Tim De Frisco | weblog

California: Part two

2012-01-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

We've been back in California for a few months now, enjoying a beautiful winter, and loving working more on the coast. I'm still working in Colorado a bunch and anywhere else the projects take me. Here are a few images from some recent shoots on the Central Coast.

Still Crazy After All These Years

2012-01-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

It's always a lot of fun to be working with the great athletes and entertainers at the Harlem Globetrotters, together with long-time friend Dan Price at Adrenalin (Denver). The Globetrotters are currently trotting to a global capitol near you! Including Wichita Falls, Texas and Pocatello, Idaho this week. Take the family!

I still claim to be 6'1".

Dan Price enjoying a moment of Zen before the Adrenalin kicks in

Colorado Avalanche portraits

2011-03-23T10:24:00.002-06:00

Native Eyewear Catalog

2011-02-14T09:32:00.004-07:00

For their 2011 catalog, Native Eyewear brings a nice mix of black & white environmental portraits together with their product images. They chose to tell this year's story through profiles of some of Boulder's visionaries in a variety of fields, everything from bikes to beer. The catalog was produced by the talented team at Motive in Denver.

I really enjoyed spending some time on this project, meeting some great people and capturing a bit of the real person behind the persona.

Christian Griffith: Verve Climbing
Timmy O'Neill: timmyoneill.com
Lennard Zinn: Zinn Cycles
Adam Avery: Avery Brewing

Project: Billings, Montana

2011-02-07T14:31:00.003-07:00

Last fall we spent some time working with AD Creative Group to create a series of images for the Billings, Montana Convention and Visitor's Bureau. The series of ads will be used in print, outdoor, and on the web throughout 2011. Here's a peek at some of the layouts, and a few production shots as well.

It's always great to see the images once they are dropped into their final form with all of the design elements in place. AD has done some really nice design, letting the images carry the message and tying things together with complimentary graphic and type elements.

AD's Creative Director, Andy Yates came to me with some ideas for the project and we began a collaboration that yielded some great results. We would need to create nine scenes over a five-day shoot, showcasing various elements of Billings, everything from family activities, dining, hiking to passing through town on a Harley. We created a rough schedule for the shots and then adjusted on the fly as the week went on to make the most of good weather while we had it. Our planning and flexibility, along with the great local resources pulled together by AD's President, Eric Finstad who's help was invaluable.

Thanks to everyone involved!

Billings, Montana: production photos

2011-02-07T14:24:00.003-07:00

Never underestimate the power of man and his mini-van.

More fun with the Globetrotters

2010-10-07T13:29:00.002-06:00

We're just back from New York, after once again working with the Harlem Globetrotters for their 2011 promotional images. Always a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I think if I do this for one more year, I become an honorary member of the Washington Generals.

One-A-Day project rolls past 100 days.

2010-08-06T12:14:00.006-06:00

A few days back I posted my one-hundredth image in my One-A-Day project on Tumblr. I really didn't start out with any specific goal for how long I might like to keep this up, but for now we roll along. For the most part, I'm pretty happy with where the project has taken me, and hope to keep it up for a while. I've found myself in some interesting places while out trolling for subject matter, driven a lot of miles, and I've learned a few things about myself along the way. I have an apparent affinity for goats, squirrels and shopping carts and I'm a sucker for dramatic clouds.

A few times, the project has been quite a pain in the ass. Wrapping up a busy day and realizing that I don't have anything I want to post. Often, this has sent me out chasing the fading light and hoping to be inspired, but really having no idea of what I'm looking for. More often than not, I've met an interesting person or experimented with some old-school long exposures to bring out the magic of the evening. Not every result has been great, but most have been pretty satisfying. A few times I've pulled frames from a job I've been working on, but for the most part, I've created something wholly different, and often as an antidote for selling my soul.

One of the reasons I started the project was to connect with more people on a daily basis. For the most part, I've done this, but I still have plenty of days where I love the solitude of being all alone in a wide open space pulling together all of the elements to create something unique.

Thanks to everyone who has offered their encouragement along the way. It's nice to know that the work is being seen.

Here are a few of my favorites, along with some notes.

