A Big Shout Out to Howie Shneyer of Aperture Studios Miami for putting together Eyes and Hearts for Haiti – a silent auction to raise money for Haitian Earthquake relief! All proceeds of the auction will donated to: friendsoftheorphans.org

Come out Friday March 12, 2010 to bid on great prints from: Greg Gorman, Bill Pierce, David Carol, Alan Kaplan, Gaetano Mansi, Jamie Hankin, Dana Tynan, Andrew Tyrek, William Coupon, Brad Trent, Brian Smith, PF Bentley, Barry Kulick, Antoine Verglas, Andre Plessel, Markus Klinko, Douglas Kirkland, Elliott Landy, Jose Gaytan, Ira Block, Dirk Franke, Joe Szkodzinski, Henry Diltz, Paul Morris, Troy Word, Jim Britt, Darryl Strawser, Greg Watermann, George Holz, Joe Gato, John Huba, Al Satterwhite, Laura Tillinghast, Ken Regan, Richard Patterson, James Kamp, Neal Preston, Richard Corman, Louie Psihoyos, Jodie Sinclair, April Dolkar, Jeff Licata, John Eder, Charles Trainor, Tom Bolinger, Roy Gumpel, Bill Frakes, Cheryl Maeder, Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte, Gus Butera, Dania Graibe, Mark Chin, Howie Shneyer, Martin Rogers, Danny Clinch, Ross Whitaker, David Burnett, Arthur Elgort, Jim Marshall, David Senatra, Michael Dakota, Peggy Sirota, Steve Sanacore, Bob Gothard, Jeffrey Salter, Janette Beckman, Deborah Feingold, Arthur Grace, Steven White, Blasius Erlinger, Robert Holland, Nancy Nolan, Jules Allen, John C. Engelhardt, Jaime Kahn, Jesse Frohman, Anne Day, Samantha Scott, Patrick Farrell, Robert Erdmann, Carl Juste, James McEntee, Luca Babini, Dean Isidro, Wayne Maser

Back in The OC to speak at the 2010 PMA convention. Brings back a lot of memories of great times of my days as a staff photographer for the Orange County Register in the ’80s. Of course back in the day, Orange County was always said in italics…

DAY 1 – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20: 6:55am flight through Dallas. John Wayne International Airport is much bigger and better than I remember. Blue Pixel’s Kevin Gilbert picks us up and we head straight to the Anaheim Convention Center. Hand off updates of the presentations to Jamie Horton for run through of my three talks that I’ll be doing at the Sony booth. Sony Senior Product Manager for Digital-SLR Cameras, Mark Weir gives me the first glimpse of the new Sony prototype lenses the CZ 24/2 and 500/4 G. Sony Alpha product manager Kristen Elder shows me the super-cool new super-compact APS-C concept camera. A smaller camera that I can take everywhere. Can’t wait to get my hands on one of them. El-Deane Naude shows off Sony’s new VX2000 camcorder with dual card slots and XLR inputs. Gotta get one of those too. Then run-though of the product launch I’m doing tomorrow at the press event to kick off PMA. I really dig the new and improved intelligent sweep panorama on the Cybershot TX5 and product manager Hiroyuki “Tommy” Tominaga tells me it actually stitches together up to a HUNDRED images to create a panorama image on the fly. Whoa! I’ll be on stage in between announcements by Brennan Mullin, Senior VP of Sony Electronics’ personal imaging and audio business and Masashi “Tiger” Imamura, Sony President of Personal Imaging. TALK ABOUT PRESSURE!!!  Director of the Sony’s Artisans program, Kayla Linquist is kind enough to lie to me and say I was funny. My wife Fazia is mortified. I think I’ll have to go with my wife’s call on this one…

