Jake Locker For Men’s Health
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Celebrity, Editorial, Tear Sheets, Video
If you haven’t seen the September 2010 issue of Men’s Health yet, pick it up now. I have 6 full pages featuring my favorite football player, Jake Locker. This was my second time working with Jake, and he is one of the most kind and down to earth people I have photographed. Now, I know what you are thinking. Did he bring his pet coyote to the shoot this time? No, he didn’t.
So, what’s up with the helmet? And as big as this kid is, how can there be a helmet that is too big for him? I think it was a lineman’s helmet. Before the shoot, I requested a ball and a helmet. Someone from the university brought us one helmet that happened to be several sizes too big. It wasn’t until we were shooting that I asked Jake to put it on, and we discovered it wasn’t the right size. I’m totally fine with mistakes like that, though, because it turned out to be my favorite picture from the shoot. Fun and unexpected. Outtakes are the best!
For those of you who don’t know, Jake was recently ranked by ESPN as the number one college player in the country. These rankings are subject to change, but he has a legitimate shot at the Heisman this year if things continue to go well for him. As a Husky fan, I hope things go well!
I have been working with video a lot more lately. Some behind the scenes, and also a few photo and video assignments, as well as video only. I really like how this video turned out, and it should give you a little glimpse into how I work on an assignment like this.
Special thanks goes out to Men’s Health Photo Editor Mark Haddad for this assignment. I would also like to mention Affix Music which is a great resource for licensing music for slideshows, video’s etc. Amazing customer service! They are in the process of rolling out some new license options which will be even more specific in addressing the needs to photographers working with video.
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Tags: athlete portrait, behind the scenes, BTS video, celebrity photography, college football, college quarterback, editorial photographer, football photography, Huskies, Husky football, Husky quarterback, Jake Locker, Jake Locker photography, Jake Locker picture, Jake Locker portrait, John Keatley, John Keatley video, license music for video, Mark Haddad, Men's Health, music licensing, Pac10, photo shoot video, photography video, portrait photographer, Seattle, University of Washington, University of Washington football, UW, UW Huskies
3ric Johanson And The Photonic Fence
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Editorial, Tear Sheets
Imagine rows and rows of boxes piled up to the ceiling at your local Costco. The boxes are matte black with bold white writing and a robot looking face on the front with beady red eyes. Maybe something like the Terminator, but more kid friendly. Suburban moms in California and Arizona are lining up to be the first on the block to own a personal laser mosquito zapper. Jacqueline from Rancho Cucamonga places her new mosquito zapper in the over-sized orange cart, next to her new cooler with a built in iPod dock, and the ten pound bag of chicken strips. She can already imagine the warm summer nights by the pool, free of mosquitoes. I envisioned the situation for these early adopters to unfold much like the Cornballer as seen on Arrested Development. Kids running around the yard with laser burn marks all over their bodies, hair on fire. You worried about your kids running with scissors? Forget about it. You’ve got a military robot with lasers in your back yard.
That was the scenario that popped into my head after hearing the words laser mosquito zapper, but as I found out more about the assignment, I discovered it was not the next ridiculous consumer item at your local big box store. 3ric Johanson and a team of really bright minds actually came up with this idea and made it into a reality with the goal of wiping out malaria. With a mandate from Bill Gates to think differently about finding a solution to prevent malaria from spreading, the Photonic Fence was born. The technical description of how it works is a little above my pay grade, but by recognizing the size, speed, sound, and speed and insect beats its wings, the Photonic Fence can differentiate between bees, flies, and even male or female mosquitoes. Only female mosquitoes bite and carry the parasite causing malaria, so only the females need to be terminated.
