1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,760 What up everybody Baroque Medusa here. Guess what? We have another guest for 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:10,160 Top Shelf hijinks. None other than another best friend of mine, Blaine Dean of Blaine 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:15,480 Dean Media. He is a lifestyle and editorial photographer. You can find him 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:21,920 online, Instagram, at Blaine Dean Media, all one word, and also his home page 5 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,160 BlaineDeenMedia.com. Of course the web links for both of these are in the 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:32,360 show notes. So let's go ahead and get started. 7 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:43,080 Blaine Dean Media, what's going on? How you doing today? I'm doing good. How about 8 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:51,240 yourself? Doing well. Thank you. Good. You are welcome. Blaine Dean is one of my 9 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:56,200 best friends. He's my best guy friend. Let's start there. So why don't you tell 10 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,460 my listeners first of all what got you into photography and how long you've 11 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:09,600 been doing it for? Man it's funny. I actually just recently had to submit for 12 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:14,320 an interview and it was kind of fun to kind of go back through like go down 13 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:19,080 memory lane and kind of go through this but I'll shorten it because it was quite 14 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,560 long but just to give you kind of like a bit of a rundown I actually started 15 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,880 kind of messing around with it when I was in high school and my friend reminded 16 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:32,120 me of that because he was the one that kind of pushed me into it. I used to 17 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,960 just take pictures with my phone just messing around you know around campus 18 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:38,620 having a good time and stuff and I just like kind of like there was a bit of a 19 00:01:38,620 --> 00:01:41,400 spark there like okay this is kind of interesting maybe I could look into this 20 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,160 a bit more and then as a gift for Christmas for graduation actually 21 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:56,000 was graduation gift I received a little blue Sony camera back in 2006 and that 22 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:59,400 was kind of like the starting point I just kind of like jumped into it messed 23 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:04,520 around started trying things here and there and then I started going to LBCC 24 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:12,240 and as a gift for for school because I needed one for class my uncle and my 25 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:18,480 mother got me my first DSLR and that's kind of where everything began for me 26 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:25,800 because that was finally my chance to use a camera that was like high quality 27 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,480 with all the functionality that I needed in order to produce the type of 28 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:34,840 photos that we were required to do in school and it opened up a whole new 29 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:39,000 world for me because it was like I had seen all of these amazing photos for 30 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,720 years and was like how do people do this stuff not knowing what the trick was so 31 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,680 when I got to learn how to do a lot of that stuff it just really like kind of 32 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:56,440 like open my mind to new things and then jump all the way to 2019 I had a uncle 33 00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:02,560 who was really proud of me in my photography and he really loved what I 34 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:08,080 did and he always encouraged me to keep going and he passed away that year in 35 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:16,760 his will he told his widow to get me my next camera so it was kind of a touching 36 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:22,280 moment for me I'll never forget I was sitting at home it was like a random 37 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:27,400 Thursday in the afternoon it was like around 3 or 3 30 or so and you know this 38 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,880 is like before pandemic and stuff so people are just you know I was just 39 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:39,720 chilling or whatever and my aunt hit me up and was like hey I'm buying a laptop 40 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,520 for my grandson and I need your help can you meet me at Best Buy and I was 41 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,560 thinking okay cool let's meet at the Best Buy of the street and she told me to 42 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:55,960 come to this Best Buy way out in Torrance mind you I'm living mid north mid 43 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,040 Long Beach to Lakewood area so I was like what that's like random as hell why 44 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,200 do you want me to come way out there so I was like okay whatever maybe this is 45 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:11,480 where the particular computer is so I drive all the way out there and she told 46 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,400 me to go and look at some of the other computers while they bring his out and 47 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:19,520 see if I could find something better than the one that that she had chose you 48 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:25,800 know me still being oblivious not knowing what's going on and so I go look 49 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,200 at the computers like she said then I come she's like hey Blaine come here so 50 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:34,600 I walk across the store to where she's at and I see the Nikon box and I still 51 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,600 really hadn't it hadn't processed I was thinking oh maybe she's sitting on the 52 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,160 counter because she wasn't standing in front of it to make you know I didn't 53 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:46,000 know what was going on and I walk up and I was like oh what did you get in my 54 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 MacBook and the guy look behind the counter looked all confused and he was 55 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:54,440 like no she wanted to get a camera and I was like then it like finally snapped and 56 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:00,560 hit and I was like oh shit this is really happening right now and I'm telling you I 57 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:05,480 like almost bursting into tears I couldn't believe it I went from if you 58 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:11,920 were going to put to use something to make an example out of if you I went from 59 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:19,400 basically like a Honda to like a maybe like a Bentley coupe in terms of cameras 60 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,200 and I couldn't believe it I was like damn this is really happening right now 61 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:29,640 and that just like it's like blew me away you know and and that was the moment 62 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:34,120 that I realized that although I had already kind of wanted to be a 63 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:39,960 professional photographer that receiving that camera really pushed me into 64 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:47,560 wanting to like focus heavily on becoming a professional photographer like 65 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:56,560 