Fox Chase Videos

As of lately I have been shooting for many different hospitals.  Those of you who have been following this blog have seen some of my still images here.  But on top of taking still images I have been creating videos for patients and web use.  These videos have been used as informative pieces to help promote cancer prevention, cancer education as well as an introduction from the doctors to the patients.  Here is one I did recently for Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Texas Cowboys

One of my most favorite photographs was taken for Vanguard Investments.  They sent me out to Amarillo Texas to do a campaign surrounding cowboys on the ranch.  I've been to Texas many times on shoots but usually to the larger cities.  So this was my first time - on a shoot -going into the Texas "outback".  I spent a week in Palo Duro Canyon shooting cowboys - mostly riding & working in and near pickup trucks.  The shots were being used for a "feel good" campaign - ads & brochures all for the midwest.  Well as I was shooting these three cowboys in back of one of these pickups the youngest of the three started jumping through a rope.  I was really intrigued.  I asked the A.D. if she mind if I shot some of this kid jumping.  She was fine with it.  Shooting this wasn't in the schedule but it turned out to be the main image in the ad campaign.  

There are many times where I start shooting with a client with a preconceived idea as to what they/we want.  And as I'm shooting I see something that peeks an interest and I always try to find ways to capture it.   

Our guide in the canyon was this 70ish year old Texan Cowboy.  He had broken his back years before and had a few of his vertebra fussed together.  At least that's what he told us.  He couldn't turn his head side to side but instead would move his whole body to peer left & right.  It made driving in & out of the canyon quite the experience!  Going down steep dirt roads with hairpin turns - no more then a foot of road between you and a 70 foot cliff made for a lot of thanking G-d and drinking at night!  It was a great trip!  Got to love Texas!  

Nurses

I find I've been shooting for many hospitals lately.  Last week Fox Chase Cancer Center, who I've been working with for over 20 years hired me to do a campaign about the nurses at the center.  The images will be used on billboards and banners to help recruit.  We travel around the hospital shooting nurses in a variety of different settings.  For some reason we are always fascinated with the O.R. area.  Maybe because we get to dress-up like docs!  We'll it use to be like that.  Now they give us these "bunny suits" to wear.  I liked it better when they just gave us scrubs.  

Orange County Choppers, Paul Teutul & Tony Stewart

I got a call from my rep Ken Leyden to go to Orange County Choppers head quarters and photograph Paul Teutul Sr & Jr. along with race car driver Tony Stewart.  The project was for 

GlaxoSmithKline and their new pain relief medicine called GOODY'S.  It's a powder you mix with liquid and drink.  GSK wanted a new ad campaign and hired an agency in North Jersey.  Which in turn saw my book -hence the job! 

We loaded up the car - well Justin loaded up the car - and Peter, myself & Justin set out on he journey.  I would be responsible for the "white-set shots" while Peter,  my business partner would shoot more journalistically out in the shop - where they make the choppers.  It was very exciting!  Truth is I never saw the show Orange County Choppers - not till after the shoot and I'm not a race car fan.  Sorry Tony.  But who's to say that can't change!  After 4ish hours of driving for an early morning shoot and four gallons of coffee between the three of us  we arrived in desperate need of the bathroom!  Thank G-d we were early!  

Everyone was great!  Paul Sr. has a sarcastic sense of humor but once in front of the camera puts on a persona as being tough as nails.  His son Paul Jr was constantly joking - on & off the set.  When Tony Stewart showed up I didn't know what to expect.  He is a very down to earth guy.  So what he just flew in on a private jet and had a small entourage he traveled with.  He was easy to get along with.  

The shoot lasted all day.  We had a good time dealing with all the designers & art directors and talent.  There also was a  video crew who was taping for an upcoming episode.  Who knows you might even see us on one of the shows!  

One clear day we made it snow!

When Tom McGivney Creative director from ABC Advertising asked me to produce a series of ads for NYU Hospital I was psyched to be part of the team!  One of the ads created an unusual challenge in that we needed a woman holding her arms out looking up into a snow storm.  My first thought was "here comes Aspen!"  But once it was made clear to me that it wasn't in the budget to fly my whole crew plus their crew (ad agency & clients) out to the snowy slopes of Colorado we had to come up with a different idea.  My first thought was putting it together in the computer combining a combination of shots - woman, background & snow.  Now shooting the woman in the studio and combining her with a background would be easy but adding snow would be very, very tricky.  It would be to time consuming seeing that snow is translucent and has a slight "blur" as it falls.  Then I turned my ideas on snow making machines.  I spoke with a couple of different film directors who have made snow in their movies and found out they use a combination of different types of machines and fake snow depending on the look they wanted. Renting snow machines could of been away to go but it was also very costly.  And though NYU Hospital is huge they still didn't want to put up the thousands of dollars for the machines.  So I turned my attention to the theater and looked into how they created a snow scene.  They won! Outside  suspended between two stands, about 20 feet apart we hung a few large plastic boxes with the bottoms cut away and chicken wire put in its place.  Filled them with fake plastic snow and I had two assistants shake the pole that supported the boxes slowly as I shot.  The model stood underneath.  I also had a third assistant in front throwing snow up in the air in front of the camera.  This helped create the depth of the snow.  Thus we turned a clear day in to a winter wonder land!  Way within budget!!!

Red Head Betty Takeout

I received a call from my friend Martin who is a creative director at Merck.  He asked me if I'd like to shoot a band called Red head Betty Takeout.  They have a sound like Barenaked Ladies but more soulful!  Turns out - Martin is a friend of the band and they were in need of a photographer.  They came to the studio where I shot them for their new CD cover.  Then they put on a little impromptu show - which was amazing!  Then I took them on a late-night subway ride throughout Philly - where I shot them some more.  

Make-up

One of the nicest people I've ever worked with!  Susan is a talented make-up artist!  When she's not touching up faces she's also a wonderful prop stylist.  She's been part of my photo team for at least 15 years. - Clients ask for her by name - that I should hire her as the stylist on the set.