SMASHPROOF VID SHOOT: DAY 2

http://www.movethecrowd.co.nz

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A very wet and cold day 2. The crew had to work a bit harder to find the magic but with some fantastic locations such as Minginui (Many thanks to the locals out there) there was gold to be had. A real big thanks to Maureen who warmed us up with hot coffee and a stint by the coal range. For those who haven't been out there it can get bloody cold. Not more than two days prior to us arriving they were experiencing bone chilling -10 deg temps. That has my knees knocking just thinking about it.







Keeping the camera dry took precedence over the operators so by the end of the day we were left with a very hungry, wet and tired film crew. The final cut should be out there in about two to three weeks so everyone keep your eyes and ears open for Smashproofs new single "Ordinary Life".
Thanks to my Cuz (Kirk) for getting me involved in it all as well as Andy, Andrew and James (the crew) and my talented partner Mandy. Was a great experience.

Smashproof Vid, Day One:

Great day in Te Teko. Lots of interest and the locals are keen as mustard to help out. There was a general brief to go by but nothing could really be planned. Fortunately everything fell in to place with some great moments caught on film.
We are off to Opotiki and Minginui tomorrow so with fingers crossed for no rain, it should be a productive day. The video is being shot on 35mm film so should have a great tonality and feel to the finished product.

Check out the above image. No its not mine and no its not scanned from a fashion mag. This damn fine pic is a self portrait taken by my 13yr old neice. FANTASTIC. I have to show it off. I am talking about a family that all have amaizing talents and are rather creative with mind as well as hand. Great effort Melissa.

Forgive me folks for neglecting you for so long but I am alive and kicking. I have read in the past that the progression from stills to video can be a part of the natural progression of things and I must admit it has crossed my mind now and then but as soon as the thought of the $$$$ its all over. Playing cards should be the sport, hobby or passion of choice as at least you don't need a hefty bank loan to get started. Anyway, I have a Cousin in the big NY who works for one of the worlds biggest record labels. He had his rather humble beginnings in South Auckland working after school in a record shop and with alot of hard work has achieved his dream. He credits good old NZ for his successes and chooses to give something back to the NZ music scene with his label (Move the Crowd Records). One group getting their start under this label is "Smashproof" (checkout their single "Brother" on YOUTUBE, it rocks).

I have been given the task of scouting out music video locations for their up and coming single "Ordinary Life" so after many hours on the ph and driving around the bay its all on this weekend. I am rather interested in seeing how the whole process develops and comparing it with the finished product. All you Smashproof fans, keep an eye out for the bay making its way.

Photographing kids compared to photographing other subject matter, has a unique set of challenges. Nothing can be setup, planned or expectations set. So with this in mind and I will admit, not a wealth of experience with children, off I went to shoot an over active 18month old farm lad.

Every Body, Meet Dylan.













This little fella is tough as old boots. During the shoot, he had a rather nasty tumble and with only a minute of tears was back into it boots and all (see above haha). This little man was all over the place, so the best strategy with kids is to present them with things of interest, encourage parental input as much as possible but after that, its all up to chance.

The last image inspired me. It took me back to my own childhood with old colour snaps taken in the late 60s, myself bottle feeding my pet lamb, wearing leather sandals, stubby shorts and an oversize woolen jumper topping a rather unique collection of ill-fitting country-ware. I remember those pics well with rounded corners, subdued colours and a slight cross processed appearance.
Life as a kid in NZ was a great experience (as I am sure Dylan will testify to when he's my age). With an over active imagination and a tonne of energy, I was off in all directions exploring. Any new environment had to be checked out thoroughly. Even to this day I seem to have managed to keep my over active imagination which I am sure helps me maintain a good sense of humor and creativity my photography. I will have a dig around and see if I can find and scan a few of those old pics to post here.

OK, Here is a break from the norm. For a bit of calm and relaxation there's nothing better than a bit of a fishing. Only 15Min's from home is all the piece and quiet you can handle as well as a good supply of trout. This little brown trout weighed in at 3lb, tasted like a rainbow, the fillets had the colour of a salmon and it tasted great.

Well I had submitted four Images to the PSNZ Canon national exhibition a while back and after a long wait I finally have my prints back. With high hopes for a Medal or even a honours, it was not meant to be. My disappointment has been off set by the entry and award statistics that arrived with my prints. There were 1639 entries with only 473 in all categories accepted (of which I had two) and only 43 of those received medals. So after looking back over those figures, its not so bad after all. I have a few ideas that will hopefully get me on top next year so cant wait to get stuck in.

Well I cant believe it, 3 posts in the same night. Enjoy the rush while it lasts.


I finally managed to get some picks shot on the weekend so that photo fix should last me about 2 hrs. It was a chance to experiment with some concepts I wish to incorporate into another image I have been planning for the past year. (good things take time). The model, Tasha is a real gem. She's not just beautiful but keen, tough and seems to have a natural ability to works scenarios without too much prompting. I always know good pics are on the cards when she steps up to the plate.





The above image has some elements which need work but keep an eye out as they will hopefully crop up again soon (ironed out) in a long awaited image/s.

There you go. I thought that after my last post, a small selection of wedding images was needed.

Enjoy.

PART II

Surrounded by reluctant subjects had me wondering "where to next". There are a few twists and turns in ones career and mine came when a friend asked me to photograph there wedding. I was rather hesitant but reluctantly agreed. After a few hours of research on the net, I realised I had made one very big mistake but "TO LATE", cant back out now. So off I went, in an attempt to prepare myself as best I knew how. As it turned out, this was to be one of the most challenging and stressful missions I was to undertake.

The big day came and all hell broke loose. Firstly a rouge confetti block hit the groom in the back of the head causing him to lurch forward, standing on the brides dress and ripping it. The formal pictures were over sooner than expected when the best man left to find a missing relative and never returned. Before long, most of the wedding party left never to return as everyone seemed to be off looking for everyone else. The next issue was my stuff up as I neglected to re-set my colour balance at the beach and all the images from that point on were blue (thank you God for RAW format).

With elevated stress levels and a misguided belief it was plain sailing from here on in the intoxicated best man failed in his attempt to complete his speech and with a spilt beer, proceeded to suck up the puddle from the carpet then just as I'm heading out the door, a young over enthusiastic boy falls off a chair, cutting open his chin and is shot off to hospital for stitches.

I believe this to be a rather hard baptism of fire but undeterred and six years on, I am photographing weddings as often as I can and loving it. Its a world of privilege for a photographer to be invited to photograph one of the biggest days in a couples life.

Wedding photography is described as the most demanding form of photography there is and shouldn't be entered into lightly by anyone but for those looking to give it a go, I encourage you to do so but you have to put in the hard yards to educate yourself about whats required. It really is hard work but with massive rewards. Its a magical opportunity to seek out amazing images and be involved in creating memories which will last the happy couple a life time.