When in doubt, give them art. - 2

Happy 2010! Oh 10, oh yea! Welcome to the new year everyone!

The holidays were very kind to me and busy. I have started a new shoot that takes me around the city and involves specific objects. So far I've completed 2 locations. I still have 5 more areas to shoot in. But thats all I can share with you on that. In the near future I will share the product of that shoot.

There is also a new project that will be starting soon. It involves human subjects...no I'm afraid it will not feature Jeremy Morgan, but he is a subject you will see again. My newest work in this shoot will involve a female. I've come up with some concepts and she and I are excited to see them come to fruition. I must apologize again, for that is all I can share on the matter...for now.

Lets get to the goods. The shot you see below is part of a series I did here in downtown San Francisco. The shoot itself was indeed skate photography. However I decided to take skating into the still life realm. The light on this day was fantastic! The sunset was cracking between buildings and bouncing everywhere. I was very fortunate to have it assist me the way it did. 

The wonderful thing about this photograph was of course the woman on the left side of the frame. She just happened to be walking by and I did not intend for her to be in the shot. In fact I didn't notice her until I took the photo into editing. Her reaction makes the picture. This is the beautiful thing about photography. Often things like this will happen when you go out on shoots in the public. You can't predict what will come into the frame when you shoot and if it so happens to work out like it did in this shot then you may end up with one hell of a picture.

This shot along with the others in the series will go on sale in several different forms. I will have regular prints as well as large canvas prints. There will be more details on that in the coming months. For now I'd like to know what you think so please leave comments. Til next time..keep it 100. Peace.

P.S. This one is for MLK.

  

A special BOOM to Jeremy Morgan!

Good Sunday to you all! Last week marked a special series of posts for me and my work. And to top it off I was able to share my collaborative work with my number 1 subject and friend Jeremy Morgan. So this is a special BOOM (thats rudysolis.com lingo for "thanks") to Jeremy for his willing, flexible and relaxed nature that allowed me to get the shots I was looking for during our shoots.

Not only is JM a tremendously talented skater, but he is also a business entreprenuer. He is the owner of Street Science Skate Shop, in Tracy, CA! So if you're in that area or passing through and so happen to dig skate gear, clothing, snowbaords, etc. Then drop by his shop and show your support! In fact you can check out the Street Science myspace page for all the latest products, shop address, as well as Jeremy's video work, right here!

Thanks again J. Morgan! Stay tuned as I bring you my next project right here on rudysolis.com! All I will say is I will Train Rudy Gamble...BOOM (translation: "exciting")!

 

Capturing the moment numero tres!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today marks my 3rd and final entry into this week's "Capturing the moment" photography starring Jeremy Morgan. Sit back and enjoy the rest of your flight!

Our final shot in this series takes place at the historic landmark known as Fort Mason. This fort was once an active military defense post for San Francisco and it served the city for over 100 years. Now it's just a tourist attraction for the outsiders. For us shredders though it serves as an incredibly fun, yet risky skate spot (you can receive a ticket here). The top sections serve as perfect pyramids, banks and hips...all of which we skaters fancy so much (yes fancy is common word among us street riders).

This particular bank sits at the edge of the old bunker. I spotted it and asked Jeremy to pull a flip for me. Jeremy obediently obliged (good boy) and pulled several flips on it's short, sharp surface. The result is what you see below. Pretty fantastical (skater lingo) air he caught wouldn't you say?

For the editing I actually made a significant amount of modifications. I tweaked every color you see individually. I adjusted sharpness and shadows. I twitched the lighting, cropped it's original wider perspective and modified the contrast on several different levels. I even got a second opinion from my photo advisor Liz Hanowsky. In the end Jeremy's trick (the focal point) maintains it's vertical feel and the photo becomes more lively with the color enhancements.

You guys and gals all know the routine so I won't repeat myself. I'll just say: speak up like Danielle did and earn your kudos for keeping it real on rudysolis.com. Til next time - peace

Capturing the moment.

For those that have been keeping up with this site, my apologies for not sharing photography from Carnaval, but in all in honesty there wasn't anything there I shot, worth sharing. I attended the event with a focus on particular styles of composition. This event didn't do it for me to say the least. So if any of you are that interested in seeing footage then I recommend checking out David Yu's photo gallery here .

So in today's post I'll be sharing a photo I shot of Jeremy Morgan. Not only is he one of my best friends, but he is also one of my favorite subjects to work with. He is flexible, patient and most importantly..willing.

As you all know I'm an avid skateboarder here in San Francisco and the only other thing I love doing if I'm not skating at a spot is capturing skating at a spot. It's not easy, but when you're passionate about anything, I believe the learning process can be enjoyable. Especially since you're fuled by eager determination.

The main thing to keep in mind is your angle and of course proper camera settings. The delightful thing about this shoot is Jeremy is an excellent skater. In fact he is a former amatuer pro. Morgan undoubtly has great control and as a result I didn't have to worry about taking any licks from him or worse the board. The trick you see here is a "backside tail slide" and he landed about 80% of them. When you're working with a sport such as skateboarding, it pays to be as close as possible for these types of shots. Jeremy's skills stick out like a sore thumb and it's a privilege to work with a great skater. Many thanks to my good friend, I look forward to our next shoot.

This shot below was taken at 3rd & Army, one of San Francisco's famous skate spots that is (thankfully) still alive. I kept the editing simple with this one. All I did was fiddle with cropping, color, lighting and shadows. Now if San Francisco had late afternoon sun as this picture illustrates, then we'd be in the same pollution boat as Los Angeles. Having said that I humbly thank you photoshop.

Stay tuned this week as I bring you more of my work! This week will also feature more of my subject: Jeremy Morgan. As always I encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. Til next time - peace

 

Thrashing the Thrasher vert ramp!

The real spectacle to admire at Thrasher's Bordertown Benefit was the rippers on the vert ramp. There was some impressive skating going on from the moment I reached the spectator area. Here is a virtual board "SMACK" from me to all that killed it that day! Skate on everyone! Peace.