"Bring your daughter downtown.. don't forget the tutus". Thanks Barb and Bailey.

"how about you get back up on that ladder like you were a minute ago".

I spent a long time roaming around an abandoned house as the sun went down and made few decent pictures, but loved the magic of the rain on the windshield as I was about to leave. Tip: keep a flashlight in the glovebox.

One of many visits to a Wal-Mart parking lot. This time with the Magic Box.

Back to the same abandoned house, this time with a willing friend in tow.

My piano, Morgan's dog Paxton.

My own take on one of Boulder's most photographed spots at Chautauqua.

Woody & Joan, my neighbors, delivering geraniums to all of the mothers on my street prior to Mother's Day.
Kind of funny how much effort and equipment went into this capture of a squirrel on my back fence. I think I got it out of system, now I just wish the little bastards would stop eating my peaches.

It was a little satisfying to drive by this same spot the next day and see that all of the "weeds" had been mowed.

Fun project for Starz On Demand

2010-06-15T12:38:00.004-06:00

I had an interesting project recently for Starz, creating images for Starz On Demand video spots, currently running on the network. Working over three shoot days, we produced a set of images from five scenes that were cut with movie clips, and edited into the final 30 and 60 second spots. The idea, was to convey images of people living their lives without concern over when their favorite movies or shows are airing, with on-demand, they are in control.

Working closely with the in-house creative team at Starz, we broke down each scene into a series of stills, so that different parts of the still frame could be animated and move independently against the background clips. Starz art director, David Kammerzell did a beautiful job editing the spots and adding the star power with the movie clips.

Each of the five scenes presented it's own set of challenges, most of them the usual technical sort, but the skateboarding shot presented the most unique challenges. We shot at the crowded Denver skatepark on a beautiful, warm spring day. Our biggest obstacle was dealing with the hostile local skaters who didn't like giving up any park time to our skater Kody Wright. After each pass in front of the camera, Kody had to head back into the crowd of pissed-off skaters to start his next run-up before launch. No punches were thrown, but a few members of crew had some pretty heated exchanges with Denver's finest street rats.

My favorite image is the office scene where we combined three light sources (strobe, tungsten and L.E.D.) to create the late-night office environment.

Pants on the Ground

2010-06-04T11:51:00.002-06:00

Here's a funny outtake from a recent Sports Illustrated assignment. I was down in Lamar, Colorado working on a college baseball story. Between the two games of a double-header, I was walking past the dugout when I noticed the team from Central Arizona was doing there best to cool off in the 98 degree heat. Simple, but effective.

One-A-Day project update.

2010-05-14T11:05:00.003-06:00

One of my favorites so far.

Check them all out on Tumblr or on Twitter, or find me on Facebook.

One-A-Day project.

2010-05-05T18:24:00.002-06:00

My work is often diverse, and on different days, very different from the day before. While the ever-changing nature of my subject matter keeps me interested, and is one of the things that has shaped my talents, I haven't always taken the time to follow my vision. I've spent way too much time trying to figure out where my work fits into the marketplace. Often, editing what I create to suit the potential clients who are viewing my website, excluding images which I love because they don't fit in with my core style. I'm very proud of the work on my website but it really isn't a complete picture of what moves me. So, to challenge myself, I recently started my One-A-Day project. There are no worries here about diluting my identity as a creator, these images were created and posted simply because they made me feel good. The only rule is that the image I post for each day must be created that day. I'm only two weeks into the project, but I'm already energized by the challenge to create something fresh every day, and I've connected with people whom I would never have approached otherwise. So, check it out. Not sure where it's headed, but I think that's the point.

Springtime on the Central Coast

2010-04-21T10:18:00.002-06:00

It seemed like it would never stop raining this winter in California, but of course it did, and the green of spring has been gorgeous. I've been spending some time enjoying the scenery along the central coast, exploring some new locations and shooting some of the local talent.

Native Eyewear Prints Ads

2010-04-19T17:38:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty excited about the print ads currently running for Native Eyewear. All of the images were shot on location in Seattle and the gang at Motive did a really nice job on the graphic design work. Below is a look at the pieces and the some details on where you can see them.

