hi all, i am on a big design it yourself kick!  i found this book month ago but just really started to dig into it.  its call DIY design it yourself.  the book is basically a creative resource for DIY projects from anything from blogs, books, business cards, cds, newsletters, web site, promotional pieces...whatever...if you cant find it in here, it inspirse you to make it on your own!

for me, its just been good to get the creative juices flowing and i am neck deep in a project that is totally DIY and if it works out, i will share...if not, it will be back to the drawing board.

got the book from urban outfitters and it is editted by ellen lupton.

i went for a run today and was thinking of my creative life before photography.  i was really looking for that creative outlet that would satisfy.  i was a guitarist and teamed up with bass player, song writer, brad nolan to create and original set of music.

it was a fun process but what is most interesting is the connection of how my journey as a musician and as a photographer are similar on many levels and different on a few.  i think the most important and notable was the natural ability to create.  i am convinced that photography comes very easy for me.  i could be wrong, or perhaps i am faking it...but i feel like this is something i can do as well as anyone.  music not so much!  it was a complete struggle the entire trip.  but i think it made the achievements that much more great yet i wish i had found photography sooner!

well brad has much more natural ability to create in music.  he is doing very well with his music on many levels. 

here is a song that we collaborated on and brad has since improved upon.  brad has a nice sense of mixing and arranging.  love the swelling electric in the back on this track...

brakelights.mp3

hi everyone!  had a small mention in this months issue of PDN.  i always look forward to the stock issue...find out what people are doing and who else is out there...  in an effort to find a second agency beyond aurora, i first signed with jupiter/workbook which has been good, but wanted to keep my options open.  i have always been a fan of uppercut images in the stock world and when they expressed some interest, it all fell into place.  upper cut has been super easy to work with and look forward to future shoots and submissions.

the article is about who agencies are signing and why...wish that i had this article to read about 3 years ago.  it is a pretty interesting read if your interested in this niche of photography and if there is interest enough from this blog readership i would shed some insight on how to get an agency contract. 

congrats to melissa on the where am i contest below!  most of all that was shot within 200 yards of the mamitas beach club in playa del carmen.  send me your address and i will ship you a book!  thanks for playing!

on to new shoots... here are a few of kara hamilton at the rosewood mayakoba.  kara is an actress/model from san francisco. was invited down to mexico to shoot aurelie and brendan's fantastic rosewood mayakoba wedding which you can see at this location.  3 shoots in 3 days of mexico, glad to be back!

hi all, well, i am on a fun shoot...can you can place the location?  first person to comment and get it right wins a 5x5 aurora photos book!  even if someone picks your place, pick it anyways...people have been known to change their minds!  name the county AND city/town/beach...


if you know cause your hanging out with my wife, your not eligible to win!

saving the point of destination for a fun blog game...but i am packing for somewhere warm and wet.  location looks great and i am looking forward to the trip and shoot...but...thought i would share this packing tip.

when i am traveling for a shoot, i like to have all my necessary equipment fly as a carry on.  in fact, if i can carry it all on, i am much happier.  so i have a tamrac turbo cyber pro that is used for the location camera gear, while shooting.  large enough and it also has a room for my 17 mac laptop. 

the next bag i have is actually a tool bag/luggage.  i found it at a home depot type of store.  it doubles as a gear/clothing bag.  in here i pack all the extra necessary harware that i might need and some overflow from the camera bag.  on this trip, since i shooting underwater and around water alot, i am bringing my waterhousing and some speedlight equiptment in the tool bag/clothing bag.  the bag is perfect for this because is has a hard shell(yet it is soft), has a handle and wheels fits in overhead.  i might use some socks and tshirts to provide a little extra padding for the stuff that needs it like the water housing.

i also stuff a small lens bag in the tool bag and use it on location for smaller locaiton outings with simpler needs.  all of this is carry on, easy, easy.  the tool bag was cheap, like $30.  but works great!

i am convinced that i am not loved at all.  i have been on portable hard drives now for about 8 years and not one family member or associate ever says anything.  in fact they enable me all the time...taking me to best buy, where larger and larger hard drives are cheaper and so easy to score.  i would think by now, someone, other than myself would get to the point, where they might round up a few other digital asset management people and sit me down and conduct a real hard drive intervention.

you can see from the photo, years of hi resolution raw photography, there is no doubt, i am hard user.  i have thousands and thousands of gigs of portable hard drives.  there has got to be a better way...so, i have hit rock bottom.  and time to turn my life around.  please help me on my journey to healing.  if you know a good system for someone like me, please share in the comments below.  thanks. 

or if you are in he same situation as me, you can just comment, "hello, my name is _____, and i am a portable hard drive user, and i need to change." 

so i have tons of people that walk by my studio everyday probably wondering what it is that i do!   so i did not think was fair to let you guys have all the viewing pleasure...if thats what it is..or is not!  so i started my blog door, or bloor...ok, i don't actually have to call it that...i like blog door better...but whatever...its just an ongoing door of printed proofs, polaroids injets, postcards, business cards.  i suspect will soon take on a life of its own, but until then, i seem to be keeping it alive. 

feel free to stop by, and comment.   and as you can see from the image, my door does take visa, mastercard or discovery. 

hi all, had a fun shoot with lyric street artist, ruby summer.  tons of fun energy and warm light.  also had the pleasure of shooting with cinematographer michel sandy.  ruby summer is off to nashville for soon to record and i think michel is heading to document the production.  best of luck guys.




Ruby Summer - Jay Reilly Photo Shoot from Michel Sandy on Vimeo.
www.rubysummer.com
www.lyricstreet.com
www.michelfilm.com

funny thing i came across when reading riviera this week.  in the front under "the radar now!"  they have a small piece call surf city sellout.  i guess ohio-based hollister has capitalized on the surf culture and has firmed an agreement with the classic surf city Huntington beach, ca to have cameras mounted on the pier to beam images of so cal surfing life to every hollister store.  Huntington beach stands to gain 4.8 million over 25 years and about $400,000 in marine safety equipment.  hmm...a few really interesting thoughts on this relationship...

amazing some un expected kid, women, man would be filmed and used as promotional image for a company without consent, or a release to do so  i would think that alone would be a deal breaker. 

crazy to think that Huntington beach, arguably has some of the strongest roots in 20's era California surf town would allow it to happen and not be an authentic surf brand.  money is king i guess, even in surf utopia Huntington

amazing that the equipment would not be vandalized to un-usable.  surfer mag cried foul by saying "whoring out the hard work of the real surf garmet industry"...i am sure most are not excited about it

i think it is either genius or really slimy exploitation of the culture that i have grown to love and embrace as my own...

would i shoot for hollister...i am sure i would.  but they have not called yet.