Behind The Scenes Horror Fun

Elvira and Clones

 In honor of Halloween, (and I was slacking on this blog this week, and didn't have anything prepared), I thought I would share some behind the scenes horror themed photos I've taken while working on various gigs over the years. The Photo on the left was shot in 2007 during shooting of "Who Want's to be the Next Elvira". The photo was shot in a ballroom on the Queen Mary in Long Beach after a long day of shooting. The photo Features Elvira: aka Cassandra Peterson  (in the center) and two "Elvira Impersonators" on either side.

Easter Bunny Kill Kill behind the scenes

Easter Bunny Kill Kill behind the scenes

David Stamp: Someone's Knocking at the Door

 Although this is Halloween, I thought these next two pictures from the shooting of Chad Ferrin's "Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! " would be appropriate to share. This photograph on the right, shows the death of David Stamp's character Ray. Also in the photo, you see Cinematographer Giuseppe Assaro (holding the camera), and A.D. Rachel Sever. In the background, you can see the leg of Wolf Dangler. This movie was shot in 2006 mostly in a small house in Hollywood, and a few other local locations.
One of those locations was the small store we shot the opening scene in. The photo below was from that days shoot. In it, you see Timothy Muskatell (In the mask). Behind him you can see Trent Haaga, and on the right is my good friend Key Grip Greg Ewing (who is no longer with us).
These last two pictures are from the shooting of Chad Ferrin's Someone's Knocking at the Door . I did a more in depth post about that shoot here, but I didn't add these behind the scenes photos. The first photograph is of actor David Stamp undergoing his make-up transformation before shooting his scene with actress Andrea Rueda. (Make-up Effect by Tom Devlin's 1313fx. The majority of this film was shot at the derilict Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles. There are many stories of that hospital being haunted, I have heard them from many a crew member, and saw some of it with my own eyes.
The last photo is from Trent Haaga's death scene. As you can see, he is checking out a shot of the same thing on his cell phone.

Trent Haaga: Someone's Knocking at The Door

* Check out my other blog for some real cool vintage halloween photos
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Photographic Repetition

Transamerica Building, San Francisco

"A master painting has multiple repeating threads running through it. These hold the painting together and unify it in much the same way a great symphony is tied together by a repeated main theme. Variety in these repeated elements, as in music, adds interest to the painting. Repetition, variety, unity, harmony are characteristics of all great symphonies and of all great paintings." (Barry John Raybould)

Old style Overtaken by the Modern

Repetition has long been a staple of any artistic medium. The uniformity soothes us. We like it when everything is organized, and lined up. Of course repetition has many uses. It can be used as the subject itself, as in the above photo of the Transamerica Building in San Francisco. Or this photo on the right that juxtaposes the repetition of the sleak modern architecture with it's singular recurring pattern, and the early modern building and its many recurring patterns in the center.

Roast Duck

Repetition can also be used to draw attention to your subject. The Photograph on the left is so cluttered with reflections, that without there being multiple ducks hanging in the window, the viewer might not know that the duck was the subject of the photograph. (Now granted, I could have used a polarizer to clear up the reflections, but I wanted the chaos of it, I wanted it to be a "through the shop window" kinda thing.)

Chinatown

Repetition does not have to be the exact same thing being repeated. In this photograph on the left, the cars, and the buildings are the repetition that create a path through the image.
Repetition can also provide a frame of reality in a surrealist view. The photo below uses the reflections in the window of a building to show a distorted view of other buildings. I used the buildings repetitive architectural cues to provide a counterbalance to the distortions.

Reflection in San Francisco

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Has Digital Won?

Grasshopper: Shot on Digital

 Recently, a dear friend of mine was updating their website. They asked me to shoot some new photos for the site. My friend is an artistic person, and wanted the photos in Black and White. This seemed like a no brainer. I love shooting Black and White Film. I process and print my own negatives, and really feel the organic flow of the darkroom brings out the artistic side of me. So I convinced her to go digital. I know, I was shocked myself. I questioned myself later about why I did it. was it time? cost? Sure, at about $5.00 a roll for Ilford 35mm film (a little pricier if I wanted to shoot medium format since you get half to a third as many shots per roll.) Add in a few bucks for chemicals, and paper, multiple that by 300 photos, and it all starts to add up. In money and time spent in the darkroom (300 photos in the darkroom... no thanks).
That is not the real reason why I talked her into digital though.

Hammock: Shot on Ilford 35mm 3200ISO

One of the things that captivates me about photography is the process itself. Light being recorded by the degassing of tiny crystals creating dark spots where the light was, then doing the process again using that reversal to make a reverse of it. (Are two negatives making a positive?) The organic nature of that gives life to the flow of the grains in a film image that is unique. The Photograph on the right was shot with Ilford 3200 speed 35mm film, and the grains are magnificent. It is as if the picture was created using black and white grains of sand. I enjoy the flaws in film also. The clouded spot from where your film kinked while trying to load it the spool for the developing tank has added unique accents in many of my favorite photos.

