Bushido - A Short Documentary by TLP Media
A rare appearance in front of the camera.
"Steven!"
"Yes?"
"I need to shoot a short documentary to teach my AV class how to shoot good material on their iPhones. Can I shoot you practicing and talking about your journey in karate?"
"Ummmm... sure!"
My long-time buddy, Travis Patterson, is a fellow photographer, as well as being a teacher, videographer, designer and all-around media specialist (see his work at TLP Media, Cosplay by TLP Media, etc). We've been hanging out since I was in my undergrad and he was in his masters at UWF, and this project felt like a throwback to the good old days when we would get together on a weekend and just be creative and do a project together.
I don't often get in front of the camera. I post occasional images and thoughts related to my training, but I try not to share too much of the actual training itself. Inherent in traditional karate are tenets of humility and introspection, and I didn't want to veer into self-aggrandizement by talking too much or displaying too much training on camera. Vainly, I was also self conscious to be in front of the camera after a week of being sick, not training and getting a little soft around the edges.
With all that said, I can always trust Travis as a storyteller and image composer, so I decided to go for it.
Believe it or not, this super pretty footage (that is to say that the footage is pretty, the actor is fairly mediocre) was shot on an iPhone 6s, lit with $10 lights and stabilized with a cheap tripod and a selfie stick. You see, kids? It's easy to make a movie!
Travis's Portfolio: http://travislpatterson.wix.com/
Together in Pensacola, FL: The Edwards Family
Cooler weather in Pensacola means family portrait season. And one of my favorite families to capture is the Edwards/Tipton/(soon to be) Coker clan. When discussing what they might want to do for their family portraits this year, Annie threw out the idea of a paint fight. With a slight alteration to colored chalk, we stuck with that idea and ended up with some incredibly fun shots.
Cooler weather in Pensacola means family portrait season. And one of my favorite families to capture is the Edwards/Tipton/(soon to be) Coker clan. Long-term followers of my progress will recognize Karena as a multi-trip compatriot in trips to India, and her daughter and son-in-law Brittney and Brandon from their beautiful beach wedding that I photographed two years ago, as well as their daughter Piper, whom I photographed last Christmas.
When discussing what they might want to do for their family portraits this year, Annie threw out the idea of a paint fight. With a slight alteration to colored chalk, we stuck with that idea and ended up with some incredibly fun shots. This is how you do it, folks. Matching outfits on the beach will get the job done, but if you plan to block out an afternoon to get the whole family together for photos, do something unique!
AND
Courtesy of my lovely wife, a behind the scenes video of the shoot in progress.
Doin' the work...in the sky!
Yours truly, doing my thing in a small airplane over Alabama yesterday. I tagged along with my buddy Sheldon when he went up to shoot some air-to-air video aviation footage for a project he's currently working on. The inflation of my shirt is due to the absence of a door on my side of the airplane. Yep, you heard me correctly. We don't mess around. Big thanks to Sheldon for grabbing a few [awesome] shots of me while we were up in the air.
Warrior Dash and the joy of common purpose.
In retrospect, I regret having spent so much of my life in solitary pursuits. It's simply my personality that I do my best work and think most clearly when I work alone, but I regret having allowed the desire to "work better" to infiltrate everything that I do. I don't believe in doing anything halfway, so it just never made sense to allow myself to be hindered or distracted. I love to meet with people for lunch, coffees or dinner, just to pass the time and enjoy simple conversations, but environments where my work is dependent on another person's involvement have always been frustrating to me. As such, I've always been one to drive alone, work alone, and often play alone. It's not good to spend so much time inside your own head. Over the past few years, I've been reminded of how wonderful it can be to spend time with people for a common purpose. India, certainly has given me multiple experiences of pure, unadulterated joy at what I have seen and assisted in accomplishing when working with a group of people for a common purpose. I also experienced it more recently in my excursion with my friend Jeff to Warrior Dash.
Warrior Dash is a 5K obstacle course. It has whetted my appetite for bigger things...like Tough Mudder. I can't wait.