[ light ] Holy Sh*t, Schwabel Shot a Still Life!

lil' chuckster amp photographed by Eric Schwabel

So I got a call from my friend Dan, who I think it is safe to say was my mos’ best friend and ally back at RIT.  We were roommates in the dorms and worked together at the illustrious Photo House, of which he was studio manager and I was president.  Ahh… youth.

Anyhow, Dan’s photographic skills were amazingly advanced, and that posed a problem for RIT, which aims very very very low in it’s first two years of study.  Long story short, Dan now makes cool custom amps and FX pedals by hand for the audio elite.  I’ve heard that Radiohead and Björk‘s crew have use his gear for live and recording sessions.  So, Dan and his father-in-law started making these awesome little amps that can run off a 9-volt battery.  Everything is soldered and assembled by hand, even the knobs are handmade and painted/stamped.

So Dan hit me up and asked if I’d shoot Lil’ Chuckster (named after his kid) for his online release, which was a few months ago.  Now… I haven’t shot an actual, purposefully-lit still life in years.  Back in 2006, Pepsi hired me to shoot automotive pin-up girl Eri Moriyama posing with cars designed by RJ DeVera, but other than that, the only still lifes I’d ever shot were school assignments at RIT.  All of the lighting gear and cameras I own are for portrait work, but I adapted and made some stuff and lo and behold, I shot some still lifes that really aren’t too shabby.  Makes me think I should rethink this whole art thing and shoot catalogs.

It’s the dillema of having a ton of technical knowledge in the photo realm, I find it difficult to focus in on one style.  Sometimes I’m perfectly happy having no crew around just playing with lights and making a shot like this happen.

Regardless…  Check out ChucksterAmps.com, they’re great for playing in your home or apartment building, and I’m told they’re also good as a portable monitor for smaller live shows.

Lil' Chuckster amp photographed by Eric Schwabel

Lil' Chuckster amp photographed by Eric Schwabel

Lil' Chuckster amp photographed by Eric Schwabel

Published by Eric Schwabel on January 26, 2010
Filled under: Musicians