On Location | Jereme Thaxton

Trying to Line Up The Sun, Moon and Stars.

Posted in Adventure, On Location, Outdoors, Sports, Travels | 3 Comments

I’m sure everyone has experienced at some point in their life a time when the stars aligned and everything comes out amazing, like something worthy of ESPN’s top 10 plays. It happens to us photogs every now and then too, when everything just comes together and the fruits of your labor pay off with an amazing frame that’s cover material or at least a double truck. Like when you get that sweet shot of light beaming through the trees that strikes your subject at just the right angle giving just the right amount of shadow detail. Photo nirvana.

Well it doesn’t happen all the time, and it didn’t happen on this time either, but I guess that is what keeps me coming back. Photo nirvana requires a lot of things to happen at the same time to make it work, which is the fun part but also the challenge. Last week’s shoot near Chamonix France had a lot of moving parts too. Some we anticipated, some we didn’t.

We were shooting in the backcountry with Noe Treboux, a local telemark skier who knows the Alps like the back of his hand, been skiing there all his life: Switzerland, France and Italy. Even though there wasn’t a good dump of snow for over a week, Noe had a few spots on speed dial where he knew of some untouched powder. He is also the kind of skier where you say, “I need a shot of you doing a corkscrew 720 off of a 60 foot cliff while holding a bag of Fritos” and he will find a way to make it happen. My kind of guy.

The ingredients for the shoot were pretty much in place; a scenic backdrop…check; lotta snow…check; someone crazy wearing skis…check; decent weather forecast…check. After a series of tram rides and a little ski touring with the skins we were at our first jump right next to a huge glacier at about 2400m. The setup was great and the light was perfect, until it started to not be perfect. Wait, where did the sun go?! Sonova!

Its funny how quick things change when you thought things were planned out. The next thing we knew we were in the shade and we had to move quick if we wanted to get anything at all. We scrapped the jump and opted for some powder shots instead in the open, and I was glad we did. Gotta think on your feet and deviate as needed.

For the rest of the day we were chasing the sun at each setup with no luck. “We can come back and shoot this tomorrow when the light is better”, sure, my thoughts exactly. Until a low pressure system came in and brought low clouds, snow, sleet, then rain for the rest of the trip. Glad we did what we could when we did. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Jan 14 2011

Rooms of the Rich & Famous

Posted in Architecture, Hospitality, Interiors, On Location | 7 Comments

Every now and then I will get the opportunity to photograph a celebrity, or more recently, photograph where a celebrity has slept. Though not as glam as the former, it is still interesting to see the style of digs the rich and famous prefer when traveling, especially in Dubai where the styles range from traditional Arabic to uber modern. The Shangri La Presidential Suite has attracted the likes of Matt Damon, Aerosmith, Elton John, Santana, George Clooney, Shakira, and Enrique Iglesias. And…at roughly $7,200 per night, I would sure hope so. Here are some images from the recent Shang shoot:

Sep 02 2010

Shooting Food Requires Self Control (For me atleast)

Posted in Food, Hospitality, On Location | 7 Comments

Ever want something really bad, but you can’t have it? Ever been so close to something you could almost taste it, only to have it taken away? Food photography—in my opinion—teaches restraint. I will admit, it is tough to remain professional at times, especially when I am photographing a mouth-watering Fillet and the only touching is moving a sprig of parsley a few millimeters to improve the impact of the shot.

I digress, I still enjoy it…especially in this case, where we got to stick around after the lights were packed away to sample some of the wonderful creations. Here are some shots from yesterday’s food shoot at the Shangri La with Larry Layno and Chef Chris.

Aug 06 2010

As If Dubai Traffic Wasn’t Enough…

Posted in Architecture, Interiors, On Location | 4 Comments

They then proceed to hit you with an automated toll booth every 5km…and people drive crazy…and sometimes people smell funny too. My philosophy is to get over things like that, and it typically works. But when it is 4 or 5 things at once…that is where ‘getting over it’ is easier said than done.

I often get the question about life in Dubai, and some people just don’t understand it. Having grown up in the States and partly in Europe, I would definitely say it is like none of those places. It is not better or worse…just different. Every expat has a different story, they have their non negotiable’s, their standards, and if their needs are met, they stay. If not, hasta la vista.

