Cafe Nordo returns for 2012

About a month ago I ran into Terry Podgorski at a SANCA show and asked about plans for a new Cafe Nordo. That was great timing, as they had a show just about ready to go (To Savor Tomorrow at the new West of Lenin theater in Fremont) and needed publicity photos. I had a really great time with the cast creating photos last year and immediately jumped at the opportunity to work with them again.

We emailed back and forth a bit and came up with a plan to create the photos at the Seattle Museum of Flight. What a perfect place to set the photos!

Terry and I met up early and scouted the location. We also stopped in the gift shop and were able to borrow some props to add to the photos. Soon the cast (Mark Siano, Max Davis, Ray Tagavilla, Opal Peachy and Aimée Burneau) showed up and we were ready to go. It was a slightly overcast day and we selected a glass enclosed walkway for the location. A single on camera flash (Shhh... don't tell anyone I used an on camera flash. Especially an old 540EX in manual mode!!) provided the needed pop on the faces. A few minutes work in Adobe Lightroom and we were ready to go. Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we did creating them.

Max Davis and Ray Tagavilla

Max Davis, Aimée Bruneau, and Ray Tagavilla

Opal Peachy

Aimée Bruneau, Max Davis, Mark Siano,
Ray Tagavilla, and Opal Peachy

 

Coffee, Tea, or...

Thanks for taking a look. Let me know if you are ever in need of staged publicity photos for your event or production.

Eleya

A couple of years ago I met Eleya Maureenhttp://www.modelmayhem.com/eleyamaureen through photographer Rolando Gomez. Since then, I've had the great pleasure to work with her a few times when she has visited Seattle.

Eleya has been super fun to work with, with a wonderful attitude and great experience. She was kind enough to send me this testimonial...

"I love to work with John he is so much fun and I always get back great images. He knows how to make a shoot fun with silly props and ideas which always make for funny images. Not to often you find a photog that can get super awesome images and make the shoot fun at the same time. I always look forward to working with John when i'm in Seattle. His images are some of my best work on my port and i'll always keep them up."  --Eleya

So, without further ado, here are some of the images we've created together...

Flora

I recently had another great and fun personal portrait session with Flora.

We are planning a second session, but I wanted to share some of the photos from our initial session here on the blog...

Audra and Ryan

Here's a surprise for everyone. My SECOND wedding this year. Pretty amazing, huh?

As with my other recent wedding, this was for a friend. One of my favorite models, Audra, sometimes known as Angel Alabaster, called to ask if I would consider photographing her wedding. How could I say no? Besides, it was to be on my birthday, another favorite model, her twin sister Elke was in the wedding, and it was to be held on the great Virginia V steamship here in Seattle.

So happy to have been a part of this. Here are some of the photos...

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Most of the photos were taken with a Canon 5D mkII and Canon 24-105 f/4L IS lens. Either available light or Canon 550EX flash. Photographic note about thinking fast and on your feet--at some point during the event the 550 "broke down" in that it started firing full power. Even the e-TTL pre-flash was full power, so the actual exposure flash didn't fire (couldn't recycle in time). Took a few seconds of head-scratching to figure out why it wouldn't sync. I could see the pre-flash, but the actual frames were black. I tried another body (Canon 7D) with the same results. Relief that it wasn't the camera's shutter. But confusion about what was going on. Once I realized what was up I was able to continue with the flash in manual mode, where it didn't take long to figure out that even when set to 1/64 power it was still firing at full power. That meant slow recycle and quick draining batteries. But it all worked out. Guess it is time to replace the flash. It hurts to spend so much money on a camera flash that could better be spent on studio equipment. But I'm learning to enjoy working with small flash units.

Aerial Portraits

Today's blog post brings you Debbie, Jenn, and Ishya from the Versatile Arts Aerial Studio.

For these photos I went to the studio where they had rigging points available to hang the tissue and lyra (hoop).Not much else to say about this other than I'd be happy to talk to you about photographing you in your studio.

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For the photographers following along, these were lit with a pair of Speedotron Force V mono lights. On camera-left the light was in ever favorite 60" Photek Softlighter II, and on camera-right the light was in a Westcott 12x36 strip bank. I just let the background go dark. Camera was a Canon 5D mkII with a Canon 70-200 f/4L IS lens. Lights triggered by a set of Pocket Wizard MultiMax wireless transceivers.

Tristen

Some times you find that person who you get along so well with and have great creative energy and fun. Tristen is one of those people. We can work serious, we can work fun. I remember the first time we met. It was on Whidbey Island, near Coupeville. It was a group photo session arranged by Black Mist. Models and photographers did rotations working with each other. When Tristen and Paul came to work with me she was so excited that I had a pile of props available to play with. Eye patches, hard hats, caution tape, mud boots. This was going to be fun. And it has been fun ever since.

Tristen had this to say about working with me:

"John Cornicello, is my all time favorite photographer. Not only for his fantastic skill behind the camera but also his ability to be playful while remaining professional. I've never felt more comfortable with another photographer, posing nude or dressed. Whether its underwater, fine art, portraits, performance, or maternity, John has put me at complete ease and delivered some of the best work I've ever seen. I now cannot imagine Seattle without him and I do see John as a part of my Seattle family."

Amazing to think back over the past three years where we have covered all the things listed in the quote: underwater, fine art, performance, maternity. Here is a collection of some of our images from the past few years of working together.

I am looking forward to more fun photo sessions with Tristen. If you are considering a fun and sexy photo session, please keep me in mind.

Thanks!!