I had no luck catching any meteors a few weeks ago during the Perseid showers. However, I did find an opening in the trees presenting a nice clean angle on the Milky Way with a nearby road sign which seemed to be mocking my presence.
Painting a River
Painting a river with a flashlight and watching the earth rotate.
A big part of photography for me is experimentation, having fun, and trying not to get too hung up on apertures and f-stops. To this day I'm still amazed how basic camera functions can subtly send reality into a visible time warp.
Adventures in Infrared
Revisiting my love/ hate relationship with infrared glass filters; a technique which relies on a lot of patience, a little luck, and tends to be a bit of a guessing game to dial in the exposure correctly. Hit or miss, the results have always fascinated me.
The image above was a 3 minute exposure overlooking the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado.
Tribute to My Father
It saddens me to say we lost a good man yesterday. My father, Edward Paciaroni lived a life impossible to describe in a few words. A bit of a renaissance man; he worked as a meteorologist, manufacturers sales rep, theologian, Master Woodworker, and a fine arts painter. He implemented his ever increasing list of ambitions with a quiet dignity and grace. From his education to his list of careers, from his skill with every kind of tool that could fashion wood, paper, canvas, or the clouds, my Dad engaged with the world as a man of many talents who would be its master.
Self-made and self-reliant, Dad aimed to fulfill every obligation he undertook. His word was his bond, and everyone knew it. I never heard him utter a lie, nor intentionally deceive.
Listing just a handful of things he taught me were the importance of love, integrity, generosity, the art of dry humor, and that the best restaurants are in the worst neighborhoods. He also taught me that life is precious, kindness and humor are invaluable yet free, and to follow your ambitions under any and all circumstances.
His character is the foundation of my conscience and I am honored to have called him my Dad.
Farewell, Pop. You did good. You did real good.
A Meeting with a Bristlecone
A brief visit with the longest living of the tree species, the Bristlecone pine. These trees can survive over 5000 years and they not only survive, but thrive in harsh conditions. This little guy was just a baby; a baby that demanded respect.
Bolder Boulder 10k
Had a great time shooting the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day Weekend. Amazing to watch 50k lace up for a 10k race. Including eight athletes that will go on to compete in the Rio Summer Olympics. The 10K is known as the fifth largest race in the nation.
Moonrise Over Arapahoe Basin
One of my favorite drives is Colorado Hwy 6. Currently it’s the highest highway in North America sitting at an elevation of 12,800 ft. It’s also the fault line of the Continental Divide.
I was lucky with this 6 minute exposure having two cars pass in opposite directions just minutes before the moon crested the horizon. Which would create a nasty lens flare and blown out the image.
Moto Photos
It's been an extended winter and we're getting excited for spring around here. We decided to adhere to the calm before the storm and sneak in a few vintage motorcycle shots before the blizzard hit. And it hit hard, over 2 feet of snow just a few days after this shoot. Time to head back for the hills.
Model: Abella Harlow
Denver, Colorado
New Aurora Buyers Catalogue
My photo agent Auroraphotos.com just put out this nifty art buyer catalogue of outdoor imagery which features one of my split mirror images from Denver (page 34-35). Big thanks to Jose Azel and Larry Westler for sneaking me in! Check it out!
Fire & Ice on the Continental Divide
Winter is finally in full swing here in Colorado. This was a double exposure (2- 30 second exposures overlayed in camera) from the big bend atop Loveland Pass near Arapahoe Basin.
Recent Work in TIME Magazine
Just found out about an editorial publish with TIME Magazine from last week. An interesting read in regards to how much tax revenue the cannabis industry has brought to the state. And I even got myself a little caption action.
Article-
http://time.com/4037604/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/
Snowboard on the Block Festival - Sat. Sept. 12th
First signs of winter are showing up here in Denver. What could be better than a day of watching snowboard films, concerts, and rail jams? Not much (besides actually snowboarding). Get your tickets to the Block Festival before it's too late.
$25 HERE, or $35 the day of the festival.
Check out last years festivities-
SUP Side Mission
Exploring the canyons of Lake Powell with stand up paddle boards (SUP) is a great way to get into places otherwise inaccessible by boat.
Stars & Stripes
The lighting at Lake Powell always seems to unfold some hidden magic. This was a long exposure of a houseboat slowly illuminating the walls of Iceberg Canyon while it passed by our camp. Wishing you all a safe luminous upcoming holiday weekend!
