AARP Bulletin DOP Michael Wichita called me up a few months ago — actually, while I was in Denver for Geekfest – needing an in-house mock up made so he could pitch an illustration idea to his bosses for a big story they’re doing on the kind of people who use Social Security. He needed it ASAP! So, I grabbed whoever was closest: Denver Post staff video shooter Mahala Gaylord and Denver-based freelancer Ben Rasmussen. Oh. and that’s me on the left.

Michael sent me a fast drawing of his idea: …which I LOVE!

The idea is to make a white seamless portrait of several Social Security recipients and explain their situations with written vignettes.

This is Michael’s idea put to work. It’s the promo piece for the story.

The story section looks a little different. You can see it here.

I photographed one recipient from Baltimore, Dr. Timothy Modlin. Here’s his vignette.

I was told to make a mugshot, too.  – which I kinda like.And of course what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t show the outtakes from the mock-up shoot in Denver?Cheers!

You know how some photographers LOVE shooting weddings while others shoot them every so often to make some extra money? Well, I came to a decision earlier this year that I don’t shoot weddings. I don’t advertise as a wedding photographer. So, I only get referrals from friends. None of my friends can afford my rates ($3200-$5400), and neither can their relatives. So, I never really book weddings. It’s okay. I like having my weekends free.

Another way photographers make extra money are family/kid/baby/and pet portraits. That’s a bit more my speed and interest level. But I don’t really wanna make cheesy glamour shot/Olan Mills pictures, either. I like funny.

So, I got an idea.

Messy Kid Portraits!

Heck! if someone wants a portrait of them and their spouse playing in the mud I’ll shoot that too.

…seriously. I’LL SHOOT THAT! call me.

So, This shoot features Margot Ludwig. When I made these photos (Wednesday, August 31, 2011) she was almost two.  I approached her mom Kendall — who owns Curly Red Designs — with the idea. Obviously, Kendall was in.

Sally Carle, an interior designer and home organizer from Bethesda, Maryland demonstrates how to thoroughly clean a toilet, Sunday, December 4, 2011. Aside from a minimal amount of bleach, she uses all green products.

I made this wacky wacky photo shoot for a fun story the New York Times did on Extreme Cleaners.

Sally’s a regular germ-slayer!“Blue is for the loo. Pink is for the sink.”Aside from a minimal amount of bleach, she uses all green products, like toilet paper made from recycled material and Seventh Generation cleaner.

This photo even made it onto the New York Time’s home page for a bit!

Yup. this is what sometimes happens when I try a new lighting set up and no one else is around. enjoy!

The El Mateo!
Luchador mask courtesy of the limited edition “Weird Sports” book by Sol Neelman.

Check it out: I’m in good company.

What better way to sell aprons than to set stuff on fire, right?

We cracked a few eggs, too. LITERALLY!

So, if you’re a person who’s easily offended by exploding yolks, don’t go any further.

Seriously, though. The egg breaking photos are pretty awesome.

My neighbor Kristen Rigney owns City Sparrow where you can buy retro styled, HAND MADE, aprons & pot holders. …one pot holder actually got a little singed during this shoot.

The idea behind this shoot is to illustrate the follies of an unskilled housewife.

So, if you want one of her aprons, she’ll be selling them December 3rd at the Charm City Craft Mafia’s Holiday Heap.

..or online at www.etsy.com/shop/CitySparrow.

Let the eggsploding begin!The egg got everywhere. The ceiling, the floor 15 feet away from Kristen, on my shirt. I got a little of the white on my camera, too, but none in my hair, surprisingly. Obviously, Kristen wasn’t so lucky.

Three words: NERF GUN BATTLE!

In case y’all haven’t heard of The Image Deconstructed blog, it’s an amazing resource! It deals with photographers’ mental processes & as a whole, gives insite into how photographers think — and sometimes feel — when they’re making pictures. It’s the brain child of Ross Taylor, who — and it should go without saying — is Rossome!

Here’s my specific entry, but I truly and whole heartedly recommend seeing some of the other photographers’ work being deconstructed. (each word is a link to a different post, by the way. Isn’t that super clever!?)

This is it. This is the last Geekfest-specific post from Denver.

For a recap, here are the links to the other five posts…

One, Two, Three, Four, and Five.

The lovely and super-talented Johnny Andrews jumping for joy. Seriously, check out his website. He’s a bad ass! Oh. and that’s Monica Lopossay & Kai-Huei Yau eeking out of the right side of the frame. –they’re also lovely and super-talented.Oh. and speaking of lovely and super-talented… here’s Mahayla Gaylord.hehehe. Click here to see what prompted such vitriol from the otherwise lovely and super-talented Bettina Hansen..After we drove around Denver for a bit, Todd Spoth, Monica Lopossay, Ben Rasmussen, and I went to the Hotel bar….

…where we drank.

…and drank.

and then Chris Detrick showed up with his micro brews. …and we drank some more.

Monica Lopossay, Sara Lewkowicz, and Tamika Moore

Photo editor extraordinaire Mike Davis peers through the window… He probably heard there was beer.

…here’s the start of the next day.

that lady has a rad hat.

Photo by Mahala Gaylord. …can y’all hear the velcro sound as Ben Rasmussen & I pull our beards away from each other? crrrrrrrrrryyysh!Also. Ben is a Karate Kid. This fly was BUGging us (haha! see what I did there?) and like a bearded lightning bolt, he towel-snapped this fly …right into Monica’s water. WHAT AIM!Ben Rasmussen …Temptations! (say it with a sexy whisper) hehehe. As some of you may or may not know know, Ben Rasmussen has a fair share of cookbooks. This picture is a rif on the photography in debatably his best cookbook, “Temptation At The White House.” To understand this photo you have to see what this amazing cookbook is all about! Seriously. it’s amazing. click the link.Ben Rasmussen drives Monica & me past the demon horse to Denver International Airport.So long Denver!