While I was heading east on my road trip, I spent a few days in Las Vegas and popped in to see Jason Alexander at Planet Hollywood,
where he is performing a new show that spoofs on self-help gurus. A few months ago, in preparation for the “Donny Clay Experience”, I was involved in the production of some of the video segments that were filmed to support the show and character. Getting the chance to meet Jason Alexander, who also hails from New Jersey, was exciting. As many people who were alive in the 90′s, I’m a big fan of his work as George Costanza on the show Seinfeld.
The production that I was involved in also starred Don “Hollywood” Yates, who you may also know as “Wolf” from the show American Gladiators. In the skit, motivational speaker Donny Clay proves his commitment to commitment by staying connected to Yate’s testicles for several days. I included a few stills from the production, which can be seen as part of the Donny Clay Experience at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for the next few weeks.
I was recently contacted by Kurt Daradics to photograph the first “Digital Family Reunion” at the Skirball Cultural Center. The event brought together the Southern California technology and business communities for the holidays. Attendees included industry leaders in education, media, entertainment, finance, publishing, venture funding, as well as software and web development.
I decided to mix it up a bit and shoot some of the event in B&W in an effort to improve my eye for desaturated and B&W shots, which I’m starting to play around with more and more.
The Digital Family Reunion was the first time that I had been to the Skirball Center. While I didn’t get to visit the actual museum or exhibits, the venue was spectacular for an event like this. I’ll be sure to pop by again soon!
If you’d like to see more Digital Family Reunion photos, I uploaded some additional images to my Flickr account as well as my Facebook fan page.
I had the opportunity to try something a little different and shoot some promotional images for a new jewelry line that is about to launch in North America. We cast a local model, Meredith Molinari, who wound up being fantastic to work with; along with Mandy Perez, a wonderful make up artist here in Los Angeles. I was very happy that we were able to come up with poses and simple lighting configurations that featured complete sets of the client’s jewelry in one shot, without looking awkward. I included one of the clients favorite shots below.
And a excellent restaurant recommendation that came to me by the way of Meredith:
Vibrato Jazz Grill (Bel Air, CA) – In her words to me, “It’s a really fabulous place to get drinks and listen to jazz. Food is pricey but worth it.”
Well, I went there last night and she wasn’t kidding. Son Mayor, a group of 12 amazing musicians that play a mixture of vintage latin and contemporary Cuban music had the room for the night. We got a table right against the stage and dined on some fabulous steaks. The oysters were huge and the martini’s were excellent. Oh, and be sure to try the mac and cheese.
Just days before I left the east coast, I worked with singer/songwriter Killian Wells in Manhattan. Killian was in need of some images for the cover and promotion of his first album, which was released this week. He had a good idea of what he wanted and the extra hands of his entourage made this shoot a breeze.
The Album Cover
Fun with Flamingos
Killian and Yours Truly
A few links to learn more about Killian, see more of the photos in action and of course, hear his music. If you like the photos, by all means, let him know…(hint-hint)…
Killian Wells on Myspace
Buy the Killian Wells CD at Amazon
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