Hans Rosemond Photography

a good day in the park

2008-10-11T23:05:00.002-05:00

In the latest of my "spur of the moment" shoots, myself and Christopher decided to check out a park with one of our favorite models. Got some pretty sweet stuff. It's really great working with an assistant. Frees you up to try some fun stuff.

Mac or PC?

2008-10-07T09:25:00.002-05:00

I'm struggling here. I love my mac. It's a Macbook Pro that I hook up to a Dell 24" monitor. The interface, the colors...all great. BUT: Hard drive space is at a premium. I use external hard drives to store my photos, but the 120 GB that are provided on the laptop itself are rapidly diminishing. Also, the Macbook Pro just isn't all that fast. Not compared to my PC.

My PC I use for gaming, so it's a hefty rig. I've been tempted to use it for editing, but it doesn't have the Mac's interface or stability. But man it's so much faster. What to do, what to do? Should I migrate back to PC? Any workarounds that anyone can think of to help out the Mac? Any input is appreciated.

VP Debate fun...

2008-10-03T16:46:00.002-05:00

Not to get all political or anything, but I thought this was pretty amusing: Palin Debate Flowchart

a kick in the ass

2008-10-02T09:21:00.002-05:00

So I'm now getting a bit of motivation from a photographer friend as far as my blogging (or lack thereof) goes, so I'm making an earnest effort (again) to regularly post to this.

I'm part of the Austin Strobist group on flickr. As part of the group we do photo of the month exercises, more for bragging rights than anything else. It's a good way to think outside the box a bit as far as what we shoot. So anyway, last month we were partnered up for the shoot. My partner was Christopher Ferguson of Definitive Images, and the theme was opposites. We decided we would go all out and have a city based shoot and a country based shoot, complete with motorcycle and horse, respectively.
Needless to say, everything started falling apart.
Our model for the country shoot backed out at the last minute, forcing us to scramble to find a model that would fit the wardrobe we selected and would fit the look in...oh....about 3 hours. And when it came time to do the city part, the motorcycle was nowhere to be found.
And so it was that I found myself waiting on a curb with a model at 10pm on Congress, twiddling my thumbs with Lauren, or model, waiting for Christopher to try to find a motorcycle. Well it just so happens that about 5 feet from us, a rather pimped out motorcycle was parked. As I was talking to Lauren, I started to notice the various colors of light and the environment around us and thought, "Hey, why don't we just shoot using available light and the motorcycle right here?" So we did. And boy am I glad I did. It forced me to use the environment in a way that I hadn't previously, and I think we got some really great shots out of it.
So it just goes to show you....even when everything is falling apart, just stop for a second and take a look around you. There's usually something amazing right around the corner.

football time!

2008-08-25T13:52:00.001-05:00

Did a bunch of stuff for the paper this past few weeks. Mostly for the upcoming college and high school football season. They are finally published this week, so after that I'll post some of the shots. Yep, still alive over here!

H

Website Update!

2008-07-20T13:18:00.003-05:00

Changed a few things around to show some of the newer work I've done and concentrate more on my portraiture. Here is a shot i did recently that I particularly like. It's Stewart Glenister, sole male swimmer for American Samoa. He just happens to be from Central Texas!

Oh My God an update!

2008-07-17T10:29:00.002-05:00

So obviously I'm pretty awesome at blogging. After almost a year of silence I've decided to have a go at it again. Ninth time's a charm, right? So I'll start with an update on where I am. I'm in Austin, TX at the moment. After a lot of thought I decided that I needed to be closer to the family, and I've always heard such great things about Austin, so why not? I just arrived 3 days ago. I currently am shooting part time for a newspaper in Temple, TX, and am enjoying that very much. I'm in the processing of overhauling my portfolio with new work and I hope to be shooting a lot more for fun and doing a lot more test work. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime if I start slacking, bother me and I'll try to remember. I'd like to make this a habit. Shame myself into shooting more, as it were.

...from the latest...

2007-08-20T19:07:00.000-05:00

some from the latest!

...and here a couple from the last shoot I did.

2007-08-07T12:26:00.000-05:00

Lakeshore shot, managed to get a few awesome ones before discovering that we were on City of Chicago Parks property, and therefore a permit was required. Oops!

Portfolio Book

2007-08-07T12:23:00.001-05:00

So I've always heard that one of the most important investments a photographer can make is in his/her portfolio book. So yeah, did that. And they weren't kidding (whoever they are) when they chose the word INVESTMENT. These suckers ain't cheap. But, that being said, getting a professional, custom made book done was worth it. It's beautiful and it really does scream professional when you look at it. So anyway, here's mine!

