life and things like it

I've had the privilege to work with Tulsa People over the last few months. I worked on the August, September and now the October issue. It's been a blast. One of my favorite assignments was the Biker Fox story... I think most of you are aware of Biker Fox, but for those that are not: bikerfox.com - pure awesomeness.
He told me that every night he feeds the raccoons in his neighborhood. It sounded like a fantastic photo op...
I'm not even kidding, there were probably about 40-50 raccoons there. It was crazy! He's a passionate man that Biker Fox. I'm stoked I had this opportunity. You can read the entire article in this month's issue of Tulsa People - for those that do not have access to a printed copy, here is the digital version. I've got some more photos in there to.

sunshine

I wanted to let that Britney Spears post marinate for a little while. I'm still very excited about the whole experience. But in this day and age of instantaneous gratification, I better get on with an update of some sorts.
Where do I begin?
Last night was Taylor Swift at the BOK center. She's awfully adorable. This is the second time I have had the pleasure of photographing her.
I think she is officially the first artist I have photographed twice now. Which is an interesting thing to do. However, this time SHE was the headliner. She has done a lot in the last 12 months.
You can learn a lot about an artist backstage. Once you get off the elevator a whole new world unveils itself to you. Every show has a different personality onstage and backstage. Sometimes the smell of arrogance is so bitter I want to step back onto the elevator and make my way to my station. Other times, like last night, it's a warm friendly environment and the back of the house is an enjoyable place to be.
Taylor was just starting her meet and greet.
Some fans were overly emotional with this experience and couldn't resist... They cried.
Most fans did not.
Taylor greeted each of her fans with an embrace, a warm smile and a short, but pleasant conversation.
She was kind. Very kind. I spent about 30 minutes with her last night and in that time, all I noticed were a series of small acts of kindness and smiles. It's nice and refreshing.
She has a fantastic smile and it is contagious.
In most cases the old adage "Never meet your idols" holds true. But in this case it's nice to know that these fans walk away with a lasting and inspirational experience. Hopefully that inspiration will be the catalyst for something beautiful.
I enjoy watching such displays.
The show went well. I was able to capture some great shots of Taylor.

We watched "Sunshine Cleaning" on Saturday night. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's fantastic. And I have an old friend in it. Actually, he was one of my brother's best friends in high school. My brother, along with his rambunctious crew, sort of raised me. Along with a couple of others. Anyway, Cliff is the hardest working cat in Hollywood. AND I'm not joking... The dude has range... Watch the movie. Cliff you're awesome and very inspirational.
Do what you love and the universe will provide.

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about Powell. Powell was one of my best friends. He was a brother to many of us. For the first time in a long time I thought about how the loss of Powell has influenced my life. For a few years I couldn't find balance. I was either running or I was lost and frustrated. It's a fucked up thing to lose someone you love. Someone so young.
We were all too young.
In some ways I regret who I became over those years. I was reckless. Extremely selfish. Very angry. Confused...
I'm still trying to find my footing.
I miss Powell a lot.
We miss Powell a lot. I watched as we all managed the grief. Some did it well. I didn't.
I'm sorry for that.
I am surrounded by the most incredible people in the world.
Love you guys.

studio

Just a few photos of our studio.
Home is where the heart is.

contact

I'm always looking for new pen pals.
Please feel free to contact me.

email:
duane[at]leftfieldproject[dot]com
twitter:
www.twitter.com/duanefernandez
facebook:
www.facebook.com/duanefernandez
vimeo:
www.vimeo.com/leftfieldproject

About Me

Duane Fernandez is a student of his environment. Born from a Danish mother and Filipino father, Duane's diverse ethnic background towed him from his birthplace in Los Angeles, California to numerous corners of the world throughout the years. Guided by his travels abroad, Duane developed an appreciation for a diverse visual aesthetic, reflecting influences extracted from many different cultural environments. He spent most of his childhood and adolescence encountering hundreds of foreign cities and millions of indigenous people, but no one thing inspired him more than the streets of an urban metropolis.
It was through this exploration of the concrete landscape that he conceived his ideologies about life and formed his artistic sensibility. Skateboarding and graffiti cultures have influenced him most; elements of both can be found in every project with which Duane has ever been involved . These two areas were fueled by the untouchable graffiti artists he witnessed, and whose art inspired him in Copenhagen Denmark, and by the close friends he grew up skateboarding with in the streets of Los Angeles and Manila, Philippines.
Post-industrial, contemporary, modern design would take center stage for this young adult's vision. Once dreaming of becoming an archaeologist, Duane found himself broadening his interests, becoming his own archetype of the sociological anthropologist. Every path he followed and every decision he made has brought him to where he is today: a marketer, entrepreneur, painter, photographer, skateboarder, talker, manager, creator and student – coloring life in every sense.

