the SOUTH (and other randum thoughts)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

honestly, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. low on expectations, low on commercial intrusion (cause they've already moved on to christmas)... it just feels more focused on the things that matter like family, food, and feeling grateful for all our tremendous blessings. in a few minutes the kids and i will cross the road and hike through hitchcock woods to the memorial gate. there we will enjoy one of aiken's wonderful traditions. the "blessing of the hounds" occurs before the aiken hounds annual thanksgiving hunt -

from aikenhounds.com:

The Aiken Hounds' Opening Meet and Blessing of the Hounds is held on Thanksgiving Day at Memorial Gate in the Hitchcock Woods. Father Garrett Clanton of All Saints Anglican Church will officiate. The public is most welcome to attend, but please do not bring your own dogs to the Blessing.

i'll most likely have a post of the images from this morning early this week.

THE ABOVE IMAGE: is an outtake from a recent photoshoot. it really illustrates much of what i appreciate about the south. i am thankful for family, warm sun, large established oaks, spiritual foundation, tradition, and laughter. we have a special brand of these things here in the south that feels substantial, genuine and comforting. i love to travel all over the world when i can and appreciate and try to dissolve in every different culture and community i have the pleasure of visiting. i believe much of my desire and comfort with losing myself elsewhere in the world comes from my strong sense of place and comfort when i am HOME. for that and many other things... and i am truly thankful for my FAMILY and my HOME.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING again.

the EXEC

i read an old article in PDN about executive portraits done when the photog was told - "you've got ten minutes." this wasn't exactly that kinda job, but imagine it was a similar challenge. the senior vice president of Christie’s Great Estates who oversees the Christie’s Great Estates exclusive affiliate relationships for the finest real estate brokerage companies in the Southeast, caribbean and latin america needed a more casual executive portrait done while in charleston touring billion dollar properties. SO - in a pretty well appointed, yet way too busy hotel we had to work with little lights and less time. one SB-900 and a lumiquest box on on of those ultra light bogen stands and we were set up to get a couple simple portraits done.

maybe it was joe mcnally that said sometimes you make light more interesting by not lighting everything - greatt advice to lean on when you gotta do it quick with the gear you can carry on your back up several flights of stairs... nope, the strobes weren't making that trip.

look forward to your thoughts on the shoots. THX for stopping by,

cheers.

sepia polo and equestrian images of aiken - Images by brent cline

a few images from my favorite pastime with my kids. we spend many sundays at the oldest continuously used polo field in the country... which happens to be in our small town. these are also available as prints for anyone interested. just saying.

cheers.

the CLASSIC CARS

spent a great day helping SEIGLER HD (the owners of 613 atomic studios) film an episode of DENNIS GAGE's "MY CLASSIC CAR." it was a beautiful day in SAVANNAH, GA and we saw so many interesting cars - everything from a PINTO powered race car to a chevy powered FERRARI. DENNIS GAGE is one of the nicest people... and THE BEST person to "TALK CARS" with i've ever met. For those who may be tempted to ask: DENNIS GAGE has allegedly had his mustache from birth AND his favorite car is the one with 4 wheels and a internal combustion engine. ALTHOUGH, it turns out DENNIS also has quite a passion for motorcycles - especially BMWs. JASON and DENNIS had a rather spirited conversation about each others BMW motorcycle collections.

speaking of JASON, he was rockin' that f1.8 4.5-59 wide angle on the HD Panasonic... which was a ridiculously wide shot which is really useful for filming car interiors and long car walk -rounds.

it was a great day and a real privilege to see how my son's fav channel (SPEED TV) gets to business filming a show. look out for the episode early 2010.

check out more images from the day here:
My Classic Car SlideShow

cheers,


PS: i must say, watching those PORSCHE CAYMANS blast around that track gave me a new respect for the "hard-top boxter."

the FIRMANS

good times with with dave and corrie firman at their wedding. nothing more fun than a rock-and-roll couple.

cheers.

the CLINIC

140 - turn into a facebook entry - turns into a blog post...

