The jazz styling's of Jessica G. and a photo lark with Mr.Hill

Last Friday evening I had the pleasure of covering Jessica G at the Bo cafe in Dobbs Ferry, NY. Jessica is a highly trained pianist/singer/songwriter and I must add was amazing to hear and photograph live.


Ms G's music is a wonderful blend of jazz and folk. Covers of James Taylor, Carol King, Jim Croce as well as some old standards that were reminiscent of an easier time. Her originals easily fit within the feel of the whole set and staged a certain warmth to her performance.

Her sultry but subtle voice was intoxicating and her whimsical nature was enough to make me a fan immediately. Be sure to look out for this gal....she will be big! You must check out her site for future dates....I promise it will be well worth it.

http://www.myspace.com/jessicagny

So after I said my farewells to Jessica, it dawned on me that my buddy Matt lives right around the corner. After a brief phone call, I was on my way for a visit. I always dig hanging with Matt. Our conversations are always interesting. We talked mostly about Art and Photography but kept it light as guys do. The conversation turned to shooting at night(which I must add Mr. Hill is a master of) and before we knew it we were off.....



Matt has the luck of living about a block away from the Hudson...plenty of photo ops! While Matt was exploring the river getting some phenominal images which I will post when I know where they are, I seemed drawn to Hudson River line.



This shot was cool to me for more than one reason. I obviously dug the whole aesthetics of it but I also was using quite the cumbersome wooden tripod(I was unprepared and Matt had to lend me his back up). I actually had to rest this hulk on my chest to obtain this shot. It also gave me incentive to come back with a model to this site....I think it would lend an intense urban feel. Gotta remember this spot.




This was just a stairwell leading down to the station that drew me in immediately. This was also the last shot I took as we were walking back up to Matts flat....just kinda thought it was cool. In fact I think this whole evening was a bit of a reminder of how things used to be. The music and what I was shooting really did bring me back to a simpler time....Thanks both to Jessica G. and Mr. Hill for a great evening.

Profoto Carnaval Assistant's Night @ Tribeca Skyline

When I first rounded the corner out of the elevator, I couldn't help but be amazed at the space here. Gorgeous view of the Hudson, high ceilings, immense space. I could certainly see why Serge Nivelle stated that it could be a little distracting when trying to get work done......doesn't seem to slow him down though.
check it.

http://www.sergenivelle.com/


This was one of two set ups for the night. I should also state that there are more stations to work here. This really is a great rental space. I would certainly check out Tribeca Skyline if you are looking for an area to inspire.

http://www.tribecaskylinestudios.com/

This event was also hosted by Profoto, which is exceptional gear. Both stations were rigged with Pro 8's, various heads, light shaping equipment and Pro Air remotes....all you could ever need.

http://www.profoto-usa.com/

Here is one of the photographers, Matt getting ready for the gig. Matt's job for the night was to get these crazy kids going. I was still shooting with ambient light from the window at this point, which was still plentiful...little did I know how well these strobes would perform.

This event was really held for young shooters like this to get them familiar with Profoto's gear. More importantly to show them how valuable the space and the equipment is to them as a photographers. Let me tell you these kids were on fire!!!

Okay, so I had to check out these rigs for myself. It certainly doesn't hurt when when you are photographing beautiful models....man I could get used to this!

These two gals had a rough night too...jumping up and down on a trampoline while eager young artist's blasted them with light from all around. I think a have new admiration for what these models go through. I wish I got both of these gals names so I could give them a plug, they really worked hard and looked amazing doing it.

This is just one of many shots I took of the highlight of the evening. The Manhattan Samba group was so exciting. I think I could devote a whole website to all the images(hundreds) I took of this crew

Here is one for the ladies. These ripped guys performed a stylized form of Brazilian Ju-Jitzu that was really wicked!

Okay, I just had to do it. I think this girl could crack walnuts with her cheeks....and man could she move!!!

I tried to convey some of the excitment going on here. Dozens of shooters firing at once, all to a wonderful latin beat. It was just craziness!!

I should also say that these strobes were unbelievable. Serious rapid fire everywhere and when I looked at my images, all had perfect exposure. The flash duration and recycle time on these Pro 8's is unbelievable!

Here is the head of the Samba group with his ladies and his whistle....this guy was too cool!!!

I just had to try shoot this skyline before I split for the night. Unfortunatley, I didn't have a tripod. I did my best to shore it up on the window sill and got this...not too bad.

I think this sums up the evening. It really was electric in Tribeca!!!

Car show @ Malta Drive In

I always dug Challenger's. Probably my favorite Mopar. This one really caught my eye, the scooped flat black hood was a nice touch.

Trust me the marquis will be tweaked. Of all movies, UGH!

Here is another angle on this ride. I think if I reshot this I would have tried to blast it from the right with a monoblock or something...still a cool shot.
This day was rough, it was pretty much overhead sun (unable to shoot at dusk at DI owners request..lame), so I used an ND4. Only problem was I only had one for my Nikon rig and the wide angle that I was using for the Mamiya was a different size....
just held it on and kept my fingers out of the way.




This is one shot of many that will be used to promote an upcoming event in Malta, NY that my partner Les Murphy and myself will be covering this month...

http://teamvintage.net/events.html

come check it out...should be lots of fun!!!

The car is my buddy Jason's and both he and this bitchin ride will be in attendance. This shot I should add was taken with a Mamiya DL28 which makes it even cooler....28 megapixels, you gotta love it...Thanks to Mamiya and Leaf!

From the Hip

So check this out. I'm driving up to Styvesant, NY to Les and G's and I look over to my left and I see this craziness going on.



It never ceases to amaze me how often there is something really spontaneous to capture. Even moreso amazing is how many of my own favorite's were just that...truly from the hip.

caroline and shadrack

These are shots from a wedding I recently did. Photographing a

wedding the challenges are always real. It only makes it all the more easier when you have two people who are so into each other and fun to shoot!!

Two shots I thought were cool merely for their candid nature.
These two were playful and fun and it showed in their pics....all the best to Caroline and Shadrack.

caroline and shadrack

This shot was taken as a last ditch effort to take advantage of the afternoon sun. We got rained out for most of the day but we still managed and got some really cool images....

caroline and shadrack

The lens flare on this really makes this shot even more interesting.....My partner was holding a speedlight behind them and I was just hoping for a standard silhouette...this is so much more bitchin!!
Also hats off to Les Murphy the guy holding the light...looking forward to future endeavors!!!