fenton, 2022
the mornings are getting colder… summer is hitting its end here in atlanta… but in good old atlanta fashion, in the midst of all the amazing weather, we’ll still get hit with a 90 piece and the pit stains come back. its a way of life. I dont understand people that complain about the heat that live here… it like… comes with the territory of being a terminus resident. stop being so dramatic and layer down with ya ol musty ass.
recently ive picked up TikTok and BeReal. If you dont know what that means then you might as well go on to glory then because the industry is changing…. and we haven’t even started scratching the surface of the Metaverse. the future isn’t scary… adapting to it is the scary part… and rather than being reluctant and complaining ive decided to try and embrace it and find beauty in it. its honestly been fun…. until someone with the handle @satanslittlecupcake starts following you… thats when shit starts kinda getting weird.
Scott Lowden is saving my life. I dont know what I did to become so lucky to find myself in a position to shoot alongside him on these lifestyle jobs. We’ve done more than a handful of jobs together starting during the pandemic, and its been inspiring. I’m learning so much not only from him, but also from everyone he brings on his sets. if you’re reading this Scott, thank you for everything. thank you for giving this snot nose self taught jersey kid a try with all this.
Scott is sitting on the sign. this is during our scout. Gabe is in the blue shirt. He was our gaffer for the job. Sam is front left.
Big thank you to Wendy and Lisa from House of Current. equally I appreciate you both so much for choosing me for your projects these days. I always appreciate all the hard work you both do before we even start shooting. I love how all the logistics are always locked down tight, and the models you choose are always fire and easy to work with. Shout out to Stefani and the rest of the team.
Stefani, Wendy, Jaime (client), Lisa
Day 1 was met with a bad case of sleep deprivation. 6 hour drive thru the country. every time I drive north I’m always reminded that Clemson is in fact in South Carolina. every time it shocks me. every time I forget lol. i dont know why it always comes as a huge shock tbh. I dont care for college things, and I pretty much sucked at everything in high school.. I guess its just one of those schools you forget about until it gets brought up. to anyone thats reading this that went to Clemson, I hope my indifference doesn’t offend you. the real flattery is that I typed up a whole stream of consciousness paragraph about your school. its over now you can go back to bed.
we usually start every shoot with a scout. we go thru the shot list and plan out all our lighting schematics. I would highly suggest investing in the sun seeker app. knowing exactly where the sun will be at the time you shoot at the location will help the planning and execution. this is honestly major key dont sleep. if you dont have the app, just remember ALWAYS the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. every phone should have a compass on it for free.
photo credit: David Morico
out of town jobs are always so fun. new place, new people, new points to prove. we get to eat out (for free usually <3). hotels, free AC, clean sheets. its a vibe. The hotel we got put up in had these crazy huge rooms. it was nice… but like… 90s nice (aesthetics) either way we love a clean hotel room with a great front of house staff thats accommodating. (pro-tip, never buy the water. usually the concierge has complimentary bottles they give out. ask for 2)
always working…
my roommate. another pro-tip… never leave your cameras on set. keep that jawn with you at all times.
hi.
Gear Checklist:::
BlackMagic Pocket 6K Pro
Sony A7s III
Sigma FF Cine 24mm, 50mm, 85mm
Tamron 28-75
Ronin RS2 (Mounted Sony)
Tilta Nucleus - M
OSEE Megamon Production Monitor
Atomos Shogun Inferno (AC / Focus Puller Monitor)
Atomos Ninja V (Ronin rig, for ProRes recording for Sony)
Hollyland Mars 400s (x2)
Proaim Production Cart
10x CoreSWX V-Mount Batteries
Leica D-LUX7 (BTS)
2020 MacBook Pro 16” 8 core i9 (Dumping cards)
Estimated kit value (before tax): $31,600
None of this is rented. Just to give you a gauge, this is on the low end compared to some of my peers. Lots of this gear i’ve vetted. I actually prefer shooting with BlackMagic over RED. I like shooting with Sony systems for my gimbal because the autofocus is amazing and easier to execute. The A7S III paired with the Ninja V is a great combo. ProRes RAW and 35mm 10bit recording internal (16bit thru HDMI) Its hard to beat and I love this camera so much, despite the color posing some challenges, but S-Log 3 fixes a lot of that. Ninja V bottlenecks the HDMI output of the A7s, so I think you get a recorded 12bit signal onto SSD. Don’t quote me on this.
