The desert is not remarkable for the endless views it offers without; it is remarkable for the endless view it offers within.
The weather is warming and the skies are blue, time to explore the wonders of the desert! Truth be told, it's actually cold & rainy here in L.A. as I write this, although 3 days ago it was almost 100° with multiple wildfires ablaze.
Anyway, that's neither here nor there.
I had 2 pieces of inspiration to write this: The first was a 20/20 segment entitled "GPS Astray: Lost in Death Valley" that recounts the story of 3 women that found themselves lost in the Death Valley back country in mid-July (!!!) after their GPS led them down non-existent roads. The second was of our family friends that tried for a little adventure by going from Big Bear to Las Vegas via the Lucerne Valley. Whilst not remotely tragic, the experience did give them quite a start.
Before I begin, a disclaimer: this is not meant to be an end-all, de facto guide to desert survival. It is merely a jumping off point, a conversation starter. Factors such as season/weather, age, fitness level, previous experience, etc. all play a not-so-insignificant role.
I've been a desert rat for as long as I can remember. The wide open spaces and solitude has always been an oasis from the hustle & bustle of living in the urban jungle. But for the unprepared and foolhardy, this paradise can take from you as much as it gives.
First things first: before heading out, always provide your itinerary to someone. Routes, destinations, maps, estimated departure/return times. With millions upon millions of acres of desert in the Southern California area alone, you cannot be saved if you cannot be found. Equally as important, never, ever rely solely on your GPS. As the 20/20 segment perfectly illustrated, there can be roads & routes in the system that are long gone.
Before entering a remote area, make sure your car is fueled up and drive conservatively. You never know when the next time you'll run into a gas station.
Supplies:
• Plenty of water, about 2 gallons per person/per day. More if it will be extremely hot.
• Snacks
• Map & compass (and the knowledge on how to use them!)
• Sunblock
• First-aid kit
• Changes/layers of clothes. Some areas experience fairly severe temperature fluctuations day & night. Light colored clothes are preferable in the warmer months
• Blankets/sleeping bags
• Flashlight
• Matches, lighters, or some other method of fire starting
• Knife
• Mirror or other reflective panel to signal for help
• Cell phone (fully charged)
• Personal locator beacon, such as SPOT
• Did I mention water?
Tips (from the City of Yucca Valley website):
• If your vehicle becomes stuck, don’t panic. Don’t continue spinning your tires. Try jacking the drive wheels up and putting solid material under the tires to gain traction. Boards, sticks, rocks, floor mats, vegetation or anything solid may help regain traction.
• If your vehicle won’t go any further, raise the hood. This is a universal distress signal. Next, you will need to decide if you are going to stay with your vehicle or try to walk for help.
• Don’t panic. Remain calm and think rationally. Don’t loose your cool. Panic is your enemy.
• Avoid strenuous activity in the heat of the day. Conserve your energy.
• Stay in the shade of the vehicle. On a hot day, the sand can get up to 180 degrees or more. Conserve your energy for the cooler part of the day.
• Make yourself visible. A column of smoke can be seen for miles in the daytime. Think of ways to attract attention to your location. If at all possible, be visible from the air and ground. As a last ditch effort, during daylight, you can use a small amount of gasoline to set a tire or other material on fire that will create a large, dark cloud that will be visible for miles. (Be sure that you set the fire a safe distance away from your vehicle if you choose this option).
• Drinking alcohol can cause dehydration and is not a replacement for water.
• Use anything that makes noise like a vehicle horn. Your vehicle affords many resources.
• Don’t ration water. Drink if you are thirsty. Your body is a canteen and will store water.
• Stay clothed. If properly dressed, your clothes actually insulate you from the heat (if you are not active and are in the shade). Use plenty of sunscreen on exposed areas of your body such as your arms, hands, neck and face.
• Most cell phones and radios work in remote areas. Even if there isn't a highway in sight, your cell phone may still be able to “reach” a repeater. Keep trying to call someone.
Should You Leave Your Vehicle and Go For Help?
You have to make a decision whether to stay with your vehicle or try to walk to safety. Some things to consider before you decide to leave your vehicle and walk out for help include, but are not limited to:
• Do you know where you are? Can you easily walk to safety or will it be a gamble? How long will it take and can you easily make it?
• Your vehicle can provide you with shelter from the heat and cold, and it contains all your supplies.
• Your vehicle is much larger than a person, and therefore easier for searchers to find.
• If you choose to walk out for help, how many supplies can you carry?