3ric works at Intellectual Ventures, which is a research lab in Bellevue, Washington. In addition to the Photonic Fence, they are working on some pretty amazing projects including a super-thermos to transport vaccines, and a system to weaken hurricanes. While taking a tour of the lab with 3ric, he explained the reason Intellectual Ventures is so different from other labs is they are encouraged to experiment and push the boundaries of what is currently being done. Failure is not something they are afraid of, and they have the luxury of pushing the boundaries because they have investors behind them. Because this type of work is so expensive, however, other labs often don’t have investors willing to take on this kind of risk.
Make is a really cool magazine, and if you get excited about DIY projects, I would recommend subscribing. You can also find out more about the Photonic Fence and Intellectual Ventures at this page. I was really encouraged to see some of the top minds working on projects with the single goal of making the world a better place for people who don’t share many of the luxuries we so often take for granted.
I’ll leave you with a super slow-motion video of mosquitoes getting blasted by a laser. Enjoy.
New Tech Toy I am most excited about right now.
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Tags: 3ric, 3ric Johanson, 3ric Johanson portrait, Bellevue photographer, editorial photographer, Hacker, Intellectual Ventures, John Keatley, laser mosquito zapper, lasers, magazine, magazine cover, Make, Make Magazine cover, malaria weapon, mosquito blaster, photographer, Photonic Fence, scientist portrait, Seattle photographer, tech portrait, TED
Medical Marijuana Pusher
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Editorial, Tear Sheets
Seattle Weekly gave me a call last month with a cover story, and it was so intriguing and different from what I am used to, I couldn’t pass it up. The subject is Steve Sarich, and it is going to be very difficult to give good description of him without going on for several pages. Fifty-nine years old, former Penthouse photographer, used to date Anna Nicole Smith, currently dating a 20 year old aspiring model, medical marijuana grower and seller, and he is surrounded by an entourage of young “volunteers” in their 20′s and 30′s, including a personal cook who is really good! I photographed Steve at his new home in the foothills about 40 minutes outside of Seattle. He moved there after a home invasion at his previous residence, where he was sprayed by a shotgun blast just before he shot one of the intruders.
When I arrived at his home, I was greeted by a large pit bull and I honestly thought it was over. I may have thrown my hands high in the air and yelled something. Not really sure what holding my hands above my head would have accomplished had I been attacked. Then, I was mistaken for a “patient” and presented with some options. After quickly explaining I was the photographer and not a patient, I was introduced to Steve and got a tour of the compound. I know there are some new laws and marijuana is legal with a prescription, but apparently it is legal to grow and sell it now, too. Growing up with the understanding that marijuana is an illegal drug is a hard concept for me to shake. All through the day I found myself wondering, “Could I get arrested if this place gets raided right now?” Not to mention, guns make me a little uncomfortable.
“Marijuana’s never been on a path to greater acceptance than it is now. But to Steve Sarich, the change just isn’t coming fast enough. With his guns, brash manner, and retinue of followers who look too young and healthy to be in need of weed, Sarich is the enfant terrible of Washington’s medical marijuana movement.
Sarich doesn’t exactly shy away from confrontation. Where many activists believe that a quiet, non-profit model of providing pot to patients will keep them in the good graces of legislators and law enforcement, Sarich’s vertically-integrated enterprise has unabashedly mixed medical clinics with pot brownie sales, and scoffed at the legal limit on plants. And sent taunting emails to cops while he does it.” – Nina Shapiro, Seattle Weekly
The cover shot is a perfect example of his brash attitude and confidence. I asked him if he had a particular strain he wanted to hold and his eyes lit up. He had just created a new strain of pot and named it “Alloway 420″. Roy Alloway was a Bremerton drug cop who is notorious for his aggressive tactics. He retired shortly after this issue came out, but I’m sure his retirement had nothing to do with this story.
Pretty crazy stuff. If you want to read more, it’s long, but it is an interesting article about Steve and medical marijuana.
