Tattoos and Photographers

I have tattoos and so do a lot of people. I have met quite a few people that have tattoos. A lot of my friends do. Jason, shown below, he does too. He came into the studio a few months back and I did a few portraits of him then, when his chest piece was "under construction." Since then, it has been completed. Tattoos, like clothing, are worn as an accessory. They, like a scarf, specific style of hat, or type of shoes, become an element of style, which define who we are. On Friday night as the girl who took my order slid my debit card, (has my business name with the word photography in it) asks if I am into photography. Realizing that she was making small talk, borderline flirting, based on how she acted next, I simply lifted my right hand up, exposing my wrist, where I have a small camera tattoo. A very simple vector based outline, enough to show people, "yes, I am into photography, I live it every day of my life." I chose this location, because like some people who wear their heart on their sleeves, I wear my occupation on mine. Ever visible is the lifestyle that I live, the job, the passion, the obsession, that is my life, photography.

Lifestyle Photography: Boston

I am heading to Cape Cod for the long weekend. Before I do, I want to share a few new photographs I made. Have a great long weekend! Stay safe.

This first photograph was shot for the silhouette, but in post, I played around with some new light leak actions I am working on. Fun stuff.

I love photographing people. Especially doing head shots. I've been playing with light and a specific backdrop I have in studio. #notjustablackbackground

Recently I did head shots for a child actor who needed to update his comp cards.

Business Portraits: Less than 15 minutes

I have read countless articles and blog posts about those super famous, super high end photographers that shoot executives, CEO's, Celebrities, and the likes of famous and ultra busy professionals. While I am not shooting Fortune 500 CEO's yet, everyone I photograph is as equally important.  

This afternoon I stepped out of the studio and went to the rest room for a hot 20 seconds. I came back and found I had a missed call. Before I had a chance to call back, I received a text. I thought it was life or death. "Call me ASAP," a phrase that usually means someone needs something in a hurry. So I did. It was Bob, my assistant and second shooter for some work. His day job is shlepping paint on walls of homes and other buildings. The owner of the company, a serial entrepreneur, need some new head shots for some PR and Marketing purposes. I had a miss communication in my schedule and told Bob I only had a specific time I could fit him in today. They were set to arrive at 4 pm. Will, CEO, Owner, Important person, had a 5pm meeting or something and needed to drive to the location from the studio. I knew I would have a mere few minutes to capture him.

After realizing I fahcked up my schedule, glitch with cell phone calendar, I didnt have to worry about setting up the studio, lighting for head shots, while he was there. I pre set the studio with two different setups. Both set ups required two very different lighting set ups. I whipped that together in a jiff and was ready for them to arrive. Will was in studio for about 10 minutes. It took him longer to adjust his wardrobe than it did to make the photographs. Within an hour of the shoot, the images were processed, retouched, and in the dropbox folder. I may not be shooting the worlds most important people at the moment, but everyone I shoot for is treated as if they are the most important person whom has walked through my door, or sat in front of my camera.

Fashion Photography: Lights, Cameras, Hats, Hats?

Everybody looks great in a hat. I personally spend a bit of time each season trying to find the right hat that defines who I am. Not everyone looks great in the same stye hat. I know for a fact I couldnt pull off one of those irish hats, you know the one you see EVERYONE wearing around St. Patricks Day.. I can rock a hat similar to Indiana Jones. Here are a few shots with some hats.

Dance Photography: Shooting for an ad

Three weeks ago my friend came into the studio. Our agenda, make photographs of her for an ad for an upcoming Dance Festival. I decided that I wanted to shoot the ad in film. I loaded my Nikon F4 and after reviewing each pose she was offering, I made photographs. Working with film in a digital studio posed a serious challenge. How was I to process the film?

While I have all the parts of an analog darkroom, I did not have anything set up to process the 4 rolls of Tri-X 400 I had just shot on. I was incredibly excited to have the film processed and knew that it was going to be a few days before I could see the film. I was leaving to go away for the weekend, my friend, portrait below, was also going away for the weekend. He allowed me to drop the film off at his private, in home darkroom, and promised me I would have the film back within a few days. I took his word and set out for the weekend away. The anxiety was painful, as this shoot was one of the first in a very long time that had me so excited. It was unlike the shoots I do for clients, which always have me smiling and happily content, because it was the first time in a very long time that I worked with film. I knew what I was going to get. Great images with some grain. Something I was looking forward to.

The moment I saw the film, I knew I achieved what I was looking for. I got the results I wanted and I couldn't be any happier. It took me a few days to scan the film. Roughly 12 hrs of scanning for high resolution. But in the end, I have a set images that are just incredible and capture my friends talent. Currently these images are in an exhibition along with three other photographers. The below photograph is of my friend on the night of the exhibition, followed by a shot from the exhibition.

Instead of framing my photographs, I installed partitions and hung the prints via clips and finishing nails. The un-framed prints take on their own personality being a part of a set of walls that sit in the middle of the room. I am very pleased with how the exhibition looks.

Portraits of a Rock Star: Katelyn Richards

I first met Katelyn Richards when I did her first set of head shots, --gallery here-- in 2010. She gave me a call because she found my card and she loved the image of the model on the front. A few days later I had her on location in a cafe here in town. Fast forward 2 years later, I have seen her play nearly a dozen times, and have photographed her at a few shows. She came into the studio today to get some new head shots. She is going to be spending a majority of time in New York City and before she headed out of town, she made a point to sit in front of the camera. She was also kind enough to share one of her songs, a personal favorit for an up coming project. An announcement will be made about that shortly. Below are two shots from her time in the studio. Katelyn is always a blast to work with. Be sure to check her out at Katelyn Richards dot COM