A Bloody Good Time!

My latest shoot, "The Ascetic," was with Scott Haze, lead actor in James Franco's "Child of God" film, to be released in early 2014 (yeah, that was a blatant promo for both Scott/James' movie and the billboard I shot of it here!).  Scott was the definition of a true pro (and a sneaky prankster by tricking me into believing he was bringing dead crows to the set for the photo shoot!!!).  Once I got the image that I wanted, Scott messed around with the canvas, the blood, the paint brush, the blood, the ceramic bowl, the blood….  Thanks to Scott's dedication to the character I created for my concept, I scored a SECOND photograph from the shoot!  Me getting an unexpected extra image has never happened during one of my photo shoots – a serendipitous diptych, indeed!  YAYYYYYY to Scott (and to me, for hitting the shutter release button at that ever-so-decisive moment)!  This labor of love has been two months in the making, and I couldn't have pulled it off without my insanely talented talent, team, and supporters.  Much gratitude and bloody hugs to you all – Steve LaVoie, Johny Artoffical, Nigel R Mitchell, Kat Laskey, Cynthia Johnson, Turner Johnson, Allana Johnson, Nikkie Urquieta, and Elissa Shay to name just a few!!!  ;-D 

And the Winner Is....

….me!  :-D  GRAPHIS – the all-time annual of visual mediums since 1944 – just notified me that I won placement in their Photography 2014 Annual.  It's literally like winning an Oscar!  As quoted from their website, "Publishing the world's most significant and influential works from the greatest talent in Design, Advertising, and Photography."  (www.graphis.com)  This pic is a mock-up of how my image will be presented in their book.  When Graphis told me they were publishing my photograph, I completely forgot that I submitted work to them in the first place.  Upon receiving the award email, I thought it was a joke until they showed me the annual's mock-up and an entire page dedicated to my image, "Murder of Crows"!  I'd like to dedicate this award to EVERY single, solitary soul who's helped me become the photographer I am today (that includes all the baristas who've made me ginormous lattes to get through countless all-nighters!).  Much love to you all!!! 

Mixing it Up on The Sunset Strip!

My latest and greatest project -- a shot for actor, Scott Haze, in a film directed by James Franco.  Scott wanted me to shoot the billboard for the film on The Sunset Strip (Scott's the face on the board that Franco painted).  At first I was like, "Shoot a billboard -- are you kidding?!?"  I decided to go for it anyway, and it took not one, not two, but THREEEEE times to get it right!  James Franco put the photograph on his Instagram, and it received almost 16,000 "Likes" in just a couple hours -- yayayayayay!  (Hmmmmm....perhaps I should get into shooting light trails and ditch conceptual photography??? ;-) ).  A million thanks and hugs to Scott for giving me this awesome job!  :-D

Fun Times as a Photographer!

My life as a photographer/producer is a messy one, to say the least.  Check out my bags and bags and bags of items for an upcoming photo shoot, taking residence in my bedroom!  And the life is painful one, too.... Yesterday, I spotted some cut tree stumps in my neighborhood and thought I could throw them into my SUV for another shoot.  WELL.  I was wrong about that one, as noted through my second pic where not only did I get my knee scratched up trying to lift tree stumps heavier than me into my car, but I totally ruined my favorite white t-shirt, getting tree sap all over it!  People never see the pre-production before a shoot, which would probably drive the bulk of people into working at McDonald's instead of pursuing photography!

The Dazzling Diva!

When you've got limited photography budgets, you've got to get creative.  And thank God my client owns a 90-lb. tortoise, Balloon!

However.....Balloon was the most diva-like model I've ever dealt with!  We had to wait like an hour with all of us begging, praying, and pleading for Balloon to stick her head outta her shell.  Thank God my client, Mike, was a breezeeeee to work with!

Secret to getting tortoises' heads out of their shells?  Feed them strawberries!  ; )

An Invite You Won't Regret --> Friday, August 23rd!

Hey Everyone!

Looking for some fun entertainment on Friday, August 23th from 6:30pm-8:30pm?

Come join me for my Opening Night photography exhibit entitled, "Suspended Moments," at ArtSpace Warehouse -- a beautiful contemporary gallery located in Los Angeles' Fairfax District.

Please note: This is going to be a group show, so only a few of my images will be shown. In fact, the majority of you have probably seen all the photographs in previous exhibits anyway! ;-)

In which case, I hope you'll just come to mix and mingle, enjoy some great artwork from other artists, and imbibe in complimentary champagne (well, that's what I was told would be served; there are a few bars nearby if you're über antsy for alcohol)!

Here is ArtSpace Warehouse gallery's information:

ArtSpace Warehouse
7358 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(in between LaBrea Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. --
near The Grove shopping center)
323-936-7020
www.artspacewarehouse.com

Opening Night:

Friday, August 23, 2013
6:30pm-8:30pm

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Marisa

Featured in Urban Scene Magazine!

Super exciting!

My very first published interview in Urban Scene magazine....

http://www.urbanscenemag.com/03marisahowenstine.html

Warning: The website's formatting isn't perfect, but just keep scrolling down the page to see the whole interview and imagery!

Many thanks to Clayton Karels, editor of Urban Scene, for making this happen and your devoted support!