These came out really cool. Can't wait to see them in person. I understand the Japanese versions sound way better.
Watch This
Self portrait product photography is about to blow up. It's the obvious next step.
If you don't want my face behind your product, don't call me. I refuse to be shackled by your ignorance.
#artist
Intensely Honored
How cool are these guys!?
Maybe next year they'll add a category for Best Mountain Bike Photograph of the Year.
Homophones Make Life Harder
I realize they're an established company, leaders in the industry and all that, but I think that Shure should change their name. For my convenience.
Let me explain. If someone asks me, "Hey Steve, you're an outrageously handsome and successful photographer, what have you been shooting?" and I say, "Thank you for noticing, I shot a thing for Shure this week." I find myself searching their eyes for a spark of recognition. But the spark I find there isn't usually recognition, but appreciation. I imagine their inner monologue going something like this, "Wow, Steve is really certain that he shot a thing. Unshakably so. I wish I believed in something with such fervency." The spark fades. I say, "No, Shure, s-H-u-r-e. You know, the company, they make sweet microphones and headphones and stuff." "Oohhhhhhhh. Got it. Cool!"
Maybe a different homophone. "I shot for Takos this week!" That's a positive situation no matter how you take it.
Anyway, I'm sure I shot a thing for Shure. And it is cool! They are presently using the result as the profile image for all of their social media accounts. Thanks to the team at MiresBall for going to the trouble of machining this sucker, and asking me to shoot it!
If you thought the title of this post said something about homophobes, raise your hand. That's what I thought.
Our First Time Lapse
We did another fun little shoot for Intense Cycles a couple weeks ago. This time shooting big sexy profiles for a big sexy lookbook they'll be printing soon. Burd set up a few time lapse shots and this was our favorite. We made it short so we could use it on Instagram.
I think it's pretty cool, we'll definitely do more.
Speaking of Resolution
We Need Bigger Monitors
I think laptops should have 40" screens. A lot of the images I love just don't have the right impact on a tiny little 27" iMac. Cropping can work, but sometimes you end up losing important elements..
The logo looks amazing. Trust me.
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad
That is to say, my Dad is awesome. I don't know your Dad. He's probably pretty cool too.
I love my Dad. I learned everything I know about being a man from him. Hard work, responsibility, and respect, and love as the driving force of all those things. And he never failed to let me know that he thinks that I'm awesome too. For a young man walking a different path than he did, that's pretty huge.
I took the pictures below on our annual fishing trip a few years ago. This one to Alaska. The first is my favorite picture of him. I like that he's not looking at the camera. His eyes are down the river, looking confidently at the future. He's strolling casually because this rocky river on the grizzly bear infested Kenai Peninsula is exactly where he belongs.
My Dad, john Simar
Since it's illegal for my Dad to kill a grizzly bear in Alaska with his bare hands out of season, I can't confirm or deny what may or may not have happened to the bear in the picture below.
I love you Dad. Happy Father's Day.
This is Not a Joke
Guess which Behance project they featured in the Member Gallery at the APA website. I'll wait..
That's right.
Now all six people that look at the Member Gallery at the APA website are going to think the same thing you all thought. Pervs.
Not sure what this is about? Scroll down.
What's the difference between a dildo?
If you saw the thumbnail of the image below and thought to yourself, "Man, that kinda looks like a wiener." You should definitely be ashamed of yourself. But you should also know that you're not alone. Turns out there are tons of pervs out there just like you!
It's a lightbulb! I swear! So what do we do about it? I still think it's a pretty rad shot, so I'm determined to find a way to save it.
First attempt: Maybe the difference is 29.5˚? What do you think, does it look more like a light bulb in a vertical orientation? Or does it just look like a front on fruit basket? Just a slight change in the angle of the dangle, if you will..
Second attempt: What about a composition and a tighter crop? I'm thinking that this tighter crop features the splashes better. And with the crop passing through the threaded bottom of the bulbs, it draws the eye to that feature, thus making it a quicker lightbulb read.
There's gotta be a way. I want to know what you think! Please leave me a comment. Does one of these options fix the phallic tendency, or should I try something else?
Really Really Intense
Intense ran this in a bunch of mountain bike mags. It looks amazing. Building that file was quite a process. Good thing AJ is a genius. It doesn't hurt that the bike's they make are unreal.
Sneak Preview
Screen grab from a current project. As Dr. Dinsmore said way too many times, "Physics is phun."
It's happening. Resistance is futile. You should totally follow me. I'm an exciting person. And sometimes I even make my own filters.
Speaking of which, here's a fun fact: the full frame border I put on the image below was scanned from a print I made in school with a real live full-frame neg holder. That I, Steve Simar, filed out with my own two hands. Take THAT, digital!
No, I Do Not Like to Make Babies Cry
Why the crying baby? So glad you asked. Here's the story.
We needed a shot of me for the website, and, happily enough, a little downtime presented itself during a recent shoot. Kevin took a good 40 or 50 shots of me standing there in my clothes consciously trying not to look self-conscious. They were nice and all, but a little bit too.. I don't know... normal.
Then Burd showed up with his daughter in her pretty pink jammies, and said, "Hey, you should hold the baby." We shot a whole series of me pretending to scold someone off set while holding the happy baby. They were hilarious. Ricki is a very happy baby who likes to stick her tongue out at the camera. After a while she lost patience with the whole scene. In the moment I thought it would be funny to display the opposite emotion. It was our last frame with the baby, and it turned out to be the winner because...
Upon review, while the others were funny, Ricki was simply TOO cute in all of them. I don't mean that in the same way a new grandmother means it. I mean that her cuteness was overpowering. I mean, just look at that face..
I can't be expected to compete with that. And I won't. Not on MY website, sister.
Persistence
As a man with talent, I take exception to his second sentence. The rest is amazing though:
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”