The FRINGE Report

One of my favorite shows on TV right now is FRINGE. I like it so much that myself and my two friends Ian and Craig have started a live internet show where we talk about the previous week, discuss theories, and make predictions about the coming shows. We started this show only a couple weeks ago in conjunction with the starting of the second season of FRINGE. Check us out Wednesdays at 9pm EST at theFRINGEreport.com.

I took these photos and created this composite to help promote our show, as well as provide a classy user icon for the myriad of social networks that allow to you present yourself as a 80-pixel-wide square icon. I modeled the light and composition after the official FRINGE Season 1 DVD cover.

CJ

This is a photo of CJ Hardee at Bright City Studios in Charlotte, NC.

CJ wrote and performed a song on an upcoming album that was produced at Bright City, and I am REALLY looking forward to it.

I'm Tired of Brick

Let me start this rant by first saying that I really like this photo. Mostly because I really like Shea and Kevin, the way they dressed, how much they love each other, and how happy they are. However, coming from a purely artistic and creative sense, I am way over-tired of brick backgrounds.

We were shooting in Olde Towne Portsmouth, and if you've ever been there you know that finding a non-brick building is rare. Olde Townes are like that.

I guess it's because I've just seen so many brick backgrounds for everything from head shots to band photos to bridal portraits, that it just seems "Stock". Don't get me wrong, sometimes brick is the right texture for the job, and sometimes the client insists on it.

When we finished this location, we walked 15 feet and changed angles and got this shot. Totally different feel, and a lot more exciting.

I'll continue shooting photos up against brick walls, because sometimes that what I have to do. There are so many other textures that I'll try first though.

Someone Else's Camera

This was shot at The Norva while Over the Ocean was playing on Sept. 11, 2009. As I'm walking from one side of the crowd to the other, I see some bloke raising his camera in the air to get a shot of Jesse, and I snipe his shot. Ha ha sucker. It's my photo now. Totally mine.

And yours too. I'm sharing it with you here.

Lady In The Water

This is from an older photo session with Sara. We were losing the sun very quickly on the beach that evening, and I was juggling two models and one light in the sand. I'm so glad I didn't have to worry about cables. That is worth the price of the Pocket Wizards.

I did a lot of post production to this image. I'm not usually a fan of over "Photochopping" an image, but I like how this almost looks out of this era.

Old Man And The Bride

One of my favorite shots from a wedding I was second-shooter for. Not much to say about this one except how much I love his little "I (heart) Jesus" button. Old people are so cute.

This was shot in a gymnasium with a really really high cream-colored ceiling. I bounced my little battery-powered SB-28 strobe straight up to get some bounce. I had that little guy turned all the way up for the whole reception, and I was just going through batteries like a hot knife through butter.

Proposal Session

This is my beautiful sister-in-law Melody with her now-fiance, and my good friend, Mike. This photo session was actually just a device that Mike used in order to propose to Melody. We shot several set-ups all around Lions Bridge in Newport News, VA and finally settled under a big canopy tree by the water for the last set. It was here that Mike handed Melody a letter while I pretended to adjust settings or something. When she was finished reading, he asked her to be his wife and handed her a ring. It was precious and romantic, and surprising, and all captured with nice, balanced, soft lighting.

I like the story this photo tells, or rather, the story that this photo reflects. Mike had been interested in Melody for years, but Melody didn't know. Mike was doing what he had to do to ensure he could be with her, trusting that she would return his feelings after he wooed her. And woo her is did. And then Melody knew. Mike remained patient throughout the process, and never kept his eyes off the goal. He never kept his eyes off of Melody.

This shot was taken with an Alien Bees B800 light being shot through a 48" umbrella fired with Pocket Wizards in the shade of the bridge.

I'll post more photos from their engagement, but you can see the whole story unfold on Facebook for now.

It's Not About The Dress

I don't shoot weddings that often, but this was a snapshot of a bridal portrait session that I was assisting on. It's not the bride, the dress, or even the flowers that are the subject in this shot, it's the composition. The framing of this shot is what makes the shot.

Nate At The Norva

My friends are in a band. That band is called Over The Ocean. They are brilliant.

This is a photo of Nate Crawford slaying people with his rock at the Norva in Norfolk, VA on September 11, 2009.

I had one hot-shoe Nikon SB-28 flash mounted on the balcony camera-right, and had my shutter speed somewhere around 1/30th. I used the 15mm Sigma fisheye lens that I bought specifically for Africa, and waited until the lighting guy gave me some really heavy back-light.

Fear The Beard

This is Matt Lockett. He's the director of Bound4LIFE. You can stalk him on his blog, this twitter, or on facebook... if you dare.

You see, I took a series of photos for myself, and my two friends Ian and Craig (known to our 2 year-old as Neat and Durg, respectively) for a new online venture you shall hear about shortly. Matt saw those photos and wanted something "just as cool, if not cooler".

I think this is pretty much the sweetest profile picture ever. And it's a sample of what I can do with less than 30 minutes of your time. Check out my current rates at my web site.

Olde Towne

Why do historical parts of a city have to add an 'e' to the end of everything? Ye Olde Towne? Come on.

This was taken in Olde Towne Portsmouth(e) for an engagement shoot with Shea and Kevin. They were a ton of fun, and we had a bucket of laughs. They actually walked away from this shoot with a free bottle of wine.

