Nick and Sara are getting married this Saturday. As he was one of the first people I met when I moved to Seattle nearly 5 years ago, I was honored when Nick asked me to handle photography at his wedding; and after getting to know Sara over the last few months, I can safely say this is going to be a fun event. As part of the pre-wedding prep, Nick, Sara and I huddled up on Monday night to shoot a few photos. In little more than three hours, we shot in three locations and racked up over 500 shutter actuations. The above photo is from the final set: the kitchen. Sara is particularly adroit in all things baking, and Nick lacks no shyness in having a bite or two. While they were no doubt hamming it up a little for the camera, I have a feeling this scene is not an atypical one for either of them.

The first place we shot was a community baseball field in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. This was particularly fun for me to shoot because I’m well aware of how important baseball is to them. As friends of Nick know, he took off from Seattle several years ago to play and coach baseball in Italy. The next time I saw Nick was earlier this summer when he introduced me to his fiance, Sara. As far as I’m concerned, Nick left to play baseball and came back with a wife—not bad!

The next stop on the Nick & Sara photo tour was Marshall Park on the west side of Queen Anne. Although it’s only a few blocks down the street from Kerry Park, I had never been there. Marshall Park features sweeping views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain Range. We timed our shoot perfectly with a gorgeous sunset.

Since the wedding is literally hours away, I wanted to get a few images up before the big day. I’m working on more photos from this shoot as we speak. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be adding more to Flickr. Also, stay tuned for official Explosion 5000 photos of the wedding and reception.

Carrie Bancroft is a Seattle entrepreneur extraordinaire. She runs Withinsight Technologies, a tech + marketing consulting company that “makes your organization look bigger, better and brighter.” Withinsight tackles everything from marketing to branding to web design and optimization, with top-notch project management to boot.

In addition to running Withinsight, Carrie moonlights as an Associate for Bancroft & Company, the Bancroft family’s management consulting business. Finally, her favorite “non-work” activity involves planning events you won’t easily forget. Considering this array of professional stances, I was thrilled when she asked me to create a series of portraits to represent her persona at each of these businesses.

Thanks to Urban Light Studios (the location for this shoot), we were able to work with an actual lion! The fact that he is dead and long since stuffed does little to diminish his role as king of the jungle.

The photo below is to be used for her party and event planning venture. The vision was simple. Carrie told me she wanted an image to convey that “the rest of your life will be boring after I’m done with you.” Those models featured in the background are Sharat Reddy and Maria Moses.

Getting serious for a moment, we did a more straight-on head shot to be used in Carrie’s work with Bancroft & Company.

To portray the values of Withinsight Technologies, we traded lions and legs for a dartboard.

Worried there wasn’t going to be a Gus lighting test? Fear not…. Since I know you all tune in for Gus—here you go. In addition to being a great assistant, Gus also has the pleasure (read indignity) of sitting in while I setup lights and dial in camera settings. The lion and Gus were having so much fun that they actually high-fived during my setup.

These images were a lot of fun to create. Crafting photos for enterprising entrepreneurs is always a treat; and working with Carrie as a client was pure joy. She has boundless creativity and brought a lot of enthusiasm to collaborating on a vision for these photographs. I was also lucky to work with Pagie Beckley and Kevin Law of Urban Light Studios—you guys rock. Stylist Cassie Williams provided hair and make-up expertise. And much appreciation to the leg models, Sharat and Maria… thanks for adding that classy touch.

Welcome to the heart of Movember. This is the time of year when mustaches become thick. It’s the few weeks when women can’t help but swoon for their favorite Tom Selleck or Albert Einstein. It’s an opportunity to revel in double-takes and constantly be the butt of jokes around the office. It’s MO season. To document this phenomenon, some friends and I staged the second annual MOPLOSION photo shoot to raise awareness for the Movember MOvement. What is Movember? It is the eleventh month of the year (formerly known as November) where men grow mustaches (“mo” in Australian parlance). Mo-bros form teams and put their best mustache forward to campaign for donations in support of testicular cancer and prostate cancer awareness & research. If you’re like me and think this is an awesome idea, please consider making a donation.

