Portraits of an Athlete
Shawn Lockett, Portraits of an athlete
Portraits of Shawn Lockett, Athlete and Educator.
DTLA Model Test Shoot
Rooftop test shoot in DTLA
Photoshoots on a rooftop will never be a cliche’. It does’t matter if you’re in Los Angeles or New York City, a rooftop will always be a dope spot to make photos. For this agency test shoot I photographed Laura on a roof top in DTLA. We were afforded access to the entire rooftop but we chose to stay within a certain section that fit the vibe and looks were shot.
One of the biggest cliche’s a photographer can make for a backdrop is train tracks. Unless you’re photographing someone for the Train/Rail Industry I’m sorry to say train tracks are over played. It is nearly impossible to make an original image on train tracks. Its all been done. Rooftops however, they are an evolving canvas. The rooftop that we photographed Laura on had a lot of different spaces and elements to work with. Change the looks, the time of day, or even how you make photos and the same spot can be transformative. In a future I post I will show a shoot from the same rooftop but with a slightly different view of the background and an entirely different vibe and style.
This test shoot with Laura was a ton of fun. Laura and I clicked right away and she was amazing to work with. My makeup artist Mel clicked with her as well. This type of connection is vital to the success of a shoot. Without establishing a good rapport, you’re going to find a shoot can be boring, lack communication, and just otherwise not be fun. A good test shoot should result in building a relationship, creating a connection with your models, creating awesome work, and leave you feeling accomplished. A great test shoot will produce an outcome that lands your images in their book and ensure the agency is happy.
Like I said, this shoot was a ton of fun. It was the type of shoot that created lifelong friendships.
Interiors: A personal photography project
Exploring interiors through a cinematic lens.
Beginning sometime in 2020 I started photographing interiors with a new lens. While on location for a shoot I observed a dark part of an interior with a sliver of light entering the space. I was captivated. Drawn. Deeply inspired. The scene in front of me took me from the shoot I was producing and thrust me into a Hollywood film set. As I began to find these spaces I became entranced by the cinematic peculiarities each one offered me. As I continued to direct my lens towards these spaces I noticed that the work became hauntingly beautiful. Each images tells a story. Each image looks like a frame pulled from a film. My goal, as I started to further develop the work, is to treat the space like it’s telling a story.
Portraits of Time Dealer of the Year, 2023
Gary Rome, Time Dealer of the Year, 2023
In September of 2022 I photographed Gary Rome of Gary Rome Hyundai for his nomination of Time Dealer of the Year. It was announced today that he is the recipient of Time Magazien’s Dealer of the Year. Previously he won Massachusetts Dealer of the Year.
Congratulations to Gary on his achievement.
Portraits
Portraits
Welcome back to the blog. It’s been nearly 2 years since I made a post, but here we are! Im sure you’ve been patiently and anxiously waiting. As the year comes to an end in about 48 hours this is one of two posts I am making.
Just before Christmas I enjoyed catching up with my friend Mark. Many years ago when we first met I photographed him for his campaign. Then 18, he was running for local office. He wanted to be a part of a positive change in the community. Fast forward to the present, by passing all the office hjinks, the plenteous pizzas we had from Dominos, and the mockery of local politics, we are both in different places in life and career.
Mark has taken up photography using vintage cameras and various films as his medium of exploring the world around him. He has a keen eye for composition and enjoys making photos simply for the fun of it. The portrait of Mark I made below was shot using a Canon slr, a hand held light meter, and Portra 400.
Mark with his Mamiya. Soft focus from 1/15th exposure.
Throughout the Pandemic I didn’t have much time to create work using film. In January 2020 I purchased a very beautiful Pentax 67 that was, by all visible appearances and functionality, brand new. I had plans for that camera as the decade changed. Whatever plans I was making would soon be take away from me. Since purchasing it, it has been sitting on my shelf next to my Hasselblad patiently waiting to come out and play. Our time together was spent producing these head shots for his LinkedIn page, enjoying some food, and catching up on life and business all while making photos.
