I want to thank you for stopping by. This blog will be an outlet to show my day to day work, alongside anything else that comes up along the way. My mind is constantly thinking of all things photography. It is extremely hard for me to simply step back and take in the moment. I feel a constant need to capture each instant so that I have something to look back on. It's kind of like having a visual history of my life through the images I create. Now that i have this outlet maybe I can, finally, get some sleep at night and let my mind rest.
Here is a spot, I shoot over the coarse of 2 days. The first night was in a very cold garage in Denver and the second day was up on look out mountain in Golden. I have worked with this agency and director several times before so i new it was going to be a fun project. In the end this was shot, edited and turned around in a few short days.
Cinematography: jefferygarland.com
Directed by: Olaf Richter
Produced by: Genesis Inc.
Edited by: Benjamin Jones
When I moved to Boulder, I was lucky enough to meet Raul and JG, the owners of Installation and Satellite. They both are creative people with tons of ideas and drive. It just felt right to start collaborating on a few projects that they wanted to document. This was the beginning of the Installation series that I wrote about on my blog. I started documenting the building of the furniture and ended with the final installation. This video is a portrait of a photographer, a unique space, and a city ablaze with creativity. It started out as a means to document some behind the scenes footage of myself working on the Insta projects. In the end, however, it turned into a project about Installation and Boulder, along with a glimpse of myself working. Big thanks to Jesse Borrell for all the time and help he devoted to this project!
Special Thanks to Installation (Boulder, Colorado)
ShoeInstallation.com
Music: “Wisdom Of Antiquity” by Break Science, Pretty Lights Music
BreakScienceMusic.com
PrettyLightsMusic.com
Director & Editor: Jesse R. Borrell
NoCoast.TV
Director of Photography: Jeffery Garland
Jefferygarland.com
I am an electronic music lover at heart. I’m all over the place when it comes to a specific genre, but in the beginning, it was tons of Chicago house and UK drum and bass. Sure my taste has changed over the years but the love for the music is still there. Going to raves in abandoned warehouses and closed down schools on the south side of Chicago and dancing all night long was the norm. I look back and think… Man, things were crazy fun when you knew a party was about to go down in the middle of nowhere. All that was needed was a few giant generators and a set of turntables. Then just add the DJs of your flavor plus a few hundred kids and you had a nice little party. Sure, this might have been illegal, but fun none the less. These days I am still into electronic music, but now I see the shows in legitimate venues. Having bought tons of Ninja Tune records in my day, it was a pleasure to document a night with Brazilian DJ Amon Tobin. The Boulder Theater was sold out and then some. The visuals where in sync with the music and the enormous geometric set helped play up the dramatics. During the show, Amon stopped his set to come out and greet the crowd. It seemed like he wanted to say thanks for coming out and showing support. I will say this was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. From the beginning to the end I was overloaded with mind numbing bass mixed with a plethora of futuristic visuals. I recommend going to see Amon if ever given the opportunity. Big thanks to Ninja Tune and Amon Tobin for the access to document this show.
Several months ago my friend and fellow photographer David Johnson came to town to shoot Hugo Matheson and Kimbal Musk, the founders of the restaurant The Kitchen. The Kitchen is a community bistro known for their farm-to-table menu, which evolves seasonally and reflects the simple and straightforward preparation of comfortable classics. David Johnson is known for his celebrity editorial portraits. I have had the pleasure of working with David in the past and it’s always a fun and laid back shoot. This shoot was for the cover of the Entrepreneur magazine and also some additional shots for the piece they were writing about Hugo and Kimbal. I was able to catch up with my friend over lunch and shoot a few behind the scenes images. The Kitchen is hands down my favorite restaurant in Boulder. If you are ever in the area, take the time to visit one of their 3 restaurants (The Kitchen, Next Door or The Kitchen Upstairs). I promise… you won’t be disappointed. Amazing farm to plate dishes with friendly community tables to share in the dining experience. Big thanks to David Johnson for a great day of photos and to Hugo and Kimbal for some Kitchen fun.
For the past 6 months NoCoast.TV and I have been compiling footage for an up-coming portrait of my work with local shop Installation. Its a unique sneaker boutique located in Boulder. Our actual behind the scenes footage was sparse, so included is a sneak peak of some final concepts. The rest of the story will be told very soon. I hope you enjoy. Big thanks to NoCoast and Installation for all the love and hard work.
Music: “0perating Systems ” By Two Fresh
Elm + Oak Records
Here is a little star lapse I did while on a sk8 trip with a group of friends. We ended up camping in our friend’s front yard in Edwards. The night was filled with great food, stiff cocktails, and a camp fire to make things rustic. This star lapse consists of 900 still images and it took 5 hours to complete. In the beginning I never know what I will get, but in the end it never really matters. I usually like them either way. It’s funny how a camera can make you see things your eyes most often miss.