Earlier this month, we announced details for MOPLOSION 2010 right here on the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000. If you haven’t seen the video, cruise over to the archives and check it out. The 2009 Movember shoot was a small affair and a lot of fun, so for 2010 I decided to open it up to all of Seattle. On Sunday, Movember 21 we gathered at Buckleys in Belltown and threw down one hell of a photo shoot. I was stoked to have several dozen mo-bros and mo-sistas jump in front of the lens.

Mo Bros

My partner in crime for much of the MOPLOSION is Aaron Huber. Don’t let his hippy persona fool you; he might be tuned in, but he certainly hasn’t dropped out. Aaron, captian of the Lip Ticklers, is on the Seattle Movember Committee and is responsible for generating a lot of the success the MOvement has in this city. Not only did Aaron star in the promotional video, Aaron was my right hand man for the duration of this shoot. From hauling equipment, to setting up, and breaking down; Aaron lived the MOPLOSION with me. He’s also a very talented photographer and has some excellent behind-the-scenes shots on his Flickr.

Not one to disappoint when costumes are involved, Sergio came decked out as a Cuban drug lord. Word is after the photo shoot he was spotted on the Port of Seattle docks taking care of some business.

I met Tom for the first time on Sunday. He heard about the MOPLOSION on Facebook and decided to check it out. For looking like a complete badass, he was actually a very pleasant chap.

Ken was first up in the photo shoot. In addition to an excellent mustache persona, he brought a ton of energy and set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Going “creepster” with Chris.

Adam always hams it up for the Explosion. The dude has been all over this blog for the past year and even showed up in the MOPLOSION promo vid.

This year’s chest shaving award goes to Keith. Congratulations on having a thick enough harvest to actually be able to carve things into it.

Sharat concisely expresses his feeling about prostate and testicular cancer. Sharat is a fellow teammate of mine on Mustache Across America. Support his mo by donating here.

Some just have MO style than others… and it’s hard to argue with the sartorial sensibilities of our very own Seattle Movember Committee Chairman.

Don’t you have a sandwich and a waterfall to go chase after?

Mat brought out the red, white and MO for the shoot. There’s something very patriotic about growing a mustache, don’t you think? In addition to saluting America, Mat is also a member of the Lip Ticklers. Donate to him here.

Lucas, another Mustache Across America teammate, is rocking some handlebars this season.

The next three gentlemen are apart of The MOst Interesting Men in the World. After photographing these characters, I’m not exactly disagreeing with them either.

As a native Montanan, Russ perfectly brought to life the stoic cowboy.

Love the fact that the jacket is growing several mustaches too.

Mo Sistas

Us Mo Bros would not get far without all the support we receive from our Mo Sistas. In the early days of the month, they tell us that are mustache is “really coming in” when we really look like middle schoolers hitting puberty. When the “creepster” phase hits, they don’t fumble for the panic button on their car keys. And by month’s end they are still by our side telling everyone how great kissing a MO is. Well done, ladies.

Behind the Scenes

As is rarely the case here on the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000, I actually let the camera get turned around on me. Aaron was kind enough to snap a few photos of my MO. He also grabbed some awesome behind the scenes shots. Check out how we turned a bar into a studio on his Flickr page.

The photos above are just the tip of the ‘stache. There are well over 100 different looks at this year’s MOPLOSION crop. Check out the slideshow below or head on over to my Flickr for enough upper lip luxury to get you through until 2011.

I owe big thank you to Buckleys in Belltown for hosting our shoot this year. You guys rock. Also, thank you to everyone who dropped by to be photographed or just hang out with us. You made the shoot a success!

If you laughed at these photos, enjoyed the video or just feel inspired, please consider making a donation to Movember.