really wanting to pursue it heavily you know what I mean and around the end of 66 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:08,480 2019 I met my now wife and we started dating and she was really interested in 67 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,080 my photography it's kind of funny because I actually met her because of 68 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:17,080 photography she asked me to take a headshot for her and long story short 69 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:21,520 that ended up being like how we started dating it's kind of funny a laugh at it 70 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:30,040 now but she really pushed and really encouraged me I love her support I have 71 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:34,280 very few people who like really really pushed me in photography one of them 72 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:38,080 being you you know how that is you always push me and give me encouraging 73 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:42,840 words and encouragement to pursue whatever my next goal in this particular 74 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:47,400 art form is but aside from you and a couple of my you know cousins and my 75 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:53,440 mom she's my my closest support system because I'm with her 24-7 you know so 76 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:59,800 she encouraged me and we kind of expanded our businesses together because she 77 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:06,120 does you know makeup and whatnot so her pushing me to pursue it heavier I just 78 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,360 decided one day I'm gonna pull the trigger and I upgraded to the most recent 79 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:17,080 camera that I have and I have not been happier I cannot say I've ever dealt 80 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:23,920 with a piece of hardware that has given me the the I want to say like 95% per 81 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:28,680 perfect results every time like I have with this camera it has been a godsend 82 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:36,040 and just you know really focusing heavily on this has has it has made my 83 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:40,840 life feel so enriched especially lately because I've been kind of like up and 84 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:46,920 down with it but I just as of right now I just feel incredible and I just want to 85 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:52,920 pursue the art as as much as I can and continue to grow in it and see where it 86 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:59,800 leads me okay so damn I didn't realize you've been doing this for 18 years I 87 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,720 know you're younger than me but that's a long fucking time shit 88 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:08,400 I didn't realize it until I wrote out what I just explained to you and I just 89 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,000 added it up and I was like oh shit this is crazy yeah you've been doing it for a 90 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:16,960 long fucking time so no wonder why you're so good I didn't realize about your 91 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:23,040 uncle so that's so cool that he blessed you after he left yeah it was like his 92 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,880 way of giving giving you his blessing on like you're doing good work or the way I 93 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,840 say it that you're doing good work and to continue he wants you to continue to 94 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,400 do it to follow your passion yeah that's that's how that's exactly how I felt when 95 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,560 he did it I just I really couldn't believe it I was like wow what a thing to 96 00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:44,360 to have someone do it it actually made his his passing that much harder to be 97 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:50,480 honest with you but I I'm sorry I shouldn't cut you off go ahead I was 98 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,880 gonna say it actually feels like there's a piece of him with me whenever I do use 99 00:08:54,880 --> 00:09:00,120 it like I've sold my previous cameras a lot of times but this one I refuse to 100 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,440 sell it's I have too much for it I feel like it was a pivotal turning point in 101 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,880 my life so I won't I'll never give it a violent care if it's 40 years down the 102 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,480 road it'll just be a dusty camera that I keep in the in the cabinet you know what 103 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:17,000 I mean right it said it has sentimental value yes and plus now you feel 104 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:22,520 obligated to fulfill his request yeah that's it I've been thinking about that 105 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:28,840 you're right okay so since he blessed you with the Nikon is that what you're 106 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,360 shooting with now are you because you mentioned that oh okay because it sounded 107 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:37,200 like you upgraded again after that from the way you were explaining it so I 108 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:43,640 wasn't sure well yeah it's a so original very first DSLR camera was a Nikon 109 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:51,280 I've had a total four now I had the D40 way back in 07 and 2015 I got the D7000 110 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:59,640 and 2019 I was blessed with the Z6 and then in April of last year I bought the 111 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:07,360 Z9 so I was just gonna say I'm like so you're a Zikon you're a Nikon 112 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:15,160 devotee I guess yeah I mean so okay there everybody has opinions on what model 113 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:20,280 camera they want to use I prefer to stay on Nikon only because it's what I 114 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:24,920 started with and I don't want to change I don't want to change up what I started 115 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:31,160 with because well first of all it's fucking expensive as hell so changing 116 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,480 changing bodies means I often after I also have to change lenses and I'm just 117 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:39,360 not before that shit people talk to the button icon that says the old man camera 118 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:46,400 I don't give a okay so let's go let's get into your photography style I know 119 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:51,800 when I first met you you were it was like more scenery and then you evolved 120 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:56,000 once I started wearing my sneakers I know you started shooting more fashion and 121 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,880 now I guess it's all fashion for you or what type of photography I guess would 122 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:11,160 you would you consider your your niche okay it definitely has I still do all 123 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:17,600 forms that I find interesting I typically only post model works like 124 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:24,240 editorial fashion style work I typically only post that only because it's what 125 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:30,640 brings me the most business but if I had to put a label on what I want to call 126 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:37,920 myself I would say in my niche is a cross between editorial and lifestyle I 127 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:46,640 actually recently discovered that I have this absolute love for lifestyle 128 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:56,880 photography about maybe two years ago I started to like yearly focus on these 129 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:01,480 