Fall for Fashion [M.B. Fashion Week Recap]

This year was my first experience outside and within the Fashion Week world. I am nowhere near knowledgeable of the fashion world like my girlfriend, Janelle, but it was a good opportunity to attend my first official fashion show in NYC.

Earlier in the week, I went out with Janelle and Joshen to take some street photos of the participants coming out of the fashion shows. Seeing that I prepped for this moment, I had camera in hand and took pictures of the most fashionable to the best of my ability. Here are the results...

I feel I did a decent job, seeing these people actually posed for these photos, unlike most of the subjects I shot before who would walk out of the way of a picture. After our photo session, we decided to keep it moving and hopped in a free cab downtown.

Outside of photography, I recently completed a gig off of Craigslist, working with international pop singer, Heather Schmid; who is an extremely nice person. My main job was to cover the fashion shows she was attending and be her main cameraman, following her to each event and getting footage of her interacting with the press and being fabulous. She was nice enough to invite my girlfriend to one of the shows, which she appreciated. Here is a quick video I made capturing the essence of Fashion Week.

Overall, I had a great time being in the ambiance of Fashion Week. Though I wasn't the subject of the photos and video, being in the atmosphere makes you feel important, especially when you have the access to go backstage and see the models and the looks that nobody else has the chance to see. I hope I have the opportunity to do this again and relive the creative rush that is the fashion world.

-Video Vix[o]n

Frame x Frame: Shots in the Street

*Before I continue this post, I will disclaim that I am NOT a photographer, but a man with a nice camera who likes to take pictures. There is a difference. 

Yesterday, while I was out in the street and had some time to kill, I would take a couple of pictures. I wasn't prepared to just snap at any random thing or object; I was going to shoot people walking by. In preparation for NYC's Fashion Week, happening in a couple of weeks, I wanted to practice taking some street-style photography, which is a popular art among most freelance and fashion photographers. My initial feelings were nervous and excited. There I was, standing in the middle of Downtown Brooklyn, with camera in hand, ready to capture the most fashionable people to my eye. 

(Click FULL ALBUM to see all the pictures)

At first, it was hard to take pictures of people because everyone was walking fast and I was afraid to get in a person's face with a camera, so most of the shots were taken from behind (a lot of people have this hidden fear of cameras, which I dub "camerophobia"). Most shots were also too far away, due to the limited focal length of my lens (in other words, I wasn't able to zoom in closer to take better shots). I learned that speed and precision is crucial when taking street photos. I almost felt like a street assassin; I had to stoop down for the shot, aim accurately and shoot my subject all before they either "dodged" the shot (moved out of the way), or walked off. Not prepared to chase someone down for a picture, there were some good opportunities that got away, but I stay determined to capture some good stills. Outside of speed and accuracy, courtesy was another tool that I didn't realize could come in handy. Most people, when asked if a picture can be taken of them by a random stranger, immediately raise their defenses with a load of questions and rejections. Aware of this, I experimented on two individuals by asking nicely if I can take their picture. After I explained it was for my blog, they politely and skeptically inclined and I took the shot, no bloodshed. 

After my shooting spree in the street, I reviewed my photos over a nice hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts. I noticed, throughout the day, I kept shooting women with red jackets on. After noticing this, I was determined to find more ladies with red jackets on, as to develop a theme. I think that inspiration came from the mind of Bill Cunningham (an extraordinary street-style photographer for the NY Times; his documentary was amazing). He would usually find a common trend to focus on and find people in the street with a similar style or look. Though not intentional, I did catch a few red-topped ladies, which in Cunningham fashion, I called the style trend "Cherry on Top." My favorite pictures were of people in motion, whether crossing the street (which is the best place and time to take pictures of people), running for some reason, or just standing around, waiting for something. Overall, it was also a challenge to find people who I considered fashionable, but I went about it by finding the people most well put together and unique in my taste.

After all this, I have something to show off and be proud of. I wish I had a better lens for street photos and some more experience capturing people in the moment, but as I said in the beginning, I'm just a man with a nice camera who likes to take pictures.

-Video Vix[o]n

Jeans, Balls and Gold!!!

Hey guys, been a while, blah, blah, blah... let's jump into it.

I'm sitting here with Joshen waiting for the last episode of WLOG in order to find 10,000 buried somewhere in the city.



For those who haven't been aware of this, there is free money buried somewhere in NYC, on some treasure hunt ish, and Video Reborn is trying to be on it and find that gold pronto. It has caused us to be a lil antsy with anticipation, but for now, all we can do is wait.

Yesterday, we continued shooting out viral music video in Manhattan, which is coming along slowly but surely. We found some random Spanish people in the street that helped us with the shooting and if I could remember their names, I would send a huge thanks their way.

As for me, I'm continuing to make my weekly videos, which I'm so proud of. It's crazy how life could just give you all sorts of ideas and scripts for some amazingly hilarious things and this video is no different. My latest video ties in NYC's Fashion week and the ridiculous style that is sagging jeans and makes fun of how people rock it.

It was weird seeing myself with my pants low, but I wanted to get my message across somehow. More creative things to come, as always. Until you read again.

-Video Vix[o]n