Sometimes an idea comes along for a fun or off the wall photo session. Other times I just like to take silly pictures of friends. This moth I’ve got plans to combine the two. The idea is pretty simple . Find some of my favorite personalities and see ho they perform in non-typical roles. Whenever I come up with a concept or idea for a project I usually have a strong visual picture of what I want to achieve. I almost always have certain people in mind. Who would fit best with the ideas I’m trying to convey. Some say no. Some take some coaxing and there are people like Mandy that are almost certainly willing to contribute. Jeez, I’ve known Mandy more than half my life. She’s one of my closest friends and someone I can always turn to. Her energy, sense of humor and giving nature are infectious. Whenever I have a show or need help on one of my projects she always says “Sure, anything to get to see you.” Now I know I’m cool. But I ain’t that cool. She’s always been there for me through the good times and the bad. No questions asked. The truest definition of a friend. I’m really glad I got to start this silly project on a high note. Thanks love.
e to your age makes it harder to create strong bonds. The geographic distance doesn’t help much either. On the occasions I do get to see him he never fails to tell me how much he misses me. He’s a good kid who loves hip hop and Baseball. He’s a lot shyer and quiet than I ever was and he stays out of trouble. Just in case your curious he’s the one on the far right. “Hey Matt, show some enthusiasm. You just *&%^$ graduated.” Congrats, I love you kid.
Sunday we made an appointment to see a Condo Loft in Clinton Hill. Another section of Brooklyn I’m not all that familiar with. Kayuri was a little anxious about the area and didn’t know what to expect at all. I just asked that she keep an open mind. As we got off the train we came upon Marcy Park and the nearby projects. The name “Marcy” racked my brain. I knew the name from somewhere. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. A few minutes later it finally came to me. That’s where rapper Jay – Z grew up. Any fears we may have had about the idea quickly subsided when we saw the eclectic mix of African American, Hasidic Jews and Latinos. The Condo, which used to be a chocolate factory was breathtaking. A 950 square foot loft with thirteen foot ceilings which included a sleeping loft. The building also had a beautiful tiled roof and glass enclosed gym. (also on the roof) I could definitely see myself doing some really interesting shoots there. The views from the roof deck were spectacular. A clear view of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Jersey. After some drooling and speculating we decided that we wanted a little more space. We definitely loved the building and the neighborhood. Along the way we met some nice people including Elisheba who was so sweet we wanted to take her home. With Elisheba’s recommendation we headed over to Sullivans for brunch and headed home.
I spent much of last night changing the backgrounds in the studio in preparation for the upcoming weeks shoots. On Friday I decided to go with a muslin and wasn’t really happy with my choice. A few years ago I decided to turn my living room into a part time photo studio. I invested in some auto poles and picked up the Genesis 200 series light kit. I even purchased a nice soft box. Though it takes some maneuvering I seem to have just enough space to make it work. Along the way I’ve picked up several muslins and have an assortment of seamless backgrounds. In the early going I tended to lean towards using the muslins more often. The were wider than the 53 wide seamless backgrounds I had. Easier to store and a synch to hang. The seamless however were cheaper and in my opinion produced somewhat of a cleaner look. The only problem was the 53 inches of width did not allow me much room to work with. Head shots were one thing but my 3/4 shots were often to tight and you can forget about full length or family portraits. I needed to get a wider paper but the next size up was 109 inches wide. To wide for the space I had. I thought of everything and even looked into having the local lumber yard cut it down to a useable size. Finally in the end I found a place in Chelsea that not only carries the larger size but can cut it down to your specific needs in a matter of minutes. Problem solved right? Well, yes. But I still go back and fourth between the two choices. Both offer their conveniences and challenges. I’m going to stick with seamless for this weeks sessions and see how I do.
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