Category: Beauty

Tara’s Head Shot session.

Beauty, Canon lenses and equipment, Portraiture, Studio Lighting

Early this afternoon Tara stopped by to have some head shots taken. After a failed start in the oppressive heat we moved inside to the cool, air consitioned studio and thing really began to click. Tara is the whole package. Fun, smart, talented and have to ever seen a set of eyes that were more expressive? We chatted about acting and movies over L7, Soul Coughing and Mazzy Star.  What had started out as a hot and uncomfortable sesssion ended up with us rolling on the floor laughing.

Over the past year I’ve noticed so much improvement in my ability to take bad or difficult situations and flip them to a positive. Something I deem just as important if not more than actual photography skills.

Tara is one of the actors to be featured in the upcoming presentation of the Pulitzer Prize winning, Rabbit Hole. Which opens Friday October 1st at the Chatham Playhouse in Chatham, NJ.

Box Office Information – Online Ticketing
Performance dates are October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 8PM and October 10 at 3PM. All performances are at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for youth/senior.

To access the theater’s online ticketing service, simply go to http://www.chathamplayers.org/tickets.htm and click on the “TicketLeap” logo. The service is available 24 hours a day, and tickets can be purchased online up until three hours prior to curtain on the day of a performance.

The box office will begin accepting phone reservations on September 21 at (973) 635-7363. For information regarding box office hours, please call the box office number listed above.

The Russians are Coming!!! The Russians are Coming!!!

Beauty, Canon lenses and equipment, Nudes, Portraiture, Studio Lighting

Sometimes people take you out of your comfort zone. Challenge you and maybe even scare you a little bit. But when you think about it, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Thus was the case with Iya. A beautiful woman just recently immigrated from Russia and looking to break into modeling. The day we met at the gallery I have to admit beings a bit intimidated. She had this vibe that straight out of a cold war espionage novel. Cold, direct and to the point. That initial day we hardly spoke. The language barrier and very “down to business demeanor: set the tone. We got some great images that day and both left very happy. It made me think. Imagine if we all lived in that safe comfort zone. Life wouldn’t be much fun now, would it?

The woman’s got a dirty mouth but she’s alright.

Beauty, Portraiture

Sometimes sessions don’t go as planned. Such is the case for my short meet up with Mariel. Mariel and I have worked together before with much success but our communication was definitely off this time. While my style is very natural and de-emphasizes posing for the most part. Mariels is very much the opposite. On this day we definitely pushed one anothers buttons. Despite some of the mouthy and testy moments (all playful mind you) I managed to catch a couple of unguarded shots which turned out to be my favorites.

Rosie Outlook.

Beauty, Canon lenses and equipment, Friendship, Portraiture

Some people just bring the very best out in you. Rosie is one of them. We first got together for a project I was working on called “Mind, Body, Spirit” and recently got together for inspiration and Vietnamese Sandwiches. Always smiling and quick witted. She’s always got something positive to bring to the conversation. I just linked her blog “This World is too Much with Us.” check it out and send her some love. Here are some pictures we took. Worship these first.

WTF

Beauty, Humor

As of late I’ve gotten pretty lazy when it comes to bringing my camera along with me when I go out. I’ve been doing my share of portraiture and music photography but when it comes to just random daily stuff…. I have to admit. I’ve been slipping. However last week I took my first trip to Brooklyn in weeks and decided to bring the old Canon with me. I need to get back into the habit. Even if I have to force myself in the beginning. Because on the days I leave it at home I tend to come across a lot of WTF scenerios and moments. Here was a good example. Okay, it’s one of the ugliest dogs you’re ever going to come across but why in the hell did she have this medium sized canine in a shoulder bag?

Oh shit, has it really been a month?

Beauty, Music, Portraiture

Another month gone and I realize how much I’ve been neglecting this blog as of late. It’s not a case of nothing doing, nothing to talk about.  I can assure you of that. This past month has given me it’s share of adventure, opportunities and challenges. My website UniteWebzine.com has kept me very busy. So much so I’m starting to look for contributors to lighten the load. I recently become the admistrator for SOHO Photo Galleries Facebook page and have become a contributer to Jersey Beat.      Writing and photography have been my strong suits for some time now. As I find myself doing more and more of both I’m seeing a very strong connection. I’ve noticed that my approach to portraiture and interviewing musicans and such the same. Building a trust and slowly peeling away the layers. I know I won’t be able to get what I need unless I invest the time to really get to know the person inside. I see both my photography and interviewing style grow and evolve. I guess I’d like to become more of a story teller than just ask the random “So tell me about the new album and tour.” I find it easy gaining trust with the people I photograph. It’s a lot harder with bands and artists. I find the best interviews I’ve done were never at gigs. There’s just too much going on and everyone seems to be talking over one another. The times when I’ve really gotten to know the artist is when we were just relaxing over a beer, burger or burritto. Just as in my portaiture I’d rather do one in depth interview than ten random “What are your influences. What made you choose the bands goofy name?” That’s where I see myself and my work going. That’s my take on it.

