814 Photography

Wedding times...

2010-05-07T11:29:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I shot a wedding for my friend Ryan Case. I have finally gotten through all the images and thought I would share a few. Sarah is his lovely bride and she put up with my itchy shutter finger all day. Thanks guys...

-Dave

We will be back...

2010-05-05T16:52:00.002-05:00

Nashville is too strong... We will get through this.

-Dave

The Sellers...

2010-04-22T10:13:00.004-05:00

I posted some of these shots on my Facebook page already, but I had some more to share and I wanted to post them here instead.

This is David and Emmie Sellers. I met them about a year ago at Mulligan's Pub on 2nd ave. (Emmie had to remind me that we met that night... lot's of Tullamore Dew and Guinness) They live right outside of Atlanta and are photographers as well. A few months ago, Emmie emailed me and asked to book a session when they made it back to Nashville. We did, and it happened. We started at our friend's condo (Stan, thanks buddy), then moved to various locations downtown. Yeah, I took em to Shelby bridge... I had to.

I've kinda fallen in love with these shots and the Sellers. They knew exactly what I wanted every time. I barely posed them, they just acted awesome all day and I shot that awesomeness. If every shoot could go the way this shoot did, I would be the happiest boy in the whole wide world. Note: Bloody Marys and Mimosas were mixed and consumed during the day. That was Emmie's idea... David and I just went along with it. Here they are...

-Dave

Long time coming...

2010-04-20T10:57:00.003-05:00

Like bears, this blog hibernates. It's been a long while since I posted anything up here, so how's about a little Baseball. I got to work with some of my favorite people a couple weeks ago. Father Ryan High School. Jim shoots most of there stuff, but with him out of town, I picked up the slack and shot their opening week of Spring sports. I love stepping foot on that campus. Even on Saturdays the place is a-buzz with students and activities. It's a great school with an incredible staff that truly love their students. If I had it all to do all over again, I would have gone to Father Ryan for high school. I probably would have to be from Nashville... and me being Jewish doesn't bode well... you get my point. School=Awesome!

-Dave

Devil's Dungeon | Nashville Haunted House Photography |

2009-10-05T19:07:00.005-05:00

And it's true! Nashville's best haunted house (I have nothing to compare it to, but they tell me it's the best ) is located in the basement of Matt Mikulla's apartment complex. His porch overlooks the exit. They come out feeling a sense of relief that it's over, and that's when a chainsaw wielding, skeleton faced guy chases them through the parking lot. We hung out on Matt's porch all night sipping on cocktails and watching this dude chase screaming kids from one end of the parking lot to the other. I laughed my ass off every time. I don't know why I thought it was so funny. Even after seeing it happen a good 10-15 times, I still cracked up. Great time and great haunted house. Check it out: Devil's Dungeon

-Dave

Vernal, UT | Nashville Nature Photography |

2009-09-30T10:22:00.006-05:00

Last week I worked with Dean Dixon in Vernal, UT. The job was an ad campaign for a Lifepoint Hospital. All-in-all the shoot for the hospital went perfectly...and seeing as we were in Utah (with nothing to do), we set out and shot some scenic overlooks. SONP Scenic Overlook Nature Photographer. A term Dean coined...I can't claim it. Here's some of the shots:

I'm Bendy...

-Dave

2009-09-29T17:42:00.000-05:00

OK...So I'm working on a post from my Utah trip and ran into this video....Awesome!

Utah shots soon to come.

-Dave

FRHS Homecoming | Nashville Sports Photography |

2009-09-23T09:44:00.004-05:00

Some photos from last Friday's game...Father Ryan defeats BGA 27 - 13.

-jim

"An old white-haired guy with more yesterdays than tommorows." | Nashville Political Photography |

2009-09-06T14:25:00.008-05:00

Bill Clinton is a badass! Can I say that? He's a badass? And the Tennessee Democrats are badasses for having him come to Nashville and speak at the Jackson Day event. Mikey the Lip (AKA Michael Krouskop) Called me up and asked if I would help him cover the event. He had me at "Clinton's gonna be there". Since Clinton's speech last Saturday, I've been obsessed with what his life's been like outside the spotlight of politics. If you're interested, check out the article "Bill Clinton, Public Citizen" by George Saunders. It's an impressive article. Unfortunately it's not online, but you can read it in "The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008".

-Dave

The New Familiars... | Nashville Music Photography |

2009-08-22T20:08:00.006-05:00

...were the best new band I heard at the Master Musicians Festival. They play a brand of folk-rock that is completely their own, which seems increasingly rare these days. Great guys and great songwriters. Check them out here. Below are some quick portraits I took of the band while at the festival.