the top 20 photographers at this one guy can't remember his name right now on 130 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,400 YouTube every year he does a list at the first of the year in fact oh shit I 131 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:11,280 haven't watched the one for 2024 but he does these lists every year and he 132 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:15,800 talks about the most influential photographers that he enjoyed from the 133 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,000 previous year and he does it like I said the beginning the first month of each 134 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:25,160 year and I started looking at the work of a lot of these artists and I was just 135 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:34,160 like blown away because I really love the ability to take a person and if 136 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:38,120 you're not doing studio work putting them in a in a what I like to call a 137 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,840 creative space which is basically you know everyone knows what that is but my 138 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:48,200 definition of it for myself is like for example I have wanted to do this project 139 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:58,280 of my cousin at my at my aunt's house where his mother sitting like on the 140 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:02,800 couch he's sitting on the floor and then his daughter sitting in front of him and 141 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:06,440 his mom braids his hair so his mom will be braiding his hair and he'll be 142 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,120 braiding his daughter's hair or not braiding it necessarily but just like 143 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,840 doing it you know how dads are just like putting it up just making it look 144 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:21,440 neat and whenever I see that image in my head I see just like this powerful black 145 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,760 experience like this photo that when you look at it reminds you of home it 146 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:31,360 reminds you of exactly what you experienced either as a young woman or a 147 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,640 young man if you ever had long hair or even if you just got you know your hair 148 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:40,240 brushed by your parent or whatever just that that feeling that comes over you 149 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:44,440 when you look at it there's an artist I recently started to follow he recently 150 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:51,480 did Beyonce's Essence cover for her most recent spread and I'm telling you 151 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,080 those photos they did something to me and this was literally like two days ago 152 00:13:55,080 --> 00:14:02,120 I just have been so inspired by the look of this work because his work isn't 153 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:08,320 particularly staged imagery it's it's like in the moment it's in the now and 154 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,960 what's crazy is from what I've heard Beyonce handpicks all of the artists 155 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:19,640 that she works with so I imagine when she saw this man's work or when it was 156 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:24,600 recommended to her she was blown away by the fact that his work feels very alive 157 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:29,920 like when you look at it you just get this this deep enriched feeling of like 158 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:34,760 wow this is I can reach out and feel what I'm looking at like it does something 159 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,320 to me and I love evoking emotion with my photography I've struggled with that so 160 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:43,680 to answer your question because I've gone off on a tangent to answer your 161 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:52,520 question my niche would be a form of lifestyle of an artistic like yeah what 162 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:59,600 do you call it lifestyle and artistic editorial I just really love I really 163 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:04,600 love that style of work I do other things as well but I don't put those at the 164 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,040 top of my list because I don't do them frequently like weddings and stuff but I 165 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:13,400 will say if you are an editorial photographer or a lifestyle photographer it 166 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:19,800 is very easy to take that mindset and attach it to the like the engagement 167 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:24,960 photos or like the after ceremony photos you can really utilize those skills and 168 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:29,800 I have and I will say it has definitely made a difference in the work for me 169 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:35,760 okay really quick I don't think you've ever sent me the picture that you 170 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:39,960 described of the work that moved you because I would really like to see that 171 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:44,520 so I don't know if you can forward that to me of course I didn't it to you is that 172 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:48,400 online you want to see it you want to you're talking about the photographer that 173 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:53,520 I just that I just spoke of well though the actual the actual photograph of the 174 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:59,440 family with the break doing their hair let me see if I can find it real quick if 175 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,440 you send it to me and then I'll post it in the show notes as well so that the 176 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:07,760 the viewers can I'm sorry the listeners can view it on their phones as well 177 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:13,040 you don't have to send it to me right now okay okay okay so lifestyle I should 178 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,240 have thought about lifestyle I guess that's what I meant but yeah so lifestyle 179 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:24,560 shots I love it with that being said what is your funnest that I guess that 180 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:29,080 just comes straight away or come straight to your mind what's the funnest 181 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:33,680 shoot you've done that will always stand out as your funnest shoot thus far in 182 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:43,320 your entire photography career of 18 motherfucking years let me think 183 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:54,080 um so it's kind of funny because I don't necessarily have like the most fun 184 00:16:54,080 --> 00:17:00,520 shoot I could think of I can give you a few highlights of moments that that 185 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:08,760 really really like stood out to me okay that work so one of the first shoots 186 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:16,400 that really really captivated me that I was just like super blown away by I once 187 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:24,480 well I won't say I once my sister got married in 2019 and I didn't I didn't 188 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,680 kind of a short backstory I didn't grow up with my father I've only actually 189 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:35,320 seen him before passing maybe three times my whole life and in 2019 my my 190 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:41,040 little sister got married and he came out here for her wedding and there was 191 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:47,120 this picture I took of him while he was unaware he was just chilling in a suit 192 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:52,440 sitting next to his wife and he took his glasses off and he kind of rubbed the 193 