iconunited
April has been a busy month. In between it all West Michigan Orthopaedics released a series of videos I recently finished working on. This was a partnership between myself and Com616. These informational/instructional videos are focused on some of the issues their patients seek treatment for. All and all it was a fun project and I was thankful to be part of it.
Just a quick post for today but I’m looking forward to some projects coming up…more to follow…
I cannot believe it's July already. Summer is racing by. Today is a good day to pause, step back from the camera, and move away from the desk. It's mid summer and a good time to celebrate it. Enjoy the day everyone!
Puck July 4th 1904 / Frank A. Nankivell
More to follow...
It would be a missed moment if I didn't mention the monumental change in football over the weekend. If you didn't catch it, the name of this sight, Icon United, while photography and art centered, is a direct nod to football. When I made the full leap into photography and multimedia, circa 2006, I also began to also heavily follow Arsenal F.C. out of Highbury, London.
Around then the Premiere League started to broadcast games here in the states more predominantly with the hope to widen their audience. And it worked, at least here. I found myself watching a match here or there, late at night or on the weekend...and before I knew it, I was interested. And as anyone does, when they are interested, they seek to learn more. To follow it more closely I felt I needed a club. After looking into a few clubs...their names, places, and probably most important in 2006, who had an online presence in which I could read about them, follow them and learn though them...I found The Arsenal. I learned about their history and I learned about the game. I learned about the rules. And about the other teams. And in the end, I learned I really enjoyed soccer. For someone who grew up with sports on the peripheral view of life, football caught fire in the mid oughts and has been part of my life since. More specifically The Arsenal caught fire and has been a part of my life since.
And yesterday that drama was in full force. A man I have been following for the last 12 years, the manager of Arsenal F.C., stepped down. Arsen Wenger managed AFC for 22 years, overseeing 1235 matches overall, and the only manager I have known. The lead principle in a drama I have keenly followed over the years. When this site was created, the "United" comes from so many football clubs that share the same unifier. I found it hard to work in an "F.C." in a way that might relate to photography and multimedia, so I went with united. I felt at the time, and still do to this day, that between a United group of creators, great content can be made. I've also found that to be true. I have been fortunate enough to partner with so many talented creators over the years.
In the world of soccer, it's a title attribute many clubs share. And while not a direct nod to Arsenal, the United here itself has been, and will continue to be, a fun nod to soccer in my life.
As change seems to be constant, this is a new form of it in a place that hasn't seen a lot of it. Arsen leaves this season behind and a new chapter begins begins for the club. He will be missed here. He's been the only manger I have known at a club that I have come to follow religiously. It makes for exciting times. But as football clubs go, I'm happy to have fallen in with a club who's manager believed that football could be an art form. I'm happy that this club is from a district in North London, so far away from the mid-west, but close with friends and family. I'm also happy that Arsenal show up in one of my most favorite works, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - random but true. Arsen Wenger's last match managing Arsenal F.C. was yesterday and it would be amiss if I didn't note how much fun it has been to follow The Arsenal. I look forward to more drama full of highs and lows, a sport shared by the world, and how it's left an impression here. When I tell people, "Don't remember how to spell my name because it's furitless, it's tough to spell on the fly... just remember Icon United, it's easier." I usually get a smile as I hand them a business card and some even get the reference. Thanks for the memories Arsen.
I've been siting on a lot of work I've created over the last few months. I've found, for me at least, it's a bit process to add it to the portfolio and take on new jobs/projects at the same time. The greatest resource in the arts, or as much as anything I suppose, is time. Hands down. Always time. I never seem to have enough of it.
But I am happy with a lot of new work I've been producing. It's been a lot of collaboration and hustle. But it's all coming together. I'll post some here, and for sure on my Instagram. I'll probably post backstory here for a few that DID make it into the studio page but never here. Like I said, it's a process.
This image never made it here or on Instagram but it signifies my first collaboration Jordan. His work and skill can really take the image further. His mastery with skin tone, luminosity in the shadows, and background gradients is excellent.
I've worked with him on some select images and I can't say enough good things. Anyway, it was awesome to work with Jennie, The Matthew Agency, and Lauren Nicole Makeup. So many fun moments. More to follow...
Every time I turn on the news (read, "NPR") or log into Facebook (and read "irony" as i'm posting to fb) I'm blasted with politics. It's simply overwhelming. And unless you unequivocally follow the president-elect, there's bound to be something that irks you, or most things, or everything. Most of the time I want to turn it off or log out or move on. At least when I read the WSJ or the NYTimes the voice I hear is mine and remarkably less aggressive. Imagine that. Still, the current events are bleak, so I've been striving to find the good lately (see last post as well). But I think I found something.
I'm really thankful when something cuts through the din out there and Lil Buck did just that. I love this segment. The Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Lil Buck, and Nowness have really presented a beautiful, quite moment. I watched it, and then watched it again. Really wonderful.
I remember how beautifully simple a performance Lil Buck did with Yo-Yo Ma years ago... It's stuck with me ever since. I'm happy to see another one (there's probably many but this just hit the radar).
Well that's my bit for the day. Go out and have yourself a Wednesday. Always dance a bit more. Always more to follow...
Lake Michigan is looking pretty fall-ish these days.
I'm really into slow shutter speeds lately. This is a rather beautiful image from Northern Michigan. There's been a lot of travel lately but it seems things are going to slow down for a bit. Hopefully I'll be able to dive into a few images sitting on my drive that I haven't had a chance to look at. That being said, it's the weekend. Have a good one. More to follow...
Things have been pretty busy lately. Seems that I've been on the road quite a bit. Traveling from one place to another. I feel like I needed to make a rather still image. While I was in Chicago I was able to "walk my camera" ( #walkyourcamera ) and slow things down. I was able to walk around without much of a goal in mind. It's always refreshing when you get a moment to photograph with no other goal than to simply look. More to follow this week...also, go Cubs.
Now safely at #spenational in Las Vegas my eyes have turned away from the hill and back on the world of photography. While I have one foot in the commercial world I also have another in the world of photographic education. Working with new ideas and conceptual thoughts helps stoke the creative fires that be. SPE is a great forum for that. I'm looking forward to meeting up with some more old colleagues and hopefully making a few new ones. There's already been more than one surprise or two.
It's also hard to believe it's 80 degrees here in Vegas when a mere 48hrs ago I was looking at this...
The Canyons
Life never ceases to amaze. More to follow...
The week has positively flown by. Looking towards a busy week I'm thankful to be able to have a minute with a slow brewing Chemex and sip some coffee before the impending business of the week.
Here a moment from Los Angeles that I never posted but made my buddies stop at least four times along our walk at the Griffith Observatory so I could find the "right" angle. They were good sports about the whole thing.
Griffith Observatory
Have a good Sunday everyone.
There's always things afoot, but lately it seems there's a lot going on. Always bouncing from one thing to the next. I've been spending the evenings editing and going through old work. It's been fun to think about how my craft and vision have changed with time. It's been insightful to say the least. Here's a quick one from one of my favorite places to stand an make an image. Lake Michigan is incredibly big and beautiful, I'm always compelled to make an image. I'm looking forward to capturing more landscape work. It's something I haven't been spending enough time doing. More to follow...
Lake Michigan
