jeffrey byrnes 12/24/15 jeffrey byrnes 12/24/15

Happy Holidays

Tis the season for 60 degree weather in the north east. We all wish for a white Christmas, well a majority of us here in the north east do. This year is shorts weather. I can not remember a Christmas being this warm, ever! Kind of really sucks. The weather has played a huge part in a lot of people not feeling the Christmas spirit, me included.

I want to wish all my friends, new and old, future and past, my clients, new and old, future and past, and to my fans and followers, new, present, future a safe and Happy Holidays. Make wise decisions and enjoy yourselves and your family!

And for those wishing for snow, here is a photograph of some snow from Stowe, Vermont.

jeffrey byrnes 12/17/15 jeffrey byrnes 12/17/15

In the studio: Portraits

Over the years I have worked with Girls Inc of Holyoke to photograph key events or moments that are relevant to programs they have. I have photographed the State Senator as well as the Governor on their behalf as well as the many girls that are a part of their programs. The first time I became aware of Girls Inc being located across the street from my studio is when I saw a billboard advertising them in town. I passed by the billboard a dozen or so times prior to learning where they were located. I wanted to shoot a billboard, specifically I wanted to connect with Girls Inc and be able to shoot for them.

A year after learning where they were, I was asked to assist and make some photos on behalf of a friend who was doing some video work for them. I obliged his request and was introduced to the incredible work that Girls Inc does for the community, specifically the work they do for the girls that are part of the programs. It was a true eye opener and since then I have closely watched through the lens as some girls have transformed, grew, and become young leaders in their communities.

In 2012 I was asked to photograph some of the girls in studio. From the date of that shoot until recently they were able to utilize the photographs. Including the photo below, which shows the photos being used in newsletters, greeting cards, and thank you cards, among other printable materials.

This fall I was asked to photograph some of the newer faces of Girls Inc. They were ready for a new set of photographs and I was eager to have them in the studio again. Each shoot like this is required to be shot on a white background. Each photograph is to be delivered with a clipping mask, rendering the portrait available with a transparent layer. Girls Inc has a visual aid, kind of like a mood board, of how they want the photos, but there is always room for improv and trying some fun and new things.

I set the studio up with lights. I created a diffused bank and put a 7' parabolic behind the diffuser. I wanted a wide spread of light, but I did not want the harshness of the silver reflection from the parabolic. Basically I was mimicking a softlighter. I chose to use the parabolic because I wanted the light to be more focused towards the spot where each girl would stand. I used two other lights directed with umbrellas to the rear of the background. I pushed the power pretty high to get a nice white out. I wanted the main light to be wide enough for groups as well as individuals. The primary focus of the shoot was individuals but to also incorporate small groups of 2-4. Below is a photoshopped diagram of the set. It is a loose digital design of how I set the lights. The x indicates the spot in which each girl or group stood.

The following images are behind the scenes captured by Sarah at Girls Inc. Many thanks to her.

The following photographs are the result of the shoot.

jeffrey byrnes 12/13/15 jeffrey byrnes 12/13/15

Commercial Photography: Fashion & Studio

Whoa, time flies! I just looked at the last post I made, November 28th, seems like 2 days ago, but was a few weeks back. The lack of blog posting has been due to a huge volume of work I had after our return from Europe. Since mid-September I have been having a blast shooting, editing, acquiring new clients, and working on a super awesome promo that should be going out in the next few days.

As you can see by the date of this post, it is a Sunday, a handful of days away from Christmas, and I am in the studio writing the first blog post from here in what seems like years. I was in for a good portion of the day working on some light renovations. My studio has always been a revolving set. I have shot portraits, head shots, groups, families, still life, teen, youth, children, babies, and fashion. From 2009 till about 2014 I had been that studio that did a bit of everything, weddings, head shots, families, and commercial work. While running a business that was all over the place I was trying to focus on my portrait/fashion commercial work all the while producing bodies of work for exhibition. 2009-2012 was spent co-managing the studio with my former business partner. From late 2012 till now I have been on my own. There were some highly successful days, long days, fun days, productive days! As I have branched out on my own I realized what I love most is the commercial work. Fashion, portraits, interior and exterior, and travel photography are my focuses. I have reduced the interest in exhibiting my work for the time being as I begin to focus on taking a portion of what I have shot over the last several years and license it for stock usage.