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:58,320 bridge of his nose and I noticed he was crying now this is after the ceremony 194 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:03,720 she had already walked and everything we're in the reception period but she 195 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:09,120 did the father daughter dance with him and I don't think he was prepared for 196 00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:13,960 that and because we all were kind of a strange from our dad until recent you 197 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:20,400 know years and he reaches up to touch the bridge of his nose and I swear I have 198 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:22,560 to look at the picture again but I believe he's crying but at his eyes 199 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:29,760 closed and I took his picture and that picture has meant so much to me because 200 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:39,200 my dad passed in April of 2022 and I it's strange like I said I didn't really 201 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:44,680 have the greatest relationship with him but photography means so much more to 202 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:50,960 me than just taking pictures it's very much in my blood at this point so when 203 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,920 I took that picture and I looked back at it and I periodically look at it here 204 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:59,960 and there it still gives me like these this chill feeling because I don't know 205 00:18:59,960 --> 00:19:04,640 I could just sense his energy when I took it like all of his kids who he has 206 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:10,520 not had the biggest connection with are all in the same place plus his grandchildren 207 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:14,520 and I think it was a bit overwhelming for him and then he gets to do the father 208 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:21,520 daughter dance with the the sibling of mine who had like the biggest impact on 209 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:29,120 him because she had some of the biggest issues with him and for her to have that 210 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:34,960 full circle moment where everything kind of like became solidified and it's like 211 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,360 wow this is really happening I think it was like a bit touching for him so that 212 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:47,600 picture always always hit really hard and I love I love that I have that memory 213 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:54,200 you know I mean yeah yeah that one that one it kind of gets to me when I look at 214 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:59,000 it sometimes I don't look at it frequently but but I love I love that 215 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:09,880 picture another fun moment was your 49th birthday shoot I think that that was 216 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:15,240 one of the most fun photo shoots I've ever done only because it was we had an 217 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:22,600 idea prior to the shoot and then we actually made it's so amazing and such 218 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:30,240 a great feeling when you when you have an idea and you execute it and it ends up 219 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:36,160 being better than you actually thought it would be or exactly to the degree you 220 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:40,200 thought it would be and wasn't your sister the one that did the photo yeah 221 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:45,520 on the birthday car I know not a damn thing about how to do it yeah I don't 222 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:49,360 know how to place I'm not good when it comes to the graphic design part in the 223 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:53,400 sister I was referring to her wedding it was that sister she did that for me 224 00:20:53,400 --> 00:21:00,640 she's a professional graphic designer and she did that literally like it 225 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:03,840 within five minutes I was like wow the fact that she did it it made it so 226 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:09,480 seamless still is amazing to me so I really I was really thankful for that 227 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:19,400 and then in recent time my wife she graduated from makeup school I'm sorry 228 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:25,920 as the kitchen school recently and it was on graduation night before going to 229 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,480 her graduation I set up my backdrop I set up my lights and everything in my 230 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,040 studio and I was like okay cool so we got like a lot going on so let's just 231 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:39,120 make this quick I go to her graduation we leave graduation we come home all the 232 00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:43,440 15 minutes it's all we had all the 15 minutes because we had reservations with 233 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:51,000 our friends that for her graduation dinner we took graduation photos and I 234 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:55,400 looked at them but I didn't really look at them you know what I mean I snapped 235 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:00,600 about maybe five or six pictures literally that was it and then we left 236 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:06,440 and didn't think about it anymore the next day our sorry not even next to 237 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,520 when we got back home it was probably like around 10 o'clock and I looked at 238 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:15,640 the photos with her on the computer and both of us were like oh shit these are 239 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:22,480 fucking beautiful she lost her mind because normally when we shoot there it's 240 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:27,160 always like a scripted moment we think it out we shoot it you know there's time 241 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:33,640 we take a number of photos and we go through them every single shot landed in 242 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:41,200 that moment and to see the reaction from her was it just it did something to me 243 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:47,800 those are the moments that I always remember because they the person's 244 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:55,560 reaction is always what makes the photo even more impactful if a person is sees 245 00:22:55,560 --> 00:23:01,760 their picture and they react a certain way it always it always touches me I'll 246 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:09,400 give you one last story and this one it kind of tripped me out so I can't give 247 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:17,160 too much detail because there's things going on with them but I was asked to do 248 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,480 family photos for this couple they had adopted a little boy and a little girl 249 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:28,200 they were brother and sister and I think he was turning one and the baby was 250 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:33,160 maybe like four months so she was still a real little thing and they wanted to do 251 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:39,120 photos at El Dorado Park so I showed up to El Dorado Park and we did their photos 252 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:44,920 and then I took this one picture and I knew when I saw it I was like oh shit 253 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:48,720 this is this is the one it was just real simple shot of them sitting on the 254 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,760 ground or in the grass Ari and they're holding both the babies the little 255 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,760 girl's faces turned toward the camera little boy sitting in between one of 256 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,240 their legs and he's just got this