Some of this gear are spot-fillers because the real thing is expensive, mainly the wireless transmitters. But I’m not going to knock the Hollylands. They’ve been amazing for every job I’ve used them on, and I just bought the new Mars 4K that I start testing on tomorrow.
the first shot usually sets the tone. we’re feeling it all out ya know. what makes it easy always is working with the same, great people. HOC and SLP usually hire a great crew. Big shout out to Destiny and Sara (HMUA), Ray and Brittany (Wardrobe). having relationships with the people you work with go a long way. Erin, the producer, I’ve worked with before and she’s great. Glad we got to jam again on this one. Thank you for everything!
First shot always kinda sets the gel for the rest of the shots. The way Scott and I shoot together is pretty locked in. He shoots stills first and then I come in for some motion shots on the same set. Its been working out and I think the feedback we give each other makes for a better outcome each time.
1st shot. Sonam (model) getting ready for first shot. 600X with large Chimera strip, 8x silk (maybe grid cloth)
lovely producer, Erin, holding us down.
The only thing about jam-packing 10 shots in a day is having to deal with the natural elements, mainly the sun. Shooting with the sun blasting overhead doesn’t always make for the most flattering light for our models, but we make it work. Scott usually says “we just embrace it” and I rock with that. the truth is, and not to be vain in any way… but when the subject you’re photographing is beautiful / handsome, sometimes any and most lighting conditions just work out because THEY make the shot pretty. Its not the lighting, its not the camera. This is when wardrobe and makeup REALLY REALLY make a difference… Which is why I always treat wardrobe and makeup people with the UTMOST respect and admiration. I always try to bring positive energy and focus to the models as well. This is truly the beauty of collaboration because I become just one small wheel in the whole machine… and I love this part the most.
my homegirl Destiny. My Leo twin flame sistafrand (HMUA)
Scott with Chalita and Tali, embracing the sun.
Diedre, Scott and Wendy making our holiday wheelbarrow, Ray (Wardrobe)
Dave (Digitech) my cart twin.
Sam walking us to our next location. I love Nike <3
Last shot of Day2.
Marianny doing her thing, waiting for us to start shooting our last shot.
Overall this job was really special. One of our talent was 2 hours late so we had to switch some things around our schedule which set us back an hour on day1, but it was relatively smooth and the longer day went unnoticed. there were some shots that I wish I had more time to cook, but this job was stills driving and there are certain sacrifices that need to be made in order to keep us on schedule. The most exciting part of this project is the client wants all the motion and stills to be in black and white for the final products. I can’t wait to see it.
I ended up shooting more with my Sony than anticipated. The footage came back looking great… at times a bit overexposed, but thats actually more where you want to be when shooting S-log. The rule of thumb I always follow is 1 to 2 stops over for S-Log (only if the video bit rate is over 10-bit).
I did some handheld with my larger BlackMagic rig as well. I was feeling confident with that ‘less perfect’ movement for some shots with some models. I think its mainly because the BlackMagic stayed mostly on the 24mm for the whole shoot. Shaky-ish shots aren’t as noticeable on a wider lens.
Loved this shoot, loved having Sam as my AC. Its always the best when you get to work with friends. Big shoutout to our local crew, Gabe and Mike. The lighting was impeccable and always on time. Much appreciated my brothas.
Big love to Scott, HOC, Erin and the rest of the squad that brought this shoot to life. Ready for more!
