Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Barenaked Ladies visit Louisville
Barenaked Ladies stopped by the Hard Rock at 4th St. Live in Louisville Kentucky a few weeks ago as part of a promo tour for their new upcoming album "All in Good Time". They are playing a bunch of small venues before kicking off a headlining tour in a few months. The guys are great to shoot. I arrived right before the sound check. Got to hear a bunch of stuff from the new album. During the sound check, there were maybe 10 people in the room.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Behind the Scenes of the Velocity Party Crasher
As many of you know, I also do a little bit of freelance work for the Velocity. We hit the local clubs and concerts to capture the wackiness that is Louisville nightlife. This week, the Velocity ran a "Behind the Scenes" story on myself and Amber Sigmund. Below is the story written by Joe Lord.
Making the Scene
The story of the Party Crasher and how it became a Louisville pop-culture phenomenon
Joseph Lord
Velocity
February 23, 2010
Amber Sigman is lurking through this dim nightclub. She's scanning the room for easy marks, wandering from one end to the other through the steadily expanding crowd. She's stopping to chat with strangers in secluded booths, well-dressed men and women sipping bottle-service Grey Goose. She's chatting with the bartender clad in a black bikini dancing atop her work station.
Sigman settles on Kim Bernett, a 29-year-old sitting with a small group of pals at the entrance to the Fourth Street Live nightclub Hotel. Sigman and Bernett exchange niceties, shouting into each others' ears as Black Eyed Peas' “I Gotta Feeling” blares. In seconds, Bernett has grabbed a friend and is posing, smiling broadly as this stranger snaps photos.
Sigman is not exactly a stranger.
Bernett doesn't know, or care, that Sigman comes from California, studied cultural anthropology and photojournalism and is 33. Bernett does know that Sigman is the Party Crasher, and that's all the information she needs to allow her picture to be taken. That, and the knowledge that in a couple of days, her photo will be published on Metromix.com and will maybe, just maybe, end up in print in this magazine.
“I love it,” Bernett later shouted over the music. “The Party Crasher captures Louisville's nightlife. Besides, I love getting my picture taken!”
Forgive us for getting meta for a moment. The Party Crasher debuted in Velocity's first issue in December 2003 and swiftly became one of the magazine's most popular — and divisive — features. Each weekend, clubgoers seek out Party Crasher photographers, sometimes by flashing, groping and/or kissing to get attention. (Note: Party Crasher photographers don't necessarily seek out this behavior — but people think they do.) The photo galleries published on Metromix.com generate millions of pageviews each year, ostensibly from cubicle-dwellers vicariously experiencing the city's nightlife scene by gawking at photos at work.
As you could expect, the Party Crasher is not universally beloved.
Over the six-plus years Velocity and the Party Crasher have been in existence, detractors have argued that the images of drunken young folks and sparsely dressed women are a demeaning and inaccurate depiction of Kentuckiana nightlife. When critics trash Velocity for lacking substance, the Party Crasher is always cited.
“The vapidity in every episode of ‘Southern Belles: Louisville' left me with the intense regret of not having given myself roofies before pressing play,” Zach Everson of Louisville.com wrote in September. “And Velocity's the Party Crasher section brings back that feeling every week.”
In the club
So not everyone loves the Party Crasher. But clearly, some people do, given the number of pageviews and the reaction of people like Bernett.
Based loosely on the old newspaper society page, the idea behind the Party Crasher was to spotlight the Louisville nightlife scene and the 20- and 30-somethings who populate it. Which, conveniently, is Velocity's target audience.
A single weekly photo gallery in the pages of the magazine quickly became two. When the online Party Crasher became a hit, Velocity enlisted a small army of freelance photographers to fan out across the community shooting anywhere from six to 10 events over the course of the weekend. Although nightclubs like Hotel and Electric Cowboy are popular destinations, the Party Crasher also hits concerts, festivals, gallery openings, private parties (when invited) and, of course, the Kentucky Derby.
Taking pictures of club kids isn't exactly what Sigman saw herself doing when she enrolled in Western Kentucky University's lauded photojournalism program. Sigman wanted to do documentary-style photography — photo essays that would spotlight social issues. Maybe a little travel photography, too.
Instead, Sigman is at the foot of Hotel's bar. She is pointing her camera up at Kylie Rhew, the lingerie-clad bartender who is dancing atop it. It's the club's monthly Guilty Pleasures party, which has been ratcheted up with a Valentine's Day theme.
