NEW ADDRESS!

Kaare Iverson Photography the blog has been moved (by me) to a new address closer to home.

Please check out blog.kaareiverson.com for future posts.

Cheers and thanks for reading!

~Kaare

Portrait Photography – Shane Koyczan

I’m ecstatic anytime I’m offered a portraiture assignment in which the creative direction falls entirely to me; particularly so when the subject is one who’s career is as impressive as Shane Koyczan‘s (Shane Koyczan is a renowned performance poet and Canadian hero who gets gigs like “The Olympic Games” in case you don’t know…).  There was a time in my life when I thought that poetry was the direction my arts career was headed in, rather than photography, and that little fantasy is owed almost entirely to Shane…so you can image my excitement when he contact me to shoot his promotional portraiture.

I wanted to depict Shane through a range of visual metaphors to illustrate both his personality and his presence in the audience’s conscious.  However, I wanted to take him away from the environment of the stage and make something more personal and introspective.  So I took all that and wrapped it up in a very polished package that involved numerous hours in the studio and a couple of $20′s slipped into the appropriate hands to gain access to some super secret locations.

And here are just a couple of my favourites from the shoot:

Portrait Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography – Shane Koyczan Garden of Words

Portrait Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography – Shane Koyczan’s Seeds of Change

Portrait Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography – Shane Koyczan’s Take a Seat

Running Down the Perfect Running Photo

I’ve been trying to get down to South Beach (that’s Miami Beach for those of you wondering) to shoot a fitness and running test for some time now.  The elements (and by that I mean the weather) finally came together a few weeks ago and I connected with my friends Fania and Abram for a little running photography test.

Ideally I would have loved to photograph something a bit more “trail running” style with these two, but I was in south Florida and there’s not a lot of that environment around here.

Abram running down the dream on Miami Beach – Fitness, Running Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography

Fania running down Abram on Miami Beach – Fitness, Running Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography

Handstands on high – Fitness Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography

As every “test” shoot is just that (a test), this was an opportunity to try some different techniques, lighting styles, compositions and such.  I shot this all with pretty hard light sources (beauty dishes and reflector dishes) because I wanted a tougher look… and because I didn’t want to set up umbrellas and octobanks in a windy and busy park.  The technicalities of lighting and composition aside, what I really learned from this experience is how to shoot running without totally dropping the ball.  The truth is, running is HARD to shoot!

While I’m very comfortable with the timing of shooting other sport and fitness situations, it took me a few dozen frames to really dial down the “moment” with running.  Just as Muybridge was amazed to discover that the horses legs all left the ground at the same time, so too was I amazed to discover that the moment a runner’s front foot meets the ground, their flesh seems to melt off like Tom Cruise’s face in Minority Report.  Ugly times, people.  Plus with lighting in the mix, there can be a narrow band in which the model has to be in the perfect position.  Eventually a rhythm emerged and we got some great material that day.  Unfortunately we got absolutely fried in the sun and then drenched by a thunderhead that rolled in over us so the shoot had to be cut short and we didn’t time to drill down to details and portraits.

I’m all fired up to shoot more of this awesome sport now though…even if the practice of it has me present holed up at home with a bum knee.  Sigh.

Mountainsmith Photo Bags – Built To Take My Abusive Nature

About a month ago, my boys at Mountainsmith hooked me up with their premier photo bag, the Borealis AT.  I wanted a rough and tumble bag that carried like a rucksack, carried a lot, could withstand bad weather and still fit as a piece of carry-on and the Borealis AT fit the bill.

After an evening of figuring out how to configure the camera inserts to carry things just so, I managed to fit half my studio in the thing!  My wife (who is plenty happy with her point-and-shoot and a purse) didn’t quite share in my enthusiasm for what had just been accomplished, so I had to call around to some photog friends to tout the thing.  I mean seriously, look at this:

Mountainsmith Borealis AT – What’s in the Bag…

But this was all pre-trip.  The bag still had to prove itself in the field, and what better way to test a bag, than hiking it into a sweaty Puerto Rican jungle, climbing up a pitch of dagger-sharp limestone and then treating it as a haul-bag?

Borealis AT – Camera Haul Bag

I cringed as the bag and all my camera gear swung, clattered and scraped against the pitch of unforgiving stone, but this was the cost of getting a shot on the pristine upper pitches and my gear had survived worse… After a 15 minute struggle that would have most cross-fitters throwing up in the alley, the Borealis AT arrived topside, literally WITHOUT a scratch.  I was like,shit yeah!

