The Olympia Is Only A Few Days Away

The biggest name in professional bodybuilding competitions is the Olympia in Las Vegas coming up on September 28 through October 1st. SecondFocus will be there on assignment. And to commerate the Olympia this year, Bodybuilding.com, the worlds largest bodybuilding and fitness resource, has designed free downloadable computer wallpaper using images from SecondFocus. You can download the series and there is more to come at Bodybuilding.com.

And also in Las Vegas, SecondFocus will be the photographer for two seperate weddings immediately following the Olympia. Bob Cicherillo, the face and voice of professional bodybuilding is getting married. And Jessica Paxson, one of the most beautiful and fastest rising stars in professional figure competition is getting married. This will be one big special Olympia event.

Arnold At Muscle Beach

When the population of the world thinks of bodybuilding they think of two things, Arnold and "Muscle Beach". Did you know that Arnold is perhaps the most recognizable public figure ever on the face of the earth only second to Mickey Mouse? And did you know that Venice Beach, home to "Muscle Beach", is one most popular tourist destinations in the world right up there with Las Vegas, Disneyland and the Vatican? Well put those together on the last holiday weekend of the summer and what do you get, thousands of people crowded in to see it all. And you get newspaper, television and radio coverage rivaling a presidential visit. And SecondFocus was there on assignment.

Lots of events took place on this Labor Day 2006 for the "Muscle Beach Championship" bodybuilding competition, but the big event was going to be Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger personally handing the Muscle Beach Lifetime Achievement Award to his old friend, the man who gave him his start, Joe Weider. I don't think we can spend a lot of time going over the biography of Joe Weider, but just to sum it up, Joe and his brother Ben are certainly the fathers of every part of the sport of bodybuilding.

Rocky Rocky Rocky!

No, not that Rocky... This is Rocky Randall and SecondFocus was lucky enough to focus a camera or two on Rocky for her recent feature in Desert Entertainer Magazine. Rocky may look familiar to you because millions and millions of people have seen her not that long ago on such famous television series such as "Cannon", "Simon and Simon", "The Incredible Hulk", "Magnum P.I.", "Remington Steele" and "Murphy's Law". And that is only a small part of Rocky's very impressive resume.

Anyway, Rocky is a knockout jazz and swing singer appearing in the desert resort areas of Palm Springs CA. And qualified she is with a great voice, personality and the experience that includes even recording and singing with Henry Mancini. Rocky Rocky Rocky!

SecondFocus At The Europa Super Show

The Europa Super Show and Sports Expo in Arlington, Texas on August 25th & 26th drew crowds of thousands to watch professional bodybuilders, figure competitors and fitness athletes at the top of their sport. SecondFocus was there on assignment to shoot the photographs of these athletes at their best, many of them only a few weeks out from competing at the coveted Olympia coming up in Las Vegas at the end of September. Photos from the event are part of the ongoing show coverage at Bodybuilding.com, the world's largest resource in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness. Computer wallpaper of the SecondFocus photographs such as these displayed here may be be downloaded for free also on Bodybuilding.com.

SecondFocus Featured on AltPick

Today, SecondFocus is featured on AltPick. AltPick is one of the foremost sources of creative talent and information online. AltPick is also publisher of Alt Pick Magazine, the Alternative Book and sponsor of the annual AltPick Awards.

AltPick.com "is designed to help the viewer, whether you are an art director, art buyer, photo editor or creative director looking for talent to shoot, illustrate or animate a project to an artist looking to promote to this viewer base. Altpick.com reaches the viewers in the industry that are cutting edge and dynamic and it's artist members represent the freshest talent in the creative community."

Thank You AltPick!

Traveling and Getting Around

A little extra time spent in each location when traveling can result in time saved later and some interesting experiences. I am always looking for new locations for shooting and stock images or out and about for one business reason or another. Here are two photos from my many trips in July. Red Rock Canyon is a great shooting location and only 17 miles from the Las Vegas strip. Central Park is an oasis in great contrast to the bustling city around it. On this day it was a place of serenity while not far away a day time concert sent sounds of music down Fifth Avenue for many blocks. Watch for more photos from SecondFocus as I get around for advertising and commercial shoots, more assignments and even a few weddings and other special events.

Born In The USA

Well that is the USA Bodybuilding and Figure Championships held at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. And it is amateurs in the sport who are born in the USA when they earn their pro card at this competition. SecondFocus was there on assignment as 347 athletes competed over two days in mens and womens bodybuilding and womens figure. In the end 9 athletes earned new pro status. And the big winner was Omar Deckard who won the men's overall championship. Omar is a competitor in the super heavy weight class.