Year in Review

2012 is over and the new year has begun. I am more than confident that this new year is going to be more than last year. More what you say? More everything! More photography, more business, more work, more creating, more success, more of everything good! How exactly do I know this? I am predicting more. I feel it in my bones that your year is going to take off and so is mine.

I close friend of mine launched a new branch of her business last month, showing her art in a new way. Sonya Sanchez Arias opened a new website (SonyaSanchezArias.com) showcasing her amazing Reclaimed Beauty Jewelry and if you have even half a moment I think you should take a look. Her work is amazing! When you look at her stunning designs you will see artistry at its finest and yet all of her work is made with recyclable materials. I’ll let you figure out what is made of what.

At the very end of the year she became ill for the first time in a very long time. She is doing well now and recovering. I believe it was her body casting off the year of 2012 and launching her into a new life as a creative. Time will tell but once you see her new work I think you will agree that her jewelry is amazing, much like everything she does.

Her positive attitude through it all got me thinking. Sonya is an amazing person and she has helped me in so many ways. She and I actually met via LinkedIn and I have visited her in Florida. Almost every time I speak with her she is positive, strong and creative in all that she does. She has kept me thinking and at times helped me stay excited about my photography when I started to wane even the tiniest bit.

In honor of her positive motivation in my work I decided to put together a bit of the best of my photography from 2012. Below is a gallery of my favorites form the last year. Some have been posted on the blog before, some not.

Farewell 2012. It is time for me to make this next year shine even brighter.

Here is to a fantastic New Year!

 

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Casting Call!

I’m sorry that I haven’t been posting regularly but that is because I am planning a new project for the business!  I am putting together a team of clothing designers, Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists so that I can offer a special type of experience for you. This team will take time to pamper you, dress you up and make you a model for a day!

This isn’t just for the girls either, guys will get that special treatment like James here did not too awfully long ago. This is going to be one step further though in that you will get all the pampering and primping that you want or need. The team i am putting together will take your photo-shoot beyond the “next level!”

I am still building this team of expert artists and for that I need to call out to all the cutting edge Makeup artists in the Philadelphia area. Here are the details to the casting call.

I have some wonderful ideas but in order to make some cutting edge concepts into reality and I need the help of a talented team of a Make Up Artist, Hair Stylist, and another clothing designer (no such thing as enough cloths!) who are willing to collaborate with a creative photographer who can create great editorial images and help you take your portfolio to the next level.

I have access to some of the best punk, leather, and fetish clothing in the city of Philadelphia but that’s not all! Clothing Designers are encouraged to reply too! I am looking to build a team that is willing to collaborate with me on this and other Fine Art Photographic projects, so I’d like to find that special Make Up Artist, Hair Stylist and clothing designers who are comfortable pushing the envelope and creating new and cutting edge looks.

I’m open to just about any style that is edgy, avant guarde, steam punk, goth, baby doll, punk, pin up etc. This is a great opportunity for you to work with a professional, who will create the perfect lighting for each scenario. You will have the opportunity to create make-up looks the way you want to, and to be involved in producing the kind of high-fashion editorial images you have always envisioned. In addition to working on a true professional team you will also have the opportunity to have high quality, high resolution images for your own portfolios!

Contact me soon before the positions are filled!

Click on the Pinterest link here to spread the word and to see some of the Photography Inspirations I have pinned!

 

CCPA at Reading Terminal

My goodness, where have I been!  Three weeks since a post, not good form for a blogger. Then again I blog but I am not a ‘blogger’. In fact, you may not have realized it but I am actually a photographer. Not sure if anything on this site would give that away or not. 😉

Recently I was hired to photograph an event for the Center City Proprietors Association at the Reading Terminal Market. The event was packed with all types of businesses from Center City Philadelphia. These are the real movers and shakers of this city. They are the people who create the jobs, keep the city clean and make Philadelphia a great place to live. People like John Cipollone, one of the best networked independent sales people in the city.

 

 

Men like Joe Wolf of Liberty Property Trust, a CCPA Board member, have been working to better the city in more ways than I can even mention. Can that man rock a bow tie or what?

 

 

The band was fantastic too! The George Weldon Jazz Trio had us all swinging and swaying all evening.

 

 

Bill Mignucci, the owner of Di Bruno Brothers, and his crew brought some fantastic cheeses for us all to take home (which made my wife very happy I might add). If you have never been to Philly make sure that when you do get here you check out Di Bruno Brothers. You can’t miss a Philly favorite like this!

 

 

I met Freda Magee, and Deborah Levin (National Penn Bank) while cornering Ben Frank the Executive Director of CCPA, near the Silent Auction tables.

