Chef Sauce

Well Internetland,

Here we are, so nice to meet you.

This is JJ over at ERP, I apologize for being out of contact, but I have a great excuse for that.

A little bit about me before the bit about us.

I'm a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Received a BFA in Photography. Prior to SAIC I spent a brief period at Penn State for Meteorology; I still plan to chase tornadoes.

Let's jump to what's been going on in this labyrinthine edifice we call home.

Most importantly, Kakuspace. Let me reiterate. Kakuspace. Kakuspace. Kakuspace.

For the uninitiated, and soon to be; what began as a clever play on perception is blossoming into a fully realized conceptual body of work.

The name comes from acclaimed theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. We're taking gravitational license here and temporarily altering terrestrial law. We aim to create an isolated incidence of physics, which our subject(s) must navigate. This project occurs in the psychological space created by the amendments we apply to accepted physical constructs.
(PS - I love that we here at ERP are living in LA and are most starstruck by scientists)

If you are feeling the inclination to be a part of this, contact me - jj@ericraptosh.com

Next, Ireland.

Oh. Dear. God. Am. I. Excited. We're going to Ireland, folks. Thanks in large part to the supernova of niceness that is Dave Reynolds; Eric, myself, and some special guests are going to trek to Carrick-on-Shannon in early April. We've been brainstorming like madmen, and have some very exciting work ahead of us.

Hopefully that's enough to whet your appetite. (I can't give it all away on the first post)
Until next time.
-JJ

Black and White Spider Awards

The 5th Annual Black and White Spider Awards were announced on Sunday, January 24th. While I was not a winner I did have two nominations: one in the category of Sports titled "Sweat" and one in the category of Nude titled "Spa."

"Sweat" was inspired by my fighter friend Marcus Kowal, a Swedish boxer and instructor of Krav Maga here in Los Angeles. It's raw, rugged and sweaty. "Spa" features my friend Karl, a great model who generously donates his time so I can pursue conceptual themes. His graphic bull tattoo fiercely graces his back in a calm setting of luxurious sun and white buns.

This is the 3rd year I've entered and the 3rd time I've had nominations. You can see examples of some very inspiring work in 14 different categories (including the images mentioned above) at www.thespiderawards.com.

The Nov/Dec issue of Malibu Magazine is out and Eric Raptosh Photography shot the cover story. This issue features 10 top Malibu chefs and their respective restaurants and includes special holiday recipes you shouldn't miss. There is also another photo story shot by ERP on Vivien Cunha who fuses Brazillian and Austrian cuisines.

The digital version of the current issues is available at www.malibutimesmag.com and click on "View Our Current Issue" (stories start on pages 43 & 61). Don't forget that you can print out any of the pages to archive the brilliant succulent recipes. I ate well that week.

Personal Day

Between shooting Chef's in Malibu for Malibu Times Magazine holiday issue and filming a documentary on a new housing complex in downtown Los Angeles to provide permant housing for the homelss, it's a relief to just take it easy for minute and shoot for myself.

Joy & Spectacle

I met this group on the boardwalk in Venice. From the UK, they are vacationing around the western US in a motorhome doling out fun like beauty spills off supermodels. As it turns out, they are a troupe that, according the their website, is "a performance collective bringing joy and spectacle to events around the world." Working with these guys and gals was pure joy and spectacle and even though I only had a few hours with them, I truly miss them. Make friends with them on facebook (beardedkitten) or check out http://www.beardedkitten.com/.

ECO Couple

Yesterday we spent a full 10 hours shooting a “green couple” in an eco-friendly house on Altair Place. The models cast were Jolene Andersen, a stunning high fashion red-head, and Rodolfo Diaz, a 29 year-old Cuban and former professional dancer. Together, the two formed a strikingly complementary couple that overflowed with chemistry and glistened under the natural lighting that the Altair house presented.

Steven Shortridge, the owner and designer of the house, works as an architect and co-founded the firm Callas-Shortridge Architects, http://www.callas-shortridge.com/. At only 800 square feet, his house exemplifies the art of integrating minimalism with modernism to maximize useable space.

The goal of the shoot was to capture the intimacy of the couple’s relationship while still illustrating each individual’s uniqueness using varying distances. We also sought to portray environmental consciousness as a feasible and fun lifestyle. We attained this both in the photographs as well as behind the scenes in the production of the shoot. The bikes used as props were rented from Flying Pigeon, http://flyingpigeon-la.com/; we brought all reusable cups and dishes from home to eliminate the need for plastic water bottles; linen napkins were used both on- and off-set instead of paper ones; many of the clothes chosen by Alicia Lawhon, our fantastic wardrobe stylist, were vintage or recycled—one of Jolene’s shirts was made from discarded prison clothes; we had both trash and recycle bins available and did not even fill one trash-bag over the course of the entire day; our overall carbon footprint was kept to a minimal, as the Altair house is less than a mile drive from the studio.

Eric Raptosh Photography’s crew of 12 worked seamlessly together, and the day ended in the clinking of champagne glasses, with models joining us in the home-studio afterward for chocolate-covered almonds and pomegranates.

We are in full production mode for stock, just wrapping a gorgeous day shooting in a loft in Downtown LA. Take a look at this adorable couple we got to work with for outLOUDstock (http://www.outloudstock.com/). This image will be featured in the PictureHouse NewYork(http://www.picturehouse-us.com/) Showguide in October.