Birthday Shoot with Michelle

Its my birthday today and I'm just about a year older than I was last year. My friend Michelle asked me if I wanted to do a lingerie shoot on location at some big mansion in West Palm Beach. I usually don't make plans on my birthday so I accepted the offer. I've known Michelle a long time and we always have fun when we shoot. A few years ago, she was the model for my fine art print, Circles of Thought.

Art Collaboration with Kellen and Sheyenne

My friend Kellen did a watercolor sketch based on artwork by Alberto Vargas. I took Kellen's finished sketch and made this composite with the help of my friend Sheyenne Rivers. I asked Sheyenne to be the model for this project because her curvy body matched the sketch almost perfectly. I set the lighting and posed Sheyenne as close to the sketch as possible. We actually did about 30 shots, making small adjustments in posture, camera angle, etc. Finally, I scanned Kellen's sketch and combined it with the best matching photo of Sheyenne. It was a fun project and I hope to do more like it in the future. I also added this photo to my web site.

Zombie Apocalypse Thea

This is my friend Thea, in a zombie apocalypse. First, I took a picture of her while she was in Whole Foods, deciding which organic vegetables to buy. Next, I found some preliminary artwork for the movie, "I Am Legend" and I created this mashup. In case you're wondering, she didn't have a bloody hand print on her shirt when she was at Whole Foods. Her clothes were much cleaner too.

One last thing. Usually, the date on each of my blog posts reflects the exact time I TOOK the photo. On this one, it reflects the time and date I saved the final image in Photoshop. =)

Raw Avocado Spinach Soup Recipe

click photo for larger image.

Raw Avocado Spinach Soup v1.6
This delicious, creamy soup packs more nutrition than 10 salads! Not feeling well? Have a couple bowls of this soup and you'll feel better in no time. This is a raw soup, best enjoyed chilled. You could warm it slightly as long as it stays below 105 degrees.

Soup
- 5oz. package of organic baby spinach (I use Organic Girl brand)
- 1/2 medium sized organic cucumber
- 2 organic hass avocados, fully ripe
- 1 bunch organic cilantro (cut off the roots)
- 2 tbsp. organic sweet onion
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed, organic lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. Bragg's liquid aminos
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tbsp. raw, organic honey (I use Really Raw brand)
- 2 cups distilled water

Garnish
- handful of organic sunflower sprouts
- fresh ground organic black pepper
- pinch of organic cayenne pepper

Mix all soup ingredients in a blender until smooth. Top with garnish. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Nikon D90 with Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens. Exposure: f/8 1/125 ISO 200. Studio strobe with softbox.

Montauk Lighthouse

Today, I made my way up to the north end of Long Island to get this shot of the Montauk lighthouse. It was commissioned by George Washington and built in 1796. I was with my friend Dan Beyer.

Saint James' Church, New York City

I'm staying at my friend Jon's house in Long Island. Today, he had to meet with a client in Manhattan and I went along for the ride. He dropped me off near E 65th and Madison. Saint James' Church, on 71st and Madison, is one of the first places I stopped. The church was originally built in 1884. Next, I walked up to 82nd and 5th to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I went inside for about an hour but I could have spent the whole day in there! I tried calling my friend Thea but she never got back to me. I walked a total of 8.6 miles before returning to meet Jon.

Nikon D90 with Nikon 12-24mm f/4.0 lens. Exposure: f/4 1" ISO 200. I'm using the church bench as a tripod.

Here's my track on Google Maps:

View NYC in a larger map

Long Island Wooded Path

Today is Halloween but I don't have a costume and I'm not going to any parties. I was out exploring the countryside of Long Island, New York with my friend Dan Beyer. We're both staying with our friend Jon Kavajian. We borrowed Jon's pickup truck, drove around the island all day, and actually found our way back to his house by dinner time.

Nikon D90 with Nikon 12-24mm f/4.0 lens. Exposure: f/8 1/250 ISO 200

Studio Shoot with Michelle

Tonight my friend Michelle came over and we experimented a little in my studio. I had her doing hair flips until she was about ready to pass out but I think we got some good shots. After the shoot, I did some editing in Photoshop. Sometimes I like to mix black and white with color. The color in this portrait is a little extreme but it was an experiment after all... and Michelle likes it =)