Alt Pick Awards

Hi Friends,

 I have two pictures and my web site entered into the Alt Pick awards competition. If you go on and register (takes two seconds) and then vote I would greatly appreciate the effort. And heck, the good deed may serve you up some nice Karma.  So think of this as a benefit to your good fortune.  Like how I am spinning this?

So it's easy..... go to www.altpick.com and go to the Alt Pick Awards area. Register and follow the instructions.  My photos are in the 'Photography - Single" Section and my web site is in 'New Media, web site design' section.

The two photos are a 'a couple kissing' and 'shaun white on white horse'. The website is easy to find it has my first name as it appears on my splash page on the site itself.

Much obliged. If I win I'll take you all out for dinner in Hong Kong!

K Z

My Blog

I was thinking driving in LA rush hour ( apparently not thinking) that I should make a disclaimer about my blog.  It all starts with the fact that I am such a visual person, not overwhelmingly political and not interested in this tech site or that tech site.  I'd rather be out shooting or working on my portfolio and networking then spending the time blogging and being a "blogger".  I am here to basically keep people informed about what I have been doing, a news section of sorts and an electronic journal for me, my friends, my clients and my future clients.  There are a ton of great photography blogs out there.  So do your research and check them out.

I am here if anyone has any questions about photography, about getting started, assisting, questions about my work, etc. etc.  Reach out, I would love to help.  To me that is much more viable and constructive an outlet.

Portfolio mess or does it make some kind of sense.....

Laying up new work for my portfolio is a lot of fun.  It's creative and it gives you an opportunity to really slow down, see what you've shot.  Think about how you can make it better, why it works, what's the best way to tell your story and get your point across in a manner that is fun and useful for the viewer.  Fun meaning simply work that you hope is enjoyable to whomever is viewing it and useful meaning it is something a photo editor sees as a style or a viewpoint they can see in their book and to an Art Buyer or Art Director work that they feel comfortable pitching their client.  It's a fine line and a challenge.  But dating back to my days publishing a 'zine in high school, I love pagination and design.  So it's fun for me to spend the time and make the book really sing.  Feel free to contact me if your having questions about your own book.  My rep is amazing and has taught me so much about preparing presentations.  

Tonga, Tonga!

Thanks to Michelle Stark at Men's Health for sending me to Tonga to shoot Fred Roll and the Tongan Rugby team.  Was a nice end to a 10 day trip to the winter wonderland of New Zealand.

Simple Shoes New York Shoot

Two ads for Simple running now.  Wired and Details.  Thanks to Sticka nd Move in Philly. Bill Starky, Ari Garber, Jennifer Gordon, Amy Roy, Derin Thorpe,  Jenn Kim, Rob Harmon and Jessie Cohan.  Aside from the weather crapping out on us, it was a great shoot and always so fun to roam the city once again!

This was a first.  Emma (below) came in to interview for an internship at my studio.  I took one look  and fell in love with her  freckles and the sea shells braided into her hair.  You just never know when a great photographic subject will present themselves.  I only had 5 minutes for another interview candidate was waiting outside.  He was cool,  but not a single freckle.

HOLDEN WINTER

Here are three ads for Holden.  We shot in Death Valley.  What an amazing place.  It was like taking candy from a baby there were so many great locations.  Happy with the results.  Thanks to all the models, Mike from Holden, Shanna, Paully, Goo at WildernessOffice for his equisite-ly simple design.  Looking forward to next season.  Check them out on my site if you want to see 'em bigger.

Ciao

Current ( an possibly last) Hummer ads......atleast for a while.

Here are two HUMMER  gatefold ads currently running in a rather large media buy.   I saw the surf ad run as the gatefold cover for Travel and Leisure.  I am so happy with them and with the art direction.  Modernista has been good to me over the years offering me all of the Hummer work.  I owe many thanks to Greg Carter and Michael Langone.  I hope the brand can stay around.  If your a hater check your facts.  They are not as bad a gas guzzler as you think.

Should these things fly?!?!?!

Heli boarding is a magical experience.  Here you are with your crew stuffed into a tiny machine, flying off into the extreme backcountry, ready to explore and slash your way to euphoria.  Its just that it is STRESSFUL as hell.  Your dealing with machines not really meant to fly, avalanches, flat landings and people getting potentially hurt; really hurt, as far out as you ever want to be.  As for  shooting from the heli, your harnessed in, with the door off, sometimes hanging from a rope.  It's exciting for sure, but when you consider there is no liability per se in New Zealand, you might say to yourself is this normal?  Down here it is.  It's rampant.  Like Hawaii x 10.  I've never seen so many helicopters flying around in the deep mountains before. Loading and unloading people onto the steep slope.  So steep sometimes you wonder why it doesn't slide.  

Anyway, we had a great first day of heli'ing.  More to come.  Some more weather, so maybe a  few days off.  

No worries though, we have bungy still to do.

In the hanger.  The tube thing I am breathing is an AVALUNG.  If I get buried in an avalanche, this device allows me to breathe almost for an hour while I am rescued.  The harness, is well to stay in the chopper.

Scene form the heli.  We fly out over lake Wanaka and straight into the alpine.  Unbelievably beautiful.......!

Not even drunk!

People move slow in New Zealand.  I was trying to prove a point in the grocery store, skating through, but it basically backfired.  Not as adept on the board as I once was I suppose.  

Having fun.  Notice the camera intact!