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. 

Meet a Subject: The man we call Shrake

Today's installment of my Meet a Subject series looks at longtime friend Scott Shrake, who's patronage of my photography services can be traced back to the start of my professional career. Founder and creative director/visionary of DC's Story League live story telling group, Shrake has provided many performers with a platform for expression, identity, self-discovery, fame and humor. He also provided me with my first paid photo gig. Professional story telling is to me, after years of watching and photographing, an intimate performance style that is on par with the level of difficulty of good stand up comedy. 

Note: this is from my first Story League Show. Notice my clumsy inclusion of an extra microphone stand in the composition...

Performers have the stage, a microphone and a few short minutes to capture (and keep) the attention of a live audience of strangers while telling a story about their life.

Meet a Subject: Jo Ann Block

Next up in my Meet a Subject series is another visual artist by the name of Jo Ann Block. A DC transplant via California & Vermont, Jo Ann's work investigates the complexities and ambiguities of queer identity throughout historical and contemporary culture. I was first introduced to Jo Ann at her studio space in the DC Arts Studios on one of my afternoons devoted to the ArtistSpaces project and we immediately began her work and career, as well as creative culture in general. 

Most of my sessions for the ArtistSpaces project involve a long chat about an artists work and interests as opposed to me just jumping in and snapping away, and neither of us appeared to be in a particular rush when we started chatting. I did notice however, once she sat down, that elements of her latest work "TransSurfing" were creating an absolutely dynamic frame around her likeness. This incredible composition was staring at me for an hour as I held onto our conversation, completely blown away by the story of her latest project while being constantly taunted by the possibilities of the frame. 

Meet a Subject: Eric B Ricks

Hey there - I would like to introduce fellow readers to a number of my favorite and notable portrait subjects from over the past year. Everyone featured in this series has been either chosen because of their interesting story or background, impact on me or my photographic endeavors, or any imaginable combination of the above. This will basically be a collective shout out to a number of people that bestow upon me the honor of taking their picture, and most of them have done so on a number of occasions.

Eric B Ricks, Collaborator in Creative Mayhem

First up is DC artist Eric B Ricks; muralist, painter, mixed media sculptor and general collaborator in creative mayhem. I first met Eric under some chance circumstances back in August of 2014. Eric had been working as an apprentice under local photography legend George de Vincent, who had recently passed away after a life of seemingly endless adventure, and Eric was in the process of moving out of de Vincent's house and studio located a couple blocks away from my apartment.