Monday, March 7, 2016
Vision Achieved - A year of brainstorming can be worthwhile
The best photoshoot of my life took place on October 6th, 2015 and my creativity still seems to be in some sort of a recovery mode. Not to say that nothing has been going on in the creativity brain since then, it’s just that no new *portraits* or themes have been dreamt up on such a scale. The end results from that day are the quintessential culmination of brainstorming, pre-visualization, more brainstorming, a bit of planning (and eventually, improvising), experimentation and most importantly, collaboration.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
The Shoebox of Prints: a 2015 Annual Review
I am just about wrapping up my first full year in business as a freelance photographer and I decided on a new (to me) way of evaluating my work and progress; PHYSICAL PRINTS!
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
NYCWLK Recap: Aka #HeroSquad
I attended the inaugural NYCWLK in mid-September and I have to say that I think it was a resounding success. The weekend, organized by Johnny Patience, Rebecca Lily & Bijan Sabet, included a three hour workshop about general film photography principles and the creative process lead by Johnny Patience, a leisurely photowalk from SoHo to Brooklyn capped off by dinner and drinks. Attendees could choose to attend a combination of the three portions of the day and I gladly went for all three.
The three hour workshop to kick off the day was a laid back and informal discussion about the virtues of film photography, general techniques and practices as well as a more discussion of the creative process in general and how a photographer can establish their voice and push the evolution of their work. It was also filled with tidbits of Johnny's philosophical genius delivered in a until then unknown incredibly entertaining (to me) accent. German born with a long stint in Ireland makes for a fantastic linguistic style and all the more reason to meet this man in person. His commitment to sharing the breadth of knowledge he has accumulated about photography and life with others is an incredible asset to the global photo community, and the impact of those efforts could be found throughout the entire NYCWLK day. The instant camaraderie, humility and the genuine interest in each other shared amongst the attendees was easily my favorite aspect of the walk. It just goes to show that building a solid community around your core values and interests will attract likeminded souls no matter where you go.
The three hour workshop to kick off the day was a laid back and informal discussion about the virtues of film photography, general techniques and practices as well as a more discussion of the creative process in general and how a photographer can establish their voice and push the evolution of their work. It was also filled with tidbits of Johnny's philosophical genius delivered in a until then unknown incredibly entertaining (to me) accent. German born with a long stint in Ireland makes for a fantastic linguistic style and all the more reason to meet this man in person. His commitment to sharing the breadth of knowledge he has accumulated about photography and life with others is an incredible asset to the global photo community, and the impact of those efforts could be found throughout the entire NYCWLK day. The instant camaraderie, humility and the genuine interest in each other shared amongst the attendees was easily my favorite aspect of the walk. It just goes to show that building a solid community around your core values and interests will attract likeminded souls no matter where you go.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Project Updates: The Keegan Theatre and The Runner
The last few weeks have been a major shot in the arm for my film work, complete with the introduction of two brand new collections on my website and a renewed commitment to small format (35mm) black and white film. The main impetus for this latest step of evolution was a combination of a bad back and a new film scanner. In essence, lots of down time and a new toy to kill time with.
Many photographers are utilizing film in these ever digitalizing days and my use of the medium has changed considerably while orienting myself in the professional commercial photography realm over the past year. In previous years, when I had a job and moonlighted from time to time, I shot mostly film. I didn't have extreme deadlines nor did my livelihood depend on nailing frames. Film's slower and more costly workflow has taken a bit of a backseat in recent months due to the nature of my professional work, except for my cherished personal projects. These projects reflect my interests as a person and exploration of how I utilize my photographic skills in an ideal world. Like most creatives, these are itches that need to be scratched.
Two such projects were shot throughout this summer but the negatives sat untouched in their archive sleeves...
Many photographers are utilizing film in these ever digitalizing days and my use of the medium has changed considerably while orienting myself in the professional commercial photography realm over the past year. In previous years, when I had a job and moonlighted from time to time, I shot mostly film. I didn't have extreme deadlines nor did my livelihood depend on nailing frames. Film's slower and more costly workflow has taken a bit of a backseat in recent months due to the nature of my professional work, except for my cherished personal projects. These projects reflect my interests as a person and exploration of how I utilize my photographic skills in an ideal world. Like most creatives, these are itches that need to be scratched.
Two such projects were shot throughout this summer but the negatives sat untouched in their archive sleeves...
Monday, August 10, 2015
Meet a Subject: Moshe Zusman
The final installment of my Meet a Subject series looks at the time I have spent assisting DC portrait/headshot/you name it photographer Moshe Zusman. It has been about a year since I took the plunge and committed myself to full time independent freelance photography as my sole source of income and I have learned more about portraiture and, more importantly, the business side of photography from a few months working with Moshe than years of handling a camera on my own.
The first few months of my entrepreneurial voyage were relatively busy. I was occupied with the multifaceted responsibility of establishing a business entity (just hire an account. Seriously), figuring out what it is that I would be doing photographically speaking, conceptualizing a brand, building a couple portfolios, growing contacts and generally adjusting to the strange ebb and flow of independent employment. I wasn't, however, doing a lot of photography. I heard that this was pretty normal in that pursuing photography as a business means running the business first and foremost with a bit of photography here and there. I also heard from a very trusted friend that the winter was coming, and the months can be slow.
The first few months of my entrepreneurial voyage were relatively busy. I was occupied with the multifaceted responsibility of establishing a business entity (just hire an account. Seriously), figuring out what it is that I would be doing photographically speaking, conceptualizing a brand, building a couple portfolios, growing contacts and generally adjusting to the strange ebb and flow of independent employment. I wasn't, however, doing a lot of photography. I heard that this was pretty normal in that pursuing photography as a business means running the business first and foremost with a bit of photography here and there. I also heard from a very trusted friend that the winter was coming, and the months can be slow.
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