Can you spot the difference?

I found a few of my images on ‘hometown hotties’ on the maxim website.   They published my work without getting a photographers release even though my © was clearly visible on the bottom of the image.  Notice how the ‘maxim’ image was enlarged to crop out my logo.

Here was my 2nd email to maxim.com:

My images are of Kinga from Vancouver.   All images i provide to clients have a © logo on the bottom with my name.  I have provided work to magazines (including Stuff online)  for years and it is quite standard to get a photographers release for publication.  I am just a little upset that my logo has been removed and a maxxim logo put on my images that are yet to be released into the US.    As Kinga is a client and i do not want to remove her from the competition,    I would be happy to see my logo/credit digitized onto these images.    ‘ © 2009 BWP.CA ‘

This was the response:

We require all Hometown Hotties entrants to get the photographer’s permission to use photos by signing a Copyright Release form. By Kinga submitting the photos without a form, we were led to believe that she owned the rights to the images. I’m very sorry that your photos were used, and name removed without your permission.

I’ve attached our Copyright Release form for you. Since Kinga is currently in a voting week and hasn’t yet moved on in the contest, if you’re unable to sign the release form I’ll be forced to remove her from the contest. I hope – as I’m sure you do – that I don’t have to remove her. Thanks for helping us – and Kinga – out with this. Sorry again for all the trouble.

Melissa Ward
Assistant Editor, Maxim Digital
1040 Avenue of the Americas, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10018
212.372.3949

How casual. . .sign this little release giving them full usage, resale, cell phone uploads, manipulation, poster and cd reproduction oh, and the big clincher. . renouncing all moral rights and association that I created this image.   I have alot of strong words for that!!!!

I just confirmed with a lawyer that the burdern or proving ownership fully falls on Maxim and this ‘led to believe’ crap is just that.  It’s usually pretty easy to differentiate professional images from snapshots (especially when they are clearly marked!!).  Now how many other photographers have had their work stolen in the same fashion?   I just have to rant how pissed off i am when a company such as this with all the financial means has to ’steal’ work and especially remove credit.

So,  if anyone sees these images out there with the maxim logo,  I will be very appreciative if you could let me know. . . stay tuned!

Alyssa is going to be this years hottest Rookie up and coming cart racer!  She Just flew up from Edmonton for a race in Coquiltham and stopped in to shoot with her new high speed racer.  Apparently it can hit up to 160 kph. . . not bad for a go cart!  I also found out that she made the podium. . . Congrats!

I thought I would go for a modern take on ‘pinup’.  I used a hard overhead light set slightly to the left with a gridded softbox (30 degrees) at camera position on the floor (1 fstop under).  The rest of the effect was done in photoshop using the effects i detailed in the ‘kelsey & Lola’ photoshoot.

Yes you’re a ham!

Well it was nice to see Jason Dussault again after a long absense.  I would have seen him sooner but  unfortunately could not make the Vegas party with Chris Angel and Gene Simmons because of an overlapping holiday to mexico.  (yes,  that really sucked!)

It is always fun however doing a shoot with Jason and Mashia.  We were off to a modest start with some low key studio images and lots of post production styling.  These images were shot, retouched and laid out all in the last few hours. . . hows that for turnaround?

The distressed look came from a crumpled piece of paper with a darkened and worn edges. . kinda like something you might find in your jean pockets after a mud fight.  The image was inverted and the highlights (apple/click on the rgb layer) were selected and set to ‘liner light’ on a separate layer over Jason.  I used Alien Skins ‘brushed metal’ filter for the ‘Next’ logo, and deleted portions of with a custom brush i made on a masking layer.  Additional distressing was brushed on the metal with various shades of grey.  The write up came from the mind of Jason. . .

This Concept of Mashia I pretty much had to come up with on the spot.  They brought in a big white comforter and wanted to go for a bedroom ’snuggly’ look with teddy bear and all.  I would have gone that direction if the hoodie was white or cream, but the contrast of black on white did not speak ’soft’ in my mind.  I’m glad they trusted me to take it another direction. . . I also think it’s a better match next to the ad of Jason.

If you’d like to learn any more about this clothing line and see more of my work,  check out  DussaultApparel.com and their blog at Nippermulberry.com

What can i say,  these two rock!  Alyssa and Abby are best buddies and  think they had a ton of fun ‘playing’ together on this shoot.  I went on the road last year to shoot in my home town of Edmonton.  That week was anything but easy,  I forgot about the windstorms, dust storms,  sudden thunderstorms. . .oh and did I mention storms?  Well here’s the day that everything worked out,  including the sun!

The bottom right pic is them in front of a 1 million BTU burner. . . When i say it was hot in there with the door open,  that is an understatement!

It took a bit to get permission, but i managed to get into the concrete plant in Edmonton.  It helps when you don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.  When i shoot at locations like these,  Everyone including the models signs a ‘Liability Release’ . . . this makes it much easier to get on the properties with the owners knowing we won’t hold them liable if someone falls into the concrete shredder.

I was rather amused when the foreman starting cleaning up the shop for me. . . I picked this location specifically for the  dusty windows and abundance of grease.  He didn’t understand why i wanted a dirty shop to shoot in and kept trying to clean, so i gave him the hose and asked him to keep the girls misted for the photo. . . maybe a little over zealous or too excited, but he sprayed them in the face and almost ruined the makup!

The lighting from this image came mostly from an open garage door to the left and a silver blanket on the ground.  The light was a little strong from the bottom and i needed to retouch a little bit of shadow under their eyes,  but overall i think it worked rather well for all natural lighting.  Normally i would be adding an accent light to their bodies, but space was constricted and i liked the darker outline in this instance.

