Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE has been a somewhat steady client over the past 8 or so years. Shooting for them is always entertaining. They are after all in the entertainment business. Admittedly, I’m not much of a wrestling fan anymore, but definitely was growing up. And the person I was a biggest fan of towards the end was Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake. So it was a lot of fun shooting on the set of his show a few months ago. The thing I always appreciated about him was that he always did his own thing. He wasn’t looking for approval. If you liked what he was about, then great. If not, that’s fine too. Fast forward to 2019, and he still has that same attitude to a certain extent. He started his own show so he could do things his way. And watching him do his thing was cool to see. On the show he interviewed The Undertaker, another WWE legend that I enjoyed as a kid. On set though, you get to see that just like every other celebrity athlete, they are just people. On TV they are literally larger than life. Off TV they are still enormous, but still just people. Over the years I’ve shot with a number of elite celebrity athletes like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Most of the time though, they are guarded by people in their crew that are paid to keep people away from them. So for the most part, they come to set, do their business and get out. On the show, it was just a couple guys hanging out, drinking, and bullshitting about old times. Very humanizing. Very candid. After the show we were hanging around on set where Steve has a bar. Everybody was drinking a couple beers and I told the producer that this is a show everyone can watch. Not just wrestling fans because it’s show where two guys have a real conversation. It’s not two famous wrestlers. Just two guys. Looking forward to another one.

The Broken Skull Sessions

Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertake cheers whisky on the set of The Stone Cold Steve Austin show.

The Basketball Hoops Project

Just a reminder that I'm having a show at Fathom Gallery tonight after the Kobe jersey retirement ceremony at Staples Center. I'll have a bunch of limited edition prints on display, along with some 1/1 signed Kobe game jerseys by a group of really talented street artists. Hope to see you all there! 

HOOPS GALLERY

Fathom Gallery: 110 East 9th St. Suite CL002, Los Angeles, CA 90079

Street Photography

About a year ago I developed a healthy obsession with photography books, and now have a small (and growing) collection that I try and comb through regularly. It's a calming thing to do, but it's also sort of a free education. Every time I look through another book, or back through an old one, I learn something new. Whether that's a new way of seeing, or whatever, it doesn't matter. Either way it has caused me to to enjoy shooting and looking for different kinds of images. I've always been of the opinion that not every image needs to be "epic". I fully understand why most people need to shoot that way, and why it sells, but there is a lot more to it than that. Simple images that show the viewer a slice of life or tell a story, are every bit as fun to make as one of the guy standing on top of Everest. The images below were taken on a couple walks around my neighborhood in San Diego and another in Los Angeles. They are simple, but I really like them, and will be making a lot more of them. The term "street photography" is getting pretty loose these days. Back in the day, if you were a street photographer, then you were wandering around NYC with a Leica. Now, these images would probably fit into that category. Looking at them, the style of shooting isn't much different from my America series. Just different subjects. 

American Basketball Photography

Fine Art Basketball Photography Prints

I always think to myself that any photographer who really gives a shit will invest heavily in personal projects. That's not to say you have to spend a lot of money, but invest yourself. Shoot something that's just for you and let that project develop a life of it's own. You'll be glad you did.  I also think that a photographers personal project begins without even knowing it. In your own time you shoot what you're randomly and naturally drawn to. Then over time, a small collection or series of images comes together that you didn't even realize you were creating. The even greater part is over the same period of time, that body of work naturally grows followers of people with similar interests. Those people can be totally random, but they can also be commercial clients who want to buy your images or pay you to make something similar. That's a win on all levels. No longer are you searching for the right clients. Now the right clients are looking for you.

I don't care who you are, things can get slow from time to time. And what happens during those lows, is that you take assignments you're not right for. Maybe it's not your speciality, or maybe you just don't give a shit? Either way, you shouldn't have taken it because it always shows up in the work. Everyone who views an image can tell if it's right or not. When a photographer wants to make a great image he'll do whatever he can to make it. But when the interest isn't there, or they just took the job for the money, you can see it. I decided a long time ago that I'd rather be broke than take assignments that aren't right for me. I use to take them all the time, and it just led to bad relationships and bad images. Definitely not the kind of thing you want out in the world as a freelance photographer. So I started investing heavily in my own projects while also shooting commercially. And after years of building up different portfolios, all that work is starting to pay off. One of them in particular is starting to get really fun, The Basketball Hoops Project. Last February the project had it's first exhibition in New Orleans for NBA All-Star Weekend. And just recently I signed on with Fathom Gallery in Los Angeles. They will not only be sourcing shows for the project and selling prints, but also seeking commercial licensing. I'm really excited about this partnership, and look forward to seeing where it goes. 

Creating images for the right clients is always fun. For a company to choose you out of all the other photographers in the world is a great compliment. When your personal projects start to take flight though, that's the real reward. Hugh Hefner died yesterday. Calling him a legend would be an understatement. Among the many great things he's ever said, my favorite has to be "Life is too short to be living someone else's dream". 

Go out and create for yourself. 

I made this image back in April of 2011 during a road trip with my mother. At the time the Hoops Project wasn't even a thought. Yesterday though,  after stumbling on this,  it made me wonder if it was? 

Click here to see more of my basketball hoop photography