I went to a local beach called Surf City this afternoon to get this shot. I mounted the D2X on a tripod and did a long timed exposure using my cable release. The water moving in the frame ended up looking like foggy glass. I like it.
I went to a local beach called Surf City this afternoon to get this shot. I mounted the D2X on a tripod and did a long timed exposure using my cable release. The water moving in the frame ended up looking like foggy glass. I like it.
"Matt's Creation" by WExX
Well, I wanted my studio to be an artistic haven... and Matt Vollman's expertise in graphic design and creativity has really sparked a new element to my working space. This is a photo mosiac that Matt designed for me. In my interpretation, he took the most important inspirational figure, Hunter S. Thompson, and designed this wonderful image.
"Buy the ticket, take the ride..." One of Hunter's greatest quotes. Its a new found philosphy that I think Matt and I have adopted in our creative partnership. It couldn't be more fitting.
You really can't fully appreciate this artistic genious until you see it in person. My ceilings are twelve-feet tall and it only lacks about 3 feet from covering the wall ceiling-to-floor. I am honestly impressed with this piece.
And, this is the portrait of Matt with his art. I think it totally fits the mood of everything, cigarette lit in tow. Matt felt a supreme sense of accomplishment when he was "allowed" to light up in the studio. He said he knew the day would come, he just knew he had to be patient.
"The Leaf" by WExX
I just wanted to write something.
I am home, got here around 1 a.m. I am glad this week is over. I am glad I am no longer in Wyoming. This week was almost too much. I have to say it was one my most horrid assignments to date... and I have had some real hum-dingers.
"Cold Angel" by WExX
So, today I had a little time to kill between appointments and I decided to explore. Strangely enough, I ended up driving into the cemetery gates in Gillette. The dark, bare tree branches were drooping from the weight of an ice encasing. The ground was dusted white, undisturbed as if no one had walked across it in some time.
I'm drawn to the dead time and time again. And tonight, I think I figured out a reason for this anomaly. That grand conclusion is this: the dead never say anything.
The dead don't make conversation or ridicule your work or act ungrateful for the things you do. The dead never lie, they only know Truth, one Truth, their Truth... they are dead, and nothing else matters to them anymore.
There is some deep-set beauty in this. Its wholesome and silent. Just Truth. No dilluted tales. No promises of tomorrow and the things it will bring. Just solemnity. The angel's blank eyes in the photograph can see this Truth. The angel passively watches over the dead and knows nothing more than total apathy.
"Flush" by WExX
Well, its late in Wyoming and I can't sleep. Tonight I found $1200 worth of temporary authorizations on my credit card from the hotel I was staying at. Let's just say that authorizations like that make my credit limit go over the max. Needless to say, I was fucking pissed about it. I jumped on the horn with this nice lady in Phoenix from the credit bureau. She conference called me in with the hotel night manager and got the charges removed. Bless her sweet heart. She didn't take any gupp from these swine. She was a mover-n-shaker and she got shit done.
After being given an expired airline voucher (and not knowing it until I was denied my flight from Denver to Gillette in the terminal) and being stuck in Denver Monday night, this was the last thing I wanted to deal with at 2 in the fucking morning. Not to mention the weather here is below freezing with snow falling down, fog filling the air, black ice on the road... and not to mention my rental car is a Chevy Malibu (nice fuckin' rental car for winter conditions in Wyoming).
On top of the total piece-of-shit weather, one of my stories I'm supposed to illustrate is about a place that isn't even built yet. Another one is on the construction of some new chain hotels in Gillette (not Bed & Breakfasts, but Holiday Inn and shit). And the cover recommendations are of scenic, exterior things that would probably look quite rad in about, oh say, 4 fucking months when spring has sprung.
Things are lookin' up!
[The sound of The Doors song, "Riders On The Storm" plays lighlty in the background]
At least I got to download the last two episodes of 24 from iTunes tonight and watch them. And, ya know, Jack Bauer is disarming tactical nuclear bombs, so my problems seem trivial right now.
