Check Out This New Band In Town!

I was standing out front of the locked doors to enter Sherlocks waiting for a band member of Ivera, a new up and coming Erie, PA band to let me, my fog machine, and equipment inside to photograph their first live performance.  I was greeted by Jesse Erickson (bassist) and led to the stage where I set up shop. 

           

After some informal introductions, and some observing I got to know the other four band members:  Brandon Colao (vocals), Eric Buman (guitar), Brian Goganour (drums), and Brendan Burbules (guitar).  And before I knew it the place was packed and their band was up on stage blast’n some impressive heavy tunes my way, get’n all gnarly and nasty on stage. Which was really awesome for me.

           

Over all their live sound was excellent, they had an interesting set of songs that set the mood, picked you up, and throw it down, but if you’d like to hear their studio recordings for yourself you can at: purevolume.com/ivera

Below is my photo edit from that show and some contributed video from a friend.

Get sick!

Below are some links to videos that were contributed from that show.
I cut them up and threw them up on youtube for ya!

http://youtu.be/3eLBEqBBRGA

http://youtu.be/WRcJZQcEKtQ

http://youtu.be/gspY1nPJXRA

http://youtu.be/3hazJErHgtg

http://youtu.be/Js8kr1c9Asc

What An Awesome Warm Day It Was

     "There's a certain level of charm that comes with a personality portrait of someone not wearing shoes, wearing hot pink sunglasses, fedora, and a broken umbrella. "

-Joe Cottrell

     I was driving today and I thought it looked unusually awesome and warm out.  So I got home, threw some junk in my car, picked this dude up (Who was in a hurry to get on his skateboard this fine afternoon), and banged out some serious environmental photos.

     I used to do this a lot more in my early years.  I would just charge out into the world blindly with no idea what or who I was going to photograph, but made sure that I didn't come home until I knew I had what I needed in order to tear photoshop up.

     Today, I treated this shoot like an editorial piece when we arrived at the lake and I just pretended he was famous.  I've developed a really effective recipe for unlocking someone's personality to showcase their soul over the years.

     I love photographing people probably more than anything else.  They're just so interesting and everyone of them big or small has a story that can make you evaluate what you think about life in general.

     

 

Pretty Girls, Imports, Art, and Freelance. ...The Story of My Life.

     You May Remember Me From Such Art Shows As...

     Finally!  I was able to use a "Troy McLure" reference.  ...My life is complete.

     Yeah, this week I'm rock'n two art shows at once.

     That's right!  I'm pretty Rockstar right now!  hahah

     You can still squeeze into the Barber Center art show I'm sure since my pick up date is next week.  If you make it over that way mine is the bang'n 24x36 inch polar bear print!  I've held onto that print since 2005 and Finally framed it out to exhibition!

     It's pretty gnarly.  I'm pretty proud of it.  Gotta say its hard to get those dudes move'n like they did that day with blood on their teeth and jaws wide open! 

    

     My work is also on display at Arts & Drafts inside the Union Station Brewery!  Very cool show.  A mixed bunch of people.  I decided to select my Michael Symon and Stanley Cup 24x36 inch prints for that show, because they're important prints to me and its such a high traffic show that gives a lot of exposure.  Gotta dress up your work like its your Sunday's Best, cause I've never met any of these people personally so I wanna make a lasting impression on them.

     Talked to a few people and gave them a little history behind the day I shot it and where it was.  I love telling the stories behind my prints.  Some things I find hard to believe myself.

*These guys were trying to figure out where the House of Blues was in relation to 4th and Euclid on the print.  They figured it out and thought it was cool because they just had drinks at Flannery's Pub the other day. ha.

But hey, go to the shows cause there are so many amazing artists with their awesome talent being hung up for you to see and so many like minded interesting people just like you to meet there.

Later!

Why a Salon in Pittsburgh Hired My Photography

 Nadia Salon Shoot:

            I was contracted for an interior shoot for a premiere Pittsburgh, PA Shadyside Salon, Nadia Salon, this past month.  They needed professionally updated images for web and print advertisements.  They had attempted to photograph the interior their self, but the North facing windows of the salon were flooding in with daylight.  That became problematic for them, because compensating for both interior and exterior exposures without the correct equipment or educated technique makes it damned near impossible to walk away with a fully evaluated exposure of the two scenes.

            The client absolutely loves the end results of these images.  And I love that they understand the feeling of before and after.  You’re brought up a notch.  That feeling is legitimacy in my best words.

            I personally describe the photos overall as a leveled out scene, balanced to daylight, with tilts and turns that scream energy for a fast paced work environment.

Here's a few photos from the shoot below:

 Hair stylist work stations.

 Shampoo stations.

 The long shot of the salon facing into the North windows.

 The coloring station.

 The front street view and sign.

Note:  I was on the top of an old wooden ladder taking this shot and crowds of people were weaving in between me.  ...Crazy times.

 Anthony wanted to show me the amazing Shadyside view from the rooftops.

*Note:  Taken with my cell phone camera real quick.

If you would like to book a hair appointment with a young professional who does amazing work, then you should totally Facebook friend:
https://www.facebook.com/anthony.mankoski

Large Format and the Digital Explosion

    Right when film was just starting to take the back seat for the commercial photography industry I was enrolled at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh being taught large format photography.  Let me first tell you, there’s not quite any other photo experience like this camera that has bellow extensions, turns your composition left when you wanted it to shift it right, and requires a manual hand written math formula to receive the correct exposure settings.

    It’s my firm belief that this camera was designed to either break or build the confidence of its operator.  Everything from the table top setting in front of you to the camera’s internal settings and even getting the 4x5 inch positive transparencies into their slide cartridges correctly in the dark had to be on your mind.

    I’m happy with the digital age, but learning large format gave me a backbone for sure.  It made you pay attention to everything and forced you to get it right the first time.  No exceptions.  If it didn’t cost so much for transparencies I’d be all over it still.

     Here's a couple transparencies I recently photographed that were lit from a tiny light box, because I do not have a flat bed scanner for 4x5s:

Above:  Toy shoot.

Note:  I main lit Han solo from the rear, because he was running up the platform of the Millennium Falcon, of course.  ...For continuity's sake hahah.

Above:  Empty cocktail drink

 Above:  A drink recipe

 Above:  Toy shoot with a green gel mood lighting

 Above:

 I had to showcase nature’s design of the egg with a dominant themed appeal from what I remember about the project.  The lighting set up was more difficult than it appears haha.

Above:  Book cover shoot

Above:  Food shoot