...they're the best! This is my second year shooting this piece for my good friend Steve Hartman & his On The Road segment (every Friday on CBS Evening News, The Sunday Morning Show & all over the internets, watch it!) Steve is one of the best story tellers & editors in the universe(s), he's amazing...but I'd never tell him that!:) He's a genius at tugging on heart strings.

Along with his cameraman, Bob Caccamise who's the best in the biz, I mean look at his form a few pics down it's impeccable, it's a 10 lol and über producer Katie Brennan, they bring us stories that I think most Americans want to see.

Then there's Secret Santa's, he's the reason that we were in TX. His generosity and devotion is unmatched, he's an incredible human. When he, the law enforcement that he enlists or his elves hand out money, well, it's pretty special, hopefully my images catch some of those special moments & micro expressions.

These shoots are different from my on location commercial photographer projects, I cherish both. This is pure emotion, however, real life, in the trenches with people that aren't as fortunate. Some have lost everything. Some started with nothing. At the end of the day there are still kind and generous people that care.

Happy Hollidays! I've been sitting on this image for 9 whole months LOL...If this doesn't put you in the holiday spirit, well then you're screwed;) This is the masterful blues musician Pat Thomas, one of my all time favorites in the delta. When I made this image of him it was mid March. I'm an advertising photographer and was on a project nearby so I decided to pop in at his apartment in Leland unannounced. it was about 10:30a and when the door swung open, this was his look~ the hat, the shirt, the #bud & smoking a #marb red, he was all color coordinated & in the holiday spirit;) He's such a character and a good man & a dream subject for a lifestyle photographer / on location photographer, especially while on my own i.e. no hair & makeup, assistant etc.!

Always an honor to shoot for the United Way especially as a commercial photographer in St. Louis, my hometown. We had a great production and video from #OnceFilms & great client, thanks Mark! On the first shoot day it rained like crazy, which allowed me to put my Canon bodies (Mark 3's) to the test, the seals sealed:) As an on location commercial photographer I never leave without having 3-4 cameras & a bag full of glass. Rent them if you have to, cover your butt out there folks, you never know!

Portraits of diversity is my global study of the beauty of differences. In all of us. Portraits of folks from Chile, W. Africa, Polynesia, Russia, Argentina, Mexico, India, Columbia, Japan, Greece, Ireland and other countries. As a commercial photographer St. Louis & New York City and a travelholic...I'm a lifestyle photographer junkie. All lifestyles: )

Photos of the solar eclipse 2017 in the totality zone of Pacific, MO.

I have to confess that I didn't think much about shooting the actual eclipse yesterday. However, I was very interested in people watching the eclipse. To me that's where the action was, I'm a lifestyle photographer, what can I say?:)

At the last minute, however, I decided to dig out an out dated original EOS 5D that I was willing to sacrifice. I tapped an old 70-20 2.8 lens and twisted on a polarizer, stacked on a UV and then taped an ND & a burnt orange gel on top of the lens. I caked on everything except a solar filter!

Who knew how many images I could make before the old EOS melted down? Maybe 1, maybe more? It turns out I made a ton of images and the body seems to be working just fine...whilst sitting in the closet waiting for the next sacrificial project.

To me one of the most miraculous elements from the eclipse was the quality of light. Slowly and fleeting. The yellows and blues were unlike any that I've seen. There was a point where the world looked like a deep sepia toned print. But waaaay better, probably because I was part of the print! The colors were thick & rich, I felt like I could reach out & touch them, they had a tactical-like feel, even though there was nothing to touch. As an lifestyle & advertising photographer I would love to re create this light for an applicable use!

Excited to announce that "my" USPS Forever stamp was officially introduced last Fri. 3/31/2017 at the Bicentennial celebration for Mississippi. #MS200 #visitMS #USPS Check out the short vid....

Our Mississippi spot was awarded as one of the “Best Travel Ads of the Week: Destinations Tells Travelers to Let Loose.” So says Skift. Can’t argue with that, they’re travel professionals. To see the piece, click the pic. As an advertising photographer, this is what you like to see;)

Super cool to be featured in the Huffington Post Arts & Culture section, penned by Priscilla Frank. We added a few more pics for this one! Click on the photo’s or follow this link to view. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/lou-bopp_n_6445360.html

Thanks to the folks at Feature Shoot for doing a story on my Mississippi blues project, great piece written by Kayla Chobotiuk! Click on any of the 3 images below or this link to view the story. http://www.featureshoot.com/2015/01/photographer-documents-mississippis-last-remaining-blues-musicians/

Every hotel that I stay in I make one photo out of my window. Just one. I try to make something, often times out of nothing, and I have one push of the button to do it #minichallenge. Some rooms I arrive late and leave before sunrise, I’m there for mere hours, in darkness. I note the hotel, location & room #. My original inspiration came from Conde Nasté Traveler magazine, on the last page they had a feature, maybe still do, called Pictures Out My Window. Here’s a smattering of last years room views.

