Guns & Girls: A BTSV Of Magpul's 2014 Calendar

Be it with a camera or with a gun, a girl who shoots is unquestionably sexy. So what's that make talented commercial fashion photographer Dixie Dixon as she takes on the role of Director of photography for Magpul's 2014 Calendar? Hot, no doubt, but more importantly she adds professionalism and class to a genre that is traditionaly little more than string bikinis and thongs. Dixie's sophistication and style is a refreshing departure from a genre typically shot far too often through the male lens.

I'm a fan of Magpul, their products, their values and now their calendar. Well done guys, you even taught your models trigger awareness.
[Magpul]
“For this year's calendar we opened up the armory and hired best in the fashion industry to push the boundaries a bit of what is expected for a Magpul Calendar.

To be honest we weren't too sure how it was going to turn out, but as the photo shoot progressed we started to realize that this calendar was something special.

The guns looked good and the girls looked great, but there was a sophistication to the photography that had broad appeal beyond the regular "girls with guns" calendars we had done in the past.

From a gritty warehouse shot is a shady part of town with the Ronin Motorcycle to an ultra modern house with backlit plastic walls, all the photographs were shot on location. No studio shots with added backgrounds were used in this Calendar.

Even the cover photo, our model, wearing a designer dress while holding a vintage 1921 Colt Thompson sub machine gun, actually walked down a closed off downtown Dallas street to get the shot.

The result is a calendar with some unexpected visual and artistic elements exhibiting the Magpul touch, presented in a package with broad appeal with timeless iconic photography.

Part Art, Part Calendar, All Magpul

2014 Magpul (12 Month) Calendar preorders will start shipping Nov 14, 2013

This year a portion of the proceeds from the calendar will go to the USMC Reconnaissance Foundation. The foundation provides assistance to wounded Reconnaissance Marines and Marine Reconnaissance families. Last year's calendar raised over $20,000 for charity. We hope to far exceed that amount this year.”-Magpul-

[DixieDixon]
Follow Dixie's exploits on Twitter @iamDIXIEDIXON, friend her on Facebook
and learn a thing or two from her blog. You can also learn from her in person at the Fstoppers Workshop in the Bahamas in 2014!

Kenn Tam's picture

Been holding this damn camera in my hand since 1991.
Toronto / New York City

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58 Comments

Kicka$$ BTS, Thanks!

Guns & Girls. How fucking creative. Even if the photos are good the theme is old and weapon manufactures shouldn't gert any support whatsoever

Lib much?

The thing is, most of these types of shoots go straight for the T&A with overly sexualized images. What I love about this is the themes are much classier and the overall production is pulled off way better than what you typically see. I dig it. Oh, and nothing is more fun than taking a cute girl out to the shooting range :)

Regardless on my opinion on guns - for someone that's not used to them (non US) it seemed that the gun was so out of place that it seemed weird and awkward.
.. except maybe the motorbike scene.

Found the vegan.

Name a theme that isn't old

Her left eye must be her dominant eye but it seems very weird that she doesn't use the vertical grip on that D4!

Maybe the camera is rented and she usually shoot's with no griped cameras!

She joked about the way she holds it in one of her creativeLive sessions.

That would be a lot of fun. Along with gun parts, I love my Magpul iPhone case. haha.

:)

Would love to see the real world invoice on this one. You can see the value and tons of pre-production, scouting, quality models, props. Not to mention you don't shoot a full 13 shoot calendar in a day or two.

Thanks so much for noticing that Lenn!!! :))) A TON of pre-production went into this, it was a 3 day shoot and 12 completely different locations (4 per day)!

you did an outstanding Job , the outcome looks awesome :)

Thank you so much Philippe!!! :)

ditto

While the photography is spotless no doubt I have a slight problem with the glorification on guns. Those weapons you see in the calendar are actually military rifles that should not be available on the market. No offense to the photographer - we all have to make a living. But I do have mixed feelings when it comes to guns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LjAsM1vAhW0

... and there is a huge difference between a military rifle and a civilian versions even though they may look the the same. I don't agree with everything the General says I believe any government should not have a monopoly of force. History is replete with that failure thank you but the thought process is in the right direction.

I also have mixed feelings... about liberal buffoons like you!

Thanks for the name calling …

They are just "scary looking." Aside from ergonomics and interchangeable parts, they functionally no different than the guns my family uses for hunting.

Dear Jayson, I am not scared of guns (I served in the military and shot just about anything I could get my hands on) and I didn't want to offed anyone who uses them for sports or hunting. I just think there are too many guns in the hands of whackos.

OUTLAW WHACKOS! Unless you are going to ban cars, because drunks kill nine times more people than guns. Your logic makes no sense. Unless you are going to ban cigarettes, a product that when used exactly as directed kills ten times more people each year than died in the entire Vietnam war, your logic makes no sense. The most dangerous places in America, as proven by statistics are GUN FREE ZONES, so... if logic and fact matter, lets keep the focus on... REALITY!

Really??????

What do you not believe about that?

