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.
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.