November 2007 Archives

Launch

Very quietly earlier this month I finalized and soft-released a new website (as previously teased) to serve as a launching pad for my opening push into commercial and advertising work. This week I'm excited to finally pull back the curtain and officially introduce to the world the all new JLPFL.com.

Starting with something very clean and small, I plan to build up from there and add new work and self-directed projects as I progress. Ultimately the design was a really fun challenge for me and I'm digging the results (thanks to Seth Bro for his programming talents). The million dollar question with the site was whether or not it would truly be its own animal or be folded into JohnLoomis.com. It came down to personal preference and market hunch, and I decided that with where I'm at right now editorial and commercial just don't mix very well, even though the work is of course very similar. Though the sites are cross-linked, and I'm happy for anyone to see either, I want to direct these two separate groups (with two separate needs) to different places and images and promotion for the time being.

Upcoming plans for JLPFL include the first e-mail newsletter coming later this week which will then be followed up with a nice print mailer just after the new year. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, just hop on by to JLPFL and subscribe.

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Miami splash

Also found in the December magazine stacks is a bit of déja vu in the form of another piece on the Miami art scene and upcoming Art Basel Miami Beach fair, this time for Smithsonian. It was a fun job that ultimately mixed a bunch of new portrait and location days with existing stock from last year's coverage. One of the cool bonuses was finally finding a real home for the panoramic stitch overall of the convention center during Basel craziness! Thanks Bonnie!

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Dirty don

One of the strangest profiles I've ever shot finally made it to print this month in the pages of Radar. Clarence Reid, AKA Blowfly, is a 68-year old rap pioneer who started it all during the 60's in Georgia, arguably inventing modern hip-hop, touring with the Godfather, and spending 50 years on the road spreading his scatological scrawl. These days ole Clarence lives with his mom in North Miami between tours in one of the most rancid homes I've ever been in (my assistant, god bless her, actually got the flu after our shoot). I don't mean to be disparaging to Blowfly, I actually really enjoyed meeting him and collaborating, but its super intense stuff. He spent most of the several hours I was with him cussing at anyone or thing that moved or making obscene gestures (even while sitting in front of him mom in her bedroom while she read the bible).

I've talked before about the importance of finding characters and this is the case in point. Honestly, how in the fuck do you make lame pictures of a crazy old dude in a sequin suit and mexican wrestling mask?! Even so, I was still very pleased when I heard back from Radar photo director Greg Garry with his response to my take: "John these are genius!!!!" Why thank you, thank you very much! Here are a few more that didn't make the cut (I really like the last one because it was the only time that the personality was suspended and a tired old man shown through).

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Drunk

View from the top of Pride Mountain; Dad at left and Amy in the middle. Click on the image for a much larger version.

My sister put down her feet after last October's father and son romp through Napa Valley, and last week the three of us set out again and enjoyed a wonderful and ridiculously decadent tour of wine country. The trip was literally organized around a dinner at world acclaimed restaurant The French Laundry (after we secured reservations a couple of months ago), and that indulgent dozen-course dinner was basically a metaphor for our whole week.

In total we amassed 7 Michelin stars -- Laundry, La Toque, Bouchon, and Cyrus -- and many other corks, tours, and tastings at some of our favorite valley vineyards, including Schramsberg, V. Sattui, Joseph Phelps, Castello di Amorosa, Quintessa, Nickel & Nickel, and Pride Mountain. Amy, Dad, and I had a wonderful time, amazing wine, incredible food, saw and made friends, watched the sun set and rise, the mist roll in and evaporate, and many plates and glasses be filled and emptied. Here's hoping for next year!

Home to the oldest wine caves in Napa Valley, Schramberg's tour (their icon is the frog above) ends with a great tasting, below, of several of their sparklings. Another cave leads past new French oak barrels of Quintessa to a worker pressing the recent harvest. Far bottom, a Rutherford field lies below the morning fog after the harvest.

