How to get work

If you are like me and you would rather be working than wondering where your next check is going to come from, I'll let you in on my top secret formula:

1. Start remodeling a studio with costs that could crush you and will require daily check ups on contractors who will give you daily homework. I'm at the new studio at least 2 hours, almost every day to answer questions and push and prod.

2. Plan a vacation. This never fails for me! If you really want a big job, plan one somewhere with nonrefundable deposits and no cell phone reception.

3. Pray hard. I don't know about you, but I get the willies some nights and just can't sleep. When I'm wondering how I'm going to make it another month, I pray. With all the expenses of this new studio I find myself asking for help more than ever.

And guess what! This formula has worked this month for sure! Besides shooting two more magazine covers in the last month and an assignment for the Wall Street Journal, I'm in the thick of moving my studio and producing a MONSTER job for Johnson and Johnson. I'm supposed to move into the new studio Saturday and then head off again to sunny California... it's going to be a marathon month of shooting.

The pressure is cookin' and I'm super thankful. I'm thankful for the work and also to have teamed up with two super producers, Bill Anderson of Slanted Eye Productions and Lisa Schrag. Bill has been working around the clock to meet our impossible deadlines for the California leg of this job. Lisa is producing the Colorado shoots.
There is no way I could pull this all off without this fantastic team! Thanks Bill and Lisa!

If I can surface for air, I will try to post pix soon.

Zack

It feels like I've been swimming up stream all day today.  Everything that I've needed to get done has been met with obsticles and diversions.  The smallest tasks that should have taken 10 minutes seemed to explode into 2 hour ordeals.  

By some some freakish accident, I stumbled across a link to an old friend's video blog online.  I don't usually pimp other photographers' work here, but Zack's video seemed to set my day straight.  It starts out slow, but the last 2/3rds what caught me off guard and reminded me of some things that all us creatives need to be retold. You can watch it here.  Thanks Zack.

Denver's Top Singles for 5280 Magazine

Hot off the press, 5280's Romance Issue.

5280 Magazine

Art Director: Mike Leister

Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward

Wardrobe: Georgia Benjou

Makeup: Jennifer Samuel

Assistant, Randall Bellows

Model: Jill Hodges

This is actually a milestone.  Since the Top Singles issue runs every other year, this cover marks the 3rd anniversary of my first cover with this fabulous Denver Magazine.  Tomorrow, I'm shooting my 10th cover for 5280.  Thank you Mike, Steff, Alese, Max, and Dan for an awesome three years!

Remember "Many Me"?

This Spread started to take shape last November. I scouted the most amazing loft that would have been my first choice as alocation to shoot these "panoramics" of Denver's Top Singles for 5280 Magazine. However, as we approached the shoot date, it soon became apparent that some of the people would not be able to come to my studio in the two days of scheduled shoots. Furthermore, (without a lot of distortion) shooting a wide panoramic of 12 people wasn't an option.

To solve this problem, I used a wall at my Osage studio and shot four groups of 6. I carefully measured and locked down two heavy-duty tripods about 20 feet apart and sandbagged them so they wouldn't move. The center of the image falls in the gutter of the two page spread, so it worked well to hid any minor imperfections when I stitched the two photos together. I roughly tested the idea and you can see the results here.

Here are the final two panoramas.  Three of the people in the following 4 photographs were shot separately and two heads were grabbed from other images to get the best expressions.  

The singles include: former Colorado first lady Frances Owens, now executive VP for community affairs for the Galloway Group; Denver's 7 reporter Jane Slater; Jill Hodges, graphic designer and TV host for New Media's Shoetube.com; Denver Foundation's Lauren Casteel; Merrill Lynch VP Marti Awad; former Denver District Attorney Norm Early; Colorado Avalanche forward Wojtek Wolski; The Huffington Post columnist Waylon Lewis; gay activist and aspiring ski bum Daniel Gonzales and Sukle Advertising owner Mike Sukle.

Here are behind the scenes pix snapped by my assistant Randall Bellows:

More NDAC Ref Calls

A whole website is now up to promote this Sunday's NDAC Superbowl Party. Check out the site and see you at the party!

Here is more of the photography I did for the tongue-in-cheek calls.

Set Build Time Lapse

My studio is in a constant state of flux. The studio evolves with every assignment. Here is a sneak peak of what a day and a half looks like at my Osage studio as we metamorph from the disaster of returning from a location job to the set up of a shoot in the studio.

I've been playing with time lapse videos shot with my old Nikon D2X. The "old" camera system was sitting around depreciating faster than I could put it on Ebay, so I decided to put it to use. Though I've created several videos, this is the first I can publish because the others have editorial content that I can't upload until they go to print. So, enjoy this one and I'll upload the others when I can.

NDAC Super Ad Suday

The New Denver Ad Club is hosting an event where Denver Creatives are invited to come judge the Super Bowl commercials. It's going to be a great party.

I had the pleasure of collaborating with some of Denver's best to create a series of humorous referee calls to illustrate calling "foul" on the commercials. Here is the first in the series with more to come. See the link above if you would like to join us at the event!


Copy: "You had to have it your way. The client was nervous. The director baffled. Your partner jumped ship. But hey, this is the Super Bowl baby. Screw compromise... right?

Wrong dimwit. Even David Lynch is scratching his head. You’re a true auteur. Too bad you’re in advertising. Or at least you were until you shot your career in the face with that big fat double-barrel ego."

This one is super dark... others will be more light hearted.

Art Direction:
Jeff Mason, Hero Design Studio
Greg Ryan, Juice Communications
Steve Miller, NetNewsdesk
Copywriter: Brian Wilkens, The Integer Group

Studio "Progress"

A lot of friends and clients are asking how the new studio is coming along. I'll bring you up to date.

I don't know if you call it progress. Maybe I'm your average "I'm so frustrated my construction progress is taking so long" guy- but this seems ridiculous. Our timing really got beat around by the holidays and city red tape. I had hoped to be in the studio by now, but it just ain't so. To give you an example of the city stuff I'm dealing with... we have to have an approved drinking water fountain in the studio. (Did I tell you I have a phobia about water fountains?  I try to stay away from them.  And I have to spend $$$$ to install one in the studio.  Argh.)

Anyway, our last rough inspection passed today and we can now put on the drywall, which was delivered today. Things should really speed up from here.

Silence on the Blog

I haven't added much to my blog for a few weeks, but that doesn't mean things aren't happening here at the studio. I've been consumed with producing a large job for December that I'll be shooting next week.   I've also had several clients asking me to do many songs and dances for projects that will be shot in January. Add family time and a heap of holiday stuff to do and there you have it... violins playing while I make excuses for silence on the blog.

The coming weeks promise some great blog material though. Stay tuned!

Holiday Design Party shoot.

In December's issue of 5280 Magazine, I have a spread of pictures shot for a story about a non-traditional holiday party. There was enough sushi at the shoot to sink a ship.

The party featured neighbors, friends, and professional peers who often get together throughout the year. The mix of friends brings smorgasbord of backgrounds and thus a little of everything. A traditional holiday party is out of the question.




This shoot was unique because I lit and shot the whole party with hot lights instead of strobes. I wanted to create a warm and natural light that would feel "real" and not "lit."

Art Directors: Mike Leister and Alese Pickering Becket
Photo Editor: Steffanie Woodward