Notice a difference between these photos?

“Ori is the first photographer to get pictures of me that actually look like me. #onereasonheisawesome” Elizabeth Potts Weinstein wrote this after seeing the first photo I sent her from our weekend’s shoot.

I had promised her that I would give her a different look.  Maybe I’m a photo elitist, but I thought her old photos were pretty generic, and certainly did not capture her personality.

The outfits were corporate (turns out she didn’t even own a tshirt, and hasn’t worn one in about 10 years), the smiles seemed fake.  These photos did not say to me “I am adventurous, like to enjoy life, and even used to go spelunking!”

When I found out that EPW didn’t even own a tshirt, I immediately made sure that all our shots were in tshirts…. which led to an interesting phenomenon… Elizabeth actually had an awkward moment… she has not worn a tshirt in so long, that it felt alien to her.  She even looked different.

Once we got past outfits, I rummaged through my stuff… what would be different than corporate looking pics?  How about swords, helmets, skateboards, vodka, and wearing silly hats?  Oh yeah, let’s not forget Ziplining.  Read the rest of this entry »

This normal for Burning Man

Everyone always asks me about Burning Man.  It’s a whole other world.  Here’s a glimpse into a normal moment at Burning Man.  You wake up (if you’ve gone to sleep), you wonder where the giant cannon that was next to your tent has gone.  There’s the usual people biking by in their costumes, the music coming from all directions as mutant vehicles drive by, and then you see a bunch of people from camp walking hurriedly to the next camp.  Something is up! You investigate.

Our camp was “Lego Land” – titled so because we had a house that looked like it was made of Legos, and a whole bunch of “life-size” Legos for people to come and build with (they took days and day to build!) – and it had an awesome location: 9  o’clock and Esplanade (right on the playa). I walked past the Lego house (which I was camped directly behind), and voila… there’s the cannon! With a big group of people smiling from ear to ear.  Oh yes, this was going to be good.  I forgot that I was tired and had just woken up. Cannon, Flame Thrower, Smiles…. Read the rest of this entry »

I thought that my interview skills improved because I’ve been doing so many of them… It turns out that part of it is the chemistry that you have with the interviewer!

Meet Ingrid Vanderveldt: she’s hot, she races motorcycles, she starts companies, she jumps out of planes, she interviews famous entrepreneurs (like me   ), she laughs at my jokes!  What else can you ask for?  I got it– she gives great interview!  I learned that when you get along with your interviewer, you have a fun interview!  This is my most fun (set of) interview(s) thus far. Read the rest of this entry »

Summary: Ori & Angela wake up at the glamorous Allegro hotel in Chicago, see the craziest things from the front lines, and show you many photos of this unique event.
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I had such a blast being on the Nick Digilio show! It’s like calling in to a show, only better. Nick’s show, for those who don’t know it, is very entertaining. Basically, it’s another talk show on AM Radio. It’s entertaining, informative, and (I think) intelligent. They were very organized, very on time, and even provided me with a CD of the interview immediately upon walking out. Nick and Andy were very friendly – which helped calm my nerves. How did the interview go? You decide- here it is:

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Brooklyn was a blast! I got to hang out with some very like-minded people! There were a lot of jokes, and a lot of music. Couch 60 was a recording studio, Xyayx Productions. Q of Xyayx not only teaches digital recording at Brooklyn College, but also has a huge community initiative: helping people achieve their dreams, and empower themselves. From getting your GED, to getting on your way to being a recording artist…. Q can do it. One of his students at the school is this kid, Texas. Texas is one of the few students that is invited to the house to work, and learn… an intern of sorts. He’s also a rapper, that can rap VERY fast! He wanted some photos from me, but could not afford the special rate I gave of $75. I wanted him to have my photos, but do not believe in a free lunch, so worked out a deal with him:

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Wednesday was Halloween. I was going to meet up with my buddy Dave from south Florida. I met him at Ultra 2003 in South Beach, and then in 2005 he moved to NY. A lot’s changed for us both. I took the subway, and walked. I brought my caveman outfit. I got to Dave’s place, and the doorman said he already left. I was slightly infuriated, as I don’t like people wasting my time. At least there was a big parade that I could catch. Here are the photos from that:

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My alarm was set for 3:30am, and I left at 4am. Why so early? Because Angela was going to arrive at Baltimore International at 10:45. I spoke to Angela the night before, and she said I can get there by noon, that way they have girl time, and I don’t have to leave as early. I just go for it though… I wanted to be there on time. Once it was daytime, I was on the phone. I spoke to Couch 4, as we were working on a project with Couch 53… we were going to market his skateboard and t-shirts…. quite original designs, and this stuff would move fast, I’m certain of it! However… this has been too long in negotiations, and we decided to scrap the contract, since we’ve put too much into it, and it seemed the client wasn’t putting in nearly as much effort. Actually, that wasn’t till the next week that we scrapped the contract. The day I got into Maryland, I sat in the car and tried the last negotiation. While I was finishing up, Angela and Amy arrived. Angela of course was trying to molest me while I’m still on the phone. One week later, on my way to New York, I would notify Couch 53’s partner that we are going to pass on marketing them.

We were supposed to go White-Water rafting that day, or the next… However, Couch 45 (Amy) decided it would be too cold, so we didn’t. I was pretty bummed, ’cause I’ve gone in freezing wa ter before…. I’ve gone water-skiing in the great lakes, in a wet-suit.. er… think it’s a dry-suit when it gets that cold. No worries. I was just happy to be around them. Amy strikes, or has in the past left the impression as a serious no-bullshit kinda girl. It was this perception that was completely shattered. This girl has one crazy sense of humor! In fact, I know call her my long-lost twin sister! Really! We call each other up “What up sis? ” “How’s it going bro?” Which is cool, ’cause my brothers and I sort of wanted a sister. Amy is like my friggin twin though! She’s athletic, a go-getter, does what she wants, gets angry when her time is wasted, and likes to mess with people! I had no idea! Guess that’s the whole book/judging thing. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve spoken to Jessica (Couch 6) since I’ve left her no clothes party a few times, and she’s gotten promoted within the speed speed skating industry.. she now co-coordinates the races. Yay couch 6! She also hasn’t heard from the Other photographer that was at the event. Too bad, ’cause he had some pics of everyone (including me). I know how you people feel when I, or anyone else takes your photo, and you just have to wait and wait and wait. Trust me folks, I’m working on catching up through these 27,000 photos from 2007. After Jessica’s party, I did get to hang out with Couch 5 for a bit as well, and I saw Couch 4 on my way to Tampa for a few minutes. I still haven’t spoken to Victoria, who flaked out on going to the party, and therefore did not become the next couch. She did try to call me a few days later, but I was in the middle of something, and she didn’t leave a message. Being flaky is a good way to burn bridges with me.

The drives have all been beautiful… It is the time of year when the trees change colors, and if you haven’t seen it in person, I highly recommend an October drive across Maryland / Virginia. A sea of green, with foaming waves of red and orange of all shades. It is breathtaking… This is not something I have too many photos of, as I was driving. I have gotten quite adept at taking photos while driving out of either window and the sunroof.

In Georgia, I was supposed to go Kayaking with Couch 24. I couch surfed with his new lady, Alyx (Couch 57), who is an optimistic ball of affection! Even her cat, Zeppelin is a lover. Here’s a few shots of Alyx, her cat, and her window-fairy. Read the rest of this entry »

I left South Florida on Saturday morning’ish. I made it to Tampa by Saturday evening, in time to make it to Couch #6’s NO CLOTHES party…. This was after an ex girlfriend of mine flaked out last minute. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I said that I went to the zoo. Being a photographer, I took a ton of photos, and today I finally figured out a good way to set these slideshows up efficiently– so.. here they are!

I actually show how I got the colors on these photos in my video I did for RAW files. Make sure to signup at www.highendphotoshoptraining.com and you’ll receive my Photoshop-tips newsletter, including that one.

Last night I met up with Chris for an inspection of my new condo, and it was pretty awesome! Mint condition, give for a few minor things. I took some photos:

The place is awesome. It’s in a great, safe, nice, clean area. It’s in Marietta, GA. It’s a 2 bedroom / 2 bath, new floors, new appliances, and the backyard IS the Chattahoochee national park! Has fitness center, hiking trails, and the pool is 40 feet from the front door!

It’s also going to be for rent, until (if) I finish Couch Surfing. Contact me if you’re qualified to rent it.