Blakeman Photo

Labor Day Weekend

David Blakeman — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:00:45 +0000

I drove out to California for Labor Day Weekend. I stayed with some of my old junior men in San Diego for a night and then I headed up to LA to hang out with a few friends (and take some photos) for the rest of the weekend. Enjoy!

My good friend Erik was practicing for his final jury at Musician’s Institute. This just in: HE GOT AN ‘A’!!!

GCU Arena Dedication

David Blakeman — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:00:57 +0000

This was another really fun day to work at Grand Canyon University. All of GCU’s staff came out for a dedication ceremony for the new arena. Brian Mueller (the CEO) spoke about the new arena, which he hopes will be an event center for families all over the valley. Needless to say, I brought my camera along. Here’s a few.

GCU Move-In Day

David Blakeman — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:18:32 +0000

I started a new job at Grand Canyon University last month. One nice thing about working on a college campus is getting fun days like move-in day where we get to hang out with students and help fill up the dorms. I’m going to start bringing my camera to work more often. Here’s a few from move-in day:

Campus Kickoff

David Blakeman — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:37 +0000

I headed back up to my old church (Highlands) to help out with one of the most overwhelming (and excellent) events of the year. Campus Kickoff is an all-nighter with a couple thousand high school and junior high kids running around a waterpark. Yes, it’s as awesome as it sounds. It’s also one of my favorite times of year to take photos. Staying up all night gives high school and junior high students a rare, somber demeanor which gives them this strange air of adulthood. It’s also nice to take some photos right as the sun is rising. Here’s a bit of what I came up with this year.

The Technicolors @ The Rhythm Room

David Blakeman — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:00:47 +0000

The Technicolors just finished off their summer tour at the Rhythm Room. They’re seriously the greatest.

Gravy Night

David Blakeman — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:00:02 +0000

Gravy Night at the Brockway residence has become a bit of a legend in recent years. I wasn’t able to make the first gravy night but I sure was glad I was able to make it to the gravy and song-filled night that was Gravy Night 2. Here’s a few:

Casas Adobes

David Blakeman — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:00:07 +0000

My grandpa and I took a day trip to Tucson to visit some of his old stomping grounds. I didn’t realize that my grandpa is a local celebrity in the Casas Adobes area. We didn’t stop anywhere without at least one “HEY TOM!” from an old friend. The first few photos are taken in front of his old house where my dad grew up. The others are inside of the barbar shop he built in 1957.

Cabin Weekend

David Blakeman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:00:47 +0000

My buddy Dominic invited a few of us up to his cabin in Pinetop for Cabin Weekend 3.0. This trip was nuttier than either of the other two trips combined… mostly for reasons that shall remain unmentioned on this blog. Here’s a few from the weekend:

England

David Blakeman — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:00:05 +0000

I surprised Rachel with a trip to England to see Ryan Adams in concert. I was proud of myself for being able to keep a secret for the four months it took me to plan everything. We had a blast cruising around London and Bookham (where Rachel grew up) and spending time with her family and friends. It was a really incredible trip.

Roka Akor

David Blakeman — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:00:53 +0000

Roka Akor is one of the more awesome restaurants I’ve ever shot for. They specialize in Japanese BBQ and sushi. They had me out for a press dinner and I gladly shot the bulk of their menu. Here are a few of my favorites from the night:

The Technicolors @ The Nile Theatre

David Blakeman — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:00:57 +0000

I know what you’re thinking: “I haven’t been to the Nile Theater since I saw Five Iron Frenzy when I was in 7th grade!” Well, that’s what I said! Needless to say, the joint reopened and The Technicolors (in true form) rocked faces off. I still stand by my statement that they are my favorite band. Here’s a few from the show:

Independence Day

David Blakeman — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:00:00 +0000

A few photos from the 4th of July. Unfortunately, Rachel had to work so she was unable to join in on the festivities (and firework-lighting shenanigans on the roof of Scottsdale Bible Church).