The MOPLOSION 5000 Movember photo shoot is back! Last year we changed the face of men’s health by putting our mustached mugs in front of the camera, and we’re doing the same for 2010. The only difference is that this year we want to see YOU model with us. Seattle Movember Committee member Aaron Huber and I have planned a special photo shoot at Buckley’s in Belltown on Sunday, November 21st at 7 PM. The photo shoot is open to anyone supporting or participating in Movember. Bring your favorite mo-inspired getup and be ready to have an awesome time with me and the Seattle Movember crew as we make some hilarious pictures. Your cost is FREE! Several days following the photo shoot, I’ll post the images on the internet for you to use in your own campaign to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer and testicular cancer. You can RSVP via Facebook.

When you’re waiting for your turn to jump in front of the lens, hang out at Buckley’s in Belltown’s awesome bar and socialize with other mo-bros & mo-sistas. Buckley’s was gracious enough to allow us to have their back room to stage the photo shoot. In honor of their hospitality, please consider purchasing a beer or two while we’re getting our mo-tography on—nothing goes together like mustaches and brews anyway, right?

If you liked the video above (or caught it on Vimeo), please consider dropping by my Movember page and making a donation. Even $5 is cool! For the camera folks out there: the video was shot entirely on a Nikon D90 with the Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens.

Last year we had a blast doing the photo shoot; and I’m really looking forward to getting everyone back together and meeting YOU at the 2010 edition. Check out the photos from 2009 for a taste of what you can expect. The photos created so much buzz that we were named “Mo Team of the Week” by Movember USA. Let’s keep Seattle at the forefront of everything mo this year—please invite your other mo-bros and mo-sistas to the shoot!

EVENT DETAILS:

• MOPLOSION 5000 Photo Shoot
• Buckley’s in Belltown
• 2331 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA
• Sunady, Movember 21, 2010
• 7-10 PM

RSVP via Facebook.

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All they wanted was a simple group photo. Desiree, a good friend and stylist extraordinaire, sent me a message on Facebook asking if I would take a shot of the folks that work at her place of business, Steven Cole Salon (an upscale salon in Seattle’s hip Greenwood neighborhood). This was April of 2009. I immediately responded saying I’d love to do the shoot, but things were slow to take off. Several months passed and I discovered the likes of David Hobby (the Strobist), Zack Arias and I even met Chase Jarvis. The influence of these photographers lead me to radically change my approach to lighting and portrait photography. By the time we scheduled a shoot for Steven Cole Salon in September of 2009, I was fully immersed in off camera flash, watt seconds and soft boxes. The simple group photo was now going to be the culmination of hours of blog reading—it was, in no short order, going to be an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 Production.

Desiree and Steven Cole Salon gave me what amounted to total creative control of the shoot. They wanted a nice group photo, but how we got to that point was up to me. My original concept was to shoot each stylist individually on white seamless, then composite them all into a “group” photo. Only problem, I didn’t know the first thing about shooting on white seamless. I basically followed Zack Arias’s excellent (and funny) tutorial, piece of gear by piece of gear. Since I was yet to purchase strobes or any other light modifiers, I rented a truckload of equipment from Glazer’s here in Seattle. After a stop at Home Depot, I was dialed in. The photo above illustrates the set we built inside the salon. I stashed a Bowens 500 w/s Gemini behind each of the bi-fold doors to light up the 9′ white seamless. We also laid down two pieces of reflective white tile board. The key light was another Bowens Gemini outfitted with a Chimera soft box.

With the set built and all the clients gone for the day, we launched into the photography. Each employee took a turn modeling while I directed and encouraged them to pose with different props. I exclusively used the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX lens; and because I would need to composite the images together later, I used a tripod to maintain similar angles and proportions. After scrubbing through hundreds of photos, I later assembled the composite (at the top of this post) from these individual shots. Although it’s a bit more work, the composite approach has many advantages. First, it ensures even, consistent lighting for all the subjects. It also allows me to create a photo that seems like it was shot at a bigger space. Steven Cole Salon is quite roomy, but it’s not the cavernous white room that the composite implies. I also had literally dozens of different looks for each of th employees. Another advantage of creating a composite is being able to individually select the perfect pose for each of the subjects.

