Here's a few for you to enjoy from today's shoot!
-Mark!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
A Girl 2
Hot, wet and sticky. I'm talking about the weather! Get your mind out of the gutter!
Here's a few for you to enjoy from today's shoot!
Isn't she just adorable?
-Mark!
Here's a few for you to enjoy from today's shoot!
-Mark!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Experimentation vs Execution
So yes it's been a while. For those three loyal readers of my blog, I'm certain agony was to be endured, but now one can rejoice! For I am back with a bit of insight into what some people may call my mental septic tank.
Current count in my active library of shots is 32627 images. These are recently shoot in the last three years. So about 10,000 images a year get to make thier way into my Lightroom library for immediate access. For you math freaks that's about 27.3 images a day, which I like enough to stash nearby. Many more images exist, hidden away in archives, hard drives and other places I've bound to have forgotten about!
My library is highly organized into categories, then sub categorized. One large category is "Models". This category is broken up into the names of each model, and if I've shot that model more than once, I sub categorize some more....
Ok, so who really cares? Here's the meat of my post. ~32000 images....One of my categories is "Exeriments" which contains a little more than 2100 images. Sub categorized into 37 folders of all sorts of oddities: LightingTests, MultiTest, Smoke, Sheets, Water, Fork and three different folders for Fire :)
It's safe to say about 6% of my images are experimentation. Learning how things work, working on ideas, trying new things. Some of the shots are REALLY horrific! This is my sandbox. I recommend everyone should set one up and know there is a safe place to play without ridicule or self consciousness.
Recently I was asked to shoot a VERY difficult to execute image. Not that the composition is tough, but the tone and lighting arrangement is going to be a challenge. I've attempted this one before and got mediocre results. But this time I'm less dumber (not smarter!) and I will be adding to my 2100 experiment library soon.
Below are views into the septic tank that which is my mind. I never show my experiments, but for you loyal three, you each get one image from the secret stash. Thanks for reading :)
-Experiment
Mark!
Current count in my active library of shots is 32627 images. These are recently shoot in the last three years. So about 10,000 images a year get to make thier way into my Lightroom library for immediate access. For you math freaks that's about 27.3 images a day, which I like enough to stash nearby. Many more images exist, hidden away in archives, hard drives and other places I've bound to have forgotten about!
My library is highly organized into categories, then sub categorized. One large category is "Models". This category is broken up into the names of each model, and if I've shot that model more than once, I sub categorize some more....
Ok, so who really cares? Here's the meat of my post. ~32000 images....One of my categories is "Exeriments" which contains a little more than 2100 images. Sub categorized into 37 folders of all sorts of oddities: LightingTests, MultiTest, Smoke, Sheets, Water, Fork and three different folders for Fire :)
It's safe to say about 6% of my images are experimentation. Learning how things work, working on ideas, trying new things. Some of the shots are REALLY horrific! This is my sandbox. I recommend everyone should set one up and know there is a safe place to play without ridicule or self consciousness.
Recently I was asked to shoot a VERY difficult to execute image. Not that the composition is tough, but the tone and lighting arrangement is going to be a challenge. I've attempted this one before and got mediocre results. But this time I'm less dumber (not smarter!) and I will be adding to my 2100 experiment library soon.
Below are views into the septic tank that which is my mind. I never show my experiments, but for you loyal three, you each get one image from the secret stash. Thanks for reading :)
My Hand
My Sheet
My Livingroom
-Experiment
Mark!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
JZ Modeling a Dress for MA.
Thanks to JZ for freezing her butt off! And thanks to MA for the awesome Mexican food!
-Fun times!MArk
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Know What You Know
I was sitting around thinking today...we'll actually staring at my wall, in my cubicle at work. Half zombie state and half daydreaming. Not because I was bored, but rather I was having an epiphany. Or more like some stroke of bizarre enlightenment, perhaps some alien felt sorry for me and shot some ideas through his inter-dimensional comm-link right into my brain.
You see, this alien may have beamed in a thought about knowledge. No, not actual knowledge but about knowledge. Geeks call this meta-data, normal people call this wisdom, I call this a lucky guess...
Here's what the little alien sent me: Know what you know.
Understand completely your knowledge. Seeking new knowledge is great, I recommend it. What this bit of absurdity is about is once you've learned something new, try to understand it completely.
One little trick I use when exercising something I know, is to act as if I'm teaching it to someone. In your mind, answer their questions. You would be amazed at how all the little details smooth out and you now, know what you know.
Being the master of your knowledge is very powerful! It allows you to break the rules. You can build new concepts which others may never formulate.