Missing Spot Op: Shot on B&W Film

I read a story once of a famous Photograph from photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue. The photo had an odd pattern on it, and people couldn't quite make out what it was. Eventually  the conclusion was made that it was Lartique's fingerprint that was left in the emulsion on the glass plate he took the photo with.
*Before Kodak brought "Film" to the world by putting photographic emulsion on a thin flexible plastic, photographers would often mix their own emulsion, and paint it onto optical glass plates. They would let the emulsion dry, and load the plates into a "quick change magazine" that they would later load into the camera to shoot a picture.
It is these "happy little accidents" that endure me to film so much. It is also these "happy little accidents" that cause reshoots, client complaints, and hours of "fixing" in front of photoshop. So I guess what I'm really saying is If I am heading up to Yosemite National Park, I am bringing the largest format camera I have, loaded with B&W film. But if  someone else is paying me to take pictures while I'm there, I'm also carrying my Digital.
The Photo Below is a set of contact prints from a shoot I did for the film Someone's Knocking at the Door ( more can be seen from this set in my previous blog here) These photos of actors Vernon Wells and Melanie Doyle have many "Happy accidents" that lent to the look I was going for for this shoot.

Vernon Wells and Melanie Doyle: Medium Format Ilford fp4 plus

*If you to like gritty Black and White photography, feel free to check out my other blog Found Snapshots. It is a collection of pre 1950 snapshots that I have picked up at swap meets, flea markets, and paper shows over the years. It is new, but will be updated frequently.

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The Wilderness of Florida

Graffiti on a RR bridge

This past summer, I took a trip to the east coast of Florida. I have been there many times before. I grew up there. 16 years ago, I left home and moved to Los Angeles. I have been back many times since, but this had been my first trip since 2007. While in Florida, I couldn't get over how much things had changed. The place looked beat up. I'm not sure if it was the poor economy, or if a decade and a half really puts that much wear on a place, but it looked beat.

Boardwalk: Turkey Creek Florida

I found myself photographing the natural landscapes more then city itself. Nature has a way of enduring. The undeveloped lands look the same as I remembered them. (maybe a bit less foreboding now that I have GPS in my pocket). I'm sure this wilderness looked much the same when Spanish explorers first walked through these woods 500 hundred years ago. (Some historians say Ponce De Leon first landed in this area, and may have walked through this same wilderness in search of his fountain of youth).

Birds Congregating on the Indian River

I think there is a lesson to be learned in this. You see, the Birds aren't stressed about the economy. They are not affected by the constant advance of progress. They still find places to perch, food to eat, and a place to spread their wings and fly. I imagine ole Ponce, pushing through the wilderness (like I did as a child), coming out to the shore of the river, and seeing birds congregated in the trees much like these birds. So to, must the sights have been the same for the early pioneer families and former slaves that settled the area in the mid 1800's creating the town that is there today.

Pelicans on the remnants of a dock

Yes, the birds were there when we showed up, and they don't seem all that bothered with the concerns of society now. Some things change, others do not. but as long as you have a place to spread your wings, you'll be okay. And sometimes, the decay of what was, just brings us something new.
So in retrospect, maybe it wasn't the town that looked beat. A little more weathered, sure, but not beat. I just wasn't viewing it from the eyes of a 20 year old kid anymore.

Pier on the Indian River. Melbourne Beach Florida

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A City in Images

Los Angeles City Hall

Every town, and City across the globe is alive. They teem with an evolving character unique to the place and the day. Buildings stand as quiet testament to the history and styles of the city's past, just as their upkeep tells the story of today. Photography can capture a cities pulse like few other mediums. Photos show the city from a perspective brought by the photographer. Framing, composition, and subject matter all can mold an image into an statement.

Los Angeles at Night

Sometimes a building itself can be iconic and draw you to it. Isolating itself from the architectural cacophony that surrounds it. Rising triumphantly and demanding attention. Other times the city as a whole can merge together as one imposing, monolithic beacon. It stares you down from a distance and takes control of the image.

Pay Phone in Los Angeles

Some say the true character of a city only can be felt from within.  The streets and alleys pulse with life. The signs and graffiti speak truths, and the shoulders of the people bear the weight of the times. The history of a city is tucked away in it's streets. the bright and shiny and new can be found side by side with the craftsmanship of days gone by. Some of this history stands proudly deteriorating, reminding you of what once was. Some is obstructed by a new coat of paint, or gilded facade. It all bleeds out though, it show you signs of what was and what may be coming. You just need to look, aim, and snap a picture.

Weathered Palace Newsreel Theatre Sign

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