Billy Mays

As if this past week wasn't sad enough by the great great loss of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon, I got word this morning from my assistant Charlie that Billy Mays passed away at his house in Tampa Fl at age 50.

Back in September of 2008, I was fortunate enough to meet and photograph Billy Mays on a cover assignment for Orlando Weekly. Upon driving up to his 8,000 square foot mansion in Odessa, FL, I vividly remember being greeted by Billy. He was wearing his television blue button up shirt with Khaki pants, his facial beard was intact and a genuine smile accompanied a welcoming handshake..

Billy welcomed us in, and proceeded to show us around. He was a true car nut. In his 4-car garage, he was proud to show off his black 550hp Bentley Coupe, Mercedes GL450 and Escalade. When I asked if I could get a portrait of him with the Bentley, he was happy to oblige. He grabbed a spray bottle of Simoniz and posed for the camera. In the house, he had a game room that was dedicated to racing memorabilia and pictures of famous people he had met throughout his career. While walking through his laundry room, I decided it would be the ideal cover location. What could be better than a portrait of Billy a holding a few of his household cleaning products in his ACTUAL laundry room with crazy-patterned wallpaper behind him? It was perfect.

During the interview with Billy Manes (the writer and dear friend), I sat down to listen the real story behind the infamous infomercial star. I learned that Billy was a genuinely down-to-earth guy with a strong core of family and religious values. He came from humble beginnings that still radiated in who he was as a person, even as a millionare. He truly believed in all of those crazy products that he sold on TV. If you've ever tried Oxyclean, then you, too, know the stuff actually does work!! Billy openly admitted that he spends a lot of money, but also made a lot. I vividly remember him telling us that he needed to bring in $50,000 a month just to cover his overhead, and the mansion alone cost him $20,000 a month to live in!

From my one encounter with Billy, I was overwhelmed by his warmth and hospitality. In the few hours I spent at his home, it dawned on me that it was not his quirky infomercials that made his products sell, it was him. His larger than life personality that was there even when the cameras weren't rolling. It was his ability to make you feel like you were his friend from the moment he shook your hand. His passion was contagious in every aspect of who he was.

Here are some images from my assignment:

Please note all images are copyrighted©2009 Carlos Amoedo Photography

Playground Magazine shoot

This was my first time working with the PLAYGROUND Magazine crew. What a cool group of girls.

The shoot itself was complex, to say the least. I had three detailed sets to work through and direct. The first two went off without any major problems, but the third and final set of the day proved to be quite challenging. It was my first time working with 2 1/2 year old triplets on an editorial shoot.

The images below are what we came up with. The behind-the-scenes production shot (with the frog on my head) is from the last set with the triplets.

June 2009 Drink Guide

I find it interesting when I'm asked to photograph a DJ or nightclub assignment.
It could have something to do with the fact that its been nearly a decade since my
days of shooting DJ's..

Recently I was asked to shoot DJ Walgee, Pauly and BMF for an Orlando Weekly Drink Guide
cover assignment.

This is what I came up with..

Liv's first day at the pool

Our good friends Tara and Greg invited us to their condo in New Smyrna Beach this past weekend. With things running
so hectic around here we were thrilled to get away for an overnighter with some good friends.

We arrived Saturday night, ordered some gourmet pizza, drank some of Tara's homemade Sangria and had some laughs. Later that night we witnessed the Magic tear their way into the Playoffs. I'm not usually a basketball fan but I must say the Eastern playoffs have been addicting to say the least.

Sunday morning we woke up early, grabbed some breakfast at a locals diner and later hit the pool. Olivia's official first pool experience was entertaining to say the least. I can't begin to imagine what was running thru her little mind staring at that vast amount of water when all she's ever known is her bathtub. The first few tries proved unsuccessful and all I got was a pout lip. After 4 or 5 tries and mommy's persuasiveness we started getting somewhere. In the end it was all smiles. Great weekend!

Here are some pix