“I'm usually the most-clothed woman in there,” Sigman mused. “I have a pretty fun job. Sometimes I feel a little paparazziish, especially around Derby time, but that's just part of the job.”
Besides, she said, Party Crasher has forced her to improve her camera skills — she's better with a flash these days.
Sigman began shooting Party Crasher in 2008. She said she prefers shooting concerts, but she doesn't turn down an assignment. If it means hanging out on Fourth Street Live — not exactly her social scene — so be it. Fourth Street Live has an upside. While people she encounters at other venues sometimes ask her not to take their photo, that rarely happens on Fourth Street.
(One tip: If you don't want to be in the Party Crasher, just say so; there's no need to jam your hand over Sigman's lens, à la Alec Baldwin.)
The over-friendly types can be annoying in their own way, too. While Sigman was shooting photos at Hotel, a man she approached for a picture gleefully kissed the diminutive photographer on the cheek.
“That'll happen sometimes,” she said.
Initially, Sigman had internal conflicts about shooting the sparsely dressed servers at some of Louisville's nightclubs, but she made peace with it. That's journalism, she argues.
“These women are out there dressed like that,” Sigman said. “They're young, and they're beautiful. It's part of life. Do I think there should always be half-naked photos in the Party Crasher? No, but, obviously, sex sells.”
(Side note: Sigman's photos from Hotel were among the most viewed on Metromix within days of being posted on the site.)
For the clubs, the Party Crasher means free publicity and support to the notion that they are a vibrant place to be, said Ellen Hagans, sales manager at Hotel.
The club's servers and bartenders, she added, have never expressed reservations about seeing images of themselves cavorting in the pages of Velocity or on Metromix.com, both of which are easily accessed by their friends, family and, on occasion, co-workers at their less sexy daytime jobs.
“I'm pretty sure they all love having their pictures in there,” Hagans said.
Hagans said the presence of Sigman and her camera-wielding cohorts contributes to the vibe of the club. When someone goes all out to dress up for a night at Hotel, a picture in the Party Crasher helps validate the hard work that goes into looking good. “Everyone gets really excited when they're here,” she said.
Flashers, fratboys and fights
Like Sigman, Mike Dossett said he likes to take a break from the nightclub scene from time to time and shoot, say, a rock concert. But for better or worse, his specialty is shooting clubs like the Electric Cowboy, a decidedly non-pretentious honky-tonk on Dixie Highway that Dossett helped put on the map with his over-the-top Party Crasher photos.
He's even developed some Party Crasher regulars at the Electric Cowboy, in particular a pair of sisters with an affinity for, um, cheekily presenting their backsides to Dossett whenever he comes around. He has shot the sisters in the same pose a half-dozen times — their bottoms facing the camera, faces impishly peering over their shoulders.
“It just came to be a thing,” he said.
But he's seen wilder. Flashers, fights and other NSFW incidents. These happen frequently, he said.
Occasionally, Dossett will snap a seemingly harmless photo of a darkened dance floor, only to find out later, when he is editing his pictures, that a dancer was flashing him. For obvious reasons, those pics don't get published.
For his part, Dossett said he prefers to shoot “more reserved” events and more laid-back nightclubs such as Prime Lounge in downtown Louisville. The retired government worker said he rarely encounters people who don't want to be photographed, and when they do, they sometimes cite as a reason the images of girls and boys behaving badly in the pages of the Party Crasher.
“Most folks are more than happy to be photographed, but it does happen,” he said. “I think Velocity gets a little of a bad rap for publishing things that aren't, um, mainstream. If you look at Velocity, it's a small piece (of the magazine).”
Ryan Armbrust has also seen crazy scenes since he began shooting Party Crashers last spring, but this particular Saturday night on Baxter Avenue began rather tamely.
Armbrust begins his night at 11 p.m. at O'Shea's Irish Pub, where a packed house is watching the Kentucky Wildcats basketball game on TV and occupying every table and booth in the building.
He notices that local scenester Russ Renbarger, of Facebook and “Southern Belles: Louisville” fame, is a part of a small birthday party occupying a booth near the front of the bar. The subject of a Velocity cover story about his life as an aspiring fameball, Renbarger and his crew were more than happy to accommodate Armbrust.
