27Mar

Missing the Sky

Being from out west sometimes I take it’s big sky’s, vast open landscapes, lakes, rivers, and mountains for granted.  Don’t get it wrong, I love NYC but sometimes I just miss the west.  NYC is an amazing place, full of amazing people.  I always say NYC is proof that the human race, people of all colors, religions, and ideals, can all come together to make ONE thing work without tanks rolling around on the streets.  However this doesn’t change the fact that sometimes I miss the sky.

Yes, NYC has views of the sky, it’s not that you don’t see it, you just don’t see it like you do in the west.  Free of obstructions, and distractions, just landscape and sky.  It’s a beautiful thing, and there are beautiful sky’s here for sure, just sometimes in order to make a picture the way you want, you either have to have roof access or be 20 or so floors up, because the view from the street, unless you are in Brooklyn or on the westside at the water, it just isn’t enough.  But hey, you make do with what you have….and visit home a bit more often…still the city and the sky are pretty spectacular in their own right.

 

15Mar

The Rewards of Trespassing

 

So I’ve never been the type of person who always follows the rules.  Shocking I know, anyone who knows me knows this, and like most people, I get a thrill out of doing things I’m not allowed to do.  Most of the time I conform like a good monkey but, every once in a while I gotta push it.  Lots of people are like this in their own respective aspects, and I encourage the practice, as it can be liberating.  Now obviously I don’t condone a lot of illegal activites, however pushing the envelope within reason sometimes can be fun and rewarding.  I’m pretty good at assessing risk, both to myself and my relation to whatever is happening in my enviroment so I don’t generally do things if I think I’ll get caught or die or whatever.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m talking about mischievous childlike things you would do in your teens…yeah I’m 28… and your point is?

Case in point, and I do this a lot when I’m out shooting.  I’m out with my good friends Thomas and Keir, and we were out shooting some night stuff in Brooklyn.  I see this pier that is under construction and thought that would be a cool place to make a picture, so we wander over there, I do a little recon of the area, assess the risk and say to myself “well hell, you walked all the way over here didn’t you?”.  Now in many rural places doing this would be no big deal at all, but in NYC they never know what you are up to, for all the cops know you might be a terrorist.  Most good photographers know that in order to get “the shot” sometimes you have to go where no one else will.  So I jumped the fence.  Thomas handed me the camera and tripod and I ran out there and made a few pictures.  Did I mention that NYC staffs 24hr guards at construction sites, and their little trailer was right in front? (well maybe 40-50 yards away).  Anyways, it was no big deal made a shot I really liked and hoped out, certainly wasn’t conflict photography, although that is something I would really like to do at some point.   The shot on top is from the pier,  and the others are  from earlier in the night, enjoy!  Props to Thomas for the idea of a long exposure on us taking pictures (2nd from the top) Thats Thomas on the left and Keir on the right, man they look kinda messed up…wonder what they were drinking…hahaha

28Feb

Allison Elliott



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Allison.  We had a great shoot Sunday!  This poor girl came all the way from Richmond, VA  to NYC just to shoot with me!  Talk about making me feel special!  She is an aspiring model, so we did a few things to get her started, focusing on the basics, some commerical print styles, a few headshots, and a few classy full body shots.  Then my amazing makeup artist Ford Page got to have some fun, as did I.  As you can see Ford ROCKS!  The top shot reminds me a bit of an “Alice in Wonderland” sort of thing, the middle shot is just plain classy, and the bottom she brought some mischievous thoughts to the shot that worked well for the look.  The colors Ford used came from the paintings on the wall behind her which I then shot a purplish/magenta gelled light at, and my Lumodi Beauty Dish just rocks for this type of work, in fact the beauty dish was used in all three of these shots, creates a nice light.  A big thank you to Rodd Chant and Laura of Parlor Creative for letting me use their AMAZING space, and Laura saved the day by bringing the coffee, fruits, and assorted snacks!  Thanks so much!

25Feb

A City on the Move

 

It’s amazing sometimes how fast this city moves, and how fast time flies.  It truly brings to point the saying “a New York Minute” seems like so much can happen in that time.  I’ve been very grateful the last 2 months have kept me busy with headshots and a bunch of freelance stuff with The Empire Hotel, but man 2 months went by in the blink of an eye.  This is going to be a good year I can feel it.  I hope for those that read this they find themselves feeling the same way.  just a quick thought I wanted to add.  I’m determined to try and jot a few things down on this blog every other day or so.  It’s weird I think sometimes when you see yourself moving so fast and yet through your eyes it’s in super slow-mode.  Which lets face it…with the right bartender that could be entertaining :) Enjoy the weekend!