Jason Kehl hangs out at the Seattle Public Library. Currently running in Climbing, Dead Point and Urban Climber magazines.

Andie Bernard flees from the troll. Currently running in Trail Runner.

Jeff Lenosky takes the stairs... sort of. Bike Magazine and Decline.

Here's to the Kids

2010-04-14T12:42:00.002-06:00

Colorado Avalanche rookies Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene get their first taste of playoff hockey tonight. Here's a look at a portrait session we had before the season got started, back when they were young. Not sure how those playoff beards are going to fill out, hopefully they have some time to find out.

Play Ball!

2010-04-05T13:13:00.001-06:00

PDF Portfolios posted

2010-03-04T13:11:00.003-07:00

We've just added a set of PDF portfolios available for download directly from the website and the blog (that's them over there on the right).

Now you have the ability to download and save the books for later review, print and share the images you like, paper the walls of your cube, line your birdcage.... whatever you like, the options are endless.

A new look: De Frisco Lite

2010-02-18T12:57:00.005-07:00

We've just completed redesigning the studio website and implementing the new logo and background. The new look adds a lighter overall feel to the site and provides more continuity throughout my various pieces. I'm really excited about the updated look, which carries through on everything from portfolios to this blog (sort of, still working on it).

Many thanks to Jeff Keil for his design work on the logo and background.

Not sure why, maybe it's just California on the brain, but the new look reminds me of some far away diner from my youth in Southern California. It feels like I'm looking over the menu, and suddenly I feel the need for pie, or a late-night breakfast.

Logo:

Website/Portfolio page background:

Portfolio cover:

Izod Golf, Tehama... California.

2009-12-22T15:27:00.002-07:00

Just finished shooting in Southern California for Izod and Tehama. We had to dodge some raindrops, but enjoyed the greenery just the same. Here's a taste.

Native Eyewear Catalog

2009-12-01T16:16:00.003-07:00

Well, I've just gotten my hands on the Native Eyewear 2010 catalog and it looks great!! Many thanks to everyone involved in the project.

Motive (Denver) produced the shoot in Seattle back in August, and also handled all of the design work on the catalog. We were involved early on in the project and the final product really shows what a great concept, great organization, great communication can accomplish. Matt Statman and the rest of the Motive team really listened to us when it came to explaining what it would take to create the images we all wanted, and then, they gave us the time and the resources to make it all happen. Native Eyewear and Motive are both to be commended for sticking to there original ideas and making sure the printed piece reflected the image Native wanted to convey. Too often, design-by-committee and lack of a clear vision result in a boring final product, but not in this case.

Early on, we discussed the creative vision for this book and agreed on the gritty/urban feel that we wanted to carry through all of the images. Seattle presented a great variety of locations that fit this feeling and we scouted and planned the shoot days based on optimizing the look and feel we wanted.

Once we had our plans in place, we followed a group of athletes around Seattle for most of a week, while they pulled-off some great tricks, we all dodged the cops and came away with an exciting set of images for Native.

Here are a few of the images from the project, a few more scattered through the studio website.

Behind the scenes: Harlem Globetrotters

2009-10-19T18:13:00.002-06:00

Hangin' in Harlem

2009-10-19T18:06:00.002-06:00

Busy, busy, busy lately, including some fun with the Harlem Globetrotters last week. Here's a peak at some fun portraits.

Pearl Izumi print ads via Pocket Hercules

2009-08-31T15:40:00.004-06:00

Earlier in the summer we had some fun producing a set of images for a Pearl Izumi advertising campaign. The ads for the Louisville (CO) based apparel manufacturer were created by Pocket Hercules (Minneapolis). The initial ads ran during the Tour de France and follow up versions are currently running in national cycling publications.

The humorous campaign is built around the International Federation of Apparel Compliance (IFAC), and it's crackdown on performance enhancing apparel produced by the Pearl Izumi Speed Shop. The images we created show various scenes of naked cyclists having recently been busted and stripped of their illegal apparel, while IFAC's Bernard LaBoeuf proudly displays the confiscated items in an evidence bag.

It was a team effort to create the various scenes, led by Pocket's creative director, Jason Smith. All of the images were created locally near the Pearl Izumi headquarters in Louisville.

