John Hafner’s Blog

Well, I did it … I said good-bye to my cubicle and hello to full-time freelance work … sort of. As of today, I’m on contract with Hoyt, working from home and devoting much more time to my other clients. I’ll still be doing photography, Web editing, writing and PR for Hoyt, but from my home office. When not working on Hoyt projects, I’ll be traveling and shooting pics for several magazines and manufacturers. This transition has been in the works for a while … I just didn’t think it would happen this soon. But God has opened some exciting doors, and after much prayer and planning, I knew it was time to take the plunge. Thanks to Hoyt and all my clients for making this happen. I’m truly grateful. And I plan to hit the ground running. My first trip is a six-day shoot in Kansas with Michael Waddell and his crew, followed by a trip home to PA to shoot catalog pics for a few clients. After that, I’m off to Iowa to photograph whitetails for about a week … followed by a run to Montana to visit with friends and shoot a few more assignments. Can’t wait to hit the road, see old friends and shoot a lot of pics! Stay tuned for updates from the road. In the meantime, here are a few recent bowhunting pics, and a shot of Chloe, the newest member of the Hafner pack.             

We woke up to cold temps, high winds and snow today, and the cold weather got me pumped up to head out and shoot some new pics. My friend Eliot was willing to brave the cold temps and do some modeling, so we loaded up the Advantage MAX-1 gear and headed out. MAX-1 is the perfect camo pattern for this part of Utah … it blends perfectly with the sage. I hope to head out tomorrow and do another shoot. We still have some good fall color, but with the wind and cold temps, it won’t last much longer. So many pics to shoot, so little time …                                      

For me, the hardest part of being a photographer is putting down the camera and making time to organize my files. I just want to be out there creating new images, but without a way to keep everything organized, my files can quickly get out of control. So this morning - before I head out to take some pics of our first snowfall of the season - I’m stepping away from my Nikon and doing some much-needed housekeeping. And in the process, I thought I’d post a mixed bag of pics I’ve shot over the past year or so. Some of these have been in ads, catalogs and magazines, others are just personal favorites for one reason or another.                                                    

I meant to upload some new pics a while ago, but life has been busier than ever. The fall color in Utah is incredible right now, and I’m scrambling to shoot as many pics as possible before the leaves drop. Seems like fall never lasts long enough. And between photo shoots and copy writing for the ‘09 Hoyt catalog and a string of freelance assignments, I’ve been on the move quite a bit lately. Over the past several weeks, I’ve shot two catalog covers for Cabela’s, an assignment for Sitka, a catalog shoot for McKenzie, a series of fly fishing pics, and had pics published in Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Gun Dog, North American Hunter, Turkey Call, Turkey & Turkey Hunting and Deer & Deer Hunting. Lots of great opportunities and blessings, no doubt.Looks like the next few weeks will be just as busy … I’m shooting an elk hunt next weekend and I have assignments in the works for Realtree, Scent Blocker, TRU-GLO, Wildlife Research Center, GSM and other clients … and hopefully my wife and I and our Golden Retriever/office manager, Shiley, will make a run to Yellowstone to photograph elk. It looks like I’ll be shooting in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Texas.Stay tuned for more pics … hopefully it won’t be another two months before my next blog post!                                               

It’s been a while since my last blog post … it’s not that I don’t have anything going on … quite the opposite! Life has been hectic lately, with lots of photo shoots, assignments and deadlines. My most recent shoot was something different for me. Mossberg asked me to shoot some tactical images at Blackwater in Moyock, NC. What a cool place - and what a change of pace from the hunting and other outdoor images I typically shoot.Blackwater provides self-defense, survival and firearms training for citizens and law enforcement. Their facility in NC is high-tech and very impressive. Their motto is “train hard or don’t train at all!”, and it didn’t take long to see that they’re not joking. Those guys are hardcore. It was a great opportunity to shoot some images for Mossberg. I spent two days at a rifle range, in a helicopter and on a driving course … and I had a ton of fun capturing documentary and other photos. Here’s a collection of some of my favorite pics from the shoot. These images will be used for Mossberg’s ads, Website and other tactical campaign materials.                                                   

It has been an exciting week … I’d been getting by with the same old camera and accessories, but not anymore. My studio is now equipped with a Macbook Pro, a new Nikon D300, and lots of lighting accessories … flashes, umbrellas, light stands, gels, reflectors and other various essentials. To say I’m riding a creative high would be an understatement. I can’t wait to use all this new gear on some upcoming assignments. I’m not sure how I got anything done before I bought the Macbook Pro … what an awesome machine. I did a little field testing with some of the new gear this weekend. I went fly fishing with a friend at Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, and I took some bowhunting and turkey hunting shots of my wife. The D300 and new lighting gear allow me to get really creative with how I light my shots. Can’t wait to get to work for my clients and give their images a whole new look. Here are a few of my favorite pics from this weekend’s road trips …                                             

I’ve cranked out four photo shoots over the past five days. Long days, fast food, sweet light, very little sleep and lots of miles logged have been the norm. And it’s been great. I shot more pics at Rosewood Retrievers and I shot an assignment for GSM … GSM’s art director wanted more outdoor lifestyle images of models using the EPIC - a really cool, really small video/still camera that can be mounted to hats, helmets, handlebars, etc. It’s an innovative camera that makes it easy to record all sorts of outdoor adventures. My images will help drive the EPIC’s print campaign and Website.Here’s a mixed bag of all the pics I’ve shot since my last blog post …                                                 

 Now that turkey season is over with, it’s time to switch gears and focus on other types of pics. My wife and I spent a few hours over the weekend with Ron & Virginia Erickson of Rosewood Retrievers. They have a great facility in Grantsville, Utah, and they’ve been gracious enough to give me access to their dogs and property for my photo shoots. This was my second shoot with  them, and the fact that they had a bunch of puppies running around this time made the shoot all the more fun. It’s really tough to photograph puppies … they rarely cooperate for the camera …but we had a great time, and I was able to get some pretty good pics. Here are a few samples of what I shot …                                                                                                                                                                                 

Here are some other pics I haven’t had a chance to post until now. Back in April, my wife and I had a chance to head back home to PA and NY to visit our families. While there, I shot two assignments for Ameristep and GSM. Ameristep makes some of the best blinds and treestands out there, and GSM makes a wide range of cutting-edge trail cams, headlamps, LEDs, and other products - including Walker’s Game Ears. It was a fast and furious shoot … I had lots of products to shoot and only a few days to get it all done. My models were a couple friends from back home, so it was great to see them again and get them in front of the camera. Once all the pics were shot, I found a few hours to chase turkeys … let’s just say the pics turned out way better than the hunt. I threw some lead at a big gobbler, made him dance a little bit, and watched him run away. Thank goodness I was able to redeem myself in Wyoming last week. Here’s a series of pics that will soon be featured in Ameristep and GSM’s ads, catalogs, etc …                                              

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do a shoot for Hoyt with Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo. The hosts of the hugely popular “Archer’s Choice” and “The Choice” shows on The Outdoor Channel, Ralph and Vicki are Hoyt Pro Staffers … and they’re two of the nicest people I’ve ever had the privilege to photograph.  I first met and photographed them a few years ago when I was working at Realtree. It was great to spend some time with them again. Their easy-going, fun-loving nature has made them a fan favorite in the hunting industry, and their passion for shooting dramatic, entertaining footage has made them a leader in outdoor video production. Check out their Website at www.archerschoicemedia.com. Here are a few pics from our shoot …