Team Kinetix Media

I know this blog has been very quiet lately, all of my focus has been on Team Kinetix this year.
I'm so proud of what we've achieved and how successful Team Kinetix has become.

As part of this, all my photography and videography are now part of Team Kinetix Media, our in house production department.

If you'd like to follow my own personal photography projects, you can follow me on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87682837@N07/

To follow our filmmaking, check out our YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/teamkinetixmedia

Photography by Brad Wendes

Ultimate Gym Selfie

So 'selfies' are the thing, everyone's taking them, they're a cultural phenomenon. I'm not a fan.

At least the Kardashians are using the rear camera...

I sort of understand the mirror selfie, the best camera on your handset will generally be the rear facing camera. But using the front facing camera you'll end up with blurry or grainy images of yourself that you want (probably) to be flattering.
I mean, of course I've taken a few selfies, I do occasionally use Snapchat and I will use the front-facing camera on my phone when necessary, but I really don't understand SELFIE STICKS!

When did it become appropriate to carry the 'Wand of Narcissus' around with your phone bolted to the end of it?
While I appreciate that most smartphones have capable cameras these days, they're still PHONES! How can you effectively make or receive a call with a meter long pole attached to your handset?!

Photo courtesy of The Huffington Post

Sadly, whether I like it or not, selfies are a thing and the selfie stick seems to be the winter 2014/15 must-have accessory.

With that in mind we set out to make a testosterone-fuelled ULTIMATE GYM SELFIE, complete with the manliest selfie-stick ever!

If you can't beat them, join them!

Armed with some pro camera equipment, pro weight lifting equipment and the man-tank that is William Wayland, we headed to mi-gym to create the Ultimate Gym Selfie!

The concept was simple, Wayland would be holding an Olympic Weightlifting bar with a DSLR (complete with big lens) attached to the end of it. Simple, right...?

Well an Olympic bar weighs 20kg before you've added a weight to the it, the ends also rotate so the lifter doesn't have to let go of the bar to re-grip. Finally, how were we going to attach a DSLR to a smooth, round patch of metal?

We opted to use bandages to attach the camera (what's more manly than bandages?!) with a solid amount of gaffer tape to stop the bar from spinning.
The camera that was strapped to the bar was a Canon 7D DSLR with a Canon 24-70 f/2.8L attached to it - that's about £2500 worth of my kit being swung around on a metal bar.

We added a 5kg weight plate to the end that Will was holding, this added to the manliness of the image and gave him some counterweight to offset the weight of the bar and camera.

Wayland and Mossy trying to figure out the pose

It truly is a thing of beauty

I wanted the final images to be dark and gritty, sticking the MANLY theme. The subject was lit with 2 Nissin Di622 MkII flash guns that were set off with Godox wireless triggers.
All images shot on Canon 5D mkIII with Canon 16-35 f/2.8L lens.

Here's the finished picture.

THE ULTIMATE MANLY SELFIE STICK

As a bonus we decided to mock up what the pictures taken on this ULTIMATE MANLY SELFIE STICK would look like.

Look at that duck face!

MANLIEST SELFIE STICK EVER

The shoot was definitely one of the most fun photoshoots we've ever done, we were all laughing the whole morning.
Always a pleasure to work with William Wayland and once again thanks to mi-gym.com in Chelmsford for letting us play silly games in the gym.



All images copyright Brad Wendes 2015

New York, New York

It's been a good year for new toys, I've purchased a new Canon 5D mkIII and kept my 7D as a backup camera (it's rarely touched though) I've also bought a few new prime lenses for portraiture.

My standard 'go to' is now the 5D mkIII with the 24-70 f/2.8L on the front of it. 

The low light performance and image quality are superb, the weight and 'feel' of this setup is also perfect for my style of shooting.

This year I also treated myself to the Fujifilm X100S that I've been lusting after for a while but could never really justify buying (see previous article on this).

