Katie Lunn Memorial Concert

VIEW THE ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY HERE

A couple weeks back I got a call from Suave - the man behind Hip Hop Connxion who I linked up with last year to shoot his mainstay event: The One (you can check out the blog/photos here). He was a huge fan of the way The One was captured, so he phoned me to come out to a truly special event - the Katie Lunn Memorial Concert.

Katie’s life was ended tragically in an accident involving a train on April 16, 2010 before she had a chance to fully live out her dream. [Via KatieLunn.org] From this tragedy, a memorial fund has been founded to do just that for her. As per her life philosophies and in fulfillment of her wishes, the memorial fund plans to build and offer experiences that will help others:

• Discover your reason to be on earth
• To live in the moment!
• Laugh often
• Love unconditionally
• Inspire each other
• Enjoy your passion
• Appreciate your family, friends, and nature
• Remain humble
• Keep a journal
• DREAM BIG!
• Know that you are loved
• Pay it forward!

Her foundation strives to provide scholarships, experiential workshops/conferences & retreats, arts presentations & performances, outreach and cultural exchange trips.

When I was photographing The One, I was deeply moved by how Hip Hop Connxions (HHC) Chicago payed tribute to Katie during the show. Members were shedding genuine tears for her and what she stood for during her short time with us. Knowing this, I knew I had to get involved for her tribute show. I decided to come out and shoot both photos and video for the event and conduct a short interview with Suave talking about Katie and the inaugural concert for her memorial fund. All of these items will then be put on sale (online and via DVD) where proceeds will stand to benefit Katie's memorial fund directly.

So please take a look at the video preview/slideshow above (and the photos in the online gallery) and get hyped to help Katie fulfill her dreams! Below are a few photos from the online gallery for you to check out:

VIEW THE ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY HERE

DJ Rex @ Glamorama Chicago

Last month I hit up Glamorama in Chicago with DJ Rex from Mix Media. Amidst all the photos I was taking throughout the night, I decided to take a couple clips to show what the after party was all about. You can check out the photo slideshow here or find out what Glamorama is all about in my previous post.

Anyway, DJ Rex and DJ Kid Kris were killing it that night, so I figured I'd throw the clips together and let you guys get a short glimpse of our collaboration work in action. Enjoy!

BJ & Jennifer (A Wedding Preview)

A few weeks ago (man, time flies by WAY too fast) BJ and Jennifer Aguado invited me to film their wedding. It was exciting to have the opportunity to just focus on video since a majority of the time, we are doing both photos and video simultaneously. I arrived early to catch the bridal party getting ready at BJ's house while he retreated to his parent's place to get cleaned up. While getting a few clips of Jennifer's dress, I ran into AJ (BJ's brother) who I've known for years now in BJ's room. Surprise!

It was also great to have a chance to talk to Laura from Laura Meyer Photography and exchange our philosophies on how we operate our business. It was really great to find another company that really believed in the budding fusion industry and I feel lucky to have that opportunity to offer to clients.

Anyway, it was a wedding celebration filled with love, family and great laughs - I can't wait to dive further into the footage for you guys. Enjoy the short (and the few random photos I snapped). Congratulations again to BJ and Jennifer Aguado!

Front Row with Center Stage

Last weekend was jam packed for UMG - a wedding, three photoshoots and more than your fair share of post-processing photo & video work. Mid way through the (work) weekend I stopped over at Center Stage Dance Studio to take photos of all the talented students.

After all the group shots were taken, I had a chance to shoot some of the students showing off some incredibly impressive skills. I felt a little remedial as far as my dance vocabulary was concerned...most of the initial conversation went as follows:

Me: So what were you thinking of doing?
Student: Okay I was thinking of doing ______ or ______ or maybe even _______. What do you think would be best?
Me: ...well all of them sound good, but could you show me them so I know what you're talking about?

Despite my shortcomings in vocabulary, I was able to redeem myself behind the camera once we got all the poses figured out and found some really cool scenery to play with behind the studio. It was great to see such great enthusiasm for dance at such young ages...and also hear that some of them have been sticking to it for more than 12 years. Amazing. Here are a few preview photos from the individual/small group sessions:

Big thanks to Sabrina and Tanya for thinking of UMG for the photo work! Can't wait to start diving into the website project!