Within the last month I licensed 22 images to a national chain restaurant, The 99. The photographs will be printed and put on display by the creative buyer. I am excited to see the work when it is finally hung. I have begun working with some stock agencies and have a portion of work that is going to be marketed stock usage. During the last few hours I spent resetting, cleaning, and doing light renovations in the studio I found a few bodies of work that were exhibited. It brought back the memories of the last few years. The collections represent ideas that I went out and produced, exhibited, and sold work from. As I look forward to the new year and the new promo that is about to go out, I am reinvigorated and ready to advance my career to the places it has been leading to.

Once the promos have shipped I am going to be doing a post about them. I have spent the last 4-6 weeks working on a print promo, researching some creative ideas and coming up with something that is going to make some creative directors, art directors, etc pretty happy. The cover of the promo has a photo from the following shoot that I did with Alyssa, a model that I really enjoy working with. Alyssa is a actor, dancer, and model. When I work with Alyssa I know what I am going to get and she has something unique that I am pleased to put into my portfolio.

For this shoot we did a bit of dance and fashion. We did 4 looks with minor stylized changes. I asked for this shoot as a location test. There was an opportunity to shoot in a space I have always wanted to shoot in and I requested Alyssa to join me in the space.

I am so anxious to post the promo, but again, not till they are out in the mail! I will also be posting some shots of the studio once everything is hanging, in place, and all the renovations are complete. One of my largest clients has requested the use of the studio moving forward for portrait work, so I am anxious to get some new backdrops in place as well as expand some of the ideas I have had for the last two years.

I hope your Sunday was as productive as mine was!

jeffrey byrnes 11/28/15 jeffrey byrnes 11/28/15

Travel Photography: The Adirondacks

On the ride up Kris asked, "have you ever been this far west?" My response, no. I have traveled as far north as Quebec City, as far East as Paris and Italy, as far south as the Bahamas, but the west I am long over due to see. In February my wife and I will be visiting friends in the west and exploring parts of Oregon and Washington. I can not express how excited I am to see the pacific northwest.

The Adiorndacks are splendid, to say the least. Kris has been traveling up there for years and knew his way around, for the most part. Lake George is a feat of nature carved out of the earth. Our cabin was situated on the Sacandaga river, which empties out into the Sacandaga lake.

On the banks of the river we formed a stone circle that became our fire pit. The rushing sound of the fast moving water was the instrument to the vocals of the crackling fire that light up the night. Our laughs echoed into the night and traveled down stream. I imagine that the slow pace of life on the river is as much relaxing day in and day out as it was for our time there.

Being in the Adirondacks in the off season meant that there was far less people than the warmer months, which is fine by me. We were able to travel from Northville to the Lake George area with ease. The narrow winding roads paved a way through forests that were filled with empty trees, tall pines, and empty vacation properties. It is clear that the tourism is the major source of revenue for the Lake George area. We were let down that we could not cruise the lake aboard one of the steam ships. When I heard about those, I was all for it. Sadly, the season had just come to a close and they were not operating.

The sun setting over Lake George, seen from The Sagamore

After some research we found Augers Falls about 15 miles up the Sacandanga River. We traveled north following the river into the town of Wells NY. A small, almost discrete sign pointed to a dirt lot off of RT 30 where we parked. Exiting my car I grabbed my camera bag and my tripod. I couldn't image the hike was going to be to long. The river danced from our left to our right as we crossed over a bridge where the east and west branches of the Sacandanga meet. As we maneuvered up the road the river was never far from our field of view, this was a key clue in determining of the hike was going to be a few minutes of an annoying amount of time.

Kris sitting in a swath of fading sunlight.

After about 5 minutes of walking through the trees, around some rocks, and twigs, a bag of dog crap someone was kind enough to toss off the trail, we could hear the water rushing over the rocks. It took us about another 5 before we came to head with a beautiful exhibition of rocks. The water was flowing heavily and I was in awe. There are some waterfalls in the world that you can not get next to, some large, some small, some are frighteningly big, while others are the right size. Augers Falls is approachable if you are an experience hiker and have the right pair of shoes.

