Hot Pixels

New Model :: Jessica

2011-04-09T21:05:00.006-04:00

To the right is a photo I took of Jessica, hands-down one of the most fun models I've had the pleasure of working with.

This was my first shoot with Jessica, and we're already planning a second shoot down in New York City. With an extensive modeling history, Jessica is an easy model to work with; she knows how to pose (and just as importantly, how NOT to pose). She's also one of the most flexible models I've worked with, able to pull off many different looks with ease.

To see Jessica's full gallery, click the title link above, or click here:

http://www.michaellandry.com/Models-and-Portraits/Jessica-L

To see my entire modeling portfolio, click here.

-- Michael

Featured Model :: Meg

2010-09-11T11:31:00.001-04:00

Here is a picture of Meg, a beautiful model from Massachusetts...

This is my third year in a row shooting with Meg, who has quickly become one of my favorite models. (I hope this continues to be an annual tradition!) With a look that is equally as exotic as it is sexy, Meg is a great model to work with. I just have to push the button... over and over and over...

Meg can be found on Model Mayhem (#1051087).

To see Meg's new 2010 gallery, click the title link above, or click here:

http://www.michaellandry.com/Models-and-Portraits/Meg-2010

To see my entire modeling portfolio, click here.

-- Michael

Featured Gallery - The "Got Fire?" Crew Performs At The "Life Of Fire" Event

2010-08-28T14:04:00.007-04:00

At right, two members of the Got Fire? crew breathe fire

Since moving to New York City over three years ago, I've met lots of interesting people, and experienced some unique and amazing things, as only New York City seems to be able to provide.

I tell people regularly, New York City gives you just as much trouble as you go looking for, plus a little bit for good measure.

One group of people I've had the pleasure of meeting is the Got Fire? crew, led by Miss Phoenix Feeley.

I first met Phoenix at an underground-style party, where some a group of people took over a space underneath the Manhattan Bridge. For three hours or so, there were performers, DJs, live bands, and fire spinning. (Eventually, the po-po shut us down.) I took a lot of pictures that night, and sent the fire-related pics on to Phoenix. That was the start of a few shoots I've done with this crew, and it's NEVER boring. :)
To see pics from these events, go to the New York City section of my Landscapes and Journeys galleries.

Recently, there was another party in Brooklyn, spanning across three warehouses. More than a dozen members of the Got Fire? crew were spread out among the warehouses to light up the night with their fire performances. I was asked to photograph the event. I had behind-the-scenes access to the event, so you will even see some pics of the crew getting prepared before their performance. To see the gallery of events from that night, just click here:
The Life Of Fire

As always, comments are appreciated...

-- Michael

NECCC 68th Annual Photo Conference

2010-07-25T15:33:00.004-04:00

At right, my image of an F-18 approaching the sound barrier. This image won a Judge's Choice Award at last year's conference.

For the past 68 years, the New England Camera Club Council has been holding an annual photographic convention. Comprised of various camera clubs from around New England, it is the single largest photography conference in the United States.

I've attended the last five conferences, the most recent one just on July 16th - 18th. The conference consists of three days of classes, held at UMass Amherst. You're free to choose which classes you want to attend, and when, so you can build a schedule tailored to your particular interests in the field of photography. Modeling, photo journalism, nature, and digital photography are just a few types of the classes offered by professionals.

In addition to the academic portions of the event, there are numerous photo opportunities; there are studios set up with lighting to work with models on portraits, there are animals and props brought in to try wildlife and hi-speed flash photography, and all the major camera vendors bring their equipment down for you to borrow and test.

Each year, the NECCC brings in 18 models to work with the photographers during the conference. These models work hard, 45 minutes under indoor lighting or the bright outdoor sun, then a 45 minute break, then back to work again on another location. This process repeats all day.

I've had the opportunity to work with many of these models over the last five years, and many of them can be seen on my web site in my modeling portfolio. (Yes, there are some male models, I just don't have as much interest in photographing them. :) This year's models were among the friendliest ever, and represented a very diverse collection of backgrounds and appearances.

I'm just starting to process the more-than 1,200 photos I took over the weekend, but I want to share some of the photos I've done so far. You'll be seeing much more of these women in the near future. Without further ado, here they are...

