From where I can really see.
Today is one of those days where upon completion my initial response is to pat myself on the back for juggling so many projects and responsibilities. Bills paid (some not), invoices processed, expense reports detailed and post production begun along with a litany of other marketing, accounting and organization concerns which constitute running a business, but I find myself missing the pictures.
After two weeks on the road shooting and spending time with family I returned to start right up with long time client Cook Children’s Medical Center on a full day job and off to Houston tomorrow for HealthLeaders Magazine and yet on down/office days like these I miss my subjects and the raw energy of shooting.
From the New York Studio to the rocky mountain altitude all the way to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Medical Center I find myself experiencing great gratitude for the people who support my career.
New York was a powerfully productive trip both in the shooting and the visits. I can’t wait to share the images we produced for the Mac Group, both the crew and the models were sublime and made for an amazing shooting experience. Once our shooting wrapped I made it to see my NY support crew at the Getty Images and Spike TV offices. With both the new faces and familiar faces I left feeling recharged by what they are creating and where we are pushing my presence. The year is half over and so much to achieve.
The return to the mountains in Colorado was such a needed escape. I took my 13 month old on her first altitude hike and with her on my back and the crisp air blowing our hair it was amazing how clear my mind was above tree line. Like the mist and rain crawling across the Rocky Mountain National Forest the doom and gloom over our industry is palpable on a daily basis as we advertise for new clients and diversify our outlets in search of creative and monetary solace. Yet underneath all the rain there is so much stunning beauty filled with trails just waiting for us to walk down. Thinking of the amazing stories and lives I am blessed to visit and the endless creative outlets at my fingertips supported by the most consummate professionals left me buzzing with ideas. Hiking down the mountain with my baby girl asleep on my back I found myself charging down the trail ready to erupt over the edge.
At the half way point of 2009, and stopping to take a breath I can’t say I have created the body of work I want to remember 2009 by. Charged and challenged I step forward into the rest of this year hungry and lustful for more adventures, for more evocative imagery. I will get to the bills eventually but for now I really want to keep pushing the development of the vision up that steep climbing trail.
My accidental ode to Barbarella.
This is not generally the style of photography I shoot and yet for a test/favor I thought it would be a fun experiment. During the shoot while changing backgrounds and lights, looking for a shot, this very 60’s reminiscent image developed. Barbarella Lives On! This was another project created with students from the University of North Texas program and as always I truly enjoyed the experience. In fact there is an Senior Show at the Lakewood Theater this Saturday where all the graduating UNT seniors will have their portfolio work on display for alum and networking opportunities. I am excited to see how Juan, Carol, Becca, and Curtis are doing moments before they march out into their professions. Every collaboration with these students was a pleasure and I’m looking forward to the event and working with them in the future.
Play aside, things are busy around the studio. I recently joined the collective Wonderful Machine and already experiencing great feedback and momentum from their staff. I am also stepping out and joining the collection of photographers at Atedge and looking forward to seeing where both outlets will take me. It is time for new adventures and change is on the horizon. Tonight I am off to shoot the final party for Michael Irvin’s ”4th and Long” reality show and Sunday I fly to New York for a Mac Group project (more on this opportunity when I am allowed to talk about it). With two more Cook Children’s Medical Center shoots on the horizon and several tests on the calender I am enthusiastic about the next few months.
If your in New York and can get together for a beer shoot an email at me and lets make it happen! Looking forward to crashing the Getty assignment offices for a visit and catching up with the Eddie Adams Workshop crew for at least a couple epic nights. To the graduating seniors, Congrats! To the New York posse, see you soon.
For concepts and assignments feel free to call – 469.438.2711 or email – jensen@jensenwaker.com - jensenwalker.com
Smoke Grenandes and Gasoline
I worked most of the weekend as spring winds whipped across Dallas under crystal blue skies and glorious rays of sunshine. Cyclist rode the tour of Dallas, there was a Deep Ellum arts festival, a marathon, and Nascar was in town while I shot TCU football for Nike and started a branding project for friend and news anchor Kim Fischer. As the winds of change rolled through it was admittedly hard to focus as we prepared for our first open house, I scouted locations, went looking for smoke grenades and knew there was so much in town I would not get to photograph.
