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August 17, 2020

First Commercial Drone Spot

I’m excited to share with you my first commercial spot as a drone pilot I concepted filmed and sold to PathWater. As some of you know I recently got my done license. It’s important during these COVID-19 times to not be tone-deaf to the situation were all living in. With some simple messaging, easy camera movements, and a tranquil vibe it was my hope that this spot could give the viewer some calm, compared to some of the scarier spots I’ve been seeing on TV. I hope you enjoy it!

July 9, 2020

My New Drone Pilots License

Recently I got my Part 107 Drone Pilots License. This is a fancy way of saying is that I can fly drones and use the footage for commercial purposes legally. I’ve been holding off on buying a new drone since my last one was stolen when I was traveling in Laos earlier this year. I told myself that if I was going to buy a new toy it has to be something more than just for the joy of flight. I would have to justify this purchase as a tool I can use for my business. So I took this time during Covid-19 to knuckle down and study. I passed the test the first try! So naturally, it was time to make a purchase.

I’m loving flying again and the new drone is significantly better in every way from my first one! From the way it maneuvers, to how you can grade the footage. I’m in LOVE, and I’ve been flying it at every opportunity. Here is some test footage from the maiden flight that I strung together. It’s been so fun concentrating on motion again.

June 15, 2020

Creating-In-Place

Just because the business has been slowed down should in no way mean that productivity is. I’m not the type of person that can be content with sitting around and waiting for this economy to put me back to work. The silver lining this COVID mess for me personally has been treating this time as an opportunity to learn and grow.
Some highlights so far: I have given new life to my Hasselblad 500 system with my very own medium format back. I love those cameras dearly and the glass that accompanies them. However, in the digital age, they have become more mantelpieces than the workhorses they once were. Now they have a new lease on life and so far I’ve been very impressed with the results of the h20 back. From the amazing to color to the graduation from light to dark this seventeen-year-old technology can still outperform all the DSLR’s on the market today which is mind-blowing. I’m a Phase One certified professional and have worked with most of the newest backs but something about using this old system has been extremely gratifying. It’s nowhere near as fast or as flexible of a file as the new ones, but I love working with it so much. The photos attached to this post were created with the Hasselblad/Phase back combo enjoy!

Another thing I’m excited about is that I’m officially going to be able to start offering drone services to my clients! I just passed the Part107 test and after a month of studying, the testing centers reopened and I’m officially a licensed pilot. I’ve always treated drone photography and video as a fun hobby while I was on vacation. I loved flying them but always very cautious about posting or promoting that work as I didn’t have a license and didn’t want to promote a false expectation to a client that I could do it for them commercially. Until now! I just purchased a more professional drone and I’m going to start making a reel as soon as it arrives. So excited!

May 4, 2020

Lending a Hand During Covid-19

During this Covid-19 crisis a lot of businesses have had to pivot the way they normally operate, myself included. Unfortunately, just in my neighborhood of Temescal Oakland, I’ve seen some of my favorite businesses shutter. However that doesn’t mean we should batten down the hatches, stick our heads in sand, and wait for this all to be over before we start doing something to help our fellow neighbors. I spent the first few weeks of the pandemic focusing just on myself and my business, before finally realizing I should be doing something to lend a helping hand doing what I know best.

Roses’ Taproom is my favorite beer bar in Temescal, and they have had to pivot from being a normal bar to a canning and distributing operation for their amazing beer. I was excited when they got back to me saying they had the perfect project for me. They were releasing a new beer, and wanted a photo of their bar for the label. I’ve done architectural photography before, but I haven’t crafted my portfolios around it. I took this opportunity to sharpen my craft in a different way, and welcome any and all challenges.

Roses’ has a beautiful bar, completely custom-designed by one of the owners who used to be a professional woodworker. It also floods with amazing light in the afternoon right around when happy hour is usually taking place. With this winning combination, I stitched 14 photos together, corrected the lens distortion, and made this beauty.

“Wish You Were Here” Hazy IPA comes out May 8th and I highly suggest you go and try their amazing beer.

March 19, 2020

Dickies X Drop at the Barber Shop

There are shoots that bring you back to where you started, in a nostalgic kind of way, this shoot was one of them. When I got my first in-house photography job working for Neff Headwear it was a dream come true. I got to work with professional athletes in the sports I really cared about AKA board sports. When I found out about this shoot for Drop I was very excited for it. Dickies is such a powerhouse brand in the skate culture with people like Jamie Foy (AKA Thrasher Skater of the year) I knew it would be such a wasted opportunity if we didn’t at least give a nod towards the skate industry.

Fortunately while casting the models, Zacharia Ho-Seher was on the list of possible candidates. Taking one look at his instagram I knew he was the guy we wanted to cast, being that half his page was him doing one amazing trick after another on the board. Casting the beautiful Claudia Chaverra was also a no-brainer, when you have the inherent cool factor and the world’s best hair we were glad to have her on board.

The Dickies we were showing off were not your average 874 cut. These were constructed from a Cramerton Twill a deadstock fabric, the same fabric that your Grandpa might have stormed the beaches at Normandy in. Thus a more rugged but comfortable fabric that any fashion collector would want to get their hands on. The team wanted to show these pants in three different varying levels of dress from the casual to the done up. We thought the barber shop was an excellent location to show off the vintage appeal with a modern feel.The day of the shoot arrived and it went off without a hitch! The crew, the models, and the producer all really brought their A game and we came out with a product that we were all really proud of. I had a ton of fun! Check these out and many others in my lifestyle portfolio.