 

 

But no matter whether you go to Reading Terminal for the food, an event, or just to experience the busiest and best market in Philadelphia you have to swing by and say hello to Philbert! I had to make sure that he got his own name tag. 😉

 

 

The CCPA, their members (yeah I am one of them too), and all of the people in Center City make Philadelphia a great place to live, work and have fun!

 

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First Impression… or Last

Just the other day I received a connect request on LinkedIn from someone I didn’t recognize. At first I thought it may be SPAM but I took a look anyway.  I get a lot of connect requests because of the groups I own and manage on LinkedIn, the group I created is “Photography: Clients and Professionals Network” and is geared to the professional photographer and anyone that at some point, hires a photographer. I thought maybe this person found me through that group.

The person trying to connect was also trying to sell me online photography courses which I found a bit odd. I took a look at the person’s profile image. The image was blurry, washed out, cropped way too close, and flat looking. Really?  You can’t post a decent image of yourself but you can offer me online photography courses? Do you really think that anyone is going to give you the time of day when your profile image that bad? This image was bad too, take a look for yourself below.

Needless to say this brought all the bad profile images I have seen over the years, the ones with the wife or girlfriend cropped out, the bad cell phone images, images of someone holding a drink, the ones where the person is just a tiny dot in the distance (yeah that looks great as a 150×150 image) rushing back into my mind! These images are ‘fingernails down a chalkboard” for a photographer and this guy just brought them all back in a split second (shiver).

So what is a good profile image?  For starters it should be in focus; if your image isn’t in focus, then how will I know if you have the focus to teach me anything? I can go for hours, possibly days on what a bad image is but rather than ramble on let’s ask what is a good image.

A good profile image is at least a good representation of what you look like so that when you go to a networking event or a business meeting with a potential client, or even just talk on the phone, other people will recognize you and know what you look like. Granted 150 pixels square is not a whole lot of space to work with but if you can create an image that also says what you do, even better. Many photographers have images of them with a camera in front of their face, I even did for a while, but truth be told, this is a bad idea. Holding a camera is plenty; remember I need to know what you look like.

If you are a car salesman perhaps you should be leaning on a bright shiny new car, or if you are a banker, in front of your company logo, a doctor may want to have a stethoscope around their neck, a scientist in a lab, anything that hints towards what you do. If what I am saying is true (and it is), then when I see a person that doesn’t take their profile image seriously I think they aren’t going to take me or my business seriously either.

Another consideration is that your profile image should be current, as in taken within the last 6 months to a year at the most. Keeping your image fresh means you care about how you appear to your potential clients. If you show me that you care about your business, then I am more likely to believe you care about mine too.

Facebook, twitter, your own blog or website are the same thing, keep it up to date, and keep it current. Just remember your profile image, no matter what social network it is, it may very well be someone’s first impression of you. Don’t let it be their last!

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From Business to Personal

The other day I was shooting a Portrait Party for a local business and my last clients surprised me a bit. Although the portraits were for business the last two clients also wanted to have some personal portraits done too. Smart move to take advantage of the opportunity and get a bunch of shots done all at once!

The fact that these two are a great couple and really play off each other made my job easy too, so time wasn’t an issue. That and they purposefully scheduled themselves to be the last shoot of the day which gave us plenty of time to play a bit. The images came out fantastic and I just wanted to show you how just a little bit of lighting, a little bit of personality and two great people can change the look of images taken less than a half hour apart.

Here are a couple of the business portraits we did.

And the classic Business Portrait too…

Of course I had to play with lighting a little and in this one I used the classic “clam-shell lighting”. This technique creates a great, soft light and definitely has a different feel to it than the business portraits. With those wonderful features how could I not take this shot?

J-J-003

We didn’t stop there. He came into the frame and with a quick shift of the softbox, a twist of the umbrella and POP! Lovers!

After the shoot they were off to the baseball game to cheer on the Philadelphia Phillies and I had to get a few more. It’s how I roll.

Is it time for you to take advantage of me at your Portrait Party?

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Tempe Tunes

I am traveling for business this week but of course I have my camera with me. When I finished my meetings today I got back to my hotel room and had a message on my room phone. I had no idea who could be messaging me. It turns out that the hotel was announcing that a musician would be playing in the restaurant this evening. That seemed like an opportunity for a shot to me!

The guests of the hotel were treated to a lovely blues singer, Nina Curri. This woman doesn’t look like your average blues singer but boy, does she sound like one!

She sang some traditional covers from Muddy Waters and Bonnie Raitt but she sang some of her own tunes too and man can she put it out there. You can follow her on Facebook, or check her out on her own site, www.NinaCurri.com. If you get to the Phoenix area, take I10 east a ways and check out this young lady; it will be worth the ride!

The woman can sing!

And with Josephine Baker on her guitar, how can she miss?

