The Bloated Penguin

So when we left off, the group had just finished eating at King Taco on East LA. Not exactly the friendliest neighborhood unless you roll with a local, which we did. A group of them in fact. Here was the deal. The Stone Corporation imported 8 full-body tattooed Japanese models to photograph wearing the Horiyoshi The Third clothing line as well as show some of the tattoo community in LA some of the amazing work coming out of Japan. Kind of an East meets West thing. Because of this, a lot of local tattoo artists and aficionados caught wind and decided to support, which was great for me because I’ve got some once in a lifetime footage of it all.

Image Source: Bad Cop No Donuts

The local tattoo community was kind enough to offer their support and escort us through East LA, more specifically Estrada Courts. I’m guessing it was kind of a shock to the community when 8 Japanese dudes walked out of a Hummer Limo and took off their shirts to pose in front of some of the great art work presented around the area. We generated quite a crowd, but it was all about respect. We didn’t shy away from anyone that wanted a picture with the Japanese because we knew we were there on someone else’s terms. In fact, I later found out that our escort Adrien was once a resident of the area and he himself is now a flourishing shirt designer. Our first destination for photos was underneath the famous 6th Street Viaduct. Some notable titles filmed there would include Terminator 2, Grease and recently Kanye West shot a music video there. And now, Horiyoshi The Third was going to premier the line with images from the same spot.

Image Source: Bad Cop No Donuts

Like I mentioned last post, my images are currently in the Photoshop stage so what  you’re seeing here has been provided by John over at Heavy Hitters Magazine.

After the 6th Street shots we ventured into the suburban areas of Estrada Courts where we met some of the people and took some shots. Highlight of day: Taking some amazing images in front of a monumental mural of Che Guevara – one of the all-time greats.

The day was long, but extremely rewarding. We all went out to grab some food near the hotel afterwards and I ran into NBA legend Cliff Robinson. That was pretty cool too. The conversation went something like this:

“Hey Cliff, what are you doing in LA?”

“Who are you?”

“Cool man, I’ll catch you later…”

Anyways, that was the day of the photo shoot. As you can probably tell, it was inspiring. I got to do some things I’ll never again be able to recreate in my life. Tomorrow’s post will be focused on the Canvas Gallery Event itself where Kazu put his skills to the test and didn’t disappoint.

Like I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to take the next few days to post about my trip to California where I shot video for the Stone Corporation and the Horiyoshi The Third mens clothing line.

Check out my previous post about Horiyoshi The Third to get an idea.

Just as a side note, the Stone Corporation flew 8 full body tattooed Japanese models into LA to help launch the clothing line. All of them currently sport head-to-toe tattoos done my Horiyoshi III himself.

We had a bit of an early start on Thursday morning with a scheduled photo shoot for about 10AM. This was also my first exposure to the Hummer-Limo I’d be rolling around in for the next few days. The evening before I had the opportunity to meet with some of the Japanese models who sport full body tattoos. I also had the pleasure of meeting Kazuyoshi (Kazu), the heir to the legend of Horiyoshi who will essentially be taking over one day. In the morning we all met at the limo and hopped in for a ride to the photo shoot.

Photo courtesy of Bad Cop No Donuts

When we arrived it became obvious that the studio we were going to wasn’t a normal photo studio. Nothing shady, but the parking lot had this crazy lowered G-ride parked in it and the studio came fully equipped with a working garage. We were shooting in the studio where photographer Edgar shoots those amazing images of cars and bling for Lowrider and Heavy Hitters Magazine.

After some quick setup the crew brought in some Micky D’s and we all joked how having 8 full body tattooed Japanese guys munching down on an egg mcmuffin would probably be an amazing commercial. Hell I’d eat a hash brown after seeing that.

In the first segment Edgar was going to shoot the models wearing the clothing – my personal favorite moment of this was our translator and resident female representative Judy trying to get Kazu to improvise some poses. Its hard enough getting in front of a camera and standing there, it’s another to do something interesting, and it’s even another to do something when you have no idea what people are saying. Kazu, along with all of the others did a pretty nice job though.

Next up were the tattoo shots (images are currently in the photoshop stage undergoing some color correction surgery) and we were greeted by some of the LA Chicano community’s finest when famed tattoo artist Chewy arrived with some of his work. The Japanese guys posed with them for a bit, we took some group shots and headed out for some non-studio pics.

Photo Courtesy of Bad Cop No Donuts

But not before some good eats – and this time it all came in the form of some authentic Mexican cuisine from East LA’s infamous King Taco. Walking around a Mexican restaurant with 8 full body tattooed Japanese guys sounds less startling than it is. At this point I found out where we were going and how we were going to be able to do this.

But ya’ll are gonna have to wait cause this post is getting long and your gonna have sweat it out like me at customs… Until tomorrow at least.

Gotta give a shout out to John over at Heavy Hitters Magazine who put together these images for his blog Bad Cop No Donuts.

Unfortunately I didn’t bring my laptop (known to some as  “Clarice”) down to LA last week so I wasn’t able to keep up with blogging as much as I would like. In light of this, I thought I’d do a short series of recaps explaining some of the interesting occurrences that went on down south of the border.

