In this shoot with Cecily I explored hazy, vibrant lighting, tapping into old sci-fi and 70’s horror film vibes…
Read MoreHow to Create Practical Effects in Photographs without Photoshop
Lately I’ve been exploring different ways to manipulate my images after the fact. Since I’m not great at Photoshop creating realistic effects in Photoshop and don’t like the absence of “happy accidents” when working on a digital file, I prefer to print the images and then physically modifying them. So far I’ve explored crumpling prints, poking holes in them, submerging them in water, and lighting them from below before re-shooting them…
Read MoreShutter Drag with Window Light / Creating Dappled Light with DIY Reflector
I wanted to create a dappled light effect, similar to sunlight reflected off of windows. I actually came across this effect by accident. I bought some mirror stickers used for crafting, which I adhered to a piece of cardboard. I had scored the cardboard on the back which made it an easy-to-carry tri-fold reflector. The happy accident came about in that the corrugated cardboard texture created the dappled light effect when lit with a bright light source, in this case a flash…
Read MorePlastic Galaxies
It’s been a while since I’d shot images for my series One Man’s Trash, where I repurpose single-use plastic, so it was fun to make these images with Katy. She’s draped in a mattress bag and her pointy fingers came from vials saved from the chemlab at her school. I love the eerie sci-fi aesthetic in the images.
Read MoreShe's on Fire
A couple weeks ago I shot with photographer/model/stylist Hayle Cordle and I leaned back into my passion for color. Since I wrapped writing for Chroma two years ago I have shifted my focus from color to experimenting more with abstraction and texture. This felt more like a simple study of mood, via color. I need to give myself permission to do more of these simple, fun explorations. It’s restorative.
Read MoreA Rose by Another Name
As quarantine restrictions are starting to loosen I am slowly resuming shooting with people IRL, which is such a blessing. This was a quick study of soft pastel colors, which I selected based off Rose’s wardrobe. For the final scenario I (subconsciously?) had Rose cover her face in one of her shirts, which gave the image a mysterious, even mournful look. Though we are beginning to go back to work and return to “normal”, the quarantine has left an obvious mark on human interactions.
Read MoreStrata VIII
I’ve shot with rubber cement half a dozen times now, each time slightly changing not only how I apply the material to the plexiglass but also how I light it and process the images in post. Though I’m getting closer to what I’m going for in this series, there are still so many variables to explore with this material. Over the past year I’ve experimented with shooting through a range of substances and materials to get more painterly or sculptural results, titling the series Strata. You can view my other texture explorations here.
Read MoreCreative Portraiture Workshop: Columbus
My sold out, two-day Creative Portraiture photography workshop took place a week ago and we had students travel from three other states to make art at my Columbus studio. We began by covering different qualities of light (soft vs. hard) and how to intentionally create different types of shadows. Next we covered a bit of color theory and how to use cookies (cucoloris) with gelled lights to create colorful shadows. For the rest of the weekend we covered a vsat range of techniques, such as making multiple exposures; creating prismatic effects with a broken mirror; shooting through different materials; photographing warped and colorful reflections with mylar and prismatic window film; using shutter drag; making custom shapes and images by way of projector. It was a jam-packed whirlwind of a weekend but we all came away feeling inspired and ready to go back into the world and create.
Read MoreVibrant Vivian
This was my first time working with Vivian. I kept the session relatively simple, focusing on capturing the vibrance of her personality. I started off by using the prism film with just window light. Then I added red and blue-gelled LEDs that I used in combination with window light. I finished by giving the images a grainy, saturated film look to make them feel older.