While I was photographing the waterfall, the sun kept dancing through the clouds. Out of nowhere a light mist began to rise from the base of the waterfall.

Mounted to my tripod, my camera recorded the falls in 2-4 second exposures. The f-stop was cranked up to a whopping 22-32. The water was splashing off the rocks and ricocheting up and bouncing off the front element of the lens. I was very close to the falls, at times, too close.

I made a very acute observation while standing at the very edge of the waterfall. There is a gigantic footprint carved out of the rock. It is in the shape of a large foot. If giants existed, this would be proof, or perhaps, this is an old world fossil print from a stone age sasquatch. I stood for a few minutes and watched the water pass over, swirl though, and exit the tip of the foot print.

Life is short, have an adventure. Get out and see as much of this world as you can before it is either destroyed or before your time comes to an end. I am making travel a part of my lifestyle as well as a part of my career and photography. I am moving into 2016 with some new work on the horizon. I am gearing up for a big promo that is scheduled to launch in mid-December. Traveling is going to be a big part of the work that I am ushering my career into. Take my advice, travel, go to The Adirondacks, spend some time in the woods, get lost on the river, go to a waterfall or two, have a fire on the river, toss a few beers down, slow life down and relax, you will be happy that you did.

jeffrey byrnes 11/2/15 jeffrey byrnes 11/2/15

Travel Photography: Paris

To truly understand something is to see it for what it is worth in all its glory. I have never in my professional life been as busy as I have been in the last 7 weeks. The moment I returned from Europe I was inundated with a tremendous amount of new work and was able to pick up some new and exciting clients. But enough about the boring stuff. Lets talk travel.

I want to share with you an image that I made. This photograph captures the innocence and playfulness that is childhood.

There was a light mist falling. My camera dangled from my arms, tethered to a strap that tore at my shoulder. It had been a long day of studying Paris by foot. We were making our way to a famous set of stairs. I had a mission, to locate a specific vantage point to view the Eiffel Tower from. Unsure of how long we would be showered with a light mist I wanted to climb the stair case as quickly as we could. I had to have that photograph, just had to. I periodically turned to look at the view we were leaving, yet altering on our course to an even greater view. I spotted a child dancing with an umbrella. He was without worry, without caution, and without reservation, the same lack of convictions I had when I framed him up and pressed the shutter, forever freezing him in a statuesque pose.

Over the next nine days in 3 different European cities, this photograph would inspire me to look for the moments that people were occupied, yet unaware. Those were the moments that would become my photographs. The sights, the sounds, the lights, and smells, those will forever be memories that with the right circumstance will one day be reactivated when I walk the same Parisian streets. But the photographs, those will be the visual reminders of the tangibility of Paris. The streets, sidewalks, the damp marble stairs we climbed, those among other objects passed our hands and our feet, as we studied Paris. I would like to think of Paris as a city of rich in texture, texture that can be seen, photographed, and felt.

Avec amour , de Paris!

jeffrey byrnes 10/19/15 jeffrey byrnes 10/19/15

Drones: No Fly Zones

This past Friday I was held hostage by two federal employees while I awaited the police to arrive for legally flying a drone to photograph the property I was hired to capture. This was my first real issue while flying and making photographs for a client. In the past year I have never had a single negative interaction while flying. Often times people think its cool and are fascinated. I am usually flooded with questions. Cops, cops love seeing it fly and always have something comical to say about them or just want to observe it in action. Unfortunately there are people who make it increasingly harder to fly without negative reactions.

My client hired me to photograph the exterior of nearly a dozen properties they own spread out through parts of the Boston area. Part of the job required several properties in the Portrland area of Maine. While some of the properties could benefit from aerial photographs, not all of them would. On Friday I arrived at the 3rd property around 1:30 and discovered that the building was atop a small incline. Not quite a hill, a far cry from a mountain, but an incline of a couple feet from the road. Perfect. I could put the drone up for a few seconds and capture a few shots at the same level or a few feet from above.