• Do you have enough water? Do you know the shortest route to safety or are you just guessing? Will it take more than one day?
• Do you have enough water? Do you know the shortest route to safety or are you just guessing? Will it take more than one day?
• How long will it take to reach help? If you are not in good enough shape to hike out, it could cost you your life.
• What time of day is it? If you decide to leave, do it at the right time. Avoid any activity during the hot part of the day. It could zap your energy and it will cause your body to require more water.
• Can you still be found? Leave a note with the time, day and direction you are going.
• Will someone report you missing? If someone is likely to report you missing, it might be better to stay with your vehicle. It has all of your supplies. It can provide you shelter and can be an excellent signaling device.
Be safe out there!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
PSA: EXIF, Privacy, and YOU!
This is a post that I've been meaning to put together for a while now, but have put off for equally as long. Judging by the amount of time that goes between each of my posts, I know it's not exactly hard to believe. However, I was really motivated this past week by the sheer number of people that post pics on popular sites that still include their GPS locations. In today's world of crazy internet stalkers, obsessive ex's, or OAGs, information like that isn't just "bleh", it can become downright annoying or dangerous.
"What? No way!", you may be saying.
Well, I'm here to tell you "Yes way!"
GPS coordinates (sometimes called a "geotag") can be part of the information that is stored on a digital photograph's EXIF data, especially those taken with smartphones that have, generally by default, location tracking enabled.
So what is EXIF?
EXIF stands for exchangeable image file format and is basically information embedded in a digital photograph (JPG, TIFF, BMP, RAW/CR2/DNG, etc.) that provides information on the image: the kind of camera that was used, what the focal length was, exposure time, etc. However, on smartphones (and some point & shoots), an extra tag can also be included that gives your location information as GPS coordinates. Depending on the strength of the GPS signal, these coordinates can be either be general (neighborhood/street/intersection level) or very specific (which house on that street).
What does the information look like?
An example of EXIF information from Google Images. As you can see, the information for this image is pretty vanilla.
An example of a geotagged EXIF.
Extensions available to browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have the ability to view EXIF data just by putting your cursor over the image to be examined. In this example, clicking the red "GPS" notation opens up a Google Maps page with a pin on the coordinates.
OK, so now what?
Luckily, on today’s smartphones, it is easy enough to disable this feature. Refer to your phone’s manual for precise procedures. I've included the instructions for a couple of the most popular models below.
In addition, you can host your images on sites that automatically strip an image of all EXIF data, such as Imgur. It is worth noting that Facebook (as of this post) also automatically strips EXIF information from images that are uploaded.
iPhone 4 / 4S / 5
1 .Go to Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Location Services
4. Set Camera to “Off”
Android 4.2 phones
1. Start camera application
2. Hit the Settings button
3. Scroll down and find the GPS Tag option and turn it off
NOTE: In older versions, the option may be called “Store Location,” but is more or less the same process.
Windows 7 / 7.8 / 8
1. Go to Settings
2. Navigate to Applications
3. Scroll down to photos+Camera
4. Uncheck “Include location info in pictures I take”
"What? No way!", you may be saying.
Well, I'm here to tell you "Yes way!"
GPS coordinates (sometimes called a "geotag") can be part of the information that is stored on a digital photograph's EXIF data, especially those taken with smartphones that have, generally by default, location tracking enabled.
Imagine taking a "selfie" in that incredibly cute outfit you just bought and posting it up on your Tumblr page. Unbeknownst to you, one of your "followers" is a little more attracted to you than is healthy and they just absolutely need to tell you how cute that outfit really is on you. In person.
You're a model with a profile on a website that caters to models, photographers, etc. and you are approached by a someone who is extremely interested in shooting with you. After looking at their body of work, you decide that their style isn't consistent with yours and you politely decline. But they don't take it quite as politely as you meant it and it just so happens that you have a geotagged cell phone pic of you in your profile showing your new hair style/color.Yes, I know these are kind of extreme examples and probably more the exception than the rule. And, yes, normally, if you took any of these pictures with a run of the mill point & shoot, then he/she is SOL. Likewise, if you've already turned off the location/geotagging feature or if you took the picture in a public place like a mall or a park, then you're probably all right. But you know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
So what is EXIF?
EXIF stands for exchangeable image file format and is basically information embedded in a digital photograph (JPG, TIFF, BMP, RAW/CR2/DNG, etc.) that provides information on the image: the kind of camera that was used, what the focal length was, exposure time, etc. However, on smartphones (and some point & shoots), an extra tag can also be included that gives your location information as GPS coordinates. Depending on the strength of the GPS signal, these coordinates can be either be general (neighborhood/street/intersection level) or very specific (which house on that street).
