Photography VIDEO :: Coffee Farmers, Machine Guns, Models and Speed Metal Bands

First, I can't believe the initial traction I'm getting on Steemit, this is an awesome community that has inspired me to create great content. YouTube the past 4 years has not been like that; I have moved on! Here we go...VIDEO:

Probably my favorite video that I produced from a week long trip throughout the heart of the coffee region of Antioquia. The Departmento de Antioquia of Colombia is a treasure to say the least and I've traveled extensively throughout the country; if you want to see this rich diverse culture in all it's beauty jump on a place and head to Antioquia. Your trip will more than likely start in Medellin, but head in any direction and you'll find life is much different outside the big glizty city of Medellin.

Your first impression is that Colombia must be humid and sweltering hot - NOT TRUE! Coffee grows optimally at a high elevation, on average around 1,800 meters, which is the perfect weather at 72F daily. Because Colombia is near the equator the weather really doesn't change much; depending on the elevation it could be perfect weather every day of the year.

Let's jump into this post!!!!

Coffee Farmers, Machine Guns, Models and Speed Metal Bands The Photography

Oscar Ramirez, a war hero from the Korean War, was one bad mo-fo! Here he is 90 something years old and putting on his uniform getting to pose for a photo. He loved the attention and I'm glad I had the opportunity because I'm sad to say he passed shortly after this images was taken. He was kind of enough to show us his home and introduce us to his family. There were photos all around his house of him in newspapers and photos from his days in the war. Truly a war hero and he loved the fame he got from his small pueblo where he lived in Jardin, Colombia.

Oscar posing with a gun

His son was also in the military at some point. The two of them posing together.

Behind the scenes from that shoot. Paco, my assisant, and Rob shooting Oscar.

Moving on...The Speed Metal Band Profania

While walking the pueblo late one night we heard the thunderous sounds of metal music pouring into the cobblestone streets. I knew it was live music, but metal?! Yes, metal music in the middle of no where. Well, I should say the middle of the coffee region, where people live in a community that produces coffee. Yes, your Starbucks more than likely comes from this area of Colombia. See the video of me jamming my guitar with these cool dudes.

I knocked on a door when the band was rehearsing and introduced myself. The next thing I knew I had a guitar strapped around me and was jamming with these guys. They said they had a new album coming out and needed photos, so I said "What the hell...HELL YEAH!!"

Juan, the lead guitar player of the band posing. I think I nailed the metal look with the lighting. The funny thing is that they asked if I could take images of them in nature. Their music is death metal sounding but their lyrics are about nature. Funny...but I still shooting you like a damn death metal dude!

I saw this cute little red head in the village. She posed for us.

Another cute girl. What's interesting is that all the cute girls get out of the small pueblos and move to Medellin. Looking for opportunity. These images were taken in 2014 and when I visited Medellin in 2017 both of these girls had moved to Medellin. Very interesting.

Maria Ortega is/was a model. She lived in Medellin and was really fun to shoot. Later she became a good friend.

I can't remember her name, but before we embarked on the journey through the coffee region I lined up a professional model so we could get some practice in before meeting locals in Antioquia. Shooting models is just easy, less direction is needed because they just know what to do.

In the above shot I used a slow shutter speed and a softbox. I left Rob camera left because it just looks cool. Rock the mistake is what I say.

Enjoy this Video and Images - a lot of work went into these images. I hope you enjoy.

Shoot me a comment or a question. What would you like to see more of? Are you interested in photography? Would you like to see more of this kind of thing?