We’re having a party! Please RSVP if you’d like to come!
http://www.mypunchbowl.com/parties/1237209-first-christmas-party-of-the-year
Billy Reid, Men’s Journal
The last couple of months I have had some incredible opportunities. I love to shoot for national magazines, and even more to meet the coolest people that are being featured. A few weeks ago I traveled up to Florence Alabama, to photograph Billy Reid for Men’s Journal. Billy was named GQ’s designer of the year this year, but even more than that he is an incredibly talented, but down to earth cool guy. He loves great design, great music, and works to promote them both. I really enjoyed hanging out with him. This is the spread from Men’s Journal.
I lit this with a Photek Softlighter, 64″ and a Profoto 600R battery pack flash. I am constantly trying to balance the ambient with the strobe, but this shot ended up being mostly strobe (flash). The inset shots on white, we set up a little studio in his living room to photograph all of his favorite things. Then the jeep, we shot on the street in front of his house, and it was clipped out before going to print.
This shot is my favorite outtake. It was shot with the same gear as the photo that ran, it’s just all about how ambient plays into the shot. Technically I only used one light, but the sun was my other light. I tend to use the sun alot, in whatever way it’s shining. Ultimately I like to plan as much as I can, then allow whatever is happening at that time of day to play into the shot.
Haiti
We were in Haiti a week past 6 months after the earthquake. Our work was not in Port Au Prince but that’s where we flew into. Once on the ground we spent a couple of hours seeing the devastation. It was not something I will soon forget. This is the Presidential Palace that many saw on the news. I didn’t see it on TV, but once I saw it with my eyes I was astounded. Haiti is a place of great potential. It’s current state of corruption and poverty make it a long uphill battle to realizing that potential. Case in point, the 7.0 magnitude Haiti Earthquake of January 2010 was estimated to have killed 230,000 and injured 300,000. The 7.2 magnitude Baja California Earthquake of April 2010 killed 4 people and injured 100. I am no seismologist or structural engineer, but it seems pretty obvious that due to reasons beyond my understanding, the big difference in the 2 is the lack of building codes. Falling buildings are what killed most people, and since Haiti has little to no building codes, and rampant poverty, the buildings came crashing down. Seeing the beauty and amenities, just from a consumers point of view, Haiti has the potential to be everything that any island in the Caribbean could be. I’m not sure if Wyclef can do it, but I pray that someone will.
The work we were doing is still under wraps, I can’t wait to share that story. In a couple of months I will be able to. Until then, I have a few photos in a gallery on my site, here. Enjoy!
In front of the camera.
I don’t like to be there, I have a complete empathy for people when they step in front of my camera. I think most people that aren’t photographed alot, liken it to going to the dentist – another thing I don’t enjoy at all. But, like it or not, there are times when it must happen. I recently did a couple of on camera interview type things. Maybe they will be a bit educational. If nothing else, you’ll get a good laugh!
Environmental Portraits, Jason Wallis: How’d They Do That? from AdoramaTV on Vimeo.
Copperwing/Neptune Technologies
I recently was able to partner with some new friends Copperwing Design and Interactive for Neptune Technologies on an ad campaign promoting the value of their meters. It was awesome, we got to do a proper underwater shoot! I think that is something we will start doing more and more of. We also found a great new partner for retouching in 4 Amoeba. They did an amazing job with all of the post, lots of color and some compositing. Thanks to their talents, I actually make a cameo in one of the shots!
Baseball
Birmingham is home to the nation’s oldest baseball park, Rickwood Field. Birmingham Magazine hired me to photograph a vintage story on the field. My friends Taylor Robinson, Alan Barton, (handlebar mustaches that are for REAL) and Duquette Johnston agreed to be the ghosts of field of dreams.
Cooking Light
I love food, and the food movement that is happening in this country. It’s returning to our roots (pun intended), and knowing where our food comes from. We even have a garden in our back yard. I hope I get some good tomatoes. I traveled to ATL recently to photograph a farmer and a cheese monger for Cooking Light magazine.
PDN – Stills and Motion
I am pretty stoked about an article that I was just interviewed for. PDN put out a twitter request looking for people who were shooting stills and video on the same job, and I responded. I have been interested in motion picture for a while, shooting my first web commercial 3 years ago. I have also been stoked that the cameras I use every day are now shooting HD video. I really am not a brand loyalist, nor am I stuck to one camera for shooting anything. I try my best to look at the job and the budget and figure the best tool for the job. Recently the 5D MarkII has been the tool that fits the bill, it meets alot of new budgetary requirements, and gives a great product. I had the pleasure of shooting a series of TV Spots and a print campaign for the Mobile Regional Airport. PDN asked all kinds of questions, and i hopefully didn’t sound like an idiot. This is the one of the print ads that ran in the PDN article, and the commercials follow.
FLYMO – David Trent from Jason Wallis Director on Vimeo.
FLYMO – Joey Jones from Jason Wallis Director on Vimeo.
Hat Trick
I have never played cricket or hockey, but I like the phrase “Hat Trick”. I like it much more than a turkey. In both instances the phrase or word refers to basically 3 in a row. I am very thankful and grateful that I was awarded photographer of the year for the third year in a row, Saturday night, by the Birmingham Advertising Federation. To say that I earned or deserved this alone would be far from the truth. I have a team of people that surround me closely that make me so much better than I am. From Rashel my studio manager, whom so many of you know and love, to the incredible art directors at so many different magazines and agencies that hire me, I am grateful. Grateful that I am trusted enough to implement and contribute to your vision. Each year an agency in the club is tasked with creating and implementing a themed concept culminating in the awards banquet. This year Mark Jamroz and Isaiah Same at Think+, executed that brilliantly. The theme, Addy’s Choice Cuts, centered around a butcher shop. They graciously allowed me to be on the creative team to help with the print campaign. The physical awards are always something to look forward to and they did not disappoint this year. Thus, my award:
More faces of India
Here is a mom that works in the tea gardens of India.
In the video below you will see a couple of the locations we shot in and a guy’s hand in the greenery. This is a tea bush. I had never seen how tea grows. It was pretty interesting, seeing the beginnings of it.
Here is a quick video shot while in India by my good friend Spencer Sutton of Never Thirst. He was shooting and I happened to get in his way, so this is not a true behind the scenes video. But, by popular demand those videos will hopefully be more regular here.
