First, some background on the shoe…This colorway of the Air Jordan I Retro KO Hi, along with the White/Varsity Red, closely resemble the original versions that were released 25 years ago.  And just like their original counterparts, these two colorways feature full canvas uppers and come pre-weathered, giving them a vintage look straight from 1985.  This release marks the first time in 25 years that the AJKO has been available for sale, albeit in limited quantities. 

Rather than photograph the AJKO in the usual tabletop manner, I wanted to give the image some added life…one that will compliment the AJKO’s vintage look and urban feel.  To achieve this, I photographed the AJKO in front of a blue brick wall using nothing more than available light. 

If you haven’t already, check out Dave’s artwork at CreativeMatador.com and his inspiration behind each piece. 

Prior to the shoot, I went out and purchased a tile of black granite as well as a sheet of clear plexi-glass.  The black granite tile adds more of a dramatic look and feel to the image, especially with the particular watch I used for the shoot.  The clear plexi-glass is an easy and effective way to add reflection to the shot.

One of the watches I used for this shoot is a Sottomarino Italia watch from the Otaria collection, model #SM-50095-A.  The case is made of solid stainless steel with black finish while the band is made of leather. 

Below are two images from the shoot, one with the black granite tile as the background and one with a white background with reflective surface. 

Although I photographed this shoe with both black and white backgrounds, I decided to post-process only the images with black background and post them here to share.  I think the dramatic look and feel of the dark background match the personality of the shoe very well. 

As a result of an architectural print assignment, my photo of the gazebo at the university’s Rose Garden was selected to be published in the upcoming university catalog (1999-2001, pg. 68).  Here’s a scan from an actual print…

Now fast-forward to nearly 12 years later where I recently had the opportunity to go back to my old university for a casual photo walk.  A lot has changed since I graduated in 2003.  Among the changes that I saw included a new parking garage, several new buildings, and a Japanese Garden complete with Koi pond, bridges, and bamboo.  Although I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I would on a normal photo walk, I did manage to visit the Rose Garden to photograph the gazebo in an attempt to replicate the same photo I took 12 years earlier.  Again, a lot has changed, including the gazebo and Rose Garden itself.  Light rods have been installed and of courses no roses during this time of year. 

And here’s a more contemporary version…

Recently, I added a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V “Away” Edition to my sneaker collection.  As I do with every single Kobe signature shoe that I purchase, I take product shots of them for web site use and online sharing.  This also gave me an opportunity to shoot some of my brother-in-law’s Air Jordan sneakers as well. 

The sneaker shoot ended up consisting of 3 sneakers – a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe V, a pair of Air Jordan II Retro, and a pair of Air Jordan III Retro.  During the shoot, I experimented with different backgrounds and effects.  Of the combinations I experimented with, I liked the look of the black background best, especially with the reflective surface. 

Below are shots of the Air Jordan II Retro from the sneaker shoot.  Photos of the Nike Zoom Kobe V “Away” Edition will be posted in a separate post once they are completed.

Hai’s immediately family and their significant others all came out to the Grand Del Mar for the shoot.  Everyone wore matching attire; the men in jeans with olive green sweaters and the women in jeans with green blouses and off-white sweaters.  The session first started with formal portraits inside of the Grand Del Mar and later moved outdoors for more fun and creative shots. 

Although the outdoor photos were shot in direct sunlight, they came out pretty well despite the harsh shadows and squinting of the eyes.  We were able to capture the family in a fun and relaxed atmosphere were everyone was not only comfortable but natural at the same time.

The Grand Del Mar is also the site of Thao and Hai’s wedding in April, starting with a lawn ceremony and ending with a patio reception.  In addition to the engagement session, this gave us a great opportunity to scout the location for lighting, angles, and possible spots for formal portraits. 

We began the day shooting Thao and Hai in their traditional Vietnamese wedding clothes throughout the grounds of the Grand Del Mar.  We then took a break from the engagement session and quickly shot some family portraits of Hai and his family (more on this in a separate post) while we had the Grand Del Mar at our disposal. 

For a change of background and scenery, we headed to La Jolla Cove for some fun beach shots.  Thao and Hai changed into their third outfits for the day and even brought along props!  At this point of the engagement session, they completely let loose and displayed their love and affection for one another.  Could this have been due to the ”prop” they brought along?  I am only kidding.   

Thao and Hai were exceptionally fun and easy to photograph.  Not only did they know exactly what they wanted in their photos but they were extremely cooperative to our requests.  Aside from some tough shooting conditions in direct sunlight, we managed to capture some beautiful images of the bride and groom to be.  I am definitely looking forward to both their Vietnamese and American weddings in just a few months!

In order to capture some photographs of Jen and Kerry posing on some large rocks in the water, my associate, our assistant, and I had to venture out 50 yards or so into the ocean.  At first, this seemed like a simple task.  The water was knee-high at worse with very little waves.  However, the further we went out, the higher the water rose, the rougher the waves became, and the rockier the ground got.  Fortunately, I was able to capture some nice couple and solo portraits of Jen and Kerry on the rocks, but not without cost.  After this portion of the shoot was all said and done, a Nikon D60 D-SLR and cell phone were completely drenched in salt water and probably gone for good, a sandal was lost in the water as the waves drifted it away, several people received cuts and bruises on their legs and feet, and thousands of dollars worth of camera gear were in jeopardy of being destroyed.  Luckily, the rest of the shoot was much safer for people and camera gear alike. 

All in all, we were able to capture some awesome images for Jen and Kerry and have a memorable (good or bad) story to go along with it.

It’s safe to say I will not being doing another one of these sessions. 

The second portion of Sohee and Phil’s engagement session took place in San Pedro, at Cabrillo Beach Park.  We first started capturing the always popular beach photos of Sohee and Phil strolling romantically up and down the beach.  This was by request from both Sohee and Phil’s parents.  As the sun was setting, we moved the shoot to the rocky tide pools just East of Cabrillo Beach.  Unfortunately, the tide moved in so we weren’t able to venture too far into the tide pools and settled for shooting at the entrance.  We capped off the evening with some fun shots of Sohee and Phil sitting on a lifeguard station not too far from the beach.