Catwalk color

"Model Jaclyn Mamaghani pauses to show off a Vanessa Barcus design at Lavish Lounge in Denver, Friday, July 24, 2009."

Last week I helped out friend and fellow shooter Sam Deitch at a fashion show here in Denver. I was mainly there as technical support but I managed to snap off a few quick frames.

The event turned out to be a real challenge because it wasn't lit as most fashion shows usually are with the catwalk lit up and the gallery much darker. Instead, the designer was looking for a more "fashion forward" look and lowered the lights in the bar/lounge significantly. Thankfully I brought some lights to bring up the ambient for most of the stuff that Sam shot. There were a few colored strobes going and I managed to catch one in the image above.

I like the image above because its different than the mainstream images that you see coming out of Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Milan. Then again we were in Denver.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

Model behavior

"Erin Wylie amuses friends with a model-like pose while walking home after a night out in Chicago, Saturday, June 27, 2009. Wylie, a recent University of Colorado graduate, moved to the Windy City in June to start a two-year teaching stint with Teach for America."

It pays to bring a camera everywhere, even on nights out on the town.

I was doing some archiving and came across this interesting snap from last month. Since I may not be shooting daily again for a while I hope to continue to cary my camera with me in search of little moments like this.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

iPhone

A little over a month ago I took the plunge and switched over from Verizon to AT&T to pick up an iPhone 3GS. I've been a Mac guy for a while now but having my entire family on Verizon kept me from switching until now. The new iPhone was just too good to pass up.

I carry one of my cameras with me almost everywhere but I've been shooting with the iPhone camera quite a bit. There is something fun about the lack of control compared to my big SLR. It forces me to see differently which has been great for inspiration.

These are just a few of my favorites that I've shot in the past month. EVERY single picture was shot and toned with the iPhone and none of them have been edited in Photoshop. I'll send a prize to the first person who can identify where the first picture was taken.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

Left behind

"Katie Saczek, 19, is mourning the loss of her husband, Luke, who died recently of a non-combat wound while serving in Afghanistan at her home in Crystal Lake, Monday, June 1, 2009. Saczek has been left behind to raise her two-month-old baby named Emily."

I'm sorry about the delay. I moved back to Denver two weeks ago and have been taking some time off following my internship at the Northwest Herald.

I've been waiting to post this for some time but have been unable to until now.

Photographing family members following a loss can be nerve racking because I feel like you have to tip-toe around the subject. I feel like I'm intruding on their personal space even though they've agreed to be photographed. I have had to photograph people in similar situations in the past but it never seems to get any easier. I try to be as respectful as I can and work quickly.

It didn't really hit home with me until I saw this photo on the Boston Globe's The Big Picture a few days later. Seeing his flag draped casket made it seem more real than it did the day I made the photo.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

I run

I'm not a big fan of running.

Oddly enough I'm actually really good at it. I can somehow control my breathing and lower my heart rate which allows me to run harder over a longer period of time. Everyone always wanted me to run cross country and track but both coincided with golf and baseball seasons. Regardless of my ability, I still don't like to run.

Evan Jager on the other hand loves to run. He has taken his talents past the college level and now into the professional ranks as a Nike sponsored athlete. He even earned a spot on the US Track & Field team last week at the US championships and will compete at the World Track & Field Championships this summer.

His talents garnered some well due recognition and since he grew up and went to high school locally we decided to do an article and video on him. I was given the assignment to shoot stills and also tackle video completely on my own for the first time. Shooting both stills and video on the same assignment proved to be a challenge but everything ended up working out just fine. I took away a few things to improve on as well as confidence that I can adapt to the ever growing changes in photojournalism.

EDIT: Here is the still from the assignment.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com

I run

I'm not a big fan of running.

Oddly enough I'm actually really good at it.

I'm in!

I found out Monday night that I have been accepted to the Eddie Adams Workshop. The prestigious workshop selects 50 students and 50 young professionals (less than 3 years experience) and I feel very fortunate to have been selected on my first application attempt. I've updated my profile here.

The four day intensive workshop takes place October 9-12th in Jeffersonville, New York. I've never been to the Big Apple, let alone Jeffersonville, so I'm excited to get to experience the east coast for the first time.

This is BIG time folks. Top editors and photographers from the likes of The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Time, Washington Post, Getty Images and the Associated Press descend on the workshop to pass on their knowledge and mentor the participants, many for years to come.

This is another achievement that I see as a stepping stone in my career. It's funny to imagine that a little over two years ago I had no idea where photography would take me. Despite the unknown I knew that I had a love for making images and that as my dad always says "everything will run it's course." So far, so good.

I have two working days left here at the Northwest Herald. I'm headed back to Denver on Monday.

-JCE

www.jcedmonds.com