(Fashionable) Cowboy Up

OK right off the bat, I wasn’t jumping out of my chair when my buddy Clinton Thompson (great name) suggested doing a cowboy photoshoot. His enthusiasm for modeling an old west theme won me over. SO, first things first, LOCATION! This is where having the hobby of road biking comes in handy. You get to see all these places you’d never see whizzing by 50mph in a car. I’ve had this oil refinery in my back pocket for a couple of months, and I’ve been itching to have a good reason to shoot there. Bingo. This place had everything; old trucks, graffiti, steel buildings, oil rigs, dead vegetation… all of which looks like it’s been there for ages.

New logo = new biz cards

I was 2 seconds away from buying new business cards a few weeks ago, but I thought my old logo looked a little dated. I wanted something more simple and professional. You know, something sophisticated, like me! So I came up with this little circle logo, chopped up to look like “CD”. Matte black finish, spot-UV coating on both sides, and a white “signature box” to jot down misc notes. I think they came out pretty cool 🙂 If you’re lucky enough, maybe you’ll get one of my highly exclusive signed 1 of 500 business cards.

Climbing to new heights

1 more week until the dreaded 100 mile Assault on Mt. Mitchell “event” in S/N Carolina. I knew I had to kick my ass this weekend so I’d have a fighting chance to get to the top of Mt. Mitchell the next. This ride was sort of a last-minute decision, so I couldn’t find any buddies down to pedal next to me on the trek. Just me and my iPod jamming the workout playlist. The route is estimated at 7,000′ in 23 miles. Starting at the bottom where Hwy 39 splits (West Fork) and ending at Dawson Saddle (the highest elevation point on the Angeles Crest Hwy). You can literally start at the top, and not have to pedal at all until the very bottom. Very little flat or downhill sections on the way up. BRING THE PAIN!

My head hurts

… but damn I’m proud. I became the Art Director for Import Tuner a little over a year ago. Before working for the mag I thought “how do they make such beautiful covers?”, now I’m behind the wheel makin’ it happen (pats self on back). I’ll move to patting to preaching, because I think the Import Tuner covers are the best, most eye-appealing car covers on the newsstand. Many thanks to the photographers that help piece them together. Jon Domingo, Jeff Creech, Luke Munnell, Scott Dukes, and Steve Demmitt to name a few.

Wheels of Steel

Road biking is addictive. It’s a great way to stay/get in shape, and explore the area where you live. Tip, never ride far without a spare tube. I’ve been road biking for about half a year, and the San Gabriel riverbed is my main training ground. It stretches for nearly 50 miles without stoplights. I’ve heard of “gang activity” but haven’t seen anything shady going on… but hopefully my blistering speed on the Giant TCR will outrun their knives and guns! Nothing quite beats the feeling of going 30mph under your own power and hearing nothing but the wind passing by.

$3.99 magazine organizers at IKEA

…do a good job of holding the blood, sweat, tears, and red-eye nights of the magazines I have worked on. A few are missing but it’s good to finally have them all lined up. S3, Import Tuner, Turbo, Sport Compact Car, Honda Tuning, Lowrider, 2Wheel Tuner, siphon, Car Audio. Over 2 years and counting… signed copies go for $1,000 shipped.

Turbo Magazine: Twisted Sixx

I’m in love with this old ’71 Datsun 240Z. College kid Austin Hoke from NC built this beauty from the ground up, cutting no corners. I squeaked it into a feature of the June ’07 issue of Turbo Magazine. It’s turned into one of my favorite motion shots… so much that I framed it on my bedroom wall to stare at it everyday. It’s a reminder that I’ll probably never BUILD a badass car like that, only buy.

Modified Magazine: Acura TSX

Shot this machine back in 2006 during my college freelance days and was featured in the July ’07 Modified issue… now, Modified is ironically owned by the very company I work for. Desmond Performance who built the car were super nice. I felt this was a breakthrough shoot for me. It was the first time I combined flash exposures to get the best image. I’ve learned a lot since then!