With so many balls in the air right now including three jobs this week, taxes and the ever-present stress over what is going to happen with the wife’s Air Force package it was just nice to eventually get out on Sunday and play. While it was technically work, it was one of those days where I openly proclaimed how much I love my job, “pop smoke Gavin. Harl, gasoline now… more… good! Kim, Go!” This image will eventually be part of marketing materials and a web site for Kim as she prepares to move markets and take her face national. I want to say thank you to my assistants (who needs hair on their hands anyway?) and to Kim, I love the fact that she is willing to push the concept and create more than a standard head shot.
As we head into the week make sure at some point you create art for yourself.
To concept and shoot feel free to call – 469.438.2711 or email – jensen@jensenwaker.com
Persistence
The number one national track recruit Marquise Goodwin preparing for a long jump. The Texas recruit won gold at state last year in the long jump, triple jump, 4x100 relay and garnering national attention during last summer's IAAF World Junior Championships when he was the only prep to win individual gold in the long jump. (Jensen Walker / Getty Images for ESPN RISE)
Life’s synergy of late has taken me by surprise. The sheer momentum created by putting an idea into the universe or choosing to step forward regardless of the fears or misgivings continues to give me pause and encouragement. March was a whirlwind of movement, changes and preparation I still don’t fully grasp as I stepped up my testing schedule, watched my wife prepare her package for the Air force and recommitted to my social networking.
After mentioning an ongoing project with friend and Profoto stud Cliff Hausner he shocked me by stepping up and shipping loaner gear to the steps of my studio all so that I can complete the vision I concepted almost 6 months ago. The mere act of showing up on Model Mayhem, Twitter, and other social media outlets has yielded feed back and support from such a wide pool of people it is hard to take it all in. Offering suggestions and inspiration from business solutions to “ur work is simply breath taking if you are ever in need of a model let me know…” these people offer their own type of stimulus package as they push you to stay focused and creating. At one point this month I even had a model accuse me of being quiet, calling into question where the new work was or why I had not shared a new adventure. Honestly, it is a strange sense of accountability and maybe a surrogate for a freelancer to the newsroom or creative team.
By saying yes to the act of creation amazing people have always shown up in my life wether in life altering or small critical ways. As people continue to bemoan the state of our economy or the glut of content, shooters, or other countless woes I find myself very gratefull for the people who support me and my career. Family, mentors, models, editors, art directors, make-up artists, proffessional support, stylists, editors, booking agents, web designers, and the list that could go on for pages, Thank you. I could not and would not want to do it without you.
4th and Long
The alarm went off yesterday at 5:00 a.m. to a day of cold, wind and pouring rain. While getting ready I kept hoping for the call of a shoot postponement, it never came. Layered down, we loaded the gear in the rain and headed to the Cotton Bowl in preparation for our shoot for SPIKE TV’s new reality show “4th and Long.” The shoot was actually a fairly quick one and we produced some nice images of the contestants and Hall of Fame honoree Michael Irvin. The film crew will be here in Dallas for the next 5 weeks and the contestants will be living in the locker rooms of the stadium as they compete for a spot on the Dallas Cowboy spring training roster. The contestants were a really nice group of guys from around the country and seemed pumped up if not a little deer in the headlights at the opportunity laid at their feet. I am looking forward to working with the team again this Sunday as they start shooting their episodic, should be fun and lets hope the weather clears up a bit.
This shot is from my good friend Tom Pennington whom I first met at the Eddie Adams Workshop when we were students back in 1998. Thank you again Tom, it was great to see you.
The Simple things
I admit this image has no bearing on my career. It does not pertain to jobs or clients not even a developing technology but in mentioning her in previous posts I received requests for an updated image. I present my daughter Genevieve to open my week and to remind myself who I am blessed to work for. She is a really cute boss.