Recently I was up in Edwards, Colorado enjoying some camping fun with friends. The moon was full and the light it was putting off was so bright that there was really no need for a flash light. The night was filled with good food, drinks and night time photography. With the moon being so bright it was going to be harder than normal to get good star shots. On this night, the moon and clouds actually added to the fun. I set up one camera for a 5 hour star lapse, then grabbed another camera and just walked around shooting moonlit Aspens with long timed exposures. The campfire was up a small path right in the middle of the Aspen grove, adding it’s own mix of light. The night was filled with campfire songs and drunken fun. It was a special treat when I saw several pies make a surprise appearance all wrapped in aluminum ready to be warmed by the fire. I still think WOW we had warm pie next to the fire for a night time snack. Yummy! Here are a few images that I captured throughout the night of fun. Big thanks to our hosts! You guys rock!
The last stop of the Ride with Us Tour was a little while back. After a long summer of travels and sk8ing tons of parks all over, this RWUS was here in Boulder. That made it nice and easy to come out and hang and capture the team having fun. Everyone met up at Satellite for a BBQ and then headed over to Boulder sk8 park which is just down the street from the shop. Here is what I got from the day of hanging. Big thanks to Satellite, Redbull, Vans and the whole crew for a summer of fun.
Growing up I’m sure just about every kid alive said, “I want a tree house!” Being a big kid now, I think I would substitute the tree house with a mini ramp. Believe it or not, there are some people out there who have both… the tree house and a mini ramp. As you can see, this is the first day of the build and things are still pretty rough. Our goal for the day was to get the ramp assembled and leveled. With a few more hours and a few more people to help, this mini will be ready to skate. The next step will be to lay down the plywood and then the sk8 lite. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.
The Ride with Us Tour rolled into Silverthorne and Edwards skate parks a few weeks ago. With several car loads of skaters and camping equipment in tow, this event was going to be fun. The game plan was like usual, no game plan! Our mission was to just have fun with friends and skate as much as possible. On the way to Edwards we made a quick stop at the Silverthorne park to get warmed up and to get out of the car for a few hours. After 2-3 hours, we packed up the cars and the crew and headed further west to Edwards. Upon arriving, we found an empty park, but decided it was a little hot, so we headed to the creek to cool off a bit. After a dip, it was game on at the park. By this time, several more people had shown up and things were starting to go down. A number of hours later, everyone was tired from a great day of riding and we headed to our camp site for the night. The camp site happened to be on a private 5 acre property equipped with mini ramp/bowl, trampoline and a giant groove of Aspens. Oakley was also kind enough to throw a BBQ for everyone up at the spot, so we were styled (to say the least). Here are some frames I was able to capture from the weekend trip. Big thanks to Satellite, RedBull and Oakley for the fun times. I also want to thank EW and family for letting us enjoy your private retreat in the mountains.
When I got the call to work as unit photographer on the Fox TV show called “The Chicago Code” I was very excited. I knew a number of the camera guys on this one, so it was great to see everyone again. Most of the show was filmed on location in downtown Chicago, but some of it was shot on a sound stage just outside the city. When working on set, I am always privileged to be in the presence of true artists working at their crafts. You never know what will happen on any given day, or moment for that matter. My work is never the same and is always a challenge. One minute there is room for me to work, the next maybe not, so I really have to roll with the punches. I often feel like I’m the guy in the room with a big red X painted on my back. I say that because many actors and actresses like it better when there is no still photographer on set, so I do my best to be invisible at all times. A project of this kind requires up to 150 people all working together to complete the day’s schedule… so being in tune with everyone around you is key. When everyone works in harmony, it’s like magic that unfolds in front of your eyes, but when something’s off, watch out because things can get ugly. Here are some images that I was able to capture during the show. Big thanks to Fox and the cast for all the hard work.
I was hired to shoot a live music show at Red Rocks Amphitheater a little while back. I had no clue when I took the gig that Christopher Mercer, more commonly known as Rusko, would be playing. When I found out, I knew the night was going to have some heavy bass. This was my first chance to see one of the originators in Dub Step perform. I have followed Rusko and his music for some time now, probably since SNES Dub. Right off the bat he was jumping around and getting into the music when he broke his headphones. No worries though, he just went with it, acting like it didn’t even faze him. Eventually someone came up and hooked him up with a nice new pair. After that, he proceeded to drop more amazing tracks with heart stopping bass, smooth drops and up lifting builds. During his set I was able to get a few images of him having fun. Man, he makes some crazy faces… channeling the music through his body movements. All in all, I was excited to witness a great music producer and DJ do what he loves to do most, make music and share it with all that want to hear it. Big thanks to NoCoast for the gig and the chance to hang with a very talented individual.