Wearing his XMAS best, beard & all, the infamous William Seaberry happy holidays y’all!

Because of this picture I am a photographer. I made this about 25 years ago this week in Berlin, as a tourist & a professional student. I literally had one foot in West Berlin and one foot in East Berlin and shot 2 frames before East German guards & dogs pushed me back into the west. I liked the juxtaposition of the 2 countries in one image, it summed it up for me.

Once home, I licensed the usage and couldn’t believe my luck! It was from that point on that I wanted to become a photographer. Of course, a few close to me encouraged me to stay in school. But I abruptly dropped out of school. Me being me…..about a semester+ short of graduating. PSA~ not recommended kids.

While not the greatest image that I’ve ever made, as I write this I realize how this image represents a defining moment in my career, and my life.

We were tapped by Advertising Savants via Tangent Mind this summer to make these images and more for The Boy Scouts of America, specifically for these boards. #compositioncritical It was an awesome adventure fueled shoot….rocks, snakes, water, horses, heat, rockets, sweat are just a few words that pop in my mind as I write this….love working with this group, Client & crew! Downside is my beautiful legs will never be quite the same, scarred for life because of the dreadful Trombiculidae (/trɒmbɨˈkjuːlɨdiː. The best known of the Trombiculidae is the chigger. Guess that they liked what they saw lol!

Always a blast to shoot one of the great sporting events, this is my 7th NYC Marathon and it never gets dull! While not traditionally a sports shooter, but I did intern at Sports Illustrated in another era, I love the action, emotion & vibe of it all. My area this year was b/t mile 8 & 9, near BAM, a pretty cool area in Brooklyn. According to my trusty Moves app, I clocked in about 12 walking miles, almost a half marathon making these pics. All photo’s below are in chronological order. All Photographs © 2014 Lou Bopp All Rights Reserved 212-665-6400.

This state never ceases to amaze me, love Mississippi! Last month we made 3 more Mississippi Tourism spots and shot stills. The Clients, DoP Jon Michael Ryan/Tangent Mind, Jim Smith our Producer & the crew in Mississippi all rock! The fruits of our labor will be forthcoming, but for now enjoy a few BTS stills. #workhardplayhard

Where have you been all my life?! I recently had a couple of down days there, such a cool place~ Geoduck, guitarporn, Gehry, Hendrix, SAM, flying fish, coffee, water, gum, Oysters, architecture, islands, ferries, music, sushi, great peopes…..just a few of the highlights. I shall return.

These portraits were made during & after the #Ferguson MO riots, as well as at Michael Brown’s funeral yesterday. I asked each subject to express themselves on paper, to write in their own words, in their handwriting. I thought that it would be an interesting way to see & hear people in a single portrait, in the moment, especially during this historical event.

I think I’ll lighten the mood with this post, compared to that last one. This is about Green Penguins. The #21cMuseumHotels are a great place, mini museums, I love what Curator Alice Stites has done with their collection.

I roll through a lot of hotels every year. Hotels, generally speaking, are pushing the boundaries which is nice to witness. When I can help it and the budget allows, I choose hotels relatively the same way that I choose restaurants. I prefer not staying at chains and I look for something unique & notable. Clients also appreciate that extra attention to detail as well.

It was awesome to see this art installation & these Green Penguins, created by #crackingart, placed throughout the 21C property in Bentonville, AR. They migrate all over the property, you never know where (or why:) they’ll appear; in elevators, hallways, roofs, rooms, lobby etc. And all for a great cause, well really 2 great causes, art + environmental awareness.

You can read more about their mission at http://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/bentonville/museum/exhibits/green-penguin/

Standing ovation to the 21C Museum Hotel, Cracking Art Group out of Italy and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art located just down the path from the hotel.

These portraits were made during & after the #Ferguson MO riots, as well as at Michael Brown’s funeral yesterday. I asked each subject to express themselves on paper, to write in their own words, in their handwriting. I thought that it would be an interesting way to see & hear people in a single portrait, in the moment, especially during this historical event.

It was truly an honor to shoot the following ads for Mississippi Tourism. A state that I am not from but feel so much a part of. I am there so much these days, I am looking into an apartment, more on that to come. For now however, checkout a few of the print ads that we shot back in February, dig the design, copy, font, vibe etc.

I get amped collaborating with great creatives like Josh Schooler & Wes Williams and everyone else that was involved with this project from the Ramey Agency, along with the client & MS crew, it’s the best part of this profession!