Couch trip

Beauty, Humor

Few things bring us as much comfort as that old familiar couch. Back in my Hell’s Kitchen days I had this old green couch that was so long, two people could sleep on it comfortably without even being in the same area code as one another. These days I’ve got a nice brown micro suede couch that, though not as long, is quite comfortable and inviting. From time to time when I have a client over I break from the set and backgrounds and head for the couch. Most people take to it like they are in their own homes while others approach it rather gingerly. Perhaps thinking “What does he have in mind?” The results when lit just right are magic. I hereby dedicate this post to “The Couch”.



Better late than never is never a good excuse.

Beauty, Portraiture, Portraiture in natural light, Responsibility, Soft Lighting


A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I worked fro a talent agency doing print ads and working on movies. While signing up with the woman told me the importance of being on time. “If you have a 3:00 appointment make sure you are there and fully prepared to start work by 2:45. It was a simple rule that made sense and it stuck with me. All my life I always made a point of not only being on time. But getting there early just in case.

Somewhere down the road I wish everyone got that same memo because people just don’t seem to have any understanding about what it means to show up on time. I used to hold a management position with one of the museums in New York City and had a staff of about five to seven people to work with. Two of the girls on my staff were showing up late on a daily basis. When I took them aside to note and remedy the situation one girl responded “I’m from the Bronx.” It was a term I was familiar with having heard it many times regarding various issues. Her point, dumb as it may seem, was that she came to work from a far away land where time hadn’t been invented yet. I suggested that if she was late everyday by about fifteen minutes she should set her alarm a half an hour earlier. This seemed to make no sense to her whatsoever. “Yeah, but I travel with my friend.” Her friend just happened to be the other girl who was constantly late for work. By that time I had convinced myself that there was a force field around the Bronx that kept people from being responsible and basically “Knowing shit”. Sometimes if you hear something enough times you tend to start believing it to be true. Hearing the term “I don’t know dat shit. I’m from the Bronx.” made me believe it was true.

This week I got to experience that feeling again. I met Antoinette while working at the gallery last week. We had talked on line and she mentioned she would stop by to say hello and talk further about our upcoming session. The day she came by we talked and talked for what seemed to be hours about everything from art to philosophy and the belief theory of good and evil. We set up an appointment and continued to talk online in the days that followed. The day before our shoot I confirmed for 2:00 p.m. which she agreed. I even spoke to her online the next morning in which she told me “I’m jumping in the shower and then heading out.”  2:00 p.m. came and went. As did three and four. At 5:00 p.m. I get a call. “I’m here”. I was and still am without words. Yesterday we were scheduled to shoot at the downtown gallery where we first met. Same time different place. I got a text telling me she’s on the train and will be a little late. Okay, bad but not too bad. That was until she called me and asked. “I’m here on 23rd Street. How do I get there?” I was without words. The gallery which she had just visited less than a week ago had not mysteriously moved from Tribeca to Chelsea while you were sleeping.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Let me just say that Antoinette is/was a sweet, beautiful and sincerely apologetic girl. She even sat through both of my tirades where I basically tore her apart. But you have got to be fucking kidding me. I am often amazed at how some people manage to get through life, hold jobs, have families and even operate heavy machinery with absolutely no clue as to what is happening around them. In coming to a close I just want to say that I’m not dissing the Bronx or it’s residents. I’m sure KRS-1 was never late for an MC battle. I know for a fact that millions of people from the Bronx make it to work on time every day and actually “Know shit.”. I just had to get some things off my chest. Antoinette as mentioned before was a complete sweetheart who I enjoyed working with. I just don’t think I could ever go through that again. Plan ahead, know where you’re going and for Christ sake…… Get there on time.

Experimenting with natural light in a new environment.

Beauty, Portraiture, Soft Lighting


Whenever I’m working at or visiting the gallery I can’t help but think what an amazing space it would be to conduct some photo shoots. It would sure take some of the pressure off working in the small space I currently use. The gallery offers the perfect location in downtown Manhattan and is surrounded by cobble stone streets and edgy nearby alleyways. The gallery itself is spacious with sky high ceilings and provides beautiful natural light. During the mid afternoon the galleries sky light offers one of the most beautiful, angelic glow I’ve ever seen. I thought about the idea of packing my lights and backgrounds to bring to the studio but realized it was completely unnecessary. I wanted to start scheduling some sessions for the beginning of the week but thought it would make sense to do a test run with my favorite new model Diana.

Diana and I met up at 2:00 and after giving her a tour of the gallery got down to business. Shooting at a gallery where every wall is covered with Photography can be a challenge but it turned out to be easier than I first thought. There was plenty of available space by the front and back windows and up in the loft. It felt good to have the space to breath. I felt less clumsy and more confident. Diana looked beautiful and elegant. She’s so natural and comfortable in front of the camera. I don’t even like to use the word “Work” when referring to the times we’ve gotten together. Her expressions in these images may seem a bit melancholy but we were both laughing and joking in between. I’ve worked with a lot of people like that. They can be fun and laughing one second but once that camera comes out they’re all business.

Needless to say the session was a success and I’m really excited to return. It’s always good to find a new spot that inspires you and allows you to try something new. This gives a lot of people an alternative to coming over to Hoboken from the city. It also gives me the opportunity to get out of the studio while allowing me room to breath.