FIRST NIKON D7000 SHOOT! FIRST STUDIO SHOOT!

Though it was raining, I did a photoshoot with Nadyia Jawahir and Tina Simons in Rosemount/Lakeville today.  Thankfully, my friends at Gilmour Creative, let me shoot in their studio.

This model contacted me on Facebook to do a shoot about three weeks ago and we made it happen.

The studio was a very small room, but I got some good results with my strobes. I was nervous using a studio type setting because I've never done it before. I love shooting outdoors, but didn't get to because of all the rain. Every inch of that room was used thoroughly as we climbed over chairs, stands, and tables.

My strobes were placed carefully in corners of the room to prevent to much "spill" from the powerful lights. It took awhile to get the lighting to feel right to me.

And, of course, by the end of the shoot, the sun came out.

More importantly, I worked with D7000 for the first time. It's a great improvement from the D80 I've been using. They are both DX cameras, though the D7K is a huge improvement. Even though it can't compete, I still love my D80. 

The team worked really well today despite the tough elements.

We had a blast shooting, and I give props to all who were involved--especially my lovely girlfriend!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFfv00Fny4]

Here are some of the first edits. 

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JERKIN'

My full-time job is the achievement coordinator at a public charter high school in St. Paul. A month ago, I decided to create a magazine with the students. This would create opportunities to know the students, mentor a few and create an excellent representation of the school.

Today, I took a few students out on a shoot. They are in the magazine because of their crew (Illusionari Ent). The four boys in the pictures are part of the Jerkin movement--a style of dance out of California. 

The shoot only lasted 15 minutes, but we got some cool shots in. 

It was kind of a nice break from fashion photography. Jumping, dancing and all that is fun to shoot. 

Maybe I should go after bands for more photography opportunities. This would also be a great way to get Brown Folk in the music scene door.

Check out this video of them.

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MUSIC IN AMERICA

In many ways, I thoroughly miss my year living in Korea. The variety and relationship I felt with American music, however, was very much missed in my time abroad.

Since living in Minnesota again, I've intentionally sought after music. By forming a band called "Brown Folk" with my girlfriend, visiting different concerts and supporting my friends, I am filling that music shaped void. There's something about creating and performing that intoxicates me. I love the moment, the afterglow and the process. It's part of me--whether I'm on stage or not. Fame and glory is not the goal. Significance in music is.

My step-brother asked me to create something with him so we could show our children and grandchildren 50 years from now. "It doesn't even have to be good," he said. That's so true. A couple years ago, I found out that my dad used to write worship songs. Even more years ago, I found out that my mother's grandpa wrote a bunch of worship songs in India that are still sung today. I love creating significant music for my sake and the sake of the future. I wish I could hear my dad's songs.

Here are some of the scenes I've been too lately:

1. The Danielson Family!

I thought Sufjan was playing, but the poster lied to me. Either way, I witnessed the most awkward Conga line in history. A bunch of awkward white people dancing to a band dressed in boyscout uniforms. It doesn't get much better than that. This band shows me that being yourself is important and something can be made beautiful through a lot of work.

2. Your Friends and Family!

This is my cousin's friend's band. They are awesome and seem to embrace the community aspects of music. The vocalist is a cool guy and reminds me of the Rocket Summer. Brown Folk will hopefully play with them in the near future.

3. Me!

This is just me creating in the kitchen.

GOD bless American Music.

RUNWAY SHOW

Over the past couple of years  I've been learning photography, and I love the new experiences it gives me. Within a year of starting to take pictures, I worked for a magazine in Korea. That magazine called on me to document certain events and aspects of the Korean culture I would have never known if not for them. Now, I'm freelancing for a magazine in the Twin cities, and feel like I'm seeing things that I would have never seen without photography.

Last week, I shot a Fashion Runway Show. This whole environment is kind of strange and a little intimidating. Every non model that walks in is constantly adjusting clothes and hair to make sure nothing is out of place. I didn't have a backstage pass for some reason, but I was able to make friends fairly fast and while a security guard turned me away from the VIP area, the show organizer chewed him out and I got a pass. Perfect timing.

The models are primarily young, and I realized there is not reason for me to be intimidated by 18 year olds. With the backstage pass, I began eating the food and walking more confidently--my girlfriend did the same. 

I met a lot of the other photographers and easily noticed that I had the most outdated and least expensive equipment. Oh well. During the show, I got to know all the photographers and was impressed by how friendly they all were. Shooting the runway with them was fun, but the actual photography was a little boring and mechanical--definitely not my favorite type of shoot (if I'm only trying to get the tradition runway shot).

It's a different world with all the clothing, models and "MN Glamour." I'm glad I got to see it. 

Here are some of the pictures I took:

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FINAL? [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 30]

Even though it's the 30th day, this BLOGRIMAGE is not over.

I want to perform some of my new material.

WHAT I LEARNED SO FAR:

1. Stand up Comedy is Hard
2. The hardest part is writing
3. The second hardest is getting gigs at legit places
4. Observation is the key to writing
5. Real life funny does not always translate to stage funny
6. Too many people depend on crude humor for easy laughs
7. Writing gets easier the more it is done
8. Bounce ideas off of real people
9. Material being funny to you is more important than it being funny to others
10. Be disciplined

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BLOGRIMAGE FINAL EVE [stand up comedy BLOGRMAGE: DAY 29]

Yesterday at family time, I once again realized how humor is natural over the dinner table. Every once in awhile, my family asked me if I was practicing new stand up material. Upon hearing that question, I immediately wished I had my Moleskin and pen.

The comics life is always observant.

If anything, this BLOGRIMAGE is helping me to observe the world with witty eyes. Another thing I'm learning is how to rewrite stories so that they are funny. My ten minute stories often go down to 1 minute after revisions, which is kind of sad but the nature of stand up comedy.

Here are some more photos I edited!

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