Thanks #MSN for posting some of my Mississippi blues musician photo’s. To check out the gallery, click the pic~

Humbled to be receiving more good press within the industry in regards to my blues project. Both dropped within days of one another, click on the photos to view the whole story & view pics.

The French entertainment web site Premiere recently did a nice write up on my blues project. I’ve always been amazed as to how many Europeans I see in Mississippi, they love the music & the southern culture! To see the full piece click the article below.

Click on the image below & take a journey to Wonderful Machine & read a blog by Liz Ream and get a little 411 on a recent project that we shot in MS, good stuff! Mississippi Magic!

Big thanks to everyone that came out to my opening in Chicago last Friday, the response was awesome & humbling, great to see old friends & meet new ones. Normally I don’t like crowds, but this was group was super fine!

Great article in PDN about yours truly, written by writer Dzana Tsomondo. Thanks PDN!

THIS MONTH: Lou Bopp’s portraits of blues musicians.

PRESERVATION

A personal project documenting blues musicians helped commercial photographer Lou Bopp land exhibitions and rediscover the passions that brought him to photography.

BY DZANA TSOMONDO

THE MAN SMILES broadly, revealing several missing teeth, as he holds his callused and bandaged hands up to the camera, palms out. They are the tools of a blues musician and, even without a guitar, they tell one hell of a story. “Portraits of the Blues” by Lou Bopp is a fascinating visual compendium depicting—through portraits, landscapes and details—a fading culture and the musicians who helped build it, with their hands and guitars.

Bopp is a commercial photographer whose client list is packed with heavyweights like Time Warner, Sports Illustrated and American Express. He has worked all over the world, once shooting on three continents in a single day, but it wasn’t an assignment that brought him to rural

Mississippi, the birthplace of blues, it was his own love of the music. For Bopp, this project is first an act of documentation. He is keenly aware that the sun is setting on these aging musicians and with them, a golden era in American culture and music. “There are not a lot of young bluesmen in the pipeline unfortunately,” Bopp notes. “I have photographed 70 to 80 musicians and about half have already passed.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Chicago: August House Studio presents “The Mississippi Delta Blues Project.” Opening Friday, May 2, 6:00 – 9:00 PM and on exhibit through Saturday, May 24. The Mississippi Delta Blues Project is a photographic exhibition of the faces, places, talent and tragedy that define a unique American music genre – the blues. Artist Lou Bopp spent more than three years on the Delta Blues Trail capturing a generation of musicians who played a critical role in the development of the Blues and influenced performers worldwide. Portraits of musicians, some still performing, in juke joints and neighborhood saloons; the exhibition records the end of an era and pays tribute to the legends, locations and culture of the Mississippi Delta Blues.

Opening Reception, Friday, May 2, 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Exhibit runs through May 24, 2014.

About the Artist:

Lou Bopp, a commercial photographer based in St. Louis & New York, began his career at Sports Illustrated in 1992. His work includes assignments for corporate clients, Time Warner, Deutsche Bank, McCann-Erickson and Amex. Published work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times and Money among many others. He was cinematographer on the Blues documentary “We Juke Up in Here” (2012) and his photographs were included in The Hidden History of Mississippi Blues by Roger Stolle. (The History Press, 2011)

Here are the 4 spots for the the Mississippi Homecoming campaign, click on the images below to view them.

And by the way, the music spot was selected last week by travel expert Skift, as one of the top 5 best travel ads in the world, along with Denmark, Finland, LA and Hong Kong…..in great company!

Enjoy the 4 spots, and if anyone is interested in knowing where any of these locations are or don’t recognize the faces that appear in the ads, feel free to hit me up for some info. Music, art, food & culture junkies unite!

I’ve been shooting in Mississippi so often over the years that many are convinced that I have another family there….for the record, I don’t:)

Most recently I was brought on by The Ramey Agency to direct four 30 sec. broadcast spots and stills for the Mississippi Tourism Homecoming campaign. The 4 spots, Food with famed chef & author Robert St. John, Art with the internationally renown jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, Music with the great & forever young Bobby Rush and an Omnibus with country music star Marty Stuart, were shot at dozens of locations in about a week, all over the state. Definitely not for the faint of heart, pure hustle. Chemistry was key and we had it from the first call right on through post production.

Going into the campaign we knew that the shots had to be authentic because a place this cool doesn’t need a bunch of stock-like scenes that could have been made from Anywheresville. Mississippi has such a unique vibe, diversity of activities, music, events, food, people etc. etc. It’s almost overwhelming, something for everyone! In the final shot list we had to cherry pick the best of the best, and there was a lot to choose from…..a good problem to have!