Tuesday and Wendsday I am working in the Rose Bowl with SPIKE TV as they prepare to cast and film a new reality show here in Dallas. Right now I have very little information on what we will be working on but I will keep you posted. To all of you, have a great week and remember who your working for.
The Beauty of work slowing down…
…is the ability to take the time to shoot test work, to refocus your marketing, to reevaluate your business plan, to take a breath in your career, to remember what it is you started out looking for and to determine at this juncture if your still in the game. I fully admit, as my daughter turns a year old in a month, I stopped consciously refining my vision and left the development of my eye to chance and accident. When you believe no one is watching or the client is happy and I payed the rent so its all good then complacency in your vision becomes easy. Yet as life is oft to do, I was offered both subtle and sledgehammer opportunities over the last week to wake up.
Monday it was my honor to speak to the Hallmark Institute of Photography’s class of 2009. While it was a growth edge for me to step to that stage I imagine I garnered more from the experience then the audience. The students were gracious and welcoming and it ended up being a blast. Several students approached me thanking me for my time and images and to them I simply must offer, it was my pleasure. However, when I spoke about being true to themselves and to their vision, figuring out what they wanted and creating the measurable strategy to stay focused upon it that I realized I lost mine. I have long known that one of my biggest failures as a viable professional photographer is my inability to relinquish my title as a generalist. This is not to say the ability is not a valuable one or even one which will always serve me, but I have yet to make a claim to the niche or style of work which will allow me to stand out. Rather than hiding behind the generalist title, I think it is time to lay claim. Now the only problem is going to be what it is I want to lay claim to. A good friend of mine once said ” you don’t have to do one thing forever but do one thing amazingly and make your name, make your mark” then take the freedom and change. It is time to find that thing.
In this spirit of growth I also received a reminder this morning to keep my vision sharp and my craft evolving. This time, fittingly, it was from my college professor, Steve Raymer, who recently published an article in the NPPA magazine about the ‘framing’ of suffering in the photographic world. His article is a wonderful examination of the rhythms and cliches we are prone to falling into as photographers. The article challenges our ability to take our craft in whatever form and hold it to a higher standard in the midst of the blurring lines of photographic responsibility. After reading the article I came to realization. At the end of my career, my days or hell at the bar after work when I am asked what legacy I created, I want to be proud of the answer. In less than 24 hours both by an emerging class of new shooters and by a trusted guardian of the craft i find myself charged with reexamining how I create. So for today I leave you searching and will let you know what I find when I find it.
I highly recommend Steve’s Article and would be interested in hearing how or if it the thesis challenges your perceptions.
A Leaping Duel
I had an open casting call at the studio yesterday. While it was a surprisingly low attendance, especially In this economy ©, it was great to see my friend Jerome Bethea, whom I just recently worked with in January. In this image Jerome is demonstrating his high-end Japanese style advertising skill. The prompt for this expert showmanship was, “show me your best Japanese potato chip pitch.”
The art of casting is such an interesting study in human interactions, from the manner in which people enter a new room to the manner in which they make their presence known. In most scenarios models are in front of the casting camera for less than a minute or two max and it’s fascinating observing their attempts to make or not make an impression in such a minuscule time frame. Some arrive on set with full tilt smiles, laughing, and joking and I have had others deliver full on bitch diva mode. Some people you both respect and simultaneously wonder how they are even there due to debilitating shyness. In the brief moment we share that room we both try to make a connection, some link either to help us understand the others potential or simply to move through the moment. There is such a marriage of social nicety and sincere inquiry in a casting. Watching a photographer and model who both truly understand the art is what I would imagine a samurai duel embodied. A challenge dyed in a code of respect and yet rife with the calculating predatory motions of finely tuned professionals. At the conclusion of the encounter there is either the bonded respect and friendship or the bled out corpse of a ill prepared adversary lying on the ground.