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They Grow Up Fast – Senior Portrait Time!

Last week I had the pleasure of starting the Senior Portrait season that will run through December (in most cases). Seniors typically have their senior portraits done in the fall for the following spring’s yearbook but some seniors want more of a spring or summer feel to the portrait that defines them to their classmates. This is the image that many will see for the next 20, 30 or 40 years when they look back to this time in their lives, remembering the accomplishments of high school.

That is what it is about too, memories. The images remind us of the almost ecstatic feelings we have when school is almost over! Sure there is college for some but in college you get to be your own person, or at least you hope so. School, sure, but on your terms and your schedule. Well that is the plan anyway. Reality? Well, only time will tell. For now, you are a senior!

What a better way to start the last school year than knowing that when you graduate in spring the images that will be how your friends recognize you are not only done but done the way you want them. On top of that you have until January to decide which is going to be the one for the yearbook!

The images I did of Eilis below are just the beginning for her senior portrait series. We have at least two more photo shoots to do before we can even think of being finished. We have a couple of very special shoots planned that we know will make not just the experience of the shoot memorable but her entire last year in school. You will have to come back and read a future post to learn about those shots. I promised to keep it a secret, for now anyway.

But if you are the parent of a senior it is a time of mixed emotions. Your baby is growing up and soon will be leaving the nest but at the same time they are good smart young adults and you are proud of all they have accomplished so far. They do grow up fast don’t they?

Now you are looking at photographers deciding what styles you like, and what styles your senior likes too. You want to find a photographer that is going to get the images that they want but also the images that you want too. You want to memorialize this time in their lives. Add all that up and then you want to get the most bang for your buck.

Click on the image to enlarge

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I am trying something a little new for me this year that is going to make these special images that much better, at least for the parents. For every senior portrait session that is booked by October 31st, 2012 I am going to shoot a family portrait for free. Yep, free.

This is how it works: you schedule your senior’s portrait session by October 31st and then when we are done shooting we will bring the whole family into the picture and do a few family portraits too. This will help you not only remember this special time in their lives but this special time in your life too.

 

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Vacation Photography

You just got back from vacation and you finally get to upload all the images you took while you were away. Excitedly you wait for each image to appear on the monitor, anticipating that one shot that you know is just perfect, the one you are planning on putting up on the wall or in a frame on your or your spouse’s desk; that one that just shows how much fun you had and how relaxed you were.  It’s coming… It should be the next one! Anticipation…. Excitement!!! And… and…

Drat. The image is blurry/fuzzy/dark/your head is cut off or that special sunset just doesn’t look like it did when you were there. AARRGGHHH!!! Alas it becomes just a memory and not a special moment to be shared.

There is a way to solve that problem; hire a photographer while you are on vacation. “Too expensive” you say? Well, not really. In the last few years digital photography has brought a ton of people into the business of photography, many of which should go back to their day jobs, which has driven down the market in price for those of us who remember the smell of hours spent in the darkroom.  Our prices have not really gone down so to speak but they haven’t gone up either.

Inflation means that prices rise but in the current economy most of our paychecks have not kept pace with that increase. That means what was once too far out of reach is actually quite affordable now. For the price of a nice meal you can spend an hour or two with a professional photographer; one that has a portfolio to back up that talent.

In the past hiring a photographer to shadow you and your family while on vacation was out of the question unless you were in the income bracket reserved for those who require champagne for breakfast to wash down their caviar. Times have changed and having a personal photographer for a day, or even the whole week, is more affordable than it has ever been. It’s not just reserved for those times on the islands or on the Florida or Southern California beaches either. People are using photographers in places like New York, Philadelphia, South Carolina, Portland (Maine and Oregon), Seattle, San Francisco and any other place you may go on vacation.

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Perhaps you don’t take the average vacation; maybe you like climbing mountains or searching out old ruins or maybe finding interesting old buildings. If it exists there is a photographer that is willing to photograph it and most likely one who wants a subject like you in the picture too. We photographers are always looking for reasons to go out and shoot those things we love and capturing you in those locations gives us a reason to get away from a computer and get out there shooting! Sure it is our profession but it is also our passion, and that is why we are good at it.

An example of a totally diverse area is Philadelphia. Here you can investigate the thousands of shops and specialty stores, learn about history, go to world class museums, and hike on a nature trail in Wissahickon Park all in the same day. If you still have energy you can even run the Art Museum steps just as Stallone did in the original Rocky. No trip to Philly is complete without a stroll through the Italian Market or a leisurely walk in Old City. The chances are that your photographer is going to know special places in the city that no vacation guide knows! Did I mention how close Valley Forge it is or how beautiful  Chadds Ford and Lancaster County are?