I shoot at least a couple of marathons every year, awesome events. Combine grit, determination, challenge, ego whatever and toss in thousands (20,000+ yesterday) of characters of which I’d say 99.8% of the them are NOT there to win the race because they have absolutely no chance of winning the race and they know it! I know quite a few people who ran this race and other races, heck they’re just happy to cross the finish line!

The difference between the pro runners & those that finish around sunset and everyone in between is fantastic! A maelstrom of humanity in motion. I can’t think of any other sport that has so many participants at one time, with such a variety of ages, ethnicities, body types etc. The common bond is running, at least on the surface. Through my viewfinder I can see the blank stares, or the excitement, the blood, sweat & tears and I can quickly assume that their presence has not a lot to do with running per se. Perhaps the running is an emotional mechanism as they run from their past, or toward their future. Maybe it’s a bucket list item. Physical challenge. Only they know. It’s beautiful, it’s real, it’s passion and nobody is taking a thing for granted.

RIP Pete Seeger. I had a pretty cool interaction with Pete Seeger in 2001. For about 5 years we owned & lived in a beautiful old brownstone in Harlem on 122nd b/t Douglas & Powell. It was an awesome street, beautiful homes & great neighbors, most of which I don’t see as much as I would like, but I still consider some to be life long close friends.

There was a community garden across the street from our house. But for years it was in the cross hairs for development. Neighbors constantly rallied and did everything possible to save that garden. It was beautiful, a little sliver a nature, over grown yet managed. You could walk through the chain link fence and everything changed, it was a special place, peaceful amidst the city.

I have had the good fortune to meet and shoot a lot of famous & notable people but what made this meeting with Pete so special was that it had nothing to do with work.

I take no credit for this, I give it All to those on 122nd St. who actively worked on saving the garden, it was a full time job for some. Someone had a connection to Pete Seeger, and lo & behold he agreed to play a fund raiser for the garden and for the community. On June 30th 2001 he did just that, he played a beautiful long set IN that garden. Rich memories…….

For those who haven’t heard my voice in awhile, listen to me. Here’s an 8 min. podcast via KDHX 88.1 FM in Saint Louis about my Portraits of the Blues expo at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries. Interviewed by Nancy Kranzberg, she’s awsome! The show is up until the 1st wk of Jan. it’s free to visit & some of the prints are for sale. Click the image to listen.

Digital Photography Review, 11/16/2013. To see the gallery, click on the photo.

Slate Magazine, 11/16/2013. To read the full interview, written by Jordan Tiecher and view more photo’s, please click on the photo.

Outtakes from the 2013 NYC Marathon……in chronological order. I was positioned on 1st Ave. from the 59th St. Bridge through the 60’s & with a 3 hr window to make these. Love this event! Just me & a few cameras and thousands and thousands of subjects! Nothing compared to the 26+ miles for these runners/riders but I logged in a healthy 8.2 miles shooting it!

Opening Night at the Sheldon Galleries from Lou Bopp on Vimeo.

To see the opening night of my exhibition Portraits of the Blues in just one of the rooms at the Sheldon Galleries in St. Louis, MO in about 17 seconds watch the video. Thanks to the 500+ that I hear stopped by, humbled!

Rented the Memphis Liberty Bowl Stadium last month & shot some pano’s & 360’s for a client. Then shot some 360° selfies……

If you are seeing this, you’re invited to my gallery opening at Sheldon Art Galleries.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King, JR. I was in Memphis recently shooting for Intel and of course had to stop by the The National Civil Rights Museum.

Right before I took this photo as we circled near London, Rose exclaimed, “London looks like one big doll house daddy!!

Folks, this is what you all have been waiting for, I know it! An article about my personal style & fashion. Yes, you read that right, me & fashion in the same sentence. Say whaaa!? It was an honor & a surprise to be featured by the revered Cator Sparks in the online fashion magazine, The Manual, this week. And for all of you all seeking fashion advice feel free to hit me up bahaha:)!

Thanks CNN for featuring some of my juke joint photos in the CNN Photos blog section, love the photo driven philosophy. Now you know where I’m spending my nights

Most of the time when I’m on a shoot in a new place and I find myself with bit of spare time, which is rare, what do I do? I shoot! Last month down south, had about 40 min. of down time and saw these southern gents at the Senatobia Fire Station so I popped in & said hello. Nice as could be, southern hospitably style…meeting people like this on a whim is the best, and it’s a great challenge to be on the clock, finding good light & making new friends look good & comfortable. Thanks Chief!

I snapped this image a couple of weeks ago, after waiting hours upon hours for that last flight home, we finally boarded the plane around midnight and end up sitting near a wasted dude who for some reason deemed it acceptable to pass out and kick his fetid feet up & violate the personal airspace of everyone nearby.