What does the information look like?
An example of EXIF information from Google Images. As you can see, the information for this image is pretty vanilla.
An example of a geotagged EXIF.
Extensions available to browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have the ability to view EXIF data just by putting your cursor over the image to be examined. In this example, clicking the red "GPS" notation opens up a Google Maps page with a pin on the coordinates.
OK, so now what?
Luckily, on today’s smartphones, it is easy enough to disable this feature. Refer to your phone’s manual for precise procedures. I've included the instructions for a couple of the most popular models below.
In addition, you can host your images on sites that automatically strip an image of all EXIF data, such as Imgur. It is worth noting that Facebook (as of this post) also automatically strips EXIF information from images that are uploaded.
iPhone 4 / 4S / 5
1 .Go to Settings
2. Select General
3. Select Location Services
4. Set Camera to “Off”
Android 4.2 phones
1. Start camera application
2. Hit the Settings button
3. Scroll down and find the GPS Tag option and turn it off
NOTE: In older versions, the option may be called “Store Location,” but is more or less the same process.
Windows 7 / 7.8 / 8
1. Go to Settings
2. Navigate to Applications
3. Scroll down to photos+Camera
4. Uncheck “Include location info in pictures I take”
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Ermergerd! Ster Wers! (or "Resurrection! Part Deux!")
Ok, so this update wasn't as quick to come as I had hoped. To my defense I actually started writing this post back in late November, but didn't get a chance to finish & post til now :)
We did it!
Over a year in the making, we finally shot the Star Wars / Black Milk collaboration in Death Valley NP this past November! The logistics of this little enterprise was on the challenging side, but the 'crew' we had to pull this off was amazing.
TL;DR Stats
* miles driven: 800
* fuel used: ~50 gallons
* average MPG: 16 (not bad for a 4 ton, 8 foot tall truck)
* number of 'check engine' lights: 2 (same code though)
* crew size: 7
* number of shoot locations: 3 (Stovepipe Wells Dunes, Artist's Palette, and 20 Mule Team Canyon)
* length of shooting day, including transit & lunch: 9 hours
* number of broken equipment: 1
* number of frames captured: ~500
Before we even arrived in DV on Sunday afternoon, it was fraught with anxiety. Our newly acquired land-yacht, a 2003 Ford Excursion diesel, decided to greet us with its 'Check Engine' light between the towns of Ridgecrest and Trona, an area with absolutely no cell phone reception. Or services. Thankfully, the truck did not display any signs of degraded performance and we soldiered on, but with my eyes glued to the Edge programmer and Scangauge.
Arriving at the park none the worse for wear, our first stop was Stovepipe Wells Dunes (or Mesquite Dunes, depending on who you ask) to find a shooting location with the angle we needed to match the landscape in "A New Hope". After the usual 'two steps forward, one step back' trudge through the sand, we were able to find a location that not only had the background we needed, but was in an area remote enough to satisfy our other requirements: not visible from the road & parking area and away from the high traffic path so people don't stumble onto our makeshift set. Our luck was finally beginning to change.
Since we were exhausted, hungry, and full of sand, we made a bee-line for the Atomic Inn in the town of Beatty, NV where we would be based out of for the remainder of our stay. After much needed showers, we ended the day with an always pleasant meal at KC's Outpost, a short hop away from the motel.
Day 2 in Death Valley was dedicated to final reconnaissance of the remaining shoot locations. At this point, I had decided to cut down the number to a total of 3 areas vs. my much rosier projection of 5. As we would realize the next day, it was a wise decision.
As a quick aside, we were very fortunate to run into the 'ghost town' of Carrara, where the ruins of an old mill that used to process marble quarried from the nearby mountains. It is an absolutely fascinating place to explore if you ever find yourself traveling on highway 95 just south of Beatty. Far more ruins that can be explored than a lot of the others I've visited.
That evening, our models Shelby and Sophia arrived along with their makeup artist, Myriah, and two other friends. Another meal at KC's and we were inspired to go stargazing in the nearby ghost town of Rhyolite. The night was clear, crisp, and moon-less which lent itself to spectacular views of the stars and glimpse of the Milky Way. I swear we could have stayed there the entire night, but, alas, we had a 6 AM roll-out (which meant 4 AM wake-ups for Shelby, Sophia, and Myriah for make up, OUCH!) and we headed back to town for the night.