This is a photo I shot at a hockey rink tonight. I thought it was bizarre. My interpretation is pretty ruff, so I won't even go there. Just think... "What does the image say to YOU?" Somehow, I don't think the Marine Corps would appreciate the strategic placement of this propaganda tool.
"Ground" by WExX
Prepping the engine-propelled, cylindrical, aero-flight, two-winged, aluminum death machine in Denver.
"SkyHigh" by WExX
First off, this photo is shit-for-quality. I snapped it with my camera phone while we were aloft. Words cannot describe the tension inside that plane. The lady next to me, with her deep red hair and plastic surgery smile, really creeped me out too.
"Rockies" by WExX
Here is a view of the Rockies that I snapped with the D2X w/ 50mm lens through the window shortly after takeoff.
"Portal" by WExX
I had to point the camera in the direction of the red-haired woman for this shot. She freaked, but I didn't care. I told her to "can it" and she pretty much did.
"4-Leaf" by WExX
It looked like a 4-Leaf clover. It was my luck charm.
"Factory Land" by WExX
Another shot from the plane I like. But, that really doesn't matter. What matters is... I made it to Gillette, Wyoming, without falling from the sky. I was one of 10 passengers on this flying tin can. Not criticizing the airline, the flight wasn't too bad (besides a few sudden drops and some insane turbulance).
Note to self: flying on tiny planes for multiple hours really blows.
"Rest" by WExX
It was a Super Party. Too bad you missed it. Should've come for the festivities.
Other than that, here is a strange little shot for you. Ever faithful Matt decided to snooze a bit after most folks left. I asked Nicola and Mikey to assume a watchful position behind him. The low light, deep shadows and high contrast made this one interesting. The general synopsis from most people queried is the scene seems like a wake. Which I think is cool.
"Mattie" by WExX
We did a lil' bit o' work in WExX Studio today. Used a ton of lights, took a chunk of time, and I think we like what we got.
Here is Matt, faithful as ever as a test subject. What a guy.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Check out the newly acquired retro couch. Found all 9 feet of her at Salvation Army. Rock.
"Hands" by WExX
This is a shot I did in the studio today. I needed some kind of art to illustrate a story about business and schools in a partnership for learning. Well, a child's hand shaking the hand of a businessman is what I came up with.
Its really more complicated of a photo than it looks to be. It took four lights to get this one like this. The background was originally black, so I put a purple gel on it and shot it at an angle to make a color gradient. I really like how the pattern worked in it. Then, I shot a light onto the back of the hands to make a slight halo effect on them. Lastly, I positioned two silver-lined umbrellas at 45-degree angles to the subject for main lights.
Anyway, I think it looks alright.
"Burn Gov't." by WExX
Went through D.C. today. Nothing worth a fuck. Changed some color temp and here is my version of the Washington Monument.
"Ghost Rider" by WExX
What? You want Evil? You got it...
My weather on this assignment has sucked. Rain, clouds, overcast, etc. I thought I would jack with the color temp in my camera and do something different.
This one was shot on tripod at 30 sec. I set my color to 16000K to turn the sky red. To bring out the statues detail in the dark and to help bring the copper horseman back to his proper color with the warm temp adjustment, I popped a flash (about 12 times) zoomed at 105mm, 1/4 power with a deep blue gel on it. The sky had a few dark clouds that were moving that made the black streaks in the sky.
This thing looks like the ghost rider breaking out of Hell. I like it. Somehow, I don't think this one will make the pages of the community magazine for C-ville.
"Ready to Ride" by WExX
I just felt like posting a recent shot and saying Happy Holidays to everyone.
This shot is actually from a farm in my hometown, Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
"Climb" by Wexx
We shot this Olympic white water training facility. My favorite shot came from this guy ascending the climbing wall.
"Slither" by Wexx
I am in Greensboro, N.C., still on assignment. I left Nashville a couple of weeks ago and haven't seen her since. On the tail end of shooting my third magazine. At least B-Money is here to play as well.
This shot came from a natural history museum in Greensboro. I think it is one of my most sinister shots to date... and I am completely in love with it. I have seen stuff like this in National Geographic before, hopefully it is a sign of the future.