The madness started before I even left the apartment as I, like many people packing for a trip 4 hours before take-off, learned that my digital camera had finally run its course. Luckily the family was able to provide a backup and all was fixed with about 15 minutes to spare. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare (thank Gawd) as many of us here in Vancouver know that if you’re going to be crossing any borders, its best to show up at least 2 hours before take-off. And I was very fortunate to do so.

Apparently the lack of a business card (we’ll be talking soon Mr. Hernandez) translates to “I’m a violent terrorist with a masochistic personality and I should be brought in for questioning,” by customs agents. Fearing the snapping sound of a rubber glove, I strolled through those mysterious doors in the back and sat and waited for someone to see me.

And sat.

And sat some more.

I sat and waited so long that I actually stopped worrying about whether or not I was going to get the glove treatment and started wondering what this fool with all my ID was actually doing. When he finally came back, albeit and hour later, he revealed that there were no problems. When I asked what the holdup was he told me he was reading my blog…. WTF! So here’s to you Customs Officer Neil – that shout out I promised you for not trying to stick your hand in places it doesn’t belong.

Finally got on the plane, watched the Notorious BIG biopic off my iPod and landed in LA around 930PM. Pulled into the gorgeous SLS Beverly Hills Hotel and set up shop for the next morning.

This is the second limo we rolled around in our entire time there.

I’ll be back for part 2 tomorrow.

Flew back to Canada yesterday morning and caught up on some much needed rest, but I think my first post upon returning to the motherland should be a deserving personal Thanks to Steve and Mike Suk over at the Stone Corporation. I’ve done a lot work for a lot of different clients, but working for the Stone Corporation has really taught me what its like to work for a family. In case this is confusing to anyone out there, the Stone Corporation is the company behind clothing line Horiyoshi The Third.

Briefly, Horiyoshi The Third is the the mens clothing line inspired by and endorsed by legendary tattoo master Horiyoshi 3. The Stone Corporation is an extension of the Horiyoshi family and have taken the concept of clothing line and put in place some very strong roots for a global brand.

My part over the last few days was to document the experiences of setting up multiple photo shoots and the organization of a successful art exhibition showcasing some of Horiyoshi 3’s amazing work. I followed the family consisting of Chicano, Korean, Japanese and Italian members through some of LA’s darkest spots and warmest environments coming away with some once in a lifetime footage to be used in various ways (website, promotional material, personal use, ect).

Over the next few days I’ll be cutting together a short piece for the Stone Corporation to send to Horiyoshi 3 himself as he was unable to make the trip due to health reasons.

Thanks Stone Corporation for all of your support thus far. You’ve welcomed me into an experience I would never have dreamed of.

Later…

Any Gmail users out there notice this ugly mug popping up in the GTalk chat bar? Who is this fool?

I think Gmail and Google could have advertised GTalk Video a little smarter by not putting this fool with his creepy grin on everyone’s webmail. I have to admit, before I figured out what was going on, I thought this was just some dude creeping on my email looking at me as I replied to some old messages….

Message to Google:

FIND A MORE ATTRACTIVE GTALK VIDEO MODEL OR FIND A NEW WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO USE IT!!!!

Rant over – phew.

Heading down to the land of silicone breasts and uneducated rich people tomorrow to hunt and gather some content. Lately I’ve been working for the Stone Corporation on their latest line of mens wear and this trip down to LA is so I can gather some material to make… well… some stuff. We’re still unsure of what exactly I’m going to be putting together so the trip is more of a “grab anything and everything,” kind of a trip.

I’ve done these before where I just grab a few cameras and start shooting everything in sight – to be honest, it works out pretty well. There are times when a plan is the right way to go, and there are times when its best to experiment and let things develop before your lens – this week’s trip is definitely the latter.

I’ll post some pics when I get back and I’ll definitely post what ever the finished product will be later on this year.

Adios for now – I’ll probably be posting once more before I take off tomorrow evening.

Ruining Sports Networks

I’m sure I’m not the only person in the world who believes this, but I think I became a big endorsement of the title statement this weekend. This is playoff time in North America. Not only are our beloved Canucks playing their way through the toughest grind of the NHL season, but the NBA playoffs tipped off this weekend and Junior Hockey is in the midst of the Memorial Cup Championships. So knowing all of this, knowing how many teams are going to be eliminated and how many champions crowned,

WHY DOES TSN, SPORTSNET AND THE SCORE CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT CRUMBLING OLD MAN IN A COWBOY HAT FOLD HIS SEVEN DEUCE????

Don’t get me wrong, Poker is an unabashfully entertaining event, but nothing – NOTHING about poker is even remotely athletic. Competitive? Yes, Intense? Of course, but Athletic? Give me a break.

Sports television networks should be reserved for sports events. Hockey, Basketball, Football, Baseball, Olympic events, race car driving, ect. These are sports!!!

I can understand broadcasting major poker events once in a while, similar to the situation with Golf, but to have regular showings of some international poker tour is going overboard. I also understand that televised Poker can bring in a ton of cash from the events – gambling is one of the more wealthy industries right now all things considered – but at this point in time, where the only major sport not being played is American Football, Poker shouldn’t be considered.

Okay, rant over – just a quick shout of luck to Canucks who I’m hoping can break out the brooms on Tuesday cause I’ll be missing any first round games following. Also a quick shout of luck to the Chicago Blackhawks who are exposing the frauds that are the Calgary Flames.