With the composite components in the bag, I wanted to try one other idea. When I scouted the salon earlier in the week, I noticed that the chairs were pretty cool and movable. I thought it would be interesting to contrast the black and chrome chair with the white seamless. To get a different look from the straight-ahead composite stuff, I climbed up an 8 foot ladder and photographed the stylists from above. Luckily I had Gus there to spot me…

And what would an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 production be without the obligatory lighting test shot of Gus. This was actually the first time Gus ever assisted me—and I definitely needed him. Not only was he handy on set, but we packed his Subaru full of gear after I filled up my Explorer. Gus has worked with me about a half dozen times since, and he’s now my go-to-guy for getting ambitious creative endeavors accomplished.

To check out more shots from the Steven Cole Salon shoot, check out Flickr or watch the slideshow below.

Seattle based designer and entrepreneur Stephanie de Villa contacted me earlier this year about doing some photography for her baby onesie line, baby deVILLE. After talking about some creative ideas and quickly Googling “onesie,” I put the full resources of Explosion 5000 Photo, LLC into the project. Earlier this month Stephanie launched the baby deVILLE website, featuring photography by yours truly.

There were three main deliverables for this job, two of which included talent (aka babies). For the first setup, I placed a mildly reflective white board on the ground on photographed individual babies lying on their backs. The purpose of this shot was to clearly show off the design while being worn by the baby. To get the angle I needed, I climbed up a ladder and shot from overhead. I was very fortunate to work with great parents who worked tireslly on getting their children to smile and look-up. All I had to do was hang out 8 feet in the air and blast off frames. I exclusively used the Nikon D300 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. I lit the babies with a large softbox overhead and off to the side, yet just inches away to get very soft light. Several feet behind their hid I used a beauty dish to provide a little fill and keep the top of their skulls from getting shadowy.

The next setup involved the talent against a white seamless. I blasted the 9 foot roll of white seamless with two Calumet 750 Travelites, and lit the babies with a 500ws Bowens Gemini through a large softbox. The individual shots were pretty easy, but the group shot proved to be a little tougher. It’s tricky enough to get one baby to do what you need him to do—multiply that by four and you have a totally different animal. Again, the parents really saved my ass here and gave their children great direction while I ripped off frames as quickly as my lights would recycle (about 1 every second).

So as not to subject the babies to needless blasts of 2000 watt-seconds, I used a weirdly shaped doll as a lighting stand-in. We actually found the doll at the location and it worked out well. Evan climbed onto the set to monkey around with the doll at one point, and I grabbed this slightly bizarre looking outtake.

I shot the entire session tethered to a MacBook Pro and previewing the images in Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta. Since Lightroom does not yet support tethering for the D300, I used a nifty little program called Sofortbild to grab the files from my camera. I then setup Lightroom to auto import any images captured by Sofortbild. This setup worked great as it allowed Stephanie, her assistant and the parents to see what kind of images I was capturing. It made the whole photoshoot a much more interactive experience, which ultimately benefits the quality of the final finished product.

The final deliverable was to shoot every design/color combination of the onesies alone on a hanger. I used the same white seamless setup and hung the clothing from a lightweight boom. About a week later, I photographed a bare hanger at Studio 806 against white. To get the final image, I removed the boom from the product shots and composited the hook part of the bare hanger into everyone one of the design/color combinations. The end result is a hanging onesie that doesn’t seem to be hanging from anything.

As you might imagine, the logistics of coordinating 5 babies, many wardrobe changes and multiple setups can create a hectic environment. Much of the success of this photoshoot comes from having a client with a clear vision and parents who worked tirelessly to make their babies cute. Since I was able to focus on the technical and creative aspects of the shoot, it allowed us to work quickly and avoid any major baby-disasters. I wish Stephanie the best of luck with baby deVILLE—if you have a little one at home, I highly recommend you check out her site and order some new threads for your critter.

For a look at everything we shot, check out my Flickr set or view the slideshow. Stephanie also has some behind-the-scenes photos on the baby deVILLE site.

Adam and McKenna are engaged? Didn’t see that one coming. Actually—that’s a lie. From the minute these two met, they’ve had one of those relationships that seem to be hotter than first season of Gossip Girl. After months of disgustingly cute Facebook PDA-ing, Adam proposed to make things official in March of this year. If these two look familiar, it’s because they are. This isn’t their first go-round on the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 (see Movember). Adam, a fellow blogger himself, also has endeared himself to this photographer because he actually leaves comments on my posts! For these reasons and many more, I was delighted to make a few photos of these two.

