Another Dance photo

A quick shot from my running dance project. Meet Hannah, she's an amazing talent and a pleasure to work with. look for her on Broadway soon.

Dance Photography

There are few days that pass without at least a dozen photo ideas intruding on my thoughts. This week seems to be producing a bumper crop. I've spent the week doing corporate headshot photography for Wachovia, an engineering firm and this attempt at freeing some of my ideas from the confines of my brain.

This photo, like the motion blur car shot below was created entirely in camera. Special thanks to Lauren for her talent and doing it "exactly like that with one change" 20 times.

See more of my work as an advertising and corporate photographer in denver

Car photography for Volkswagen and the new 2010 Golf

In August I spent a very fun handful of days with a talented crew and the 2010 World Car of the Year - the VW Golf. The photos are online at DasAutoMagazine.com. Check them out!
Thanks to Jay, Wes and Isabel for the awesome support and Drew and Marc for the great art direction.

For more of my automobile photography swing by coclassicrides.blogspot.com

New photo illustration work

This is editing week and here's a little taste of a fun project I'm wrapping. This is Lindsey, one of the new board members for the Art Directors Club of Denver. If you're not already familiar, check them out. It's a great group of creative people here in Denver.

Share a little warmth

Have an extra coat laying around? This chilly week is a perfect reminder that there are those who may be experiencing a greater need than we're aware of and it might be easier than you think to help.

As per usual I had a great time with the Channel 7 crew creating images for bus signs and billboards to support the Coats for Colorado campaign.

A Bit of Glamour Photography

This week I had the pleasure of spending a little time with Robi for a new project featuring some of the most fun people I've photographed to date. One of the things I most love about my work as a photographer in Denver is the variety of people I get to meet. We're less than half into the month and I've been working with board members, a geologist, two body builders, and doing a marathon session with 15 very talented and totally hilarious young actors. Of course, I can't forget the reason for this post - Robi. Robi is a drag queen with a heart of gold. Look for more in my new series of Drag Queens in the coming weeks. (by the way, Robi did his own makeup and hair and has a salon at 12th and Santa Fe. His work is awesome.)

Actor Headshot Photographer

I've mentioned before that I have a blast working as a photographer for headshots in Denver, but it's worth saying again. Last weekend I spent a few long but very pleasurable days with the amazing Nicky Lee and a host of very talented stage actors and dancers in Boulder CO. We (at least me) had a blast creating images for their auditions and collecting a few very fun out-takes like these. Tucker (pictured) has amazing range and gave me two of my favorite actor photographs in a day full of great photos. Thanks so much to David and Angela for organizing everyone. Keep your eyes peeled for Tucker and his classmates. They're going to go far.

VW Golf Photo Shoot

I'm anxiously awaiting the next issue of Das Auto Magazine. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend a few days with a wonderful cast and crew shooting a feature for the 2010 VW Golf - recently named the World Car of the Year. Images will be posted once they publish. Thanks to Drew and Marc for their excellent direction, Ari for following my direction, Wes and Jay for their bullet proof support and Isabel for being a wonderful makeup artist and my guide in all things cool when it comes to fashion.

New photography of Denver's Channel 7 News Team

I've recently had the pleasure of several trips to the studios of Denver's Channel 7 News and am now able to share some images with you. As always the photography was a pure pleasure. The art director, Mark, makeup artist Charlene and the entire crew were a joy to work with. Look for new images on a billboard near you soon.

Photography for classic car enthusiasts

I'm a pretty basal person when it comes to what I like visually. I do appreciate nuance and humor and subtlety, but sometimes I just really like pretty pictures with great color. Harold and I teamed up again with his 51 Merc for this shot. We managed not to get the car stuck, not to catch west nile, and to get a few nice photos in the evening. What do you think?

Broadway comes to Boulder

I've recently had the pleasure of photographing some very talented young actors in Boulder. If you're looking for a fun way to support local artists I encourage you to think about attending The Secret Garden between June 12 and June 27.