DAY 2 – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21: Started out the day making the product launch announcement for the Cyber-shot LX5 Showing off it’s rugged good looks by breaking it out of a block of ice, sticking it in a dust chamber, dunking it in a tank of water and dropping it from five feet onto the stage. Why they thought of me to do that…well, I guess you can figure that out. Managed to nearly hit Sony’s CMO with a chunk of ice, yet I somehow didn’t have to hitchhike home from the show or use the ice pick on myself. Gave two talks on Location Portraits and the Art & Soul project in between fellow Sony Artisan’s Andy Katz, showing Images of India and Wine Country and Matthew Jordan Smith, showing his Polar Bear Fashion and Fashion Week in New York. American PHOTO’s Russell Hart stops by to introduce me to their new photo editor Chelsea Stickel and we talk about an upcoming project. Then did two lighting demos with models Yuki and Stephanie and then headed off to a Sony press dinner. Great dinner. Got to talk with a lot of people about the projects I’ve been doing over the last year.

DAY 3 – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22: No press event today, whew! Gave three talks today and two model shoots. Yuki is really amazing (a great discovery by Matthew Jordan Smith) Cristina Mittermeier joins the fun, Saving the Planet One Pixel at a Time. My wife Fazia helps transform Yuki into and Indian bride for Cristina’s shoot. Kayla Linquist and I talk with Sony’s Linda Barger and Erin Georgrieff of Paine PR about ideas to promote the ‘Art & Soul’ project. Derrick Story, Tim Grimmer and Yvonne Petro of Lowepro show me their cool new line of bags. Andy Katz surprises us a lovely gift of a bottle of 2007 Katz Cabernet. Sony Artisans dinner at Napa Rose with Steve Sommers, Veronica Garcia, Mark Weir, Michael Kenny III, Kayla Linquist, and the rest of the crew from Sony.

DAY 4 – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23: Finally got a good night sleep, so I’m feeling great for the final day. The day flies as I give all three talks again and more lighting demos with Yuki as a super-hot version of “Minnie Mouse” and surfer Glen channeling ‘Jeff Spicoli’ even though he wasn’t born with ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ dropped. Gary Pageu from PMA stops by to check out my talks. Dinner at Roy’s.

DAY 5 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24: Flying home today. On my way to LAX, I drive down Sunset from the 101 past the Andaz Hotel where I will be shooting ‘Art & Soul’ for The Creative Coalition next week at the Oscars. They already have a giant Moet Oscar Week ad covering the entire side of the hotel…I know what I’ll be drinking next week. Just enough time for a final lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Cholo with our friend James Russell before heading home on our flight to MIA…

PMA 2010 at Anaheim Convention Center

Sony President of Personal Imaging Masashi Imamura, kicks off PMA to a full house

The New Sony Zeiss 24/2.0

The New Sony 500/4.0 G

Super-compact Sony APS-C Concept Camera

Press photograph the new Sony Lenses

Press Photograph the New Sony Concept Camera

Lovely Model Yuki as Minnie

The Copyright Action website details the ugly truth behind two possible changes to UK copyright laws. Going a step beyond the ugly-enough Orphan Works bill proposed in the U.S. last year, the British version essentially strips away rights of creators:

“The quaint notion that the author alone has prime and inalienable rights over his/her own work, must be able to restrict usage, negotiate a fee, prevent usage they consider immoral or distasteful, or assert their moral right to attribution, is about to pass into history. This is the biggest change in UK copyright law in 150 years. It also punches holes through the Berne agreement, international copyright law and TRIPS.”

Making bad news even worse, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is proposing a new code for personal information online that is a virtual ban on public photography which ONLY applies to professional photographers:

“Mindful of the damage this would do to tourism and how much it would piss off Joe Public to be told he can’t use his cameraphone in the street to make humiliating snaps of his drunk mates for Facebook (and quite possibly subsequent orphan use by Rupert Murdoch), ICO have decided that this lunacy shall only apply to pro photographers, a small enough constituency to castrate with impunity.”

Worst Bills Ever!

Thanks to Production Paradise for Spotlighting the Art & Soul Project. It’s been a great project to be able to work with The Creative Coalition and all the artists to show support for funding the arts and arts education. Thanks of all to all the celebrities including Samuel Jackson, Anne Hathaway, Adrian Grenier, Taraji P. Henson, Dule Hill, Tichina Arnold, Tony Bennett, Alyssa Milano, David Hyde Pierce, Tim Daly, Lynn Whitfield, Harry Belafonte, Richard Belzer, Robert Davi and Tamala Jones….for lending their voices to this great cause and their wonderful faces to my camera!

