Todays image came at the very end of my last shoot. Roksolana came to the shoot wearing a pair of Doc Marten boots. As a teenager I owned a pair of ox blood Docs that I cherished. They really stood out from the standard blacks everyone wore. Towards the very end I had her put them on with her dress. As she began to lace them up I stopped her. “Leave them just as they are. They look great.” I’ll be posting more later of her and my other shoots. For now “Rox in Docs.”
Tag: Portrait
My Day at Photography Explorers. AKA Teaching New Kids Old Tricks.
Earlier today I went back to my old neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen for my first day of teaching 5th and 6th graders the art of Black & White photography. I’ve been a volunteer with NY Cares for about a year now and in all honesty, it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Throughout most of the year I’ve been volunteering with the Hudson Guild in Chelsea. Hudson Guild offers underprivileged first, second and third graders a place to go after school. Helping with their homework and art projects has been lots of fun. I myself and not much of an artist and having a six year old make fun of your skills with the crayons, scissors and glue can be pretty damaging to the ego. Photography Explorers, however, is right up my alley. I had a great time and loved working with the kids. I plan on becoming a regular and will be bringing the portable studio to the next session. Teaching them about portraiture should be a lot of fun. Judging from all the characters I met today. We should have a lot of good pictures.
The Beauty of Tanu.
I don’t get to work on many morning sessions these days due to conflicting schedules and the fact that most of the models I’ve met are not exactly morning people. This was not the case with Tanu . When we first exchanged schedules for the week, she suggested 9:00 AM. “Whoa, I said. Perhaps a bit too early for me to be at my best. We settled on 10:00 Am agreeing it would still give us plenty of time to get things done. When I met her at the PATH my first impression was her pictures didn’t even come close to conveying her beauty or personality. Tanu was awesome and our session conveyed it. Her expressive eyes and lips had me pausing to catch my breath. An absolute professional and a pleasure to work with. We stopped here and there but for the most part, we never really got off course. Tanu was born and raised in New Delhi India and lived in Brooklyn, NY before moving to Long Island City.
I hope to be doing a lot more morning sessions in the future. We’ll certainly see. I can’t think of many better ways to start the day.
Woman on the Stairs
I’m going through this mornings session with Tanu Suri and have come across so many that just take my breath away. It’s going to take a while to go through and pick the best of the best but I wanted to share something. Though this was a studio shoot we went up to the roof and also took a few shots on the stairs. I thought this particular one was interesting. 
Me, I Love B&W.
I just love shooting B&W. I love the mood and the contrast. I’ve been getting a lot of headshot work lately which calls for color. I find myself switching to monochrome in between shots. Later, when I show them the results. They often agree that the monochromes are the best shots and portray them in the best light.
But Sometimes they Love Color.
Roksolana invades New York City.
My shoot with Roksolana (Lana for short) was both fun and heartfelt. As we were sitting in the office talking she told me about her recent move to Brooklyn from the Ukraine. Her love for modeling, art and New York City. There was a certain warmth and ease to her personality. I told her about my current town of Hoboken which she knew very well, being that she has been working with an artist there. I was very engaged. In speaking I couldn’t help but notice a pronounced scar on her chest. When I asked her about it she openly spoke about having been fitted with a pace maker. Something that seemed insane at such a young age. She told about the issues she had from a very young age. I immediately identified considering what I went trough with having a brain tumor at a very young age. It wasn’t as much as sad exchange as it was a triumphant one. Both of had overcome and adversity at a very young age and were living happy, full lives. As for the session that followed. She was so natural and instinctive. Few of the shots were posed. It was just the two of us conversing and exchanging stories. Exchanges like these are a major ingredient to why I love what I do. Here’s to you Roks.
P.S. Lana, if you read this. The reason I didn’t photoshop the scar out of the picture is I thought is was an important part of the story, your beauty and your experience,
The People you Meet
Photography has always been my way to meet the world. To introduce myself and get ot know people I may not be bold enough to otherwise. To say things I would never be able to say with words. One of the reasons I started this blog in the first place was to tell the stories about the unique people I had been meeting and to tell the stories behind the images. Photography and portraiture has allowed me the opportunity to meet the world.
Thursday I met a woman whose cultural background was as diverse as the places she’s traveled. A recent transplant from the West Coast Suzanne is a mix of Arabian, South East Asian and European. Not to mention that she speaks a number of languages including Cantonese, Mandarin and Russian. I learned so much in the short time we spent together. Being around people with such diverse backgrounds and experiences is so important to me. We talked about our favorite destinations and how I dreamed about my next possible travel spots. Places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Morocco. I may not have been able to go there yet but I’m happy to have met and photographed people who have.
At the Gallery.
I’ve been a member of SOHO Photo Gallery for about three or four years now. Displaying new work month after month alongside the many talented photographers that belong to a COOP who’s membership spans worldwide. Though I hate meetings and may not have learned a whole lot from the folks that were doing this before I was born. I have taken full advantage of the opportunity. Early this year I decided to take advantage of the amazing space and light gallery has to offer. The buildings white walls, old architecture and little nooks and crannies give me lots of inspiration. Not to mention the surrounding streets of Tribeca and Chinatown. I’ve been conducting shoots while the gallery is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Thus far it’s worked out extremely well. I’ve been entertaining the idea of booking night sessions in the future. But for now it’s working out pretty well.
Tuesday afternoon I met up with actress/model Janet before heading uptown to a pre meeting with next Tuesday shoot. Janet is twenty six but her look skus much younger allowing her to take on younger parts that call for more maturity. Though she was very business minded and serious. I was able to get some really good smiles and even a few silly images. As for my meeting later that night. I can’t say enough. The sample images she had sent earlier did no justice to her beauty or personality. Looking forward to our shoot.
Oh shit, has it really been a month?
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.
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