I parked my car off the property next to a vacant building just blow the sloped driveway. I powered up, took flight and flew for no more than 5 minutes. I placed the drone back in the car. Moments later a white trucked pulled up and I was greeted with, "what are you doing?" Instead of walking down the man was driven down to speak with me. His tone was of annoyance and general attitude. I turned and responded with, "Photographing the exterior of the building on behalf of my client who owns it." He asked for a business card. "Right here I said," as I pointed down to the driver side passenger door. I have a set of black magnets that match my black car on the side. My business name and phone number as well as website are written in vinyl. After another half dozen questions of who, why, where are they from, they drove back up the bunny hill of a driveway and parked the truck. I followed and parked my car off to the side.

I grabbed my camera, exited, and walked the length of the building and made a few photographs. I turned and began walking back to my car. The same gent who initially questioned me was now with a portly, shorter gent who did not look happy. He turned and walked right up to me with an abrasive demand, "I want to see some business id or you are not leaving here." I said "no." I kept walking towards my car. By this point I became uncomfortable. An agitate federal employee and his underling were surrounding me with questions. I had explained more than once who the client was, who hired me, where they were from. Mr. Portly demanded to see the emails. Again I said, " no, those are confidential." He was not happy. Between his demands and his agitation he threatened to take my personal possessions. "We will confiscate your stuff." "No you will not, I replied firmly. Now I was pissed.

It was one thing to question me, it was another thing to threaten to steal my equipment. Throughly upset I was now in a position to be more defensive. Mr. Portly was not thinking clearly. I had explained by this point, and to his underling, who had hired me and where they were from. It took me a few minutes to find a phone number in the emails. I happily provided them with the number. Had Mr. Portly bothered to call the immediate property manager, the situation would not have gotten worse, and did it get worse. Mr. Portly grew more agitated that he couldn't into my emails, was told no to ceasing my equipment, and was upset that he was not informed that this was supposed to happen. I explained that I was hired to be there and everyone was to be notified. I tried to explain that it was out of my control if he was not notified and that was not something I was supposed to do. Mr. Portly then proceeded to boss his underling around, "take a picture of his car, take his license plate number, don't let him leave." Mr. Portly was getting nowhere with his demands and frustrations. "I WILL call the cops, you are trespassing." "Go ahead, call the cops, I already told you I was hired to be here." Mr. Portly's underling stood close by and watched as I stood against my car.

It must have been the 4th time he asked me, "well who hired you?" "I already told you, you can call them too." Within a few minutes my client called me back and asked, "are you being held hostage?" "Why yes I am," I said. They told me they were going to call Mr. Portly and get it taken care of. We hung up. Two minutes later a police officer arrived. I explained to him why I was there, willfully offered to show the emails and the list of properties I had in town as well as around the area. Satisfied with what I showed him he strode up to Mr. Portly and told him what he had seen. Sarcastically I overheard Mr. Portly say, "I asked him to see those."

After a few moments of speaking, the officer came back up to me and told me, "they do not own the property and are renters. Since they are renters and can control who comes on the property, they do not want you here." "That is fine. I was asked to be here and I understand they do not want me here and I will leave." "Alright, you are free to go." I turned around, swung open the door, got in, and backed out. The officer followed me out on to the main road and watched me disappear.

My client called me back and asked if I was still being held hostage. I had been let go by the police and explained how the rest of the situation had gone down. On their end they received a bit of backlash. While Mr. Portly was operating within his rights to inquire why someone was on the premise and their motives, he took a simple thing and erupted it into a much unneeded situation. My client was very apologetic. Mr. Portly and his underling are federal employees and did a great job of upsetting people over a very small and well explained matter. As I keep saying and keep thinking, if he had called the immediate property manager, they would have clearly explained why I was there. Had that happened, two federal employees would not have held me hostage and threatened to steal my property.

When you are out in the field, keep phone the contact information of the people who hired you on hand. If you have some form of contract, keep they available as well. It is very crucial that you know where to fly and where not to fly. Always exercise common sense when flying and do so safely. I regard myself as a professional and hold myself to a very high standard. I am a people person and can navigate my way through a myriad of social situations with ease, however there are times when people's behavior can throw you off. Mr. Portly is an example of hostility that did that was unneeded and was better diffused with the assistance of an authority figure. I will not name the location or the federal agency that Mr. Portly works for, but what I will say is this, do your job to the best of your abilities without reservations, exercising the right amount of caution, and treat people with respect, you will be rewarded for your honesty.