The only guarantees in life are death and taxes they say right? Well, it couldnt be more true than with my old Canon 1d mk3, I killed it, but I didnt pay taxes on it when I bought it new since it was a business purchase, so one out of two isn’t bad here. Unfortunately one of my old workhorses met its demise recently while shooting a job for Red Bull. It was a subtle death, it happened so fast and I almost didnt notice it. Puzzled as i was at the discovery of the issue, it turns out that I, at the time was one of only one or two other camera owners that had discovered the achilles heel of todays modern digital sensors. All it took was a millisecond exposure to an intense green laser while using the live view function on the camera. That sent the CMOS into a coronary and that was it. Estimate from Canon, $2000 to repair. Being that I bought the body a couple of years earlier and it served as more of a backup for my 1ds mk3, I opted to send it on its way. Insurance covered it, and I put the funds toward a new Canon 5d mk2 which I would find more useful with the added resolution and HD video feature. The 1d served me well when needed, but never was my favorite, the 10 fps was nice, but I often found myself throwing out more images out of a burst than I needed. The autofocus has its faults, and the image quality was decent at best. So farewell 1d, thank you for the memories. But look what you can do with 10 fps!…. there were twice as many frames I had to choose from making these two images. The great thing about that body, you’d aim it, spray off a burst, then go back in and pick the frames that worked best.
I am posting this for close friend and fellow photographer Sang An whom is participating with his partner Bob Bathrick on a 545 mile cycling tour from San Frans to L.A June 5-11th. The funds raised from this goes to benefit the San Fransisco AIDS foundation, and the L.A Gay & Lesbian Center. Last year these two alone raised over $10,000 in donations and with a stellar art auction that they hold. I encourage you to visit the “Team Bang” website
and learn more about them, the reasons, the gear, the route, and most importantly, to take a look at the fantastic artwork that is available to purchase from a wide range of artists including myself. All proceeds raised from their art auction benefits the cause and you essentially can kill two birds with one rock here….. help out and do something charitable for a good cause, and at the same time score some truly unique and one of a kind artwork. Its even tax deductible, so make that three birds with one rock! I encourage anyone reading this to at least take a look and spread the word.
The auction is being held on April 9th from 5-9pm at thier home in California. If you are not nearby, then no worries, their contact info is avail on their site and I am sure they would be more than accommodating to phone or email offers during the auction. Contact them for further details.
Recently I have had a few meetings with potential clients for upcoming shoots, and I took the opportunity to put together a straightforward and simple leave behind promo piece. These were produced in house on my Canon and printed on Moab paper. hand trimmed, scored and folded. Simple, effective, done!
I know this has been circulated before, but I still really enjoy watching this. I admire the composition and am so amazed that this is all computer generated. Such fantastic work! credit to The third & the seventh
I have had the pleasure over the past 2 years of shooting the finished projects of ML Interior Design, a interior design and decorating firm based out of Maplewood NJ.Marisa Lafiosca and I were introduced by a fellow friend/ colleague Lorie Combias who is the owner of The Muddy Boot Antiques in Summit NJ whom at the time I had been shooting content for her portfolios and website. (Continued)
A few weeks ago, I was hired by a new client Innovative carpets to shoot installations they had done in two new high end hotels that have recently opened up in NYC. The first was the Chatwal Hotel on west 44th st, which is a stunning renovation of the building keeping a great deal of its original craftsmanship intact. The Stamford white room is breathtaking with its original woodwork and architectural details. The entire suite is oozing class. All of the walls are covered in suede, the furniture in hand sewn leather, the room features are all automated and controlled with touch screens, theres flat screens hidden behind two way mirrors even in the bathroom. Oh and speaking of the bathrooms, each has a toilet that supposedly costs about $12000 each. i had to check it out. Unfortunately, try as I might, nature did not call at the time of the shoot, otherwise I would have not passed on the opportunity to use a latrine that not only has heated seat, fan control, deodorizer, and motorized, automated, aim-able, and heated bidet…. but is all run by a illuminated and wireless remote control with presets that attaches to the wall adjacent! Puts a whole new spin on the morning “Routine”(Continued)
I just finished shooting a quick job for G Select who has an exclusive on a fantastic book you should check out. Stuck Up Piece of Crap highlights the most influential underground graphic designs and street art stickers that have been around for generations and kind of had its own cult following. This copy is being offered in a limited press run of 300. I had a chance to check it out after shooting it, the book itself it fantastic, but the folder that comes with it holds a ton of the original stickers featured in the book, many of them hand signed by the original artist. Definitely cool!