-- Michael

Ana: Caitlyn: Chantel:

Claudia: Jessica:

Kaylee: Kris:

Krissie:

Liv:

Meg: Sunshine:

Featured Gallery - MLB 2008 All-Star Game and Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium

2009-04-11T16:37:00.017-04:00

At right, Justin Morneau scores the winning run in the 15th inning of the 2008 Major League Baseball All Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

I was very fortunate to be able to shoot the 2008 All Star Game, in the last season at the old Yankee Stadium. I shot the Home Run Derby on Monday 7-14-2008, and the All Star Game on Tuesday. It was an amazing experience; I had the run of Yankee Stadium, and got into the mechincal levels and such where most people never see. While it was a truly amazing stadium, it was indeed aging rapidly; it was the right time to build the new stadium.

During the Home Run Derby, we watched an amazing performance by Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. He hit 28 home runs in just the first round, eclisping the previous record of 24 set by Bobby Abreu. But even better was the All Star Game itself, lasting a record 15 innings and 4h50m...

To see the All Star Game gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/1565548_vL972

To see the Home Run Derby gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/7869301_jcuKW

As always, comments are appreciated...

-- Michael

Featured Gallery - Washington, D.C.

2009-01-24T01:01:00.004-05:00

At right, the U.S. Capital Building, where our new President was just inaugurated.

In the summer of 2006, I was in Virginia (right outside D.C.) for a class for a few days. I went to a local camera store, broke down and spent a lot of money on a top notch lens. (Still my favorite to this day; the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS.) I bought the lens after class got out at dinner time, then jumped in the car and drove into D.C. for my first ever visit there.

I shot the entire gallery with this brand new lens that I had only had for an hour or so. The special capabilities of the lens allowed me to shoot the entire gallery handheld; I had no tripod with me. Even the nighttime pictures came out fantastic, and again, that was handheld.

I love the pic of the capital building, To see the Washington D.C. gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/1565548_vL972

As always, comments are appreciated...

-- Michael

Featured Gallery :: 2008 New York Auto Show

2008-11-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

Just to the right is a picture of the Lexus LF-A concept car, one of the many kick-ass cars at the auto show.

I took way too many pictures here, but I was in heaven floating from car to car. :) I'm an (admittedly biased) Lexus fan, and I drooled over the IS-F, the performance version of my Lexus IS. Maybe this spring...

To see the 2008 New York Auto Show gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/6530184_zSgeA

-- Michael

Featured Gallery: Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany, 2007

2008-10-26T14:01:00.002-04:00

Last year, I spent almost 3 weeks in Europe. One of my favorite stops was Munich, Germany, for the opening day of Oktoberfest! (The picture at right was published in a 2008 calendar for the month of, well, October...)

This was one of my favorite experience of my life. If I was going to live somewhere based on the food, drink, and people, the Bavarian section of Germany would be it. The food was phenomenal, the beer even better, and I had possibly the single best day of my life here. (You'll see some of the pictures are actually of me, rather inebriated...) :)

The Oktoberfest begins with a parade through town, and each brewery uses horse-drawn carts to bring their large kegs of beer into the festival grounds. Each brewery has its own tent, where only that beer is served. Nobody is allowed into the Oktoberfest grounds until the final cart enters, carrying the mayor of Munich, who then taps the first keg to officially open the festival. At that point, it's a mad rush to get a spot in a tent! The tent we ended up in was on the smaller side, and probably had 15,000 people in it. Over the opening two days (Sat/Sun), they had 500,000 attend!

Once you're in the tent, you need to find a seat. Once you have a seat, you DON'T MOVE, or you might lose it! (It took us 2 hours to get into the tent, and another hour to get a seat.) There are tons of waitresses that bring you all the food and beer you can consume; they just keep bringing it, and bringing it, and every now and then she'll stop and ask for money. Everyone just throws cash at her, and she goes to get more beer. :) These are some truly talented women, carrying a dozen or more 1-liter beer steins at a time!

Outside the tents, there is an entire festival going on, with carnival rides and lots of food and drinks. We got there early in the morning, and left well after dark at night. All in all, some of the best hours of my life.

The end of the gallery, starting at picture 166, was shot the next day around Munich. Shout out to my friend Verena, a native German who was my tour guide around the country. She also took many of these pictures, and got hooked on photography herself... :)

To see the entire gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/3622933_UUNgk

I want to point out some of my favorite pictures and stories:

Picture 2 is my speedometer on the rental car, exceeding 200 km/h (125mph) on the AutoBahn (where I promptly got a speeding ticket). I topped out at 222 km/h. Poor Audi turbo... :)

Picture 45 is when we first got into the tent. Notice how far the tent goes; that's a balcony with a second floor in the distance, to give an idea of scale.

