Yesterday I had another shoot with innerpartysystem. Kerrang really liked my photo of the guys in the video monitors and will be running one of those images as a poster in an upcoming issue. But for the “introducing” piece on them, they wanted something where you could see them a little better.

We decided that the band would put duct tape over their mouths and pose in Times Square. Since we picked this location just a couple of days ago, I called the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting about obtaining a permit on the day of the shoot. I specifically mentioned Times Square and the nice girl on the phone said it wouldn’t be a problem.

That’s actually code for “Don’t be silly, sir. Of course there will be a problem.”

As a side note, the permit office is in the Ed Sullivan Theatre where they shoot the Late Show with David Letterman. When I went down there, I was in the elevator with building engineer George Clarke (a character who often appears on the show), and on my way out of the building I practically walked into bass player extraordinaire Will Lee. The cool thing about New Yorkers is that celebrities walk around on the street and everyone is too cool to care. But we can still write about it on our blogs!

After turning in my permit application, I waited for a bit before being informed that they now require seven days advance notice for Times Square permits.

After explaining that this wasn’t a big production — just four guys in a band with me and my assistant, she told me that my application was denied. Perfect. I asked if I needed a permit if I wasn’t going to use a tripod or put down any stands. She said if I looked like a tourist and didn’t block any traffic (pedestrian or automotive), I would be fine.

That night at the shoot I had my assistant Jenica Miller hand-hold a small flash as we walked around Times Square with the band. This was guerrilla shooting at its finest.

At the first set-up, it took literally three seconds before a cop came over and told us to move on. I politely pointed out that we weren’t blocking anything and asked if we could shoot there for a few minutes. He politely told us to move on. Immediately.

We walked down the street a bit and started to shoot under an overhang at a theater. I got off a few frames before a private security guard informed us that we were on private property and had to leave.

It looked like this was going to be a long night but things got better after that. We walked a couple of blocks away from the chaos and were able to shoot without any hassles – even posing in the middle of the crosswalk about 15 times.

At one point, a cop started coming towards us so we turned away and walked in the other direction. He called out and asked us what we were doing and why we walked away when we saw him. We told him we were just taking some photos. He was totally cool and said it was fine as long as we didn’t block traffic.

So I guess it just depends on which cop you get and what kind of mood he’s in. Unless of course you’re a celebrity. Then no one would care.

| Leave a comment

I’ve really been enjoying using the Nikon wireless flash system and today I had a chance to try something different during my shoot with the band Blacklisted.

For the first setup, I went traditional and used a funky little dressing room at the Knitting Factory here in NYC.

But then I took the guys outside and gave each one of them an SB-800 flash unit. After explaining to them which part had to be facing me (the IR sensor) and which part had to be facing them (the flash head), I let them aim the lights however they wanted.

We were in the middle of the street so the shoot was interrupted about a dozen times for cars, but it gave me a chance to shake up the positioning each time. By the end, I had them bunched up pretty closely and I think it made for an interesting photo.

Not too long ago, getting the correct exposure on each person would have been a nightmare. But the Nikon TTL wireless flash system makes this shot incredibly easy — as long as you watch out for cars.

| Leave a comment

Yesterday I spent the day with Brendan James and his manager Ben Singer. His first full-length album was released on Universal today, and I documented them going around New York City for rehearsals and interviews.

I’ve worked with Brendan before (click for my old blog post) and he’s an incredible talent. He recently got a rave review from love-him-or-hate-him celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. You can take a listen and buy the album on iTunes.

I started at a rehearsal studio where he was putting the finishing touches on the set list for the big CD release show on Wednesday at the Highline Ballroom. It felt like it was 110 degrees in there, but the foursome sounded great.

From there we jumped on the subway down to the West Village for a video interview with UncensoredInterview.com. Because it’s “uncensored,” the producer told Brendan he could say anything and even (gasp!) use bad words if he wanted to. It’s just not his style to curse, though, so it was never even an issue. I did find out that he likes to wacth UFC, which is a bit surprising for such a gentle guy.

From there, they made one stop to pick up the posters for the new CD and and then went over to the Waldorf Astoria in Midtown where he did a live performance on the Fox Business show “Happy Hour.” It’s a bit of an odd set-up as it takes place in the hotel bar while actual patrons mill around and drink. Every time Brendan sings though, he attracts more fans and I think some of the business people in the bar might turn up at tomorrow’s show.

A few years ago after Brendan moved to New York City, he would sneak into hotel ballrooms to play the piano. Most of the time he was kicked out, but sometimes he’d get a couple hours of practice time in before anyone realized he wasn’t supposed to be there. He even called his old EP “Ballroom Break-In.”

We had some time to kill before his TV gig at the Waldorf, so Brendan and I snuck away and went in search of a piano. There was some big convention in the hotel, so most of the ballrooms were being used. But we stumbled into one on the top floor of the hotel. With the light streaming in from the windows, I got a ten-minute private performance.

He actually came up with a song while in the ballroom and used my phone to leave himself a voicemail message with the tune. He’s done this before because he has a super secret Maxwell Smart recording method where he puts the phone on his shoe. Apparently if he puts the phone right on the piano it will rattle around as he plays.

It’s exciting to document this time in Brendan’s life and career. It doesn’t seem like much, but one day we might look back and laugh when we see photos of him carrying his keyboard into the hotel and playing in a bar in front of 50 people or so (even though the show was on live national TV). It’s not a stretch to imagine a day in the not-too-distant future when roadies will unload his piano from a semi into an arena.

* Added on 7/1/08 — Check out Brendan’s video for the song “Green.” Awesome.

| Leave a comment