Bodybuilders Get Married Too!

And on October 1st right after the biggest professional bodybuildng event of the year, the Olympia in Las Vegas, two seperate weddings took place and SecondFocus was the wedding photographer for both of them. Coinicidently both of them were scheduled to be at Caesar's Palace which seems very fitting being both an opulent and huge location while at the same time elegantly comfortable.




SecondFocus was already in Las Vegas for the Olympia and these two weddings were on day six of a what was a marathon of photography. But two weddings and receptions in one day would be too much for just one photographer so SecondFocus second shooter, Nancy Nimmons came in from Southern California to help out. And SecondFocus makeup artist and hairstylist, Matthew Emrick also came in to do makeup and hair for the women of the wedding parties and to provide that extra assistance.














The Caesar's Palace wedding planners were very accomodating and helpful in making sure that everything ran smoothly. And of course at Caesar's you can always plan on the extra guests to add the right touch of atmosphere.

















The first wedding was Bob & Tocha. Bob Cicherillo is one of the most famous personalities in professional bodybuilding. He is a very successful bodybuilder having just won the Masters World Championship and Bob is also one of the most famous voices in the business as the emcee of many competitions including the Olympia and the very successful Pro BodyBuilding Weekly Radio.















And then we had the marriage of Jessica Paxson and Peter Putnam. Peter is a rising star in bodybuilding making his way on the competiton schedules around the country and appearing in the major magazines. Jessica has already risen to the rank of professional in womens figure competition. And the night before appeared on the Olympia stage.

And what did everyone think of the wedding photography by SecondFocus? Well to quote Tocha; "You are the best Ian. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much we appreciate you and your work." "You were so right about the way you two work together and create magic. I was so impressed by how you were able to capture such genuine looks and reactions from everyone. I am not a fan of "smiling" for the camera. I love your style of catching eyes and facial features that could NEVER be seen in a normal posed shot. Its true talent!" Thank You Tocha, this was a great way to finish up the Olympia weekend for everyone.

Business a little slow?

I have been getting a number of calls from companies that have decided that perhaps using some new, more interesting and unique photos might be a good idea. Running the same ads that you have been running and which look very much like all the other ads might not be the best idea. As a matter of fact, it might just be a little crazy and a waste of money. So give me a call or send me an e-mail and maybe we can come up with something better before you wonder what happened to all those customers. Photo by SecondFocus 2006, Salton Sea CA.

The Big O

As in the Olympia, one of the two biggest bodybuilding events in the world. SecondFocus was there on assignment and again my photos are the major coverage on Bodybuilding.com, the largest bodybuilding and fitness resource in the world. The big news at this Olympia was the upset of 8 time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman by perpetual second place winner Jay Cutler. I can only describe the crowd reaction to the announcement of the new Mr. Olympia as thunderous.

My assignment was to cover all of the events of the Olympia from Thursday through Saturday night but also to upload them for almost instant coverage. I don't have the numbers at the moment but it is likely that my photos were viewed by almost a million people, millions of times through Monday.

Now it may come as a surprise but bodybuilders and figure competitors get married too. And I was selected as the wedding photographer for two of them. The star face and voice of bodybuilding, Bob Cicherillo tied the knot on Sunday at Caesar's Palace to be followed only a few hours later by one of professional figure competitor's rising stars and most beautiful, Jessica Paxson. I was assisted by my second wedding shooter, Nancy Nimmons, and my makeup artist, Matthew Emrick. Without them I don't know how I would have made it though both weddings and the receptions. But don't tell anyone but we had a lot of fun being a part of so much over those six days. Watch here for most posts from the Olympia and maybe a few photos from the weddings. Thanks!