Picture 47 is (unfortunately) blurry, but I still wanted to point it out. That is an oxen, on a spit, similar to a pig roast. The oxen is revered there, and a sign over the booth (which is inside the tent) tells you all the oxen's vital stats: place of birth, age, weight, farm, and yes, his name (August). He was delicious...

Picture 69 shows the live band that played "humpa music" the entire time! Lots of dancing ensues...

Picture 90 is an example of these highly-skilled waitresses that carry 10 or more beers at once... ALL DAY.

Picture 101 shows some of the stunningly beautiful women that were there, most in traditional Lederhosen! (Picture 121 has the same women, with her mom, both traditionally dressed...)

Picture 136 shows me leaning on a steel beam for support. :) Later pictures show me smoking a cigar; I don't smoke...

If you ever get a chance, you need to go to Oktoberfest. There's simply nothing else like it...

-- Michael

New Award Winner :: Yellow Flower #2

2008-10-19T14:43:00.002-04:00

This picture, "Yellow Flower #2", marks my return to competition for the first time in two years. I'm proud to announce I won a third-place award for this photo!

Before I moved to New York City, I was very involved in the Connecticut photo community, and I entered my work into competition twice a month. Upon moving to NYC, I just don't have the spare time like I used to, and I stopped competing. I found that I really missed the competition though, so I re-joined my old friends at the Wallingford Camera Club, and I'm participating in their digital photo competition. This allows me to compete from NYC, as I can't quite attend the twice-a-month meetings.

To see my gallery of Award-Winning Photographs, please click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/874218_zpywD

-- Michael

Featured Model :: Justine

2008-10-17T18:16:00.008-04:00

Just to the right is a picture of Justine, a gorgeous model from Massachusetts...

After a couple pictures in the studio, we moved outside. During Justine's outside shoots, we used two different outfits; in the first, Justine wore blue jeans and a Red Sox jersey (hey, nobody's perfect right?)... while that had a certain sexy look to it, with the jersey tied across the front, I much prefer the second outfit, in the brown shirt and white pants. The brown is a perfect color for her complexion, and she just looks so classy. No matter which outfit she was in, I had to constantly be careful not to fall into one of her dimples... :)

Justine can be found on One Model Place (#260783) and CFNAP (#101686)...

To see Justine's gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/1697246_wtrVS

To see my entire modeling portfolio, click here.

-- Michael

New Journey :: Pebble Beach, California

2008-10-16T10:26:00.007-04:00

One of my destinations this summer was Pebble Beach in California.

One of the most beautiful places I've seen, it's also one of the toughest to photograph, in order to convey a true sense of the place. Everything is on a very large, expansive scale, and that's tough to reduce to an 8x10 photo.

Most of the gallery was shot at the Pebble Beach Resorts, where the golf courses border the Pacific. Note the pictures with the wild deer out on the greens; talk about a golf hazard! Just up the road is the "Lone Cypress", a well-known landmark that is currently featured in a Lexus commercial. And the final pictures were taken at The Inn at Spanish Bay.

To see my gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/4716990_fWiGr

-- Michael

New Model :: Maryann (2008)

2008-10-15T13:02:00.008-04:00

Today I bring you one of my favorite models, Maryann...

For those of you that have been following my work for a while, you'll recognize Maryann from a shoot I did last year with her. (Last year's gallery can be found here.) Maryann's sense of style continues to shine through in the clothing she wears and the accessories she chooses. A stunning blonde, Maryann looks fantastic in a green outfit, and then later, seated in a red sports car.

Maryann is also a Facebook friend, check out more of Maryann here.

To see Maryann's newest gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/5552935_xnJxo

To see my entire modeling portfolio, click here.

-- Michael

New Gallery :: Central Park Winter Jam 2008 - February 9, 2008

2008-10-14T11:52:00.017-04:00

My first entry here is the annual Central Park Winter Jam.