Armbrust has a new-found appreciation for Louisville's nightlife. He sees many of the same faces each weekend — regulars at Hotel, Angels Rockbar and Phoenix Hill Tavern, where he used to tend bar. Clubgoers tend to be “territorial,” he said, and that's a useful time-saver for a late-night assignment with an 8 a.m. deadline. “It's getting to the point where I'll only have to get names for, like, five of the pictures,” he said later.
Socializing is a big part of the Party Crasher experience, Armbrust said.
People are more at ease when he is relaxed and mingling, and it makes for better photos. He's a big guy and doesn't worry about people getting upset that he's taken their picture. (The mix of booze and testosterone can create tension; on at least one occasion, a man angrily confronted a Party Crasher photographer attempting to take his girlfriend's photo.) More innocently, Armbrust has had his face smooshed into fake breasts during a drag show, and he's seen his share of fratboy fights and drunken nudity.
“That's a common thing, especially around Derby,” said Armbrust, who by day runs Sniper Photography, a studio where he specializes in pinup photos for women who want to surprise their husbands, boyfriends and (sometimes) girlfriends.
After a crowded but tame shoot at O'Shea's, Armbrust walked across Baxter Avenue to Wick's Pizza. Inside, the eccentric DJ Deuce Leader was spinning records for Valentine's weekend revelers, some of them dancing in lingerie.
Two women — identifying themselves only as “Vivian” and “Janey” — began kissing. Armbrust's strategy in weird situations such as this — “It was like David Lynch meets John Waters” — is to be a good sport and shoot the photo, even if it doesn't make it into the magazine or online.
“It is what it is,” he said.
Making the Scene
The story of the Party Crasher and how it became a Louisville pop-culture phenomenon
Joseph Lord
Velocity
February 23, 2010
Amber Sigman is lurking through this dim nightclub. She's scanning the room for easy marks, wandering from one end to the other through the steadily expanding crowd. She's stopping to chat with strangers in secluded booths, well-dressed men and women sipping bottle-service Grey Goose. She's chatting with the bartender clad in a black bikini dancing atop her work station.
Sigman settles on Kim Bernett, a 29-year-old sitting with a small group of pals at the entrance to the Fourth Street Live nightclub Hotel. Sigman and Bernett exchange niceties, shouting into each others' ears as Black Eyed Peas' “I Gotta Feeling” blares. In seconds, Bernett has grabbed a friend and is posing, smiling broadly as this stranger snaps photos.
Sigman is not exactly a stranger.
Bernett doesn't know, or care, that Sigman comes from California, studied cultural anthropology and photojournalism and is 33. Bernett does know that Sigman is the Party Crasher, and that's all the information she needs to allow her picture to be taken. That, and the knowledge that in a couple of days, her photo will be published on Metromix.com and will maybe, just maybe, end up in print in this magazine.
“I love it,” Bernett later shouted over the music. “The Party Crasher captures Louisville's nightlife. Besides, I love getting my picture taken!”
Forgive us for getting meta for a moment. The Party Crasher debuted in Velocity's first issue in December 2003 and swiftly became one of the magazine's most popular — and divisive — features. Each weekend, clubgoers seek out Party Crasher photographers, sometimes by flashing, groping and/or kissing to get attention. (Note: Party Crasher photographers don't necessarily seek out this behavior — but people think they do.) The photo galleries published on Metromix.com generate millions of pageviews each year, ostensibly from cubicle-dwellers vicariously experiencing the city's nightlife scene by gawking at photos at work.
As you could expect, the Party Crasher is not universally beloved.
Over the six-plus years Velocity and the Party Crasher have been in existence, detractors have argued that the images of drunken young folks and sparsely dressed women are a demeaning and inaccurate depiction of Kentuckiana nightlife. When critics trash Velocity for lacking substance, the Party Crasher is always cited.
“The vapidity in every episode of ‘Southern Belles: Louisville' left me with the intense regret of not having given myself roofies before pressing play,” Zach Everson of Louisville.com wrote in September. “And Velocity's the Party Crasher section brings back that feeling every week.”
In the club
So not everyone loves the Party Crasher. But clearly, some people do, given the number of pageviews and the reaction of people like Bernett.
Based loosely on the old newspaper society page, the idea behind the Party Crasher was to spotlight the Louisville nightlife scene and the 20- and 30-somethings who populate it. Which, conveniently, is Velocity's target audience.
