~ The Bucket List ~

Last week when I sent out pics from the movie set, Rita (who is near and dear to my heart for giving me my start in photography) sent me an email saying that she thinks my life is the coolest because I get so many amazing opportunities (all thanks to my camera).

So today I went out to the Wings and Rotors Air Museum to shoot some photos of a "make a wish" type flight for a former Vietnam Huey pilot who has terminal cancer and wanted to take one "last" ride. Imagine how I felt when I was invited along for the flight! There are no words eloquent enough to express my feelings about flying through the air in a real Vietnam Huey flown by real Vietnam veterans. It was almost overwhelming. You know what? Rita's right - today was the coolest - ever!

This is the actual Huey I flew in today. It was so awesome!

Some pics from the flight are here I named the gallery The Bucket List because it was a wish fulfilled for a terminally ill former crew member. He's the one sitting in the gunner's seat and he said this ride was on the top of his "bucket list".

I am so blessed to have been introduced to the Wings and Rotors crew last August by a fellow photographer, Mike Barter. He invited me to take photos as he laid eyes on his former Huey for the first time since Vietnam. He hadn't seen her in 37 years and the being there for that reunion changed me forever. Read about it here.

The Wings and Rotors crew is leaving May 13 and flying three Hueys and a Kiowa to Washington D.C. to do a fly over of the Vietnam Wall on Memorial Day. It's going to be an amazing event - and a true honor to all our Veterans! Their mission is called Flying Thunder.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my incredible experience with all of you who I care so much about!

~ Jody ~

~ Don't Make Assumptions ~

I made an ass out of u and me yesterday (but it was so much fun!)

I don't know if it's serendipity or destiny, but doors seem to open for me, and I can't believe some of the crazy situations I find myself in (always with camera in hand). Yesterday on the movie set, one of the photos I took was of the director and director of photography (dp) discussing a scene between takes. As soon as the shutter clicked, the director looked over at me and I heard her say to the dp "Maybe Jody can take the photos..." or something along those lines. The dp chuckled a bit and mumbled something back to the director that I couldn't hear. I thought she was talking about the continuity photos (* See definition below) and my secret insecurity about my photography surfaced, making me think he didn't like my work for some reason. So imagine my surprise when the director approached me a few minutes later and asked me if I would play a small part in the movie. You could have knocked me over with a feather! Just goes to show you that the old saying "When you assume you make and ass out of u and me" is true. Lesson learned.

* Continuity photos ensure that the action in the film is consistent. For example, if a character is wearing a bandanna a certain way in one take of the scene, the bandanna needs to be exactly the same when viewed from another angle. This can be problematic when scenes are shot at different times, with breaks between them. The script supervisor keeps notes on general continuity, and the various departments (wardrobe, hair, makeup, and props) take their own snapshots to ensure continuity.
Here's a photo of some of the crew members and me acting as stand ins for the lighting crew while the cast was in wardrobe getting ready for a scene.

~ Jody ~

~ Movie Stills ~

I have been shooting stills on set of a horror movie that's being filmed. It's been an amazing experience and I am learning so much every day! I hope this won't be the last movie I shoot stills for. See you at the movies!

~ Jody ~