Il Poggio D’Italia

David Blakeman — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 09:07:56 +0000

I recently did a web campaign shoot for Il Poggio D’Italia. They just launched their new website and I was happy to grab a few photos before consuming a good portion of this food. They located at Shea & 101 in Scottsdale. Be sure to stop in for a good date night.

Michael & Bayli’s Engagement Shoot

David Blakeman — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:38 +0000

Michael and Bayli are getting married! To me, this is one of the biggest no-brainers of all time. They are both incredible, selfless, humble people and I’m grateful to call them friends. Michael has always told me that I’m not allowed to shoot photos at his wedding because he wants me there for strict, partying purposes. I’ll allow it. I’m excited for this one for sure. Here’s a few photos from our engagement shoot downtown.

Jason & Anyha’s Wedding

David Blakeman — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:00:04 +0000

I met Jason and Anyha through a fellow ASU photography nerd. He was planning to shoot their wedding but was unable to at the last minute. Fortunately, Brent and I were free to make it happen. We gladly stepped in and had a great time getting to know both of their families and helping make some memories on their big day. Congratulations, guys!

Lake Pleasant

David Blakeman — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:00:35 +0000

I got a chance to play around with my roommate Brent’s Fuji X100. It’s a really incredible, little camera. It looks something like an 1980′s rangefinder camera but it’s actually a 12 megapixel digital camera with all kinds of bells and whistles. I may do a bit more borrowing in the future if he’ll let me. Here’s a few photos from the lake.

The Piciucco Wedding

David Blakeman — Sat, 21 May 2011 15:00:27 +0000

My good friends Mike and Aubrey are married. Thankfully the world didn’t end on their wedding day. The ceremony was a great time up in Fountain Hills. Mike was very intent from the get-go that I would not be photographing his wedding. I still snuck a few photos in. Enjoy!

Here’s a detail:

The Image in Actual Space

David Blakeman — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:00:51 +0000

This project was enjoyable. I took a photo class this semester called The Image in Cyberspace and one of the final projects was an “ambitious, big project” in which we had to design and present a large, public art project. We weren’t required to make the idea a reality. We fondly (and slightly humorously) called titled this project “The Image in Actual Space”.

When we were meeting in my group (Andy Hadle, Adrian Lesoing & I) we decided to make our idea a reality. Our idea was inspired by the 7-story tall sign that currently hangs on the north tower of the West 6th high-rise condos on Mill Avenue. The first day the banner was up, I was riding my bike home from school and I stopped in the middle of the road to take a look at it. There was something shocking about how massive the banner was. It’s not a particularly fascinating banner, there’s just something different about relating to an image that massive. As a result, our idea was to create a 20′ x 30′ portrait and hang it on the side of Matthews Hall.

As to be expected, this project ended up way more complicated than we had originally anticipated. The idea to display the print on campus was a nightmare with about 50 pounds of paperwork and a few hours of generally pointless meetings involved. A few weeks into the process, we decided to look off campus to avoid that process entirely. Fortunately, we were able to partner with the folks at First Studio in downtown Phoenix. Several hours of planning, shooting, Photoshopping and printing later, the big photo became a reality. Unfortunately it was only a reality for about 20 minutes before the wind caught it and took it to the ground. We still consider it a success. The actual photo (the first photo on this post) is a 250 megapixel panorama that I shot with a GigaPan. The second photo is the final installation view.

A view of all five banners from the balcony before being connected…

Here’s me reinforcing the print before disaster struck…

Here’s disaster striking…

We let the boy tear the rest of it down…

Taste of the Nation

David Blakeman — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:01:22 +0000

I shot my 2nd Taste of the Nation event for Girl Meats Fork this week. The basic premise of this event is a giant, city-themed cooking fundraiser to end childhood hunger in America. Chefs from all over the valley come out and cook meals to help raise money. The result is an unreal amount of amazing food. Here are a few of my photos from the event. Enjoy!

Tucson

David Blakeman — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:00:46 +0000

I took a trip down to Tucson to celebrate Abbey’s graduation. I took some photos. Enjoy!