-Jim

The Master Musicians Festival | Nashville Music Photography |

2009-08-22T19:54:00.005-05:00

The Master Musicians Festival takes place in Somerset, KY...Every year this outdoor festival brings in some of the best blues/rock/string-band music in the country. WELL worth your time if you are in the area or up for a summer road-trip. And yes, those are the world famous Felice Brothers in the last five photos...

-Jim

(ew) lookbook! | Nashville Fashion Photography |

2009-08-02T18:14:00.008-05:00

Some shots from the new (echo)witness lookbook...one of the most fun projects I've photographed lately. Check out the full lookbook and splash page photos on their site...

-jim

Local Honey

2009-07-24T15:59:00.005-05:00

I had the opportunity to photograph Shea Steele over at Local Honey today for the (echo)witness blog. She has a great collection of vintage clothing and features many local designers, as well as her own line, White Rabbit. Well worth checking out if you are anywhere near Nashville...

-jim

Been out of pocket...

2009-07-03T14:33:00.004-05:00

Both Jim and I have been out of town for the past month or so and now we're back in Nashville. Here are some picks from the road....Enjoy.

D

The Playstation Experience

2009-06-13T10:17:00.017-05:00

Last Tuesday I had the great opportunity to photograph the Sony Playstation Truck while it made a stop in Nashville.

Below are some of my favorites from the shoot...

-Jim

Cathedral of the Incarnation

2009-05-20T12:25:00.009-05:00

Some shots of the recent renovation of the Cathedral in Nashville by The Carter Group.

-jim

Nothing new....just fun

2009-05-06T10:46:00.001-05:00

Looking through old Temp folders...found this

and this...

More Babies... (we're going soft)

2009-05-03T12:53:00.005-05:00

I'm starting to come around to the idea that babies are cool. Our good friends had their first the other day. Her name is Campbell Rose Hoff and she is awesome. I need to get me one of these...

Baby Burrito...

Continuing with the "awwwww, that's so cute" theme, here's Spencer. He's my roommates dog and he's a badass...

The Eyes have it...

2009-04-28T09:52:00.004-05:00

We had a shoot the other day with a singer named Keri Hemingway. She's currently in nursing school and working at Vanderbilt Hospital. Beyond that, she has a set of pipes that will bowl over any audience. She recently cut an EP and is releasing a single in Ireland. She wanted a simple head shot for the cover so we decided to take her outside and let Mother Nature run the cables.

She has perfect eyes for a shot like this...

I can't resist posting these. This is Knox...Great eyes + great light + cute kid = awwwwwwww!!

Percy Warner Park with CK Cates...

2009-04-27T16:44:00.003-05:00

I've had this idea floating around for a while about how people see themselves as minor celebrities. In a small solipsistic way, we all walk around with our own ideas of what makes up our personal character. Whether it's walking around with a soundtrack playing in our head or strutting around like a character in a show, we've all seen ourselves as something more than we may be (at least I have). I want to create a series of photographs that portrays that. The everyday person in a common setting with over-the-top setups.

With that, I put together this shot with help from a few friends. This is just a test shot, but it came out close to what I want. CK Cates was kind enough to pose while Jim and Rob ran around to light the damn thing. I just chilled out behind the camera and held the shutter open. The final composite is 27 layers deep.

We shot CK first with a Medium soft box on an Alien Bee 800 in front and three SB-800's strapped to a stand in the back. I set the camera to rear sync and opened the shutter on bulb. When Jim was finished popping the lights in the background, Rob turned on the key light and I released the shutter.

To create the background, I shot a long exposure and painted the trees with a couple flashlights (thank you Hoff household).

To add more contrast to the top of the trees, Jim walked the Alien Bee up the stair path and I fired off some shots.

All told, it was a fun night out at the park with gear and a few friends. Enjoy...

DBJ

Country Music Marathon or Music City Marathon

2009-04-25T15:07:00.006-05:00

I think Music City Marathon sounds better...

Ping Pong!

2009-04-22T14:10:00.008-05:00

Below are some pics from a recent conceptual shoot. There is a little part in all of us that wants to be this good at ping pong...

-jim

New Reflector Idea

2009-04-22T14:01:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, I made a square reflector with a hole in it (a bit like a ring light) and below is the first attempt at portraiture using the sweet new device. I am really digging the quality of light!