...as promised, some pictures from my latest shoot

2007-07-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

This is the lovely Danielle. She was a trooper, putting up with the wind, sun, and sand...and having to change in my car. (Mental note: buy one of those portable changing tents) I knew that the wind was going to be bad since we were right by the lake, and lord knows I don't have an assistant to hold my lights, so I improvised. I bought a couple of 15 lb dumbbells and anchored my light stands with those. Pretty cheap solution. You'd be surprised how expensive and hard to find sandbags are. Not to mention messy. Anyway, on with the pictures!

an update...FINALLY....again!

2007-07-16T16:38:00.000-05:00

So yeah, here I am in Chicago. Been here for about 6 months and what do I have to show for it? Well, some things are finally starting to come together. I'm starting to work with a couple of agencies about town a bit, and I'm doing a bit of teaching in Toledo (weird, eh?). Plus I should be doing some work for a boutique in the near future as well. So anyway, I figured I'd take time out to show where I live! This is it to the left. Small, eh? haha. Well it gets the job done for now. I'm going to TRY to update this much more frequently now that things are actually happening. I'll create a post after this one showing some images from my latest shoot.

updates...

2007-02-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

So let's see...

My car got crashed into in Pittsburgh while I've been here in Chicago. Pretty sweet. I'm close to getting my own place, thank goodness. I'm so thankful for the great friends that are allowing me to mooch off of them for these few months until I can truly get on my feet. It seems that the weather Gods are done babying us here in Chicago (and elsewhere) and are now ready to show us what winter is all about. Sub zero temps, lots of inches of snow...now THIS is the Chicago winter I remember.

Ive resolved to be a more shrewd businessman. I can't be nice to everyone anymore, as it's getting me walked on. People owe me money from shoots long past. It isn't much, but it's the principle. When they don't pay me, I can't pay all of the people I need to pay. So no more favors. No more Mr. Nice Guy. It's full price for everyone. You've all pushed me and lost.

...and the transcendence has begun...

2007-01-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

I had my first shoot since moving back. Wow. Talk about a load off. I was beginning to think I couldn't do it anymore! Haha. No, but it felt so good to have a camera back in my hands. Hopefully the first of many to come.

So here I am...what now?

2007-01-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

Chicago...

I've missed it so, yet it isn't the city as I remember it. For some reason the opportunities seem endless when you have no concrete goals. But once you have them all you see is roadblocks. I've started working again at the restaurant to get some cash flow going. Slowly starting to spread word of myself by word of mouth. If only I had some sort of magic pillow stuffed with 100's...hell, 20's would do. That way I could advertise, redo my book, make some waves...instead begins the slow, arduous process of getting my name out the old fashioned way: cheaply and slowly.

I feel more alone that I have ever felt in this city. It's a sobering thing to come back to a place I called home and realize that it has kept going while I was away. My old friends have found new friends. It isn't as easy to get back into the groove as I thought it would be. Life has gone on...without me. Of course that isn't to say that they have forgotten me. I'm just not a priority anymore. I packed my bags and left. Now I'm back and why should they give a damn?

So begins the process of reacquainting myself with old friends and making new ones. Isn't this what I like to do? Isn't this my m.o? I'm a military brat for God's sake. I thrive on change! I love moving! Right? I'm not so sure anymore.

...on being an asshole...

2007-01-03T02:24:00.000-05:00

So I had a talk with an ex tonight. THE ex.

She was the one woman that I can truly say that I completely fucked over. Yet somehow she still deems me worthy to stay in her semi-good graces. I am very thankful for that.

As I spoke with her I realized how life changing our acts of hostility and malevolence are to those around us. Because of my actions, both our lives were radically altered from their previous paths, and not just in direction, but also in self perception. Up until that point I had never sabotaged a relationship. I had never truly hurt someone that unconditionally loved me...at least not at this magnitude. And now my awareness that I am capable of such an act has completely altered my self-perception. I always thought of myself as "the good guy." I'm right! I'm just! What I'm doing makes sense! By having her unwillingly hold a mirror up to me so that I could see how hurtful I could be, she cracked the shiny veneer of my previously spotless view of myself. I can be an asshole. I can be a prick. I can hurt those I love. I can be wrong. Very wrong.

I believe that it was this revelation that was the catalyst for my movement into full adulthood. It took a mistake of this magnitude for me to fully drop my facade of perfection. I can now step back and look at my relationship to the world in realistic terms. I can now realize that the connections I've made with people....the way that I treat them, love them...all of it is important. It isn't completely about my comfort anymore. It isn't about me being right. It's about my role and responsibility as a contributing member of society and embracing adulthood.

So now that I can see all of this, how will I go about my life? I suppose time will tell....

moving...

