A Night at the Fairmont

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Last thursday I got the opportunity to shoot at the Fairmont Chicago for a penthouse suite event. Thanks for hooking it up, Phalkun! It was apparently one of the first times they've rolled out the red carpet in the hotel, but the event was really catering to big wigs and CEOs of companies. No pressure right?? Haha.

Anyway, I was able to take a quick survey of the space upstairs since I arrived 3 hours early to prep and test out my new Canon 580EX II. I had been shooting with natural light (and on occasion, with strobes when necessary), so having the luxury of a portable and capable flash really made things easier.

My camera aside, the event was really fun - everyone was very friendly, eager to take photos and the food was absolutely AMAZING. After getting a few bites in at the end of the night and chatting with some of the staff, I was ready to call it a night and put another great event on the books. I can't wait to come back for another event soon! Here are some of the photos:

Help Me, Help Haiti: The Intro

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So awhile back, I shot at the Portage Theater in Chicago for an event called "Help Me, Help Haiti". I feel like I've been non-stop shooting of late, so this is extraordinarily late for me to post, haha. Anyway, the event was put together by Jen DeLeon who I had met a week before I signed on to do the event.

One of the things I was asked to make was an intro video to kick off the show, but I wanted to do something a little more fancy than just lazily throw together some photos of the performers off of Google. So I decided to shoot the performers while they were going through sound check and render a slideshow on the spot with photos and video. Sounded like a good plan, right?

Well, I was a little flustered when I looked in my camera bag and found that my CF card reader had decided to wander off, but luckily Mclaren, one of the other photogs on location, had his handy. FHEW! Thanks again, Mclaren! I thought I was going to have to make a mad dash to Calumet. Anyway, despite some technical difficulties and time issues, I managed to get the vid completed before the show started and this is the result.

Stay tuned for some more photos from the show! I promise you won't have to wait long, haha.

Talk at Playground: Pharrell x KAWS

I came across this while I was making my rounds 'round the blogs last night. Pharrell and the artist KAWS met up with Talk@Playground for a little interview sesh...aka just sitting around talking about some really cool stuff. I always like listening to artists speak their mind freely...it's great to hear what makes them tick, how they operate and the moves they want to make. Oh, and Abet Abet Speaks loves Pharrell. So there's that. Enjoy!

Nanotech 210 Teaser

Like I mentioned in a previous post, UMG linked up with Bailey who heads up MY Media and Ray from Komifoto to shoot a new project for Nanotech 210.

It was really refreshing to do something different that is sure to get people's attention and put the watches on the map even more. The Nanotech guys really gave us creative license to do what we needed to do on set which made our jobs a little easier. Anyway, here's a little teaser vid I threw together while I wait for some video material and the audio recordings from the studio. Enjoy!

Nanotech 210 x MYMG x UMG x Komifoto (Teaser) from Mike Maravilla on Vimeo.

Nurses 4 Haiti: The Photography

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So if you've been following the blog, you'd know UMG (along with Mix Media sponsored the Nurses 4 Haiti event at Filipiniana restaurant last Friday. RJ (DJ Rex) from Mix Media got there early to set up and I wasn't too far behind to start shooting some set up photos and video.





As people started filing in as 8pm approached, you could tell it was going to be a packed house. Some of my friends actually weren't able to grab seats, but every one of them stuck around to support the cause and the artists performing. Thanks for coming out guys! Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous blog, Chris put together a great lineup of performers - including TK Proposal, Manny Garcia, Alan Tiongson & Francis Perfecto and the recent Battle of the Bamboo champions - KAPWA.






At the end of the event, the Haiti-bound ER nurses came up and expressed their thanks for the support...though I'm sure we all felt that their contributions for the Haitian people was the support that truly deserved praise. I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone when I say thank you for being so selfless and doing what you're doing. It's not only an amazing journey of unselfish aid, but the N4H cause has also has brought more of us together to support and educate others on these worldwide matters through our collective talents.




I had so much fun shooting, connecting with new people and catching up with friends. Thanks again to Chris for putting this all together! If you guys are still feeling philanthropic (or couldn't make it to the N4H event at Filipiniana) don't worry...there's another one this Friday, March 12 at the Portage Theater called Help Me, Help Haiti. You can check out more info on Jen Deleon's blog. I won't be scarfing down any kare kare this time around, but I'll still be the guy snapping photos and video if you've got time to swing by. Hope to see you then!

Nanotech x MY x UMG x Komifoto

The other day I got an e-mail at 3am from Bailey who heads up MY, Inc about shooting some photos and video for Nanotech 210 at a downtown music studio.

I looked into the brand for a bit and was really impressed by not only the technology (can you believe we even HAVE cell phone watches?) but also by the attractive design and thought process that went into the watches themselves. I know a couple people were watching Avatar on their watches when nothing was going on in the studio...so sick! Anyway, Ray from Komifoto was the man that actually referred me for the gig so I definitely have to say HUGE thanks for the opp...it was a blast working with you again after the Ethnikroots Holiday shoot. If you haven't checked out the Nanotech site yet, give it a look...Ray snapped all the photos on there. And I have to add...super nice touch with the subtle pattern you used under the watches on some of the shots.

When I got to the studio, a good handful of the artists were there along with some of the producers sampling beats for the shoot. I had a chance to explore the studio with Ray to look for good locations to shoot aside from the booth and this place is absolutely brimming with creative energy. Not to mention some very notable Chicago talents have put down some tracks here (e.g. R Kelly).

Anyway, the vids should be pretty cool. As per usual, I was faced with a ton of low-light difficulty (I think it's time to reinvest in flashes and video lights), so I really had to push the 5DII to its limits. Here are some of the photos I snapped while I was filming: