Photography, Video, & Music from the perspective of Chi "The Cyclopedia" Brown
{ 0 comments }
Some months ago I was asked to participate in my first photography workshop in Greensboro, NC. The workshop was organized by a guy that many people from the area know as Sparetyme. It was at that workshop where I was introduced to many of my fellow photographers from the Triangle & Triad area. Barney Lee was one of those photographers, and soon after the Greensboro workshop Barney was organizing a workshop of his own.
Now a gentleman by thew name Anthony Cole, who assumed the role of the teacher at the Greensboro workshop, had asked me if I would be kool with having the next workshop at my studio. I was happy to say yes at the time and didn’t think much else about it until i began to get contacted by Barney. It was at this point that i started to second guess my decision.
The reason that I began to question my decision was based on the fact that I wasnt 100% happy with the fact that, at the Greensboro workshop, all of us ended up having similar photos of the same models in the same outfits. I did however learn a good deal at that workshop which left me with a great deal of hope for the RDU workshop.
To my surprise on the first day, I became aware that most of the photographers were getting exclusive shots which left me feeling good about what Barney and the rest of us had accomplished for the day.
The second day was more of an every man for himself shoot at a lake/park in Morrisville. Though this day was much shorter than the first, it was a lot of fun shooting during midday and learning to deal with the harsh sun that broke through the overcast clouds around noon…
So this is my documentation of the workshop in video and photo formats. Check out everyone’s work towards the end of this post!
VIDEO of Day 1 at the workshop:
http://www.vimeo.com/6986659Day 1 – Behind The Scenes Photos:
Day 1 – Final Images:
Barney Lee:
Anthony Cole:
Mark Shogreen:
MelTechFoto:
VibrantPhotographics(Cyclopedia Brown):
Day 2 – Behind The Scenes Photos:
Day 2 – Final Images:
Sparetyme:
VibrantPhotographics(Cyclopedia Brown):
PARTICIPANTS:
Make Up Artists:
LOLLYCAT
&
Models:
ASHLEE B
MZ AYANNA
CHRISTINE
CORILEE
C.J. AOKI
MS ICE
KENTA SHALAI
{ 3 comments }
Black Dynamite
The crazy thing is that Arsenio Hall makes a comeback appearance in this film that stars Michael Jai White as “Black Dynamite”.
Check it out!
{ 0 comments }
Paul C. Buff Vagabond II
That next day I went out in the yard to test out the Vagabond only to find that my new B1600 would not turn on. I tried several things and called a few of my photographer friends who owned one themselves. I explained that it was making a strange sound and asked them if that was normal. They responded that they didnt really pay any attention to any noises other than the internal fan.
I tried a few more times but then decided to call the company for some troubleshooting. I left a message since it was after hours by this time. After leaving the message i decided to try one more thing. I wiggled the plug of the B1600 a few times. I saw the light cut on on the back and saw that it must have been a bad connection between the Vagabond and the B1600. After giving a few more wiggles it finally stayed lit. I had power! The thing was working!
The next day I got a call from Paul C Buff and I told them that I was a bit worried that it might happen again. I had a shoot that next day and I was a bit paranoid that it would fail during the shoot. The sales rep quickly told me that it was not a problem and that I would have one before my shoot. He informed me that they would next day me another unit… Sure enough that next morning I had a new vagabond II fully charged and ready to rock n roll for that evenings shoot. i got some amazing shots that evening! Thanks to the folks at Paul C Buff…
You other companies should take notice! Thats what good customer service is all about!
-Chi “Cyclopedia” Brown
{ 0 comments }
Just downloaded the new Yum Yumm Mixtape from MsCrisMusic.com. Ms Cris and I have done several shoots together so I was excited when I heard that I would be able to assist her with her new mixtape cover. She has a lot of talent. Does her own make up, comes with her own concepts, comes prepared & on time, writes blogs, has a youtube channel and she is obviously an artist… ALL DAY! What dont you do Ms Cris!?