It was that time of year again. I had gotten a call from the Central Jersey VW society asking me if I would be interested in shooting this years featured vehicle for their awards poster since last years bug shot was such a success. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to pull a rabbit out of a hat again…. I just love challenging shoots. This years selected VW was a 1967 21 window bus that is owned by a gentleman named Bob Cropsey. (Continued)
Recently I had the pleasure of working with a new client CJ’s Favorites who brought me in to shoot their product line of cookies. They are a emerging company in the gourmet cookie and dessert market and wanted imagery that reflected a simple yet artistic take on what they provided.
With limited budget and an open direction we met to discuss the possibilities of what we could do in terms of photography, we set out to do some simple and “real” shots that were not gimmicky or boring, but did not detract from the food itself. We spent a day gathering props and ingredients for the shoot, and spent an entire day with the set, styling, lighting and image capture.
Of course during the shoot there was a lot of tasting and sampling and I can honestly say that they’re baking and recipes are delicious! I was impressed with the fact they use only the freshest ingredients and the recipes are handed down through their family from past generations. The ricotta chocolate chip (I beleive they name it the Heavenly Delight) and the pecan bars (Which have a touch of honey in them) are seriously sinful! I highly recommend visiting their website and ordering some of these delicious home made cookies yourself!
More of the images that were shot can be found in the still life section of www.garibaldiphoto.com
I really must apologize to the thousands of readers to my blog for the recent radio silence that has been up here. I assure you that it is all for good reason though. I have undertaken a project that when finished will be so bitchin that once you see it you will understand. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but I will start to divulge details soon and promise to do a complete coverage of all of the elements and details that went into it. It has been a totally consuming in terms of planning, time, and concentration. I have managed to keep up with regular shooting and paying jobs in the meantime, but I got this itch a few months back to really put a major amount of effort into something that will really represent what I stand for and what I would like to portray, so keep your eyes and ears peeled! I promise, it will be good.
It has taken a lot of planning and research, a lot of mistakes, frustration, and quite an investment of both money and time, well, more time than anything.
To give you a little idea of one of the parts of the project, I will share this image. Its of a printer crate that arrived back in February. I knew it would be big, I just didnt realize it would be this BIG! When the freight truck driver came walking up to my door that day and we went outside and he asked me if I had a loading dock, I kind of looked at him like he had three heads. I then asked where he was parked and he pointed to a huge 18 wheeler that was idling on the side of the road up the hill from my development. After trying to figure out if he would be able to turn his truck around in there, he pulled it in. All I asked of him was that he help me at least get it up to my front door instead of leaving it out by the curb as he jacked up the palette and rolled this 180 pound crate to the back of the trailer. I gave him a tip and we finagled it up outside my door. I took the liberty of putting my cousins 115 pound bernese mountain dog up on top of the box to give an idea of scale. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if I had picked up a 44 inch wide printer instead. None the less, once set up and parked in my place, it is about the same size as my desk. Im still looking for the place where the cappuccino gets dispensed though. More to come……
I remember years ago getting a promo from BMW that featured a number of short films that were done by various people that incorporated their latest models in the stories. I always found this one to be my favorite. It’s cool, fast, and clever. Enjoy!
A while back on this blog I had mentioned that I had a new project in the works that I would soon be launching. Well, after it taking on a life of its own, and getting pushed back due to other more pertinent work, it’s finally done and up. It can be found on my main site here. (Continued)
I have just received my new business cards yesterday and I am very pleased to share them. I would like to extend my thanks to Denise Vannucci of Yellow Advertising & Design for helping me get my idea for the card into a eps file format, and also Alex Daley of Dolce Press for doing the printing and putting up with me while we nailed down the proofs. It was well worth the wait and this is a card that I am proud to hand to someone.