A single weekly photo gallery in the pages of the magazine quickly became two. When the online Party Crasher became a hit, Velocity enlisted a small army of freelance photographers to fan out across the community shooting anywhere from six to 10 events over the course of the weekend. Although nightclubs like Hotel and Electric Cowboy are popular destinations, the Party Crasher also hits concerts, festivals, gallery openings, private parties (when invited) and, of course, the Kentucky Derby.
Taking pictures of club kids isn't exactly what Sigman saw herself doing when she enrolled in Western Kentucky University's lauded photojournalism program. Sigman wanted to do documentary-style photography — photo essays that would spotlight social issues. Maybe a little travel photography, too.
Instead, Sigman is at the foot of Hotel's bar. She is pointing her camera up at Kylie Rhew, the lingerie-clad bartender who is dancing atop it. It's the club's monthly Guilty Pleasures party, which has been ratcheted up with a Valentine's Day theme.
“I'm usually the most-clothed woman in there,” Sigman mused. “I have a pretty fun job. Sometimes I feel a little paparazziish, especially around Derby time, but that's just part of the job.”
Besides, she said, Party Crasher has forced her to improve her camera skills — she's better with a flash these days.
Sigman began shooting Party Crasher in 2008. She said she prefers shooting concerts, but she doesn't turn down an assignment. If it means hanging out on Fourth Street Live — not exactly her social scene — so be it. Fourth Street Live has an upside. While people she encounters at other venues sometimes ask her not to take their photo, that rarely happens on Fourth Street.
(One tip: If you don't want to be in the Party Crasher, just say so; there's no need to jam your hand over Sigman's lens, à la Alec Baldwin.)
The over-friendly types can be annoying in their own way, too. While Sigman was shooting photos at Hotel, a man she approached for a picture gleefully kissed the diminutive photographer on the cheek.
“That'll happen sometimes,” she said.
Initially, Sigman had internal conflicts about shooting the sparsely dressed servers at some of Louisville's nightclubs, but she made peace with it. That's journalism, she argues.
“These women are out there dressed like that,” Sigman said. “They're young, and they're beautiful. It's part of life. Do I think there should always be half-naked photos in the Party Crasher? No, but, obviously, sex sells.”
(Side note: Sigman's photos from Hotel were among the most viewed on Metromix within days of being posted on the site.)
For the clubs, the Party Crasher means free publicity and support to the notion that they are a vibrant place to be, said Ellen Hagans, sales manager at Hotel.
The club's servers and bartenders, she added, have never expressed reservations about seeing images of themselves cavorting in the pages of Velocity or on Metromix.com, both of which are easily accessed by their friends, family and, on occasion, co-workers at their less sexy daytime jobs.
“I'm pretty sure they all love having their pictures in there,” Hagans said.
Hagans said the presence of Sigman and her camera-wielding cohorts contributes to the vibe of the club. When someone goes all out to dress up for a night at Hotel, a picture in the Party Crasher helps validate the hard work that goes into looking good. “Everyone gets really excited when they're here,” she said.
Flashers, fratboys and fights
Like Sigman, Mike Dossett said he likes to take a break from the nightclub scene from time to time and shoot, say, a rock concert. But for better or worse, his specialty is shooting clubs like the Electric Cowboy, a decidedly non-pretentious honky-tonk on Dixie Highway that Dossett helped put on the map with his over-the-top Party Crasher photos.
He's even developed some Party Crasher regulars at the Electric Cowboy, in particular a pair of sisters with an affinity for, um, cheekily presenting their backsides to Dossett whenever he comes around. He has shot the sisters in the same pose a half-dozen times — their bottoms facing the camera, faces impishly peering over their shoulders.
“It just came to be a thing,” he said.
But he's seen wilder. Flashers, fights and other NSFW incidents. These happen frequently, he said.
Occasionally, Dossett will snap a seemingly harmless photo of a darkened dance floor, only to find out later, when he is editing his pictures, that a dancer was flashing him. For obvious reasons, those pics don't get published.
For his part, Dossett said he prefers to shoot “more reserved” events and more laid-back nightclubs such as Prime Lounge in downtown Louisville. The retired government worker said he rarely encounters people who don't want to be photographed, and when they do, they sometimes cite as a reason the images of girls and boys behaving badly in the pages of the Party Crasher.