I then realised that there was absolutely no reason to have hauled up my monohead, powerpack and lightstand up with me as I didn’t have an assistant to run the thing… oh well, consider it training for hauling on El Cap next year.

The photographer – the bag – the stoned expression?

Puerto Rico jungle

Abby Dione climbing the second pitch of Obstinada (5.11) in San German (Rosario), Puerto Rico.

Abby Dione really enjoying the second pitch of Obstinada (5.11) in San German (Rosario), Puerto Rico.

Abby Dione digging into the crux of Obstinada (5.11) in San German (Rosario), Puerto Rico.

Chris Hostland ghetto-lining at the entrance to Julio Enrique Monagas Park in Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Chris Hostland – Portrait

Chris Hostland on the first ascent of Den of Thieves (5.7 / 5.12 depending on whether the pidgeons are home)

As of this posting, Mountainsmith also makes this rad lumbar bag that would probably slay for changing lenses while you’re up on the ropes.  I hoping to add it to my kit before the wife and I pack up the van for our 6 month Western North America adventure excursion…  Check it out: Mountainsmith Tour FX.

PS.

keep an eye out for my Puerto Rico article in Gripped magazine later this year, you’ll learn all about this awesome limestone retreat

Sweet Behind The Scenes Video from Tom Clark!

I recently shot a job for my favourite local cafe (Your Big Picture Cafe) in Davie, Florida.  Autumn and I spend most of our Saturday nights at their open mic night drinking organic teas and beers (odd combination, I realise…but damn fine nonetheless).  The images I was commissioned to create were to depict a sense of the cafe while focusing on the multitude of products available there (they specialise in alternative health).  We went for a styled presentation of the product in airily lit sets inspired by editorial food photography.  Although I shoot primarily commercial sports, these departures are a lot of fun for me.  Afterall, I was a chef many years before becoming a photographer…the two go together quite nicely for me.

My friend and fellow photographer Tom Clark had been commissioned to do a video tour of the cafe as well (of which he did a bang-up job) and agreed to shoot a short little behind-the-scenes spot with me.

So here you have it, a commercial photo shoot with Kaare Iverson Photography – “for real and playing for keeps” (well…that’s not really what it’s called, but I think it ought to be).

Golfsmith Photoshoot

About a month ago I had the great fortune of working with a couple of companies from the democratic island of Austin, Texas.  Golfsmith, probably the most fantastic golf retailer had teamed up with the comparably awesome ad agency, Greatest Common Factory to produce a series of humour driven TV commercials.  Proof Creative did an incredible job filming on Red and Phantom and Kaare Iverson Photography was there to create the stills that would tie the tv spots to print and web campaigns.

Greatest Common Factory did a bang-up job of putting together the production (loved that catering!) and pulling a really great location (the Fort Lauderdale Country Club in Plantation, Florida).

These are some of my favourites from the shoot:

Callaway swing - Commercial Golf Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Portrait by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Portrait by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Portrait (bunker style) by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Portrait (fist pump deluxe) by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Swing Triptych by Kaare Iverson Photography

Pretty Golf Landscape Abstract by Kaare Iverson Photography

Mega Huge Commercial Golf Landscape Photography by Kaare Iverson Photography

Commercial Golf Bromanship by Kaare Iverson Photography

I’ve already caught some of the work in circulation thanks to the hawk like eye of fellow photographer and personal friend Sam Robles (thanks Sam) and I’m thoroughly impressed with the whole shebang.  Bigups to everyone involved.

Pushing a New Visual Style – Parkour Photography

Well, this new year is all about one big resolution:  to push my portfolio into a new style, something more commercial and more distributed across the realm of sports.

Recently I had the opportunity to shoot with a parkour crew down in Miami.  We had tested some concepts months prior but hadn’t yet executed the final shoot.  As it turns out, that final shoot is going to become a multi-month project as there are still plenty of concepts to be shot .

A friend of mine Sam Robles is also fortunate enough to be shooting with this crew as well and you’ll be able to see his perspective on the sport in his portfolio soon enough.

Enough said, let’s have a look at the future of Kaare Iverson Photography.

Portrait of Derek Klein of Miami Parkour - Kaare Iverson Photography - commercial and editorial sport photographer

Bitchin' Back Flip by Bozer of Miami Parkour - Kaare Iverson Photography - commercial and editorial sport photographer

Portrait of Rachael Johnson of Miami Parkour - Kaare Iverson Photography - commercial and editorial sport photographer

Derek Klein of Miami Parkour - Kaare Iverson Photography - commercial and editorial sport photographer