Day 3. Judgement Day. Well, ok, it wasn't that dramatic, but I really did feel the pressures of getting this right, and right on the "first take". There was no time for re-shoots that day and the distance/remoteness of the location meant that coming back was not an option either, although I know I speak for all of us when I say that we wouldn't have minded coming back.
First location of the day was Stovepipe Wells dunes since it's one of, if not the most popular area of the park. With no less than 40 lbs of equipment on me, I was kicking myself for picking out a spot that was a 1/2 mile trek from the parking area. But once we got there, it was easy to see why we chose it. Not a soul or whisper aside from ours as far as the eye could see.
Unfortunately, the wide open nature of the dunes made it extremely windy. Constant wind + 84" parabolic umbrella = broken 84" parabolic umbrella. Before I could even use it, the wind knocked down the light stand it was on, snapping the shaft and a few ribs. Even being weighed down with a 20 lb Vagabond II, a backpack full of water bottles, and being partially buried in the sand, it still managed to topple over. Thankfully though I hadn't attached the strobe yet, because that would have been a very unpleasant.
However, walking to the location was easy compared to having to pose & hold in a stiff breeze, shifting sands, and high heels. But Shelby & Sophia were absolute professionals and real troopers, which meant that we actually wrapped at the location earlier than I planned for.
A dejected Shelby after being blown over onto her spike-studded shoes for the umpteenth time.
Up next...intermission/breakfast at Furnace Creek!
Second location for the day was Artist's Palette. This is the canyon that R2D2 and C3PO travel through to get to Jabba's castle in Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
The top image is the actual canyon with Shelby & Sophia as tiny specks and the bottom is the scene from the movie.
Set up at Artist's Palette was not nearly as dramatic as the dunes were. For starters, we were able to drive up next to the canyon with only a slight walk down a dirt trail to the wash. Being relatively early in the morning still, I was able to make do with my disc reflector and didn't need to whip out the lights which made set up far quicker. Even though I had been here previous day, the light and shadow play made lining up the geography with the scenes in the movie was a little more time-consuming than I thought. Regardless, this location was fun to shoot and all involved had a great time exploring the surrounding mini-canyons before we left. We also managed to work up a small audience of retirees who pulled out their lawn chairs to watch us shoot, most of whom remarked that they had never seen an actual photo shoot in person before. Glad to be of service ;)
Our final location of the day was 20 Mule Team Canyon, just south of Zabriskie Point, where Jabba's castle is "located". As with Artist's Palette, this was a very easy location to get to...but parking the ginormous Excursion was a bit of an issue since the one-way dirt road through the wash is very narrow and there were very few pull outs near the spot we needed with the proper views. Another challenge we had is that the wash through the canyon has changed considerably in the 30 years since Return of the Jedi was filmed.
Shelby & Sophia hamming it up at 20 Mule Team Canyon. The location of the castle in the movie was to the right of Shelby's arm.
So that's it! We returned to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to change and wash up before making the long trek back home.
Check out the full set of finished images on my website!
If y'all are interested in seeing behind the scenes pics, hop on over to Sophia's Facebook fan page and check 'em out!
Thanks for visiting!
We did it!
Over a year in the making, we finally shot the Star Wars / Black Milk collaboration in Death Valley NP this past November! The logistics of this little enterprise was on the challenging side, but the 'crew' we had to pull this off was amazing.
TL;DR Stats
* miles driven: 800
* fuel used: ~50 gallons
* average MPG: 16 (not bad for a 4 ton, 8 foot tall truck)
* number of 'check engine' lights: 2 (same code though)
* crew size: 7
* number of shoot locations: 3 (Stovepipe Wells Dunes, Artist's Palette, and 20 Mule Team Canyon)
* length of shooting day, including transit & lunch: 9 hours
* number of broken equipment: 1
* number of frames captured: ~500
Before we even arrived in DV on Sunday afternoon, it was fraught with anxiety. Our newly acquired land-yacht, a 2003 Ford Excursion diesel, decided to greet us with its 'Check Engine' light between the towns of Ridgecrest and Trona, an area with absolutely no cell phone reception. Or services. Thankfully, the truck did not display any signs of degraded performance and we soldiered on, but with my eyes glued to the Edge programmer and Scangauge.