2006-12-31T16:47:00.000-05:00

Back to Chicago. Super busy! woot and stuff. Happy new Year all.

There, ya happy, Emily???

Resistance is Futile

2006-12-21T02:50:00.000-05:00

As I lay in bed last night, pondering my recent foray into activism, a new thought crept in to my head. The inevitability of change.
I was thinking of Genarlow Wilson a 20 year old man who is at this moment sitting in a jail cell for the “crime” of receiving oral sex from a young girl. At the time he was 17 and she was 15. Under the then current Georgia statutes, he was locked up without the possibility of parole. He will be labeled a sex offender for the rest of his life. After he was put away the laws were changed to be more lenient for teenagers engaged in such acts, but the laws remain. Why? Because of the conservative location that created them.
Which got me thinking about other laws and movements that are in place because of conservative parties…the fight against abortion, the refusal to allow gay marriage, stem cell research…
Now, here’s the thing that I realized while lying in bed: Over the long run, conservative notions (not parties, conservative ideals in general) are always left behind. Those that fight change are never the ultimate winners. Change has infinite momentum. It has infinite inertia. Why fight it? Adapt. That is the way of the universe. You can argue at me until you’re blue in the face that gay marriage is wrong, for instance. However, the fact remains that, eventually, gay marriage will become as common as heterosexual marriage. It is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time. So in the meantime, why ruin these people’s lives? So that you can hold on to your way of life? Your way of thinking that is cherished, infallible, and unbreakable? Well let me tell you, it isn’t. It will change. It is changing. It’s already changed. So why not let these human beings love each other and respect each other in the same way as yourselves? Why hold on to these beliefs to the detriment of others? As far as we know, we only get one trip around in this life. Just because you are resistant to change, don’t fuck up somebody else’s ride.
Just as an aside, I’m not saying anyone’s beliefs aren’t important. They certainly are. I completely respect anyone’s right to believe in what and who they wish. What I don’t believe in is punishing those that don’t believe the same.

ok, I'm a man and all....

2006-12-19T14:35:00.000-05:00

But damn this made me feel good

Free Hugs

ok, ok...I'm a slacker ALREADY!

2006-12-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

So here's the deal...

I'm moving back to Chicago.

I know, I know, I have this magazine. Well after a lot of soul searching I've come to some conclusions. I had to take a step back and look at my life and figure out what is truly important to me. What am I looking to accomplish? The fact is that I want to be a professional magazine photographer, working freelance in a major market. I can't do that here. Pittsburgh isn't the market for the kind of work that I do. Yes, I could stay here and try to get work from LA, NYC, and Chicago, but I would not be giving it everything that I had and I'd be spreading myself too thin with the magazine. If I really want to give my career the best shot that I can, I need to move. And about the magazine. It's an excellent idea. It's a great idea! And I really hope that I can find someone who will take the reigns from me, use the groundwork that I've established, and keep it alive. I really, truly believe that this magazine should be made. I just don't think that I'm the one to run it. I don't want to look back at my life 5 years from now when I'm neck deep in magazine and still wonder if I could have made it in a larger market. Now is the time. My portfolio is to a place I find acceptable, I still have my youth (sort of), I'm not married, no kids...it's now or never.
So if you're in PIttsburgh, let's hang out! I'll be gone in less than 3 weeks.

busy busy busy

2006-12-08T00:58:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how busy one can be and yet still seem to get absolutely nothing accomplished. I'm trying to look at the big picture, but it's hard when another day goes by and I don't really have much to show for it. But I'm starting to trust the system. STARTING.

..and...pictures!

2006-12-06T00:31:00.000-05:00

Did a shoot with DJ Bonics today. Went pretty well. I love being on location so much more than being in studio. Lots of fun. Unfortunately my sync cord keeps being glitchy. I miss my pocket wizards. Sigh. Soon. Oh, met with a friend today who was very helpful in my endeavor to do a mass e-mail. So hopefully that will be proceeding very soon. Oh...and Skinny man in towel = STBD.tv episode 13.

thinkin and thinkin....

2006-12-04T02:40:00.000-05:00

so many things going on in my head about my career. I expect some big decisions to be made in the very near future.

the power....or lack thereof...

2006-12-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

So the power went out in my house yesterday. Not fun. It's still out. I'm blogging from my studio now. I guess the weather finally decided that it would actually be winter. Last night at EXPOSURE was a lot of fun. I saw a bunch of people that I hadn't seen in a while, so that was good. So now I'll be hanging out in my studio all of today. At least until the power returns at the house. The damage to the area was pretty bad.

oh...and here, are some pictures...

