 |  | | | | | Welcome to the February 2010 edition of the Adventures in Photography! This month brings us more tough guys shot by my alter ego RORSHAK. My affixation for Sergio Leone movies has intensified: the grit, leather skin, squinting, snarling, and piercing gazes of his cowboys in the 'Dollars Trilogy' and 'Once Upon a Time in the West' are leaving an impression on me. It has been a number of years since I had seen a spaghetti western, but after a recent Leone binge, I am determined to make a series of tough guy portraits in that vein of cinematography. That being stated, if you are an artist, actor, musician, or layperson, and you want to make an image that's tougher than all of the other artists, actors, musicians, or laypersons, please let me know and we'll get to work. This affectation became visible in my recent photo session with my friend Laws, who is working with Village Real Estate and wanted to make an energetic "I solve problems" image. We started things out with a Secret Agent: AKA Danger Man approach. He set up a trampoline and took about 50 leaps (right), and then immediately flashed a smile for the image on the left. (Visit Laws' real estate page here.)
 But then it was time to make things look tough. Laws is my longest studied subject, and is the king of tough guys. The following are snippets from our past adventures, stretching back to 2000.
After the 'Danger Man' scene, I insisted on making another 'tough guy' image. I wanted to render a moonlight scene that recalled a scene from 'A Fistful of Dollars' where the bad guys burn down another bad guys' house. The background appears bluish, while the faces are lit by the house fire. We didn't have a house fire to light with, nor did we have a gun to use as a 'bad guy' prop. Instead, we used CT (color temperature) gels to make the background look like night and procured a meat cleaver that just happened to be nearby. Guns for show, knives for a pro. (See this important movie clip to understand, but beware the cussing). The poster on the right indicates where my mind is at, with Laws on the left:
Also crossing the frame of my camera this month was pop musician Michael Shoup (http://michaelshoup.com). I am especially happy with the following images from our afternoon together:
Again, the influence of great photographers has left an impression on me, as demonstrated by the diptych below (the right image is by Arnold Newman taken of Pablo Picasso):
It seems that every shoot I have these days incorporates some sort of salute to the masters of the craft (see previous blogs for more details here). Thank you for spending time with this blog! Rory Know someone who's getting married? I have soft side, too. | | | | | | | | |  | | |
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