“Flower Child” Chris Crisman’s New Conceptual Portrait

Posted on January 7, 2013 by The Pick

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Chris Crisman’s conceptual portrait was inspired by California’s landscape and the dramatic views of the west coast’s Pacific Ocean and mountains.   Earlier this year when Chris traveled Route 1 he shot a handful of landscape images both for backgrounds and  inspiration for his new personal portraits.

crisman_flower_girl_portrait_009-590x442Photographed just north of San Luis Obispo was one of the first landscape images Chris made in California.

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Months after shooting the original photo, Chris imagined a concept and a portrait that would pair with the natural beauty of the California coast perfectly.  The field of wildflowers ultimately inspired Chris to continue the flowers from the background to the subject, pairing their model with the natural beauty of her flower crown and bouquet.

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They couldn’t have asked for better support in making this photo.  Wendy Oswald Kinney was the wardrobe and prop stylist and Tanja Hudson was the hair stylist.  Cara Anderson photograhed the behind the scenes images.

To see more of Chris’ work go to his website and Altpick page.

 

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Altpick Friday :: Photographer Genevieve Caron

Posted on January 4, 2013 by The Pick

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To see more of Genevieve Caron’s work go to her website and her Altpick page.

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Showcasing Capabilities with a Great Look

Posted on January 2, 2013 by The Pick

By Jeff Newton

As a photographer, I must consider that unless the end buyer is confident that I can shoot the particular style their client is looking for, they may be reluctant to hire me. It took me a while to understand that, but it’s the truth. So after looking through my current body of work, I realized that I needed to add more images that showcase my studio lighting capabilities.

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And here’s the craziest part of it all…we shot this at my studio. It’s not like I needed to go and rent a studio for the day. I have one, directly in the heart of Hollywood. But as a freelance photographer, you shoot where you’re commissioned. And more often than not, that’s on location or out of state. And as you can see from my current portfolio, I love walking into an unknown location where you need to search to find the right shot. But I also love the challenge of shooting in studio. Simply because you are forced to create the atmosphere and build light out of nothing in a white cove. You don’t have the sun there to act as your lighting tech, adding reflections and shadows all around your location.

1355780773AMgJPLNow comes the hard truth: A shoot on this scale is not going to be a cheap. I had to consider the cost associated with this type of production. I would need to hire models, a stylist, hair/make up and assistants. Oh, and I’ll need to feed everyone. Then I had to ask myself: Do I drop a couple thousand dollars into new gear….or new work? Seeing that I’ve already purchased new gear…it’s was now time to put my money in front of the camera.

1352314061xu6z4UI partnered up with Georgie Perrins, a fashion stylist that I recently met through a mutual friend. Thankfully, we were both needing more commercial studio work in our portfolios. She recommended Veronica Sinclair who we then brought on for hair and make up.

1352314059uAVuisScreen shot 2012-12-18 at 9.58.04 PMI reached out to some modeling agencies and gave them my budget per model, knowing that I was looking to book three total. We ended up casting the women from FORD LA and the male from LA Models. They were all true pros and rocked it in front of the camera.

Screen shot 2012-12-18 at 9.57.52 PMLastly, I have to give a shot out to my friend and fellow photographer, Juan Luis Garcia for coming in and rocking out some amazing behind the scenes footage. I wasn’t able to fit everything in the edit but I do feel that he captured all of the hard work that everyone put into this shoot.

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No matter how digital my world has become I still rely on a yellow notepad for my daily “to do lists” and lighting notes.

New Self Commissioned Work

Gear Used:
Camera: 2 – Canon 5D Mark III bodies
Lenses – 35mm – 50mm – 85mm primes
Capture: Lightroom 4
Lighting: Profoto
Diffusers: Elinchrom Octabank, Elinchrom Rotalux 39″, Profoto White Beauty Dish, 4×8 foam core
Cables: Tether Tools – the best tethering cables I’ve used.

To see more of Jeff Newton’s work go to his website and Altpick page.

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Altpick Members Celebrate!

Posted on December 24, 2012 by The Pick

Altpick members have been busy creating some fun images for the holiday. That fellow in his seasonal best. Merry cups of good cheer. Tripping the light fantastic.

These are a few of our favorite things.

Photograph by Dana Hursey

Photograph by Dana Hursey

Illustration by Alice R.

Illustration by Alice R.

Father and Son. 2012Photographed by Jesse Rieser

Father and Son. 2012
Photographed by Jesse Rieser

Illustrated by Courtney Wirthit

Illustrated by Courtney Wirthit

Photographed by Bryan Cole

Photo by Chris Clor

Photographed by Chris Clor

Giacobbe

Illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe

Thomas

Illustrated by Jacob Thomas

Borge

Animated by Richard Borge

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Created by Citrus

Orvidas

Illustrated by Ken Orvidas

Dancer in the hallway

Photographed by Kristofer Dan-Bergman

Alternative Pick wishing everyone a joyous holiday and healthy and happy 2013!

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Bryan Cole’s Christmas Vacation

Posted on December 13, 2012 by The Pick

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“The idea was to take a classic, the moose mug scene from Christmas Vacation, and add my own twist to it.  First,  I got the black dickie and a sweater similar to what they used in the film, a V-neck thin off-white sweater.  This allows the black dickie to show through the sweater, the ultimate in classless wardrobe.  My twist was to add the cut out pine trees to the sweater.  I loved the idea of adding something that looked like a bad Christmas sweater, yet didn’t go too far with it.

Next twist was to add Tyler, a friend of mine.  Tyler is a pro drummer, and has a very creative and funny personality.  He was perfect for the shot…and yes, that is his natural hair.  It is simply awesome.  The next “must have” element was the Moose Mug from the movie.  Adding that and some egg nog made it complete.