really innocent smile his head kind of tilted 257 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:05,480 to the side but I took it with the idea of creating a large amount of negative 258 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:10,280 space so I took it where the bottom half of the photo was like right below them 259 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:16,120 on the ground and the upper half of the photo was the tree line but you don't 260 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,200 see any sky you literally just see all tree but I shot it and I and I made a 261 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:25,240 mistake which actually ended up being amazing I shot it with my aperture wide 262 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:31,920 open which creates like the bokeh effect of really thick blur so I want to say I 263 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:38,240 was a good maybe 20 feet away I was a good distance because I really wanted to 264 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,960 capture the surrounding space but I zoomed in tight and I took this picture 265 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:49,120 and I knew when I saw that it was like I thought it was amazing but it wasn't 266 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:54,920 until I was asked to shoot that baby's the little boy little boys first 267 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,880 birthday so I went over taking family photos and I asked him if I could use a 268 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:03,640 restroom and I walked into the house and I'm getting chills man I walk into the 269 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,920 house and the picture is on their wall and I'll never forget what this this lady 270 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:12,160 said to me when I saw it I was like wow I love the picture I don't know you 271 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:16,640 printed us that I was actually my favorite photo she was like just know 272 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:22,880 from this moment on you are part of this family and I know right tell me that's 273 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:27,640 not like to pull on your heartstrings you are part of this family and just 274 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:32,800 know that anytime you do a piece of work like this you will always be a part of 275 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:37,240 that family and you'll always know that you had an impact on them she was like 276 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,960 this is the first and only photo shoot we have done with these children and I 277 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,920 don't even think we need anymore at this point this is just this is all we 278 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:50,560 this is all we need right here and I don't know how many more they printed 279 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,040 but when I saw that picture on the wall I'm telling you my heart literally 280 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,960 dropped I could not believe it it just it just meant so much to me because I 281 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:03,240 knew in the moment when I took it how much I loved it I had no idea that the 282 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:09,280 family would react the same way I do the same way yeah that that that one got 283 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,120 me so those are like the moments that I can recall that really just like stood 284 00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:16,480 out there's a bunch of other ones but those are the ones from current memory 285 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:22,040 that I just like absolutely love you know well this is a new side of you that 286 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:28,640 I didn't know about so thank you for sharing of course okay so I got a couple 287 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:34,080 more questions the listeners need to know that you fucking shoot or you show 288 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:38,200 up at fashion shows and you fucking shoot like you've done several fashion 289 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,400 shows like locally and you even went to Miami I want to say like a couple months 290 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:47,320 ago right yes but Miami was Miami was something different though I didn't 291 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:52,880 shoot out there but no I I have done quite a few fashion shows I've actually 292 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:57,840 done some in the past too I just isn't recent but yeah so oh sorry what was your 293 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:03,120 question um how many I guess how I guess how many have you done I don't know if 294 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:10,200 you want to speak on the shows that you did shoot okay so I started shooting 295 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:16,400 fashion like back in 2014 and that was when I did my very first fashion show I 296 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:20,400 didn't know a damn thing about shooting fashion show that no fucking clue what I 297 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:24,640 was doing so I just looked at the other photographers and kind of winged it and 298 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,240 it was pretty good at my lighting was pretty shitty because I didn't know what 299 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,760 I was doing like I said so it was you know whatever it was a friend that needed 300 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:38,040 some photos so I just helped her out but it wasn't until recent time was at 301 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:45,480 2022 I went to a fashion show I accompanied Ashley she was doing makeup at 302 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:50,960 the fashion show she was doing makeup for the models and stuff and mind you I 303 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,960 didn't come there to do that I just came to accompany her help her with some 304 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:59,520 equipment get some background photos and whatnot maybe network a little bit that 305 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:07,320 was the whole entire game plan and I went there and I ended up really hitting it 306 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:12,480 off with almost every model and all the designers I got really like cool with all 307 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:17,640 of them just hanging out talking to them while she was doing makeup and stuff and 308 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:22,800 I don't know something just felt right so I started asking each model when they 309 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,320 put on a different outfit to step outside and just so I can get one 310 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:31,320 individual shot of each person just for fun didn't think anything of it just 311 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,480 thought like okay you know I'll get a nice shot it was a beautiful setting it's 312 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:40,760 this massive mansion up in Orange County and it was it was beautiful and the 313 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,080 next day I decided to make a small reel out of just those individual photos I 314 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:50,880 think it was maybe like 12 or 13 and I posted it and I made sure that I 315 00:28:50,880 --> 00:29:00,200 tagged excuse me I tagged the proprietor of the the location I tagged the the crew 316 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:07,080 who did like who had the event crew like the the her assistants and stuff and then 317 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:13,800 I tagged each model the makeup artist hairdresser I tagged everybody and I put 318 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:20,040 my phone down when I opened my phone back up I can't remember the amount of 319 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,120 followers I had gained that wasn't even the part that blew me away my phone was 