Philadelphia Photographer Blog - Madeincamera.com - by Gene Smirnov http://madeincamera.com Gene Smirnov is a Philadelphia portrait and music photographer Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:26:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Alternative Press / Walmart – Mini-mag cover shoot http://madeincamera.com/?p=162 http://madeincamera.com/?p=162#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:25:44 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=162 Things are changing rapidly. And it’s still not clear for better or for worse. With the economy dip last year lots of dinosaurs got closed down and some new forward thinking businesses opened up. What also might be a coincidence last year and with everything going down the hill, the introduction of video and traditional media going digital made us all aware how comfortable we are. This was one of the reasons for such harsh time for many photographers out there. But it’s time for next step, a rebirth of media, a fusion of technologies, partnerships, joint efforts. It’s already here and happening. While many pubs are completely going online, some are finding ways to reinvent traditional media and move forward. I recently shot a cover for a special edition of Alternative Press music magazine. They partnered with Walmart for exclusive seasonal release…

You can only find this in Walmart! It’s a mini-magazine (5.5 x 7″) with 2 audio cds, a locker poster and a band name bracelet! And it’s only $5. It’s a great example of what can be done with traditional media without going completely digital and still be very affordable! Being a small format, with some media, lots of photos and tight articles, this magazine is catered to a specific audience and will be a great success without a doubt. The band featured called Cartel, who just went to Wind Up Records, a perfect new label to be at. Check out their new release Cycles.

I know sooner than later we’ll see a lot more content being on portable media (think iPad), completely interactive and customizable. It is really amazing what Sports Illustrated got going here:

What I wish to see, is more collaborations. Unique content in unexpected format with a niche is really where it’s at and with a good distribution partner is what will drive a good quality content to people who care to spend time and money on it. And what about a fusion of magazines? Something that is catered to one person but delivered digitally. Articles pulled from various sources in one multimedia presentation. Something to think about …

]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=162 0 Nice People Theatre / Grace and Art of Climbing http://madeincamera.com/?p=156 http://madeincamera.com/?p=156#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:21:24 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=156 Nice People, Grace and Art of Climbing

Nice People Theatre is ran by super nice people, in case you were wondering! It’s a small group with a big production, Nicole Blicher and Miriam White were a pleasure to work with. This particular play is about a woman who tries to find herself in life, doing so through climbing. The whole shoot was done in a park in Philadelphia. The play is going from october 21st through november 8th. Check them out here.

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]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=156 0 INC Magazine / Guitar Affair / Jim Basara shoot http://madeincamera.com/?p=150 http://madeincamera.com/?p=150#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:11:20 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=150 Jim Basara from Guitar Affairs - photography by Gene Smirnov

Jim Basara is a collector and a very smart entrepreneur. And that is the kind of “material” INC magazine likes to write about. His company Guitar Affair is a high-end guitar rental site for enthusiasts who likes to try any guitar without committing to one. That model, similar to Netflix in some ways, is very popular these days. Check out their site. Also, this issue of INC magazine is on stands and here is an original article to check out.

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]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=150 0 Crooked Man http://madeincamera.com/?p=127 http://madeincamera.com/?p=127#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:40:12 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=127 Crooked Man, photography by Gene Smirnov

Crooked Man aka T.R.I.C. finally released his full-length. I was really excited to get a copy. We did a shoot quite a bit ago. It seems that it’s so much effort to release an album, that when it finally arrives it’s like a life-long achievement. Check out his tracks on http://www.myspace.com/thecrookedmantric. Here are some other highlights from the shoot…

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]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=127 0 Find Vienna http://madeincamera.com/?p=133 http://madeincamera.com/?p=133#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:25:09 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=133 Find Vienna (ex-Clarity)

Find Vienna is one of those homegrown bands that will end up making it really big, you just know it. We spent a whole day exploring the beautiful coast of New Jersey and came back with some timeless visuals for a new cd cover. If you’re into Coldplay and Fray, you will really dig Find Vienna. Check them out on myspace or add them on facebook.

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]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=133 0 GRIS – Philly’s home grown http://madeincamera.com/?p=118 http://madeincamera.com/?p=118#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:07:28 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=118 G.R.I.S.

A few months back I shot G.R.I.S., a rap group that consists of artists of various genres, all bringing something different to the table. It was pretty interesting to deal with a group of this size, but they were game for anything, even for a shot with a big friendly dog in the middle of abandoned property. G.R.I.S is 5TH CHILD, KING SAMIR, CAMOSHUN CALMKILLA, DI-OH!, BIGG CITY (I’m digging), JONE$Y, TONY VEGA.

Philadelphia rap group with a big friendly dog shot by Gene Smirnov

]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=118 0 Circa Survive photo on the official site http://madeincamera.com/?p=108 http://madeincamera.com/?p=108#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:56:18 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=108 Circa Survive shot by Gene Smirnov
Circa Survive just updated their site. They’re using my image prominent as a header. This was pulled from Alternative Press shoot we did some time ago. This shot might be interesting to a lot of Circa Survive fans as it gives a different perspective on the band. If you never heard of these guys, definitely give them a try. They’re very talented and making some really interesting music.

]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=108 0 New York Photo Festival 09 – Tiny Feature http://madeincamera.com/?p=102 http://madeincamera.com/?p=102#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:04:52 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=102 I wasn’t there. Even though my book did see some creatives, I really want to go next time. I also got featured in a tiny contest “We are all photographers now!” where you could submit an image for a public projector screening. It’s the smallest battle, but still pretty satisfying when they featured my black metal dude twice!

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]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=102 0 Site of the month at Slideshowpro http://madeincamera.com/?p=94 http://madeincamera.com/?p=94#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:45:46 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=94 Gene Smirnov - Site of the month
Just wanted to mention that I got featured as site of the month on slideshowpro.net, a great flash slideshow plugin I have used as part of my site. Todd Dominey and his crew have built an excellent solution for a quick web presence. It goes hand in hand with Director, an online system for managing images. Also, their new “Ken Burns” style transition is pretty nice. Check out all other excellent sites they featured as well.

]]> http://madeincamera.com/?feed=rss2&p=94 0 Achtung!, this is the Takeover UK http://madeincamera.com/?p=87 http://madeincamera.com/?p=87#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 00:29:41 +0000 admin http://madeincamera.com/?p=87 takeoveruk
A month or two ago I shot this band the Takeover UK for Alternative Press. It should still be on stands for a week or two. Check it out. These super talented guys from Pittsburgh were a lot of fun. Everything was pretty much improv, but turned out like we planned it all out, including snowball fights, trespassing, walking, drinking coffee and just hanging out. Thanks to their manager Karl Rybacki for help and special props to Rykodisc records. You might dig them if you’re into The Strokes, Silversun, The Rifles and just not-so-plain, but good rock! Check out a video for one of their songs:
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