The design premise was to be something that was clean, tight, simple and carried through with the color and feel of my site. I also wanted a card then when I hand it to someone, is substantial and tactile and makes them hesitant to just stuff in their pocket or throw away. I wanted to design a card that would be remembered and exude a sense of thoughtful and subtle design. I used a blind de-bossing with no ink for the front so that the depth of the impression into the paper and the shadow it creates is what you read. The crisp impression and the texture of the cotton also encourages you to run your fingers over the surface to experience its depth. As you flip the card over to see the information on the rear, the vibrant orange edge coloring (Which matches the orange navigation icons on the site) will catch your eye and add some color to the card, as well as draw attention to the thickness of the stock, which is 220 lbs cotton Lettra in flourecent white. The rear of the card uses a matching Gotham font like the front and is printed with silver ink using letterpress. Overall, it is a clean and minimal card that goes beyond just a simple swatch of information, it invites more of your senses and will encourage you to hold it in your hands and savor it. If I could have had them flavored like a Breyers® Creamsicle so that you could lick them, I would have.
For a further in depth study on business card etiquette and impact please take a moment and enjoy this short excerpt:
This is a clip from the opening credits of a skateboarding video called fully flared by Ty Evans, Spike Jonze and Cory Weincheque that came out a few years ago. I find the concept and execution captivating.
There is a new image I have added under the form gallery on my site. I actually shot this a while back on location on a shoot and have been passing over it for over a year in my archives and took another look at it the other day and decided it was fitting.
On another note, I will be adding some new projects I have been working on to the site shortly. I know I have been saying so for a while now, but between working shoots, and the time in retouching, they are coming along slower than anticipated. Be sure that they will be worth the wait though!
New MX images added to site under sport category. I have recently shot a good amount of content and will be posting up a few more once they are complete so stay tuned.
I came across this on a few blogs this week and it seems like a fantastic idea. I am involved and encourage anyone else interested to do the same. For more info visit the Help Portrait website
I often go back through past jobs that I have stored in my archives and will come across an image that I may have missed or not really thought much of at the time and I see it in a whole new light. This image, which can be found in the aerial section of my website is actually a shot taken from a plane as we were coming in from our decent from a commercial aerial flight. As we flew in over a marsh of 12 foot high swamp grass chutes, I snapped this image. Upon first looking at it, it appears to be simply a shot taken of a lawn at eye level. But upon closer inspection, you can see that the perspective and depth is just a little different to simply just be a shot of that. It was taken from roughly 800 feet above and just the simple pattern, the muted color and intricate detail of every blade of each plant is what drew me to it. * Due to the vast amount of detail in a lot of these images on my site, especially the aerial images, the file sizes can be quite large, thus resulting in a slightly longer load time on some images. This is done at the expense of speed, as I would rather show the detail and quality of the image, so if some images take a moment more to load than others, please be patient.
Over the past 34 years of my life I have seen numerous examples of the work of Herb Ritts. Most of those times were when I hadn’t even the slightest notion that I was going to be a professional photographer someday, so while his work had made a memorable impression on me at the time, I did not pay too much attention to it beyond that. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I was in Miami on work, that I happened to pick up a book of his work tucked in the back corner of a shelf at a studio. I had some time to really sit down and go through his images and was just captivated. I find his work to be strikingly beautiful, simple, and timeless. His death was a tragic loss to the photography world.
Truth be told, I’ll always be a car guy. Deep deep down, I have a draw to them. They can stir the soul, get you excited, some people even think that they can get you laid. They make noises, they move, they light up, they shoot stuff out, they have personalities.
Automobiles are form and function cohering. There are too many to list, and too many merits to cover for any particular one.