What this has to do with photography is fairly obvious. Understand everything you know about about your camera. Whatever you know about composition, explore it completely. Know something about light? Be the master of this little bit. Even if it's minimal. You'll add more as you explore.
This parallels my other passion: Jiu jitsu. We have noobs who want to learn everything in short order but fail to learn what they already know. I'm at the point where, I drill stuff I've done since day one. Know what you know is a force which is unbeatable.
A master is only a beginner who has mastered the basics.
Thanks to a little alien, I now know a bit more about my knowledge :)
-play
MArk
You see, this alien may have beamed in a thought about knowledge. No, not actual knowledge but about knowledge. Geeks call this meta-data, normal people call this wisdom, I call this a lucky guess...
Here's what the little alien sent me: Know what you know.
Understand completely your knowledge. Seeking new knowledge is great, I recommend it. What this bit of absurdity is about is once you've learned something new, try to understand it completely.
One little trick I use when exercising something I know, is to act as if I'm teaching it to someone. In your mind, answer their questions. You would be amazed at how all the little details smooth out and you now, know what you know.
Being the master of your knowledge is very powerful! It allows you to break the rules. You can build new concepts which others may never formulate.
What this has to do with photography is fairly obvious. Understand everything you know about about your camera. Whatever you know about composition, explore it completely. Know something about light? Be the master of this little bit. Even if it's minimal. You'll add more as you explore.
This parallels my other passion: Jiu jitsu. We have noobs who want to learn everything in short order but fail to learn what they already know. I'm at the point where, I drill stuff I've done since day one. Know what you know is a force which is unbeatable.
A master is only a beginner who has mastered the basics.
Thanks to a little alien, I now know a bit more about my knowledge :)
-play
MArk
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Purpose and Intensity
There are those who step through life with just the basics. We see these people
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
I once had a supervisor who walked as if he were on the very edge of a cliff, slow and calculating every move. His thoughts were the same, slow, methodical and simple. The problem was he never got anywhere...nor could he convey information adequately. At work he was
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
A high school friend of mine; a pure genius. He could read and understand the most complex of electrical schematics. Yet his intention to apply his gift was non-existent. He knew the problems, he knew the answers... He would never try to make things work... At school he was
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
What driving force did these two lack? I propose they needed a purpose. A reason to be there, a reason to live and to fight and to play and to do whatever was asked of them...with intensity. Neither individual really needed to be there.... they were both
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
So let me define purpose in my own warped sense. The individual must recover some sort of reward for their actions. Such as money, love or enjoyment. The supervisor didn't have to work, he was a retiree with a side job telling me what to do (poorly)... My friend didn't have to take that electronics class. He did it because it was nothing more than a check box he had to fill in. Wheat these two needed were rewards for effort. Their purpose in their actions would be to recover a reward rather than
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Onto intensity. This is one of my most favorite concepts. It applies to everything. Intensity is the amount of energy we expend into an effort to engage with a particular purpose. I can't expound upon how highly prized intensity is in my mind. For me, launching a huge blast of energy into a project, and riding it through to completion is fascinating. It can be a workout, a tough jiu jitsu roll, driving on a curvy street or even photography. Intensity comes through verbally, physically, emotionally and even through time. As time has the greatest of all intensities! Time cannot be stopped therefore its energy is infinite! My two examples before, existed with no intensity, with barely enough energy to be
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Bring into your life, your art, your capacity for a purpose with intensity! Extend this lifeforce and vigor toward into everything you do. Brush your teeth, reminding yourself you're alive today. Tell yourself what your purpose is today. Be specific, apply yourself to this purpose. Execute it. Drive great amounts of energy into this effort! Overflow the dam with your vigor and spirit. Don't hold back, drive forward until you've crashed the barriers and exceeded even your own expectations. Never be that person who is
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Live these words!