Be sure to download the new “Yum Yumm” mixtape @ WWW.MSCRISMUSIC.COM
(All shots of Ms Cris were shot with the Canon 5D Mark II and the 24-105mm f/4L lens. Lit with 2 Nikon(I know I know….) SB24’s one in a Orbis ringflash & a Vivitar 285HV in a large softbox)
Graphics were done by DP Photography
{ 0 comments }
This song is so infectious! I had to post it on the blog!
If this song doesnt make a believer out of you, I dont know whats wrong with you. Kid Cudi has the Cyclopedia Brown stamp of approval!
{ 1 comment }
A few months back, A friend of mine from TheRealNC.com needed a photographer to accompany him in the club. Of course i knew lighting would be a problem. After studying similar shots from photographers he directed me to, i realized they were using off camera flashes with lumiquest style softboxes or sto-fens ( I dont really care for sto-fens because i dont own one. They cost too much)…
Since i hate paying for shyt I rarely use, I figured i would build my own.
I just cut up a few pieces of cardboard, threw some duct tape over it to make it more durable. Then I put some silver tape on the interior portions to add more reflectivity… Is that a word? LOL… I taped all the corners except one so that it would be collapsible. Extra duct tape was used at the point where the flash is inserted so i can just use a simple bungee to attach it. Initially i was going to use velcro here as well but i didnt want to have to put velcro on every single flash that I own.
For diffusion I used an old chinese plastic pillow case protector thats used to keep slobbering kids from ruining a pillow. Or perhaps its to keep dust out… Who knows… it was laying around and free so i cut it up, applied duct tape to the edges and then a bit of velcro so that it was removable.
THE RESULTS!!!!!!
All club shots were shot with a Canon 40D and a 10-22mm EF-S Lens
{ 1 comment }
This is a funny youtube video I was sent recently by a friend of mine. We often laugh at some of the G.W.C.’s(Guys With Cameras) who are constantly using their cameras to get sneak peaks at half nude women. I mean dont get me wrong… Any photographer who shoots beautiful women has to love his/her job. Its great to look, but some things, like unnecessary touching, lewd comments, and pushing women to take off more than they originally intended, can tend to show a lack of professionalism and common decency.
At any rate this video was funny to me, so I decided to share it with all of you…
{ 0 comments }
They call him D-Nice! Back in the day, D-Nice from Boogie Down Productions was one of my favorite producers/Dj’s/emcees… Today the dude has been doing his thing in the field of photography with a camera on his website D-Nice.com. I had seen many of his images some years ago, but when I caught one of his videos on WorldStarHipHop.com I became a true fan.
When I found out that he shot his “True Hip-Hop Stories” series on a Canon 5D Mark II I was floored… The image quality was amazing… He also was interviewing some of my favorite artists from that time. The video in this post is of Special Ed, whose “Youngest in Charge” LP was one that stayed in my cassette deck back then. I can still recite all the lyrics to “I Got It Made” to this day….
At any rate, these videos helped to sell me on the 5D Mark II. I bought one a few months after checking out the True Hip-Hop series….
Check it out!…
Here is a video he did interviewing Special Ed….
True Hip-Hop Stories: Special Ed from D-Nice on Vimeo.
In this episode of True Hip-Hop Stories, Special Ed discusses the making of his hit recording I Got It Made. He also gives his thoughts on the Rick Ross & John Legend collaboration Magnificent, which was inspired by Ed’s song I’m The Magnificent.
{ 1 comment }
“How do I pronounce your name!?” I remember asking this young lady to pronounce her name for me via the internet before I called. She wrote back and i was still confused so I asked her to just be sure that its her that answers the phone.
Phonetically her name is pronounced differently than how it looks. She pronounces it BEE-YAH-KAH… Go figure. Anyway… We had a good shoot that day, although I believe we only shot two looks… Here are the highlights….
Info: Shot on the Canon EOS 40D. I used a 70-200 f4/L and also a 50mm 1.8 MKI. Vivitar 285HV flashes were triggered with crappy Ebay Cactus triggers
{ 1 comment }