On an AirTran flight from ATL to STL. Fortunately, I was flying with the good natured Director of Photography and owner of Tangent Mind, Jon Michael Ryan, pictured below. Suffice it to say, this scene did not last very long.

When the video extraordinaries at Tangent Mind recently brought me on board to shoot stills for a Purina Cat Chow project, 50 Years. 50 Shelters. I jumped at the chance! The project primarily consisted of documenting the rehabbing of animal shelters around the country and shooting portraits of some of the cats in those shelters.

Love it when I get an assignment with so many different environments and unique subjects like these cool cats and as an added bonus it was for a great cause! Learn more at: 50 Years and 50 Shelters.

Long time no blog.…busy…..busy is good! In the last month or so I hit the button for KU, Purina, GE Transportation, the Brooklyn Half Marathon and a web series called Moonshine & Mojo Hands, the first-ever blues music reality show, and this is where we begin….

Now I’ve met a lot of trippers, the weird & the wonderful in my time, but that week in early May in Mississippi was loaded with them, thanks Roger & Jeff! Probably the most concentrated week of trippers ever! Here’s one of ’em, Paul McLeod, curator & owner of Graceland Too, which is in a nice neighborhood in quiet & quaint Holly Springs, MS. Words and I doubt photos will do it justice but in a nutshell Paul has got to be the worlds biggest Elvis fan and has dedicated his house, nay his life to the man. The “museum” is open 24/7, as long as you knock hard enough, especially in the morning, but he’ll open the door sooner or later if his red limo is parked in the driveway and it usually is. Once inside it’s a manic tinderbox with every nook, cranny, ceiling, shelf stuffed with memorabilia dedicated to the King. His house changes colors on a whim, he spray paints it of course! Elvis fan or not, you have to experience this place / man, it’s a bucket list kind of place, truly remarkable!

As some of you may recall I used to live and had my studio & office in a great old Harlem brownstone that we bought in the late 90’s. It was one of the richest experiences ever, and the life long friends that I made on just that one block on 122nd St. are amazing and endure.

This past Sunday, with Joanna & Rose we spent the day with my NYC family:) Verna is a super special woman from Guyana with an awesome family. Look up Grandmother in the dictionary and you ought’a see a photo of her….and she’s a grandmother to about 60+ kids, she has some experience!

On Sunday she had a few family members over, and I do mean a few, this doesn’t begin to capture her legacy! Each family member, from young to old, as nice as the next! Always a great time to hang at Verna’s house! That’s the quick back story to these photos, I hope that you like them!

Got the nod to shoot the NYC Half Marathon again, thankfully it was clear (but FREEZING!), had a great position & freedom to roam 7th Ave. b/t Cen. Pk. and 50th. As is typical, some of the most interesting shots are not of the subjects that I was there for, but on the periphery. Here’s a few of the outs.

Daughter like father LOL

MoMa Sculpture Garden.

Our newest promo card. Want? Just let us know….

Now that’s fresh! These days, per law (different states different laws) this is way too fresh to drink and is considered only legal to provide to your pet, unless it’s pasteurized.

Thanks to the great folks at Traders Point Creamery for making this photo illustration possible., I shot this in Jan. while shooting an image library them.

As a side note, I have had raw milk before and it’s awesome!

* This photo was shot for demonstration purposes only, the milk was not consumed or sold.

Congratulations & huge shout-outs to Pete Jacaty of Jacaty + Associates and Tim Ravenna of Ravenna Design and the rest of the team! 4 ADDY Awards at the Ft. Lauderdale ADDY’s on Friday night for the design of my Route 66 promotional book. Rock!

If anyone wants one, hit me up while I still have a few.

GOLD ADDY:

Sales Promotion, Catalog

——————————————————————–

SILVER ADDY:

Collateral Material, Brochure

——————————————————————–

SILVER ADDY:

Direct Marketing, Business to Business or Consumer

——————————————————————–

SILVER ADDY:

Advertising Industry Self Promotion, Collateral

——————————————————————–

PROJECT MANAGEMENT QUALITY CONTROL: Jacaty + Associates 954.557.2353

DESIGN/ART DIRECTION Ravenna Productions 954.923.6571

DIGITAL IMAGING Matt Stevens, Ohana Arts 954.445.4382

TEXT PAPER STOCK Mac Paper Mohawk Everyday Digital, 100# Smooth Test 800.432.3098

COVER PAPER STOCK Midland Paper, Neenah Oxford, 130# Duplex Cover Burned/Road Cover Texture 847.777.2880

Great shoot in Zionsville, IN! Stellar people, great crew. Trader’s Point Creamery is a true American classic, family-owned organic, grass fed dairy farm, artisan cheese makers & general store, plus they have an outstanding restaurant on the farm called The Loft, it’s a destination kind of place!