Some of it just doesn’t make sense either, like toll booths every 5km, or people’s driving habits. At the end of the day, the positives out-weigh the negatives, so here I am. And I meet a lot of really cool people too, most of which are intrepid travelers and the stories never get old.

So, in retrospect, everything is fine and the traffic and the toll booths really don’t matter at the end of the day. We still made it on time, and everyone was happy, I just wish we had more time to set everything up for the shoot. Because I am an artist, and I am meticulous about the details. Here are some of the images from the Hilton shoot.

Jul 19 2010

Is Food More Trendy Than Fashion?

Posted in Food, Hospitality, On Location | 2 Comments

Probably not (that was just to get your attention), but food photography does tend to change more than most genres. Try this: compare you mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook with the latest issue of Bon Appetit. Then, attempt to contrast a 1987 issue of Sports Illustrated with one from today (and I am not talking about mullets…but composition). See what I mean? Angles…depth of field…colors…they are all different.

For food, the current prevailing trend in is to present the subject as natural as possible, minimal props, tightly cropped and with a narrow depth of field. Keep it simple and highlight the texture. Layered dishes and narrow angled shots also add interest to the shot. To stay on top of the latest styles I typically peruse the latest food magazines before my next shoot just to be safe. Here are some shots from today’s food shoot for an Asian restaurant in Dubai with Larry Layno.

Jul 02 2010

Sushi and Capsule Hotels In Tokyo

Posted in Food, On Location, Travels | 0 Comments

The only thing better than good Nigiri, is good Nigiri, in Tokyo, and across from the busiest fish markets in the city. Even though I love a good brisket, I absolutely crave sushi. I guess it is a different kind of love? Is that possible? On this trip I was on my way to Singapore for a shoot and was able to stop into Tokyo for a few days sample the flaves and the digs.

And by digs, I mean one of those capsule hotels. You have everything you need: a bed, a TV, a radio and a wireless internet connection…all in a nice compact, 2m x 1m x 1.25m cube! Here are some shots from my morning exploration. Did I mention Tokyo has the best sushi?

Jan 27 2008

Goats, Goats, and More Goats

Posted in On Location, Travels | 0 Comments

So, I was getting restless in Dubai and thought a road trip was in order, which led me to the Al Ain Livestock Souk one fine cool, breezy day in July (kidding). Here are some of the photos from today:

Jul 14 2007

On Location With Lance Bade

Posted in On Location, Outdoors, Sports | 0 Comments

Lance seems like the quiet type at first, but after getting to know him in the few hours we were together, I bet Lance likes to have a good time off of the range. He is a story teller too, which tells me a lot about a person and is an avid outdoorsman. “So when are you going to take me hunting?” he asked, which is usually the makings of a long lasting friendship outside of work. I hate to disappoint you Lance, most of my hunting these days is with a camera, but I could certainly see filming an ‘in the field with Lance Bade’ piece in the near future for sure, we just need to find a producer.

We met up at the US Olympic Shooting range outside of Colorado Springs and I was interviewing him for an article I was writing for an outdoor mag. Seeing his stats on paper is one thing (the guy is a world record holder and 3 time Olympian) but seeing it live in person is astonishing. I mean, when I was an avid skeet shooter, I probably got 25 out of 25 twice, Lance powders targets all day long! Here were some of the shots from yesterdays shoot:

Oct 02 2005

Shooting Tests and why they are important

Posted in Hospitality, On Location, Tips & Tricks, Travels | 0 Comments

Every now and then I get approached by aspiring models to take shots for their book, and the experience has always been a win-win. If you ever have the opportunity, do it, but if you don’t have the opportunity, create it. Shooting tests are a prerequisite for getting started in photography, yes, but also crucial to keeping the creative juices flowing along the journey.

Shooting tests can be as simple or as complex as your budget can allow. This one was fairly simple and didn’t involve prop stylist, make up artists or numerous assistants. I met Yomaris in Athens as I was shooting the Parthenon at twilight. I would like to think that she approached me for my good looks and amazing personality, but in all reality I think it was the big camera, large tripod, cable release, and several lenses that drew her in. And in this case, I even had my better looking friend Scott Odden with me, but it didn’t matter, the camera trumped all (sorry Scott). Thus I was the one that ended up with afternoon plans the next day at the Athens Hilton.

Jul 23 2005