-jim

Stout from L.E.X. ing ton

2009-04-20T17:16:00.003-05:00

Champions Trace in Lexington, Ky...

2009-04-16T17:27:00.003-05:00

I had a shoot this morning at Champion's Trace in Lexington, Ky. Not much to it, just a group shot and some exterior shots of the building. While I was outside shooting the building, I spotted a golfer about to tee off 70 yards away from me. I scrambled to grab my 70-200mm, ratchet it on my camera body and rush over to a decent spot...all the while changing the settings on my camera in order to get the shot. The following is one of the three frames I got off.

Below is the product of boredom sitting at a Starbucks waiting for my next shoot.

Mississippi Night shots...

2009-03-12T09:12:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I worked down in Biloxi, MS and was able to get out and snap off some night shots. The moon was out and it was BRIGHT! With that bright light source, I was able to keep my exposures down to 30 seconds and below. So, keeping in mind that all exposures were 30 seconds and below, something perplexing popped up in one of my frames. Check out the following picture and notice the stream of light in the sky:

At first, I thought it was a shooting star, but it can't be. Shooting stars happen so fast that it wouldn't show up on the image (remember, 30 second exposure). So what is it? Could it be a satalite? A plane? Notice the pattern of dots within the streak...what's that? I blew it up so you could see it better:

Hook a brotha up....what is this?

Here are a few more pics from the weekend (hey Aaron, check out the treefrog...that's for you).

Mr. Hoff's Handicraft Herd

2009-03-09T13:41:00.013-05:00

We were happy to oblige when local woodworker, Robert Hoff, contacted us to shoot his new series of animal puzzles. Not only are these little guys charming, but I suspect they are fun to play with at any age. Half the fun of the shoot was taking them apart and reassembling them...

Deutsche Seidenstruempfe!

2009-03-01T09:48:00.013-06:00

814 has gone international. Our German artist/friend Verena Kempass has designed some incredible custom stockings that are hand-printed and beautifully packaged. Last week, Lena and I took them into the new studio and had a blast photographing them. They are not officially for sale yet, but if you are interested, drop us a note and we will get you in touch with Verena.

-Jim

Custom Parts

2009-02-24T10:07:00.006-06:00

Just finishing up some toning for an online auto parts dealer called Gauge Pro. It can be kind of a calming experience working with objects that have such simple, clean lines. And they don't talk much. Which can be nice.

-Jim and 814 Photography

First real shoot in the new studio...

2009-02-09T16:03:00.003-06:00

So, we had our first "real" shot in the studio on Thursday. It was for a band named Blackwater James here in Nashville. Not only are they bad ass musicians, they're great to work with. Easy going and patient...what more could one ask for? The only issue was the selection of music we played during the day. They're classic rock and I'm more indie rock. My whole iPod is crap like Pinback, Death Cab For Cutie, and The Avett Brothers. I was able to find a happy medium we were all happy with...The Pixies (and some GNR a bit later). Here are just a few pictures from the session (we had to do the guitar head shots). We'll post the entire set when we get them ready.

-Dave

New studio...Word!

2009-02-05T18:09:00.004-06:00

Yup, we just acquired a studio space this week. It's a great spot right in the middle of Sylvan Park and down the street from the only real deli in Nashville, Goldies (side note: Goldies is closing on the tenth, so stop in and get your Matzoh ball soup and turkey pastrami while you can). We spent this week tricking it out and playing around...

This is a camera my grandfather owned. It's been on display in my room, so I thought I would bring it down for some product shots.

-Dave

The New 814 Photography

2009-01-29T12:02:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the new 814 Photography! 2009 is off to an amazing start and we now have a new website up and running at 814Photography.com. Take a look and be sure to sign the guestbook. We'd love to hear from all of you.

Below is some of our recent work with The Notables of Davidson and Williamson Counties. These books showcase some of the most successful business owners in the Nashville area and we are excited and proud to have worked with all of them.

Best,

Jim and Dave

Over the holidays...

2009-01-12T14:47:00.005-06:00

It's a new year, which means new pictures and new ventures. The last couple months, we've been working our tushies off shooting for the Notables publication (being released mid to late January). It's been a great experience working with Eddie and Darlene and all the folks down at Leading Edge communications.

So here are a few pictures we snapped off over the break...

This is Mike and Jenny Luckett...and behind them is a 28' tall x 105' wide mural they completed in Lexington, Ky. They were commissioned by LexTrans and the Lexington Arts Commision as part of a citywide mural project. The buses were all painted directly onto the side of the wall and the inside of the windows were painted in sections in Nashville. We had to shoot this on Christmas day before the wine and tryptophan sent us into a napping bliss.

This is how New Years was spent, chopping wood in the middle of nowhere...fun times and good fire. Happy New Year to you all.

-Dave

Into the Wild

2008-09-23T16:37:00.006-05:00

Hello again!

Last week Dave and I took our gear deep into the woods to photograph a friend training for a rock-climbing competition. Not only is Roy a talented climber and a great outdoorsman but I believe there is a small village in Peru where he is considered a God. These are our favorite pics of the bunch...

Best,

-Jim

Tattoo Highway...

2008-09-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

Good morning all,

A couple weeks back I scored an audio gig on a TV show called Tattoo Highway for A&E. We traveled around the southwest tattooing people on a 1973 Silver Eagle tour bus. Needless to say it was great fun and quite an experience. The cast and crew were some of the best people I've ever worked with. Check out their site at Ministryofink.com. In the interest of saving space I brought a D80 and only one flash (SB800) but I still managed a few interesting shots...

Take care,

Jim

The Avett Brothers and Master Musicians Festival...

2008-07-23T14:55:00.008-05:00

So it looks like my obsession with The Avett Brothers is continuing. This past weekend, we had the opportunity to shoot the Master Musicians Festival in Somerset, Ky. A good friend of mine, Donna, helps organize the festival and got us some media passes. This was especially cool because I felt a tad responsible for getting The Avett Brothers to play. Last Thanksgiving I saw Donna and passed on a compilation of their songs to her. Long story short, she fell in love with them, passed the CD around to others involved in the festival and they booked them. The entire weekend was incredible! Goose Creek Symphony played as well as Pinetop Perkins. Everything was great and we had a blast all weekend...Check out the festival next year. They're sure to have an incredible lineup.

Rhonda Vincent Video Stills

2008-04-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

I recently had the great opportunity to photograph a Rhonda Vincent video shoot in North Carolina. My good friend Josh Greenberg of Bucks Boys Productions asked me to come down and take some production stills for him. If you haven't heard her music; check her out. Seven-time (7!) International Bluegrass Music Association female vocalist of the year and a very down to earth woman. Below are some of my favorites... -Jim

Wolfe and the keg room...

2008-04-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

This is Wolfe, a musician and bartender here in Nashville. We had the opportunity to photograph him in the basement of Broadway Brewhouse (Downtown) the other night. After knocking out some setups in the keg room, we moved out to their storeroom. It's a photographer's dream (if moody and grungy is making it's way into your dreams). This is a setup that Jim wanted to try and I think it's one of the most successful shots of the night.

DIY meets slow day...

2008-03-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I braved using my DIY ring light adapter and today seemed like the perfect day to break it out and create a photograph. I figured since I was using one DIY modifier, I might as well use two so I broke out a grid I fashioned out of black straws and a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce. It fits perfectly on an SB-800 and you can make one during the commercials of an episode of "Lost". Check them out:

The ring light adapter has seen it's fair share of shoots, thus sporting the tattered look. This was one of the first times, however, that I have ever used the grid. Worked like a charm and I hope to use it next week when we shoot a band called "Country Music". This is the final product...Jim on the phone:

Wedding shots from The Hulsey Wedding...

2008-03-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Thought we would share some select images from a wedding we did in Kentucky.

Can't and won't dance...

2008-03-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, Jim and I shot a St. Patrick Day party at The Greenhouse in Nashville. After photographing a slew of 20 - 40 somethings throwing their arms around each other and shouting indiscernible blurbs at the moment of shutter release, I needed to shoot something for myself. With an SB-800, a Pocket Wizard and a grid fashioned out of an extra SW-10H Wide Angle Flash Adapter I set out to do create a photograph of the DJ. Below are a few that I liked. You can see the flash in the second picture, but I loved the moment.

Off The Wall shoot...

2007-11-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

This is a shot of an art collective here in Nashville named Off The Wall. If you ever have a chance to see one of their shows, take it, they're incredible. They asked us to incorporate a couple things: 1. All six of them 2. A long braided rope made from their old clothes
. Other than that, we had free reign to do anything we wanted. So we decided to do the shoot in a grungy basement of a parking garage downtown (had to sneak down there, being it was a private garage and all). We then played with a few ideas of how to implement the braided rope and this is what we came up with.

Below is the setup....please don't judge me on my drawing skills (I spent 5 mins on it).