320 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:32,000 hot it was hot because because the notifications were coming through so damn 321 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:37,520 fast and so frequently I've never seen anything I posted get reposted it was 322 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:43,120 like reposted 27 times and this lasted for like a solid three or four days it 323 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:47,960 just kept getting posted and it kept going up everything I want to say like 324 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:53,560 when I posted that I at the time I think I had 300 followers by the end of that 325 00:29:53,560 --> 00:30:05,800 week I think I was like around 900 or so I couldn't believe to some people that 326 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,040 may not even seem like a lot and like a lot of people don't really care about 327 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:13,280 following which at this point in my life I it's not really that big a deal I love 328 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:17,040 the people that follow me that support I will say that not saying anything 329 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:23,440 negative but at that particular moment because I didn't really expect it to 330 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:28,280 take off the way that it did it just kept being reposted and reposted and 331 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:34,760 reposted then I find out crazy the fucking photographer who was supposed to 332 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:41,600 shoot the show fucked it up he shot nothing but horrible photos they were 333 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,320 all super dark they did he didn't get anything so this particular fashion show 334 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:53,960 I literally got like the pre-show and that did that was more impactful than 335 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,520 the actual photos of the show I had come to find out later on it kind of tripped 336 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:03,520 me out I was like wow that is freaking amazing so she invited me to her next 337 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:11,840 show and then she invited me to her next show and then that led to shooting 338 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:17,320 several other smaller shows that were just being hosted in LA and then Ashley 339 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:22,880 got invited to the really big fashion show that's at the LA 340 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:28,360 Convincing Center called the Model Experience I accompanied her to that as 341 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:34,880 well kind of snuck in there just keep it real but I came with her I snuck to the 342 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:43,120 backstage area behind the the media wall and it was funny I meet this guy's 343 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:46,360 name is Jacob shout out to Jacob because he is a cool motherfucker I'm gonna just 344 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:50,480 keep it real that motherfucker really he is awesome I have to send you his page 345 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:56,520 to he's dope as fuck I hope you hear this one day he was like bro just blend in 346 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:59,840 he was like come on man you got on a black shirt and khakis you looked 347 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:07,160 apart just chill so I hung out next to the media wall and crazy I actually 348 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:13,960 shot the entire show from that angle as if I was part of the set crew and I 349 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:19,880 posted them and that was another flurry of just random new followers and new 350 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:24,760 people and since that happened I ended up working with quite a few new people 351 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:29,120 because of that moment it was just kind of crazy like I've actually made 352 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:35,080 friends with quite a few of these models on these different shows but a lot of 353 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:40,040 them have become like close to us you know what I mean they work with me and 354 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,240 my wife closely and then I work with them frequently you get to know them and 355 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,720 they actually become real friends with you and I love it it's been I will say 356 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,120 I've been very blessed to meet such great people in doing this and that's the 357 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:56,320 one thing that I love about photography I always like to say that when I'm doing 358 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:00,520 photo shoots it's gonna sound weird but I getting your personal space so I get to 359 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:05,240 see your insecurities and I get to see how you feel I get to see what emotions 360 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:09,160 you're evoking all on your face from 10 feet away from you because when I zoom 361 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,880 in I'm less than three feet from you so I get to see all of that you know what 362 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,840 I mean and when you get to see people and to that degree and get to talk to 363 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:22,560 them and you get to work with them I mean in a sense face-to-face you you get 364 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:28,160 to understand them better and you realize that we're all in the same bracket 365 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,720 we're just trying to all make it you know what I mean and everybody just has 366 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,520 their their lane that they're trying to stay in and that's one thing I can say 367 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:39,200 I've gained from doing this and just getting to meet so many amazing people 368 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:46,560 I really really truly love what I do and it's been an awesome experience 369 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:52,600 another thing I didn't know about you so okay I'm learning more about you doing 370 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:59,240 this podcast than when we talk every day okay so one more question I have 371 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:04,280 because I have yet to get the story because I wanted to do it that's why I 372 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:09,960 wanted to do the podcast with you or have you on my podcast so I can hear the 373 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:15,520 entire story now my graphic designer that I work with all the time now for my 374 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:21,160 business Nicole Carmadi I met her through Instagram and she is a raw artist 375 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:25,960 showcase person as well so I attended her showcase I didn't attend yours I'm 376 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:32,560 sorry it was during the weekend but tell me I want to know because I actually 377 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:36,880 wanted you to go with me to the one in LA but I know you were shooting a wedding 378 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:43,720 that day so you actually signed up you are one of the raw artists artists further 379 00:34:43,720 --> 00:34:51,480 showcase in Costa Mesa so I want to know how it went for you okay so yes again 380 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:59,640 good old wifey she sent me a an email and they were asking for makeup artists 381 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:05,880 photographers painters all kind of different art forms and they said they 382 00:35:05,880 --> 00:35:10,080 had openings for a few more artists so I was just like why not I submitted my 383 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:15,920 portfolio signed up for it didn't think anything of it next