '70s vibe, we decided to shoot for a clean background and minimal, but stellar hair and makeup (i.e. no wigs, etc.). I was thinking a lot about Richard Avedon's jumping models shot in the '60s and '70s.

We shot a casting, specifically looking for someone fresh and unique, with a high fashion figure and hair that could have that '70s vibe. After sifting through heaps of beautiful Denver models, we found Jordan.

At the casting, we gave each model a chance to move and grove to some thumping bumping beats. Not only is Jordan striking, but she has a very natural grace to the way she moves. She made small leaps and flowing steps look elegant and effortless. That's not easy to do in 5 inch heals.

To freeze the motion, we used Profoto 7As and a D4

Photo Editor: Sarah LaVigne

Art Director: Alese Pickering Becket

Hari and Makeup: Matthew Morris

Fashion Editor and Wardrobe: Georgia Benjou

The Bone Collector

Here's a nice portrait of Dr. Charles Musiba of CU I shot for 5280 Magazine. Musiba is from one of my favorite countries, Tanzania. I would love to follow him on his quest for the worlds oldest footprints. Why footprints? Footprints tell how prehistoric man walked and could answer some nagging questions about evolution and early man.

The story is quite nice, read it here.

Photo Editor: Sarah LaVigne

Art Director: Alese Pickering Becket

Wine and Dinner Party

Hot off the press, 5280 Magazine just published a spread of my photos from a Dinner party we shot in back in June. The editors did a great job laying out the spread and picking just the right imagery to tell the story. We also did our best to let the dinner party "happen" to make it feel natural.

Frasca's Bobby Stuckey poured the wine from Jason Huntley's Washington Waters Winery. This is some seriously tasty wine people! I'm saving a S.W.A.G. bottle for the Thanksgiving holidays! Get some!










Technical Notes: We shot in an 11th story loft downtown Denver that has some amazing natural light. For this shoot, I brought a 4x4' shiny board and several plastic mirrors with Matthews frames and bounced them off the white ceiling from a balcony outside.

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

Art Director: Alese Pickering Becket

Writer: Amanda M. Faison

5280 Kids

Aleah Vigil, 14 - Student Activist

You may recall a few posts back that I posted some pictures from a personal series called "Generation Lost." I had been playing with some post production techniques creating custom "wallpapers" to cross the line between illustration and photography. 5280 Magazine came to me and wanted me to photograph some special kids with special talents for their August 09 Kids Guide to Denver.

I pitched an idea that we could use this illustrative process to make the children look like saints using props relating to their interests. For instance, in the shot above, I took a single image of a bullhorn and created "flowers" for a student activist. All of these shots were shot natural light in the new studio on plane jane colored backgrounds.

5280 Mag took some risk and let me depart from the "safe shot" on colored background to make it something more. Thanks for the trust guys. I'm using a lot of "Quotes" in this post.

Davis Bryant, 9

(The next Tiger Woods?)

Hazel Allison, 11 - Bug Enthusiast

Isaac Crewse, 7 - Has severe asthma, but is running a Marathon - One mile at a time

Art Director: Alese Pickering Becket

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodword

Hot off the press, 5280's October Cover

Denver's Top Docs. These guys were fantastic to photograph. This is the second year I've shot this cover and spread for 5280. I'm thankful for the work... even more thankful that I haven't had to meet these guys in the ER!

After all the money I've spent on gear and learning the craft of lighting... this was a natural light shot. Just pure, simple, beautiful window light!

Art Director: Mike Leister
Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

Hot off the press, 5280's September Cover

Thanks 5280 Magazine for another cover. These cats are so fun to work for. I didn't really walk away with any stellar "behind the scene's" pix of this one... Sorry about that.

Art Director: Mike Leister
Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

On the way to press.

I recently shot another cover and spread for a magazine on Denver's top Doctors. I'll post images when it goes to press. Here was the set. We also shot some stellar natural light portraits of the docs too. One of those will be the October cover. Thank you Caleb Opp for the production still.

Coach Dan Hawkins, CU Buffs

Art Director: Mike Leister

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

Yesterday, I photographed Coach Dan Hawkins of the CU Buffs at Historic Folsum Field for an 5280 Magazine.  

After we loaded up my stylin' grip truck at the studio, I turned on the engine and something sounded terribly wrong.  One quick peak under the truck and it was obvious that someone cut the catalytic converter out of my exhaust pipe!  I called my mechanic  and he said it wouldn't hurt to drive to our location 45 miles away in Boulder.  However, it's costing me $270 to fix it so some crack-head can get a $20 fix.  It really pisses me off.  Word has it that catalytic converters are being stolen and shipped to Mexico, where the platinum is removed with a chemical process.  Word on the street is the platinum is selling for something crazy, like $2k and ounce.  

Anyway the shoot went well. Thanks Randall for the productions stills!

5280 Magazine June '08 Cover

Art Director: Mike Leister

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

It was a great honor to shoot 5280 Magazine's June cover (the "Summer is Here!" issue) for the second year running. Careful scouting landed the perfect location to show a happy couple walking over a hill with stellar views of mountains in the background. Bad weather the week before the shoot threatened the deadline, but God came through and we had a beautiful early morning shoot. I couldn't have been more happy with my my weather and the crew. Kudos to Katelyn Simkins who did a great job with makeup. Randall Bellows, my wingman, Caleb Opp, and Micah Dekorne were camera assistants. Georgia Benjou was the clothing stylist. 

Thank you Micah for these awesome production stills!!!!

Catering table and "Harvey the RV", my first class Grip Truck... sort of.

Katelyn hard at work.

Gotta live high walkers... This location is 80's RAD!

Summer issue shot in 40 degree weather... note warm clothes.

You have to pose like Bono when you shoot covers.

My top secret lighting: Uni400 with 18" dish key, 2040 head with 2K WS. blasting thru the 8X10" scrim for fill.

Mike (AD) to my left and Steff (PE) to my right.

Macbook Pro with external 18" screen and external hard drives powered by a Dynalite Battery in my computer tent.

You want some of this?  300mm lens compresses the subjects and Mountain background.

Here we are setting up to shoot the index page.

Sandbag tripod.  Real High Tech.

Sorry for the view Randall... Thanks for saving my (and the Models') life.  A great assistant will sacrifice all comforts to help get the shot... ha ha.

January Politics

How do you get two competing Congressmen- one republican and one democrat- onto the same set for a personal debate photo op.? You don't... it just ain't gonna happen. 5280 Magazine contacted me to photograph (I can't say "shoot") the two congressmen in two locations. My job was to recreate the same lighting for both sets and to get Congressmen Bob Schaffer and Gary Udall to gesture light heartedly- as if in a friendly debate.

Both shoots were typical of high profile politicos... super fast and short. Writer Patric Doyle was on set to follow up the shoot with an interview. Both politicians could turn on the charm for the camera and both were surprisingly trusting.

Udall impressed me with the claim to have climbed most of the fourteeners in Colorado.

Art Director: Mike Leister

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward