Blog

Scott Kelby Guest Blogger


Tomorrow I will be the guest blogger at www.scottkelby.com. There have been some amazing and inspirational posts here in the past month, so check it out. If you haven't seen the post/film that Zach Arias posted there as the guest blogger, take the time to view it. Thanks Scott and Brad for the invite, I appreciate the opportunity.

3-D Contrast DVD wins HOT ONE Award

I just received news that Professional Photographer Magazine gave a HOT ONE Award to our 3-Dimensional Contrast -Principles of Photographic Lighting DVD for one of the best educational products of the year. This program is based on Dean Collin's theory of 3-D contrast and covers a detailed overview of lighting for both stills and moving pictures. I worked with Dean for many years as both his studio manager and assistant. The information is presented by myself and director/cameraman, Bill Holshevnikoff. If you are looking to learn more about lighting for your photography, I think you will be pleased with this one.

We have a limited number for sale direct from our studio, please email Chris@mantoani.com if interested. Price is $45 plus tax and shipping. Also available at www.software-cinema.com.

You can learn more about Bill Holshevnikoff and his video lighting education at www.poweroflighting.com.

Forward Magazine

While shooting an assignment for Dodge, the art director found out about my 1956 Chrysler, Windsor, Town and Country Wagon and asked if they could feature me in Forward Magazine.

So here is the spread, shot in Ocean Beach. If you are thinking about shooting in San Diego while most of the US is under snow, give me a buzz and I will provide door to door service with a smile!

Linsey Corbin - underwater photography without getting wet!


I had the fortunate opportunity to shoot the latest issue of Triathlete Magazine, featuring Linsey Corbin. Linsey was the top U.S. female finisher in Kona last year and was a pleasure to photograph. The image was to appear on the cover of their wetsuit profile issue, and they requested a shot that involved water. I pitched the idea of an underwater portrait. Unfortunately the heater for the pool went out the day prior to the shoot. Linsey was freezing, but a true champ. I asked her a few times if she needed to take a break, "I'm a f***ing Ironman" she replied with a smile. Perhaps all models should do Kona once for perspective of what discomfort really is! The issue should be hitting news stands any day. To learn more about Linsey check out her website, www.linseycorbin.com.

We did the shoot at a sporting goods store that has a pool with had five large windows. Three of the windows are located in the store where patrons can watch scuba classes in action, the other two windows face the parking lot. To the right of camera, we put two large Chimera softboxes in the parking lot windows so they filled the entire windows. One Profoto Acute head and a 1200 pack powered each light. I was shooting from the windows in the store and blocked out the ambient store lights and reflections by placing a black curtain behind camera and getting the lens as close to the glass a possible. We shot with a 28-70mm zoom lens so I had some flexibility in composition as Linsey moved around. Strobes were triggered with Pocket Wizard radio slaves. The final image required a bit of clean up to retouch out a ladder from the background. No air tanks or camera housing required!

Terenzo Bozzone - Triathlete Magazine Cover


I had the chance to get Terenzo in the studio a few months ago for a cover shoot for Triathlete Magazine. We did a wide range of digital portraits to cover the bases. Once the art director was pleased that we "had it in the bag", I asked if we could do a shot with my 20x24 Wisner on Polaroid. We took two frames and they ended up loving it and used it as the cover. Not too much depth-of-field with this camera, even at f-32.

Here is a set shot of me shooting Terenzo and a snap of him holding the Polaroid. To learn a bit more about Terenzon check out his website, www.terenzo.com.

Obama, Charles Moore & Lee Elder


On this historic inauguration day, I have found myself wondering what the future will hold for my family, myself and my dreams. Photography is often more than just taking pictures, it is about vision. Seeing things in your mind before you ever see them through the camera. This can also be said about life.

I took yesterday off from work, Martin Luther King Day and spent some time with my 8-year-old son, Lucas, looking through the book, Powerful Days, The Civil Rights Photography of Charles Moore. It was amazing to see the reaction Lucas had as he saw, for the first time, images of dogs attacking people, fireman spraying people with hoses and the KKK burning crosses in the night sky. He could not understand why the police and fireman were hurting people. He had studied about Martin Luther King in school, but I don't think was until he saw these images that he really understood what was happening in our country at that time. The images of Charles Moore continue to have the same reaction today as the day he made them and without any doubt these photographs have helped make our world a more compassionate and educated place to live. Please take a moment to look over and appreciate some of his work, http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/moore/aboutCharlesMoore.shtml

In December, Golf Magazine ran an image they assigned me of Lee Elder. 33 years ago, Elder was the first African-American to break the color barrier at the Masters. Although his life was threatened, in the face of hatred he teed off in 1975, leading the way for Tiger Woods who was born in December of that same year. Today Lee is pushing hard to get more African-American kids into golf and his dream would be to see Tiger Woods in his 40's, slipping a green jacket onto the shoulders of a young African-American. "That would be going to the mountaintop."

I have been blessed that through my photography I have been able to meet and photograph some of my heroes, those who could vision and dream of the world in a better way, long before it was a reality. Thanks Charles and Lee for your inspiration.

A Visit From Photobooth.net



Story on Photobooth.net about my booth.

Several years ago I came across a vintage photo booth, an Auto Photo #9, circa 1946, at Architectural Salvage (GREAT SHOP on Kettner Blvd) in San Diego that was for sale. Way too cool to pass up, so I laid down the Visa and it found a new home in my studio. The booth had sat for years in storage at a warehouse across the street from the shop and it wasn't clear if it was in working order. Back at the studio, I was at a loss on how to see if I could get it running. After about a week, I called the shop and asked if there was any chance I could speak with the prior owner (it was on commission at the shop) to see if they had any paperwork or info on it. "We've been hoping you would call," they replied, "We have a box of stuff we forgot to give you". So I went down to the store and picked up, the original curtains, owner's manual and even the sign for the top. BONUS!!!!

Through Photo-Me, I was able to order new paper and chemistry and with a little help from Mr. WD-40, I fired her up & out popped the first strip.

The booth became the inspiration for a series of images I made at the Pro Bowl of a bunch of NFL players for Directv and later some of the images were reproduced in Sports Illustrated. I found a discussion online about my images on photobooth.net as to if the images were faked or shot with a real booth. I contacted Brian, øne of the founders at the site told him about making the images look "booth like", but that in fact I did own a booth.

So last month, Brian was in town and came to my studio to see the booth and take a few pics. I didn't have chemistry mixed at the time, but it was fired up last week for my 40th birthday party. Nothing like walking into the studio to find over 100 people wearing Mexican Wrestling masks! Thanks to my studio partner, Marshall Williams, his brother John, Luis Garcia (The best studio manager on Earth) and my amazing wife, Lynn, for an eve we will be talking about for years! I love you guys.

Check out photobooth.net, you are in for a treat and will even be able to locate most of the photo booths in the U.S. that are still running!

A few of the Pro Bowl booth strips

Trevor Hoffman in my photobooth

AFC/NFC Championship Weekend


So it is coming down to another great year of football. Who is it going to be in the Superbowl??? Joe Flacco and The Ravens, Big Ben and The Steelers? Early Doucet and Warner in Arizona or Donovan and DeSean Jackson with Philly? I know it won't be The Bolts or the 9ers!

Better luck for San Diego next season and it looks like Merriman is on the mend. I spent last Monday shooting Shawne and will be able to discuss the details soon. He walked out on the field, looked down at me and said, "Now which one of you am I supposed to tackle?" YIKES! I quickly pointed to my assistant. More to come....

Oakley Ads- Europe

These are some images that I shot in Barcelona for Oakley. Barcelona is one of my favorite places to travel, so it was a bonus that we got to shoot the project there. The ads included images of Supermodel, Esther Cañadas, along with snowboard guru Eero Ettala, and MotoGP riders Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden. We shot Nicky in California. Here are some of the images of the shoot and how they were used. Always a thrill for a photographer to see their images BIG in public venues.


Bus wrap on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, a Helsinki train station and the streets of Copenhagen.


Ads in Brussels, Paris buses and bus shelters in Amsterdam


Shooting Nicky Hayden in Orange County, California, 4x5 images on lightbox.

Sole Junkie Book

I've been working on another great book project with designer Michael Long of Transit Creative and Steven Cedre, aka Sole Junkie. Steven is an incredible artist that has been hitting it big with his custom painted kicks. His clients have requested the likes of Steven Tyler, Tito Puente, Roberto Clemente, Superman or even portraits of themselves to be on these wearable works of art. Here are a few snaps from the project. The book is due out in a few weeks. If you are interested in ordering a copy, please email the studio or drop us a line at 619-543-9959. Be sure to check out Steven at http://www.solejunkiecustoms.com/ After all, Christmas is just around the corner and now you know what to get that person that "already has everything".

PHOTO PLUS, NYC - More 20x24 Polaroids!


I was back in New York for the photo expo and took the 20x24 Polaroid to Javits to shoot. It was a great trip and I was able to record another 17 artists for my "Behind Photographs" project. Life Magazine legends, Henry Groskinsky and John Dominis came in along with Danny Clinch, Lauren Greenfield, Gary Knight, Lois Greenfield, John Iacono, Howard Schatz, Bob McNeely and several more. (Don't want of give it all away yet!) I could have never done it without the continued efforts of John Reuter and Jen Trausch from 20x24 Holdings LLC. Thanks for helping to bring this project to life. If you would like to shoot with this camera, you can rent one from John Reuter in New York or Tracy Storer in San Francisco. Expensive, but worth every penny. But watch out, it is addicting, you have been warned!

We had a small room to shoot in, about 12x12. Let's just say it was cozy by the time we got the camera, lights and background in place and if you miss the toxic smell of Polaroid, I got enough for myself and every other photographer in the country over the three days.

You can check out a video of the shoot at http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2008/10/spotlight-tim-mantoanis-polaroid.html Special thanks to John Harrington for coming in and documenting a bit of the shoot.

And congratulations to Johnny Iacono (pictured here) for this Lucie Award this year for Achievement In Sports. Thanks for helping to pave the way for the rest of us! I know V.J. Lovero is looking down on you with a big smile John.

Another Hard Sunday for The 49ers!


Got to watch a bit of football this weekend and even catch a little of the 49er game. Hard to believe the Giants kept Frank Gore to 11 yards on 11 touches. Yikes! I got smoked in my fantasy football league by the last place team who managed to shut me down 100 to 113 thanks to some amazing plays put up by Steven Jackson and LenDale White. I think I am now in the basement and like the 49ers hope for better next Sunday.

Life Rolls On


I made the mecca to Hollywood's Kodak Theater on Sunday for a gala charity event to help raise funds for the Life Rolls On Foundation. If you are unaware of Jesse Billauer's story, visist the foundations website at www.liferollson.org for some inspiration and a reality check. The foundation is raising funds for spinal cord research and to better those disadvantaged by unfortunate accidents. It was great to see not only a few Hollywood stars like Jenna Fischer (The Office), Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) and Nikki Hilton show up to give support, but the highlight for the crowd was the opportunity to visit with 9 - time world champion Kelly Slater, along with Rob Machado and Brandon Boyd of Incubus. A special thanks to Josh and Jessie Billauer for letting me be a part of the Life Rolls On family.

If you are an Incubus fan, check out Bradon Boyd's latest art book, From The Murks of the Sultry Abyss. I worked on this project with the very talented Mark Murphy to record Brandon's artwork for the book. 

Inside Analog Photo


Here is the link to a radio interview with Scott Sheppard on Inside Analog Photo. Scott interviewed me for Rangefinder Magazine's radio show last month and was kind enough to invite me for another show about my "Behind Photographs" project where I am shooting portraits of photographers on 20x24 Polaroid. I will be back in New York shooting again during Photo Plus and will be back with an update. Thanks for reading.

http://www.insideanalogphoto.com/

Remembering Paul Newman

I had the fortunate opportunity to work with Paul several times over the past few years, covering his team at Champ Car races, The Indy 500 and following him through Baja when he raced the 1000 back in 2004. He was generous and passionate.  Whether it was watching one of his drivers take the track or himself behind the wheel, he was a competitor at heart and he liked to win. I think it is safe to say, as far as an amazing life, he has taken the checkered flag.

More 20x24 Tales from NYC

On my last trip to New York I was able to get in another day at the 20x24 Polaroid studio. I have added these images to the Behind Photographs, folio II, on my site www.mantoani.com. These include the amazing work of Harry Benson, Jim Salzano, Chester Higgins Jr, Art Brewer and David Doubilet. Please stop by and check them out. I have now documented 87 photographers for this project and will be in New York again for Photo Plus to shoot more. Again, my sincere thanks to all that photographers that have been so willing to share their time and images with me.

One of the highlights of the shoot was hearing Harry Benson tell his story about The Beatles "Pillow Fight" image, taken in Paris in 1964. Harry was set to go to Africa while working for a newspaper when he got the call. He didn't want to go shoot "a band", he wanted to go to Africa. The Beatles were just starting to get some press and he was told, "You ARE going to Paris".

One night the George V, one of the guys mentioned a pillow fight they had in the hotel room as few night prior. However, there was another photographer in the room, so Harry didn't say a thing. However, I couple of nights later, they were at the hotel late and their manager, Brian Epstein came in with a message to say they were #1 in American and that The Ed Sullivan Show wanted them to come to the US. That is when Harry asked about doing the pillow fight. Lennon said it was a very stupid idea and that was the end of the conversion, until he snuck away and moments later banged Paul in the back of the head with a pillow..... "And that is how it all began".

This evening lead to Harry coming to the US with The Beatles and yet another of his famous shots of them getting off the plane, but that is another story!

Bryan Clay, "world's greatest athlete"


Congrats to Bryan Clay for bringing the gold home to the USA. Bryan won the decathlon, the first American since 1996. It is believed that when King Gustav V of Sweden presented awards at the 1912 Olympic Games of Stockholm, he proclaimed to the decathlon winner at the time, an American Indian named Jim Thorpe, as the world's top athlete. "You sir, are the world's greatest athlete." Since that time, the winner has earned the title, "world's greatest athlete". 10 events over two days.......I have to agree!
This shot of Bryan was taken in our San Diego studio. For more athlete portraits, visit www.mantoani.com.