The Satellite sk8 team recently hit several New Mexico sk8 parks. I was lucky enough to get asked to cover the crazy antics. The whole crew met up in Denver to start the journey from Colorado to New Mexico, with no real plan other than to hit as many sk8 parks as possible. There was a wish list of parks to hit, but really we just let things unfold minute by minute. The guys wanted to hit a spot on the way, so our first stop was Trinidad sk8 park. When we got to the park there was no one there, but with 2 full cars and one crammed van o’ dudes, the park filled up quick. After a few hours it started to rain so we got back in the cars and headed to Santa Fe. We stopped and checked out a few spots, but ended up at the old Santa Fe sk8 park. It’s amazing to see how far park design and building has come from the old days. This park was definitely from another era.
After a day of travel and riding with the team, we walked to The Cow Girl Hall of Fame for a Santa Fe dinner. We were going to be camping on most of the trip, so we headed up the mountain to find a spot for the night. It was interesting to watch a group of guys make their way in the dark through a densely wooded area to find a camp site. When we woke up the next morning, we packed up the vehicles and headed to Albuquerque. Our first stop was for breakfast at a restaurant called Frontier. I was told it was the best place in town for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ate there 3 times in 2 days. Food is yum yum yummy. After some food we headed to Indian School Ditch. Man… this place was the perfect spot to skate. It was a long ditch with smooth concrete and perfect transition for miles and miles. These ditches are used for flood control, but when it’s not raining they are used for free summertime recreation for skate boarders. While there, we met a few locals who told us about another spot called 3 Mile Ditch just a few miles away. This was another nice ditch with several diy features built up. So we packed up the cars and the crew and headed to 3 Mile Ditch.
After 3 Mile, everyone was tired and beat down. One unexpected bonus was, Charlie hooked up a 3 room suit at a local hotel so everyone could take a nice shower and rest up. After some grub and a little soccer, everyone was ready to hit the North Bomingo Baca Park. It was just down the way from the hotel. The time was 9:30pm and we were just gearing up for another session and the 4th spot of the day. There were lights at this park, but they were set to turn off at 11pm. Everyone took it easy and had a nice mellow session with several locals that were killing it. The next morning we woke up and had Frontier for breakfast (again) then headed to Los Altos Park for most of the day. That session was filled with tons of crazy tricks and several slams. It seemed like people were pushing the limits and their bodies were taking a beating. In the end, everyone walked away tired, but happy to have checked out all the parks and ditches in the area. Here is a list of all the guys that made the trip, cody hodge, nial fredrickson, seth bruce, dan downing, jg mazzotta, raul pinto, anders pigorsh, adam mahar, charlie masque, james mammele, jon hill, debow, bob guerrero and jeffery garland. Big thanks to Satellite and the crew.
This is the 3rd and final part of the Installation Series that I have been working on for a few months now. My goal for the series was to show the process of the build from start to finish, ending with a final set of images showing the completed gallery. In this post you will see the shoe boutique with its new furniture and the installation all set up. In viewing the space and all that was going on in it, I knew it was going to be a challenge to shoot. I wanted to do several singles of the different areas, but I also knew this was a perfect space for a 360 image. I just happen to own a nodal head that allows me to shoot several different images from one point and then stitch them together to form a giant 360 degree image. With this, I would be able to show the entire space in one shot. I hope you enjoy the images and the space that these guys have created. I feel this mash up of gallery meets retail is what every major city needs. If you have not been to Installation in the past few months, then you have to stop by now. Big thanks to Raul, Rich and JG for the fun times during this process.
Here are a few photos from a project I’m currently working on. The mission was to take advantage of a stormy summer night in and around Boulder. So a friend and I set up some cameras and went out to try to capture Boulder at night and in motion. I don’t want to give too much away, but here are a few stills that I captured from that night. Once the project is complete, I’ll have more to share. Until then, have fun and don’t forget your camera… you never know what you may come across.
Satellite, Vans and RedBull continue with their annual Ride with Us Tour. This is when the Satellite crew picks random skate parks to just show up at and throw impromptu BBQs where they give tons of stuff away. Not only do they bring free food and free stuff, they also bring their skate team to rip up the park with the locals. The most recent event was at the Broomfield Sk8 Park. The day started at 1pm and upon arriving, I noticed that it was already 95 degrees. It was sunny and way too hot to be doing much of anything. At one point the deck was so hot it was burning me through my clothes. All I wanted was a cold beverage and a nice big tree for a bit of shade. Don’t get me wrong, I was having fun, but the sun was way too intense for me on that day. Being that it was so hot, I chose to shoot at 400mm all day long, exhausting every ounce of shade I could find. Most of the riders were skating in short stints, often taking breaks for water and shade. All in all, it was another fun day with the Ride with Us crew. Big thanks to everyone that made it out and thanks to RedBull, Vans and Satellite for giving back to the youth.