Thanks to Chris for sticking around for the image above and Nicky Lee for her always amazing makeup and personality.

Swing by my commercial photography website to see more of my actor, model and presenter photography.

Another look at automobile photography

I'm often asked if I miss the darkroom and frequently surprise people when I answer with an unequivocal "no." I don't miss bad fumes, heaps of paper spent making the perfect guide print and the sharp corner of my darkroom table that never hurt quite enough to round off, but still ate my hip weekly. I DO, however, miss the results. Ilford HP5 on a nice oriental warm tone paper could make for a delightful print. Even more so when it was printed by someone with true skills like Tim at Amaranth Photo lab in Boulder (now closed sadly).

The photo above is one of the first shots we did for the car shoot below. We had a few questionable minutes while nature decided not to rain and security decided whether my credentials were legit. The edits you see took about an hour and I was specifically going for a look reminiscent of the Oriental papers I love.

Before you look at the car photo in it's enlarged state, check this simple monitor calibration chart out. if you can see all of the different bars of gray and black on the chart you're more likely to see all of the shadow and highlight detail in the black and white photo.

Classic Hot Rod Photography

I've been working on a fun personal project here lately and thought I'd share an initial result with those of you stopping by. I've had this concept in my head for a while and as luck has it the location that most closely fit what I wanted was off limits to professional photography. After some serious phone time I was able to make good on my location scouting and get the first choice for the shoot. I spent some tense hours hoping that we wouldn't get rained out as we waited for the car's arrival. Fortunately we had just a few drops and the kind of clouds that make me glad to be alive. I'll share some more as we move through the project. Huge thanks to Harold for his amazing car collection, Eric for being photo slave and whoever ordered the show in the sky.

p.s. this photo and all of the others on my blog has an embedded icc profile, it'll look more like I intended if you're using Safari or Firefox or another browser that knows color counts.

beauty photography

Here's a quickie from a new project. Beauty photography is one of my favorite things to do and look at. Kat came in for a casting call and was nice enough to stick around for some fun shots. More later, I'm off to scout locations for the next project!

special thanks to Brittini Pickering for the makeup and hair.

Annual Report and Industrial Photography

I recently spent a fun chunk of time with the very nice, although slightly bewildered, service people at Schomp BMW. Sadly I wasn't able to take the model from this shoot out for a night on the town and we confused more than one person as I paraded around the $98k 750li taking pictures of the floor.

The photo above is one of my favorite out-takes from a shoot last week for the company that makes the tile in all BMW service shops (and many other high tech and/or restaurant locations). Their tile is some of the strongest stuff out there. The images we created will be used in trade show displays and some of their literature.

Even though the photo isn't of a person, I must say that the thing I continue to love about being an annual report photographer and doing industrial photography is the people. I meet the nicest people at places like Schomp. It's always such a joy to have them happily work with my odd requests as I interrupt their day.

For those who care, the image you see was created almost entirely in camera. I took the liberty of removing a water spot from the floor and clearing up a few stray reflections.

Judging a book by it's cover

Here's an interesting listen from NPR. You've heard that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but there's a distinct link between the author's photo and the sales of his/her book.

There are a lot of reasons to go to a specialist in photographing people for your headshot/business card/cd cover/dust jacket photo. I always like to think of your photoshoot like a job interview. When you interview for a job you prepare fully and in advance, choose your outfit carefully, and know that image and preparation are everything. I've always felt that a headshot without makeup is like a bank interview without a suit. Fortunately I've got a load of wonderful and talented associates to send you to.

Give the story above a listen and give me a ring when you need hair, makeup or photography for your next business portrait in Denver.

