Childhood Obesity: Making Right Choices
So I was hired to shoot a feature for Health Magazine, which is produced by Gulfshore Life. I was contracted to produce a photo about childhood obesity and the choices you make as a parent and how they will affect you child both in the short term and long term. I contacted a friend of mine, Trip Perkins, a chef and food stylist and had him prepare the food for the shoot. The concept was to get a kid, Mason Moran, and sow him getting ready to bite into a big old hamburger. Jesse Adams, an art director for Gulfshore Life, was pretty open to what ever I shot so I had some great freedom. I also ended up using Mason’s mother, Melissa an old friend in the shot. It turned out great. The other alternatives I ended up doing was the hand picking up the cookie with the good choices in the background as well as the food on a balance scale to show how you should weigh your choices. Anyway look for the article in Health Magazine. For the technical minded. I shot it at iso 100 at f.11 on a Canon 5d Mark II, I used 6 lights one on the background, two rim lights on either side, a hair light, a beauty dish over head and in front and a 5 foot octabank for fill behind me.
Olympus Pen Micro Four Thirds Camera
So I have been searching for a micro four thirds camera, which is somewhere between an SLR and a point and shoot. While comparing Panasonic, Canon and Olympus I ran across this great video for the Olympus Pen. It is a commercial shot with the Pen camera and a great creative mind. It just goes to show what can be done with a camera that is not a top level pro camera. I like to say, or I am repeating something I have heard, that the mind creates the photo not the camera. Enjoy the video.
Gracie’s Cupcakes
A new taste and a new magazine.
Gracie’s Cupcakes – Images by Erik Kellar
I recently was contacted by La Vie Claire magazine. It is associated with Claire Murray, a national lifestyle store and catalog that was founded by Claire Murray, a designer and entrepreneur who left New York City to open an inn on Nantucket. The company specializes in traditional crafts of rug hooking and the needle arts, and features crafts people from all over the world. I was hired to cover Gracie’s Cupcakes across from Coastland Mall in Naples, Florida. It is owned and operated by Grace Bolen. What a great place and a great person; we had gone to Naples High School together, not really knowing each other at school.
Anyway, Gracie’s a small cupcake and ice cream shop with some spectacular designs and specializing in decorative cupcakes for every occasion. If you get a chance, check out the images attached to this post and swing by Gracie’s.
There were a couple of things I was going for with the photos. I had this Andy Warhol inspiration moment after doing some preliminary scouting. So to give the designer of the magazine some choices I shot several combinations of cupcakes on different color backgrounds. Also, part of the directive of the magazine is to feature people’s lifestyles so I caught up with the Bolen family as they made cookies at home and then a walk on the beach.
One of my favorite photographers and bloggers Chase Jarvis
Chase Jarvis(Link to his Web site.) is one of those really high energy guys that loves photography and pushes the envelope. He openly shares his knowledge which is great. There are really no secrets in photography and Chase gets that. I always enjoy his post and his work. One day I would like to have beer with the guy and talk about the business. On a side note Chase is the creator behind the iphone app “THe Best Camera App” avaiable of course on itunes