Printing Over The Ocean

I'm going to be at the Over The Ocean show at the Norva tonight in Norfolk, Virginia. Not only am I going to be taking pictures during the set, but I'll be sitting behind the merchandise table for the better part of the evening, selling this piece, and 5 other like it.

I was commissioned by the band Over The Ocean(who are also some really very good friends of mine and excellent musicians) to create some art that utilizes the the lyrics from some of the band's songs.

These pieces are not available for purchase online, and can only be found at one of their live shows until sold out. They are 8"x8" color prints on semi-glossy paper.

It has been a long time since I've done any sort of graphic art, but I'm very pleased with this series, and will continue to post more here for purchase and conversation.

If you find yourself in Norfolk, Virginia tonight, please do stop by the Norva and treat yourself to some music and art.

A Failed Headshot

Shooting some head shots for my wife Heather, I must have said something to make her laugh. Of course, I probably said it so that she would laugh. I love it when she does that.

This wouldn't work as a headshot, but it's certainly one of my favorite moments of her in front of a camera.

More Hulking Out

In keeping with the previous montage, this is what happens when a young boy sees his friend take off his shirt and make intense faces. Clearly, Samo has had more practice than Isaiah, but there is still time.

Hulking Out

This is Sam. He has an incredible imagination, and if you know him, you know that the words "incredible" and "imagination" don't hold a candle to what Sam is really like.

Heather and I had just finished a little birthday session for Zoe when our kids' friends came to see what all the fuss was about. Naturally, they wanted to see themselves on the screen like Zoe as I was tethering the Nikon D200 to the Mac Pro via a new piece of software I'm trying out called Sofortbild.

I couldn't resist.

Sam, or Samo as we call him, loves The Incredible Hulk. Despite it looking like he's having pants trouble, in this photo, Samo is "hulking out". In his mind, he turns a deep shade of green, his muscles become huge, and his blue jeans turn into purple shorts.

But please don't tell him that his favorite Marvel character just got bought by the same company that brought us Hannah Montana. He'll probably hulk out for real, and you won't like him when he's angry.

Zoyenka, Age 1

This is the last post of Zoe for a while. It was her birthday on Friday, so I have to post photos online for the family, right?

A new tradition in the Bethune household is that I will be taking a portrait of my kids on each of their birthdays. While they are kids, it's for me and my wife, but when they get older, it will be for all of us, and when they become adults it will be for them. And when they get married, I'll use it to embarrass them. Because I love them.

Celebrating One Year

I gave Heather a hard time about going to great lengths to decorate a cake for Zoe's first birthday. I can imagine a baby would think of it as an edible punching bag, but Heather treated it like a wedding cake. It really was beautiful.

Every time I would say something about it, Heather would respond, "It's for me" and I would assume she meant that she was putting work into it because she wanted something to do, and perhaps that was the truth, but I realized something else.

Zoe doesn't care about her first birthday. She like the attention, she likes playing with toys, but she really don't understand the concept yet. To her, it's not unlike any other day. However, I can say with certainty that she understands the concept of treats and toys.

Heather, on the other hand, understands the idea of birthdays and anniversaries. Heather understands milestones and accomplishments. Zoyenka turning one-year-old yesterday had less to do about her age, and more to do with what Heather accomplished one year ago, and the 9 months prior.

I love one-year celebrations. "It was one-year-ago since..."

So, my wife had proper reason to go to infinite lengths to decorate the cake and to make it as special for her as possible. And then, we watch as Zoe smears it into oblivion.

Happy Birthday Zoyenka

This is a photo of my beautiful wife Heather holding our daughter Zoyenka a few hours after she was born exactly one year-ago, today.

First birthdays are less about the child, and more about the mother. And, about everyone's reaction to the baby digging into the cake.

Pepsi Vs. Coke

Ready? Fight.

This was snapped in Clemmons, NC at an old mechanic's shop. If there are any Winston-Salem artists or musicians who want their portrait done, let me know. I'll come down there just to shoot at this location.

Mattias In The Studio

This is actually a test shot of Mattias in my father's storage/studio/piano/costume room. The black roll of paper was apparently crushed in one spot, and that's enough to ruin the whole roll. That's why you never store those rolls on their side either, always store them standing up.

I like this shot nonetheless, almost more so because the background is nearly unrecognizable, as my sister pointed out.

Happy Birthday, Mother Dear

Today is my mother's birthday. Being the second oldest of seven children, I cannot overstate how wonderful my mom is. How do you describe a woman who gave girth to seven kids, home-schooled them all, cooks, cleans, sews, writes, and works part-time? Seriously. What do you give that woman as a gift? Really, there's nothing that can come close.

My mother, Sara, is on facebook now, but she's not a stalker mom. I'm sure she would love it if you posted something on her wall.

The only problem with writing a blog post about your mother is that you're bound to get an email about how many grammatical errors there were.

The above photo was taken at Christmastime of 2008 in my parent's abode in Chesapeake, VA. Shot with available light and a 28mm lens on my old, trusty Nikon d50.

Right Before The Lions Got Him

This was taken on the Masai Mara in Southern Kenya. I snapped this photo seconds before the lions pounced and ruined our trip.

Just kidding.

It didn't ruin our trip.

I'm now offering 8x10 prints from my trip to Africa, as well as from various other photographic experiences at prints.levibethune.com but you can purchase limited edition prints straight from this blog.