I wanted Tyler to be surprised and look off camera for the shot.  The natural response with his left hand and the sloppy egg nog on his upper lip help make the shot.”

— Bryan Cole

To see more of Bryan’s work go to his website and Altpick page.

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2012 Christmas In America: Happy Birthday Jesus

Posted on December 12, 2012 by The Pick

Christmas Morning 2012

It’s that time of year again. Shorter days, holiday themed coffee cups, played out sweater parties, awesome awkward family moments, gnarly travel, and Christmas carols on repeat in nearly every place of commerce. Christmas is coming. And with Christmas, comes with Jesse Rieser’s latest installment of his series, Christmas In America: Happy Birthday, Jesus. The project in it’s entirety can be seen here. Enjoy!

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To see more of Jesse Rieser’s photography go to his website and Altpick.com page.

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Selina Alko’s DADDY CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH MAMA

Posted on December 10, 2012 by The Pick

Screen shot 2012-12-06 at 4.28.31 PMThe New York Times Sunday Book Review on the Bookshelf had some nice things to say about Selina Alko’s book, “Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama”:

DADDY CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH MAMA – Reviewed in The New York Times

Written and illustrated by Selina Alko.
32 pp. Alfred A. Knopf. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4-8)
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Doesn’t this describe half of Brooklyn? Perhaps not strictly speaking; but the subject of interfaith families is a welcome one. No arguments over Israel or “the war on Christmas” here. In the narrator’s wholehearted and seamlessly interwoven celebration, Daddy Christmas gamely cooks latkes, and Hanukkah Mama is happy to hang stockings. Together they “carol to the neighbors about Maccabees and the manger.” Alko’s charming mixed media illustrations provide lots of bells and holly. Next up, Eastover.

Screen shot 2012-12-06 at 4.28.51 PM Selina3 Selina2Check out Selina’s book signings here and to see more of her work go to her website and her Altpick page.  To purchase a copy of ‘Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama, click here.

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Curtis Parker Creates Custom Mural for Panera

Posted on December 7, 2012 by The Pick

4.a.Parker_EmeryvilleMuralArt7x23RevisedDid you know Panera Bread builds each bakery cafe from the ground up, with architects and designers thinking through all aspects of the project, including which neighborhood it’s in? Realizing that, it makes sense that they wouldn’t choose off-the-shelf art for their carefully considered spaces.

And in the case of this custom mural for a building-side in a California location, SHA artist Curtis Parker cooked up a 40 x 12-foot painting that reflected the history of the city — local planners were emphatic that it couldn’t be about Panera itself — as well as evoking the feel that Panera was looking for.

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Rough Sketches

VP / Design Creative at Panera Bread, Jay Jung, said “It turned out to be an amazing piece of art and full of incredible detail and activity” and we’d agree. Curtis did a fantastic job. Jay also mentioned enjoying the collaboration with Curtis, saying “it worked beautifully, just discussing the objectives of the project directly with the artist.” And as little bit of project trivia, Jay added, “If there just happens to be a small group of work men in an obscure corner of the mural enjoying a sandwich from Panera, I really can’t tell you how that got in there!”

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Final Sketch By Artist

To see more of Curtis Parker’s work go here and his Altpick.com page.

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Amanda Koster: TEDX : Love Your Neighbor…really

Posted on December 4, 2012 by The Pick

Amanda Koster, founder of SalaamGarage gets personal while sharing her experiences as a kid, ending up in ‘respite’ care, how SalaamGarage got started with her amazing teams and filled a vital need. Finally, the deeply personal “why” storytelling is so close to her heart.

She challenges the audience to reach out to those who are aging out of the foster care system to Teach1Thing to 1 person that will make a big difference, very simply. Amanda is later interviewed and reviewed by Forbes.

To see more of Amanda Koster’s work go to her website and Altpick.com page.

To read more stories, go to SalaamGarage, click here.

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Walking With The Gods : : Hendrix

Posted on November 29, 2012 by The Pick

What would it be like to live forever? Jimi Hendrix’ passion and soul come through in a new book “The Ultimate Lyric Book” compiled by Jani L. Hendrix and designed by Phil Yarnall of Smay Design. The handwritten and often scribbled lyrics written on hotel stationery are accompanied with personal photos.

Yarnall has been designing for the Hendrix Estate since 1996 when they reclaimed the rights to Jimi’s music from Alan Douglas and focused on maintaining Jimi’s legacy.  Fate smiled upon Yarnall when his design studio was asked to develop deluxe CD/LP (and Cassette!) packaging for Jimi’s core albums (Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland) as well as the album Jimi was working on when he died (First Rays of The New Rising Sun). This led to more releases for Band of Gypsys, Woodstock, Isle of Wight, as well as “The Jimi Hendrix Experience,” a 4-cd box set, described by Rolling Stone as “The Rolls Royce of Box Sets,” which was released in September 2000 and was certified gold.

Yarnall has continued to work with the family, designing numerous singles, posters, T-Shirts and merchandise as well as tour bus graphics and even the granite monument at Jimi’s gravesite.

Hendrix stirred up something deep down. It resonates on the most intimate of levels. A place where a connection is discovered and shared. Igniting all senses in a multi-sensory overload that rightfully begs the question: was he a mere human or a god?

In addition to working on the Jimi Hendrix packaging, Phil had the good fortune to develop deluxe packages for other music legends ranging from Hank Williams and Janis Joplin to AC/DC.  To see more of Phil Yarnall/Smay Design’s work go to his website or Altpick.com page.

Jim would have celebrated his 70th birthday on November 27th.  Happy Birthday Jimi!  Thank you for all of the amazing music!

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