Dirtbiking/ road trip /band plays a wedding in Palm Springs

Friday the 13th, Palm Springs

My band got hired to play a wedding in Palm Springs, so my boyfriend Tony and I made a road trip out of it. Taking our dirtbikes and getting our friend Beth to meet us before she went to a van owners gathering, we hit Johnson Valley OHV for a couple hours.

Bringing some lights, I decided to wait until the temp crested 100 to set up and shoot some portraits. hella h.o.t.

Using the self-timer and standing in for the lights, I successfully managed to make myself look under the age of 15.

 

Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Ranch, earlier that day.....

(for the rest of the photos, checkitout here)

New Website..!

After a year or so of putting together new work to appeal to more advertising clients, I've finally made a new site, under a new domain:

jenniferhalephoto.com

It's fairly similar in design to my old site, just new, different work and a whole separate place to put photos that don't include people!

Legends of Summer

Candlestick Park, 7/26/2013

With a promise of an armband for access and a parking ticket, wonderfully-amazing pal Hilary got me in to see the Legends of Summer tour. Basically all-access, except for on the stage, to see Jay Z and Justin Timberlake do up a massive production.

Not sure if even allowed, I decided to chance bringing my camera along and rode my motorcycle through standing traffic in Hunter's Point, lane-splitting between lined-up limos and homies selling fake tickets and black market concert tees. It took about 45 minutes to blaze through 3 miles, but so worth it.

I would have loved more of the audience, but I wasn't able to get there until late and I couldn't use a flash.. just me n' my pancake 40.

The 'Stick all aglow

parking lot girl wanted a photo with me and my bike..

the bestest!!! Hilary built this place!!!!

"I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one" (that's Mr Z on stage here)

"Champagne for the pain, weed for the low, goddamn I'm so high, where the fuck did I go?"
(Jay Z in Kanye's Welcome to the Jungle song)

JT, skankin'!!!!

this poor, freezing merch girl was sleeping in a box!

CR250

Honda CR250

Sometimes I just have to go a few months focusing on other things in life besides photography: motorcycles, motorcycles, motorcycles.

Tony came back from 4th of Juplaya with tales of electrical storms, flooding and mud. One look at his bike and I saw some inspiration for doing a take-off of Dirt Rider's June 2013 cover. Their mud is styled better, but mine is the real deal and my lighting looks damn good. So does my model:

Needless to say, the above photo is inspired by my screensaver and the most-awesome-dirtbiking-photo-ever:

Steve McQueen, c/o Sports Illustrated cover August, 1971

Babes in the Wood: Alexander

For the second spring in a row mourning doves have nested and hatched from a tree outside Tony's kitchen window. Last spring it was neat to watch the new babies and when one of them spazzed out on the mom bird, he was henceforth known as Violent J.
 

This year two came and laid eggs a few weeks ago, thus giving me a good idea for a setting for baby Alexander.

They hatched after a couple weeks, with mom and dad dove taking turns with nest duty. The babies this year are called Reno Raines and Magnum. Within a week they flew off and have only been seen once.

This shoot was inspired by the wealth of strong male lead-actor type birds, and I naturally thought that a giant nest would rule, if I could figure out how to make it.

Thanks so much for letting the nest be hung way up in the tree, Peter and Brandy!

Babes in the Wood: Max

This shoot was pretty darn easy: had a vision, a tire, a gaffer, two parents a willing model, sunny woods and a location with a steam train and tracks nearby.

 

Kind of fun stuff of note: 

1. Max loved the chocolate thing from Arizmendi Bakery.

B. Steam trains rule.

3. Banana slugs aren't always yellow.

these guys look a little old for train time..

oil heats the steam train which moves a piston. rad! Also rad, a hobbyist made this train out of iron and brass parts in 1978 all on his own for a project.

a train ride and chocolate bread thing!