(Note: click photos for larger versions)

The first setup of the day was at Gasworks Park. I had an idea to feature Adam and McKenna in various poses on their backs, but make it look like they were standing up straight. My trusty assistant, Gus helped me setup a Bowens Gemini strobe with a 7′ Octodome (on a truly badass stand). I climbed up a ladder with my Nikon D300 and Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 lens to photograph Adam and McKenna laying on the hill.

Gus even suggested the corny-as-hell idea of having Adam and McKenna spell out an A & M.

For setup #2, we walked up the hill and placed most of the park, Lake Union and the City of Seattle in the background. We made a few quick tweaks to the Octodome, and we were off and shooting.

With the day dwindling, our light was falling off fast. I wanted to squeeze in one more location before the sunset on Seattle for that Sunday. Adam, McKenna, Gus and I took off for the little park halfway up the hill behind Golden Gardens. After using some of Seattle’s lakes, skyline and greenery as the background, I wanted to feature some its forests.

The way I’ve heard the story is this… Adam was supposed to propose to McKenna in Europe. Adam was scheduled to meet up with McKenna in Paris after skiing the Haute Route with a few buddies in April. The ever impatient Adam decided to jump the gun right before the trip; and hauled McKenna up 4,000 vertical feet to pop the question on top of Mt. Si. Since then, they’ve been recreating what their proposal might have looked had Adam selected a different venue. The above is a rendition of two people getting engaged during an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 photoshoot. Aww.

Newly engaged couple OR Seattle’s latest Nightly News duo?

Of course none of this would have been possible with my trusty assistant, Gus. He’s a huge help with setting up the lighting, being a stand-in and suggesting ideas. He even does all the crappy stuff like carry 50 lbs of sand bags and run back to the car when I forget stuff—all without complaining. Thanks Gus!

To catch more of Adam & McKenna (including bonus PDA), check out my Flickr set or watch the slideshow below.

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph my good friend Chris Young in his military dress blues. Chris is seeking a promotion to officer and needed to have a fresh headshot to include with his application. Having known Chris since I moved to Seattle in 2007, I’ve grown to admire and respect his dedication to service in the Oregon Air National Guard. He’s told me some fascinating stories about being in Iraq and the intense war games his unit competes in to sharpen their skills. Since I’m more accustomed to seeing Chris on a snowboard or grabbing a Miller Lite, I was stoked to have the opportunity to photograph him in uniform. This shoot also served as the perfect kick-off for my Explosion 5000 In Ur Face project (details on Facebook).

Chris and his lovely girlfriend Kate came by the 806 on Wednesday night to do the shoot. I setup a few lights and a blue background in the garage, er studio, and streamed some tunes through the surround sound system (the new Lightspeed Champion, if you’re wondering). I exclusively used my new Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8. My first task was to get a few military grade portraits in the bag. I stood on a chair up against the garage door with the lens extended to top end of the zoom range of 70mm. Once I knew I had something that would work, I asked Chris if I could experiment with some other light modifiers and angles. I took the image above by getting really close and dialing the lens back to 24mm. The three of us (Kate, Chris and I) were also joking around talking the whole shoot, which gave me the opportunity to get some nice candid shots that reflect Chris’s upbeat and enthusiastic personality.

Since I always forget the exact branch and rank he serves in, I asked Chris if he could send me a few notes on what he does. He emailed me with an excellent breakdown of how the Army, Air Force, Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard work. I’ve included a paraphrased version here:

Each state has an Army and Air Force guard component, respectively. Guard units differ from federal military branches in that they are state-run. Air Force Reserves get called to active duty by the President; and the Oregon Air National Guard gets called to active duty by either the President or Governor of Oregon. It is common for the Guard components to assist in state disasters, while the federal military branches are seldom called in for this type of work (except for the Army Corp of Engineers).