Design
Duane Fernandez is the Creative Director for an international design studio Black Ops.
Black ops is a global design and innovation studio that works with clients to produce positive outcomes for people and organizations. The foundation of our work is human interaction and experience. We identify with a brand then build a product that is honest, engaging, inspiring, unique and memorable. It is our goal to create distinctive and inspired user experiences that are not forgotten. We build and facilitate creative strategies throughout industries and across media types. We create relationships.
www.blackopsstudio.com

Photography
Duane Fernandez has been shooting photos his entire life. What began as a way to document his travels and adventures lead to a successful professional career in publication. Duane has had the opportunity to photograph Elton John, Billy Joel, Pharrel, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney, Dave Mathews, Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Lil Wayne and many more.
Some of my favorite shots of 2009: here

Left Field Project
Duane Fernandez started Left Field Project in 2001. He set out on this journey to try and understand what makes people successful. With a series of interviews, Left Field Project captures what drives the world's most progressive designers, artists and creators. Left Field Project began as an inside look into the mechanics of inspiration, searching for what drives an individual to create. The end result was something far more fascinating.
www.leftfieldproject.com

it's britney

Last night was the big Britney Spears show in Tulsa. I'm kind of a huge Brit Brit fan if you didn't know... It was the most entertaining show I have ever been to. I think that was the overall consensus among the party goers. She is awesome.
The BOK Center commissioned me to design a gift for her. I was very excited about this. Britney Spears holding something I created?! WHAT? That's insane. Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and now Britney! Crazy...
When the BOK Center first commissioned me to design a gift for Elton John and Billy Joel, I had an idea to come up with a jewelry box. I asked Spexton to design the jewelry because their style is very similar to my own. I wanted to come up with something these artists haven't seen on tour. One of a kind pieces of art. For Britney, I went with the painted wooden jewelry box [above] and spoke to Spexton about putting together a bracelet for her. It came together very well. I didn't distress the wooden box as much as I usually do and I went with a very minimal concept this time. Including the portrait. I loved it.
Apparently Britney loved it too.
The box caught her eye.
She opened up the box and put the bracelet on.
She wore it the entire show:
F'ing surreal.
It's always incredible to see something that manifested in my brain come to fruition...

A west coast shower

Last weekend my friends on the west coast (geographically the best coast) threw us a wedding shower in Lake Havasu. It was a wonderful time. I'd like to thank everyone that was able to come out and partake in the festivities. Thank you so much... A special thanks to our Phoenix hosts: Matt and Kamie - We really appreciate you guys taking time out of your busy schedule to spend time with us. We'd like to thank the hosts of our wedding shower: Nate and Amy - we had so much fun in the LHC. It was one of the best weekends ever.
Thanks for being incredible guys.
Here are some photos of the weekend:
*This last one is of Jeff trying to make the greatest H.O.R.S.E. basketball shot of all time.
** And yes, that is Mudshark pizza, antipasti salad and burnt butter spaghetti.... OG style.

a yearish in photos

I have spent the last 6 hours organizing my imac and 4 hard drives. I moved 37,623 files from my imac to one of my new 1tb hd. It's so swick. Especially with the new fire wire ports. Yummie.
I came across a handful of photos over the last yearish that I wanted to share.
In yes particular order.

elvis costello

I've been working with Tulsa People to create a new concert component to their publication. I'll be selectively hand picking concerts every month from each of Tulsa finest venues and documenting them in a photo essay. The project just started and they are currently working on building out the online gallery. I thought I would share a couple photos from the first official show - Elvis Costello. [2 of the 14 images which will be in Tulsa People's gallery.]
Elvis Costello is solid. My best friend growing up in LA was/is a big fan so I was very familiar with his songs. He's got an incredible look. Love the glasses and the suit and the hat. The hat is so.... classic.