Every year, among other things, they set up a snowboard park in the middle of Central Park, and open it up to the public to come and "shred" the course. I got some fun action shots of both cool tricks, and bad falls. (Hard to believe, but some people come in costume; someone came dressed up as Winnie the Pooh... on a snowboard...) I got there too late to catch some of the other events... :(

To see my gallery, click the title link above, or click here:
http://www.michaellandry.com/gallery/4310763_Nyexu

-- Michael

This is the beginning...

2008-10-14T00:23:00.002-04:00

I've done a lot of (I think) great photography this year, or at least stuff that I'm very proud of. Since I'm just launching this blog today (10/14/2008), I'm going to post one link per day to each cool gallery I've put online. On rare occasions, I'll highlight a specific photo that has been published, or perhaps a photo I want to promote for some reason. I'll go through these new galleries in (roughly) the same order they were shot.

Should you ever find a photo you like on my web site, many of them are for sale directly through the site. You place your order securely online, and a national print house will print your photo(s) and ship it directly to you. My site also offers many, many gift items, such as coffee mugs, clothing, magnets, blankets, and more!

-- Michael

Welcome to Hot Pixels, the blog of Michael Landry Photography, LLC

2008-10-14T00:06:00.006-04:00

For those of you that don’t know me personally, I thought I’d introduce myself, this blog, my web site, and my business.

I’ve been interested in photography since I was 10 or so. I got my start in a city-sponsored program in my hometown of Meriden, CT. The city gave use film, a darkroom with all the chemicals and equipment, and paper to print the photos on. We just had to supply our own (35mm film!) cameras. I got a Pentax K-1000 and shot endless rolls of pictures. Good times… and a new hobby was born.

As I got into high school, adolescence reduced the time and inclination I had for photography. I still did some, buying a Canon EOS Elan and some other gear, but it wasn’t a big part of my life. When the digital revolution really began to take off was in late 2003, when Canon began selling the Digital Rebel, the first “consumer”-grade digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. I bought a Digital Rebel in November of 2003, and haven’t looked back (although I migrated to a Digital Rebel XT, and now an EOS 40D).

That was 75,000 pictures ago. Sometimes our hobbies become addictions.

What did I shoot 75,000 pictures of? Anything. Everything. I made a point to travel and see new places, and try to document what I experienced, photojournalistic-style, so you can feel what I felt in those places. Sometimes this works out better than others… but I do try.

I took another big step a few years back when I joined two local camera clubs back in CT, the Castle Craig Camera Club, and the Wallingford Camera Club. A camera club is generally a group of photo enthusiasts, from amateurs up to pros, that have regular meetings that are usually either instructional or competitions. Each month’s competition is open to anyone, and has different levels of competition so that everyone has a level playing field. Usually, one category each month has a specific topic, and this was one of my favorite categories. Those that know me can attest that I’m quite competitive at times, and a semi-perfectionist, if there is such a thing. I won a number of competitions in these clubs, as well as at area fairs in the autumn. I even joined the board of directors at the WCC, where I brought the first digital competition to the club three years back.

When I realized that I was in love with photography (and was good at it!), I began to buy more gear. Lots of it. The cameras aren’t the expensive part of this hobby; it’s definitely the glass (i.e. lenses). I’ve now got seven lenses to go with the two bodies I own. (I’ve sold 4 other lenses and my original D-Reb.) They say “bodies come and go, but glass is forever…” The more I invested in this “hobby”, I decided to form an LLC to take on paying work (and deduct costs from my taxes!).

Once the business was formed, I bought a web site to host my photos:
http://www.michaellandry.com/
I selected SmugMug as my host; they seemed to have the best features to support a serious photographer, although they also offer simpler options for amateurs. (Check out SmugMug, and test their free trial if you are looking for a good hosting provider. You can get $5 off if you use my discount code when you register: VgtQnERYXaxXY ). My site now has over 3,000 photos on it, more than enough to keep you clicking for a while. The problem became that are so many pics, how would a visitor know what pictures are newly added? The answer is this blog.

On this blog, I’m going to post information about photography, my projects, my travel plans, and my latest photos. Bookmark this site and come back to visit next time you’re surfing around. Or, if you’d like to know when I post new content, you can subscribe by clicking the links to the left of this post in the "subscribe" section... (The direct ATOM feed URL is http://mlpix.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default) I'm trying to simplify this process, stay tuned...

Please provide feedback or comments on either this site, or the main photo site. Comments and critique are always welcome!

Thanks, and welcome to my world…

Michael Landry