Sometimes shooting a feature vehicle is a bit like playing tag.

Take today’s shoot, for example. I first saw this SUV at the Goodguys show in Scottsdale a few months ago, and I couldn’t find the owner. The event comes and goes, and I’m hunting for this SUV everywhere; I’m checking with my friends, looking at car shows, and I find nothing.

As it turns out, I’m on another shoot a month ago and the owner of said vehicle happened to know the owner of the SUV. See, this guy is a mailman, and he delivers the mail to the owner. After a few missed connections, I finally get in touch with the owner and we schedule a shoot.

30 minutes before the shoot, I get a call: “Kevin, I’m sorry, but the truck won’t go in reverse. We have to reschedule.” so we did just that, for today at 4:00.

I get a call today at 2 p.m. He was going to fly into town today for the shoot, and he missed his flight. So he decides to drive to Phoenix from Las Vegas, just in time for the shoot. It’s 4:22 now, and he should be here in about 10 minutes.

It’s taken a lot of hunting, gathering and researching to find this vehicle, and I can’t wait to finally shoot it. Then once the shoot is done, it’s back to the office to start the search for the next ride to feature all over again.

UPDATE: A sample from the shoot is above. Turned out great.

My first child is scheduled to come just one week from Sunday, and the wife and I are very excited. This does mean a little bit of downtime for the business however, so I’ve taken some extra steps to get thing ready for the big day.

I’ve been banking articles recently, doing photo shoots without doing any editing or writing, so that I can get dome work done from the hospital. Let me say too, that these are some awesome cars and trucks that I can’t wait to get out there. Come February 10th, I fully expect my MacBook Pro to be whirring away, sending files up to the clients via FTP.

As for local work, that just doesn’t seem to stop. I have a shoot for a good friend of mine come the 14th, which should be a lot of fun. Then sometime soon I’ll be heading off to Dallas, where I hope to get a few shoots in as well. That, and hopefully buy that dually I’ve been talking about.

I’ve also worked out a deal with Splashpress Media, and next month you’ll be able to find my work at both Apple Gazette and Forever Geek, which I’m very excited about. I hope to do even more blogging work I the future, as opporunities present themselves.

Don’t worry though, because even with a child on the way and lots of work to do, I’m always looking for new opportunities. Should you have one, send me an e-mail and we can talk it out.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog, and look for pictures of my son in the future!

The other day, I was interviewed by OWC Radio to talk about Apple products, photography and trucks. It was a lot of fun, and a little bit different to be the guy answering the questions, and the result was about 45 minutes of solid back and forth. If you’re interested in giving it a listen, check it out here:

OWC Radio

OWC Podcast Link

Well, it’s taken some work, but I’ve been making some progress on the website. After some discussions with my programmer buddy, he got some of my portfolio things sorted out and now we just need to get the tech sheet online and we’ll be good to go.

Right now, the site is pretty sparse, but these improvements are going to help a lot. It only took me 10 minutes or so to update one of my past projects – the Makin’ Waves Ford Focus Wagon – and in the coming days I’ll be adding pictures of my Civic, my ‘04 Silverado, and my latest project, a ‘95 Silverado named Dumb Luck.

I am looking for a new project as well. I need something that can tow, but I also want something that will be very functional for me and my impending family. I’ve decided that I want a 1995-2000 Chevrolet/GMC 3500 crew-cab dually, a big truck that I can’t wait to buy. Pictured is my buddy Erik’s ‘94 model, which sits on the frame on a 22-inch semi wheel. It was built by my good friend Todd at Lowboy Motorsports, and when I pick one up, eventually it will be a good four inches lower.

My plan is to build a truck that’s functional but looks good as well. I want to paint it a dark gray color and put the company logo on the sides as well as the tailgate, so that it’s tasteful but looks modern at the same time. Inside, I want to make it a mobile command center for the business, with a laptop mount, backup drive and everything else I’d need to take the truck across the country and process shoots on the road. Out back, I want to fabricate a removable mount for driving shots, and then a tool box that can securely hold my camera equipment with no fear of getting stolen. I’m even looking into mobile internet and TV, which would top it off.

