Friday Foto: Can I have $75,000?

I took this photo of this jewelry ensemble for an ad in a local publication. It has blue star sapphires, rubies, emeralds and diamonds all set in 18kt gold. This was hand made in Greece. What's interesting about this piece is that the main sapphire was the only one the owner originally had, the stone by itself. She had a very gaudy taste (as you can tell) and needed more flare. She contacted Tiffany & Co. and had them search high and low for matching star sapphires. It took them four years. A star sapphire is a rare version in the sapphire family, because when the light hits it just right a star can me seen in the center of the stone. This particular one, being corn-flower blue as they call it, is even rarer. The ring itself is $37,000. The other two pieces can be added to the package for a total of $75k. Would I wear this if I was a girl. Hell no. But one has to appreciate the uniqueness of this piece. It's amazing. The blue drapping the jewelry is sitting on is the inside of a woman's jacket. I shot this with all natural lighting from a nearby window, taking two exposures and merging them selectively to get the highlights and shadows I wanted. 

So what else is new? Not much. This week has flown by. I have three shoots this weekend, all my favorite kind. Live-action happy hour shoots. I love shooting stuff like that... so much more exciting than shooting non-moving rings and such. I'll be at Catch 228, Bennies and then Delaney's Bar. Of course, it'll be happy hour and I will have to partake... the photos will only get better!

Other than that, I'm cleaning around the house this weekend. Plan on starting to create a babyland in our house. Watch out.

Sunday is the Super Bowl and I plan on stuffing my face with Bacon Explosion.... so the cook better come through. I'm dying to try it. I'm making some of my killer chicken wings as well. Can't wait. Go 'dores, I hope they win. 

Friday Foto: No, don't go.

I'm pleading with the cold weather here. Sure, I'll be the first one to bring up how cold it is outside. My Jeep isn't exactly an air-tight vehicle, so I really feel the cold. But, for the weather to get this cold for a couple of days, teasing us, and warming back up five days later just isn't fair. I want a solid month of it at least. I want to enjoy my fireplace and fleece jacket. Maybe we haven't seen the last of it.

This week went by very quickly. Even working on Monday I feel like it was a short week. It's nice. Today's foto is very basic. It's Hazel's Cafe, an old no-longer-in-use restaurant located on Demere Road on St. Simons. I think it is actually used for private parties. I've always loved this place, just for the old nostalgia of it. I caught wind from someone that it is for sale, which prompted me to go take a couple of photos sooner rather than later. My bet is some developer buys it, tears it down and builds six houses in it's place. Oh well. 

So, I have a couple of things planned for this weekend, but not much. I will be spending sometime under my Jeep, replacing the driveshaft. Hearing it fall off of the car while driving is sort of a disconcerting sound and feeling. It's not a big project, just a pain that's all. Hopefully before too long I'll be looking for a new car...

So that's about it. I know it's a short post, but I really don't have much to report on yet. Hopefully next week I can give you guys more info on all sorts of cool things. Have a great weekend. 

Friday Foto: New year, still alive

I know, I know, it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been so busy, with the holidays, work, vacation... It's been great!

First thing's first; it's cold. Very cold outside, and I love it. I actually put the hard doors on my Jeep yesterday to combat the 30 degree chill in the morning. It's supposed to be 19 tonight, and that'll be great!

Today's Friday Foto comes from a shoot I just wrapped up before the holidays. I shoot for the Golden Isles Magazine and the past issue's theme was a bridal one. For the feature, we shot several different models dress in themed bridal outfits. We had everything from Barbie to Cinderella. My choice, half way through the planning, was to shoot a Goth Bride. I though this would be a great juxtaposition and I had it just in my mind how I wanted to shot it. I'm very happy with the end results, I love this photo. This isn't actually the shot they ran, the one below is.... they needed to show the whole outfit for the magazine. I think the shots came out very nice. I'm happy with them.

And, I got another foto for you. We're doing all the marketing for a new development here on St. Simons that's located just down the road from my favorite place on the Island, Coozies. This shot is cool because it's the first HDR image I've taken with my new Canon 5D M2. Man, I love this camera. I took five exposures, all at f.11, and generated the image in Photomatix Pro. The detail and sharpness in this image is unreal.... hard to tell from this smaller version. I'm not a big fan of creating HDR images for landscapes, I think it's kind of cheating sometimes, but for this project it works... I was going for that surreal look. I've still yet to really even scratch the surface with this camera. But, I did play with some of the HD video functions... more to come on that later.

So, what's new with me? Well, lots actually. I have partnered with my former boss and associate and we three have created H20 Creative Group, a design, marketing and advertising, and photography firm. We basically are doing the exact same things we have been doing all along, but offering full advertising and marketing and I'm bringing in all my photography. I could not be more excited about this new venture. It will allow me to manage my life so much easier now. No more two different jobs, it's all under one roof. Despite the current state of the economy, we are slammed right now; busier than I have ever been in 4 years of being with this company. As we progress more and more with this venture, I'll fill yall in on all that's going on. 

So, lots going on this weekend too. I have close to 35 family members gathering from all over the US this weekend to celebrate my Grandmother's birthday (86, I think). We are having a big cookout Saturday night. We are also currently in the process of inclosing the downstairs part of our house. This will ultimately be another bed/bath and play room, but for the current time being, will act as storage so we can move stuff around upstairs and get ready to create babyland.

Speaking of babies, Kelly's doing great. About 18 weeks along now and looking more beautiful everyday. I'm so excited and having a hard time controlling my urge to buy little camo jackets, baby Patagonia fleeces, Jeep tshirts and 3-inch long flipflops.... I don't really know how long I can hold out. Yall have a great weekend!