Prep: Before the {PhotoShoot}
Do happy accidents exist? Yes. Do people base their entire careers off of them, sure. But when it comes down to it, you need to plan things out. Of course, sometimes plans change, things evolve, or they just simply do not work according to the plan. Case in point is the story of the above shown car. The client, car owner, and I have been working on a specific shoot, specific location/s, specific model, etc. After nearly a year of yes, no's, approvals, ideas, it has all circumvented into a, "hold the breaks," PUN intended, lets take a different approach. During the course of things being planned out and organically changing again, a new prospect for the shoot to be featured beyond its original destination has again been a game changer. What does one do when so many changes occur? Roll with the punches as some would say.
Truth be told, I am looking forward to this shoot and with a fresh set of plans in place, nothing will allow for this shoot to go unscheduled, un-produced, and un-done. Bottom line, we have set the plan in place and with a few hanging details, we have an end date. Sometimes things take time to plan, sometimes they do not. The above featured shot was made this afternoon. I did so on a whim because an updated shot of the car was needed. By chance and a few on site ideas, the resulting image is more than desired. To be redundant, the bottom line is, plan. Plan your location, your ideas, plan for the unexpected, as there is always something that comes up, and plan for success. If you approach things with the haphazard, "it'll all work out," chances are it will not.
Into the City: Boston Ma
Monday evening we landed at about 6ish. It was such an incredibly nice evening. I was 30 miles shy of Boston and decided, meh, I am hungry and there is still enough light to capture a few nice shots. I made my way to the city. It would end up taking me 3 hrs before I found something to eat.
Engagement Photos: Their Smiles
I love photographing love. It sounds cliche, but aside from the fact that I really like to photograph people, it is their interaction between one another that creates the desire to photograph weddings. The way she looks up at him with a smile on her face, the way he looks to the camera and grins happily knowing that he got the girl are all the elements that come together to create a powerful moment in their relationship. It is not just about snapping photos, it is not just about posing a couple, or getting the camera settings just right, tinkering with the light, it is about creating a moment for both of them in the photos and between them while they sit for the camera. An engagement session is typically the first time a couple will sit for the photographer before their wedding, unless that photographer is a good friend and they are accustomed to being in front of the camera. Chris and Andrea chose a spot that has meaning to them. "It is our favorite spot," they both said during the shoot and prior to the day when we had discussed locations. On a very warm, sunny Sunday, we spent a few hours walking around a reservoir that has a special place in both their hearts. Their love became some visible, it reminded me of why I like working with couples and photographing weddings.
Wedding Photography: Boston Ma
Like all good love stories, this story of love has one small bitter sweet moment. The kind of moment that comes at the price and expense of lives lost... Last Saturday I took a drive out to Boston with my second shooter Bob. It was my first time into the city after the previous Monday's events and the large manhunt that spanned nearly 48 hrs. A wedding brought me into the city. A wedding that I was so excited for. I was excited for a number of reasons, the couple, the venue, and to be in Boston. Boston captured my heart as a child and I just enjoy being in the city. What better reason to be in Boston than to capture the love between two people? Im sure someone could find a reason, but I sure cant.
The city had a business to it that would give anyone the impression that it was the same ole Boston we all know and love. Well, that was not the case by any means. It was not even a week since viscous attack on the Boston Marathon. On Tuesday, post the attack, I was still very upset. Extremely upset. As I had said, Boylston Street has a section of pavement carved out on the sidewalks because of how many times I have walked up and down the street. By Wednesday I started to relax, emotionally speaking that is, and started in with the why did this have to happen; like the rest of the world was thinking. By Thursday an entirely new set of emotions started to manifest. As the world watched the horrific gun show, not the roid machine in the gym flexing for the mirror and ego, but the barrage of bullets exchanged in a suburb of Boston, I started to panic. I did not let my emotions out. I kept them in and sat back on the couch with a wine buzz and watched as the little maniac, the younger brother of d-bag 1, (as the Huffington Post is calling them) was sought after. The swift hand of justice, the incredible, and I mean chills up your back kind of incredible, display of force from all Law Enforcement agencies from the State Police, Military, FBI, DEA, ATF, XYZ ABCD, 123's to the local authorities of the towns affected did their job so affectively that they were able to capture the turd. Of all places, he was found in a boat by a home owner.
A text came through my phone earlier in the night. Joleen's husband, Mark was the Massachusetts State Police Pilot that was in the air above the turd filled boat. I in fact knew a man who was called to duty the day before to do his job effectively. Which is to say that all departments across the board did their job more effectively than we can even thank them for. I said to myself, "Jeff, it took ten years to find Osama Bin something-or-other, but 3 days to capture these bags of D, thats inspiring." Thousands of people were put to ease. But there came an expense. The City of Boston had been on lock down from Thursday till late Friday. When I finally spoke with Jeff late Friday afternoon, he expressed that the Bostonians had enough and they were not going to just stay locked in their homes. That is the Boston pride and spirit. I was panicing the entire day Friday because in the back of my mind I had a set of neurons that were going freaking nuts praying and hoping that the wedding would NOT be cancelled or post-poned of any sorts.