day I get an email 384 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:19,720 like at five in the morning and it was like hey we want to give you the 385 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:24,040 opportunity to be a part of the show here's like the rules and you know 386 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:29,480 regulations and stuff so kind of to summarize everything you have to sell a 387 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,160 certain number of tickets to get into the show for free otherwise you pay the 388 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:36,760 difference long story short that part is not really relevant the part that's 389 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:42,560 awesome is you get to so what I did first was I went through and I was like 390 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,120 okay what am I gonna print out what am I gonna print so I started going through 391 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:51,720 my photos and I remember speaking to you ahead of time about this about our 392 00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:58,400 podcast here and I wanted to save this moment to talk about Roy that's why I 393 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:03,120 didn't bring him up on the previous question when you said different 394 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:09,480 stories because Roy's story is different so okay at the art show I had brought 395 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,960 all my work in and whatnot I am brought in mostly mostly my editorial work and 396 00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:20,400 they give you like a creative space to hang your stuff and you know it's people 397 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:24,720 just walk through and they get to it's like any other art show nothing too 398 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:29,000 different there but the thing I will say for me my experience because this is my 399 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:35,800 first actual exhibit it was one of the greatest feelings ever I I love getting 400 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:39,440 opinions from those that I know and those I don't know there's something 401 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:44,440 about getting a raw opinion from people face to face it is such an outstanding 402 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:50,040 feeling but there's one particular piece of art that stole the show and I mean 403 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:54,440 literally stole the show I'm talking the other artists were talking to me about 404 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,640 it the bartenders were talking to me about it the fucking people who ran the 405 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,600 whole show that hung out at the front desk were talking to me about it and 406 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:05,840 that is the picture of Roy it is for those who've never seen it it is a 407 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:12,920 picture a black and white photo of a elderly homeless man quick story I won't 408 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:18,320 make it long because it is a long one but Roy came from Texas years ago and he 409 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:25,520 kind of panhandled his way around Long Beach that's his story in a nutshell we're 410 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:31,000 gonna jump to 2011 I was in school and I had a project for school which was to 411 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:35,160 photograph an interesting person for five days in the same location so I 412 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:38,520 chose Roy he's a homeless guy that hangs out in the pike where I worked in Long 413 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:43,400 Beach got to know him he became a really cool guy we used to give him food and 414 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:47,760 different things when I worked at Segway he was he was pretty awesome he told me 415 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:53,960 a story and I asked him if I could photograph him and I I did for five days 416 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:58,600 straight on day four he didn't really feel like doing it but he's still 417 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:08,920 committed to the project and he gave me this weird kind of kind of like I don't 418 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:13,160 feel like doing this bro but I'll do it because I love you man type look and I 419 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:20,040 snapped that picture and I remember it didn't really hit hard until I took it 420 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,640 into school that night or yeah school a couple nights later when we had to turn 421 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,400 the project in I took it to school and my teacher looked at it all of this was 422 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:31,200 in color by the way and he stopped on that one photo he just stared at he got 423 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:35,160 close to the board because we used to put them on the on the on the laptop and 424 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:42,120 then he project them on to the one to the whiteboard so he he turned the 425 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:48,520 picture black and white in lightroom while we were in class and he grabbed his 426 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:52,200 chin he stared at it and I'll never forget that motherfucker turned around and 427 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:56,200 was like this this fucking picture right here this is this is fucking it man 428 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,520 this is what the fuck I'm talking about this is exactly what the fuck you need 429 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:03,560 to be doing you need to stick to this shit keep this up and I swear to God 430 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:07,520 you go fucking far in your career everybody else emulate this this is 431 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,520 exactly what the fuck you need to do I wish I could have recorded that shit 432 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:14,880 because my fucking heart almost jumped out of my chest I could not believe what 433 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:19,960 he had to say about that picture it blew me away so I was just like wow this is 434 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:25,880 the picture this is the one and so over the years that picture has followed me 435 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:30,720 through my career because one I love the story and the guy in the photo because 436 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:35,480 he became really close to me you know I'm saying yeah he actually passed away in 437 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:42,360 2017 but his picture has and has helped him live on and I have used his picture a 438 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:47,520 few different times for different exhibits that I've done like smaller 439 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:54,800 ones but that picture has now been printed in two magazines it has been 440 00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:58,800 showcased at two art galleries most recently the one we're talking about 441 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:09,520 the the raw artist show and I centered I put his image in the center of a total 442 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:13,920 of five images he was right in the middle and I have never had so many 443 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:19,560 people I've never told the story that I just told you so many times I think I 444 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:23,640 told that story about 30 times that night and I never felt fatigued by it I 445 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:29,320 never felt like oh here we go again I was so happy to tell his story and talk 446 00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:34,400 about him and just the details in his face and the emotion that it evokes it's 447 