Pictured above: Asha Blake, L.A. TV's Green Reporter, presenter/speaker and an absolute joy to work with. Makeup by the amazing Isabel Vigil and art direction by Gerald Kelly

Headshot Photographer

I often get calls from people looking for a headshot photographer in Denver because they need a quick and "easy" photograph. Often on a budget. I respect budgets, but sometimes you get what you pay for. An informal poll of my last several gigs reveals that almost 1/3 of my business headshots are remakes from something someone tried themselves or with a friend/spouse. A little planning can lead you to a happy experience where you walk in ready to roll and walk out before you know you've been there.

Here are a few tips to make your business portrait experience successful:

• Wear clothes that make you feel good. Bring that tie or blouse that everyone says makes your eyes look amazing


• Consider more than one wardrobe option. I'd love to show you completely different options from the same shoot. You never know what use you'll find for the photos.


• Ask your publisher, editor, manager or whomever if they have a layout that you can bring with you. Knowing how your photo will be used helps us speed along.


• It's a lazy photographer that won't photograph you in white, however, sometimes the way your photo prints influences your clothing. Tight patterns and all white can be a challenge in printing, particularly for newspaper applications.


• If we're working outside the studio I'd love to help you set the schedule before you make reservations or book people. A little planning goes a long way toward effective use of your employees time.


• Be happy, really! I've had clients challenge me to make a good photo of them because no one else could. We're on the same team, let's have some fun and let it show in the photos.

Need more info, or ideas? I've got a lot more to share with you. Give me a call at 303-562-5536 and we'll get you started.

Headshots and a bonus

I always enjoy doing headshots for actors, models and business people because I get to meet interesting people with all kinds of good stories. I also enjoy photographing headshots because it encourages me to play around. I often try to setup two or three scenes so we can get what you need and then do at least a small handful of play shots for a little variety without a lot of extra time. This week I got to photograph Brittany for her role in the Secret Garden and a handful of other auditions. Her agent mentioned that she was also a dancer and they'd like a fun shot or two to show that. Brittany was a lot of fun to work with and she made my toes hurt just watching her up on pointe.

Another day on the street

I've been inspired and enjoying the weather lately. Usually I exert a bit of control over the light in my studio and location photography but lately I've enjoyed walking in the abnormally warm weather and using available light. These photos are a quick sample from wandering through the St Patrick's Day Parade here in Denver Colorado.

A Day On the Street

I've been anxiously waiting for several images to publish so I can see how they run and so I can share them here. This week had some wonderful sunshine and a light workload so I spent a a few hours enjoying some street musicians and taking a few snaps for an upcoming personal photo project. See what you think and let me know!

when life gives you rain...

Las Vegas broke a single day rain record set in 1963 on the 7th...the same day as Chaun and I were supposed to be shooting in the desert. After three days of rain and three new locations trying to move around the clouds we decided to get out and capture a few shots anyway. Chaun is a very talented dancer and if you haven't caught the theme, I love photographing athletes. Hopefully we'll have more to show you when he's back from his tour in Germany!

Meet Andy

Andy eats a dozen eggs, a steak, and several fillets of fish every single day. He's also guaranteed to make you laugh. If you're serious about getting big and eating right, check him out at www.andyhaman.com. Keep an eye peeled for more shots as they publish.

Portraits, simple in style, not so simple in execution

It's not often that I photograph very little children outside of the furry ones that live with me. Last week I made an exception and took a break from the -5 day in Wyoming to photograph the neighbor kids. I used a pretty simple setup for the shots originally intending for them to be black and white portraits. After a little toying around and thinking that perhaps a de-saturated look would be better, I've come back to the original color shots. I didn't make the trip with a lot of lighting equipment, but fortunately my artist mom has a lot of my favorite reflector material. Foam core continues to beat the pants off of my expensive panel reflectors and for a gaggle of kids and parents it feels a lot safer. One big light, 5 pieces of foam board, two clamps that don't clamp anything, masking tape on the clamps and off we go.  The little dude in the middle wanted to be there the least and is probably my favorite photo of the day.