In all honesty, I do not know how I would have reacted, but for the first time in my life I was faced with a fear about a wedding, clients, a venue and responsibility that I had never been faced with or even thought of for that matter. No one in the world would expect a tragic event to be a battering ram to a wedding, but I was preparing for that call. It wasnt until late Saturday did we discover a slue of events on Friday night had been cancelled. A few days after the wedding I found out that the owners of Wisk, (two talented chefs I met just two weeks before), A Pop Up Restaurant based in Boston, was forced to cancel, losing out on $1200.00 worth of food.
Countless events were cancelled on Thursday and Friday night. The Boston Marathon was not the only day in which terror occurred For some, it will be a life long battle. For others that day was the beginning of a week of hellish events. But for two amazing men, their life together took a serious and deep expression of love as they joined their lives in union. Their love was celebrated by friends, family, and guests from all over the map. The venue is almost indescribably beautiful. Here is a list of words that can be associated with this venue and its view.
At about 2:30 pm Bob and I were greeted by a Limo in front of 60 State Street, the home of The State Room. We went as far as Fenway and back. The day turned out to be so much more beautiful than it started. The sun came out and by the end of the afternoon, a sunset gave us such striking shades of light to work with. It was truly a beautiful night.
If it wasnt clear by my word photo, the thesaurus screen capture, then take a look at just how beautiful this space is. I can not be any more expressive than capturing the beauty within photos. Words are great. People can read, but a photo is what makes the iris, pupil, retina create an emotional response and reaction. Words can do that too sure, but when you see something you love, well thats love!
The love that two people share is unique to them. As a couple their love is different than every other couple in the world, but what makes them special is the love they share. Like every couple I've ever met, it is my wish for Jeff and Mike that their unique love, the special things that bind them together remain as they walk through life together.
The Heart of Boston
If the city of Boston were a person, tears would be streaming down their face while they hugged their residents, the victims, and the world, as we are spectators to the pain of yesterdays events. Adjectives and metaphors can not accurately describe the horror that unfolded yesterday, more so, words can not express my emotions. Boston is my little passion 90 miles east of the city that also has my heart. Boylston st in some ways has a little groove carved out from the footprints I have left behind in the recent years. My memories are of happy times spent with friends, but today those memories are subdued by the pain that I have seen. While I am bound to computers for various projects, I have done my share reading and viewing of the photographs that have landed on the websites that are carrying the stories and sharing the breaking news and updates. I tell stories. Your eyes are my canvas and the camera is my pen. My words are read through objects, elements, landscapes and faces. Photographs are the words in which you read both my thoughts and visions. It has been very hard to contain myself from journeying into the city to document what I see and feel. But, I would like to take a moment to commend both the media, (all outlets that have featured the stories of the Boston Marathon Bombings) and the the photographers that have captured the images that made up yesterdays events. As I explained in an email to my girlfriend who is abroad, "I have never seen such powerful images that show the destruction and carnage like this in the U.S. Media before."
I have a very hard time making it through an article that discusses what happened yesterday. I have a tougher time examining the photographs that take me to a familiar place and present me with scenes of horror, pain, and the loss of life. The photographs are a reminder of how short and fragil life is. They are also a reminder of how little value some people put into the human life.
Below is a screen shot I made from CNN.com Boston Marathon Bombing Of all the photographs that I have seen, from the various vantage points, and points of view from the same location, different photographers, this photograph stands out to me the most. It speak volumes about our country, our state, and our state of mind. You can paint our flag with blood, but we will stand up and defend those in which that flag is a symbol of home. The camera is a weapon, a tool, a device that shows the world both pain and beauty.
The world, the State of Massachusetts is looking to you Boston. We are here for you in your time of need, in your time of pain. Wether it is one life or ten million lives, no one should be subjected to the cowardly attacks of the weak. No political or social cause is worth the unjust loss of life.
Production Stills: On Location
What does a hilarious older gent, self sacrifice, a 5 year felony charge, and a collapsed nuclear tower have in common? History... Sam Lovejoy was willing to go to jail on a 5 year felony charge for taking down a tower in Montague, Mass on George Washington's birthday in 1974. After coming to terms with the fact that he might see jail time, Sam went through with a plan. Months and months of research prepared him for what laid ahead of him, a down tower and a trial in which he defended himself. It was not an act of vandalism that sparked him to take the tower down, it was an act of anti nuclear speech. Sam's research led him to believe that nuclear energy was not only a terrible thing for the world, but it would also be incredibly detrimental source of power for the local environment. Sam did not want to see any nuclear plant built on the Montague plains. His act of bravery in removing the tower prevented such a plant from being built in Massachusetts. After defending himself in a trial in which he was found not guilty, Sam spent years speaking out against nuclear power.
Those were historical facts and words that Sam spoke when we were on set for a documentary being produced about him and his tower. Three friends of mine, Scott, Jesse and Mark produced a doc about this man's incredible story. They shot it for an international film competition. I assisted them and shot production stills of the film being produced. The story of Sam Lovejoy is both historical and engaging. We visited the site of the tower, the commune farm he used to live at, and heard a powerful story of self sacrifice. Sam is a funny fella with a life time of stories that range from political activism to inside stories of some of the greatest musicians and artists of the 60's and 70's. It was incredible to be in the presence of a man who was willing to give so much for a cause and his beliefs. I have never personally met someone who has open stated he was willing to go to jail for his actions, beliefs, and causes.
Below are some production stills from the two days on location.
Stories on Sam Lovejoy | The Tower
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