Click here to learn more about Traders Point Creamery

Sub freezing weather, climbing sub stations, high volts, fire retardant garb, great crew & Client, danger, travel to obscure parts of the country…..this is my caffeine!

Tea at the Ritz with my Daughter and some of her lady friends. Fortunate that we can participate in the Friends of Kids with Cancer fund raiser event. All of the holiday party’s combined this season can’t touch a fund raiser for a great cause! www.friendsofkids.com

I’ve been to a lot of sleepy little downtowns. Cairo, Illinois is not one of them. It’s a down & outer, yet it has a lot of remarkable architectural features and an overall beautiful vibe locked in time and shrouded with overgrown weeds and plywood.

Cairo, IL has a rich history, to learn more checkout: Cairo, IL on Wikipedia

To view a bit of my (iPhone 4) perspective see below:

Ladies, I have no idea if you know this or not but hanging on the walls inside many of men’s lavatories in gnarly gas stations & convenience stores throughout America are ugly beat metal boxes with locks the size of fists. They sell items like Rugged ‘n’ Ready, Horney Goat Weed, Tingler Ring, Treasure Chest, Rough Riders, Evening Magic, Hugger and so many others that share romantic themes such as the aforementioned. They are condom dispensers.

I started shooting the condom dispenser around 2007. More than once I have forgotten to turn the iPhone to silent mode. Thankfully however, fellow occupants are usually in no position to give chase. One does not want to get caught taking photo’s in a public restroom! It is the arm pit of highway travel.

I’ve been serendipitously shooting condom machine’s exclusively with various iterations of the iPhone. Here are a few photo’s for your viewing pleasure.

I’m always shooting something, multiple projects in the hopper, ongoing, never ending, welcome to my life. Over the last 10 years or so I’ve been shooting a series on PB’s & their owners, never really unleashed any of the images until now…here are a few of them.

When I started making these images we owned a great old building on 122nd St. in Harlem, Pits were prevalent. Seemed like the younger the owner, the meaner the dog…..a status thing. Ever since then I’ve been shooting them wherever, whenever I can.…and it’s a great way of meeting peopes that I would typically never meet….ya it’s safe to say that I loathe the comfort zone.

While living uptown it wasn’t shocking to see an abandoned Pit leashed to a random fence, let loose in a derelict property or just simply released to the streets. Actually it was deflating, since I couldn’t walk away from a dog in nee and at the end of the day guess what? finders keepers, it sucked, & finding them homes was not easy. Responsibility & dog owners don’t always go hand in hand.

We got ours from a neighbor who stopped feeding & providing shelter for their dog, actually they really sold it to us, they could have asked for anything, we just had to get that guy out of there. To keep him alive during the negotiations, we cooked hamburgers and threw them like saucers over the fence when his owners weren’t looking. His name was Tony, we changed it to Shanti, he was a PB / Shepard mix and we spent a lot of time with him in Woodstock and as with most rescues, given the opportunity, he turned out to be one of the greatest dogs ever.

What a week….NYC, St. Louis, Memphis, Atlanta, Amsterdam, Geneva, Paris, back to Atlanta, Memphis, St. Louis and then to Dallas-> Home. The majority of that was spent touring with 3 of the most amazing living blues musicians of our time and featured artists in the film documentary We Juke Up In Here!; Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes & Terry “Harmonica” Bean, what a treat to document this historic trip!

Filmmakers Roger Stolle (CEO Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art), Jeff Konkel (CEO Broke & Hungry Records) & Damien Blaylock & myself also screened the documentary We Juke Up In here! at the Geneva Arts Festival. Along the way the blues trio brought a little Mississippi to Europe and played both separately & together, epic performances! Huge thanks to All that made this happen and especially to the folks at Rootsway in Italy.

I love great design. And that is exactly what I got from Project Manager/Quality Controller Pete Jacaty (Jacaty & Associates), Design/Art Director Tim Ravenna (Ravenna Productions) in Miami. They created a promo book from my Route 66 project & hit it out’a the park!! Respect!

If you would like a copy, let us know!

Shoutouts in order to Ohana Arts- Digital imaging | Mac Paper, Mohawk- Text paper stock | Midland Paper- Cover stock | Docuvision- Printing | AMR Graphics- Finishing

It takes a community……

Nothing quite matches the buzz of a newly refreshed web site, never really EVER finished, but at least this phase is wrapped. Personally I think that the coolest part of this refresh are the scaling photos….if you like’em big, now you can scale them to the size of your screen. There’s also a lot of new photos lurking around within www.loubopp.com

We also have new blog & vid pages, new galleries & a few other odds & ends, including sites made specifically for your phones & pads. All good stuff we think. But let us know what you think, we have a good habit of listening:) User experience is key. Our goal is to create a simple, smooth & clean design.

