Evel Knievel served in the US army, worked at a copper mine, was a semi pro hockey player, started a successful hunting guide business, competed in ski jumping, pole vaulting, and rodeo events. For a brief period he was a profitable insurance salesman, but quit after not being promoted to Vice President after a few months with the company (which later became part of the multi billion dollar Aon Corporation). Mr. Knievel also owned a motorcycle dealership and offered $100 off to any customer who could beat him at arm wrestling.
All of these things occurred before Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel became the daredevil that we remember him for today. Say what you want about Evel, but what more could we be doing in our own lives? It is a new decade so where do you want to start?
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images. Promotion for the shark tank jump in 1976.
The cataloging of the Life Magazine archives by Google is a highlight of the last decade. This is the strongest collection of editorial magazine photography from American history. So far Google has cataloged every single page of each issue from 1936-1972, and can be viewed or printed for free through (you HAVE to click this link) Google Books online here. However I question how some of Life’s photographers may have lost the rights to their work that is now available for license through the partnership of Time Inc. and Getty images. I assume this was only possible due to poor contracts initially signed by the photographers in deals that now look similar to the blues musicians who lost the rights to their songs to recording studios.
Unfortunately, many photographers have not been properly credited by Time/Life. Google only hosts the archive, so we can’t blame them. If you blog, share, or post any images from the Life archive please use good karma. Try to at least credit the photographer who shot the images whenever possible. It is the least we can do.
Recently I had the honor of photographing pro surfer, icon, and North Shore legend Buttons Kaluhiokalani at his home break in Oahu, Hawaii. Upon first meeting Mr. Kaluhiokalani he was washing sand off his feet and stowing away a surfboard from his morning session. It was a fitting first impression. There is a tradition in Hawaii when you visit someone’s home that you should bring a gift. Food or drink is always welcome so Jamie and I brought a chocolate haupia cream pie from Ted’s Bakery, a North Shore favorite for both locals and tourists.
My pie-hole would have to wait for that chocolate haupia cream (on our second trip back to Ted’s later that day). We sat for 30 minutes talking with Buttons in his living room and getting acquainted. I was warmly referred to over the phone and now in person as “Brotha Jay.” The entire shoot only lasted 2 hours, but he treated us like we had known him for years. How cool was that? As cool as getting to photograph a portrait of one of my favorite surfers in front of his home break. The images below are of Buttons at a spot known as “Backyards.”
For more info on Buttons, check out his recent interview on Liquid Salt and look for the film Stylemasters directed by Greg Weaver and Sypder Wills. Filmed in the mid to late 70’s, Stylemasters is a time capsule of North Shore surfing during the evolution of the short board. It features jaw dropping footage of Buttons. His athleticism is stunning, and his riding is from outer space!
Surfer Magazine listed Buttons as one of the 50 greatest surfers of all time. Jeff Divine writes “There were no real top turns the way you see them today. But Buttons showed up and started spinning 360s, putting his board on an edge, breaking the fin free and trying airs. He’d busted the performance door down before the Aussies ever showed up.” At age 51, Buttons now runs a surf school, and shares the stoke once a month by taking mentally and physically challenged kids surfing with Access Surf. He has also recently started tow-in surfing for when the waves are exceptionally big. An icon, and still at it.
Interesting surf info: I asked Buttons who was the first person he saw ride switch foot and he answered “Jock Sutherland.”
Mahalo to Glen Sakamoto of Liquid Salt for helping out with the shoot.
Last Christmas, photographer friend Joe Reifer created a great list of holiday gift ideas for photographers. He followed up again this year with a list of recommended books. This got me thinking about some cool cheap stuff that is photo related. Photography can be so expensive that it can put a beat down on your wallet, yet it is the little things that can make it fun, creative, or in some cases more comfortable. Any of these items below would be a nice gift for any photographer in your crew, but you may want to add some of these items to your own bag of gear. If you have anything to add to the list I would love to hear your suggestions. Here are just a few.
Nikon 35mm 1.8G AF-S DX lens$199
This is an incredibly super deal for a quality piece of glass. Even though it has received terrific reviews, I would still say this is an underrated lens. It is lighter than your cell phone, and has better manual focus than your Pentax K-1000 from high school. In fact, it is the best Nikon lens I have used for manual focus on a DSLR.
Nikon 50mm 1.8D AF lens $125
Okay so you hate DX lenses and prefer FX. Then go with the 50mm f1.8D for only $125. If you still use the 18-55mm plastic kit lens that came with your Nikon, either of these lenses will smoke that kit lens in terms of image quality.
