SITTING IN TRAFFIC

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It's not a regular habit, although I was lucky enough, recently, to have my camera with me on the drive home. I was sitting in rush hour traffic and was temporarily blinded by what turned out to be a ray of amazing late-day sunlight reflecting off of a traffic sign. I jumped out of the car and got this image just before the light changed.

A NEW HOME FOR MY OLDER WORK

After several years of shooting for the adventure sports industry, I've decided to add more advertising product and people work back into my itinerary. I started out as a commercial product shooter, and I've missed that type of work for a while. After a lifetime in adventure sports, I am hoping to incorporate those skills into an industry that I've been passionate about for as long as I can remember.

I'm currently shooting work for my new website, which should be online soon. The older images here will not be displayed on that site, although I've had so much positive feedback on them, over the past several years, that I've decided to keep them posted on this blog as an historical representation of what I've been doing over the years. I hope that you enjoy them and that they inspire you to go out and play .

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DIGITAL BLEACH BYPASS

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Inspired by Stefan Sonnenfeld's color work on the 2007 remake of the cult classic, Sweeney Todd, I set about creating my own rendition of that movie's somewhat dichromatic look. Two days and several dozen layers later, I arrived at the look shown in my image above of a climber and his rope.

TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LOOKS

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When my client (Nathan) and I first talked about working together, our concept was to create a fashionable image that would capture his personality and show off some of his interesting jewelry. The first image is my choice from that set-up. During the breaks, Nathan kept going outside to have a cigarette, which gave me the idea to do a shot of him actually smoking. After moving the lighting into a position, which really focused on his eyes, it reminded me of that used by the famous portrait photographer, Yousuf Karsh. The result is my modern interpretation of his iconic style.

EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD HAVE A MUSE.

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My muse happens to live with me, and I never tire of recruiting her to pose when I get an idea in my head. This shot was conceived when Betsy purchased a retro-styled hat at a local thrift store. The combination of the hat and her amazing locks framed her face perfectly.

BOULDER INDOOR CYCLING

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After a preliminary test shoot last week, at Boulder Indoor Cycling, the owner (Rodrigo Garcia) and I decided to do a poster shoot to advertise the new facility. I coordinated the session with two of BIC's pro instructors (Allen Krughoff and Nick Traggis), who nailed it for the camera. This was the final image and poster ad.

BODACIOUS BOVINE

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 I don’t know about you, but when I think of cows, I generally picture them as pretty static creatures with not much personality – the type of placid beasts known to tip over when you give them a good shove. Well, a recent visit to a local cattle ranch made me realize that I couldn’t have been more mistaken.

Take the case of the red cow in the above image. We’ll call her Millie, for the sake of reference. When I first approached the herd, most of the cows were skittish and kept their distance, so I knelt down and started shooting frames from about twenty yards away. While focused in the viewfinder, I heard a loud snort in my right ear, accompanied by a waft of hot breath. Trying not to act startled, I looked over the top of my camera to see a ton of lean beef staring me right in the eye. It was the bull, apparently coming over to let me know who was in charge. As ominous as he looked, he turned out to be more curious than concerned, so I seized the opportunity to shoot some close-ups of his eyes. The eye image above was my favorite of the sequence.

However, the winning frame of the day came completely by surprise when Millie walked over and rested her chin on the bull’s back. Her expressions were priceless, and I was fortunate to have been ready for the fleeting moment when it occurred. I fired off four frames – the one of her shown here being the prize of the day. Seconds later, the bull spun around, mounted her in a flurry of galloping hooves, and my session was done.

Who would have thought that photographing cattle could be so rewarding? Needless to say, I’ll be back for more.

TEN THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

- Open your arms to change, but never let go of your values.

- Be considerate of the planet.

- Remember that the best relationship is one where your love and like for each other is greater than your need for each other.

- Judge your success by what you've had to give up in order to achieve it.

- Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

- When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye and mean it.

- Give people more than they expect, and do it happily.

- In disagreements, fight fairly and don't hold a grudge.

- When you make a mistake, don't defend it, and take immediate steps to correct it.

- Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

Although these things might seem obvious to many of us, we sometimes forget to apply them as a regular habit.

Happy New Year, everyone.

KIMBERLY VARELA

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Here are a few images from a recent fashion shoot.

Model: Kimberly Varela is available through Donna Baldwin Talent, in Denver.