This shoot with the legendary boxer / former senator of Philippines / genuine man of the people @mannypacquiao for @ESPN was a new record for me in terms of speed of shooting (which seems appropriate given the speed at which Manny fights). Only four minutes elapsed from the time I took my first portrait of Manny to the last portrait…
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My 2024 Photographic Recap
I continued in my exploration of photographing different liquids, and soon ventured into working with epoxy resin…
Read MoreY2K Lifestyle Shoot for Unsplash+
I was recently commissioned by @unsplash to create a body of work around the theme of early 00’s tech and fashion. I was born in 1980 so this was my era. I already knew how to approach shopping for props because I was basically buying everything I always wanted but couldn’t afford 😂. I was heavily influenced by the aesthetic in Gregg Araki’s 1997 film, Nowhere.
Read MoreImages From the May Creative Portrait Workshop
Here are some of my favorite images from my latest Creative Portrait workshop. As you can see, we covered a braod range of techniques over the two day class.
Read MoreIdentity: A Commission by Unsplash+
The team at Unsplash reached out to me to commission a body of work around the theme of identity. Identity is such a broad, subjective concept that I ultimately used several different technical approaches to create the portraits…
Read MoreShelby X Creative Portrait Workshop
I had a blast hosting a sold out workshop at my studio this past weekend. Thank you to my students for coming from places as far away as Boston, Seattle, and the Cayman Islands. Shout out to my incredible models (@yesandso seen here) for making it easy to turn these techniques into moving art.
Read MoreEyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose (Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes)
It’s been nearly five years since I’ve photographed @kate_sweeney and it was interesting to see the parallel in tone with our last shoot (third eye vibes)…
Read MoreFluid Portraits Commission by Unsplash+
These images were all created using in-camera effects. No Photoshop was used— only color grading in Lightroom.
I was recently commissioned by Unsplash+ to create a library of fluid portraits. Last year I began working on a new body of images where I explore fluids and in-camera multiple exposures. My Canon 5DIV allows me to select an image from my memory card and overlay it on my viewfinder, when in “live view”, which allows me to intentionally compose multiple exposures. Even though I know more or less how the fluid and the portrait will merge, there is always a moment of surprise when the final image pops up on my screen. As you can see in the gallery below, the same fluid shot will produce wildly different results depending on how the subject is light, the clothes they’re wearing, their hair, the complexion of their skin, etc. This makes each image a one-of-one.
Read MoreAvatar: The Last Airbender Photo Shoot for Entertainment Weekly
This is one of those achievement-unlocked moments for me. Since I first picked up a camera as a teenager (27 years ago 😱), one of my dreams was to shoot for @entertainmentweekly. A few weeks ago that dream came true, when I was given the opportunity to shoot the cast of the new, live-action adaptation of @avatarnetflix, which premieres next month on @netflix.
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Astral Projection: Psychedelic Fashion Shoot with Foxx Smoulder
In an effort to keep things interesting as well as continue to evolve as an image maker, I’ve learned to embrace an element of chaos in my portrait sessions. In the case of this shoot I set up a series of controls, such as a strobe and a projector, and then I added the unpredictable element of video…
Read MoreNew Flower Portraits and a Fine Art Print Sale
Historically, whenever I create something that I’m really excited about, I immediately get overwhelmed (this latest shoot is case in point). I’ve thought about reasons why it may affect me in this way, and here are just a few…
Read MoreImages From the Glow Photography Workshop
Here are a few selects from my “Glow” workshop this past weekend. One of my favorite things about teaching is that I often end up discovering new things, such as this concentric circle halo effect that I stumbled upon…
Read MoreLess Is More: Slowing Down with Sondos
Lately I’ve been intentionally slowing down the pace in which I engage life. Though I’ve never been good at being still or meditating, I have found lately that stillness is what I’ve been craving the most. My favorite pastime these days is to sit in what others might call silence and listen to the sounds of the world around me. Crickets chirping; the wind moving through the trees; jets passing overhead; neighbors listening to a ball game on their porch radio. If I can manage to stop thinking about each individual sound, I can start to hear them all as one, and accept my place within it.
Read MoreIn-Camera Multiple Exposures with Liquid and a Model
Here’s my latest exploration with combining images of fluids with in-camera multiple exposure portraits…
Read MoreThe Negative Side of Social Media : Commissioned by Unsplash
As some of my longtime followers know, I’ve had a complicated relationship with social media. In 2019 I was experiencing so much anxiety that I permanently deleted all of my accounts (60,000 followers over 3 platforms) with no plans to return. I spent the next year off the grid. Though I’d already been in therapy for years I also began going to a support group for adult survivors of childhood abuse (ASCA). I started climbing and began regularly cycling again. The combination of processing trauma, moving my body, and removing myself from situations and relationships that exacerbated my anxieties, I began to heal…
Read MoreJason Segel for the Los Angeles Times' Envelope
The @latimes_entertainment was doing a story on Jason Segel and his new show, Shrinking, and @himguydude asked me to shoot the portraits (thanks again for the trust and freedom, Brandon)…
Read MoreCyberpunk Photo Shoot for Unsplash+
I was recently commissioned by Unsplash to create a series of cyberpunk-inspired images. Though the cyberpunk aesthetic is especially trendy as of late, it has held a spot near to my heart ever since I was a teen in the nineties…
Read MoreProjector Photo Shoot : A Collaboration with Digital Artist Christopher Royal King
I recently collaborated with musician and digital artist @christopherroyalking. He created a bunch of images that I used to project onto @_soniaconstable. These images were created strictly with in-camera effects (no photoshop was used)— a fact that I especially pride myself in, in a time of AI-generated imagery.
Read MoreImages From the Previous Icon Session and New Event Announcement
Back in October I opened up my studio to host a day of portraits, which I call Icon Sessions. The idea behind it was to have a reduced session fee, making it more accessible for people to have creative images of themselves. Sessions are limited to 15 minutes, which allows for two outfits and lighting scenarios. Below you can get an idea of the range of portraits that were created that day…
Read MoreFuzzy Rainbows: Psychedelic Photo Shoot with Prisms
For this shoot I worked with prisms and boldly-colored gelled lights. I love the results, which simultaneously feel vintage and futuristic— psychedelic and cyberpunk. As always, these effects were created in-camera, only using Lightroom to enhance color and contrast.
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