I gotta say.. MY JOB ROCKS!

Literally…

We get to meet some amazing people, travel throughout the country and walk away with a body of creative photo work we are excited to share with our clients. At times, the travel and time away from home, family, friends and a comfortable bed can be daunting to say the least. But in the end, I’m thrilled to provide a life for those who I love most by shooting work I can stand behind.

Last month we were hired to shoot press shots for the band CAVO by Eleven Seven Records out of NYC. Trevor and I packed up the Jeep and made an 8 hour drive to St. Louis, MO where we met with the band, the label reps, stylists and video crew. We had an absolute blast over the three days we spent with the guys in the band, all of whom were nothing but friendly, hospitable and all-around great dudes to hang out with! After we arrived, the first day was spent wrapping up location scouting for the promotional shoot, going over our shot list and indulging in a few local beers. The next day we were afforded 8 hours to shoot promo photos for the band’s upcoming release and wrapped our last day shooting behind the scenes photos on the 23rd floor of the Macy’s building in downtown STL during the music video shoot for their new single, “Thick As Thieves”.

For those who haven’t heard CAVO before, it’s obvious you haven’t listened to the radio or watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Check out their singles Champagne and Let It Go. That should get you started. Below is the music video they released today for “Thick As Thieves” on Yahoo! Music. No need for a behind-the-scenes video for the promo shoot we did; it was included in the video! Once I get the approval from the label, I’ll post the shots of the band I took for their upcoming release…. but I’m sure you can find a few leaked photos online already.

In the meantime, below are some of the behind the scenes photos I shot during video shoot:

Frankie Nasso (Director), busting his ass to get the shot. It’s all about hustle folks..

Ahhhhh, yeah. Being on the 23rd floor of Macy’s… we suddenly smelled smoke and thought our building was on fire!! WTF!?!?!? Everyone on set rushed to see what was burning. Thankfully, it was a Chevy Impala parked in the street (very much on fire) and not the building we were in.

The city rolled in to inspect our shooting permits..

The aftermath..

BELOW: This is probably my favorite shot of the whole day. We spent nearly 14 hours on a rooftop in 90+ degree heat. This was the video production crew “runner”. This kid NEVER ONCE complained, always had a smile on his face the entire day and busted his freaking ASS while sprinting with full-on sweat non-stop to get simple crap, like extra water cups! Why? Because he had a job to do. He did it well. He knows how to hustle. And it made him happy at the end of the day.

Mission accomplished.

I LOVE MY JOB.
~dave

METAL!

We drank more beer at this workshop, than any single date prior to this. And that’s not just Trevor and I. It was everyone….. Yep, had a rad group on hand for this workshop and shared a ton with each other throughout a long, grueling 16-hour day. It was extra special this round, as our awesome photog pal Erik Dixon came all the way from Atlanta, GA to hang out with us for the week. He even modeled for the shooting segment of the day. I knew that when a group was shooting with Erik, I had no need to jump in and give help and/or instruction. He rules the light and all things photography.

Many thanks go out to our models, including Erik and Trevor for going out and buying another 30-pack of beer. We killed it!

~dave

I rarely get to shoot metal bands these days, as my travels are seemingly taking me all over the map. With that being said, I recently had the chance to work with the dudes from 5MAN, shooting their new promotional campaign. I was initially introduced to Jason (drums) while meeting with a regional ad agency and oddly enough, ended up briefly chatting with him about shooting a new series of images for his band. It’s crazy the connections we can make when we get out and meet new folks face to face. Glad to have connected with these guys! Have a look..

I recently had the pleasure to sit down and chat with my friend Tommy Clifford at the studio and whip out a two part video discussion. Not much photography related discussion here, but nonetheless we talk about living life, almost failing high school and losing my drivers licenses. Enjoy!

PART 1:

PART 2:

~dave

Last month I traveled with a few of my close friends to New York City. The trip was to essentially for no other reason than to escape the mind-numbing routines of daily life, find creative inspiration, hang out as dudes and to figure out where the hell we’re all headed in this unpredictable journey amidst the rough seas of making pictures. After four grueling days, I discovered a few things about myself. The list is as follows:

1. I don’t handle stomach flu very well.

2. Regardless of where I stand amongst my peers in a social and professional atmosphere, we are all facing the same struggles EVERY DAMN DAY. We’re all human, folks..

3. I ain’t shit right now. I have years and years ahead of me before I can even consider the next step to reaching my goals. Baby steps for now.

4. Friends tell it like it is. Without these cats, I sometimes feel lost.

5. New York City smells like a rotten cadaver that sat out in the Arizona sun for four days. So did our apartment.

6. I hate stomach flu.

7. My portfolio is a disaster and I need to “take out the trash”. I’ll NEVER be happy with it, but it must grow all the time.

8. HUSTLE. I need to hustle and up my game RIGHT NOW, otherwise I will be working at Tires Plus next year.

9. The B&H superstore is merely fantasyland for the folks who hustle, ’cause I have zero money to spend on useless shit that won’t improve my game.

10. The Fuji X100 is apparently awesome (and costs $1200). Whatever…

11. Facial hair makes you more of a man. And if you own a first generation iPhone, I have parts I can sell you Kevin..

12. Yep, I’m still terrified of heights.

13. Carrying around a Canon 1D Mark IV and a 24-70 whilst walking 16 miles in 80 degree heat makes me envy the guy with an X100.

14. Dear stomach flu: BITE ME.

15. I suck at street photography.

~dave