Arriving at the park none the worse for wear, our first stop was Stovepipe Wells Dunes (or Mesquite Dunes, depending on who you ask) to find a shooting location with the angle we needed to match the landscape in "A New Hope". After the usual 'two steps forward, one step back' trudge through the sand, we were able to find a location that not only had the background we needed, but was in an area remote enough to satisfy our other requirements: not visible from the road & parking area and away from the high traffic path so people don't stumble onto our makeshift set. Our luck was finally beginning to change.
Since we were exhausted, hungry, and full of sand, we made a bee-line for the Atomic Inn in the town of Beatty, NV where we would be based out of for the remainder of our stay. After much needed showers, we ended the day with an always pleasant meal at KC's Outpost, a short hop away from the motel.
Day 2 in Death Valley was dedicated to final reconnaissance of the remaining shoot locations. At this point, I had decided to cut down the number to a total of 3 areas vs. my much rosier projection of 5. As we would realize the next day, it was a wise decision.
As a quick aside, we were very fortunate to run into the 'ghost town' of Carrara, where the ruins of an old mill that used to process marble quarried from the nearby mountains. It is an absolutely fascinating place to explore if you ever find yourself traveling on highway 95 just south of Beatty. Far more ruins that can be explored than a lot of the others I've visited.
That evening, our models Shelby and Sophia arrived along with their makeup artist, Myriah, and two other friends. Another meal at KC's and we were inspired to go stargazing in the nearby ghost town of Rhyolite. The night was clear, crisp, and moon-less which lent itself to spectacular views of the stars and glimpse of the Milky Way. I swear we could have stayed there the entire night, but, alas, we had a 6 AM roll-out (which meant 4 AM wake-ups for Shelby, Sophia, and Myriah for make up, OUCH!) and we headed back to town for the night.
Day 3. Judgement Day. Well, ok, it wasn't that dramatic, but I really did feel the pressures of getting this right, and right on the "first take". There was no time for re-shoots that day and the distance/remoteness of the location meant that coming back was not an option either, although I know I speak for all of us when I say that we wouldn't have minded coming back.
First location of the day was Stovepipe Wells dunes since it's one of, if not the most popular area of the park. With no less than 40 lbs of equipment on me, I was kicking myself for picking out a spot that was a 1/2 mile trek from the parking area. But once we got there, it was easy to see why we chose it. Not a soul or whisper aside from ours as far as the eye could see.
Unfortunately, the wide open nature of the dunes made it extremely windy. Constant wind + 84" parabolic umbrella = broken 84" parabolic umbrella. Before I could even use it, the wind knocked down the light stand it was on, snapping the shaft and a few ribs. Even being weighed down with a 20 lb Vagabond II, a backpack full of water bottles, and being partially buried in the sand, it still managed to topple over. Thankfully though I hadn't attached the strobe yet, because that would have been a very unpleasant.
However, walking to the location was easy compared to having to pose & hold in a stiff breeze, shifting sands, and high heels. But Shelby & Sophia were absolute professionals and real troopers, which meant that we actually wrapped at the location earlier than I planned for.
A dejected Shelby after being blown over onto her spike-studded shoes for the umpteenth time.
Up next...intermission/breakfast at Furnace Creek!
Second location for the day was Artist's Palette. This is the canyon that R2D2 and C3PO travel through to get to Jabba's castle in Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
The top image is the actual canyon with Shelby & Sophia as tiny specks and the bottom is the scene from the movie.
Set up at Artist's Palette was not nearly as dramatic as the dunes were. For starters, we were able to drive up next to the canyon with only a slight walk down a dirt trail to the wash. Being relatively early in the morning still, I was able to make do with my disc reflector and didn't need to whip out the lights which made set up far quicker. Even though I had been here previous day, the light and shadow play made lining up the geography with the scenes in the movie was a little more time-consuming than I thought. Regardless, this location was fun to shoot and all involved had a great time exploring the surrounding mini-canyons before we left. We also managed to work up a small audience of retirees who pulled out their lawn chairs to watch us shoot, most of whom remarked that they had never seen an actual photo shoot in person before. Glad to be of service ;)
Our final location of the day was 20 Mule Team Canyon, just south of Zabriskie Point, where Jabba's castle is "located". As with Artist's Palette, this was a very easy location to get to...but parking the ginormous Excursion was a bit of an issue since the one-way dirt road through the wash is very narrow and there were very few pull outs near the spot we needed with the proper views. Another challenge we had is that the wash through the canyon has changed considerably in the 30 years since Return of the Jedi was filmed.
Shelby & Sophia hamming it up at 20 Mule Team Canyon. The location of the castle in the movie was to the right of Shelby's arm.
So that's it! We returned to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to change and wash up before making the long trek back home.