REI Trail Stool $19.50
I can go all day on the adrenaline from photography, but it is nice to grab a seat when shooting from bucket height when there is no bucket. The REI Trail Stool fits in your tripod bag, and clips to your belt when shooting rodeos.
Diana F lens adapter for Nikon or Canon $12.00 + 38mm lens $40.00
This is kind of Lomo, but toys are not just for kids. If you enjoy playing with iPhone camera apps, but would rather use a real camera (I know, so elitist) then try putting a toy lens on your workhorse. Save your phone for uhhh…making calls (I know, so pedestrian).
BENRO TRA169 Travel Angel Tripod $170
This is hard to resist for a travel size tripod. If you have another budget suggestion please let me know. Benro is a Chinese company that makes knock offs from the well respected Gitzo tripod product line. They even jacked Gitzo’s logo! The price is right and surprisingly Benros have received decent reviews. The 169 is only 15″ when folded, weights 3.3 lbs, supports 8.8 lbs, and comes with an Arca swiss compatible ball head. Everyone feels guilty about this except the budget consumer.
Cuisinart 4-Cup Coffeemaker w/ Stainless-Steel Carafe $24.00 Black & Decker Brew ‘n Go$29.99
What does this have to do with photography? Recently I was traveling on a shoot and stayed at a very nice hotel that did not have a coffee maker inside my room! Morning coffee in the lobby was gas station quality. The place should have been roped off as a crime scene! When I traveled as an assistant with photographer Burgess Blevins, I would bubble wrap a full size coffee maker and put it in the stand bags. We always had hot fresh coffee that was dark enough to not see the sides of the cup. Treat yourself right while on the road. The Cuisinart has a mini stainless steel carafe, make 4 cups, and will easily fit in your stand bag. The Brew n’ Go only makes 15 oz so it is great for a one man army with an early call time. Call me a kook. I don’t care.
Manfrotto 337 Hot Shoe Bubble Level $33.50
Some bubble levels are only single axis, but the Manfrotto is a double level with twice the versatility. Why do you need this? If your horizons are at an angle, you have to fix this by cropping in post production which tosses those precious pixels. We have enough pixels already, but sometimes those minor crops will eliminate an interesting detail in the corners.
Soft Box with grid #30-$100
Go to Ebay and do a search for “soft box grid.” You’ll find hundreds of results for soft boxes that are less than $100. They will not last a lifetime, but they could provide a unique look to your lighting until this thing falls apart.
Mic for iphone $3.08
Yes that is the correct price! Ever use the Voice Memo app on your iphone? It doesn’t work so well due to the iphone’s poor microphone. On a recent shoot I was using the iPhone’s Notepad to take notes on the people I had just photographed. Then it hit me. A mini mic for the iPhone would allow me to record the interviews right into my phone. If you only need info and not Dolby sound quality this would be a nice solution. I know what you are thinking, it’s too expensive.
20×200$20 –>
Start collecting original art or start giving original art. Jen Beckman has put together a fine group of images together from her list of artists here and also offers gift certificates. Prices start at only $20 for prints by established and emerging artists.
Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate $10 –>
I have used Borrowlenses to rent gear several times this past year. This is an online camera rental company that ships anywhere in the US and has a few drop off/pick up locations in the San Francisco Bay area. They rent everything! Lenses, lighting equipment, tripods, camera bodies, bags, and even filters. If you have been shooting with the same 2 or 3 lenses all year, it is time to mix it up on your next shoot.
Harinezumi$170
The Harinezumi strives to imitate the super 8mm home movie look, yet it records digitally to SD cards. Philip Bloom wrote a nice review of the Harinezumi and posted an edited video here. It looks like a refreshing way to build some supplemental video content, but I wonder if its charm will wear off after one project. It’s the video cam equivalent to gadgets on Lomo & JoJo. Oh the internet!
Go Pro HD$270
If everybody is doing it, I guess that means a lot of people are doing it. HD video that is. DSLRs, Flip, and even point and shoot camera makers are now putting HD specs into their gear. If you want to expand your vision why not change your point of view as well? The Go Pro Hero HD can be mounted to anything. Surfboards, helmets, bikes, skateboards, or dogs. It even shoots stills and allows interval shooting for time lapse photography. The best part is video footage is fairly clean for this little POV HD busy bee.
Update: Exactly within minutes of posting this entry, Philip Bloom posted his review of the GoPro HD Hero here. Oh the internet!
The November issue of Inked Magazine features a multi page piece I shot of Oakland tattoo artist Freddy Corbin (not without incident, see below) for the “Icons” section. This may not be the most timeliest piece of news but hey, it was a fairly busy month. An interview of Mr. Corbin is featured at Inked online here. He also makes an appearance in the season finale of Sons Of Anarchy which airs this week on FX. SOA is a decent soap opera filled with guns, snitches, politics, and thugs. Freddy is too nice for any of those parlor games so I look forward to seeing his cameo.
