What's Happenin'

Useful information, news and things I find interesting.

The Most Insane New Selfie Stick! Get Epic Photos

So this selfie stick craze has gotten a bit out of hand.  We are seeing them everywhere. It is getting so bad that they are being banned from public places, like restaurants, concerts, game stadiums and even amusement parks. On top of that they are extremely deadly.  People are actually dying taking selfies, with and without a selfie stick. Selfie deaths have actually outnumbered shark attack deaths.

Selfies have always been a thing, going as far back as self-portrait paintings, with or without second ear. Eventually leading into photographs, remember taking your first selfie with a Polaroid?  I sure do. But when did the world become so obsessed with taking selfies? I mean people take them everywhere, in the strangest places, like the bathroom, bedroom, and while out with family eating dinner. There is no place that is protected from the "Selfers", yeah I made that word up just now.

So I guess it was just a matter of time that new techniques and gadgets came along to help out with that oh so important shot of you in the bathroom of Macy's. That's what makes this latest gadget dubbed the HSS so amazing.  

You are probably saying to yourself "what could be more amazing than the selfie stick spoon" even more amazing than the Belfie Stick (look it up).  Well sit back hold on to your chair because this will absolutely blow your mind. If you aren't sitting down and holding on to something, I am not responsible for any injuries incurred while reading this and walking.  

Also, if you have any hard or heavy objects in your hand please put it down; I do not want to hear about any heads injuries because you will slap your head after hearing about this crazy new Selfie stick.  So what is it you ask?  

Well first let’s talk about how this idea even came to be. I was sitting at my computer one day and kept reading all these articles about people being hurt and dying from taking selfies, selfie sticks being banned, Russia launching a selfie guide and thought there has to be a better and safer way.  

I racked my brain for hours, days, weeks (okay maybe not weeks) and then like being hit by a 1984 Toyota, it came to me, "oh what a feeling".  I came up with the concept for the HSS, also known as the Hired Selfie Stick or Human selfie stick. I kinda borrowed from the idea of when people in the distant past would actually hire what they called "photographers" to take pictures of them.  

I know right! What the hell were people thinking, they must have been nuts to hire someone to take high quality professional photographs. It's such an insane concept, that's exactly why designed the HSS, you have to be a little bit crazy to be innovative.

I mean think of the guy in the meeting who had to explain launching unhappy birds into bricks with pigs on them. Right! Now you are with me aren't you? I have 100% faith that this will spread like wild fire. Once people see how amazing their selfies look using the HSS they will never turn back! This is such an amazing product that I am not even trademarking or copyrighting this.

 I want to share it with the world. It is pretty easy to get yours, just go to your search engine of choice and search for your local HSS, the best way to do this is to type in your city+photographer in the field . Even better would be your city+Portrait+photographer.

I have already worked with all the top search engines to make the HSS available in your market. Just be aware that there are many different levels of the HSS, so please do your proper research and make sure you find the HSS that is best for you.  

Please remember only YOU can prevent selfie deaths.

One, Two, Three strikes you're out

Devin Baseball Portrait chill

This time around I got to work with Devin, who is preparing to enter his first year of High School. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and took direction really well.  We tried a few new things this time around and he was up for the challenge. He showed great poise and patience when we tried the same shot over and over from multiple angles.

Devin Baseball Portrait Shoot 2015-0005.jpg

I also played around quite a bit with different lighting styles, using more and less ambient light to create a more dramatic effect and mood. I really wanted to capture his personality (he's a smiler) but at the same time give the impression that he takes the game serious. 

Devin sounds like he is very excited about starting high school.  As he put it "I am nervous but super excited." If he continues to keep a good head on his shoulders I believe this kid has a bright future ahead of him.

Devin Baseball Portrait Blue Skies

Bases loaded - Portrait shoot with Mason

Just thought I would write up a quick post about my portrait session last week with 10 year old Mason at Petrovitsky Park in Renton. The theme for the shoot was Baseball as you can probably tell from the photos.  It was extremely hot early in the day, but as the sun got lower, it turned out to be a perfect day for shooting (which here means it didn't rain).  When Mason and his mother Trina showed up to the shoot, I could see that Mason was a bit nervous.  So I quickly introduced myself, cracked a few jokes and got him to smile after that he began to relax.  After about 10 minutes he started to really get into it and have fun. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and a great model. The photos came out great and now Mason has something he can be proud of and feel good about sharing and his mother can always look back on and smile.

Mason Baseball portrait collage