To recap, the structure breaks down like this:

Army
Army active duty
Army Reserves (federal)
Army National Guard (state)

Air Force
Air Force active duty
Air Force Reserves (federal)
Air National Guard (state)

The uniform Chris is wearing is his Class A service dress. This kind of uniform, commonly referred to as “blues,” is only worn for formal events such as promotions, interviews and ceremonies. His rank of Staff Sergeant is indicated by the four stripes on his sleeves. As recognition for his service in Iraq, Chris received the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which is among the items on his ribbon rack. The ribbon rack is a collection of awards and achievements. The specific placement of each award is determined by its prestige, bottom row to top row.

Doing this shoot with Chris was a lot of fun, and I am really glad he agreed to let me use the pictures here as apart of the Explosion 5000 In Ur Face project. The charter of the project is to create images of my friends doing things that make them who they are. I really like how Chris’s charisma and personality come through, even in uniform. Below are a few more shots from the night, one of which Chris will submit with his application.

In what is starting to become a New Year’s tradition, I traveled to Las Vegas on January 2nd to shoot the World Series of Beer Pong V. Being my second year on the job, I sort of knew what to expect, but I would have never guessed that Smashing Time would repeat as champions. Ron and Pop defended their crown, giving official notice to the beer pong community that they are THE team to beat. While watching Smashing Time decimate the competition was enthralling, I also enjoyed getting to meet the 800+ other participants. The Jay Leno Show sent a team; and international representatives from Canada, Japan and Ireland were among the contenders. The event truly is a cross section of life: DJs, frat boys, husbands and wives, teachers and even strippers make the trek to battle the world’s best players. With the tournament in its fifth year, it is obvious that competitive beer pong is just starting to hit its stride.

Mario and Luigi.
Think tossing a ping pong ball into a cup is difficult? Try battling through 14 levels and only being allowed to move in two dimensions. Respect.

Strategy.
In sports, it is often said that defense wins championships. This team appears to have selected the “Oops… I Did It Again” strategy.

Remembering years past.
Do you remember World Series of Beer Pong IV. I barely do—thank goodness for blogs.

Alliances.
In an effort that even Madeline Albright could be proud of, the Garden State and the Empire State decided to put a stop to the bloodshed and join forces for the World Series of Beer Pong.

Wingspan.
Scientifically speaking, leaning is the name of the game. Shortening the distance between the point of release and the target makes perfect statistical sense, even when you’ve had four or five pitchers of Bud Light.

Team Slogans.
Drunks 4 Hire remind us that ‘shit’ and the amount of clothes you’re wearing have an inverse relationship. Party on, Wayne!

Kilts.
Suiting up for a beer pong match is all about comfort and freedom of movement. Choosing clothes that restrict you might cost you the match. The logical progression of this philosophy is to avoid wearing pants… but how to achieve this in public? Simple. The Scots (another nation known for seriously enjoying their libations) figured it out years ago: the kilt.

Badgers.
If there is a competition that involves drinking beer, you can almost certainly count on Wisconsin to send a delegation.

Strippers.
These young ladies are the representatives from Team Sapphire. Ever wondered who might work at 70,000 square foot gentlemen’s club? Look no further. (The place even has skyboxes—what?!).

Intimidation.
Being a pro beer ponger means vigilantly defending your rack. Never let your opponent have a free shot. And if you’re girlfriend is available to talk to some smack, hoist her up and let her run her mouth too—all is fair in beer pong (provided you follow the rules).

DJ Whoo Kid.
Having a-list beats to get your pong on is crucial. The folks at BPONG.com recognize this and recruited G-Unit’s official DJ to keep the Flamingo rockin’ during the three days of game play.

Team Portraits.
One of my favorite aspects of shooting the World Series of Beer Pong IV was meeting all types of colorful characters. For WSOBP V, I wanted to shoot some of these folks on white seamless with quality lighting. I flew from Seattle to Vegas with 130 pounds of gear shoved into three bags and setup shop on Day 2. Check out this photo to see the setup. After getting the lights set with Josh’s help, one of the first teams I photographed were the WSOBP II Champions, We Own Your Face. Despite the menacing graphic on their uniforms, these guys could not have been nicer. I’ve included several more portraits in this post, and the whole project is on Flickr. Also, check out the video below for a quick run down of the gear and a few of my favorite shots.

Greenman.
No one showed more enthusiasm for having his portrait taken than Greenman. No one also smelled quite like Greenman. The suit did little to mask a potent mixture of beer, sweat and God knows what else. Regardless, The Explosion 5000 salutes you, Greenman.

Chauncey and Big Ben.
Even though Joey D couldn’t afford to keep Billups around, Mr. Big Shot and Ben Wallace reunited at the World Series of Beer Pong. Goin’ to work, yall.

Tables, Beer, Balls and Cups.
The more the better.

Ink and Hair-dos.
Nothing says you’re ready to decimate your opponents like a cobra tattoo and a fucked up haircut.

The Irish.
Fellow beer loving nation, Ireland, entered a team into this year’s WSOBP. Despite being nearly impossible to understand (heavy accent + heavy drinking + loud music = mainly communicating with hand gestures), these guys kicked ass. For all the Irish readers of the Explosion, you should be proud of your boys. They very diplomatically demonstrated your county’s ability to pong with the world’s best.

The Ladies.
Co-ed competition is one of the best aspects of the WSOBP. These ladies do more than keep the dudes honest and break a few hearts, they also win games. Try explaining to your frat bros that a girl-girl team knocked you out of the WSOBP… ouch.

Guns.
Rip your sleeves off, ’cause it’s beer pong time.

The Old F U.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words—I happen to think this one clearly conveys at least two.

Jim and Pam.
Beer pong at the office? Great idea. I’m telling my boss tomorrow.

Japan.
For the first time in WSOBP history, the Japanese made their way from across the Pacific to battle it out on the tables.

Good luck charms.
Whatever works, ladies.

And if you can’t borrow some cleavage, improvise. Just rub, toss, rinse and repeat.

Who can argue with a tank top?
That settles it… I’m wearing my “Sexy Photog” hoodie to WSOBP VI.

A Lifetime Sport.
Just like skiing, tennis and golf… beer pong is something you should be able to enjoy, no matter what decade you were born in.

SCBP.
Peter Rusch and the SoCal Beer Pongers were in full force at this year’s WSOBP.

No look shots.
Some beer pongers are so good, they don’t even need to see it to believe it. Kris Fraser of perennial contenders Not Even Close confidently looks away as he sinks yet another clutch shot.

A Hostess with the Most-ess.
Leah D’Emilio came back to anchor this year’s television coverage of the WSOBP V. Leah’s ability to cut through the the beer breath and get the real story always impresses—a true pro.

The Gangster Lean.
Complete with chalice and corn-rows, SCBP Founder Peter Rusch shows what it takes to be a WSOBP contender. For this year’s tournament, Peter separated from his long time partner (his wife) for a shot at beer pong glory. While the partner switch up did not ultimately lead to the $50k crown, WSOBP fans hoping for a soap opera will be disappointed: the Rusch’s are still happily married.

Play-off Superstitions.
Defending champ Ron of Smashing Time said that his weird haircut helped him win last year’s tourney. He either had an unfortunate incident with farm equipment between day 2 and day 3, or is carrying on his tradition of doing up the do for the final day.

Defending Champs.
After their debut on the televised feature table, Ron and Pop were kind enough to sit for me and make a portrait.

Technique.
It’s the Air Jordan of beer pong.

Crack kills.
Especially in New York.

Shhh.
Even though the boys from Iowa were eventually silenced, they put together another respectable WSOBP run.

Rest up.
Three solid days of beer pong can be grueling, not to mention all the distractions of Las Vegas. There’s no shame in catching a quick catnap in between rounds.

Pre-Shot Ritual.
Dunking, foot twisting, tossing, fore-head pressing… these are all techniques employed to avoid:

Missing the cup.
It’s something that happens to everyone. If you have trouble consistently hitting the cup, have a talk with you doctor to see if you’re physically capable of engaging in beer pong activity. In the rare case that you and your partner miss the cup for four hours or more, just call it quits. You suck at beer pong.

