ARLUND BLOG – The world of CHUCK ARLUND » Be a better photographer. Be Fearless and Behold Wonder

May 15 2009

It’s a GLAM Thing – Enter the Blog

Well hello there. My name is Chuckie or Chuck or Anton. I usually go by Chuckie but Chuck is fine also. Anton just sounds like your mad at me and I’m a pretty easygoing type of guy. Well, this is my blog. I’m a photographer here in the great city of Nashville Tennessee. As my friends will tell you though, I am from Kansas City. I love that place.

What will you expect to find here? Well this is a place for me to show off some of the photos of my great clients: Fashion, Rock Bands, Artists, Weddings, Portraits, Seniors and of course the Kiddos.

This is also a place for me to show other photographers and photo enthusiasts some of what I do. Hey I love to teach and share. I also hope to learn some more myself from you all. I want this to be an interactive blog so please leave comments. Ask questions in the comments and I will do my best to answer.

So this is a place for me to Tell the World ( A Ratt Song) whatever. Yeah, time to enter the 21st century and tell everyone what I am doing because somehow or some reason humans now care about that kind of thing. LOL

What is the deal with the whole Glam stuff? I am and will always be a Glam Rock kind of guy. Half of my life was spent playing guitar in rock bands. Hair Metal Rulez. Plus it kind of goes with my personality - fashion, glam, lipstick, you’ll get it.

Have fun exploring. Read the about me in the menu to get just a little bit more info.

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May 20 2010

What have I been up to?

So how is everyone? If you don’t leave me comments then I will not know. Hint, hint. It seems that I neglect this blog and really post much more stuff on Facebook and Flickr. Anyone else feel that it is just easier to do that then come up with a blog post?

I really want to start getting some stuff up here though. And if you all see that it has been a while just send me a message and tell me, “Chuckie, dude. Put up how you shot that last thing you posted on facebook.” or something to that effect. That will get me off my ass and do it.

Here is the update. First head over to arlundworkshops.com to see what I have got going on in the way of teaching this year. Afterdark, Mystic, partnered workshops, my own workshops and always one on one training.

Second, my family is really trying to get to NYC. Move there that is. My wife Kristi as some of you know runs a MAC makeup counter here in Nashville. She really wants to move up in the company but to do so anywhere but a huge city would mean lots of travel. We have 2 kids and I really hate not being with her for very long. So NYC or LA. My dream of being a photographer was always based on fashion and music. So I told her to start putting out the feelers for either of those cities. Both cities responded to her in the AMC world with positive things. She has never been to either one. I am partial to NYC right now for my career. I took her up there in February to photograph an artist and she felt like she was at home. So it looks like NYC is the place we are attempting to get to.

What does that mean for me? WORK on my book. I need to meet some agents I guess. I honestly do not know how much of the commercial industry works. I just like taking photos and you all seem to think I am ok at it. Thanks by the way. Any one have any mystical info they would like to pass my way on how to best start to accomplish that? My thoughts always go back to the Rock and Roll days. I’m going to make a press kit and bang on every agents door till they all reject me and then all of a sudden I become an overnight success in the eyes of the masses only to realize I have been banging on doors for 20 years. A little tongue in cheek at the 80’s hair band heyday of doing just that.

Either way, it is going to be a fun journey.

So, there is my update.

Now on to some photos I have been shooting.

Posted in information Tags: New York City

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May 20 2010

Vintage Swimsuits and how do I even shoot this stuff

Long story very short.

My friend and sometimes wonderful assistant Ash Wright let me photograph a shoot he was going to do. A local designer and stylist were shooting some swimwear on the pool deck of a cool loft here in Nashville called Rhythm. I honestly was not feeling the shoot. I thought we were just playing, learning some new light stuff and all of that. Nope, it is actually for a fashion show. That is cool but I let it get to me for some reason. I think I am just exhausted. I am so glad that Ash kicked me and made me do this. The models were fun to work with and I was able to make some great images I think. I also have succumbed to using a soft-box with a 580. Many of you know that I do not use modifiers. The main reason for that is I did not want to spend the money to get all of the stuff. I am pretty cheap. My friend Bruce Dorn sent me one of his strobe slippers for Radio Poppers. It took months for me to put this together. Bruce I want to thank you so much for sending me this stuff to play with. Really amazing. Anyway, I had an old soft-box in storage that I went and dug around for. Got the whole rig together and now I use modifiers.

These are lit with one sometimes 2 580 ex2 using Radio Poppers in ettl mode. ALL STUFF I HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE! I’m a manual type of guy. Mike Fulton would be proud.

The main light is a medium Photoflex HV3. Don’t think it is made anymore but this is pretty close. MEDIUM SOFTBOX

The Images:

Posted in Fashion, Flash, Learn, Lighting, information Tags: bruce dorn

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Mar 19 2010

Back from WPPI and Vegas and I have some photos

WPPI was amazing as usual. If you are a pro wedding or portrait photographer I would suggest joining. I have met so many good friends from all over the world through that organization.

This year was no different except I celebrated my birthday the first night. I did not go to see many of the classes this year but instead took the time to go do some photographing in an absolutely beautiful part of the country.

Here are a few images from the first shoot we did. I think there were 8 of us photographers running around and I hope to have some video soon.

So for now, check these out.

Posted in Fashion, Flash, Lighting, Locations, Photographers, information

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Feb 23 2010

Planet Neil! The place to go to learn how to use a flash.

Neil Van Niekerk is a person I have been recommending to photographers for quite some time. He has a way of describing how to use flash like no other. He actually has just written a book about this:

On Camera Flash - Neil Van Niekerk

Neil runs a very successful and extremely informative blog.

Planet Neil. I encourage all photographers to go take a look and see all of the articles and information that he is sharing.

I had the privilege of meeting Neil when he asked me to help him out at a workshop he taught in Nashville about a year ago. I was actually chocked that he even knew who I was and offered to let me help him out. Since then we have become friends and he has just posted an article that I wrote on two of my favorite lighting techniques. A small reflector and one single flash without a modifier.

I hope you can work your way over to his site and read what I have to say on the topic and also delve into the World that is Planet Neil.

You can read my article here:

simple and effective on-location lighting techniques