This post is focused on the images I recently shot for a project (They can be viewed in the Wheels section of my site) of a 1950 VW split window coupe that has been impeccably restored. (Continued)
Okay, so no big discoveries here, I am probably one of the last people on this planet (aside from my Father who opted for the Blackberry hahaha) to get the IPhone. I just want to join the masses and say- Wow! what a life changing device…. no need for me to embellish on its attributes and capabilities. I just cannot believe I waited so long to finally get one. My website even has a mirror site that is viewable on the Iphone….so cool! All the IPhone needs is a nose hair trimmer and a built in stun gun and it would be the perfect device. Maybe that will be on the next Iphone 4GS or whatever they name it….
This video is not new, but anytime I come across it and watch it I feel relief that I am not the only one who seems to experience these situations, as well as frustration since it is so true as well. I am sure that we all can relate to this with business dealings in our own lives, probably more than we would care to admit. The only detail from the clip that makes me slightly different than Mr. Ellison, is that I have not figured out how to get paid every time I take a leak, that must come with experience. Taken from documentary on Harlan Ellison, “DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH”
Many photographers often put up posts of images and are kind enough to allow the viewer to be privy to a behind the scene glimpse of perhaps where or how the image was shot. They will discuss the equipment used, a lighting setup, or some other often unrevealed facet of the image. That is fine and great, but I wanted to cover something a little different with this one. I am going to tell the story of how I had to save my own ass taking this image. (Continued)
Take the Holland Tunnel out of New York City and go ten blocks deeper than the metropolitan and cushy neighborhoods of Hoboken or Jersey City, where trying to buy a place to live is only a few steps behind Manhattan in terms of price and you’ll end up in an industrial bad land. Do the same with the Lincoln tunnel and you wont even have to go as far. Fly into Newark airport airport and right before you land your eyes are given a visceral treat of probably a place you definitely wont be visiting while in the area. Take the Pulaski Skyway out to the suburbs on your way out from the city and turn your head to either side and take a look….and a whiff. This area of Newark, Kearny, Bayonne, Secaucus, Elizabeth, Harrison and the surrounding towns are probably what give New Jersey its oh so fine reputation of being the country’s dump. I’m sure you have all either seen it, smelled it, or heard about it, and while I’m not here to try and change your mind, I would like to point out that despite what notion you may have about it, there really is a beautiful side to it.
One caveat, that beautiful side may be buried under some toxic soil, or down a dark dead end street, or a couple of inches below that funky stinky mist that is floating by, but its there. I bet you have never noticed it.
While typically you may lock your doors, panic, grip your mace, fire up your navigation system really fast, and have bad dreams for a few days, I have found quite the opposite to be true. I purposely get lost, open the windows, get out, look up, and take the turn down that street that you would otherwise avoid like the gate of hell. Let me just say that once you get past the voice in your head telling you not to, often times what lies down that path is truly cool and unique with more character than you could ever imagine. (Continued)
I have been working on it for over 4 months and finally got it to a point to launch it so please take a look and enjoy. It was a lot of late nights in front of the workstation, eyes burning, staring at thousands of images, trying to choose which ones I wanted to display. My electricity bill actually went up quite a bit, I fried a set of RAM sticks in my Mac, blew through the free 40 hour a month limit on Pandora within the first few days of each month, and wore the tip of my Wacom stylus pen down to nothing. It was all worth it though. There will be new content being added frequently so be sure to check back.
I tend to shoot a variety of subjects and really enjoy the diversity, so I decided to include a broad range of categories and content within each to show it. I am going to discuss some of these categories and the images in them in future blogs as well.
I would like to give a big thank you to Rob Haggart and his team at APhotoFolio for providing such an outstanding platform for my website. After shopping around for a company to team up with to remake my old portfolio site, I found theirs to be stupendous in terms of layout, ease of use, design, execution, and cost. They provide all of the necessary tools to make a really slick site that is so easy to manage and customize, and the end result is fast, clean and has impact. Their customer service is excellent as well.
I would also like to add that when I was doing my initial research, I came across an excellent blog that has an in depth discussion and comparison of all of the top photography website designs which really helped to educate me on my decision. That blog can be found here at http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2008/01/31/portfolio-website-design/ Its worth a look if you would like to see real world discussion on websites and design companies of that nature.
