I was dropping off a print at thegallery today when I saw this beautiful woman in the hall. I was scheduled to meet todays session there around the same time and though she barely resembled the picture that had been sent to me. I felt I had to ask. Cautiously I asked “Are you looking for someone in particular?” When she said “James” I smiled and introduced myself. In all honesty the picture she had emailed me did not even come close to the beautiful woman I was talking to. After a short introduction we jumped in my car and headed back to Jersey. Everything seemed to be going smoothly in the beginning. We shot some pictures under the overpass and headed over to the Monroe Center. She had big, beautiful eyes and a soft voice. She told me about her home in East Africa and how she missed the small things. How her first year of school had it’s challenges both academically and socially. I was eager to get back to the studio and work on some creative lighting. As much as I love working outdoors in natural light I have become more and more comfortable in the studio. I was also eager to work again with the strip box I picked up last week. She had told me earlier that she would get frustrated when she felt she wasn’t taking direction well and I felt that maybe our communication was off a bit. As we were taking the first shots I felt like I wasn’t achieving the lighting I had hoped for. Posing had also been somewhat of a challenge. All of the sudden it seemed as if we hit a wall. She looked somewhat drained so I asked if she wanted to call it a day. She said she was fine. Just a little tired. I told her to chill out for a bit (yeah, I say that sometimes) and offered her a drink. She opted for a Coke and “Pow” before you knew it we were back on track. In a short time we got some of the best pictures of the session. The dress she had brought was worn for the last few shots. I recall she had picked Duran Duran out of my CD collection to listen to and during the last few minutes was actually dancing. She really seemed as if she was in a good place. And for that I’m happy.
Tag: Portraiture
Friday Session: Jazz Guitarist Tony Crisos
I don’t claim to know a lot about Jazz as a whole. My first job while living in Manhattan was at a Jazz Label/ Floating Jazz Festival company. I also worked for a cigar smoking Jazz lover who ran a record store in the Village. I got the ins and out on Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, the many faces of Coltrane, Buddy Rich and a few others including my personal favorite Chet Baker. But overall I am a novice when it comes to the genre . Enter my friend Tony Crisos. Both student of life and teacher/performer of Jazz Guitar. To hear him talk about “true jazz” you would think it was one of the seven wonders of the world. Tony came to Hoboken today to hang out, catch up and take some pictures. After a stop at the corner Tai restaurant for some good food and conversation about his recent trip to Greece. We got down to business. My usual M.O. when having someone over is to find some good music. This time around I was treated to a live set of Tony’s best offerings. I had some issues early on in the session including getting used to using my new strip box and realizing a little late I had not reset my ISO to 100 after my last concert. (It turned out I shot the first few shots at ISO 1600) The biggest challenge turned out to be keeping Tony seated the first couple of minutes. The man is so full of energy and ideas. I could hardly get off a shot before he was jumping up and wanting to move to the next thing. However, once he started playing that guitar it was sheer concentration. It reminded me a lot of my Father when he played piano. He just went into his own world. There was no getting through. Tony is a great guy and talented beyond his years. He joked that our friendship was the only good thing that came out of our time with the company Freeze Frame. Sounds right to me.
Histoire de Melody Nelson
I’ve been listening to Serge Gainsbourg for weeks now. Histoire de Melody Nelson is an amazing album that I am shocked somehow managed to elude my ears for so many years. This a perfectly crafted Pop album with a lot of dirty, sexy twists and turns. Now listening to this album may not make me a better photographer and it might not score me any points with my Punk and Hardcore friends but fuck it. Music is music and it comes in so many colors and flavors. Listening to it’s many angles and nuances also made me want to post some of the pictures from last weeks session with Steph. I’ve worked with Steph several times and she is an amazing woman. A mix of Japanese, Philippine and Spanish. She has a great laugh and a shy smile. We had a blast that morning and even though she was late we got some great images in a short span of time.
