Douglas Sonders Photography Blog: SondersPhotography.com

An acoustic concert at my place!

2008-08-15T17:46:00.002-04:00

Omar, lead singer of Crash Boom Bang, and Stacy Clark rehearse at my house before performing a duet on stage the following evening. They sound awesome! They are on tour together this August. Footage taken with my Canon G9 point and shoot.

Stacy Clark
http://www.myspace.com/ilovestacyclark

Crash Boom Bang
http://www.myspace.com/crashboombang

Sorry for the lack of updates

2008-08-14T16:12:00.002-04:00

I have been slacking (aka. working like crazy)! So while I put together some new posts, enjoy this video of puppies sleeping:

Puppy lullaby

Crash Boom Bang

2008-08-13T10:26:00.002-04:00

Did a shoot with my very talented friends of the band Crash Boom Bang to promote their new album (produced by lead singer of the Plain White T's, Tom Higgenson) coming out later this year. They just redid their myspace page and are adding some new music. Check it out!

http://www.myspace.com/crashboombang

Owning a Land Rover is fun

2008-08-07T18:25:00.002-04:00

As you may or may not know, I am the proud owner of a Land Rover product. Sure its very pretty, sure it has a big storage area, sure it is horribly inefficient on gas, but did I mention it is rated the worst in reliability according to J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study?

Oh the emails I have been getting from friends today after seeing this come out. Don't get me wrong, I love it and it great for hauling clients and gear to and from shoots, but yes, it does happen to give me fun warning lights on occasion and pieces of trim do have a tendency to just fall off.

See the study results below:

So I was on Fox last night...

2008-08-07T10:25:00.006-04:00

Fox news was there while I was photographing 2 pilots hoping to fly around the world in their stock helicopter to break a speed record:

"The Grand Adventure is about breaking a record. Pilot Scott Kasprowicz and co-pilot Steve Sheik will fly 20,000 nautical miles, crossing every meridian on the globe, in an effort to break the current record for circumnavigating the globe in a helicopter. What's more, the helicopter is a factory-stock Agusta Grand with no mission-specific special equipment on-board.

The current record was set in 1996 when Ron Bower and co-pilot John Williams flew a Bell 430 around the world in 17 days, 6 hours, 14 minutes and 25 seconds. The team traveled 20,508 nm with 165.1 total flight hours.

For Kasprowicz and Sheik, The Adventure is not just about setting a record, but about doing it without the aid of specialized equipment, chase planes, or other extraordinary assistance—it's about pushing themselves and the aircraft to the limit."

You can check out their website for more information and even track their journey!:

http://www.grandadventure08.com/

PS. Click the "watch the video" button on the top of the Grand Adventure website to see the short behind-the-scenes video my production company (8112 Studios) did for them.

My first visit to the Playboy Mansion

2008-08-07T01:19:00.005-04:00

Hey gang. Did I mention that the entire 8112 Studios gang (that's my/our video production company) took a weekend off last month and flew to LA to attend a Playboy Mansion party?

All I can say is, the Mansion is life changing. You go through the gates, and you walk out a different person.

The Infamous Playboy Grotto

The above photos are the only ones I will post and the last mention I will make of this party on my blog (aside from the bragging rights that I am hanging out with the 2007 Playmate of the Year, Sara Jean Underwood). Ha ;)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Seether photoshoot

2008-08-05T11:51:00.003-04:00

Hey gang. Just an update. You can catch my photos of the amazing rock band Seether on the front page of iTunes today. They were really cool guys!

DJ Enferno Album Cover

2008-08-02T17:08:00.003-04:00

Shot this album cover for my friend DJ Enferno. He is currently on tour performing on stage with Madonna.

Check out his work:

http://www.myspace.com/djenferno

Sharam Photoshoot - Get Wild

2008-08-01T17:56:00.005-04:00

Photographed amazing world-famous DJ, Sharam, in the Nevada desert (Red Rock Canyon) for his upcoming album "Get Wild.

Check out his myspace: www.myspace.com/sharamdish

Cover of IDJ Magazine with Dubfire

2008-07-31T22:40:00.004-04:00

Did a photoshoot recently with the amazing DJ, Dubfire. It was for a IDJ Magazine (International DJ) cover feature. Did the shot with Kino Flo lights. Have not used them before and thought it would be fun to try it out. Will post more photos soon.

