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The premier issue of Mermaid Magazine is on-line (http://themermaidmagazine.com) and the cover was done here in the "tank." Kristi Sherk, Washington, DC mermaid model sports a custom silicone tail made for us by Eric Ducharme (http://mertailor.com) in Crystal River, Florida.
Watch here for Kristi in a new goldfish colored tail by Eric shot last week in Cancun, Mexico.
Yesterday was my day to play MerCoach, Lifeguard and Studio Photographer to a couple of giggling 11-year-olds. First was the mermaid tail and hours in the pool. Then, dry and head for the studio prop closet and wig box.
Another of the Bodyart Dance Company shoot, Madeline Day in an orange party dress.
Back in the studio after CUN-ORD-ORF flights for 12 hours yesterday. Now editing Isla Mujeres whale sharks, Cancun goldfish mermaid, NY dancers and others.
This is Allison Ploor, one of New York's Bodyart Dancers during our Virginia Beach underwater session in the Virginia Beach "tank" last month. We're making some progress on the post-production work now.
View from my 7th floor balcony of the Cancun, Mexico hotel zone beach and hotels. I was thinking about a trip to the Hard Rock Cafe a few doors away and decided the six days of swimming with whale sharks left me with a sleep deficit. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.
On my 7th floor balcony rockin to the beat of room-size speakers at the nearby Hard Rock Cafe, this building and all its lights had a pattern and light appeal.
Yesterday there were about 300 of these whale sharks around us. We spent five hours photographing them before our one hour return to the Isla Mujeres docks.
London-based Parisian, Sophie Fauchier swims above a whale shark about an hour by boat off the coast of Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women), a half-hour ferry ride from Cancun, Mexico.
These guys come straight at you mouth wide open. Basically, they're gentle and harmless creatures, so we're both in "do no harm" mode. When they're 3-4 feet away, I go off to one side and they go past. Yesterday, I zigged off to my right and the whale shark went the same direction and we had a minor collision. I pushed off the top of his head, my back brushed the side of his dorsal fin and he whacked me slightly with his tail. No harm done.
6:50AM July 18, 2011, United Flight Norfolk-Dulles about to land. From here, direct to Cancun, an hour by surface transportation, half hour by ferry to Isla Mujere (Isle of Women) and a three wheel bicycle with my five bags to a hotel base for photographing whale sharks.
This photo using the Hipstamatic app in an iPhone 4.
Eric Ducharme's new silicone tail arrived today; next stop Isla Mujeres, Mexico, home of the summer whale shark gathering (150 gathered there yesterday). From there, it will be in a cenote along the Mexican Rivera between Cancun and Tulum.
Eric spashed this one in a goldfish color scheme and it looks terrific in the studio. I'm betting it will be great underwater, tool
Today and most of this week we're in Variety Heaven; medical devices shooting and post-production work, underwater hair-blowing scooter testing, investment banker portraits, magazine food, chef portraits, underwater model tests, whale shark shoot prep for Isla Mujeres, Mexico, an interview for an on-line magazine story and a few other things.
And, just to show you I have some semblance of balance in my life, dinner with friends Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
It isn't often I'm on the front side of a camera, but here's a behind-the-scenes shot from the Bodyart Dance Company shoot two weeks ago (photo by assistant Jackie Burwood). Working for hours like this, the cap is necessary to keep from toasting my head.
The camera rig for this shoot is a Seacam-housed Canon with Ikelite strobe/movie lights and a ULCS arm system. Other times it's an Ultima-housed Hasselblad with the same arms and lights. Also, additional Ikelite lights with remote white-light sensors on stainless steel stands.
The diving gear is all SCUBAPRO; Classic BC, mask and titanium regulators. Titanium helps keep travel weight down. The dive gear has to "just work" so I can focus on the pictures. It has worked for over 6,000 dives (doesn't include pool sessions). Only seven without a camera.
Back in the studio on the white cyc with Virginia dancer, Lauren Shorb. Lots of talent combined with personality.
I'm still editing the Bodyart shoot and jumping around. I'm in the underwater dance images now.
We did a balloon setup, and we were all like a bunch of kids filling them with a water hose sitting in the pool. Even though they're filled with water, a small air bubble finds its way into the balloon and provides a little positive floatation.
Then, the dancers interact with the balloons in a cluster. With the balloons near the surface, there's a reflection which visually doubles the quantity. Here, Michele Jongeneel takes our breath away.
Bodyart Dancer Madeline Day in reflection pool courtesy of Chuck Guthrie, Lynnhaven Marine Boatel in Virginia Beach. The long white dress, like the very long red dress, was custom made for this shoot.
As we were shooting the Bodyart dancers last week, there were some spare moments where I could use the setup to create another image for my Cowgirl project. When we finished with the real picture, assistant Jackie Burwood would take one of the cow heads into the set and very quickly we would make the picture.
You can't see her face, but this frame is still Michele Jongeneel. Thanks Michele.
The NY modern dance company Bodyart left Tuesday after our 4th annual photo shoot; this one in Virginia Beach. Last year's session was in Providenciales (Provo), Turks & Caicos Islands.
This is Michele Jongeneel, new to the company this year and a very talented young dancer. Choreographer and Dance Director, Leslie Anne Scott's crew and costume designer worked hard in the weeks before our shoot designing and creating costumes. This is one designed specifically for our reflection pool and underwater sessions.
Chuck Guthrie at Lynnhaven Marine was kind enough to create and host our reflection pool session at his "Boatel" on Long Creek near the Lynnhaven Inlet.