Katchlight - Photography by Mike Long » Pindora’s Box

Pin-Up-A-Looza, coming to a city near you

MikeLong — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:58:01 +0000

I’m about to embark on my Pin-Up-A-Looza tour with Sandy Puc – heading to a city near you. If you want to learn the secrets behind my pin-up business, then book your spot NOW!!

Head over to:

Sandy Puc Tours

for tickets.

Announcing Pinned-Up Motor City

MikeLong — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:49:40 +0000

Ok folks. We tried to get a Detroit date for the Pin-Up-A-Looza, but it just couldn’t happen. At the same time I’ve also been putting together a date for a full on two-day workshop….and here it is! Also, this is as close to Canada as I’m getting for a while!

Motor City!

November 12th and 13th 2011

Detroit, MI

$299 per person early bird registration

($349 per person after 9/30/11)

What is Pinned-Up?

Pinned-Up is a two-day, intensive and hands-on photography and retouching workshop. Aimed at both amateur and professional photographers. However, please note that this workshop assumes that you have basic knowledge of a dSLR camera and a sound understanding of Adobe Photoshop. Pinned-Up workshops translate to all genres of photography and will benefit amateurs and professionals alike.

What will I learn?

Live Model Shoots
Hands-on Posing Instruction
Lighting Instruction
How to Promote and market Pin-Up photography
How to Create that “Pin-up” look and feel.
Hands-on Coaching, and
Unbelievably intensive Photoshop Demonstration and Training
Learn the post-production secrets from a 20+ yr retouching master

Bonus!

All registrants receive Mike Long’s Pin-Up Posing guide.

About Mike Long

Thank you for taking the time to read this far! I’ve been a photographer and retoucher for over 20 years. My passion is to create art that stimulates the mind and creates emotion. I believe that pin-ups stir the soul and they have been my focus for a number of years. I hope to transfer some of my enthusisam for them to those attending. In the last few years, pin-ups have taken me around the World and on tour across America with the amazing Sandy Puc.

Don’t eat the apple…

MikeLong — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:47:02 +0000

This is Shannon. She came to my studio for a pin-up session recently and we created some awesome portraits!! This one though, stood out as one of my favorites.

She had an idea for a good girl / bad girl, and I ran with it.

All images on this site are © Mike Long 2011. Considerable time, effort and skill was spent creating these artworks…please do not steal my work.

More birthday teasing…

MikeLong — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:52:16 +0000

The 2nd of my surprise birthday portraits!! Hmmm….wonder what could be coming next!! Again, thanks to Kelly Scaccia for being behind the camera!

Self Portrait

MikeLong — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:45:55 +0000

Yup – waiting for a client again recently I had another go at a self portrait. This then, is the chief cook and bottle washer, head honcho, and general dogsbody at Katchlight and Portland Pin-Ups. Yours truly….

Recent workshop portraits – Portland Pin-up photography

MikeLong — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:50:52 +0000

I’m a little behind with my retouching for my lovely and amazing models from my workshops last year!! Sorry girls…I’m catching up, slowly. Here are 3 from my Sydney, Australia workshop, one each of Shereen, Kylie and Nicole.

The Queen – this one has me thinking about a whole new project!!!

Stay tuned…..

I’ve been pinned by Animoto!

MikeLong — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:17:35 +0000

Regular readers will know that I LOVE Animoto – and I also have a little history with the company. In 2009 I shot Sandy Puc for an ad for Animoto, and they have also supported my Pinned-Up workshops!

Recently, the Animoto crew asked for a portrait of me, in my very own Animoto shirt, for use in their promo…
I *HATE* being in front of the camera…so this was fairly tortuous! While in Australia, I asked my friend Natalie Howe to do the honors and shoot my portrait…but jet lag and overwork meant I was just too damn tired! So while in Denver recently, I asked Sandy Puc to trip the shutter. I then set to work creating the final portrait for Animoto…and here it is!!

Mike Long Animoto

Sandy Puc’ – skydiving in a wedding dress

MikeLong — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:32:35 +0000

Another shot working with the great and awesome Sandy Puc’! This is for a promo for SmugMug. It was tough hanging on to my camera while plummeting to Earth at terminal velocity…

Ok – so that’s not how we did this! Sandy went to SkyVenture Colorado with her crew, and under my instruction shot the base images needed for this. I then spent the whole weekend chained to my Mac to piece it all together! This final image will be used for SmugMug promotion and should be on display at WPPI in a giant backlit display!

Portland Commercial Photography

MikeLong — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:34:16 +0000

My updates have been very few and far between this year – sorry folks! I’ve been a busy boy in December… You may remember that last year I was flown to Denver to shoot the awesome Sandy Puc’ for her Animoto ad, and also for her 2010 tour posters…the pirate shot below. I also shot her 2011 tour poster for the upcoming show with Jerry Ghionis.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited back to Sandy’s studio in Denver for a two day marathon shoot where we started the process of creating a few new tour posters. This was great fun and her staff broadcast the whole thing live on the net! We shot Jared Abrams for his 2011 tour, Jack Davis for his 2012 tour. These posters will be released soon!! Finally, we shot ME!! For MY 2011 tour which is scheduled for September and October. I’m going to be presenting ‘Pin-Up-Alooza’… a fun extravaganza of live pin-up shoots, post production and marketing..coming to a city near you! Tickets go on sale soon, and the website for that will be live early January. The poster is finished, but you can’t see it yet. Here’s a sneak peak at me in make-up though!

Me, dressed, make up and ready to rock….

Sandy Puc’s 2010 Animoto ad, shot and retouched by Mike Long

Sandy Puc’ 2010 Tour poster, shot and retouched by Mike Long

Sandy Puc’ and Jerry Ghionis 2011 Tour poster, shot and retouched by Mike Long

Pinned Up Downunder fun!

MikeLong — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 03:27:31 +0000

This year, my Pinned-Up workshops have taken me to Canada 3 times, to Chicago, LA, New York….and now, to Australia!

I recently flew down-under for to present a couple of workshops, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney! It was a whirlwind trip with virtually no time to enjoy the great country, but all the people I met were awesome!

Melbourne was the first stop, and I had all of one afternoon to explore the city – complete with massive jetlag! After a great workshop, it was off to Sydney where my friend, and great photographer, Natalie Howe and her family took me on a whistlestop tour of downtown, before heading a little further out. The workshop was back in Sydney but again, not really anytime to explore.

Here are a couple of quick videos of my time there, and some of the images so far…not many of the models worked yet…