This was the second year in a row that I was invited to hang with Vans, Redbull, and the Satellite crew for GO SK8 Board Day. The day started out at the Denver Park with a BBQ and a kick flip contest. After several hours of riding at D Park we gathered up the crew and headed to the Sheridan Park in hopes of avoiding the crowds. All day long, kids were out to have fun and enjoy go sk8 day. Vans, Redbull, Skullcandy and Satellite were handing out tons of free stuff at both of our stops. Vans also provided all the food and a grill master to cook up some dogs and brats for the sk8ters. Skullcandy brought a DJ to pump music throughout the park all day long. The one thing that I really liked was in order to get free stuff you had to help clean up the skate park. It was crazy to see 100 people all stop skating and help with the clean up. The skate park was a wreck when the day started and by the end, there was no trash in sight. There were several generations of skaters taking part in the celebration. This is one national holiday that seems to be gaining more and more supporters year after year. Loads of fun was had by everyone in attendance. Thanks to all the sponsors that made this happen. Big thanks to Vans, Redbull, and Satellite for your dedication to giving back to the sk8 community. We need more companies to take your lead and help support the youth of today and tomorrow.
Rome invited me to shoot some photos at a BBQ they were throwing up at A Basin. I headed up to have a little fun and chill time with the guys. The weather was great and the BBQ was roaring all day. Anyone and everyone enjoyed free stuff along with food and drink provided by Rome snowboards. If you were of drinking age, they even kicked down the beer. This was yet another fun trip with friends and randoms at the A Basin beach. Here are a few images that I captured during the day. Big thanks to Satellite and Rome for the fun. If you’re ever in the Colorado area make a trip to Arapahoe basin for a fun beach experience in the mountains.
This is the 2nd part of 3 in the Installation Series. I was able to witness the building of this furniture and now it’s time to let the finished work speak for itself. I like to think that these guys made something from nothing. In the beginning, all they had were some drawings on a sketch pad and some scrap wood lying around. Now completed, the items in these images are the real works of art. Going into this project, I didn’t know what direction I would be taking for documenting the finished furniture. All I knew was it had to be simple and showcase the wood. In the end, I did a little bit of scouting for outdoor locations and I stumbled upon this spot. I loved how the dead weeds and grasses were all tall and overgrown. With this shoot I wanted an organic feel to it. I wanted to let the natural elements of the wood blend in with the natural elements of the landscape. I new right away that we had to do this shoot on location at night, so I called in the aid of a 3000 watt generator and several extension cords to power my strobes. With help from Raul Pinto, I was able to shoot all the pieces of furniture in the matter of a few hours. Big thanks to Raul and all the boys at Installation for the help with the heavy lifting. Keep an eye out for part 3 of this series. It will showcase the finished space with everything built out and completed.
Designers: Richard Angus Duff and Raul Pinto
My love for the blues began in high school and has continued to live on well into my adult life. Growing up in my house, some form of music was always playing in the back ground. Music has been such a staple in my life, for as far back as I can remember, that now, as a professional photographer, I find myself jumping at the opportunity to document musicians whenever possible. So when I recently got a last minute call to help film “Blues at the Crossroads” (a Tribute to Robert Johnson) at The Riley Center in Meridian, Mississippi, I can truly say I was excited. Meridian just happens to be at the junction of US 49 and US 61, the very same place that blues singer Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil. Being there, at the crossroads, and hearing the performance live was a treat in itself, however, my experience went far beyond that. I was also fortunate enough to have the pleasure of meeting Big Head Todd and his band, along with blues legends Hubert Sumlin, Honeyboy Edwards, Charlie Musselwhite, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcom.
Due to the nature of my work, I have been able to travel all over the world doing what I enjoy most… documenting life and capturing moments to be shared with whomever will take the time to stop and look. For this particular project, I was given the task of shooting long lens from the 2nd floor balcony, along with the wide static shot from the same position. I knew at sound check that, on this night, I was going to have a hard time keeping my mind off the music and focused on my filming. The song featured in this video, “Come on in my Kitchen,” is performed by Big Head Todd and his band, along with Cedrick Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcom. At the beginning of the show I was able to get a copy of the set list and it was 1 set consisting of 19 songs and 2 encores. WOW! I felt like I had the best seat in the house because the music was perfect and I was working at the same time. This clip shows you what 4 cameramen and 5 cameras can produce. Big thanks to everyone involved. This video was a production of NoCoast.TV I hope you enjoy it.
Big Head Blues Club Featuring Big Head Todd And The Monsters
“Come On In My Kitchen”
100 Year Tribute To Robert Johnson
Live At The Riley Center, Meridian Mississippi
Directed/Edited: Jesse R. Borrell
Filmed By: Jeffery Garland, Eric Peter Abramson, Jesse R. Borrell & Tobin Voggesser
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