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Tags: cover shot, editorial feature, John Keatley, marijuana pictures, medical marijuana, Portrait, portrait photographer, pot pictures, Seattle Weekly
PDN Faces Opener
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Awards, Editorial, Tear Sheets
The PDN Faces issue is out now, and my portrait of Annie Leibovitz is the opener. I am very excited and honored to say the least. This image was also selected in the American Photography 25 Competition last year. Pretty cool!
*UPDATE* 8/17/2010 – The PDN Faces 2010 Winners Gallery is now online with all of the winning images. There are some great portraits in there, and a nice note about my portrait in the intro on the landing page.
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Tags: Annie Leibovitz, celebrity photographer, Celebrity Portrait, Headshot, John Keatley, PDN Faces, photography contest
The Illegal American
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Editorial, Tear Sheets
Over the past few months, I have had several assignments featuring everyday people facing big challenges. It’s a nice change of pace every once in a while, and I appreciate the opportunity to meet and work with people who have completely different stories than myself. It’s a humbling feeling to photograph someone in their 4 million dollar home one day, and the next day photographing someone out in the sticks who is really excited and impressed by my Hyundai rental car.
This portrait is of an illegal immigrant who has lived and worked in America for the past 20 years. There were no guarantees the subject would show up, which I guess is understandable considering the risks involved for her (being sent back to Mexico). I was told I could not photograph her face, only her shadow. However, after I met her and we talked for a while, she said she would let me photograph her from the back which is what I was hoping for.
I bought some small American flags the night before, and asked her if she would mind holding them. She said, “No, I don’t mind holding the flags. I love this country.”
Seattle Met / July 2010
Art Director: Benjamen Purvis
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Tags: editorial photographer, illegal immigration, John Keatley, Portrait, Seattle, Seattle Met
Photography Talk Video: Chapter Two
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Press & Interviews, Video
Photography Talk Chapter Two Video from John Keatley on Vimeo.
I hope you enjoyed the first video of my photography talk. As promised, here is the second video, and number three will be rolling out very soon also. The third one will be the Q&A session. I cover a lot of ground in this video including working with celebrities, but the main points are focusing on what you are trying to show in your work, and taking control to make it happen. Some of you have asked which camera these videos were shot on and although I have recently started to shoot video on the Canon 5D Mark II, I actually used this bad boy to film my talk.
Tags: commercial photographer, editorial photographer, John Keatley, photographer, photography lecture, Photography Technique, photography video, Seattle photographer, Video
Photography Talk Video: Chapter One
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Press & Interviews, Video
Photography Talk Chapter One Video – My Photography Story from John Keatley on Vimeo.
A couple of months ago I hosted a Q&A and spoke about my photography to a group of about 100 people in Seattle. Many people who were not able to attend sent in questions, and expressed interest in watching a recording of the talk. Well, the wait is over. This is the first 15 minutes of the talk and I am going to do my best to have the rest up by the end of the week. So check back often. Enjoy, and thank you everyone who came out to hear me, and to everyone else who is reading this for your interest in my work.
Tags: commercial photographer, editorial photographer, John Keatley, photographer, photography lecture, Photography Technique, photography video, Seattle photographer, Video
2010 PDN Photo Annual
Posted by John Keatley | Filed under Awards
Wow, how exciting! My website, www.keatleyphoto.com was just published in this years PDN Photo Annual as one of the top photography websites. In addition to the magazine, all of the contest winners and judges can be seen in an online gallery. When my current website went live last year, I was feeling really good about my chances of getting it into PDN thanks to the excellent work of my graphic designer Greg Lutze. I entered it into the competition, but never heard anything back. When I saw on Twitter the winners were being notified and I didn’t hear anything, I figured I didn’t make the cut and I put it out of my mind.
Last week I was emailing with a friend, and he said, congrats on your site in PDN. I had no idea what he was talking about, but sure enough, my site was selected. I just thought I would share my excitement, and take this opportunity to encourage you to take a peek at one of the best photography websites of year!
Tags: John Keatley, PDN, PDN Photo Annual, Photography Website, portrait photographer
