Quick post with a couple of shots from tonight’s shoot at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. The feet shot is more a fun shot to add to my ever growing collection of my feet in strange places (red sea, ect ect) and the other shot just goes under the category of the Tahoe experience at sunset. Enjoy
There’s nothing like going to a place where it is 70 degrees out in the dead of summer, especially when you live in Dallas. Had a great travel day out to the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. Even made a cameo at the In & Out Burger in Reno only to be reminded of how much I miss eating at the In & Out in Santa Barbara when I used to live there. I’ve really got to find a way to start a franchise in Dallas, I think fellow Dallasites could use a little animal style.
I’ve got to get some rest now for my 5am shoot tomorrow. So I leave you with a shot from tonight. Enjoy
Off to Lake Tahoe today to shoot the Hyatt Regency. Now that my ankle is juiced up with a cortisone shot I can now walk without hobbling so I’m ready to take on the lake,mountains, and anything else this trip can throw at me. Should be a great shoot. Forecast is calling for a week of sun which will be a welcomed change from my oddly cloudy/stormy shoot in Cabo San Lucas a few weeks ago (read about Cabo). In closing I leave you with my new and improved achilles at the airport. Enjoy
Sadly this is a bit of a delayed post. Two weeks ago I went and shot the One & Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas Mexico. We battled a tear in my achilles, a week of AM clouds for a resort that was primarily east facing, and incredible humity. In the end we created some amazing images that i can’t wait to share. Attached are two that I worked on last week while back in Dallas. More to come later on the Cabo shoot as well as a behind the lens video. Enjoy
I have to say traveling/shooting sick is no fun. Right before I left for Phoenix this last week I started to feel a cold coming on. Which in itself is no fun, combine that with it being 115 in Phoenix and you are pretty much guaranteed to be in trouble. With all of that being said I still love Phoenix/Scottsdale (preferably not in the summer) and finally got to stay at the always classic Hotel Valley Ho. Give them a try, it’s like being transported back to the 50’s/60’s and if you love midcentury modern furuntiure, architecture, and the lifestyle you will fall in love with the Valley Ho.
Also on the list of positive things about my phoenix trip was that I was there to do aerial shots via a helicopter. I find shooting aerials and absolute blast. Surveying a city from a helicopter is great. There is no substitute for the vantage point you get from 2,000 ft in the air. At times it’s strangely intimate as you fly over these people’s houses and lives. Overlooking dried up lawns next to bright green lawns, kidney shaped pools flanked by electric green pools that have been let go and taken over by algae. And at the same time its incredibly impersonal and distant which is more like a game of monopoly as the rows and rows of houses get reduced to patterns lining the streets.
Either way I have really enjoyed the little bits of aerial work I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot. This is my second time with Quantum Helicopters based out of Chandler Arizona and they are the best. Please call them up if you either want to learn how to pilot a helicopter or if you need a helicopter for hire like I do. Again, they are amazing!
Enough about how much I love helicopters and midcentury modern design. I was there to shoot aerials of two hospitals that were to be re-skinned/updated and then while I was there I made a visit to the Camelback Ranch Spring Training Complex that I shot earlier this year (see more here 1, 2). Fortunatly and unfortunatly we had a morning of cloudy weather. While the clouds provided for even and soft lighting for the aerial surveys of the hospitals they also provided a bleak backdrop for the Camelback Ranch shoot which I had hoped would yield shots with great mornining light with the backdrop of orange and yellow desert landscapes. Well, 2 out of 3 aint bad and since the Camelback Ranch shoot was kind of a freebie and not the original purpose of the trip I can’t complain too much.
I wish I had shot more from the air to show off some of the oddities you see up there but I was struggling to survive while I was sick and was just happy to be able to shoot what I needed for the jobs. Good news is I’ve got some nice shots from a previous Phoenix aerial trip that I’ll try to post later. Until then, enjoy a small video from the shoot.
Blake Marvin Photography: Phoenix Aerials from Blake Marvin on Vimeo.
As promised I’ve got another behind the lens video to share. This time from my shoot a few weeks ago at the magnificent Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch. I have to say, I’ve shot this project during the winter time and now in the summer and there is something really amazing about this place in the summer (see my post what a difference 6 months makes).
The video is a mix of footage from my trusty Flip Mino HD pocket camera and my new Canon 5d Mark 2. Still getting my sea legs with the video of the Canon but enjoying the ride.
Blake Marvin Photography: Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch from Blake Marvin on Vimeo.
Following up on my previous post, what a difference a day makes when it comes to a day in the life of a traveling photographer, I decided to show what a difference 6 months makes in the life of a mountain resort. Two winters ago I shot the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch for HKS/Hill Glazier Studio. Having only told one side of the resort’s story (winter wonderland, ski in ski out, lodge on the mountain) we all felt the summer edition of the resort needed a shoot. The difference between the seasons is amazing. While the winter lodge feel is amazing there is something to be said for how lush full of life the mountains are during the summer time. So without further delay I give you the side by side comparison of the resort, winter edition vs. summer edition. Enjoy
Sorry for the lack of posts. Since my shoot at the Ritz Carlton in Bachelor Gulch I’ve been swamped with post production work back at the office combined with coming down with a nasty cold right before I headed out this week to Phoenix for a shoot. But I’m back in Dallas (for a couple of days) and feeling better so that means more posts. Tomorrow I’ll post a couple of behind the lens videos and some more excited news about the trips I’ve got planned for August. Thanks everyone for your patience!
Yesterday started off at 4:30am heading out to shoot exteriors for a healthcare project outside of Atlanta that had previously gotten clouded/rained out. As luck would have it I was greeted with unfriendly grey clouds which killed the shoot. After the failure that was the morning shoot I hustled my way to the Atlanta airport 100 miles away to catch a morning flight out to Denver via DFW. After 1500 miles on two planes, I got to Denver and made the 150 mile drive to Bachelor Gulch (outside of Vail) to shoot the Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch.
So after a failed sunrise shoot in rural Georgia shooting a hopsital, I ended the day watching the sun go down in the mountains of Colorado. What a difference a day makes.
Heading out to Atlanta this morning to shoot the new Gwinnett Brave’s stadium. Should be a great holiday weekend shoot. They’ve got fireworks the night of the 4th and 5th so between those and a full crowd it should make for a nice view of America’s favorite pastime. Heading to Bachelor Gulch Colorado immediatly after atlanta to shoot the Ritz Carlton out there. The summer foliage should be great as well as a much needed escape from the heat. Look forward to sharing imagery from both projects. Have a great and safe holiday weekend.