"Simply Business" by Wexx
This is one that I did in Chattanooga while I've been shooting the Southeast Resource magazine. Its really no big whoop, but I was pretty thrilled about it. It sure beats the normal ol' standard kinda business headshots that we normally shoot. I'm just glad to see I still have some will to step outide the box with my photo ideas and still make a nice shot.
Besides, I showed this one to her after I shot it and she raved about it. She was trying to buy it off of me right away. Now that really makes going the extra mile worth it.
"The Light" by Wexx
Well, this one is from a show I shot this weekend at Exit/In in Nashville. This is Richard Patrick (former singer for the band "Filter", singer for the band "Army of Anyone." Patrick has teamed up with the DeLeo brothers, formerly of Stone Temple Pilots and a pretty rockin' new drummer.
Here is a moment from the show. The lighting in Exit/In isn't great for standard concert photography. I was shooting at 800 ISO (little grainy) to get alright exposures. So this shot is actually at 1/15th of a second at f/2.8. For those of you that don't understand film and shutter speed and light and all that jazz, it translates into, "Damn, I'm lucky this shot isn't blurry."
Anyway, I really like it. Music photography is my passion.
"The Bolt" by Wexx
I think someone mentioned something about my old Nashville skyline shots. Well, here is my most famous one...
The bolt of lightning seems to hit the Bellsouth (aka Batman) Building. Believe it or not, I captured this shot back in college when I had little more than a Fuji FunPix point-and-shoot. It is absurd to think that normal people could catch a shot like this one with a lil' ol' piece of crap digicam. But, hey, I got lucky. And after catching this shot, I became rather addicted. Now, here I am.
"The View" by Wexx
I was going through some of my archives tonight and found a little jewel that I shot a while back, but never posted it. Its a simple dusk shot of Canada seen from the American side of Niagara Falls.
I don't think the colors will reproduce as vividly on the Web as I see them on my monitor. Oh well, it is a nice one, though.
"Docked" by Wexx
It is a great tragedy, of course I mean this trip. Marquette, Michigan, such a wonderful place. I can envision the scenic photography that my light capturing box should be recording, but alas, suck-ass weather keeps it snuggly-tucked away in its carrying case. Why, why must you do this to me, I ask? The torture of my mind seeing beautiful photographs that are impossible to collect upon.
I shot this one anyway. Its simple, a sailboat docked for the winter. But, I didn't let a lack of sunshine kill it out. Screw it, I did the unthinkable... I used PhotoShop to tone the hell out of this one. It came from the camera looking like a mega-turd that Andy Rooney would spat lousy commentary about. But, by God, I tried to make it look like a dream. Be it a dream or not, I did my best. And what else can you ask of a man, other than his absolute greatest devotion to a cause, even if that cause is photography? Nothing, I say, nothing. So be it.
And this might just become the IMAGES of Marquette magazine cover.
Well, this one came straight from one of the two hotel pubs I am staying at. The server was beautiful, and sweet. She invited me to the next joint since the taps close early here tonight. I took the ticket and I would be a fool not to go along for the ride, right? Yessir, think I will join in the fun... Hunter would.
"Eye-talian" by Wexx
Well, I rarely post food shots, but I like this one. I don't think its a master work or anything like that, but it was a breath of fresh air for me.
I went to this restaurant to do the shot at about 8:30 p.m. tonight and worked on it until 10:30 p.m. I shot it all kinds of different ways, but I like this one the best I used two umbrella lights off to the sides of the table and let in massive amounts of ambient light with about a 20-second long exposure. The most fun part of it was light painting with a cheap-ass flashlight and a cylinder of paper wrapped around it to limit light from spilling all over the scene. You really can't tell a big difference with the light painting, but I had an incredibly fun time being super meticulous with it.
I needed to do something like this assignment. I was about to my wits end with photography, to be honest. My creativity and passion is just kinda fading or something. I can't let that happen. Gotta keep on going with it. I think my assignments have just been pretty ruff here lately and really gotten me down. But, I can't let it overcome me. This one was just a normal, monotonous assignment that I said, "fuck it," and made an interesting time for myself.