If you have checked out Production Paradise, take a look…they’re the directory and showcase for the visual media industry.

On her last visit to Florida, my friend, fine art photographer Linda Troeller stopped by our house with the husband Lothar. I’d promised Linda that I would shoot a portrait of her for her new book. Somehow, by the end of the night, Lothar was looking quite Grace Jones…

Congrats to fellow Mizzou photojournalism alum, director Louie Psihoyos for his Oscar nomination and Directors Guild win for ‘The Cove’. As an old friend, I still remember Louie getting his film debut in a cameo as a news photographer  in a Sylvester Stallone film in Dubuque, Iowa before going on to J-School…well look who’s invited to the Red Carpet this year…

THE COVE from thonie lee on Vimeo.

Maria Piscopo interviewed me along withmy friends  Brian Smale, Robbie McClaran and Shawn G. Henry about changes in the editorial photography market for her piece ‘The Business Of Editorial Photography: Telling A Story With Images” in the January 2010 Shutterbug Magazine. You can read it online here.

Heading back from Park City, Utah where we took The Creative Coalition’s ‘Art & Soul’ project to the Sundance Film Festival shooting more celebrity portraits for the arts advocacy project which is the cornerstone of a grassroots campaign to focus national attention on the need to ensure that arts in America thrive and flourish. ‘Art & Soul’ has been used to successfully lobby Congress and the White House for increased funding for the arts and arts education. Thanks to the participation of over 40 celebrities at Sundance we have now photographed 160 celebrities to date as part of one of the greatest projects that I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a great thing for those of us lucky enough to make a living from the arts to have an opportunity to show our support and give back. Here is our story…

DAY 1 – January 22:
We started off our Sundance shoots with Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt and Thomas Ian Nicholas from Please Give. Wonderful air guitar rifts from Thomas who brought his vintage Gibson Sunburst guitar to Sundance. Next the lovely Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza stopped in followed by director Kevin Asch of Holy Rollers, Ryan O’Nan The Dry Land, Jon Prescott from Howl and John Ortiz of Jack Goes Boating, spoke of Al Pacino’s generosity to him as a first film Carlito’s Way.

DAY 2 – January 23:
An amazing start with the lovely Vicky Cristina Barcelona herself Rebecca Hall in town to promote Please Give, Happythankyoumoreplease’s Kate Mara, Tony Hale and Pablo Schreiber, Noureen DeWulf and Jon Prescott from Howl. The day’s highlight was a very pleasant surprise drop-in by Oscar-winner Adrian Brody – thanks to a big assist from John Ortiz who had such a good time with us the day before he sent his friend our way. I’ve always wanted to meet Adrian – not only because I’m a big fan of his work – but because very early in my career I took a workshop with his mother, renowned photographer Sylvia Plachy.

DAY 3 – January 24
Started with Michael Shannon of The Runaways then a a visit from our sponsor Silvercup Studios head Stuart Match Suna, followed by Emma Bell of Frozen, Justin Bartha of Holy Rollers, Ellen Hollman Skateland, Bellamy Young, model Emme, Nathaniel Parker A Perfect Host, 3 Backyards’ Danai Gurira and Kathryn Erbe – one of my favorite actresses for her work in Oz and Law & Order: Criminal Intent and finally High SchooI’s Adhir Kalyan who was marvelous in Youth in Revolt and Nip/Tuck.