Jayson, Dizeman,
first off, let's agree that we disagree. It's perfectly all right with me. However, comparing cars with guns hits me as somewhat strange. Cars were designed for transport. We all need cars to go to work, shop, visit friends. When we drive, we buckle up, we obey speed limits (I do), we stop at red lights, we don't drink. There are stiff penalties if we are caught violating any of these rules. And we have to pass a test in order to get a drivers license. These measures are rightfully taken in order to prevent accidents (most of which could be prevented).
Now, guns were designed to kill. So double care is necessary when handling guns. I had my military rifle in my home for over 20 years (if you are a member of the Swiss army, you're actually required to take it home). We were taught how to handle it safely, keep ammo separated from guns and take the machinery out, so nobody can shoot your rifle by accident. And there were (and are) stiff penalties for violating the safety rules.
My comment was not made to insult hunters or sports shooters who know how to handle their guns. But from what I see in the news, too many people are able to get guns without background checks and apparently without proper instructions. Will gun control stop them? I don't know. But may be it would stop some. Just as belt buckles help to lower the death rate in car accidents. As for stopping a bad guy with a gun - that's the policemen's job.
I don't know what studies you are referring to, statistics over here prove that the more guns the more gun related deaths, be it suicide, homicide or accidents.

at 2:40, why is the guy holding that rectangular shaped glass in front of the camera? does it serve any purpose?

It appears they were applying vaseline to the glass...to give the image a slightly blurry, dreamy look.

You got it!!! :)

that's how we did it pre-photoshop

Great bts, but holy the way she holds a camera drove me absolutely nuts. Whether she shoots gripped or not gripped, you don't hold the body with both hands, she looks like some clumsy 14yo taking her parents camera for a spin.

Hahahaha thanks Richard! Yeah I know I've always held my camera wrong, could be the fact that the camera/lenses are heavy or that I have small hands or maybe my lazy eye... but the last thing I am thinking about is how I look while I shoot, I'm honestly just in the moment and focused on capturing that final awesome shot!!! ;) LOL

It's all good Dixie, you do look really good doing it though, I must say ;)
Just looks weird without a hand on the lens is all.
Keep up the great work.

BTW, vaseline on the frame, was that to create a steamy jungle effect?

Right on Richard!! Yep the vaseline creates a dream blurred out effect on the edges. You can do it in photoshop but I like to create it in camera! Cheers

I HATE HOW SHE IS HOLDING HER CAMERA! ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY.

Agreed. I can't stand to see "shutter button down" holding. It's bad technique.

That's like saying Jimi Hendrix had bad technique. She is left eye dominant. I am sure she is not happy using a camera built for right handers.

Holding a camera for proper balance and stability is totally different from Hendrix playing guitar upside down. Holding a camera wrong could introduce focus problems at wide open apertures, and maybe even camera shake at slower speeds. Hendrix's technique created his own sound and style. Can't get any shake or focus shift in Rock N' Roll!

Hahaha I find this so funny that the way I hold my camera bothers ya so much!!!! Thanks Ian, you rock! Brad and Joseph, I do know that I hold the camera opposite, but it works for me- camera is heavy and I have a lazy eye so my balance is different. But technique-wise, there is more than one way to make a picture- images are tack sharp! ;) Cheers

I will go ahead and say that you did do a great job... Whatever works for you, I guess!

Right on, thanks Joseph! Your work is GORGEOUS btw, love the scenery images!!! :) Cheers

Thank you, Dixie! Rock on!!!

Great job, no doubt!

You can walk backwards to work as well, but why not learn to walk forward... as your shoes were designed to do.

Though I enjoyed your shoot and recognize your talent, rationalizing bad technique is disappointing. I know you don't care and imagine one opinion is as good as another, but I am not talking about style, my issue is based in physics. It is impossible to argue the camera is as steady when held as you are holding the camera at 0.39 in your video. The camera is being held by the grip on the bottom, both hands below the center of gravity, the lens, the entire 75% of the weight of the camera body, plus the down pull of the lens is tugging down on your grip. This has nothing to do with opinion or style, turning the camera 180 degrees and holding onto the side grip the way the camera was designed to be held would make the camera far more stable. Do you imagine one should not try to make the camera as stable as they can? I would think as a professional, one would want to remove all of the negative variables they could from a shoot, including making the camera as stable as possible. It's not about you, your balance or whether or not you get tack sharp images holding the camera wrong. My point is, the camera would be far more stable, WHEN HELD CORRECTLY! The design of the camera is based on engineers determining how the camera should be held to get the most stable platform possible. YOU have decided... Oh never mind! In one ear, out the other. Ahhhhh youth!

That will all change when her wrist get tired of trying balance it. Give it about 10 years. Or when someone bumps into her and the things goes crashing to the ground. Let it go...lol.

so engineers decide how I should hold my camera correctly? That's such a silly argument. Dixie is a well known photographer and I doubt that anyone who thinks she holds the camera wrong is causing her to lose work and have crappy images. Everyone's a critic learning the academic reasons why you should do something and breaking the rules to define your own style is the true sign of an artist. You should try it some time.

Andrew, I criticize a technique, not the person, nor her talent or her style... I did not criticize her person, merely the way she holds the camera which was designed to perform more effectively and efficiently, certainly more STABLE when held as it was designed to be held. YET, you in a manner representative of a kindergarten sandbox, chose to attack me personally for daring to voice my view. You sound like a FAN BOY to me, careful, not too close, if she stops quickly you could break your nose. My career of 27 years as a professional photographer, studio owner began before many of you were born... having retired in 2000, today I get to do what I never got to do is a BUSINESSMAN, not an artist, but BUSINESSMAN... I get to PLAY! But go ahead and spit... I can take it!

Stop RATIONALIZING! It's not as attractive as you imagine it to be.

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