PhotoPlus Expo Week Events

Photoplus2015

This week is the big annual PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. It’s a great time for us photo types to be in the city because there are plenty of official and unofficial gatherings. I’ll be participating in a number of different public events — most of which are free — so come out and say hello.

• Wednesday, Oct 21, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Stage 37
Behind The Print: A Look Inside A Photographer’s Obsession – FREE
Fellow Canon Explorers of Light Lindsay Adler, Joel Grimes and I will be shooting live on set to showcase a new series of Canon professional printers. The night ends with a panel discussion hosted by the one and only RC Concepcion! This event is for pro photographers and will be a lot of fun. Space is very limited, but the first 10 people to RSVP HERE can join me on set.

• Thursday, Oct 22, 4pm-6pm, B&H Photo Event Space
Photo Brigade Meetup – FREE
Robert Caplin always puts together great events for his Photo Brigade. This one features two up and coming photojournalism superstars — Andrew Renneisen and Mohammed Elshamy, and then I’ll be telling behind-the-scenes stories from my Bon Jovi photo book WORK. There will be a raffle with hundreds of dollars of prizes, refreshments, networking, and it’s open to the public. MORE INFO HERE.

• Friday, Oct 23, 10:15am-12:15pm, Javitz Center
Rock and Roll Portrait Lighting – Paid PhotoPlus Expo seminar
I wanted to call this “Kick Ass Rock and Roll Portrait Lighting,” but they went with the family-friendly title. This is a two hour seminar during the PhotoPlus Expo. I’ll have a live band posing on stage (hint: one of the guys just got back from a tour of the Far East with Bon Jovi!) and will show you how to produce a high energy music portrait from start to finish using small flashes for easy travel and setup. The skills you learn will translate into any kind of portrait photography. Sign up for the Expo and then you can .

• Saturday, Oct 24, 10:45am-11:30, Javitz Center
Separate Yourself from the Pack – FREE with Expo floor pass
I’m speaking on the Canon Stage on the main show floor. I’ll show images and talk about how to bring your career to the next level by separating yourself and making unique images at any event.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones this week.

Big Honor and Giant Image

Canon Explorer of Light

I am thrilled to announce the biggest honor of my career to date: I am now a Canon “Explorer of Light.”

From Canon’s site: “The Explorers of Light concept came out of Canon USA in the mid 1990s as a broad-ranging initiative for photographic education and inspiration. Today, the group is comprised of dozens of the most influential photographers and cinematographers in the world, each a master of their creative specialty.”

You can’t apply to be an EoL. They come to you. For me, it’s like a lifetime achievement award for my 25 years in the business (so far!).

It’s humbling to be in the same group with legendary image makers Greg Gorman, Lauren Greenfield, Gregory Heisler, David Hume Kennerly, Douglas Kirkland, James Nachtwey, Rick Sammon, and Joyce Tenneson. I’m also joining my talented friends Vince Laforet, Simon Bruty, Peter Read Miller, Damian Strohmeyer, Bob Davis, and Parish Kohanim in the program. Besides myself, they are adding about a half dozen new EoL’s this year, and there are fewer than 50 worldwide — all giant names in our industry.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been trying different camera systems and have been really happy with the Canon equipment and the level of support I’ve received from the company. It all came together last week at the massive Canon Expo in NYC. I produced one of my largest projects to date – literally. It’s a 20,000 megapixel image from a game at Yankee Stadium. I made it by stitching together 825 Canon 5DsR images (50-megapixels each!).

It took an hour to shoot and three months of post-processing.

Canon_Expo_Gigapan_group_sm

On opening day, I posed on the field with some of the guys they brought in to play baseball in front of my photo. It’s hard to appreciate the scale without seeing it in person, but you could walk right up to the image and read the hot dog prices in the outfield 450 feet away from my camera position.

Fredric King produced a behind-the-scenes video for Canon showing how I did it.

Thanks to my countless friends and colleagues who have supported and inspired me over the years. I plan to continue producing images, making public appearances, leading seminars, and hosting gallery events while hopefully inspiring others along the way.

Sarah on Tour

Sarah McLachlan brought her tour back to NYC recently, and I was able to see the beautifully printed program that they designed largely around my photography.

I first met Sarah in 2010 when I was the tour photographer for Lilith. She is as wonderful a person as you would imagine.

Her management brought me back out on the road last year to make new images for the program. Here is a peak at a few of the pages.

Sarah Book-Sept 25.pdf

Sarah Book-Sept 25.pdf

Sarah Book-Sept 25.pdf

Sarah Book-Sept 25.pdf

If you get a chance to see her on tour, don’t miss it. And make sure to pick up a copy of the program.

WORK Sneak Peak

Thanks to everyone who has ordered my new Bon Jovi photo book, “WORK.” The JBJ signed copies and VIP books are nearly sold out.

Pre-order order #BonJoviWORK NOW SHIPPING!

“WORK” is an oversized coffee table book of images during my time with the band starting with the Circle Tour in 2010. To give you an idea of how big it is, here is WORK against the full-size VIP book.

WORK_and_BWC_Covers

I want most of the images in the book to be a surprise, but here’s a sneak peak at some of the photographs that are in there.

WORK_Foursome_Spread

Bon Jovi gathers up backstage before a show.

WORK_Gown_Spread

There’s a section in the book about Jon’s 2011 injury in Finland and subsequent surgery in Ireland. Here is a very rare photo of him in the hospital right before the procedure.

WORK_Richie_Spread

This is one of my favorite photos of Richie Sambora during a show in St. Louis.

WORK_Tico_Car_Spread

I went to drummer Tico Torres’ house and photographed him with his Corvette Stingray. You’ll also see Tico on the golf course and working on a painting in his garage.

WORK_JBJ_Camera_Spread

Jon has become my highest profile photo student. A special section of the book shows private photos that he has taken around the world. This was during one of our photo sessions in New York City as Jon figured out the correct settings on his camera.

WORK_David_Music_Spread

David Bryan won two Tony awards for writing the musical Memphis. I photographed him working on his next Broadway show at home in New Jersey.

WORK_Shirtless_Spread

The book wouldn’t be complete without this image of Jon Bon Jovi changing his shirt during a show in Fresno.

You can see a few more images and get answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about “WORK” on my last blog post: Announcing WORK.

Pre-order order #BonJoviWORK NOW SHIPPING!