I recently embarked on a branding redesign project with my friends over at Miriello Grafico. Together, we reworked my logo, website and collateral materials. Having been on the agency side of these type of projects in the past, it was quite a change being the client. But then again it gave me some unique perspective. Very cool to say the least. Not only was the process great, but the people I worked with were amazing (special thanks to Ron, Matt, Aki & Lauren). When it came to printing, we chose letterpress to give the business cards a bit of a wow factor. Luckily one of the coolest cats in town, Tim Butler, owns and operates Quality Letterpress….that is, when he’s not on tour with ShaNaNa. Needless to say, he’s doing some pretty amazing things down there at QL. Most of the machines he uses are over a hundred years old and resemble something you’d find in the bouls of a steam-powered locomotive. What better way to put ink on paper.
I showed up for a press check and caught a few frames on my f3. For someone who likes old machines, I was right at home.
I bet their cellphone reception was stellar.
A few weeks back I was shooting for a client in Bend, OR. After the shoot I spent some time at Smith Rock State Park. Kind of makes me want to start climbing again.
I recently shot a sailboat race as they left San Diego and headed towards Puerta Vallart, Mexico. That’s 1,000 miles. On the open ocean. Wow. These guys rock.
A few shots from our yearly trip to the NC coast.
Coastal cities tend to have a fair amount of commerce going on by the water. Definitely true for the Port of San Diego. Lots to be seen down by the water.
Growing up in the same town as a music festival like Merlefest, you quickly begin to take it for granted. Field trips to the festival to learn about music, specials concerts at the schools, random musicians at the local restaurants. It all becomes part of the norm for a high school kid. It wasn’t until I moved across the country that I realized just how special it was. I guess that old adage of not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone would apply here. And even though I don’t listen to too much bluegrass or country music these days, it’s hard not to love seeing so many musicians with so much raw talent in one place at one time.
After a six year hiatus, I would return to NC this spring, but this time with a camera and shot list. I guess those hometown connections finally payed off.
Here’s a few shots from Merlefest ’11.
I think I was 12 when my dad bought me my first guitar. We bought it at a pawn shop in my hometown for about $75. It was a no-name electric and it came with a 15W amp. The best part was it had an “overdrive” switch. And when you’re 12, that’s like having an “awesome” switch (actually, it’s still like having an “awesome” switch). That first electric was a real “piece”, but it got the job done and was the first of many guitars I’ve owned.
Last winter, I had the the opportunity to work with a guitar builder on the other end of the spectrum. We shot for 6 days, edited for 3 weeks and checked one major goal of the bucket list.
It was a real pleasure working with the guys at Taylor. Needless to say, they know what they’re doing over there. Can’t wait to work with them again soon.
Shot a lot of new sport related work this summer and just finished retouching. Here’s some of the selects.
I recently launched a new website with lots of new work.
Stay tuned for more posts about new work, behind the scenes and photography life in general.
Cheers!
John