Check out the full set of finished images on my website!
If y'all are interested in seeing behind the scenes pics, hop on over to Sophia's Facebook fan page and check 'em out!
Thanks for visiting!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Resurrection!
Holy cow! I can't believe it's been a whole year and a half since my last update! So much has happened since then: I did my first engagement shoot, my first maternity shoot, a photo booth-styled shoot at a party, met & worked with a couple of gorgeous models, Jasmine Luna and HalleyKathryn, and got promoted at my day job. *Whew*!
So what else is new?
Well, the biggest thing (photographically speaking) going on for me right now is a shoot I'll be doing in the next few weeks in Death Valley. I will attempt to re-create some of the scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy at their original locations (with a little creative license, of course)! While this in itself isn't a new concept, the "twist" is that we will be doing it using the "Artoo" and "Three-pio" swimsuits from Black Milk Clothing!
I came up with this idea at the end last year/beginning of this year when I first saw a picture of the suits on a tech blog. Coincidentally, this was around the same time that I saw the trip report on the Death Valley Star Wars locations on Steve Hall's website. Inspired by the possibilities & intrigued by the challenges that this type of shoot would pose, I contacted Black Milk for their thoughts...and possible backing.
As it turns out, however, they ran into a tiny little licensing issue, stopped production of the suits, and had sold out months prior. This meant that the only way to get a hold of them were through channels like eBay, where they would fetch hundreds of dollars...if you could find them. I even considered doing one-off custom designed suits, but that option, too, was cost prohibitive. My dream, it seemed, ground to a halt as quickly as it began.
Fast forward to a few months later. A quick blurb in an article mentioned that Black Milk was back at it and, this time, with a licensing agreement with Lucasfilm. My plan (much like this blog) had come back to life! A quick email to my original point of contact and I was put in touch with someone that was as excited about the project as I was and was in a position to help it along! A couple of short months later, the suits were in my possession and I was off & running.
After almost a year and a relatively quick, though certainly not painless, model hunt and here we are: the suits in hand, the models are on-board, and the locations have been plotted. All that's left now is to have the location not be as hot as Hades.
So, to tease, I present the lovely starlets of this little endeavor: Shelby as Artoo and Sophia as Three-pio!
As they say on Newsroom, "more on this story as it develops".
So what else is new?
Well, the biggest thing (photographically speaking) going on for me right now is a shoot I'll be doing in the next few weeks in Death Valley. I will attempt to re-create some of the scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy at their original locations (with a little creative license, of course)! While this in itself isn't a new concept, the "twist" is that we will be doing it using the "Artoo" and "Three-pio" swimsuits from Black Milk Clothing!
I came up with this idea at the end last year/beginning of this year when I first saw a picture of the suits on a tech blog. Coincidentally, this was around the same time that I saw the trip report on the Death Valley Star Wars locations on Steve Hall's website. Inspired by the possibilities & intrigued by the challenges that this type of shoot would pose, I contacted Black Milk for their thoughts...and possible backing.
As it turns out, however, they ran into a tiny little licensing issue, stopped production of the suits, and had sold out months prior. This meant that the only way to get a hold of them were through channels like eBay, where they would fetch hundreds of dollars...if you could find them. I even considered doing one-off custom designed suits, but that option, too, was cost prohibitive. My dream, it seemed, ground to a halt as quickly as it began.
Fast forward to a few months later. A quick blurb in an article mentioned that Black Milk was back at it and, this time, with a licensing agreement with Lucasfilm. My plan (much like this blog) had come back to life! A quick email to my original point of contact and I was put in touch with someone that was as excited about the project as I was and was in a position to help it along! A couple of short months later, the suits were in my possession and I was off & running.
After almost a year and a relatively quick, though certainly not painless, model hunt and here we are: the suits in hand, the models are on-board, and the locations have been plotted. All that's left now is to have the location not be as hot as Hades.
So, to tease, I present the lovely starlets of this little endeavor: Shelby as Artoo and Sophia as Three-pio!
As they say on Newsroom, "more on this story as it develops".
Monday, May 2, 2011
LA Times - Southern California Moments, Day 121
One of the photos I took at the Living Desert (my previous post) was selected to be a "photo of the day" for the LA Times' "Southern California Moments"!
It's not much, I know, but I'll take whatever I can get! ;)
LA Times - Photo of the Day (05/01/2011)
It's not much, I know, but I'll take whatever I can get! ;)
LA Times - Photo of the Day (05/01/2011)
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