Milestones: A Cotillion & Graduation Celebration for Regina Rubio

Throughout our years, we all have our own personal milestones, our own personal achievements that may not always need a public mention or are just meant to motivate us internally to get to the next step. Hurdles we set for ourselves for a personal challenge. Activities we try out to find out what we're made of. But every once in awhile, there comes a time to look back and give credit for surpassing all of personal milestones. After years of hard work (both in school and out), that time had finally come for Regina Rubio to celebrate her own triumphs and moving on to another level in her young life.

Awhile back, my friend Stephanie referred me to a family who was looking to secure photography and video for their daughter's (Regina) cotillion. Even despite some financial hardships, Regina's parents wanted to ensure that she had the cotillion (and graduation) celebration that she deserved. That in mind, I scheduled a sit-down meeting with the family so they could get to know Unscene Media's style, personality, approach and repertoire for her big day. It was a real stretch to fit within their budget, so as a result, I took it upon myself to shoot both photos and video alone. Not easy. Even further, I asked to attend the rehearsal as well to familiarize myself with how everything was going to proceed (I haven't been to many cotillions) and get everyone used to having a camera around as much as possible.

In the end, I think that everything turned out great. Once all of the photos are up online, Regina, her family and I will be constructing the last piece of her time with UMG (an album) and sending out copies of her photo slideshow and video to family across the country and in the Philippines. Here are some of the photos:

This was one of the coolest choreography pieces I have seen - really creative formations!

The Rubio family all together at the rehearsal

The cake. NOM. Taller than some wedding cakes I've seen even.

Awww...so dapper, haha

Have to extend my thanks to Stephanie again for keeping me in mind for both photos and video - nothing speaks more volumes than a referral. So THANK YOU!! It was a lot of fun to shoot and everything came together beautifully...it could've been a mini-wedding, haha. I'll make it a point to update you guys when the album is all buttoned up and ready to go. Until the next milestone.

SKYN DEEP 2010

Over the weekend, I headed over to AKIN in Lincoln Park to help Equilibrium USG cover their 3rd annual skyn design competition - Skyn Deep. I was amazed at how much inventory we packed into the cars en route to AKIN, but it's really good that we did since a TON of it flew off the shelves once people started rolling in.



AKIN served as a perfect backdrop to this year's Skyn Deep event - surrounding the innovative, modular bags with apparel and footwear that would ensure you looked fresh everywhere you went. Morris and Melvin did an amazing job highlighting the venue with some dope EQ vinyl, including a full wrap on a Ducati 998. Throughout the night, DJ Illusive, DJ Kid Trae, DJ David Sabat, DJ Franco de Leon and B96's very own Julian on the Radio did an amazing job emcee-ing and kept the beats going until the doors closed.



It was awesome to see tons of people rolling in sporting their EQ bags (and some even their own custom skyns). That combined with how well received the bags were by newcomers and long-time followers made it clear how far EQ has come as a brand in such a short amount of time. Food and drinks kept circling around while people got a chance to mingle and get to know EQ, new people, the artists and the inspiration behind their designs.



Hundreds of people came through the doors of AKIN that night and after the Skyn Deep 2010 winners were announced, we were treated to the sounds of the Ducati 998 at full song with its sick Akrapovic exhaust. Talk about an explosive way to end a great night. Speaking of winners, Equilibrium selected four winners this year - three came from online voting and the grand prize was awarded by the EQ Team. Check out the winners below:

FIRST PLACE		SECOND PLACE		THIRD PLACE
GUARDIAN TIGER		SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST		URBAN SURVIVAL KIT
(Chicago, Illinois USA)		(Chicago, Illinois USA)		(Metro Manila, Manila Philippines)

EQ GRAND PRIZE

EXIT TO THE LEFT
(Los Angeles, California USA)

All the winners (along with some lucky raffle ticket winners) received some complimentary EQ gear. Their designs will also be reproduced in a limited run and sold at both AKIN locations and online. As an added bonus, for every skyn they sell they have an opportunity to gain commissions. So make sure you pick up one before they are sold out!































In the end, Skyn Deep is Equilibrium's way of giving back to the artist community - giving them a chance to leave their mark on something that won't just be seen in retail stores, but also on the backs of those who love their work and seen all over town. Big thanks to EQ for having me come out to cover the event and to the Skyn Deep sponsors - AKIN, Potential Villain and Royal Mindset. Check out the rest of the photos below:

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