New Colorado Cannabis Ad Campaign
IT'S PRETTY SURREAL TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THE EVER-GROWING COMMERCIAL SIDE OF THE COLORADO CANNABIS INDUSTRY. HERE'S A FEW ADS I WAS ABLE TO SHOOT FOR HIGH TIMES MAGAZINE WITH RX GREEN SOLUTIONS, A CANNABIS NUTRIENT R&D FACILITY HERE IN DENVER.
Five Rules for Freelancing
1.) Make sure you’re financially prepared. Have at least three months worth of salary in the bank for when you’re in between projects. Freelancing can feel like a financial hardship if you’re looking at your business in a short term way. You have to have the stomach for periods of uncertainty in your income and understand how to plan ahead so freelancing can become a long-term play. Your cash reserves are there to be piece of mind at the very least and self-preservation when necessary.
2.) Know that there’s a lot more to being a self-employed photographer is more than just photography. You have to have a diverse skill set that includes marketing, business development, project management, accounting, writing and production. Many of these tasks won’t be your expertise but it’s your responsibility to get good at them or at least good enough so that you can land projects, keep them going and bring home the bacon when they’re over.
3.) Treat yourself like a client. It’s worth it, even in the beginning, to put in the effort position and market yourself. This means, at the very least, being clear on what you do, creating a simple website, having business cards and polishing up your LinkedIn. If you want people to take you seriously, you have let them know who you are, what you do and that you’re open for business.
4.) Be prepared for a lot of ambiguity. I’ve had two week projects turn into six month projects, and I’ve had moments where I’ve gotten really comfortable with what I thought was a long-term consulting gig, only to have it disappear. One way to navigate these choppy waters is by being proactive. Initiate regular dialogue with your existing clients on upcoming workload. When you don’t get a job, which happens to everyone, ask for feedback. If communication drops off with a potential client, it’s ok to send them a polite note to move the conversation along. If you don’t hear back, don’t take it personally and move on.
5.)Hustle. Working for yourself is wonderful but the truth is many of us do this from home…alone…often in your jammy's. You’re not going to get new clients by staying home. Go to industry events. I highly recommend this, because you never know who you are going to meet or what opportunities you may hear about by attending. They are also a great way to stay current with what’s going on in the design industry and a fantastic well to draw from in conversation with potential clients. I also love catching up with friends and colleagues for lunch or coffee. Being an extrovert and being social is a big part of staying top of mind for potential clients.
Tech vs Wild
WHILE WE'VE ALREADY SEEN A FEW US NATIONAL PARKS CLAMP DOWN ON DRONES IN THEIR AIRSPACE, IT NOW LOOKS LIKE THAT NO-FLY RULE IS ABOUT TO EXTEND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TELLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THAT IT'S ABOUT TO ORDER ALL 401 OF ITS PARKS TO BAN UNFETTERED USE OF DRONES ON THEIR GROUNDS. EACH PARK WILL HAVE EXCEPTIONS FOR HIGH-ALTITUDE FLYERS, HOBBYIST CLUBS, RESEARCHERS AND RESCUERS, BUT YOU WON'T GET TO LUG OUR CAMERA DRONES AROUND FOR SCOUTING, SHOOTING, PURELY FOR THE SAKE OF REMOTE SIGHTSEEING; UNLESS YOUR WILLING TO FORK OVER $1500 FOR A PERMIT. IF ALL GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN, THE SERVICE WILL ALSO HAVE A PRELIMINARY NATIONAL RULE DRAFTED WITHIN 18 MONTHS.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
Snowboard on the Block Film Festival
Flashback with the UNDER DAWGS crew from 2013. Their newest film, Video Mixtape will be premiering tomorrow at the Snowboard on the Block Film Festival. Come and peep the show starting at 11am and don't miss the Rail Jam at 1:30. Who's ready for some winter?!!
For Art's Sake
Here's an infrared exposure I made last summer at Carlsbad Beach. There are so many reasons to love and hate this technique. The longer you leave the shutter open, the more dramatic the results and risk of overexposure. The shutter was open nearly 2 hours here. I made 3 attempts and on the 4th, I got lucky.
You can view the rest of the Mono Chronos series in better resolution here
Or check out the exhibition! Anytime Tues- Sat from 10am-6pm at Creative Living in Denver's Sante Fe Art's District
Rain and Shine
I feel new types of subjects always help to keep the vision fresh as an artist. That being said, recently I had an opportunity to work with the lovely and talented local performing artist, Ashlee Wagoner and her mesmerizing collection of LED hula-hoops.
After almost calling off the shoot due to a sub-torrential downpour, we went ahead and decided to battle the rain, fading light, and a surprise cameo from The Denver Cruisers, a local bicyclist club. Tons of fun getting our socks soggy on this shoot.
Click on the images for Hi Res preview