2006-11-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

Took these a couple of days ago. The bands are School of Athens and Kairos.

FRREEEEEEDOOOOOM....

2006-11-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

So I'm officially caught up on the last job from long ago. For now. May this warm, gushy feeling last more than a week. Today was a nice, semi-relaxing day of mailing cd's, wondering where on earth all of my power cords went off to, and doing making phone calls. Tomorrow I have one shoot in the afternoon (for fun, no less) a shoot in the evening for a fashion show, and then it's off to EXPOSURE, the monthly photography exhibition at Havana. Stop by if you get a chance. It's a good time with good people.
I'm gonna go watch Heroes now and then do some layout work.

Hans SMASH!

2006-11-30T00:20:00.000-05:00

yay, another selection from the long ago job. Woot. Kill me. In other good news I've started the process of planning a fundraising party for the mag. Cross everything. I need funds.

So I sooo think should count for the 28th.

2006-11-29T01:30:00.000-05:00

I went out after doing 3 shoots today and had no time to post a blog message. SO sue me! The shoots went great and I'm really enjoying meeting all these new people and taking their pictures. So yeah. suck it.

..well duh!

2006-11-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Anyone know the best way to carry out a mass e-mail promotional campaign? Yeah, me neither! But that's what I'm researching at the moment. The e-mail blitz will be followed by a direct mail campaign as well when funds allow. Hopefully soon. I need to ride these motivational highs as far as they'll get me.
Oh, check out the music section on my web page for a new picture. Haven't figured out imbedding pictures in here yet. Baby steps!

Job exit strategy....why I need one

2006-11-26T14:42:00.000-05:00

So this afternoon I worked on editing some headshots. Nothing special about that. However, these shots were taken over a month ago. So here's the deal. I land a gig doing a bunch of headshots for an agency. Great! I do the shoot, go home, prepare proof cd's, send them out and as soon as I get them back I start editing, right? WRONG! I wait. and I wait. and I wait...then 2 weeks later starts to come the trickle of selections from the individual clients. So I edit the selections I've received. Do I send them off immediately? No. Because it costs money to send cd's and I'd rather send all of them at one time and save some money. (unfortunately expenses are not covered on this particular job) I expect the rest of the selections to arrive any day now anyway. Right? WRONG! in 4 days, 1 arrives...then a week later comes 3 more. ARRRGH. So here I sit almost 2 months from the time I shot the job, and I'm just now entering the home stretch.

So, what have I learned? Have deadlines set and an exit time for the job in mind. Say, "The proofs need to be here by this date, and the selections made by this date and I will send out the cd's on this date." This entire job should have been done in a matter of two weeks. It's no fault of the agency because I didn't make my timelimes clear. Now I'm neck deep in other work and I still have to divert attention to this old job. Not cool. But lesson learned.

I'm shooting for STBD today as well. Justin, Ann and I had a long talk about my character development and I think we'll be seeing some cool stuff in the future. Very exciting.

I have a bunch of shoots planned next week, so hopefully this blog will be getting a bit prettier in the near future.

....so why am I doing this...?

2006-11-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

I had a meeting today with my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Justin Kownacki, creator of Something to Be Desired. In it we discussed ways to potentially strengthen our resolve and motivation in our individual projects. He suggested that I begin to keep a blog, detailing what I'm doing, to be blunt, to get shit done. The theory is that by posting every day I'll be constantly thinking about my work, or at the very least if I don't post for a day or two, I'll have a record of when I was slacking off.

So what do I do?

1. I'm a freelance photographer, specializing in environmental portraiture, fashion work, and entertainment portfolios.
2. I'm a cast member of Something to Be Desired, a web sitcom based here in Pittsburgh.
3. I'm the founder/owner of a magazine in progress, Our Pittsburgh Magazine.
4. I play World of Warcraft. (So sue me. Ladies love it.) Stonemaul, reprazent!

I'd been out of town for the past 3 weeks or so, so I was terribly behind where I needed to be on the magazine project. Still am. However, I have 5 shoots planned next week for it, with more to come. I have a lot to learn as far as marketing, investors, layout, pitching and all of those things are concerned. I do have a few advisors who are helping out a bit, but by and large the brunt of the project falls on my (very) narrow shoulders.

As for the freelance work, I'm trying to put together a promotional package to begin my self-marketing campaign. A daunting undertaking in itself. My portfolio is finally to a point where I'm truly comfortable pushing myself to ad agencies and the like. The trick is how. So I'll be talking about that as well.

I'd love for this to be a conversation, so if anyone out there who for whatever reason reads this has some insight, suggestions or questions, please comment and I'll try to address them.

So let's see how long I can keep this up. See you tomorrow.