I wish that I could share other cool happenings around here but Client NDA’s prevent us from discussing. That’s all cool, we’ll be able to push that info out eventually.

In other news, in addition to the other social buttons below, you can now follow me on your tele on Instagram, and expect at least an image a day….……I’m at @loubopp

Huge power thanks to the all of the peopes at Spoke, www.wearespoke.com you guys rock, and to my good friend and SEO & social media expert Bryan Simkins and to the support team at www.livebooks.com, all my new bff! It’s all about collaboration & community, felt it going on here. Rock.

This ought’a be good….traveling to Geneva, Switzerland on Aug. 19th to screen our documentary film We Juke Up In Here at the Geneva Art Festival. In addition to that, I’ll have some of my Mississippi Blues prints hanging in a gallery exhibition. But maybe the coolest part; traveling across the pond with bluesmen Terry ‘Harmonica’ Bean, Louis ‘Gearshifter’ Youngblood, Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes along w/ movie creators Roger Stolle, Jeff Konkel & Damien Blaylock! All courtesy of the Rootsway Roots & Blues Association.

To learn more, checkout: http://www.genevartfestival.ch/

So many hazards when crossing the street of Amsterdam, it’s an urban city full of silent, energy saving, exercise provoking, nonpolluting projectiles being operated by a seemingly happy and fit population. Ride.

Well that was a nourishing month, talk about being shrouded with good vibe, creativity & community……have to give a shout to a few of the peopes that we’ve crossed paths with lately.

In early June we celebrated with Andrew Millner, the highly acclaimed artist, his birthday dinner. Andrew is family and is one of the coolest dudes on earth, and a great, collected & renown artist. He has had a bunch of solo shows, in private & corp. collections etc. His latest work is titled ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE, a must see, work is amazing! As I’ve told him, only a mad man can do what he does!

April 13th, yes that’s a Fri. folks! Tempt superstition, come on down & check out the world premier of our new documentary movie We Juke Up In Here. FREE reception with apps & drinks, live blues, followed by a free screening of the film ... epic evening!

Super cool project……I was introduced to a world rarely seen. It was a sincere honor to be invited & allowed in to shoot these special places, of which only a few exist. Hope to see ya in C’dale!

Please visit the event page (link below/click on photos).

Huge shout out to all of the peeps who came out for the premier of our new documentary film We Juke Up In Here last Friday! Every seat filled, standing room only, humbled to see everyone…THANK YOU!!!

I was thinking the other day; what’s the 1 piece of equipment that I’ve had AND used the longest? Hands down it’s my Zero Halliburton Case. Cameras? Please. Other cases? Swap them out too often. Len’s? Shattered. Strobes? Smoked! Even tripods have come & gone.

For the most part I use my Zero as my grip & personal case. I’ll have other cases when traveling on shoots, Pelicans, Storm, other Zero’s, with & without bells & whistles. But this one is the constant. It is strong, seemingly indestructible. It has no wheels, no frills, no slick inside compartments.

My Zero has a long history, even before the it was passed on to me by Burt Glinn, the famous Magnum photographer. He owned it until he gave it to me in the early 90’s. I was Burt’s assistant back then and I was thrilled to have this beauty, it had great karma! It was what photography was all about in those days. Rugged, well traveled, standing the test of time and tatted with great stickers from the Bangkok Oriental Hotel, the Savoy, Pan Am, TWA and on & on. It was flat out romantic, nay pure sex! It made a statement, and it had and has one hell of a great patina that keeps getting better!

Burt had this case when Castro came down from the hills to Havana on that fateful day in January 1959. Enough said….well almost.

Sign of a good hotel???

Lighting an image with a free iPhone app called MyLite. It’s actually a pretty robust flashlight. Compare the center “R” on the top photo to the one on the bottom. On the bottom image, during a 15 sec. exposure, I “painted” / lit the center “R”. Lighting it makes all of the difference. Image made on a Canon 5D Mark II, 2.8 @ 15 secs.

Want some blues culture, then watch the amazing film documentary on Mississippi Delta Juke Joints called "We Juke Up In Here".

Have to see it in person, but here are a few pics of Maurizio Cattelan, ALL exhibition at the Guggenheim. Love it or hate, sure to generate a reaction. What’s yours?