Those whom you take with you are often intriguing and passionate individuals you keep with you. I met my wife on a casting call and I proudly claim friends from some of those one minute encounters. Jerome is one of those and one who shows up with such an infectious excitement that you know his leaping thumbs up grin is from the heart. To all of those whom I have encountered and to all those I can’t wait to explore I must offer you my thanks and I look forward to our next duel/casting.
“In this Economy” ©
I decided it would be a fantastic copyright to own “In this economy,” upon which every usage would pay a licensing fee of a dollar. Think about it, it’s perfect. Your in the subway and some guy bumps into you …”In this economy you should be more careful.” Dollar paid. Your negotiating with a client and they want to slash the budget and do the shoot in the studio and buy background plates to create their vision and with the most heartfelt retort you offer “In this economy the masses want to see authenticity not visual slight of hand.” Dollar paid. I can’t tell you the amount of time I have heard this expression in passing over the last few weeks, oh lord if there were only a way to harness its power.
From the photography stand point the only way I could think to harnass the power of “In this economy” was to start to diversify the outlets in which my photography was currently residing. The direct result has been a series of stock shoots over the last few weeks with more to come. In this incarnation I offer you a tasty sample of some of the work born from this commitment.
Slugpuppies
Here we are back to my ongoing practice with airborne paint sculptures. I spent all of Sunday in a dusty, filthy, awesome abandon facility creating images for the local band The Slugpuppies and their upcoming album Emo Therapy. This project was their brain child and yet serendipitously syncs with my testing for an upcoming paint project. As with all tests though, I learned a few things.
In the last test I realized the flash duration on my Profoto Pro7B and shutter speed on my Canon 1Ds Mark II were not truly suited to the concept in mind. Then one brisk day last fall at the Eddie Adams Workshop my good friend Cliff Hausner of Profoto introduced me to the new Pro8a Air. I won’t attempt to define the specs on this new pack you can check on them for yourself. However, to give you an idea I will share this with you, at the farm we photographed a subject on a trampoline with a Nikon D3 at 11 fps at f16 and the camera buffer filled before the pack ever missed a discharge. My inner dialogue shouted “This is the pack for me,” only to discover it is an 11k investment. Thus relegated to renting for now I went out with one on Sunday. To my enraged dismay I discovered that contrary to the rental houses assurance the Pro7b head does not work on the Pro8a Air pack and so returned to 1… 2… 3. GO. One action, one spray, one shot, all said and done though we created some nice frames.
The band showed up with paint shooters, 15 gallons of paint, suit jackets, even craft services and we spent the better part of the day going for it. I think their album and promotional art will look amazing and look forward to seeing them perform in those jackets. On the back side of the test I realized I am going to have to really take a long look at the lighting style and paint deployment to make the next one sing. For now I celebrate the joy of airborne color and simultaneously realize the images lack the sense of organic subtly I want out of the final project. Till next time.
Launching the Year
The year is off to a good start! Last week was a fantastic grinder, which I will share with you in a later post, and yesterday I was back to work for ESPN RISE Magazine and today off to make more images for SLAM Magazine. This particular image is one of an amazing young athlete who graduates today and accepted to Texas Tech in the fall. Shade Weygandt is the nation’s top pole vaulter and is rated the nation’s No.4 recruit in the ESPNU DyeStat rankings. Weygandt is the three-time defending Class 5A state champion and set an overall state record with a mark of 13-10 at last year’s meet. That mark was the No. 3 mark overall in the U.S. last year.
Shade’s father toured me through their home showing me every magazine, poster, picture, and interview framed and displayed with the pride only a parent can emit and it left me smiling. Remember when we were all graduating seniors and rising stars with those splendid dreams and infectious hopes? With so much doom and gloom being preached at the onset of this year, it is nice to return to that frame of mind and look into 2009 with the same fervor and passion. Forgive the cheesy metaphor of jumping over the bar of achievement, but as we all forge forward in what looks to be a daunting year lets do it with the same passion we started our paths on. We don’t get the medals and we don’t as often have our parents tacking our achievements on the fridge, and yet maybe this year we will put them on our own (next to the drawing for Daddy of course.)