Imagine enjoying all that the Philadelphia area (or any vacation spot) has to offer and not having to remember your camera, not have to remember to use it, and never miss that one shot that is perfect for your desk or wall. Wouldn’t that be relaxing and isn’t relaxing what vacation is all about?

The Right Light

As a photographer I am always looking at other photographer’s work to inspire me and to learn what others are doing that is new and different in the photography world. Recently I have run across a lot of photographers that claim that they only work with “natural light” or say “I prefer the look of natural light and never use artificial lighting.” That is all well and good but what I think they mean is they don’t use studio lights or flashes. Let’s think about that for a moment.

If you only use natural light you only shoot outside, often use a tripod indoors, or shoot a lot of nature. If you shoot indoors and there is a light on you are using unnatural light; after all, anything coming from a lamp is manmade and therefore not ‘natural light’. If that works for the particular photographer that’s great!

Personally I use the right light to capture the image that I want to create. I often use flashes or other light modifiers to enhance the standard image that is created by the ambient light in a shot. Just as often I will use artificial light to create a mood or emphasize a part or all of an image. When the image I want to create calls for it I will use reflectors, bounce cards, and other things to modify the light that is already available.

The point here is that anyone who uses only one type of light may only be getting one type of result and in my case that is very limiting, and it stifles my ability to create the right image. I prefer to use whatever lighting tool is available to me to make an image say what I want it to say or convey a feeling that I need it to convey.

In the image below I have used only natural light and the image works well. The soft light in the shadows spreads an even light across Kat’s face, yet it is very bright just under the eaves of the fire escape and this allows for a great reflection in her eyes.

In this side by side image I used only a double sided reflector to modify the natural light. On the left side it appears that I did use a flash when in fact what I used was only the reflector to bounce the natural light coming from the window back onto the model’s face. On the right I used the same reflector to bounce the warm light of the setting sun back into the young woman’s face; this was to remove the harsh shadows that the bright sun was creating. In both cases the only light used was the sun and the only modifier was the 36” reflector, the left using the silver side to create a harsher light and the soft white side to create a softer fill light on the right. Is this still considered Natural Light?

To light this final image I used a combination of natural light and a single flash to gain the mood I wanted. This image is not Photoshopped other than a slight oversaturation of contrast and color. In fact if you look at the dancer you can see she has a sheen to her skin from having to jump over 40 times to get this image just right.

All of this means only one thing: that light is available to us to use and modify in any number of ways and, as a photographer, it is my job to use whatever tools I have at my disposal to make an image correctly. In my opinion if I ‘only shoot with’ anything I am limiting my opportunities to get the image you want. For me it isn’t a matter of what I use as long as I am using The Right Light.

Babies to Beauties

I am a lucky guy. I get the opportunity to photograph many things and many people. In most jobs a person is given a task and the satisfaction of a job well done is often the only reward. If you are lucky and you enjoy your work the challenge is also a pleasure, a stressful one but a pleasure none the less.

I have a job where I get to enjoy the challenge, the satisfaction of a job well done, the results, and the joy of those I work for. And I get to do it for years to come; I often revisit images that I created years ago and still remember the joy of my clients.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of creating images for new parents (and an aunt) of a beautiful 8 month old baby. This little guy was amazing to work with too. He was a bit surprised by the flash of the lights and the clicking of the camera but he never was scared or upset. He mostly wanted to know why this guy with less hair than he had was pointing this big round thing that kept clicking at him. 

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He was a good baby in many ways too. He would move towards the camera and try to grab the lens as you can see, but he was nice enough to not move so fast as to make it hard to focus on him. Of course being an 8 month old his attention was soon drawn away by his aunt and his Mommy and Daddy. After all they are the fascinating ones. They talk to him in his language and give him colorful toys to play with!

The joy of a happy baby is not the only advantage to my career. I also get to photograph wonderful buildings and structures like I talked about in my last two articles, “Urban Blight or Beauty” and “Blight or Beauty – Part 2.” On top of all that I have the chance to go out at sunset and create images of beautiful people in wonderful places like the Philadelphia Museum of Art!

Last night I had a portrait session with an aspiring model and we worked at sunset between Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill River and the Art Museum. We were blessed with a warm glowing sunset and a perfect summer breeze.

 

 

Grace is actually the daughter of a former client who I shot back in January. At that time we were creating images of Grace and her mom Libby. Those two were fun to shoot then and Grace is still a joy to work with 6 months later. When I say they were a joy to work with I’m not kidding, I wrote about it in the article “It’s Also About Having Fun.” Well, we had fun last evening too and the images turned out wonderfully.

 

 

So I think I have a pretty good career, from Babies to Beauties. Share on Pin these images with your friends and let me know what fun we can have together.