For anyone who is considering this camera (or the X100T that replaces it) just buy it, now!

This little gem is the ultimate photographers camera, it's for all the character of an old manual 35mm camera with all the quality and flexibility of a modern digital camera. I literally cannot fault this camera and wish that I had bought the damn thing sooner.

This month I travelled to New York City for a long weekend away. I didn't have to pack a lot so decided to take my whole camera bag, complete with DSLRs and lenses. I also took the X100S...

Here's a few pictures taken with the Canon 5D mkIII from my weekend in the city.

(keep scrolling for the X100S pics)

Lower Manhattan - ISO6400

Statue of Liberty - ISO 5000

A bed is a bed 

Well I was happy with the images, I was pleasantly surprised over and over again by the low light performance and the detail captured in the RAW files.

Then I went for a photo walk with nothing but my Fujifilm X100S.

This little camera just feels right in the hands, there's something really pleasing about street photography with this camera. It really is a pleasure to use and has become my favourite camera ever!

Images copyright Brad Wendes 2014

East 15 Acting School

I've been a tutor at the East 15 Acting School for 7 years now. In that time I've seen many young actors with lots of potential come and go.
It's very rewarding to work with people who genuinely want to do well in their chosen field, most of the students appreciate the challenge ahead of them in the acting world.

East 15 is owned and managed by the University of Essex, this year the University have really decided to crank up their marketing of the specialist courses that East 15 offer (Acting & Stage Combat, Physical Theatre  and World Performance to name a few).
With that in mind the marketing dept asked me to film a promo video showing off the new Southend Campus, showcasing the skills of the students and showing potential students what Southend looks like.

The video has now been signed off by the University and has been made public.
Here's a few of my students showing off their skills and showing use the stunning campus in Southend.

Click the link for the Vimeo video:
http://vimeo.com/79306104

It's a pleasure to be part of the East 15 family.


Video shot on Canon EOS 7D with 100mm f/2.8 L macro, 50mm f/1.8 & 24-70mm f/2.8 L
Edited on Mac Pro using Final Cut Pro

Learn Parkour with Brad Wendes

Here's a link to a higher resolution version of the Learn Parkour movie made with Zoe Salmon earlier this year.

The shoot was a lot of fun and I think she genuinely enjoyed herself!

Vimeo Learn Parkour Video

Brad Wendes & TV's Zoe Salmon

If you would like to Learn Parkour, contact Team Kinetix for details on classes, workshops or one-to-one coaching.
Alternatively, follow Team Kinetix on Facebook for updates, regular pictures & videos.

Eccentric leg training

Following up from the popular articles and video on French Contrast Method for leg power I got together with Will Wayland to show you how you can further enhance that training with the use of Eccentrics and Isometric training.

This video is an introduction to eccentric leg training, we'll follow it up with some new ways to use eccentric training and also how, when and why to use isometric training.

What happened next?

I was thoroughly impressed with the results of the Six Day Shred, the next question was 'how long does it last'?

Well the simple answer is that within 24 hours I looked the same as I did on day 3. That is slightly leaner that the start, but nowhere near as defined as I was at the peak.
The 'pump' had gone from my muscles by the morning of day 7.

Say goodbye to your gains

So I went through 6 days testing my willpower and almost killing myself with water for less than 24 hours of improved physique.

Was it worth it: totally!

Would I do it again: no way!

As an experiment I've learned a lot and have kept some aspects of the diet in my regular life (reduced sugar intake, staying appropriately hydrated and cutting carbs slightly).

From a vanity point of view it's not worth putting yourself through all that for a day at the beach and pretty pointless for a holiday as it only lasts a day.

However, if you're a competitive bodybuilder, this method may be the difference between first place and tenth place. Alternatively if you're a fitness model, this method could land you that Calvin Klein underwear job. 

It really depends on how important 24 hours of improved physique is to you.

The dangers and difficulty of this method put me off trying it again unless I had a very good reason to.