As for Serge Gainsbourg I am learning as I go. I’ve picked up two albums so far and learning a little bit about the man himself. It would seem he was quite the playboy back in the day. Setting Paris and the rest of the world on fire with his raspy voice, seductive lyrics, controversial record covers and smooth orchestral sound. I don’t speak more than a few words of French but I know damn well what he’s singing about. Serge, you’re a dirty, dirty man and for that I am forever a fan.
The core of my heart.
Sebastianne came into my life at the age of three. At the time I had become close friends with her mom KC. Through the years KC and I remained good friends and I watched Sebastianne grow and mature. Even as a baby I was impressed and even amazed at what a smart and well behaved kid she was. She always seemed mature beyond her age. She was very special to me and along with her mom was there for some of the most important times in my life. As the years went by both KC and I moved out of Manhattan and saw less of one another. There were holidays and the occasional get together. They remained very special and loved throughout. A few years back I was having a special dinner with some friends on the lower east side and invited KC to join us. We were already in mid celebration when KC arrived with a friend. As I stood up to give her a hug I asked “Who’s your friend?” It turned out to be Sebastianne. In a short time she had morphed from a cute child to a woman. She was the same sweet, beautiful kid. I couldn’t get over how much she had sprouted. Fast forward to last week. I was in the middle of a session when the phone rang. I didn’t pick it up due to the fact I was in midst of photographing a beautiful woman. Later that night I checked my phone and didn’t notice the 914 area code. Once I checked the message I was still a little unsure. The message was very basic just mentioning her name and to call her back when I got the chance. When I did call back I realized right away who it was. My sweetheart Sebastianne. We talked and made plans to get together before she was set to start high school today. So yesterday I went up to Harlem and picked her up from the train. We went out for lunch at Gobo in the village and had a chance to catch up. She filled me in on her Summer and what she’s been up to. There are a handful of people in my life that occupy space in my heart. People you would do anything for at the drop of a hat without any questions asked. She is without a doubt one them. After lunch we headed back to Hoboken and did a laid back , impromptu photo session. Sebastianne is a really smart gifted kid. She loves to read, learn, writes, including her own songs. She’s beautiful but not the least bit self involved. A lot of kids her age hit that rough patch where they think everything is lame and stupid but she’s so balanced I don’t have the least bit of worry about it. Later that night we watched the movies I let her pick out at Blockbuster (Pink Panther I and II) and laughed ’til it hurt. This morning I drove her home and to her first day of High School. Sebastianne, I’d wish you luck but I know you’re going to synch it. Love you always.
Learning, growing and giving thanks.
About a year ago I got a My Space message from my friend Justine in Boston. She told me she had always liked my work and enjoyed keeping up with my new pictures and adventures. BUT, yes there is always a BUT. She said the lighting in my studio shots seemed predictable. Had I ever thought of going darker and maybe adding more drama? Hmmm, she was right on target. My lighting was predictable and to be honest boring. It all came down to one thing, Fear. When I worked for other studios the lighting was either set up for us or when I was setting up and taking down the studio every day there was blueprint I was expected not to stray from. If there was ever a problem there was someone in the studio (a manager or owner) to fix it. When I went on my own I had no backup. No one to call when things went wrong. There was a certain fear of failure involved. So I never strayed far from the blueprint. When I got that email from Justine I really started to think. Why let fear of failure ever stop you from learning and growing. I really wanted to take the kind of pictures I saw my favorite photographers taking.
So the next time I had a model over to the studio I told her. “We’re going to try some new things today. We’re probably going to make some mistakes. Hopefully they’ll be good ones.” The results were great. She loved the shadows, contrast and overall dramatic effect they created. It was like being reborn. I started experimenting with different configurations. Moving the lights around and using one light instead of two, three or even four. I’ve been really happy with the results and I see a lot of growth and progression in my work and even confidence. I’ve gone from being afraid of making mistakes to looking forward to making and learning from them. It’s also helped me in gaining confidence in the studio. Something I lacked since deciding to go on my own. Thanks Justine, you gave me the little kick in the ass I needed.
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