..., , ardor, , , drive, vivacity, efficacy, spirit, power, efficiency, endurance,zest , exertion, , force, , fortitude, , initiative,principle, intensity, juice, life, , might, , ,will , , , , potency, , , punch, , spontaneity, stamina, zeal, ,determination , , vehemence, , , virility,fire, vitality, , , , ambition, , aspiration,, , , , desire, destination, , direction, , , , , , goal, animation , , , intent, , mission, , objective, , , , , project, , , , reason, resolve, , , target, , ,, ,
My dog Zulu. (Click for a larger readable version)
-Play
Mark
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
I once had a supervisor who walked as if he were on the very edge of a cliff, slow and calculating every move. His thoughts were the same, slow, methodical and simple. The problem was he never got anywhere...nor could he convey information adequately. At work he was
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
A high school friend of mine; a pure genius. He could read and understand the most complex of electrical schematics. Yet his intention to apply his gift was non-existent. He knew the problems, he knew the answers... He would never try to make things work... At school he was
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
What driving force did these two lack? I propose they needed a purpose. A reason to be there, a reason to live and to fight and to play and to do whatever was asked of them...with intensity. Neither individual really needed to be there.... they were both
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
So let me define purpose in my own warped sense. The individual must recover some sort of reward for their actions. Such as money, love or enjoyment. The supervisor didn't have to work, he was a retiree with a side job telling me what to do (poorly)... My friend didn't have to take that electronics class. He did it because it was nothing more than a check box he had to fill in. Wheat these two needed were rewards for effort. Their purpose in their actions would be to recover a reward rather than
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Onto intensity. This is one of my most favorite concepts. It applies to everything. Intensity is the amount of energy we expend into an effort to engage with a particular purpose. I can't expound upon how highly prized intensity is in my mind. For me, launching a huge blast of energy into a project, and riding it through to completion is fascinating. It can be a workout, a tough jiu jitsu roll, driving on a curvy street or even photography. Intensity comes through verbally, physically, emotionally and even through time. As time has the greatest of all intensities! Time cannot be stopped therefore its energy is infinite! My two examples before, existed with no intensity, with barely enough energy to be
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Bring into your life, your art, your capacity for a purpose with intensity! Extend this lifeforce and vigor toward into everything you do. Brush your teeth, reminding yourself you're alive today. Tell yourself what your purpose is today. Be specific, apply yourself to this purpose. Execute it. Drive great amounts of energy into this effort! Overflow the dam with your vigor and spirit. Don't hold back, drive forward until you've crashed the barriers and exceeded even your own expectations. Never be that person who is
...doing just the bare minimum... to survive.
Live these words!
..., , ardor, , , drive, vivacity, efficacy, spirit, power, efficiency, endurance,zest , exertion, , force, , fortitude, , initiative,principle, intensity, juice, life, , might, , ,will , , , , potency, , , punch, , spontaneity, stamina, zeal, ,determination , , vehemence, , , virility,fire, vitality, , , , ambition, , aspiration,, , , , desire, destination, , direction, , , , , , goal, animation , , , intent, , mission, , objective, , , , , project, , , , reason, resolve, , , target, , ,, ,
My dog Zulu. (Click for a larger readable version)
-Play
Mark
Sunday, September 20, 2009
UFC 103 PreParty At Plush
Thanks to a really nice friend of mine, Sheena Lee; I was VIP'd into the UFC Pre-Party to shoot some shots for a birthday party at the same location. Talk about a crazy fun night! Loads of people, packed together and the alcohol was certainly in a rapid flow! Glad I don't drink, I'd probably still be dragging my butt off the floor!
I'll keep the BDay party pics private, but I did get one shot I'd like to share.
Yes it has some blur...even some blow out.. I don't care. For me it was a perfect symbol of the night. Plenty of people were blurred, slurred and blown out! haha!
-Play
Markoo
I'll keep the BDay party pics private, but I did get one shot I'd like to share.
Yes it has some blur...even some blow out.. I don't care. For me it was a perfect symbol of the night. Plenty of people were blurred, slurred and blown out! haha!
-Play
Markoo
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Water
I don't always shoot models. Sometimes shooting something as simple as water is just as challenging and interesting. The image below is actually three images super-photoshop-glued together..Each on it's own RGB channel. It looked ok in color, but I switch B&W. I prefer it this way. As always click for higher rez version for best enjoyment.
-layp!
Makr
-layp!Makr
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Worlds Collide
I recently had the opportunity to unite two groups I've shot for in the past. Aromaz and Dallas E-Models to include Sheena Lee. Both are really awesome groups. Dallas E-Models had a shoot for new and old (not antique, but experienced!) models down at the 8 Lounge. Aromaz offered up their hair/MUA services to any of the girls whom needed it.
Although I could only stay for a bit, I was able to get a few shots with some really talented girls!
So, enough of babbling... ;)
_Play_
MArk
Although I could only stay for a bit, I was able to get a few shots with some really talented girls!
So, enough of babbling... ;)
_Play_
MArk
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Lift!
Aromaz Agency had another one of their awesome launch parties at Club Lift in the heart of Dallas! As usual, the girls were up to the task of being the subject of many photographs! :)
They were awesome! Lots of fun!
Here's some shots(click for big size!):
-PLAY!
MArk
They were awesome! Lots of fun!
Here's some shots(click for big size!):
-PLAY!
MArk
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