This was my second time working with Meredith. We wanted to make an opportunity of the cloudy weather, and the soft pink of her hair was the perfect contrast with her corset and black lace top. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy my session with Meredith.
Read MoreLately, I’ve been interested in how painting uses boundaries of contrast to differentiate layers in space between background and foreground. In this photo, I did something similar. Her dark hair stands out from the light behind her, and the lightness of her neck, arm, and flowers makes her body stand out from the shadows in the background.
Read MoreI recently shot with Jane again, this time I used an old lens with an adapter, which gives the images a soft glow.
Read MoreAxe throwing is another hobby I have enjoyed for some years now after my friend Ben introduced me to it.
One of the most interesting things about throwing these heavy, oddly-shaped and slightly sharp objects is how intuitive it is. In all my years of P.E. class in elementary school I never really got the hang of throwing a basketball or hitting a volleyball, but I’ve learned that its easy to teach someone how to throw an axe successfully in around twenty minutes.
I’ll save the explanation of how to do it for another time, but for now what I’m interested in is why? Why is it so easy to learn?
Read MoreSome time ago I heard photographer Bil Brown give a talk about what it means to be an Artist compared to being a Professional.
The gist of it is that the Professional has a set system in place to deliver the images that the client requires, while the Artist follows their own intuition, making what they are compelled to. The Professional is reliable, but the Artist is capable of innovation.
I think there’s some truth to this, even though the line between Professional and Artist is a hazy one, and probably best thought of as states of mind rather than two divisions of types of photographers. When working with a client, be it to cover an event or a boudoir session, I have had enough experience that I can confidently make good photos in almost any situation with almost anyone. That’s not special, that’s the baseline of what it means to be a photographer. The challenge is in shifting gears, getting into that Artist state of mind, where you try things that even you don’t know if it’ll work. Being vulnerable, shooting unfamiliar subject matter, facing what makes you uncomfortable. It doesn’t always work out.
I recently attended the StARTup Art Fair at the Kinney Hotel, where I saw an excellent performance art piece by artist Tiffany Trenda. Read about her project here. Here are a few photos that I took of the show as people in the audience used their phones to scan the model’s body parts.
Read MorePlaying with color and an older lens that gives a soft glow in this session with Jane. I think this is my favorite photo from this session, but it may take me a while longer before I make up my mind.
Read MoreIt's almost Valentine's Day, so how about a moment of self-love? Last year I made the resolution to take more self portraits because I often don't like how I look. Last summer while traveling in Europe I decided to make use of some dramatic window light and take some nude self portraits as an exercise in accepting my self/body as it is.
The experience was a nerve-wracking reminder of how difficult it is to be vulnerable in front of the camera, but eventually I found my groove and made a few soulful and erotic photographs I'm proud of. Thanks for reading, and I hope you take a moment to love yourself as well.
Read MoreThese were taken while on a walk several years ago. I really loved the reflections on the chrome surface of the mannequins, it made them seem like beings from another universe, perhaps one in which Terminator 2 had been a romantic comedy. The store itself was darkened and closed for the day; I shot these through the window.
Read MoreI was recently watching a time-lapse video of another photographer’s work retouching an image. The subject was an incredibly beautiful woman in perfect lighting. The retoucher’s cursor ran back and forth, cleaning up stretch marks, masking blemishes, smoothing skin, adjusting the shape of the woman’s eyes, and finally patching up a section of her eyebrow that apparently wasn’t up to his standards.
It made feel sad.
The kinds of imperfections that the retoucher was fixing were natural, real parts of what an adult human’s skin looks like. It made me wonder if the retoucher had ever been in love, when any flaw is an endearing trait to be cherished and treasured.
Read MoreThis session was the most recent collaboration between myself, Angel Lin (@AngelMyDarling on Instagram) , and makeup artist Kylie Small (@makeup.bykylie on Instagram). We have worked together several times, and I first worked with Angel back in 2013.
This shoot was originally Angel’s idea, and I had a lot of fun mentally planning out the vibe of the shoot, balancing out the bright morning light coming in from the window with the deep shadows that were necessary to give the work a feeling of gravitas. Angel has worked with me enough times to know exactly the kind of mood I like to go for, and was able to bring the look out on command in a fiercely engaging way. Kylie’s excellent work made it practically mandatory for this session to be in color— I often shoot black and white unless the color is central to the photograph, and in this case it is without a doubt.
Read MoreToday I was talking to a friend I shoot with frequently, and we got to talking about expressing sensuality in photography. In most commercial media, sexuality is something to be consumed by the viewer. Whether it’s actual pornography, suggestive artwork on an album cover, or an advertisement for deodorant, the message is the same: “Here’s a sex object for you to enjoy.”
The problem is that it erases the agency and personhood of the subject, as well as deadening the experience for the viewer. It’s the equivalent of free junk food— Here’s something salty and sweet, it won’t improve or even satisfy you but it’s easy enough to keep you wanting more.
What’s the alternative?
Read MoreAbout twenty years ago, a shift happened in photography.
The automatic exposure and focus capabilities of state of the art film cameras finally got the ease of use provided by digital sensors. Taking a properly exposed photograph and making a print from it had required take years of practice, careful note-taking, and dedication to the craft of making images with light-sensitive chemicals. Now, the camera itself could more or less accurately judge the appropriate settings to make an exposure, and making that image viewable or ready was as easy as plugging in a memory card. Since then, the cameras and their computers have only gotten better, some even adding filter effects to replicate the style of film cameras. Now anyone can grab a camera and take decent photos with no experience.
The baseline shifted. Literally anyone with a modern cell phone can take great photos that would look great printed and framed on a wall. Taking a decent photo is now the expected default.
The photographer’s function now is to bring out the soul of a scene, or to see things in a different way.
Read MoreJust before or after a New Moon, when there’s only the thinnest crescent of light illuminating the edge of the moon. When you can just barely infer the size of the moon, though its invisible in the twilight haze.
That’s what I strive for in my photography.
Read MoreFor me, doing photography has become instinctive. That is to say, some of my best work I did not think very hard about or pre-plan whatsoever. I see something that interests me, and I try to capture what I noticed before the moment passes. This makes it difficult to talk about my work, because I honestly don’t always know what I’m doing or why. Then, I’ll hear a remark from a friend or observer of my work, who will nonchalantly describe my work more clearly and more succinctly in ways that might not have ever occurred to me. I had thought that this was some flaw in my reasoning or my approach, but maybe it’s a more common thought than I had experienced.
Read MoreThese are some snapshots I took while walking around Japan in 2017. These were taken in Aomori and Nagoya, where I visited my friend Satoshi. He makes good music, have a listen.
Photos were taken with a 1963 Leica M2, with expired Kodak Portra film
There’s a joke in the photographic community that if you want to make art, take photos in black and white.
Of course, color photography is just as fertile ground for creative expression as black and white, but why does black and white feel more “artistic” to so many people?
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