Why something so big?

I love duallies. In fact, in the background of the picture above is my old dually, an ‘87 squarebody Chevy which I sold to Erik around the time of this picture. They’re big, roomy, and can pull a house off the foundation, which is good enough for me. My ‘95 project will be going to paint in New Mexico sometime this year, and having something to pull it with would make my life a lot easier. It also means that I can take my family anywhere I go, with room for the baby and all of our stuff. But since it has a bed, it’s great for photo shoots as well. For me, it’s the perfect vehicle. Now I just have to find something in my price range with low miles – not a small feat.

Keep on the lookout for some new pages in the coming days, with my portfolio being updated, as well as the project pics. And now that things are a bit more modern, I can post from the road as well, so I’m hoping to show you a different side of the photography world. There’s a lot of stuff going on here, so be patient, it will happen soon.

When I first started Whipps Industries, I knew that my wife was pregnant and that I had a few months to plan for the impending birth. We’ve spent the past few months purchasing all of the little things that you need for a newborn, and  I’ve been planning out my schedule so that I can have a little bit of time to spend with the little one. I promised myself a while back that on January 17th I’d have all of my major photography done so that just in case something happened, I’d be able to drop everything and take the wife to the hospital. For the most part, that’s exactly how it’s been working out, but recently I came across some really cool opportunities that I just couldn’t pass up.

For example, tomorrow I’m interviewing a technological giant for one of the publications I work for, and I’m very excited about the opportunity. I’ve also interviewed a professional skateboarder and a MMA fighter in the past few days, and I may even be able to talk to some other major starts in the coming week. All that work is due this Friday – right in line with my personal deadlines – but that’s not the end of it.

Next week I’ll be covering a major event here in Scottsdale for another book, and I’ve been tasked with shooting a cover at the same time. This is a huge honor for me, and although I’ve shot covers before, it’s never something that I take lightly. I’m already planning out locations, ideas and other concepts, just trying to get everything perfect for the shoot.

The following week is fairly mild, but I do have a shoot on January 29th, doing a tech for another book . It’s about learning how to TIG weld, a skill which I’ve always wanted to have, and now I can learn from the masters. It’s going to be a fun shoot to be sure.

The next few weeks are going to fly by, and I know that come February 7th, when my child is due, it’s all going to change. My drive to succeed has been pretty high the past few months, but come that day in February, I’ll have another reason to take my game to another level. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next few months.

A few months ago, I made the decision to quit my day job and start a business as a full time writer and photographer. It took me years to make this choice, and it wasn’t done in any haste. Sure, I had some signs that things with my company at the time were getting shaky, but I really enjoyed the people I worked with and I knew that I wanted to stay there to gain more experience. When it seemed like there was no other option, and that every sign was pointing me out, I finally pulled the trigger. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

But it wasn’t easy. My wife had been laid off two times in the past year at that point, and she was 6 months pregnant with our first child. Entering a career of financial instability was a little risky, and I wasn’t as confident as I could’ve been starting off on day one. My wife however, was very supporting, and she really got me ready to go, pumping me up along the way.

A month later, she was laid off for the third time. Our world went into chaos, and I started to consider going back to the workforce. Instead, I found some additional outlets, bumped up some of my workload, and today we’re on track, with no issues to think of. It’s given my wife time to decorate the baby room, as well as provide some back-end support for Whipps Industries. It’s been a very positive experience.

Today I found out that my old job is dissolving its main office, the one where I had worked for 18 months. Had I not put in my notice on that day in September, I’d be sitting here with an 8-month pregnant wife, trying to figure out how to sell our home and move to another state, all while going through birth. And if we didn’t decide to do that, we’d be forced to resign come April.

My wife and I have had a trying few years, and for a while there, it seemed like nothing could go our way. That decision in September turned out to be one of the best things we could have ever done and gives us both hope for the future.

Here’s to good luck.