Overhead shot of #smdayBUF at Merge

Social Media Day in Buffalo was a huge success! It was planned over the course of 9 Days by @skunkworks716 (Keith), @KatieKraw (Katie), @TonyCityLove (Tony), @Wingalls (Will), @BlockClub (Patrick and Brandon), @djLoPro (Loren), and @arampino (Amber). Hosted at @MergeBuffalo, over 200 people attended the event. I was asked to document the event, below are some of my favorite images and since it’s #FF – I’m posting the twitter names of anyone I know in the image.

(L to R: @NPeracciny, @arampino, @thestip, @JonesRG)

@VeganJesus

( L to R: @KatieKraw, @aardrian, @susanlynncope, @skunkworks716, @dangigante)

(Front: @VeganJesus, @SusanLynnCope)
(Back: @ChazAdams, @arampino)

@djlopro

(L to R: @wnymedia, @buffalogal)

(L to R: @charlieriley, @buffaloniagara)

If you’d like to see more images or order prints from the #smdayBUF event, they are available in the #smdayBUF gallery of my on-line store.

I am also available to cover private and corporate events.  Please feel free to contact me to request a proposal.

Tell us about your #smdayBUF experiences in the comments!

I had the pleasure of photographing the first hybrid motorcycle to come from Orange County Choppers.  It was developed in a joint-venture with Schneider Electric’s engineers.  It’s pretty sweet looking machine.  Saddle bags full of batteries from APC, a biometric thumb print ignition control, full-automatic transmission, and enough LEDs to give it a consistent green glow from end to end.

(I would have given my entire kingdom for a better backdrop, not to self: “Always Bring Muslin and Stand to Future Shoots)

OCC-Hybrid Motorcycle

Saddle Bags Containing LI-Ion Battery Packs

LI-Ion Power Pack Close - Up

Starboard Side of Bike

Rear Fender with Reverse Camera

Port Side of OCC - Hybrid Bike

Detail Shot of Port Side of OCC - Hybrid Motorcycle

Biometric Thumb Print Ignition

On Fuel Tank Touch Screen Display

Orange County Choppers - Hybrid Bike - Front

More Images are Available Here.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think of the Bike!

Buffalo CarShare asked me to stop by and photograph them for a feature in ArtVoice.

Car Sharing is a service that offers the piece-of-mind of the automobile without the up-front costs, hassles, or environmental impacts of private vehicle ownership. Members rent vehicles on an hourly basis for errands or irregular trip, while relying on other modes of transportation (such as walking, bicycling, taking transit or carpooling) for their daily commute.

When I arrived on location:

It was a rainy and windy day, so we started setting up by putting everybody in one of their compact cars (for the lulz).  This was actually incredibly difficult to light due to the compact space, inverse square law, and all the gobos created from the frame and structure of the car.

Buffalo CarShare share a Car!

In the final lighting set up:

I put the camera on the dash with a pocket wizard attached (extremely tight fit); a Vivitar HV285 with wizard in a 28″ softbox in front of the windshield around 15 feet from the car, and another pocket wizard and Vivitar HV285 in the center console powered down to try and match the softbox (This was needed to kick up the light in the backseat, I was still having fall-off issues).  I asked the back seat subjects to tilt their heads slightly foward and down to minimize the “monster lighting” effect that occurred as they were lit from below by the strobe in the center column.

My regret on the shot was that I  set my focal depth too shallow (it was set at Macro and probably could have been set at 3 or 4 feet and had everyone in focus) ,  I was firing “blind” and this was the third lighting set up we had tried with the car – so after about 5 frames I called it a wrap(excuses excuses).  It’s  important to keep the energy up and the fun flowing during a group shoot, if you don’t people get bored and your images get crappy in a hurry.   If something isn’t working, just move along.  If you get tunnel visioned on a shot that isn’t working, you lose the opportunity to find the really great image that is waiting for you nearby.

The image is fun and shows the dynamic of the group, so no serious complaints from me. I’ll just take my lessons learned and implement them on my next shoot.

Funny side note: The man in the middle of the back seat is actually in the trunk since there wasn’t enough room for all three of them.

I was lucky enough to be hired by Andrew J Reimers to work on images for his new media package.   Mr. Andrew J Reimers plays a bluesy style of punk or a punky style of country – depending on how you classify it.  He’s still busy building his web presence but you can “like” his fan page here and check out his music on his myspace page.  We had a great time conceptualizing the images and it gave me a great reason to use my 1986 Toyota 4×4 for a prop.  The idea was to create a visual representation somewhere between Johnny Cash and The Clash with a twist of Buffalo’s Urban Decay thrown in for flavor.  A Buffalo native who’s tag line is “Simple Songs for Honest People“, how can you not love him?

Stay tuned for some great behind-the-scene’s footage — involving both the police and Urban Bouldering in the Truck-Truck.

Are you a musician looking to creating a visual representation of your style?  Give me a call today! My rates are very reasonable — I love to support local artists!

I was lucky enough to be invited to be part of the White House Press Pool by my friends over at WNYMedia.net. President Obama was visiting Buffalo, NY on his “Main Street Tour”, Air Force One was landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport and they needed a photographer on the scene.

The day went like this:

• Wake up at 6:45am – Double Check My Gear
• Out the door by 8:00am – Susan drives me to the airport
• 8:15am – Find out I’m on the wrong side of the airport
• 8:45am – Get to the right location
• Wait…
• 9:30am – Take a Shuttle to the location of the Photo Op.
• 9:45am – Drop off gear on the Flatbed truck that will act as the “Press Box” for the disembarking from Air Force One.
• 10:15am – Take shuttle back to “Holding Pen” leaving gear behind to be rummaged through by the Secret Service and their Dogs.
• Wait…
• Wait…
• Wait…
• 11:30am – Get Official Clearance and Nifty “White House Press Pool” Badge
• 11:45am – Ride back out to Flatbed Truck – Re-assemble gear
• Wait…
• Wait…
• Wait..
• 12:20am Official Wheels Down Time… no Air Force One in sight…
• Wait…
• Wait…
• “Shit, it’s raining”
• Take photos of Air Force One Landing
• Shoot Burst Mode on two camera bodies (one wide angle lens, one 200mm Zoom) as President Obama jogs down stairs.
• Shoot in Burst Mode as President Obama shakes Byron Brown’s (Mayor of Buffalo,  NY) hand.
• Take pictures of Motorcade as it drives 100 yards and stops for another meeting.
• Wait…
• Wait…
• Wait…
• 1:30pm – Take shuttle back to garage; leave to go home and post images.

So… was it worth it?  The President never came within 150 feet of the media or the crowd, I got a couple shots from the same angles that they’ve been taken from 1,000 times before.  But at least I get to say that “I’ve photographed the president”.  Here are a few images from the day.