If you’re curious about the subtle look of this one,  I selected the highlights on the channels layer (Apple + click on RGB layer) Selected the inverse (shift +Apple+I),  clicked back on the layers pallet,  copied and pasted, and set the new layer to ‘overlay’.  Everything was then desaturated slightly.   The image was expanded with a white border, the outside edges were selected and the ‘chalk and charcoal’ effect was used.

Well maybe not exactly. . . it was more a hellish year building this kitchen starting with heated flooring and working on up.  Good news is its done and ready to be used. The Cabinetry was all custom thanks to my friends at David Lane Office Furniture. I’m so glad i didn’t go the Ikea route. . . what a quality difference!

With the exception of the fridge,  all the handles run horizontally.  I wanted a very linear look.  The cabinets are tall and narrow contrasting the handles.  The countertops, are all ‘Silestone’ with quartz. . . one of the toughest countertops that never needs sealing – I got them at a great deal as offcuts from a Vancouver apartment project.

As my dad used to say “now you’re cooking with gas!”.   The instant heat is amazing to cook with and brings life to the kitchen.  The stainless steel looks fabulous against the dark cabinets and floor, but the combination has proven to be quite a challenge to keep looking clean.

Here’s the reverse angle.  The slate wall was brought from China, it’s hard to believe that it is cheaper to produce and ship from half way round the world than to buy locally (about 1/2 $).  The flat screens channel cable and video surveillance in every room. . . I’ll never miss a moment of Top Model or Heroes!

For reference,  here’s the kitchen i endured for the last 12 years,  This Reno was a welcome change!

Ok, so this is the farthest thing from photography,  but it is just so unusual that i had to share.

“Okay, so a lemon and a tomato aren’t the most natural of pairs, but that didn’t stop Israeli researchers from bringing us the Lemato! Unlike other genetically altered fruits and veggies (which were created primarily for health reasons), it appears that the lemato was solely an experiment to determine if it was possible to make tomatos give off the scent of lemons. Mission accomplished!”

It had the makings for a classic biker magazine cover:  A sexy blonde, an amazing custom Harley and a greasy bar.   Klarinka approached me with the idea of shooting in the Lynwood pub in North Vancouver.  This place had certainly seen its days of bar brawls, spilled beer and inebriated patrons. . . it was perfect!

We had to make due with low ceilings,  but i had just enough room to get a silver umbrella overhead and a small softbox below.  I normally use an egg crate grid on the soft box, but the reflections are not as appealing in the bike.  It’s always a compromise to favour the girl or the bike as they each require different lighting,  but since Klarinka was paying for the shot,  i figured i should make her look best.  A few reflectors were scattered around to help with the bike highlights.

I did have one complaint during this shoot:  The bar opened at 11 and we had to start at 7am.  I think most women will agree when i say ‘it’s hard to look sexy at 7am’. . .but I’ll say Klarinka did pretty well!

I also want to thank max for donating his bike to the shoot.  Sorry for putting all the bum and breast prints all over the chrome!

I haven’t done much with fire, but it’s definitely a fun medium to play with. . . just make sure a fire extinguisher is nearby.  Miko does a fire show and wanted to bring in her batons and fire fans and see what we could come up with.  I shot the fire fans and twirling batons, but i think my favorite effect came from the fire poi balls (fiery balls at the end of chains).  This image came from two exposures: the first she swung the ball around while slowly lifting and tightening the spiral during a 2 second exposure.  The 2nd was with flash exposure mimicking the final pose without fire.  The composite was then finished in photoshop.

This is a raw 1.5 sec. exposure.  Getting the exposure on the flames was quite the task as speed affected the brightness and as the fuel burnt off, the flame started turning blue.

I’ve shot Hailey now going back 5 – 6 years and we’ve done lots of variety but seem to keep coming back to ‘pinup’ as one of her best looks. . . i guess she was born in the wrong decade!   Hailey figures this is her last professional career shoot cuz she thinks she’s getting ‘old’, but i think there’s lots of sexy left. . . the pictures don’t lie!

Its amazing how it just takes a couple simple ‘era’ props to give that pinup feel.  These are in the ‘Alberto Vargas’ style with minimalist sets and furniture that blend into the background.  I love the dark features of a brunette against a high key look!

in contrast here is our first shoot together when she was a blonde. . . would you have ever guessed it was the same girl?

Insulating the studio was and still is big on the mandate. . . phase two is energy consumption!  I”ve long been looking at Solar and Geothermal options, but  right now upgrading the equipment is a much more reasonable option.  I was quite suprised to learn that the old furnace (30 years old now) could be operating at an efficiency as low as 50%!!!!!

I decided to go with this Marvel of the furnace world. . . a Lennox!  Where my old furnace produced very hot exhaust,  this one makes water and a warm steam. . . i’m not kidding when i tell you its a most pleasant exhaust!  This baby is 98% efficient. .  almost twice as efficient as the old unit.

this is the other unit,  a Bosch BWH C 800 Tankless hot water heater.   Hot water is now by on demand and unlimited. The efficiency is 92% compared with a tank around 60%.   Another advantage was getting rid of the big water tank and creating more room, the downside with these units however is a 20 second warm up time  for hot water and temperature fluctuations based on load, but all in all i think the savings are a good trade off.  I’m considering a solar preheat for the water which would raise the efficiency even further.

One pet peeve i want to share is that there were no incentive programs for any of my upgrades.  I will probably never see the payoff by the time i sell the building other than the satisfaction of leaving less impact on the world.  If you purchase the same furnace as a homeowner you get approx $700 back from bc hydro and the gov’t., but none of this applies if you own a commercial building!  No wonder so many buildings are still poorly insulated and running on outdated equipment.