Check out the video for the IFAC here.

Here are three of the final ads, as well as a few behind the scenes photos (see previous post).

Pearl Izumi IFAC-behind the scenes

2009-08-31T15:29:00.005-06:00

Dry road, sunny day...
... just add water.

Run, Tera, Run!

2009-08-21T14:30:00.003-06:00

Colorado's own Tera Moody will toe the line for the marathon in Berlin on Sunday representing our country in the World Championships.

Tera is great runner who's gotten some notoriety in Runner's World lately for her chronic insomnia, hopefully she has a great race on Sunday and the real story becomes her top performance at the world champs.

Tera and I got together in June on a whim to take advantage of the great stormy skies we were having every afternoon. Here are a few images we were able to make before getting drenched.

For real. You can feel the difference, can't you?

2009-08-03T17:02:00.003-06:00

Are you like me? Are you tired of being fed crappy fake images? CGI movies and Photoshop Frankensteins. In the digital world, anything is possible, and we are saturated with created realities that do nothing but make us doubt what is real.

Don't forget that there are amazing people out there, doing spectacular things, it's an insult to their hard work to assume that we need to improve upon their feats. If you're skilled enough to capture the real, there is no need for the unreal.

If you need a dose of the genuinely spectacular, here are a few images, created 100 percent in-camera. Real location, real skies, and real athletes going balls out! And yes, real rocks, flying through the air... I've got the bumps on my head to prove it.

Triathlete's World cover

2009-08-03T13:48:00.003-06:00

British Triathlete Dion Harrison is featured on the August cover of Triathlete's World (UK). Dion has been spending the summer training in Boulder and we caught up with him a few weeks ago. Between dodging the traffic and the raindrops, we managed to get a nice image of Dion for the cover.

Lights, cameras... handcuffs?

2009-07-06T14:08:00.005-06:00

We've been having some fun lately working on a project for a great client. As of yet, we're still waiting for the first of the images to get their national release, so no details yet. Let's just say, you can find just about anybody on Craig's List.

More to come.

Getting the L.E.D. out

2009-06-04T13:24:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite bipolar, but every yin needs it's yang. It can't all be high-flying, fast paced action, so here are some of my quieter moments.

Good Morning Boulder!

2009-05-12T12:32:00.003-06:00

NWBA Portraits

2009-03-24T13:29:00.004-06:00

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) was in Denver last week for their national championships. It was the largest gathering ever of these great athletes. I spent some time covering the games and took the opportunity to take a few portraits as well.

Nice work from Taylor Guitars

2009-02-05T11:03:00.005-07:00

A couple of months back I bought a new guitar for my son. The guitar is a beautiful acoustic from Taylor. A few weeks ago he got a copy of their in-house produced magazine in the mail, the winter 2009 issue of Wood & Steel. It’s been sitting around on the coffee table, and I’ve noticed that I keep picking it up, something about it keeps beckoning me to flip through the pages again and again.
This is a big printed piece that features some beautiful photography (very well used) and simple classy design that doesn’t compete with the images of the elegant products. This is the kind of printed piece that I would have held onto and gained inspiration from many years ago, when I first picked up a camera. I guess I’m still doing that.
In the spirit of celebrating what is good, I’d like to congratulate the people at Taylor for producing a beautiful printed piece, their craftsmanship extends beyond their guitars, well done!

http://www.taylorguitars.com/

One Advantage to the Neighborhood

2009-01-26T11:24:00.005-07:00

We may have to put up with more than our fair share of empty 40 ouncers strewn around, but I guess being a few blocks from the rescue mission has a few perks. Like when local graffiti artist, Jacob Bay tracked me down and asked if he and few mates could take over the side of the building for a legal project. Why not? I thought. It didn't look that great in the first place, and if it irritates the old bag who owns the dirt lot next door, even better.

There are six panels in all, here are a few images of the results.

Peyton Hillis for ESPN

2008-12-01T16:46:00.004-07:00

If you've ever wondered how NFL running backs train to run while carrying a 380 pound defensive lineman on their back, here's a workout tip for you from Denver Broncos' rookie Peyton Hillis, try pulling an SUV around for a while. We had the pleasure of working with Peyton on a feature for this week's ESPN magazine.

