Tuesday, February 19, 2013

John Lee in a Studio of Another Kind....

As many of you know, John Lee is not only one of THE most talented and in-demand guitartists in the DC area (and beyond) but he is also my love. He's VERY particular with how he presents himself, how he is perceived and how he is marketed - that being said, he has never agreed to a "real" photo shoot with me outside of his live performances - until now. So, needless to say this gunslinging gal was beyond thrilled and honored when he said, "Let's do a real shoot." Here are some of the shots...

We started off simple. He brought pretty much all his guitars and a few shirt changes & hats (John Lee must have his hats). We both had some ideas going in, but I just let him "BE" and do his thing for me while I just shot away, giving little nudging direction and encouragement when I really liked something.



 I love this shot because it brought to mind the feel of Johnny Cash's "At San Quentin" album cover. You get the feeling that before you can see him, you have to see the music. And the Reso-Phonic just photographs so beautifully.


 Here is a tender moment - music is John's absolute First Love. And this emotion is clearly felt in this capture as he holds his Telecaster "Kojac" close to his heart.

 
Innocence and a touch of apprehensiveness.
Then he started to really open up.....

John started showing me and my camera his silly and mysterious side....(the goggles were a nice find in our recent day trip to Ellicott City on Valentine's Day, and I'm sure a welcome addition to his slew of costumes he wears when performing with our wonderful friend Cyro!) 

The seriously vintage Fender amp was a must-have for the shoot - it's got major character. This one reminds me of the great photo of a very young Steve Jobs leaning on his Apple computer from way back in the day.

I'm really excited about this shot because in it I saw the traveling road-musician of yore, walking on the side of a dirt road with nothing but his beaten-up amp, his axe and signature classy fedora, thumbing it to the next town to find a gig to pay for a blue plate special at the local diner. My vision really came full circle in the editing room.


John was hesitant at first about bringing his trusty Baby Martin, but we're both glad now that he did bring it. Again, character. In the untouched shot the details got a bit lost in the shadows but a little wave of my wand in CS6 and I was able to really make Baby glow...no one puts Baby in a corner.

Now for the really FUN stuff!
It's just SO fitting that I would get this "A Clockwork Orange-The Shining" shot while John had Diablo over his shoulder....Diablo is so named because "666" is in the serial number of this other-worldly Stratocaster. I swear when John was originally "posing" for this one and his eyes were down, I heard my mind's version of Stanley Kubrick's voice say, "look at me." I couldn't have asked for more from this moment - the serious strength in his hands and fingers and the blistering attitude from his eyes is not only what you see in this capture but it is what you get when he plays. "Heeeeere's JOHNNY!!"



This shot, the final in our series, was a vision I suggested about 5 days before our shoot. I wanted to literally draw his music on his face with my eyeliner for a portrait. I'm beyond thrilled that he agreed it would be a cool idea. The original plan was to fit 3 bars on his face, but due to time constraint and last-second changes I decided to draw 1 bar "deconstructed." A little messing up of his hair and switching to my old Sigma 35-70 for this portrait and voila.....

I love my job. Thanks Babalu for trusting me and letting me capture you - and post our little storyboard on my "still green" blog.

*All images shot with my Nikon D800 a.k.a. "Big Niko the Assassin"
and lenses
- Sigma 18-250mm f4
- Sigma 35-70 f3.5
At Union 206 Studio in Alexandria, VA
Feb. 18, 2013
-Edited using Photoshop CS6 in Camera RAW

 

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Firsty Blog Post

 Yeah, that's me at age 15....many eons ago, with my first nice SLR in Germany. A heavy Nikon N4004s. I've been shooting for over 25 years and an artist my entire life - a total wackadoo Right-Brainer. Welcome to my bloggy blog. That's me (below) today....over 25 years later, edumacated, experienced and with way more gear (totally not pictured here.) Please - save the golf claps for my work ;-) My passion is Music Photography, but everything I shoot brings me bigtime joy - especially shooting weddings, believe it! It's really validating to know that a couple has chosen me, a VIP, to capture the memories they'll have for life. It's a big deal and I treat it that way......
 
I decided to add a blog to my website, coZmiKphotography.com - oh I dunno.....just to see how it goes I guess ;-) My plan is to post some cool stories along with my work and maybe a silly thing or 20 as well....I'll try to keep you all entertained while "keepin it real" on here. You'll probably see mostly Music and Wedding shots on here...with a sprinkling of "other." Thanks for the support in advance! Now to wander blindly into the Blog Abyss.....