“Most folks are more than happy to be photographed, but it does happen,” he said. “I think Velocity gets a little of a bad rap for publishing things that aren't, um, mainstream. If you look at Velocity, it's a small piece (of the magazine).”
Ryan Armbrust has also seen crazy scenes since he began shooting Party Crashers last spring, but this particular Saturday night on Baxter Avenue began rather tamely.
Armbrust begins his night at 11 p.m. at O'Shea's Irish Pub, where a packed house is watching the Kentucky Wildcats basketball game on TV and occupying every table and booth in the building.
He notices that local scenester Russ Renbarger, of Facebook and “Southern Belles: Louisville” fame, is a part of a small birthday party occupying a booth near the front of the bar. The subject of a Velocity cover story about his life as an aspiring fameball, Renbarger and his crew were more than happy to accommodate Armbrust.
Armbrust has a new-found appreciation for Louisville's nightlife. He sees many of the same faces each weekend — regulars at Hotel, Angels Rockbar and Phoenix Hill Tavern, where he used to tend bar. Clubgoers tend to be “territorial,” he said, and that's a useful time-saver for a late-night assignment with an 8 a.m. deadline. “It's getting to the point where I'll only have to get names for, like, five of the pictures,” he said later.
Socializing is a big part of the Party Crasher experience, Armbrust said.
People are more at ease when he is relaxed and mingling, and it makes for better photos. He's a big guy and doesn't worry about people getting upset that he's taken their picture. (The mix of booze and testosterone can create tension; on at least one occasion, a man angrily confronted a Party Crasher photographer attempting to take his girlfriend's photo.) More innocently, Armbrust has had his face smooshed into fake breasts during a drag show, and he's seen his share of fratboy fights and drunken nudity.
“That's a common thing, especially around Derby,” said Armbrust, who by day runs Sniper Photography, a studio where he specializes in pinup photos for women who want to surprise their husbands, boyfriends and (sometimes) girlfriends.
After a crowded but tame shoot at O'Shea's, Armbrust walked across Baxter Avenue to Wick's Pizza. Inside, the eccentric DJ Deuce Leader was spinning records for Valentine's weekend revelers, some of them dancing in lingerie.
Two women — identifying themselves only as “Vivian” and “Janey” — began kissing. Armbrust's strategy in weird situations such as this — “It was like David Lynch meets John Waters” — is to be a good sport and shoot the photo, even if it doesn't make it into the magazine or online.
“It is what it is,” he said.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
My photos featured in Churchill Downs book.
Very exciting news! About 6 months or so ago I was contacted by The History Press, a publishing company. They were searching for images to use in an upcoming book they were set to publish by author Kim Gatto titled Churchill Downs, America's Most Historic Racetrack. The Forward of the book was written by Seattle Slew's Jockey Jean Cruguet. They bought usage rights for the two photos on the front cover as well as 4 images on the back cover and dozens to be included inside the book.
They also hired me to snap a few images at Churchill downs that I did not already have in my portfolio.
Anyway, flash forward to this week.
Today I was sent the book covers. Both cover shots are mine as well as 4 on the back.
The book is being released April 18th, which is actually my Birthday, during the grand re-opening of the Kentucky Derby Museum!
The Derby Museum has been shut down for some time now due to a nasty flood awhile back.
Pretty excited. Perfect timing as well, right before Kentucky Derby Season.
A portion of the book proceeds will be donated to Old Friends Equine, A Kentucky-based retirement farm for thoroughbreds.
They also hired me to snap a few images at Churchill downs that I did not already have in my portfolio.
Anyway, flash forward to this week.
Today I was sent the book covers. Both cover shots are mine as well as 4 on the back.
The book is being released April 18th, which is actually my Birthday, during the grand re-opening of the Kentucky Derby Museum!
The Derby Museum has been shut down for some time now due to a nasty flood awhile back.
Pretty excited. Perfect timing as well, right before Kentucky Derby Season.
A portion of the book proceeds will be donated to Old Friends Equine, A Kentucky-based retirement farm for thoroughbreds.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Pinup Models Go Go Amy and Bettina May drop by the studio
Friday afternoon, Bettina May and Go Go Amy dropped by the Boudoir Louisville / Sniper Photo studio for a pinup session. They were in town as part of their tour for The Pretty Things Peepshow, a traveling burlesque and sideshow, that Go Go Amy founded.
