But as good as 2009 was 2010 holds even more promise. I’ve got several inquiries and a couple of consultations to set up for weddings this year, and a birthday party needing a photobooth on the schedule.

Speaking of photobooths, we brought in 2010 with an impromptu photobooth at Peter and Jana’s Roller Skating Capes and Bling NYE party.

All the images are up on Facebook, but Facebook wrecks images so I wanted to post a few here.

This is the opener, the guest of honor Ryan

What I love about the photobooth is it lets everyone get into the act. All night whole families came over and got what amounts to mini family portrait shoot. I would do 3 -4 shots of each group. One “normal” and then coach them to be a little more – uh not-so-stick-up-your-butt like. Which isn’t all that hard in this case considering the context (hello, capes AND bling) and who the party goers where.

Case in point, check out these sets:

Another thing I love about the photobooth is I have absolute control over the light. Place the subject, pose and compose. Super rad.

The more willing people are to get a little wacky the better the images – which is why this would be great at a wedding or a party with an open bar. Or in this case a party with my friends who are all just a little off anyway.

For you technique geeks I set up two SB 600s 8ft up on stands, with diffusers on the heads fired through shoot through umbrellas. They are at about a 45 degree angle to the backdrop. Triggered by an SB 800 on camera (hint:set it to — so it won’t ad to the exposure). They are at full power (didn’t complain a bit and I didn’t have a single misfire, you will want to give em a brake every 2 – 3 shots but you will need to talk and compose people anyway so it works out). I shot at 1/40 at 5.6 with a 17mm lens, hand held. The backdrop is a 10x seamless gaffer taped to the wall on one side and clamped to a light stand on the other.

Rad.

I’m proud to say that I am the current unofficial record holder for the largest afro wig photo shoot.

Here are just a few of the promo images we shot downtown. Many thanks to the models who donated their time and Retro Paradise for lending the clothes.

Santa Cruz’s very own Pink Man even got into the shoot…

Well, I’m not there yet, maybe I never will be. But this year I’ve found a really simple and small way to use my gifts as a photographer to help others, even if only in a very tiny way.

In 2008 a couple of Vancouver, CA photographers (Chris+Lynn), an amazing Vancouver duo, started the Cans for Comments campaign. The idea was simple, for every comment they received on their blogs they donated one can of food to a local charity. Pretty cool idea huh? Well a lot of other photographers found out about it and joined in.

Well I just heard about it today from Ontario Photographer David Redding and decided to jump in as well.

So for every comment posted to the blog from now until December 15th I’ll be donating one can of food to Valley Churches United Mission,

It’s real simple, stop by the blog, take a look at the images and leave a thoughtful comment (ok, thoughtless ones will count as well) and I’ll drop a can off at VCUM. Helping people out was never so easy.

Here is a little bit about VCUM from Annette Marcum – Director & Founder

Dear Friends,

Our 28th Annual Holiday Projects are underway. This is only possible because you care and share with your needy neighbors.

Imagine the scene on distribution days at our mission on the corner of Hwy 9 and Glen Arbor in Ben Lomond. Long lines of folks come to receive bags of food filled with all they’ll need to prepare a nourishing Holiday meal; turkeys, a food voucher to purchase perishables and canned goods collected by our local business, stores, churches, and San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley food drives. Joy and relief are seen on their faces.

As fathers, mothers and grandparents continue on to Santa’s Workshop many weep openly as volunteers present them with brightly wrapped new gifts for the children, based on their letter to Santa. You did this by picking up a stocking at local Post Offices and businesses and fulfilling a child’s wish.

At the food pantry San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley Grey Bears and mobile seniors line up to pickup the beautifully hand decorated boxes with senior gifts and food while volunteers deliver and make a friendly visit to shut-in seniors.

Our 99% volunteer elves work their magic seven days a week beginning October 1. They weave their caring and sharing into a magical tapestry of sacrifice that ensures every needy person here will feel the true meaning of Christmas.

This has been a tough year for all of us economy wise. But at this glorious time of year we are more spiritually reminded, “It is more blessed to give than receive.”

Won’t you please write a check today? Or Call to donate by credit card. Fill out the enclosed form to volunteer, adopt a family or senior, bake cookies, pickup or deliver gifts.

May God Bless you!
Merry Christmas,

Annette Marcum – Director & Founder

Here is a list of other participating photographers:
Kristel Wyman
Think Photographics
Andrea Murphy Photography
Tracey L Heppner
David Redding

If you are a photographer doing Cans for Comments as well, just make sure to pipe up in the comments of this post and I will add you to the list.

One day when the little boy, who had grown to a man ran away from Rome in his Swiss Guard uniform and lived on the donations of passers by as a busker playing his accordion on the street.

Shot in the middle of the day, sun high and to the left of G.M. filled with two strobes, one on camera and another hand held at about 1/2 power.

The Great Morgani is available to perform in any number of unique and odd costumes for your birthday, corporate and civic event and even weddings.

When he isn’t in Cuba he has been working at one of only two schools in the 9th Ward in New Orleans. Here is a video The School at Blair Grocery…

The video does a far better job of describing what Nat Turner and Rob are trying to do than I could. Recently The Blair School have applied for a a grant from the Kellog Foundation to continue their work.

Listening to Rob talk about the school and the difficulties of life in the lower 9th Ward I knew there was a story I wanted to tell. He mentioned that he would like to have a handful of DSLRs and Digicams to use in an art class for the students (currently they have 10 students). So hopefully, if I can find a backer I will travel to the Lower 9th to document The Blair School and teach the kids a bit about photography. Of course funding for that kind of thing is hard to come by these days so I may end up footing the bill myself.

Before Rob left for NOLA in his brick red VW Bus I called him up and asked if he had time for a quick portrait. I wanted a good portrait of Rob before he left to help with promoting our little scheme.

The light was a little hazy due to the Lockheed Fire just over the ridge behind my apartment so we went in to the “court yard” or my imitation palatial apartment and made a handful of images.

In my mind the unkempt disarray of our “court yard” seemed to fit in perfect with the images Rob had painted in my head with his descriptions of a 9th Ward largely forgotten by the Federal Government and the news media. And no, he is always that skinny. I have no idea what those stomach worms survived on.

I honestly have no idea how I make these connections in my head any more than I know how all this detritus from all the tenants who’ve ever lived here in our little South Felton Ghetto apartment has collected in such a perfect way but it all seemed to congeal for our little photo shoot.

So Rob is telling me about how the levies everywhere are being built up high and the city is being restored – except in the Lower 9th (where all the poor people live). The difficulty of bringing a civilizing agent like education to a part of town that as he describes it sounds more akin to the para-apocalyptic descriptions of a Palahniuk or McCarthy novel . And I think, “huh, ok then, climb up on that stair master with your beer.”

So here is the deal. I need 5-10 Digital SLRs. They don’t have to be fancy. Just a body with a 35mm lens (on the crop sensor 35 is closer to a 50mm lens), and 5-10 little digicams to take to the school. Oh, and if you wouldn’t mind kicking down some cash for travel and expenses that would be rad as well. And you would be a huge help if you would share this post with your friends. Working under the 6 degrees of separation theory I’m hoping that someone knows someone who knows someone who will help me get my little documentary published – any where.

For you photographers, the shots were done with 2 SB 600s on stands to each side of Rob with gobos to block flair from the strobes reaching the lens. One SB 800 on camera with one of those over priced Garry Fong Lightspheres as a diffuser on camera acting as the master controller through CLS. And yes I know I got some shadow on the fence. If you are so upset about it then send me a couple more strobes and next time I will also light the fence.