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:43,160 kind of a trip it was maybe a couple months after that photo what I was in 448 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:48,360 school right before we finished the class my teacher pulled me aside again and 449 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:55,080 there's this really famous photo taken by this photographer named she what's his 450 00:40:55,080 --> 00:41:00,520 name I think it's Steve Curry Steve McCurry Steve McCurry is a national 451 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:05,000 geographics photographer and he took this really outstanding photo it's like 452 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,720 the most famous portrait in the world next to Mona Lisa it's a picture of a 453 00:41:08,720 --> 00:41:14,080 girl from Afghanistan from 85 he took a picture of her in a refugee camp and 454 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:17,960 she's got these really piercing green eyes I know what photograph you're 455 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,560 talking about okay so check this out my teacher took my picture which I had 456 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,880 printed out for him because he asked me for a copy of it he took it and he stuck 457 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:30,600 it on the board next to the that girl yes to the national geographics cover 458 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:34,920 which he had removed and he said look at these pictures and compare them without 459 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:38,400 knowing any of this without even comparing the two photos ahead of time 460 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:42,240 without any knowledge of what I was doing he said you literally captured this 461 00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:48,120 exact same image in this man said look at the eyes the eyes of this man looks 462 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:53,160 sad they look tired he said look at her eyes her eyes are alert and piercing he 463 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:56,480 said look at the shoulder placement her shoulders are rigid and hard look at his 464 00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:01,880 shoulders they're smooth and relaxed look at the head like the way the head is 465 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:06,440 tilted her head is straightforward and and direct his is kind of slouched just a 466 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:10,280 little bit low he was like it's literally a come it's the complete opposite 467 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:16,840 yet it's the exact same photo in terms of its angle it's its direction and its 468 00:42:16,840 --> 00:42:21,160 power he was like this picture is gonna lead you to a lot of places open a lot 469 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:28,520 of doors for you and so having the ability to have a picture I took in 2011 470 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:36,920 be a crown jewel for me all the way in 2024 or 2020 yeah 2024 at this point is 471 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:43,200 just like holy shit this picture really did it really is like a career-based 472 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:49,680 photo it really it tells me that what I've been doing not that is anything 473 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:54,440 wrong with it that that's what I probably should have remained focused on 474 00:42:54,440 --> 00:43:00,880 taking those painful yet powerful portraits because they tell stories 475 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:04,960 without you even having to give words people can look at that man and tell 476 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:13,000 that there is depth to him just simply based off of his expression and so to 477 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:17,840 get back to your original question my experience with being in that art show 478 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:25,880 was phenomenal based off of my ability or my opportunity sorry my opportunity to 479 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:32,640 tell the stories of my photos and for me that that was that was all I needed more 480 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:36,560 than anything that was one of the greatest opportunities ever was just the 481 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:41,800 ability to be able to tell my stories to people that were interested in my art 482 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,320 and wanted to see what the story was behind each one of them you know what I 483 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:54,320 mean but specifically his so yeah well good I'm glad and are you able to send 484 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:57,360 me a link for that picture as well absolutely or is it on your Instagram oh 485 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:00,960 and then I can put it in my show notes I have the original picture I don't have 486 00:44:00,960 --> 00:44:04,760 it on my Instagram anymore what I will actually say that I didn't mention I 487 00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:11,080 have retired the photo I know you have crazy but I still have it of course I 488 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:17,120 never get rid of it right I retired it because I realized after everything I've 489 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:24,640 just told you I have I have relied on it I have relied on it for for everything 490 00:44:24,640 --> 00:44:30,280 and I don't feel like that has given me the opportunity to grow like I should 491 00:44:30,280 --> 00:44:36,720 have if anything I should use it as a stepping stone and not as a crutch and 492 00:44:36,720 --> 00:44:42,440 I have done that okay well that makes sense and then that way I'm when you 493 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:47,040 evolve or when you grow and evolve more in your photography you can find a new 494 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:55,080 shot that would hold the same placement value as Roy yes absolutely okay okay so 495 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:59,880 let's end this plane let's do this give me or let everybody know your social I 496 00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:03,000 know you have Instagram and I would know you have your website I don't know if 497 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,280 you have anything else and then also shoot me all the links so I can put it in 498 00:45:06,280 --> 00:45:13,160 the show notes as well absolutely will I currently only use Instagram and I'm 499 00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:18,200 considering getting back into YouTube doesn't a bit of drone drone video and 500 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:22,000 photography so I'm considering getting back into YouTube just to upload stuff 501 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:27,120 like that and to do more my BTS on there but as of right now Blaine Dean media is 502 00:45:27,120 --> 00:45:32,480 my Instagram handle and that's where you can see the majority of my work and then 503 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:39,840 my website is Blaine Dean media as well so www.blainedeamedia.com God I sound 504 00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:47,320 old actually repeating the W's I just realized that a long as time but yeah 505 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:52,520 so BlaineDmedia.com the link to my Instagram is on there as well so all of 506 00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:55,880 my work can be seen there I'm actually gonna be doing some more uploading to 507 00:45:55,880 --> 00:46:02,960 my website soon so yeah hope to see some traffic okay bestie I'm gonna call 508 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:06,680 today because I need to go pick up my car but thank you for being on this 509 00:46:06,680 --> 00:46:10,800 podcast I didn't know a lot of stuff about you I guess and even though we're 510 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:15,440 best friends I just learned a lot more about you today I'm glad I could share 511 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:20,040 that with you all right well thank you again and everybody will see you next 512 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:26,240 week all right bye bye bye