Rachel French from Venomous Designs loaned us a bunch of her great corsets for the shoot.
We snapped so many awesome pinup shots! They were a DREAM to work with. Every time I snapped a pic, they TOTALLY changed poses and facial expressions. This allowed me to get tons of great pics of both of them.
I will be posted a few sets from our shoot next week. For now, all you get are a few behind the scenes pics. Enjoy!
Rachel French from Venomous Designs loaned us a bunch of her great corsets for the shoot.
We snapped so many awesome pinup shots! They were a DREAM to work with. Every time I snapped a pic, they TOTALLY changed poses and facial expressions. This allowed me to get tons of great pics of both of them.
I will be posted a few sets from our shoot next week. For now, all you get are a few behind the scenes pics. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Fast girl and a pretty bike!
For the past few months, I have been posting all of my pinup and boudoir sessions to my Boudoir Louisville blog and not to my Sniper Photo blog. Figured I would keep the two separate. The pinups I snapped last night are just too cool to post to ONE blog, so here ya go...
Last night I snapped a bunch of great pinups with Catherine Jones. She had the perfect wardrobe to shoot pinup! Not to mention, her facial expressions were pretty rockin' as well. I needed a special prop for this shoot, so I turned to a buddy of mine. Sonny had this great old Honda motorcycle, called a MINI DREAM, that I just had to shoot with. The bike arrived to my building, and after a short ride in my cargo elevator it was sitting in my studio.
Be sure to look for the Boudoir session pics of Catherine in a few days.
Wanna be Boudoir Louisville's next Pinup Girl? Click the pics below to visit our main website.
Last night I snapped a bunch of great pinups with Catherine Jones. She had the perfect wardrobe to shoot pinup! Not to mention, her facial expressions were pretty rockin' as well. I needed a special prop for this shoot, so I turned to a buddy of mine. Sonny had this great old Honda motorcycle, called a MINI DREAM, that I just had to shoot with. The bike arrived to my building, and after a short ride in my cargo elevator it was sitting in my studio.
Be sure to look for the Boudoir session pics of Catherine in a few days.
Wanna be Boudoir Louisville's next Pinup Girl? Click the pics below to visit our main website.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Phil Lempert - Supermarket Guru makes a trip to Louisville
Last week I was hired by a Montana marketing firm to cover an event at a local grocery store.
Local school kids were led around the store by Phil Lempert. He explained what foods were good, and which were not so good.
Known as The Supermarket Guru ® , Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions.
As one of America’s leading consumer trend-watchers and analysts, Phil Lempert is recognized on television, radio and in print. He is the food trends editor and correspondent for NBC News’ Today show, where he reports on consumer trends, food safety and money-saving tips, as well as showcases new products. He makes monthly appearances on ABC’s The View , and has appeared numerous times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, Discovery Health and MSNBC, as well as on local television morning and news programs throughout the country.
Local school kids were led around the store by Phil Lempert. He explained what foods were good, and which were not so good.
Known as The Supermarket Guru ® , Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions.
As one of America’s leading consumer trend-watchers and analysts, Phil Lempert is recognized on television, radio and in print. He is the food trends editor and correspondent for NBC News’ Today show, where he reports on consumer trends, food safety and money-saving tips, as well as showcases new products. He makes monthly appearances on ABC’s The View , and has appeared numerous times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, CNN, CNBC, Discovery Health and MSNBC, as well as on local television morning and news programs throughout the country.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Apple's new iPad!
Today, Steve Jobs and the Apple gang unveiled the new iPad.
I can not wait for this thing to shit. I will be ordering a pair of the damn things, one for me and another for the wife. She is a Kindle user, well, not for long!
People have mixed reviews about this new gadget. I think a lot of folks were thinking this would be a replacement for their laptops. This is NOT the case. There are a lot of nifty things the iPad can do. As a photographer, I am excited to run photo slideshows for clients on this thing.
And the price! Starting at $499! Awesome!
iPad Video
iPad Keynote
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Rachel Alexandra named "Horse of the Year"
When Rachel Alexandra was named Horse of the Year Monday night at the 39th Annual Eclipse Awards in Beverly Hills, it was hard to argue against it, but it would have been the same had Zenyatta taken the crown.
The two females turned the thoroughbred racing world on its head as they defied convention and soundly beat males. They both turned in dominant years in 2009.