Photoshop CS4 Beta

2008-07-31T22:37:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. I have some cool updates coming! One of which, is that I am getting my hands on the newest version of Photoshop, CS4. I will be trying out the new beta software and will let you guys know what I think.

Dean Coleman - Musician Promo Shoot

2008-07-21T13:04:00.003-04:00

Dean and I shot in the DC area on a beautiful June afternoon. Check out those great clouds! Couldn't have asked for a prettier day. Included a couple behind-the-scenes shots for you guys.

New Flooding in New Orleans

2008-07-21T13:00:00.002-04:00

A short documentary my friend and TV personality Bill Delano just did on the current (unsatisfactory) state of the New Orleans infrastructure nearly 3 years after Katrina. An eye-opening story... check it out and spread the word.

Model Test Shoot - Stacie Snyder

2008-07-07T16:24:00.004-04:00

Test shoot with DC-based model Stacie Snyder. Thank you to my friends Bryce Buell (http://brycebuell.com/) and Courtney Parrie (http://www.courtneyparrie.com/) for their help.

Broke out the ol' Alien Bees ring flash for this shoot. Most shots were done with a ring flash fill and a large softbox over the camera facing the subject as the main light.

We took a little shooting break. Stacie and Courtney decided to run around while I took a breather. Photo by Bryce Buell.

Happy 5th Birthday Winston Churchill!

2008-06-25T00:12:00.005-04:00

My trusty photo assistant and partner in crime, Winston Churchill the Boxer, has turned 5 this past weekend. This post is in honor of him.

UPDATES?!

2008-06-25T00:06:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of photoshoot updates. I am happy to say I have been busy shooting, BUT a lot of the stuff I have been working on I cannot post right away due to contracts and such, but some great behind the scenes content is coming soon! In the meantime, enjoy the video of puppies chasing a small child:

Knight Rider GPS by Mio

2008-06-20T18:39:00.004-04:00

Growing up (if that ever really happened) I was a huge fan of the Knight Rider tv show. I have probably seen every episode twice. Well, Mio has come out with a crucial piece of hardware that will most certainly be making many trips with me when I rent cars in foreign markets... The Knight Rider GPS! You get turn-by-turn directions from the voice of the original KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), William Daniels. When it goes on sale, it is expected to cost around $270.

The CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control system - Alien Bees new affordable solution

2008-06-19T14:49:00.007-04:00

Flash manufacturer, Alien Bees (Paul C. Buff Inc.) has debuted a new line of camera transmitters and recievers to fire your flashes remotely. They are certainly a very affordable option ($59 for transmitter, $69 for receiver) in comparison to the competition which typically start at $150+. The CyberSync system will work with all Paul C. Buff flashes (Alien Bees and White Lightning systems) "as well as most other flash brands employing a standard phone jack or mini phone jack sync input. Connection to flash units using “H” or “PC” style connections is possible with suitable adapter cables."

I havent had a chance to try these out, but will try and get my hands on some soon. I love my PocketWizards, but I wouldn't mind something more compact!

Info from the Alien Bees website(http://www.alienbees.com/cybersync.html) :

"The CyberSync 2.4GHz Radio Remote Control system

The NEW CyberSync 2.4GHz trigger-transmitter and companion CyberSync Trigger-receiver are the first of a series of advanced remote control components designed by Paul C. Buff and made in America.

Extended operating range – High signal integrity and error immunity

2.4GHz band – 16 selectable
frequencies for eliminating interference

Battery drawer – One year plus transmitter battery life

Tripper-only and advanced remote control models
The CyberSync system is an advanced binary encoded system with a high degree of error security to assure freedom from false tripping. The system employs sixteen selectable operating frequencies within the 2.4GHz band to allow rejection of interference signals as well as interaction from other photographers who might be using radio controls in the area. This is vastly superior technology to Asian designed trippers that use pulse width encoding with no error detection.

Our testing indicates a usable range of up to 400 feet, depending on obstructions such as walls or adverse conditions such as metal buildings, bodies of water, etc.

