My photos from the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers are featured on the cover of the Style section today in the Washington Post. Pick it up, or check it out online.

As my Viral Video/Infomercial is rocketing it way through the Internets and Blogospheres, Jon Thorpe, a Canadian Wedding Photographer, wrote a jingle response to my jingle. Can I say how much I love the Internet, and the I Am T-Pain IPhone App? Can I say how much I love America, and now Canada?

Last week I had the chance to be a part of Charlottesville Help Portrait, where photographers offered free portraits to families for the holidays. I did not know what to expect, but ended up having a great time, met a lot of cool photographers, and got my heart warmed by some families that had never had their portrait taken. It was wonderful.

I made a short video of the experience. I hope you enjoy it.

Last Thursday, about a dozen kids from Charlottesville showed up to Jerk, a dance that people my age don’t know anything about. After some major blood, sweat, tears, and masking tape, we had the perfect set up for a Charlottesville High School dance promotion. Ten foot rolls of paper, strung from floor to ceiling. Unfortunately, by beautiful, expensive set lasted all of 10 seconds when their spirited dancing ripped it to shreds. After removing the paper remnants, we shot the video in my bare studio. The energy they brought was awe inspiring, and I am very pleased with the results. My 3 year old son and I are going to try and learn Jerkin’. Wish my knees luck.

I have decided to teach a weekend workshop. This 2 day intensive class will focus on lighting, model report, digital workflow, and making a living as a photographer. I will open my studio and show the techniques and equipment I use to achieve my imagery, and guide students through real photoshoots with the real problems that arise on the job. The class is for advanced amateurs and professionals, and space is limited to 10 people, so sign up soon if you want to come.

Billy Hunt Advanced Photography Workshop
January 30 and 31, 2010
Charlottesville, VA
Cost before December 1, 2009: $250
Cost after December 1, 2009, $350

Contact jessica@billyhunt.com if you are interested in signing up.

Photo by Will May

Also, I plan on offering a beginner class in the spring if there is interest.

I have a photograph in this month’s Bridge PAI exhibition. Come check it out if you get a chance.

This October, The Bridge will host an entire month of programs and events devoted to the themes of FOOD, FARM, and ANIMALS. In the Gallery: A group exhibition showcasing a number of regional, national and international artists on the Harvest themes. At the space and around town: Events ranging from workshops and talks to film screenings, slow food brunches and more. The Goal: To educate and inspire audiences to learn more about the many issues facing food, farms and animals in our local community and beyond.

Recently I had the opportunity to collaborate on a commercial for the Live Arts Gala. I think it came out really well, and really appreciate the experience of working with such smart, creative people. Serena Gruia, Matt Thomas, Hilty Hazzard, Jessica Priest, Wistar Murray, Zach Snider, Karen Thomas, Brian Wimer, and Wes Webb all helped.

We ended up doing a stop action movie, without stopping the action. I put my camera on a tripod with the motordrive taking tons of still images, and all the puppeteers moved everything around in the studio. Later we cropped, color corrected, and sized down, and assembled more then 600, 22 megapixel images to match the storyboard. Why do it this way? Because we are bananas!

Hope you like it.

My book on the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers, “A CLAW to Remember:The 2008 Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers Retrospective” is an honorable mention in this years Photography Book Now international photobook competition. This is a big deal. Out of 2400 entries, my book was selected as one of the best by jurors including representatives from Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and Blindspot Magazine, in addition to sweet sweet Platon. If It couldn’t get any cooler, my good friend Jon-Phillip Sheridan is also in the show. He and I are going to roll up to the opening in New York, and show them how we do it down here in Charlottesville.

What should I wear?

Thanks again to Harvest Moon Catering, Abrakadabra, Monkeyclaus, and The Blue Moon Diner. Also, thanks to Wistar Murray for writing and editing. Alloy Workshop for design, Will May for conceptual vision, Jennifer Tidwell for being amazing, and my wife Jocelyn and son William for everything else. You all are wonderful.

And of course, thanks to the women of CLAW. You are beautiful, sexy snowflakes, and I love you all.

Buy the Book:

A CLAW to Reme…

The 2008 Charlotte…

By Billy Hunt

I had the pleasure to be a part of the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLAW) Reunion this past weekend. Last year I photographed the event exhaustively, and I was concerned that any work I did this year would be redundant. So, for a change of pace, I decided to set up a simple studio and capture some of the characters who ambled by. I think the stark, simple look of the black and white images is a nice juxtaposition to my previous work. I hope you like it.

Also, doesn’t my wife Jocelyn look hot? I am so proud of her for being a part of Bridezilla’s entourage.

One of my Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers photographs is in a juried show in Richmond at Artspace this summer. Last weekend, Jocelyn, William and I went to check it out. It was a really cool exhibit, and a great space to show work.