Shoot the Centerfold seminar 3 best yet; Top Playboy editors give expert advice

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“Remember, there is no ‘winging it’ in professional photography….” Playboy Centerfold photographer Arny Freytag stated clearly to the rapt crowd before him. I quickly glanced around the room and you could have heard a pin drop. A few squirmed in their chairs, perhaps recalling a previous moment or two back at their photo studio, thereby reminding themselves again why they had traveled from around the world to attend this event. It was the 3rd installment of the Shoot the Centerfold seminar, this time in Las Vegas, Nevada, from September 14 -16 and Bullz-Eye was there. Here, top photographers from around the world gathered to learn how to shoot centerfold-quality images from Playboy Magazine’s best shooters, and with three stunning and current Playboy Playmates as their subjects. The newly remodeled Tropicana Hotel once again was the featured showcase venue. Jarmo Pohjaniemi, Arny Freytag and David Mecey were the three keynote instructors and, for the first time, both editors Jeff Cohan and Gary Cole added editorial guidance to the photographers who attended the event.

The three ringleaders have honed their craft even more since the first Shoot the Centerfold event took place in Hollywood, Florida, at the Hard Rock Casino & Resort. As before, each had their own stunning glamour photo set, with flexible lighting change-ups to instruct the lensmen how to best capture beauty, figure and form.

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Bullz-Eye Parties It Up at the Playboy Mansion

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(Photo of the Bunnies courtesy of Marylou Coyle)

As a writer / editor with Bullz-Eye.com, I’ve seen and done some pretty amazing things, from traveling to Ireland solely for the purposes of sipping whiskey to watching Snoop Dogg blow up an armored car in the name of Mafia Wars, but even as jaded as I perhaps ought to be by this point in my career, I immediately turned into a 13-year-old boy again when I got the word that one of the first parties of this summer’s Television Critics Association press tour was going to be taking place at…the Playboy Mansion.

Given all the amount of hype it’s been receiving, it would be reasonable for you to presume that this was an event being thrown in conjunction with NBC’s new drama, “The Playboy Club,” which premieres this fall. In fact, the party came about through Playboy’s own network, Playboy TV, which made their TCA tour debut back in January, courting couples to watch their new programming. But while there’s little question that this evening’s goings-on resulted in plenty of journalists writing about their experiences – I’m living proof! – it must be said that, even though there were several TV screens running trailers for Playboy TV programs on a loop, the function ultimately did more to promote the Playboy brand name as a whole than the actual network. I did walk out of the event with screeners for a couple of Playboy TV's new shows, however, so you can expect a write-up on those at some point in the future.

For now, though, here's the big thing I'm here to write about: I went to the Playboy Mansion.

Was it everything that 13-year-old me had imagined it to be? Read on and find out...

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Shoot the Centerfold Photography Seminar a huge success

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“So I know you all are wondering how I got this job.” Arny Freytag knew it was the one question everyone in the standing room-only crowd really wanted to know. To be a Playboy photographer is a dream most men have had at one time or another in their lives, mostly starting at adolescence and never really leaving. To be like Arny, the most prolific and successful shooter of all the Playboy Playmate Centerfolds -- 146 girls and counting -- is beyond imagination for even the most bold Walter Mitty types in the audience seated before him. Lucky for them, this was the first of many seminars aimed at the amateur, semi-pro, or career professional who has always wanted to experience how centerfolds are shot and created. The premiere of the Shoot the Centerfold Photography Seminar took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida this past January 30.

Three seasoned Playboy centerfold photographers are your personal instructors at Shoot the Centerfold: Arny Freytag, David Mecey and Jarmo Pohjaniemi. These gifted glamour photographers are offering for the first time an opportunity to attend instructional tutorials on how their world renowned images are created. Arguably even better, they then allow you to step in and use their lighting set-ups to shoot lingerie clad models! We at Bullz-Eye knew this was an opportunity that should not be missed. Each instructor had a beautiful model waiting for your camera and instruction. Arny brought his “favorite Centerfold” of 2010, the painfully fresh Kyra Milan, to be his model on set. Through his highly informative and well-paced instructional session, it allowed the photographers in attendance to create near centerfold perfect images of a current playmate for their own portfolios, or for their own personal bragging rights for the rest of their lives!

The seminar started at 9 am with an amazing slide show of some of the most unforgettable images ever put on film of the classic girl next door nude. Imagine three top Playboy centerfold photographers, all putting their personal favorites together for a one of a kind photo presentation. It was so enjoyable to watch one impossibly stunning image after another. Classic Playboy images were accompanied by revealing behind-the-scenes comments from the photographers themselves, revealing what it was like to shoot the likes of Anna Nicole Smith, Cindy Crawford or Carmen Electra. The morning session was visually remarkable, but that was just the beginning.

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The Playboy Cover-to-Cover Hard Drive

Practically every guy enjoys Playboy magazine whether they subscribe or not, and old issues are treated differently than those of other magazines. We don’t want to throw them out, particularly those with our favorite Playmates. So collectors and even casual fans have boxes of old issues in their closets and garages.

Now Bondi Digital Publishing has come out with a product that every Playboy fan will love – a USB portable device that gives users immediate access on their computer to every issue from that first iconic Playboy featuring Marilyn Monroe in December 1953, all the way to the December 2009 edition featuring Chelsea Handler– and every issue, award-winning article and advertisement in between. There are over 650 issues and more than 100,000 pages covering a span of 56 years. As for adding content after 2009, a decision hasn’t been made yet on whether that will be offered, though the device can be easily updated.

The Playboy Cover-to-Cover Hard Drive is pocket-sized and very easy to use, and it’s fun to browse through all the old magazines. Naturally the pictorials will be the most popular – some of our favorites include Cathy St. George from 1982 and Christina Leardini from 1991. But Playboy has always been an influential magazine as well as Hugh Hefner featured some of the best writers of the past 50 years from Norman Mailer to Tom Wolfe. The interviews are excellent as well with an incredible variety of subjects from Steve Jobs to Jimmy Carter to Brett Favre. The software makes it easy to find items through a robust search feature, and it’s easy to browse old issues as well. We found a couple of minor glitches, but representatives from Bondi explained that updates and fixes could be downloaded seamlessly.

Priced at $299.95 this isn’t an inexpensive item, but there’s a ton of value packed into this device. Collectors will love it, along with casual fans as well.

  

Playmates show off after the Palm Springs Playboy Golf Scramble

Each November, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in the Palm Springs, CA area hosts the annual Palm Springs Playboy Golf Scramble. This past weekend, the San Diego Playboy Golf Scramble was held. Following that, lots of Fantasy Springs VIP casino players (who also played in the San Diego tournament), the four Playboy Playmates and dozens of Girls of Playboy Golf from the San Diego event rode a party bus for the weekend afterparty at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. On Saturday night, the resort held a private VIP party in its picturesque 12th Floor Wine Bar. The four Playmates in attendance are also members of the Playboy Dancers and treated the audience to an impromptu routine.

Many casino players and many Girls of Playboy Golf spent the night at the luxurious resort. The next day, they lounged at the pool and expansive sundeck and noshed on some great food.