The CyberSync transmitter/receiver pair may be used to trigger all Paul C. Buff, Inc. studio flash units as well as most other flash brands employing a standard phone jack or mini phone jack sync input. Connection to flash units using “H” or “PC” style connections is possible with suitable adapter cables.

It is generally advisable to use a separate receiver for each flash unit in your system, though it is feasible to use only one receiver connected to one of your flash units and allowing additional flash units to fire via their flash-sensitive trippers. This method, however, will not result in freedom from tripping by flashes from other photographers who might be shooting in the same area. If you are using our LG4X or RC1 wired remote system it is possible to connect one receiver to the wired remote control and to allow the connected lights to fire from the remote wiring without interaction with other photographers.

REPEATER MODE
Assume you are lighting a scene several hundred feet from your camera location. Position a CSR or CSRB midway between the camera and the scene and place it in repeater mode. When you fire the camera the repeater will receive the camera signal, then regenerate it for transmission to the more distant receivers. If a flash unit is connected to the repeater it will fire normally from the camera signal. The more distant flash units may also fire from the camera signal if they are close enough. If not, they will fire from the regenerated signal of the repeater.

Using a repeater delays the signal by an additional 1/4000 second. The resulting latency of 1/2000 second total is still fast enough to allow the camera exposure time to be set one click below the camera’s maximum sync speed in most uses. It is not generally advisable to use more than one repeater in a setup. If two repeaters are used and both receive the same transmission, both will regenerate at the same instant and interfere with one another."

In honor of Top Gear season 11...

2008-06-19T10:45:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite shows on TV is the BBC show, Top Gear. I have been highly anticipating Season 11, which starts this Sunday. In honor of the show, I have posted a vintage Top Gear clip of Jeremy Clarkson destroying a Corvette with a helicopter. Expect similar testosterone-fueled antics on the new season.

Stacy Clark photoshoot in Malibu, CA

2008-06-17T21:12:00.009-04:00

Did a shoot with this talented musician in California this past weekend. Many thanks to The Plain White T's for letting us shoot at their "recording mansion" in Malibu (Tom Higgenson of the PWT's with Stacy).

You can check out Stacy Clark's music here (she's amazing!):

www.stacyclark.net

www.myspace.com/ilovestacyclark

Makeup was provided by LA-based Luvy Leal (luvyleal@yahoo.com)

Luvy in action:

More photos and behind-the-scenes video will be coming soon!

New portrait photoshoot

2008-06-10T14:10:00.004-04:00

Photoshoot with model and photographer Courtney Parrie (http://courtneyparrie.com/). The main portraits (minus the B&W which was taken in the shade of the forest/natural light) we taken with a beauty dish mounted on a 1000 watt X3200 White Lightning strobe and a catch light behind the subject (a 600 watt White Lighting with a 7" reflector).

The jumping action shots were taken with the same lights, except one on either side of the subject and powered to the same level. I had the beauty dish on the side Courtney was facing and had her jump in the air off train tracks as I shot at 24mm (Canon 24-70mm 2.8L). I decided to leave the power lines in the one action photo because I felt it added to the design.

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model Concept

2008-06-10T14:04:00.004-04:00

I know this is a photography blog, but I also happen to be a HUGE motor head. Just saw this video an amazing BMW concept vehicle. It is a design study asking the question, with todays amazingly strong car frames, do we really need a metal skin for automobiles? What if it was an evolving skin? It is pretty amazing (and a little bit creepy)

New DJ Homicide album - "LASONIC"

2008-05-28T23:44:00.003-04:00

My good buddy DJ Homicide (of the band Sugar Ray) is coming out with a new album late June titled "Lasonic" with one of my shots on the cover. Its going to be amazing!

You can see one of my shots on his previous album as well (see below):

3 Doors Down is #1

2008-05-28T15:23:00.003-04:00

Wanted to congratulate my long-time friends and clients 3 Doors Down for debuting their new album at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts! Couldn't happen to nicer guys!

Photoshoot resources in Las Vegas

2008-05-22T12:26:00.001-04:00

The people over at Access Vegas have been very helpful whenever I needed to find resources/locations for photoshoots in the Vegas area. Check they website out!

http://www.accessvegas.com/