Blog

Dupont Underground Fundraiser - 7 September 2012

2012-09-04T15:21:35Z

I'll be on hand to photograph tonight's Dupont Underground, 'Above-Ground" fundraiser. Looking forward to hearing some fantastic music and to participating in rasing money for a really unique project.

Here are a few photos of some of tonight's performers, taken during the filming of music videos in Dupont Underground.

See you tonight!

Citizen Effect - Team Headshot Photography

2012-08-24T14:05:01Z

August is for vacation and relaxing and catching up. This is not to say I have not been busy. - just away from the computer and the blog for a while. So, getting back into the swing of things ...

I completed a short, on location, headshot session for Washington DC based, community-advocacy, non-profit Citizen Effect. Here are the finals that they selected.

There are many things I like about this sort of location work. For one, photographing and seeing people in their work space (in this case with co-workers looking on) presents a much different energy during a shoot which often gives me insight into how to pose and interact with individuals. In the end I feel that this lends to a more genuine portrait. I also really enjoy the technical challenges of photographing in a small space and making it look like it was shot in studio. We were really wedged in here, but I was lucky to have 1) a blank wall and 2) high ceilings. Lastly, I love when people see the lighting set up and I hear "Wow! This is the real thing." For me the lightng is an everyday thing, and I forget that this isn't true of most people.

World Bank Group Headshot Photography + Social Media Profile Pictures

2012-06-30T16:04:43Z

Last week I did a daylong headshot session for a team at the IFC to help promote their inter-office social media platform. To encourage people to update their profile, the team provided coffee, cup cakes and an opportunity to get a professional (2 minute "photo booth" style) headshot done for their profile picture. On the day I photographed about 150 people in about 6 hours. It was a lot of photography but a really great opportunity to shoot a really diverse group of individuals.

Rob - Portrait Study #2

2012-06-27T23:20:17Z

On Wednesday I got together with local DC musician Rob Pierangeli to do a quick portrait session. I used a single light set up (+ back ground light) with a small umbrella and worked on building a composition using the contrasting areas of lights and darks that this created - something I had been interested in experimenting with and I felt would also work well for Rob. My favorites are below with a few more here.

One thing you do find about simple lighting set ups, they allow you to focus a bit more attention on the subject - less time juggling and more time interacting is a good thing in many ways.

B.K. Adams + Surly Moonlander

2012-06-25T22:51:40Z

I'm a big bike-noticer, so when I pulled up to the neighborhood cafe and saw this monster of a bike last week, well, I noticed - a big black Surly Moonlander mountain(?) bike with a smattering/splattering of bright paint perched on a pair of absurdly large tires. It was impossible for me to miss. It was also immediately obvious to me who the likely owner of the bike was, local sculptor, painter and (A)rtist B.K. Adams. If you are here in DC I'm sure you've spotted a few of his 'I am Art' stickers, a black and white stenciled portrait of himself wearing his signature welding goggles, and it wasn't long before B.K. was out and showing off his new ride.

Note: I'm not certain that this bike was the Moonlander model and not the Pugsley, but I have a hard time thinking that B.K. would pass up a chance to ride around on a bike that looks like this AND is named Moonlander.

Jenny Sammons, Jewelry Designer - Headshot Session

2012-06-21T02:27:35Z

On Wednesday morning I did a headshot session for local Washington DC jewelry designer and musician Jenny Sammons. For the shoot Jenny chose the gardens surrounding the Franciscan Monastery on Quincy St in NE DC. This was my first visit to the Monastery, and it turned out to be a great location for the shoot, with a variety of flowering plants, tall shade trees and a cool grotto, and it all perfectly suited Jenny, who was a wonderful subject. Plus, the security guard was an amateur photographer who had no problem with me setting up a light stand or two for the shoot. (If I had asked he probably would have held a reflector for me. We were probably the most intersting thing to happen this week). It all made for a lovely morning of photography.

These are some of my favorites, but I'm also very curious to see which Jenny likes best. Unedited "for selects" are here if anyone is curious.

Butch - Portraits of Neighbors, Ledroit Park

2012-06-20T17:06:39Z

Elm Street's caretaker, Butch. One day I'll need to ask him about his moniker.

Carolyn - Portrait Study #1

2012-06-17T23:10:06Z

My friend Carolyn came over for an impromptu shoot on Friday. What a lovely opportunity to try out some new things! I’ve done quite a bit of work with friends and neighbors, and I’ve been making a point to try and get the people I know into my “studio” (living room) on a more regular basis. My goal is to make the tag “Portrait Study” a more regular occurrence on this blog. If there needs to be a Study #1 I think this is a good place to start!

Here are a few of my favorites:

DIY Instagram? Not Exactly.

2012-06-10T12:40:14Z

If your phone is "dumb" like mine, you can still create your very own, beautiful, low tech Instagram photographs. All you need is a film camera (In this case a Nikon F3 - but any old point and shoot will do) and a roll of expired Kodak Gold Max 400 - preferably one that has lived in a shoe box since 1998, when you graduated and moved into that $400/month Adams Morgan group house OR, if you are 19, one that has lived in a shoe box that your mom has owned since 1991, when rent was only $200/month.

Extra points for getting the print shop to scan your film full frame and without removing the dust.

To illustrate the effect, here are a few shots from a pumpkin picking day last fall with neighbor Martha and her daughter Eddy. I know, not very instant, but isn't the memory of a cool fall day a nice discovery now that the DC summer heat is here for a while? Can you think of a better use for an old roll of film?

Individual results may varry.

And of course there were pygmy goats.

Washington DC Wedding, Ryan + Candice

2012-06-05T02:05:41Z

On Saturday I assisted for my friend, Nick Stroccia, with a wedding on Capitol Hill. Here are a few of my favorites from my camera. I've always found "second shooter" responsibilities pretty low key - tote some gear, take some pretty photos, stay out of the way! Nick is always super professional. He handles more weddings than I do each year, so it's also a great way to pick up a few tips. And what a beautiful, sunny day!