Afraid, it still doesn't look right

2008-11-19T11:46:00.003-07:00

Even with all of the ways to track open rates, and click-through rates of an email promo, there really is no way to beat the good old fashioned way of just misspelling a word an then see who's really paying attention. Congratulations to those of you who caught on to our little ploy.

Tim's Top Ten Reactions to Misspelling Afraid.

10. Doh! Lousy college dropout.
09. A-f-f-f-raid, you know, like they're scared
08. Spellcheck anyone?
07. We just wanted to see who was paying attention.
06. Endorphin rush gone awry.
05. Blame the illegals.
04. It just looks cooler with two Fs.
03. My wife was out of town.
02. At least the photo was in focus.
01. Sarah Palin is my studio manager.

Messenger Images to be Featured at Interbike

2008-09-21T17:13:00.004-06:00

Some images from my Bike Messenger portrait series will be included in the Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show on Thursday evening, beginning at 5:00PM, in the Venetian Ballroom G.

Details of the event can be found here. This show sounds like a unique and fun event, if you're going to be in Las Vegas for Interbike, make sure you stop by.

We've got some new Messenger images posted in the Projects sections of the website, check it out.

I'm a tool.

2008-09-02T13:12:00.005-06:00

Seriously, many photographers have been referred to as tools for a variety of reasons, usually this is not done in a complimentary fashion. I'm here to say that I'm proud to be a tool!

You've got a project, you need a tool, enough said.

In Praise of the Quickie:

Sometimes you’re not looking for a long-term relationship. You have needs, we understand, we’ll do our best to help you out, no matter what you might be craving. And, we won’t stalk you, and we’ll still respect you in the morning.

New Website Launched Today

2008-08-26T10:23:00.002-06:00

We have faith in you.

The conventional wisdom says that if you want to be remembered you should specialize, define one style, and stick with it. If you show potential clients too much, they'll get confused and forget what it is you do. True, perhaps for some, but not all.

It's never been our goal to work with the creatives who have trouble thinking for themselves. We trust you can peruse the site and see that the style we have defined translates into more than one subject matter.

The new site is much deeper and displays a much broader spectrum of our work. So, wait until you've got a few minutes, grab a cup of coffee and take a look.

Bike Messengers Being Shot in Denver

2008-08-26T09:18:00.006-06:00

Many thanks to everyone who came by the studio on Saturday. The project is off to a great start. See more images on the website, click on "more work" to see the gallery.

Bike Messengers Should Be Shot!!

2008-08-14T18:45:00.004-06:00

Calling all Denver bike messengers; the few, the proud, the drunk. We're starting a portrait project featuring Denver's finest ambassadors. We plan to feature the images on our website and print some spoke cards. Brink your bike and your attitude, we can offer images, beer and snacks. We'd love to hear from you, feel free to email or post a comment here.

Another World Record Falls!

2008-08-14T13:17:00.002-06:00

Beijing isn't the only place that records are falling. For the second time this week the record for the fastest bicycle commute ever between my house and my studio has been shattered. This time the elusive 70 minute barrier was smashed. “ I think a real key was ignoring the phone call I got around the 20 mile mark” I said, “ had I taken the call, you never know if I would have been able to continue my breakneck pace along the bike path”. Conditions were nearly perfect this morning with temperatures in the low 60s and no wind. “The gnats along the river were also at a minimum, I think I only had to cough up one or two” I continued to myself. Another key to the record time over the 24 mile route was the lack of interference from the homeless community. At times the wandering homeless can really be tough to negotiate as they arise after a night sleeping under the various bridges along the way, “sometimes I feel of bad for them, but hey, its kind of like camping and I wish I had more time for that”.

De Frisco Studio Interbike Ad

2008-08-03T16:14:00.002-06:00

We've just completed a full page print ad that will appear inside the back cover of the show guide at Interbike. Many thanks to Phillip McInturff for getting the design work done on a tight deadline. Interbike will be September 24-26 in Las Vegas. See more of our cycling imagery on the website.