spent an eye opening evening with the good people at the community clinic. had a great visit with shirley brown and dr. mike vasovski watching them care for those people who need a little help getting back on their feet because of an illness during these challenging economic times. did you know that little clinic has given out almost A MILLION dollars worth of free medication. that my friends is not washington politics... that is getting the work done. good people GREAT JOB - look for more as we try to raise awareness for these incredible servants.

peace -

the FOOD

i love the trend in food photography where we now shoot food you can actually eat. i'd be guaranteed to gain 15lbs after a VERA VERY shoot except that there is so much energy in that company. VERA STEWART is such a great client with her culinary talent, unstoppable work ethic and incredible energy. it's no wonder her incredible products have made OPRAH's "O" list and are carried by NEIMAN MARCUS, SAKS, and others.

check out VERYVERA.com

taste and see, it is all VERY VERA good!


PS:
set up on this shoot stole a page from chase's blog about making subtle light:
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2009/08/making-subtle-light.html
a great read for dealing with that particular challenge. i suspended the disc between the food and strobe on camera right to balance the rim light which is popular with food photography.

cheers.

the HELP-PORTRAIT

The creation of photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help Portrait is a movement of photographers who are using their time, equipment and expertise to give back to those who are less fortunate this holiday season.

CHECK OUT: http://www.help-portrait.com/#2


i also appreciate Vincent Laforet's take on the project http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2009/09/04/help-portrait/

not sure i can add anything further to Jeremy's explanation but i would like to work on this project with any local photographers, makeup artists, web designers, videographers or whoever is interested in joining in this nationwide project. i believe it is a wonderful opportunity to serve a community of individuals.

anybody up for discussing a CRSA answer to Help-Portrait shoot me any email at clinedsgn@mac.com.

cheers.

the WEDDING

so, i shot my first wedding as a "pro" for a long time friend and client. it was a small intimate affair that i shot with fellow photographer nicky motto. i can't begin to express what a real honor it was to help the couple capture this moment in their lives. the brides daughter officiated the ceremony which added to the sense that i had been invited into a very special family moment. that impression increased both the gravity and honor as i focused on photographing the moments i hoped would best capture the meaning and spirit of the day.

all that said - one of my favorite shots of the day was the one of a lady sitting at a table one moment after her date had stood up to hit the buffet again. i shared it on facebook and twitter to get people's impressions... the responses would have indicated anything but a wedding - in most cases the antithesis. gave me an interesting lesson on "capturing" an event versus a feeling or emotion.

my hat remains off to full time wedding photographers - it's extremely fun and demanding work.
greatest irony of day was the fact that the bride kept saying to me - "you don't REALLY want to be a wedding photographer do you?"

well deborah if they were all as special as yours - i'd be honored to be one!

cheers!

the SHOT BEFORE THE STORM

squeezed this shot (for an upcoming real-estate ad) in before the weather moved in this morning... i just love it. over 14 years ago, david stinson was probably my first client in this business. he's been a fantastic friend and client ever since.

cheers.

the CUTEST GIRL

outtake from today's shoot - phoebe was the greatest little model... could not help sharing a quick setup shot of her scene.

cheers.

cheers.

the NOT SO LAZY BOYS

i had the pleasure of documenting LAZY BOY's gift to AUGUSTA URBAN MINISTRY for LAZY BOY's P.R. firm. LAZY BOY donates furniture it receives through its trade in sales to the AUGUSTA URBAN MINISTRY for its work with families in our area. the youth from a local mentor program came to help unload the tractor trailer full of furniture. GREAT CAUSE and a wonderful way to spend a morning.

more here: http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/07/23/ric_541653.shtml

cheers.

the LESSON

teaching about blogging.