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Joe Hound

While shopping for cold remedies yesterday I picked up the December issue of XXL, which contained my portrait of emerging Miami rapper Joe Hound in the Show & Prove section. Wouldn't you know it the very next day I received several more copies from the magazine. But that's just the way my luck is running this week.

Bad luck exhibit A came on Monday morning during my shoot for Men's Journal when 4-ft seas quickly (by means of some strong winds) turned into 8 to 10-foot swells. If only I had a video camera with me (and an extra assistant) it would have made a hilarious video... me on the bow of the boat shooting the subject perched precariously on top of the railing, waves tossing us every which way, my assistant Erica trying to hold on while simultaneously keep my large reflector in the right spot as it got more and more slick from the salt spray. And of course I was shooting on my Mamiya 7, which loads slower than any other body I've ever had, so film changes on the bow were a trip!

By shoot's end, my assistant had managed to stay on board, no gear was lost or water logged, we got plenty of stuff to work with, and none of us had ralphed -- talk about success! Speaking of assistants, because Erica did such a great job this week its only fitting that she be honored by being clearly visible in the above XXL clip, holding up a 1-stop scrim in the reflection of Joe's shades. Way to go Erica! And lastly here's an additional frame that shows why I liked this building along Biscayne Bvld. that I picked for our location.

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Cheers: Travis Dove

An overall good week last week was made even better with the breaking news that my good buddy and former assistant Travis Dove won the College Photographer of the Year competition, taking home gold in the portfolio, documentary, and portrait categories!! Congrats T.D.! You are the man!

So cheers to you, Travis Dove! Not only are you an incredibly talented, passionate, and dedicated young photographer, but also, and more importantly, a great friend and extremely warm and generous person. Truly, Judyta and I could not be more excited or happier for your successes. Rock those bitches at Nat Geo, brother!

The pic above is probably from shortly after one of the last jobs that I had Travis' help on last year, and is significant also because that job, like tomorrow's will be, was shot completely on film (unfortunately getting more and more rare). New lens in hand, and Kodak 220 pro packs under each arm, I'm pumped to be at it again out in the Atlantic for a morning shoot for Men's Journal. Now its to bed for me after lots of fluids, vitamins, and a large hot tea, so that this scratchy throat doesn't turn into anything more.

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Private art

My trip to the postbox was rewarded today with a package of clips straight from Germany and Lufthansa Exclusive. A couple of months ago I spent a fantastic week on their behalf photographing some of Miami's famous private art collectors, including native Craig Robins (of Dacra Development), Rosa da la Cruz, Mera and Don Rubell, and Marguilles Collection curator Katherine Hinds. The shoots were just a ton of fun and I challenged myself to do a bit more lighting than normal. Parts of the portfolio were basically like shooting fish in a barrel because the backgrounds and galleries I had to work with were nothing short of amazing.

The results are above in the November issue of the magazine, which Zita and her crew did a wonderful job of editing and designing. This was my second large feature working with Lufthansa and both have been really great experiences. As always, here are a few others that didn't quite make the cut...

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Title bump

Long overdue after over two and a half very happy years of putting up with grumbly ole me, The Girlfriend got a title bump last weekend while we were away on vacation in Amelia Island (ostensibly to celebrate my 28th birthday). I'm very pleased to announce that Judyta is now officially The Fiancée!

We could not be more thrilled and excited for our future together and we thank our family and friends for their support and love. No news yet on when, where, or how.

And now you know why the blog has been pretty quiet. I did manage to surprise Judy into almost shock, which I was worried about. I already had the ring but it was a pretty spontaneous proposal, taking place at sunrise in a state park on a very long pier jutting out over the stormy Atlantic. After watching dozens of early morning marathon trainers we had our run of the pier and the crashing waves, and I distracted her by taking a series of self-timer pics of us with the camera perched on a bench. Following the forth or fifth exposure I grabbed the ring hidden in my camera bag and ran back over to her. The pic captures her confusion at why I had sort of fell down on one knee instead of stood beside her for our snapshot. I think its pretty hilarious that I sort of screwed the money pic up, but who cares because oh sweet baby jesus, she said yes!

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