Zenyatta, a 6-year-old mare, finished undefeated in 14 career starts and is the only filly or mare to have won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. She won four straight Grade 1 races in California in 2009.
Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness, the first 3-year-old filly to claim that title in 84 years. She also won the Haskell against males, and the Woodward Stakes against older males. It was the first time a filly had ever won the Woodward.
The final tally was 130 votes for Rachel Alexandra and 99 for Zenyatta.
Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta also won their respective classes with ease.
Rachel Alexandra was unanimously voted top 3-year-old filly with 232 votes. She was the only winner selected unanimously. Meanwhile, Zenyatta received 231 votes for best older mare of the year. Icon Project got one vote.
Summer Bird received 225 of the 232 votes. Fellow Birdstone son and winner of the Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird, was second in the voting with four votes.
Gio Ponti, who won two Eclipse awards - top male turf horse and older male - was broken by Ocala's Gabriel Dixon.
The 4-year-old won four Grade 1 races in 2009, including the Arlington Million, Man O'War Stakes, Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap and Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap.
The Eclipse Awards are voted on and presented by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers Association.
Text by Fred Hiers and Carlos E. Medina, Staff writer and correspondent
Photos by Ryan Armbrust - Sniper Photo
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 1:24 p.m.
The two females turned the thoroughbred racing world on its head as they defied convention and soundly beat males. They both turned in dominant years in 2009.
Zenyatta, a 6-year-old mare, finished undefeated in 14 career starts and is the only filly or mare to have won the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. She won four straight Grade 1 races in California in 2009.
Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness, the first 3-year-old filly to claim that title in 84 years. She also won the Haskell against males, and the Woodward Stakes against older males. It was the first time a filly had ever won the Woodward.
The final tally was 130 votes for Rachel Alexandra and 99 for Zenyatta.
Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta also won their respective classes with ease.
Rachel Alexandra was unanimously voted top 3-year-old filly with 232 votes. She was the only winner selected unanimously. Meanwhile, Zenyatta received 231 votes for best older mare of the year. Icon Project got one vote.
Summer Bird received 225 of the 232 votes. Fellow Birdstone son and winner of the Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird, was second in the voting with four votes.
Gio Ponti, who won two Eclipse awards - top male turf horse and older male - was broken by Ocala's Gabriel Dixon.
The 4-year-old won four Grade 1 races in 2009, including the Arlington Million, Man O'War Stakes, Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap and Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap.
The Eclipse Awards are voted on and presented by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers Association.
Text by Fred Hiers and Carlos E. Medina, Staff writer and correspondent
Photos by Ryan Armbrust - Sniper Photo
Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 1:24 p.m.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
PPA - Imaging USA Photo Conference
Just got back into Louisville from the PPA - Imaging USA Photo Conference in Nashville.
Imaging USA’s mission is to be the first major photographic event of the year that brings together the forward-thinking photographers and business leaders whose ideas spark innovation and change in the industry.
It is the longest running national photographic convention, expo, and image exhibition in the United States, drawing thousands of professionals from around the world. Dating back to 1880, when it began as the annual convention and tradeshow for Professional Photographers of America, the event is always growing and evolving.
Went to quite a few training classes, met lots of other photographers. The Boudoir Divas from San Diego spoke, had to go see them. They run a high end Boudoir business, average shoot price is $2000! Also went to a great lighting seminar taught by Tony Corbell and lots of marketing workshops. The marketing stuff put me to sleep, I'm pretty sure I could have taught THOSE classes!
There was also a huge trade show. Pretty much all the heavy hitters were in attendance. It was hard keeping my wallet in my jeans! I did beat a few vendors up on pricing and made a few purchases though.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Pinups with Laura Kirkpatrick
Laura Kirkpatrick, runner up from Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model, dropped by the Boudoir Louisville studio to snap a few pinups! She was fantastic to work with.
Tyra, I made you proud.
If you live in or around the Louisville area and want to book your very own Pinup and Boudoir session click the pics below to visit the Boudoir Louisville website. Hey, if we are good enough for Laura Kirkpatrick, we are good enough for you!
Tyra, I made you proud.
If you live in or around the Louisville area and want to book your very own Pinup and Boudoir session click the pics below to visit the Boudoir Louisville website. Hey, if we are good enough for Laura Kirkpatrick, we are good enough for you!
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