IRS Examination:

The letter arrived white and nondescript except with the initials IRS, top leftt. I had been randomly chosen for a “2009 examination”, never saw the word audit I guess that’s so yesteryear. My initial reaction was fright, despair, head rushing blood, time loss & expense. That is what we are conditioned to expect. Fortunately that was not my reality; the Revenue Agent was professional, courteous & respectful, knew her stuff, asked all of the right questions. We were prepared, organized & accommodating.

After that first reaction upon reading the letter, nano seconds later, I came to my senses, and thought this will be a great test for our bookkeeping and accounting procedures, most importantly we have done nothing wrong nothing to conceal. I’ve told my accountant over the years that if anything is in question, which rarely is to error on the side of over paying. I’m happy to pay my share, I plan for it, I expect it, even enjoy it in a strange & weird way. I loathe to call it my civil duty, sounds cliche, but at the end of the day it really is a privilege. It’s like paying the tab after a great meal. You appreciate it. I don’t want to get into where the Money goes, the politics of it all, but hey, this is our country we pay our way. I have visited around 60 countries and not that I needed it, but that alone helps amp appreciative perspective of this country and why travel is so important, we have it made here.

Nice to see my images in print, especially outdoor.

For the last few years I’ve shot the NYC Marathon, and every year I get assigned a new assignment. My Marathon shoots are often not about the elite runners or even winning & losing, it’s more about the human experience, emotion of the 47,000 participants, volunteers, behind the scenes etc.

This year I was assigned to a very cool location about 100 yards BEHIND the Finish Line; the Medal Station. After 26.2, the runners hit the finish line with a heart pumping leg burning body heaving punch of finality, and then they start the cool down, reality sets in, they walk to gather their medal…and themselves. Unless they can’t make it that far. I was there from 8am-8pm and shot everyone from the elite athletes, to the stragglers who finally crossed the blue line 12 hours later. The later it got, the more pride was felt.

- See more at: http://blog.loubopp.com/page/22/#sthash.0uBnrDop.dpuf

1 Minute portrait of the infamous Blue front Cafe

Day 7: Literally blown out of Texas high winds white knuckle ride, and on to the famed pavement of……..

Day 6: Once a decade or so I think it’s good for the body & head to experience a real or perceived near death incident, keeps the blood flowing and the appreciation of life tends to get amped, it’s good for all of us in a strange way. It hasn’t happened to me in a while; in ’97 there was the volcano incident in Montserrat, ’02 had to do with Afghanistan & land mines, in between there were plane, helicopter & scuba diving issues that were notable but somehow didn’t tweak my fear as bad as the others. Today it happened again, as I got caught in the middle of a tornado. Or so I thought. I pulled up to a field to shoot a large brown cloud that looked ominous & full of threat and the next thing I know it was on top of me the sound deafening. The photojournalist in me kept shooting (see pics below) while the commercial photographer within lay balled up in the in the fetal position. Luckily I was still in my riding gear, even had the helmut on visor down, which may have saved me from a really bad day as I got knocked upside the noggin with a large object as I dove for cover behind a huge dirt pile. The helmet is dinged pretty bad, will have to send to Shoei for inspection. I later learned that it was “just” a really large dust storm and even HW 40 was shut down near Heresford, TX. Amazingly the camera & lens seems to have survived, the bike was a mess blown over almost upside down but runs strong as ever, the GPS is dead and tonight I’ve been finding dirt literally everywhere. Tomorrow, the Mother Road. -

Nothing like a good juke joint shoot on a warm Mississippi night in October. I’m not sure what the magic is, but I have rarely been to a juke, and I’ve been to many, where the vibe isn’t great. There’s always a celebration of living within those shake’n walls. Stock markets, wars, economies, death whatever, you enter a juke, get a beverage, check your worries at the door. One way or another either your body’s dancing or you’re head is. Or both.

Stay tuned for the DVD release We Juke Up In Here.

New Body of work just posted, Southern Man, a few samples here, to view more check out www.LouBopp.com

An excerpt from Steve Jobs 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

- See more at: http://blog.loubopp.com/page/23/#sthash.iekI7J4v.dpuf

Feast on this, 5pointz in Queens…graffiti heaven, inspiring place. Been noticing it for years off of the LIE, and finally decided to investigate, and so glad I did! Also, MOMA PS1 is also right around the corner.Take the 7 to Court Sq., and follow the tracks across the street, very close from Grand Cen., about 10 min. They are talking about razing the ‘hood and putting up condo’s, see it while you can

UPDATE: 11/2013. And now it has all been whitewashed.

Remembrance

Pete’s Tavern….oldest bar in NYC, open whilst lessor bars closed!

Oh and this is my first blog on the new site build, boom! I should probably drop a few key words like, on location commercial photographer, advertising photographer, location commercial photographer, industrial photographer and last but not least lifestyle photographer. Work your magic google!