Live life nuts
Earlier in the month, PPA (Professional Photographers Association) Magazine reached out to me and asked if I would like to write a review on some new lights released by Light and Motion.
I immediately jumped on the opportunity.
I won’t spoil the details (article is slated for print in January 2024) but I will tell you what we did.
In short, I used the lights in polar opposite circumstances — once in the studio and the other on location at 6:30 a.m in near total darkness.
Needless to say, I was quite surprised with their performance.
More to come from Light and Motion.
Bophades Nuts
So… this is perhaps the craziest thing I’ve ever done, but I launched a company called Bopahdes Nuts.
And yes, it’s pronounced Boffa Deez Nuts, and no, it’s not what you think.
I am selling natural nuts and trail mix.
Here’s the backstory.
I burn - on average - around 3,000 calories a day, and as such, I always feel hungry. Like all the time. It’s frustrating because eating enough protein and the right amount of macros is hard.
As a creative, I feel I am always on the go, which is where Bophades Nuts comes in.
Most trail mix products on the market today are loaded with sugar, sunflower oil or worse, artificial ingredients such as Red #40.
Don’t even get me started with the amount of added sugar found in dehydrated fruit. It’s insane, and it breaks my heart.
So, I created something I believe will make a difference in the world — natural trail mix.
The more control we have on the food we eat, the better we will become.
You will not only feel better, but you will perform better and ultimately become the best version of you.
Anyways, enough of my antics…
And for the slogan — Live Life Nuts.
If you are curious to learn more, or try some fresh, homemade trail mix, you can check out www.bophadesnuts.com or follow us on IG @livelifenuts
I quit buying new cameras for now…
Near Boise, ID. Canon 1DS, 135mm, f/5.6, 1/320
I don’t know about you, but I’ve fallen into the obsession of buying new gear.
It wasn’t until I was on a shoot with some gals rock climbing that I realized how much I love my original Canon 1DS.
It came out in 2002, and just to put into perspective, Nikon launched their first pro camera - the D1 - in 1999.
Nikon’s D1 and Canon’s 1DS were game changers for their time.
I love the 1DS because of how it looks. It handles editing like film does, and it even tops out at ISO 1250.
With that said, I will probably buy a mirrorless camera at one point, but who knows, maybe I won’t. When you don’t have a camera with an unlimited buffer or a plethora of megapixels, you are forced to think differently.
All of the sudden you are put into a situation that may be uncomfortable.
For example, Look at surf photographer Russell Ord. He spent several years chasing a single image he would be proud of in years to come.
Instead of sitting on a jet ski with a long lens, he got in the water with a fisheye lens, and waited under the wave’s shoulder for the surfer to go by.
And at the time, the image was shot on a Nikon D3, a 12 megapixel camera.
This made Russell do things that made him uncomfortable, yet it challenged and changed him as a photographer.
We all need moments like this to become better, and shooting on my 1DS has in someway, done this for me.
The images below were taken on the infamous Canon 1DS.
macro food photography
This is literally one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a photographer. I’m not a food stylist by any means… because I know people who are, and truth be told, they’ve been doing it for 20+ years!
Sometimes you will be thrown into something you don’t understand, but you say yes and do it anyway because your livelihood depends on it.
I’ve struggled and I’ve fought with my camera, the macro lens and lights, but somehow, someway, we were able to get through it. The challenge with macro photography is every detail is visible. There is no hiding a grain of salt (unless you remove it in Photoshop). It’s there, and it stares you right in the face.
If you are interested in macro photography, here are a few things I learned;
You’ll need more light than you think need.
F/8 and be there. The more detail you can show, the better.
Use a tripod and a two second timer, especially if the shutter speed is slow.
The 1% rule
I’ve been trying to focus on this more lately, and to be honest, it has made a huge difference in my life.
Take something you want to improve - just one thing - and try to be 1% better than you were yesterday.
As a parent, I am trying to be 1% better at being present. Sometimes it means taking off my Apple Watch, and other times, it means turning my phone on silent.
Maybe you want to be one step closer to being a full-time photographer, so what can you do today to be one 1% closer tomorrow.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your career, but consistently showing up is key to becoming 1% closer.
If you are in interested in learning more about this, author James Clear talks about it in his Masterclass, but also in his book Atomic Habits.
Finally finished David & GOLIATH
What an incredible book! I have read most of Malcom Gladwell’s books, and I can honestly say, this is probably my favorite. I love all of his books for different reasons, but for some reason, this one hit home for me. In a way, we are all underdogs, and Gladwell proves time and time again the power underdogs have. But, this story isn’t just about underdogs, it’s about resiliency and turning hardships into strengths.
As we head towards a new year, I would argue this is what we need more of, not less.
who I found on Youtube
I recently came across Mike Gray Film on YouTube, and I’m absolutely blown away. His video work with film, along with his stills are incredible. If you need a reason to start shooting on film, this is it:
Shooting the best Kodak Film Stock.
When you watch his work, you can’t help but fall in love with film, and the slow and methodical approach to the craft of making images.
I have an old 35mm Minolta that I’ve been shooting on. In it, I have a roll of ilFord 400 B&W.
Below are a few images I found buried on my iPhone taken years ago on 35mm film. I believe it was Portra 400 (which is my favorite film stock).
If you are interested in getting into film, I would recommend starting with a simple point and shoot because nothing is more frustrating than shooting a roll, and then getting it back to find everything is black. This happened to me several times while shooting on my Canon AE1.
Parting Thoughts
Earlier this week I received a message on IG from someone I’ve been following for a while. He is a photographer from Connecticut, and he said, “You and many others who just make photography look so simple yet so good really pushes me.”
My dear friend and to anyone else who may need to hear this, “Even the best of us feel like we are just trying to make it and figure things out.”
Earlier this year Shortstache (photographer Garrett King) and I talked about this, and even someone at his level still feels like he’s trying to figure it out.
This brought me a lot of comfort, and I hope it brings you comfort as well.
If something looks easy, it’s because you haven’t seen the thousand throw aways sitting in the recycle bin… the blood, sweat and tears shed over not feeling good enough.
Do you remember the article I mentioned for PPA Magazine at the beginning?
After I turned it in, I felt like the biggest failure.
The editor liked what I sent, but inside, I felt like I blew it.
From this I learned we are our own worst critics. This can be a blessing and a curse.
But you know what? It’s only you against you. When the jobs don’t come or the orders don’t come in, what does a camera mean?
Only you can answer that.