In the sink
In a world saturated in Hi Def and Hi Pass sometimes it is nice to simply make images that remind you of the pictures of your childhood. These are images of Genevieve at her Grandmothers in San Antonio.
The more I look into his eyes the more I want to fight him.
Portrait of Jeremy Sandoval for ESPN Rise Magazine
This is an expert from a shoot for ESPN Rise Magazine featuring high school wrestler Jeremy Sandoval. Sandoval is one of the best wrestlers in the DFW area and is competing for his fourth state title in four years this winter. He touts an impressive career record of 102-1. According to his teammates however, the 1 should not be there. They assured me, while laying mats for their weekend tournament, that the move that led to the loss was illegal and never should have counted.
Jeremy was a professional and a pleasure to work with and yet something about this frame really drums up the urge to don a singlet and headgear, shoot for a single leg take down and brawl.
As this year wraps up I realize I spent a good amount of time photographing sports portraiture. While it was an unintentional direction, I do find myself enjoying the subjects for a variety of reasons. Yesterday a modeling agency sent new talent over for “go sees” and rather than having them just show a book I decided to put up a seamless and shoot some video and stills. Out of the dozen or so models we met, only one was willing to engage in powerful visual emotion. With the sports figures I find it much easier to get them into a combat mindset, one either defined by victory or challenge and I find the intensity in their eyes is so much more engaging.
So Jeremy when I say this picture makes me want to be number 103 on your career record, I mean it out of the greatest respect and wish you the best of luck in your upcoming tournament. Thank you again for giving us a glimpse inside the circle.
The Three Reasons
A young man on the day he is preparing to leave the Hemotology/Oncology Unit at Cook Children's Medical Center
I spent this last weekend in a padded room, two foot by 8 foot, listening to their voices over and over again. In that room I stared at the same people in the eye for over 48 hrs, never engaging them. I sat in that room alone and slightly nervous, listening and watching and ultimately finding myself in a place of illustrious gratitude.
I have a very good friend who once told me there are only three good reasons to take a job: The Creative, The Money or The Relationship. Yet, as I edited content all weekend from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, and Deep Brain Stimulation surgery of Cook Children’s Medical Center, I can’t help wondering if there is not a fourth reason, The Heart.
Initially, I started my career in photography as a high school student who loved the adrenaline of the chase, the all access pass and the totally legitimate reason to go up to the hottest girl in the room and start making her picture. Quickly, however, those reasons gave way to the desire to connect with people, to tell their story, or to capture the expression uniquely theirs, in a moment written for them.
Somehow, somewhere along the line though, I discovered I had to pay an electric bill, and as much as I hated the idea of a phone, I was going to have to pay for one of those as well. So here I am 31, married, a father and paying the electric bill. With this epochal shift come the jobs that don’t always make the portfolio or imbue me with a sense of change or impact. That being said, for every quick in and out corporate portrait, I know I get to shoot for the medical center soon.
Cook Children’s and I have worked together for almost a year and half now and we are now starting to create new avenues for the content. However, during the multimedia editing this last weekend, it was not the video, audio or even the images that captured me; it was the people looking back at me.
The patients, the nurses, the doctors, the volunteers, even the security guard, who hugs me every time he sees me, have all opened their world in a way that says: we love these kids and if you love them too… come help. Families have granted me access to areas spanning from isolation rooms, brain surgeries, and bone marrow transplants, to playing on the floor with big foam blocks in the playrooms. The gift though, is the chance to connect with the kids, the families, and the health care professionals. It is so hard to measure the value of a mother hugging me after a surgery, or a child going through chemotherapy who lavishes the room in the most unabashedly childish giggles. These are the gifts that I cherish with this client.
I spent the weekend in that editing room visiting with families and medical center staff, watching and listening to joys, fears, challenges and triumphs and I would like to say thank you to all of them for giving me a privileged glimpse into their lives; it has and continues to be my honor.