DAY 4 – January 25:
Our day began rapid fire with Sam Jackson, Jimmy Smits and Josh Radnor and ended with ended with Adrian Grenier. Along the way we ran into lovely Kerry Washington who lobbied Capitol Hill for increased funding for the Arts with me last May. Next was Rikki Lake, High School Musical’s KayCee Stroh, Haley Ramm, of Skateland. After that, we entertained director Joel Schumacher with stories about burlesque legends Tempest Storm and Satan’s Angel. Still laughing from a wonderful laugh-filled shoot of Laura Silverman. High School’s Nadine Crocker showed up leather-clad and looking like the perfect addition to the cast of Sons of Anarchy. Chris Ashworth of The Wire who showed up with Russian bombshell Natalie Gal, Frozen director Adam Green and Drones Amber Benson, Adam Busch, Samm Levine and Tangi Miller. Before dinner at the The Creative Coalition’s Spotlight Initiative Awards we added Melissa Leo of Welcome to the Rileys, Treat Williams of Howl, Malin Akerman of Happythankyoumoreplease, snapped ‘Art & Soul’ participant Jason Ritter again, Christopher McDonald and Entourage’s own ‘Vinne Chase’ Adrian Grenier picking up his award for Teenage Paparazzo. Then chatted up Creative Coalition President and friend Tim Daly and had dinner with Twitter co-creator Dom Sagolla showing off the next BIG thing, the Square, and yes..I tweeted about it…

CREDITS:
As always, my BIGGEST THANKS goes to my lovely wife Fazia who makes sure everyone always looks great! Returning the thanks to The Creative Coalition executive director Robin Bronk for the kind words at The Creative Coalition’s Spotlight Initiative Awards and to Barbara Horvath, Briana Mulherin, Liviya Kraemer, Dennis St. Rose and Gabrielle Young of TCC and assistance from BYU student Bethany Davis. David Manning of A-List Communications and his staff for put together a great lounge at Sky Lodge. Special thanks to Stuart Match Suna, head of Silvercup Studios for their sponsorship of our shoot and to  Sony Artisans of Imagery director Kayla Lindquist for dropping this wonderful project on me and for finding a way to get me to Utah.

EQUIPMENT:
Sony a900 Cameras
Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 Zoom
Sony Zeiss 85/1.4
Sony 100/2.8 Macro
Sony Zeiss 135/1.8
Profoto Acute 2 – 2400 Packs
Profoto Acute 2 Heads

Generous support provided by:

I’m headed to Park City, Utah to the Sundance Film Festival from January 22-25th to shoot more celebrity portraits for The Creative Coalition’s ‘Art & Soul’ project. The arts advocacy project is the cornerstone of a grassroots campaign to focus national attention on the need to ensure that arts in America thrive and flourish. It has been used to successfully lobby Congress and the White House for increased funding for the arts and arts education. Over 120 celebrities have been photographed to date. This has been one of the greatest projects that I’ve ever been involved with. It’s a great thing for those of us lucky enough to make a living from the arts to have an opportunity to show our support and give back.

Best of all, I get to hang out with my friends from The Creative Coalition, Robin Bronk, Barbara Horvath, Briana Mulherin and co-presidents Tim Daly and Dana Delany. The Creative Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance.

11:00am – 4:00pm Daily: Friday, January 22, 2010 – Monday, January 25, 2010
Art & Soul Center: The Sky Lodge Penthouse, 201 Heber Avenue, Park City, Utah

Generous support provided by:

I’ll be speaking about the Future of Editorial Photography to students at Brigham Young University on January 20th.

The lecture is free and is open to any professional photographers in the area.

The Future of Editorial Photography
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Time: 7:00PM
Location: Room 3108 JKB (Jesse Knight Building) Brigham Young University, Provo Utah

Seminar Topics:

• How to get and keep the attention of photo editors and art directors at top magazines
• How production value can make your work stand out
• How to charge properly for digital processing
• What are the best things you can do in a slow economy
• How to maximize re-licensing, syndication and reprint revenue
• How will the shift to online content will affect rates
• What you should know about editorial that nobody told you

Editorial Photography is undergoing rapid change, yet the death of magazine photography has been greatly exaggerated. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith, President of Editorial Photographers, will discuss how to maximize the creative and commercial rewards while avoiding bad contracts, stagnant rates and rights-gobbling appetites of multinational media corporations.

Thanks for generous support provided by: