Blair Bunting Photographs The Mythbusters for Discovery Channel

In what was the schedule from hell that was February, I returned to San Fransisco to photograph the Mythbusters for a second time.  Like walking through a weird dream, M5 Industries (Mythbuster’s HQ) is filled with props from shows past, from fried crash test dummies, to boats that have been cut in half, to crossbows made from underwear, this place is odd to say the least.  After 5 minutes your immersion in to the MB layer becomes all encompassing and you are numbed to the oddities that surround you.  The line, “hey can you hand me the claymore sword sitting on top of the ejection seat next to the glass pains shattered by the dead chickens?” becomes the norm.

In a month filled with athletic wear campaigns one after another, it was nice to photograph someone my height for a change.  Choosing to make the set on top of the roof again was a no brainer as San Fransisco gave us a rare cloudless day and a low sun on the horizon provided the flare I need to counter my key and negate any kickers. All the Mythbusters were great as always, but one stood out yet again….. Adam.  Crazy as ever, I didn’t need to do any posing, but just say, “here is where focus is pulled,” and let him step into the image.  His personality is always pronounced and this photoshoot was no exception. After all, how many people have you met for the first time while they were riding on a 5 foot tall unicycle?

My only regret is not having a schedule that allowed me to stay in San Fransisco longer as I didn’t even get 24 hours before having to depart to Las Vegas, one stop away from returning home after a month away.  The road has taught me many things that I take for granted in my life at home.  With the givens such as friends and family, things like my shower, going to church on Sunday, not having to have GPS, and not having to buy another Xbox every time you know you will be in a hotel for an extended period of time.  Above all the hardest thing about a month long photo schedule is telling my wife good night over the phone and only seeing my pup through camera phone pics.  While I could say that I took two months out of my life traveling for photos this year, reflection on years like 2009 contextualize the circumstances I face, and I find embracing the ebb and flow of this job much easier.

So with that, a thank you to the guys that helped me on set, and to the readers, a random pic with me in front of the lens.

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