Photo 365 Project

With all of the things I am constantly pestered to join on the Internet, there are actually a few gems out here on the Web’s Wild West.

Notably, is Pinterest.com where I can lift images from the ‘net and place them onto online lists for inspiration.  In other words, we know we’ll never actually have the money to redecorate our house from scratch or afford to get a new wardrobe…but why not dream anyway? Come find me on there!

Another, which I have gotten a ton of stuff for my business (props, camera straps, my padded mailer envelopes, etc…) is Etsy.com.  If you love all things handmade, hit it up!

And I’ll end with a belly laugher website, which is kind of the anti-Etsy.  It’s called Regretsy.com and I’ll just say that some of it is toilet humor…but some of it is pretty epic!

And since all photo blog posts are better with an actual photo, here’s what I shot tonight:

Also, as long as I’m suggesting stuff…go pick up the new Black Keys album!

If you haven’t caught their insanely awesome act at a local CNY bar…at the very least check them out online. I was truly honored to be able to photograph them… twice.  Once in their natural element and the second for some group shots in Syracuse.  For this shoot, I embraced a dark, brooding look with both lighting and editing.  It was somewhat of a departure for me and I was thrilled do have the opportunity.

Some of my favorites…

This bottom shot of the lead singer I think could be one of my favorite portraits ever.  The light flare was perfect (just a softbox!) and the Syracuse landscape in the glasses took it over the top…plus he’s a brilliant frontman!

Thanks guys for your patience, kindness and all around coolness.  Great things ahead…

xoxo

This photo shoot had me really, really excited for a number of reasons: Mainly, because it’s not often I get to shoot events that don’t involve balloons or Yo Gabba Gabba.  For realz.  So it’s some out of the box shooting for me! I jumped at the chance.  Decree is a band most often seen around central New York.  They are fantastic.  And I don’t say that lightly…because if you know me, you know it takes a lot of effort to get me out on a Saturday night! I would go out any night of the week to see these guys! Some of my favorites…

Not only are the guys photogenic, they are pretty damn cool.  All of them were up for photos and didn’t mind (apparently) me laying on the ground as they were performing, or mixing it up with all of their fans (and there were a LOT).

There is a saying in photography.  It goes something like, “Get the shot that everyone’s paying for, then do your thing.” These next few shots are me doing my thing, ha ha haa!

The next sequence of shots are my favorite.  It shows the range that frontman Bill has…he goes from superstar quality to a more brooding, serious singer.  I only hope I did them justice…

Check out this band as soon as you can, and like them on Facebook!

Went to a book signing for a fantastic local author! Check out this great read (I shot the photo for the cover….)

I’m not much of a cook.  Or a baker.  Or, if I’m being totally honest…not much of a food preparer at all (short of my making ice cream sundaes back in the day at Friendly’s…holla!)

I’m more of an eater.  A good eater.  I have always admired those who can cook or bake up something great.  I watch online shows about chefs who prepare these masterpieces and I’m completely in awe.  Particularly when it comes to desserts…and cake.  I LOVE cake, cupcakes, wedding cakes, themed cakes… it probably started because my mom would make us elaborate train cakes for our birthdays as children.  The obsession has only grown.

As you may know, making a fancy cake is on my 33×33 list (do 33 things by the time I’m 33) Soooo, here is my practice run fondant cake!

This dinosaur sustained serious head and neck injuries (white frosting was meant to patch it up) but I will try to rectify the heavy head problem and do a better job next time! This actually was just a trial run for my upcoming nephew’s birthday party, where a dinosaur was requested.  It’ll only get better!

Cheers to trying something once!

I’ve been playing a lot with textures lately and seeing if I can somehow incorporate them into some of my photos for a more unique look.  (For those who don’t know, textures can be added as a layer in Photoshop to enhance an image…in my case I’ve been using some grunge textures to mess up pretty photos…using the contrast of clean and dirty to create more interest.)  For the below example, I was on a deserted island (no, really!) and took photos of the ground.  It was a beautiful sunny day though and I felt like that was too bright to convey a sadness in the scene.  I added some grunge on top of the photo (you can see the flecks of brown, particularly at the corners) to give it a more serious feel.  I am experimenting with portraits as well, adding grunge to otherwise clean studio shots of subjects.  I will also be adding them to some of my bridal photos to see if some of my edgy brides like a unique spin to their picture!

There is nothing better than learning about other cultures or experiencing it, especially when you know you will probably never get to go to another part of the world and see it first hand.  it was with great enthusiasm that I photographed some Tibetan monks for a story my coworker was writing. To read more, go here.

I was like a child at Christmas when they told me they didn’t mind if I used flash photography while they worked on their sand mandala, so up went the light stands! It was incredibly dark inside but I tried to add some light without changing the mood of the environment…these sand mandalas are nothing short of magnificent…

Ingredients:

~ $12.09 for beverages at 7-11 (Will not confirm or deny chips and salsa was also bought to keep energy up)

~ Plastic tarp on floor

~ old glass (found underneath desk at work)

~ Boredom on a weeknight

Mix thoroughly for best results…

With an entrance, came a departure.  I needed a break from what I was doing on a day to day basis, and, like a muse, she appeared. Kristen and I were ‘tweeps…ummm, Twitter friends (no matter how I say this, it will sound odd to some).  I was a huge fan of her awesome music blog, essentially a place for out-of-touch-wanna-be-cool-kids go to see what the hip people are listening to.  Join the experience here.

Anyway, after bonding over a road race, pictures, music, etc… we had to meet.  And I had to photograph.  So in she came with some inspiration, and out went my status quo way of shooting.  You see, it is rare that I get a beautiful and patient subject in front of my lens who allows me 100 percent experimentation! Yep, she’s that cool.  I have really been wanting to try different looks.  I have a little book of ideas/experiments that I keep and update, so I have a running tally of things I want to try to put in my portfolio.  Among them: laser lights, glitter, and playing with shadows.  She was game! Some worked (glitter), some definitely didn’t (laser lights), but in the end it was a fun tweepup (or something)!!

A HUGE thank you not only to Kristen, but to Megan who did the makeup (contact me if you need a fantastic makeup guru in the Albany, NY area) and Chad for use of his space where we set up a studio and made a glittery mess of his floor!

Here are some of my favorites…

Chad held a gold reflector right below Kristen’s face and I LOVE how the gold bounced everywhere and made her skin radiant!

Here is the same kind of theme but we switched out backgrounds to give a winter, ice princess vibe…

Then we mixed it up and played with shadows (something I will definitely do more of in the future)…

Now, for an even bigger departure.  I almost NEVER gel (color) my lights.  But I wrapped my strobes in bright pink gels (a waxy like coating) to try to backlight her…I think it was a cool effect and something I at least can now nail if a client asks for it in the future.

A ginormous thank you to the stunning model Kristen, her rocking wardrobe, and her patience! Had an absolute blast and learned a lot!

Hanging out tonight with two artists (one of the musical kind and one of the audio kind), listening to them talk passionately about their upcoming projects…I didn’t take a photo yet and I had an hour to do so…seemed perfect for the Photo 365 Project! I’m glad those close to me don’t mind me shoving a camera in their face all the time…