Show your colors.
The Californian contingent proudly displayed their bear. The Canadians waved their leaf. The Texans brought their star and bar. Even Maryland displayed what is possibly the coolest state flag ever.

Bruce Buffer.
For the second year in row, Bruce Buffer of the UFC announced the final round of the World Series of Beer Pong. Bruce is one of the classiest showbiz people I’ve ever met—love that bro.

Ready to strike.
The final round is all about seeing your opening and taking it—something Smashing Time know a little bit about.

Comebacks.
After dropping the first game of the final match to Since Sliced Bread, it looked like Smashing might be down and out (literally).

Winning Shots.
After three games, Ron and Pop closed out Since Sliced Bread and repeated as champions of the World Series of Beer Bong.

Check presentation.
BPONG.com and World Series of Beer Pong founders Skinny, Duncan and Billy present Smashing Time with a check for $50,000.

See an image you’d like to use on your Facebook profile or blog? Cool! Check out my terms of use or email me at andy@explosion5000.com. I have many more images on Flickr. Check out the slideshow below or visit the set here.

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolution so far? I have a couple photography related resolutions that are coming along pretty well. All of my work is backed up on at least two drives in an organized fashion (thank you LaCie). The other is well under way (see below). And yes, Seattle Athletic Club, I promise I’ll be by soon. But I digress… Last Thursday I brought the Explosion to Office Nomads for their January open house. My friend Alexandra, who is their community cultivator, asked if I would shoot portraits of their guests. The theme was to be loosely based around “new year’s resolutions.” We originally talked about shooting on white seamless, but I when I scoped out the space the night before the party I realized I just had to shoot against that green wall and chalkboard. Coincidentally, the chalkboard played perfectly into the theme.

This is Alexandra of Office Nomads, which is a co-working space in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Several of my friends work at spaces like this, and I was eager to check one out for myself. Basically, you rent a desk and can drop by whenever you like. While working at home in your boxer shorts does have its advantages, you miss out on actually interacting with humans. Office Nomads provides self-employed consultants, code monkeys, artists and basically anyone without a regular office the opportunity to conduct business in a work positive environment that has all the benefits of a traditional workplace (phone, internet, kitchen, lounge, conference rooms, etc). Pretty cool concept—and even cooler people. The one thing I kept hearing from all the “nomads” is how much they love the cross-fucntional and somewhat accidental networking and collaboration that takes place. I’m sold.

And Alex’s resolution… I think it’s pretty self explanatory.

It seems like Justin is already well on the way to knocking out his goal. Full proof is here.

Does switching to Code Red count? How about transitioning to Diet Mountain Dew? To be fair, the direction I gave immediately before taking this photo was “give me your ‘oops-I-drank-too-much-Dew-face.”

Nothing wrong with that. Carry on.

Just in case there wasn’t enough green in this photo for you… gotta love the “Emerald” City.

This picture inspired the following picture…

Which gave rise to this concept….

Waffles anyone? Eric informed me the he makes waffles every Wednesday for all the Nomads. He invited me to stop by and sample some of his home, er office cooking. I’m there!

Considering Judy is The Stranger Party Crasher, I’d call this an appropriate resolution. Look for a column on this party in The Stranger soon.

Because being more “you oughta know” doesn’t really work as a new year’s resolution.

Fellow photog Dan isn’t making much progress on his resolution.

If anything is unclear about this photo, just ask.

I think I speak for all of Seattle when I say, “dear God, I hope you’re not kidding.”

Four servings a day yall!

Do you think Sharat has a chance of being cast for next season’s Jersey shore? (Remember, he is from Brooklyn).

Susie and Alex demonstrate that the boss/employee relationship is alive and well in 2010.

Here’s a shot of the setup. For more info, check this Flickr image.

I was even asked to get in front of the lens and write a resolution on the board. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check out my Facebook page for details. I hope everyone that reads this blog will consider helping me out with this one.

Check out my set on Flickr or watch the slideshow below for these photos and few extras.