On a side note, Freddy “collects” tattoos from his friends who are not tattoo artists. Would you do that for friendship? Inked also listed me as a contributor in the November issue which is still on the shelves until December 15th.
Each day this week I have been posting images from the only summer swell that hit Northern California. This is the final post out of 5 total.
It brings me great sadness to let you know that I didn’t get to surf during this swell. That’s right man. Our Only Summer Swell came and went while I was busy working which explains why so many surfers ditch work when the waves are good. The ocean is fickle and good conditions in Northern California during the summer do not last very long. This brings up a lesson in life for surfers and non surfers. Live life while you can and don’t wait until tomorrow. If you miss an opportunity, don’t kick yourself. Grab your board and get ready for the next set of waves. There will always be more so enjoy your next ride!
Each day this week I will be posting images from the only summer swell that hit Northern California. This is the 4th post out of 5 scheduled.
One of the more unique elements about skateboarding and surfing compared to any other sport is that you can be standing on the deck or sitting in the lineup right next to a pro. When the waves are good in Santa Cruz people come out of the woodwork who you have never seen before. They are like sleeping giants who wait for swells worthy of their arm strength. “Our Only Summer Swell” rolled in on Thursday July 23rd and by Saturday morning the heavies were already resting and drying out their wetsuits. By the time I was shooting there were still a few scrappers left in the water. At the tail end of the swell, parts of California’s northern coast were perfect for long boarding until early Wednesday July 29th. That gave the log riders 4 more extra days of stoke.
All of the images from this series show a diversity of surfers, a variety of boards, and each spot is within a short drive of each other. This makes Santa Cruz, CA a very special place on the US map.
Each day this week I will be posting images from the only summer swell that hit Northern California. This is the third post out of 5 scheduled.
This entire group of images is from Steamer’s Lane in Santa Cruz, CA. This wave is a legendary point break gem that rises with a decent southern swell and holds when northern exposed spots close out. No matter how cold the water temperature is at Steamer’s, there is always some hothead out there who needs to be cooled off. This day was no different. I saw a knucklehead in the lineup try to punch another surfer. The ocean responded and sent the knucklehead into a well deserved wipe out a few waves later. Bruce Brown would have made a nice voice over on that one.
Surfers avoid the long paddle out from the beach by jumping off a nearby cliff and paddling out to the lineup. The veterans take the easy access route by walking on the cliff that runs past the break. They slip past the barking seals, and then make the short free fall into the ocean. The younger groms must not like the longer walk. This cuts into their surf time. They practice their rock climbing skills with crab-like maneuvers, and use their grommet toes to scale the wall closest to the break.
Each day this week I will be posting images from the only summer swell that hit Northern California. This is the second post out of 5 scheduled. People talked about this swell for days online. We heard it was coming and it sounded good by the time it hit Southern California. Unfortunately it was so good there was a death at the Wedge in Newport Beach, CA. You can get a sense of the size in this video clip here. Santa Cruz got the best of this swell up north, but the legendary longboard spot of Cowell’s remained dormant. Due to the swell direction, it missed Ocean Beach in San Francisco altogether, leaving one northern friend online to say “So much for this over hyped southern swell.”
There was only one swell that hit Northern California this past summer. All the others were over hyped or they just passed right on through. A few magic days came to Santa Cruz starting on July 24th. The swell arrived on a Thursday evening and by Tuesday morning it was long gone. There were some other waves this past summer, but nothing like those special 4 days in July. I finally got a chance to go over my edits this weekend. Here are two gems from the last few mysterious hours of our only summer swell. “Forget it kid, they’re ghosts.”
Irving Penn (June 16, 1917–October 7, 2009) lived to be 92.
photo by Irving Penn
“Beautiful and boring,” wrote New Yorker magazine’s Janet Malcolm in a review of an exhibit of the butts at the Museum of Modern Art in 1975.
“He considered himself a workman,” said photography historian Diana Edkins, a former curator of photography for Conde Nast Publications, including Vogue, now with Aperture Press. “His uniform was his way of saying, ‘I may be king of fashion photography but I’m not going to play that game.’ “
His unfailing courtesy and formidable reputation elevated him to a level generally saved for legendary figures in the arts. By mid-life most people who knew him called him, “Mr. Penn” as a show of supreme respect.
Buttons Kaluhiokalani • North Shore Oahu, Hawaii. © Jay Watson Photography