the KINDRED SPIRIT

about 2 miles or so up the beach from our place is a NC nature preserve named "bird island" for years it was separated from sunset beach by a shallow inland waterway which meant you could only wade there during low tide. in 1997 a storm filled in the waterway leaving "bird island" an easy walk down the beach at anytime of the day... i'm sure this has somewhat discouraged the nude "naturalist" that used to enjoy that end of the island. three things catch your eye as a notable departure from the otherwise pristine nature setting, an AMERICAN FLAG, a BENCH and a MAILBOX.this is the mailbox for the "KINDRED SPIRIT." for at least a couple decades... maybe more, people have read or written messages to the kindred spirit via this humble mailbox partially hidden in the dunes of BIRD ISLAND. nobody can quite explain exactly who or what the KINDRED SPIRIT is - but to try is probably missing the point. it really doesn't matter who i think others think they are writing to in that mailbox - it only matters who I think i'm writing to - if anybody. sabrina, the babies and i walked down to visit bird island yesterday. it is truly a beautiful area. i sat on the bench and watched sabrina and the kids splash and play for a considerable time while i read a few entries written to the KINDRED SPIRIT. some notes were half a page and some several pages. there were request and petitions for help in these times, there were also references to the beauty and solace of this preserve. it was peacefully and refreshing to sit in that place.

after finally deciding (like many others) my "kindred spirit" would be GOD as i have know personally from my youth and leaned on for strength and creativity and peace, i walked back to the mailbox to add my own note...

08/07/09

THANK YOU.

brent...

the SUNSET

on vacation - means i don't have to write... but i still shoot. running around sunset beach, nc with my old D200 and a SB-600 half the day then and old RB67 with a polaroid back for fun other times. love the minimalist approach even tho i filled the back of the jeep with cameras a light i might not even unload - we'll see. another medical shoot when i get back on monday - spent some time brainstorming last night. now that i have a plan i'm really looking forwardt to the shoot. but first - spending time with jack and brenda for a couple days and then looking forward to dinner with my aunt and uncle saturday night. good times.

cheers,

the 50mm

the 50mm is one of a photographers favorite lenses. ZOE LAURENT http://zoelaurent.wordpress.com from BERLIN ask me about purchasing a 50mm 1.8 versus the 50mm 1.4 recently. since i have both lenses, i thought i'd do a quick test because the .4 difference can add an additional $200 + dollars to the equation. the results of my quick, non-scientific, real-worldish test were closer than i expected. ALTHOUGH having used both lenses i can tell you the f1.4 is faster and will give you an extra stop in low light situations that can sometimes be the difference between getting the shot losing it in the shadows.

THX for asking ZOE - hope this helps.

cheers,

the WILD SIDE

you know... you never know what is going to show up at the studio to have its picture made.
i just had to show you this thing.

so not all shoots and rockstars and models... okay - most of them aren't. but they are all exciting in their own way. take this beast for instance. i was pretty sure it was going to attack if i continued to refer to it as a "golf car." actually pretty impressive process they use to transfer the camo onto the body of what would formally have been called a golf car.

rest of the week promises to be a exciting blur - shooting all day wed and thursday before meetings in charleston friday.

good times.

the LUNDY band

good times at BLUE in the vista sunday. had a down and dirty shoot with LUNDY prior to their new album release next month. we met a BLUE so i could watch them cover a few songs and get a feel for the band. our indoor location didn't work out so we quickly scoped out a couple outside locations and got straight to work as we were loosing light fast. it was a rockstar photoshoot complete with altercation with a rent-a-police officer, who i'm sure got lucky last night recalling his feat of heroism running off us hoodlums. i didn't bring the vagabond so the bees stayed stowed and the speedlights got a pretty intense workout as the light fell. i actually overheated the SB-900 twice which is why i still prefer the SB-800s. donnie (the guitarist) has a beautiful 1968 triumph replica that we used for a prop. the first location shoot almost entirely with the RZ67 and 75mm SB lens with the tilt/shift adapter. the alley shoots were with the D3 and the 70-200 f2.8. because we were working fast and i didn't have time to trouble shoot nikon CLS, i triggered the speedlights with cybersyncs. i promise i'll buy PW's the 1st time the cybersyncs fail - but they never fail... i love 'em. for a couple shoots we hung a SB-800 in front of the headlight of the bike for the kicker. i could tell you more about the music on the new album... but i'm sworn to secrecy until next month when it hits (no pun) - you're going to love it - whoops.

PS: my back is starting to bitch to me about getting assistant.

cheers.