Tryzdin Grubbs is an uber-talented, 15-year old singer from Columbus. He also just happened to get accepted onto the latest season of American Idol. Before the episode had even aired, Tryzdin popped by my studio for a photo shoot. This was our third shoot in as many years and this one was the most dynamic yet. We’ve both grown quite a bit in our respective crafts and so it was cool to see what new things we were bringing to the shoot, from a personal and professional standpoint. Here are just a few of the different looks that we knocked out in the brief but efficient, one-hour shoot.
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Exquisite Geometry
This was my first time working with Amber. In preparation for the shoot I told her the same thing I tell all of my models: bring 4-6 different outfit options and have hair and makeup ready when they arrive. Once she arrived we looked through the items that she brought and decided a direction for the shoot based on what we had to work with. I love the improvisational element in test shoots. It can really take my shoots in new directions. It makes me wonder if this is what it feels like tobe a jazz musician, going in loose and riffing off the other collaborators…
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The Unmasking: Shoot, Print, Shoot
Last week I shot had a brief session with @mundermonster. I shot for about five minutes, capturing a range of poses. Then I took a break to import the images, select a favorite, and print it out on an office inkjet printer. Then the shoot resumed and I directed Mary in using the print as a prop. I really love this as a visual metaphor for the perceived self…
Read MoreElegance of Form
Self-Portrait at 40
It’s taken me 40 years to find myself. Here’s to 40 more.
Read MoreThe Fort, From Above
Here’s a short video I made just for fun. This is The Fort— a sprawling warehouse on the south side of Columbus, where my studio resides…
Read MoreRansom Supply Salt Yard Lifestyle Shoot
Ryan and I have collaborated on shoots for nearly a decade now, so I was super stoked when he reached out to me to work with him on his new clothing line, @ransomsupply. Though we were shooting in Columbus, Ohio, he wanted the shoot to feel like it was shot out west. When it comes to desert landscapes in the midwest, your options are rather limited. Fortunately Columbus has a wonderful saltyard that I regularly shoot at when the client wants something different…
Read MoreMichael Malul London Fragrance Campaign Photo Shoot
A few weeks ago I shot product and advertising photos for Michael Malul London fragrances. Not only did I shoot and edit the photos but this was my first time solo-styling a shoot. I shopped for fruits, herbs, and plants, as well as collected a range of organic materials and textured surfaces to help convey the unique notes in each fragrance. The experience of styling felt like equal parts scavenger hunt and art making. I’ve found that creating a compelling still life is exponentially harder than making a portrait since there is no collaborative dynamic with a living subject. Everything that happens in the frame is my doing. It took me back to my days in art school, learning how to create visual movement and balance in a composition. So hard but so fun.
Read MoreTim Hortons US Fall Social Campaign
Last month I worked with the fine folks at 5 Hundred Degrees to shoot the Tim Hortons US fall social campaign. It was a beautiful day spent outdoors sculpting light and arranging pumpkins. Thanks always to Seth Miller, my assistant.
Read MoreBack to Life: Opioid Recovery Campaign for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources
Back in June I drove down to West Virginia with my assistant Seth to shoot portraits of two different subjects who have recovered from opiod addiction for the state Department of Health and Human Resources. I was working alongside a video crew (who was shooting a tv-spot) and under the direction of the agency Fahlgren Mortine to create multiple exposures showing the subject’s new life without chemical dependency as part of the Back to Life campaign.
Read MoreFractals: Photographing Time and Space
Though I’ve been exploring long exposures and shutter drag in my portrait photography for years now, I’ve recently began to explore it in a new way. For some time now I’ve implemented intentional movement into my shoots but I was always doing the moving— not my subject. I’d shoot at exposures longer than 1/30th of a second and I’d move my camera around as my subject sat there. I’d mix in a strobe light with a continuous light source so that at least part of the subject was sharp while the rest of the frame fell away to blurred movement. Lately, however, I’ve decided to ditch the strobe and fully embrace the blur…
Read MoreGetting Spooky with Rachel (Digital Pinhole)
Last week I shot with frequent collaborator Rachel Luree and made a range of ghosty images, including some digital pinhole images. If you’re unfamiliar with pinhole photography, it’s essentially any light-tight object with photo sensitive material inside and a tiny hole which acts as the aperture. An entire room can then be a pinhole camera (see camera obscura). I’ve made pinhole cameras out of LEGO, oatmeal boxes, film canisters, and cigarette tins. While each iteration has offered unique results, exploring digital pinhole has been a quicker and easier experience by far.
Read MoreNathan Ward's Winter Triangle
Aside from being a great photographer, Nathan Ward is also a multi-instrumental musician. His first album until the name Winter Triangle is a lush, layered, ambient endeavor in the vein of Daniel Lanois and Harold Budd. Needless to say I was stoked when he asked me to shoot his portrait for the album promo. After listening to the album I knew I wanted to used a projector and smoke machine to create pins of light. The native color temperature of the projector was on the cooler side and I leaned into the blue tones as I colored graded the files in post. I also decided to add a bit of grain to give the images an older feel. The final images look like his music does in my head.
Read MoreLiquid Color
This was a fun little test shoot with Jona. For some of the frames I projected video footage onto her and made multiple exposures. Other frames I used a pulsing, multicolored LED and had Jona do the moving. There was an element of control and chaos in each scenario, and all of them led to discovery and delight.
Read MoreMy Photography Studio: From Basement to Loft
This is my studio. Not even 5 years ago my studio was in my basement. The ceiling was just under 7ft and the foundation leaked every time it rained. My lighting kit was little more than a couple battery-powered flashes and a desk lamp. Though I only had a tiny space and limited gear, it was my space. I learned to use every inch of that studio and gear…
Read MoreWilted Flowers, Crumpled Leaves, and Other Pretty Dead Things
We had a bouquet of flowers on our dining room table for the last two weeks, and it had been dead for easily half that time. When I finally got around to tossing the dead flowers I caught myself and decided instead to bring them to my studio to photograph. Though I’ve been photographing flowers and plants for years I’ve never thought to document them after their prime. I added in some dead leaves from one of our ailing house plants to round out my decay study. I enjoyed these studies so much that I may begin a new series around it.
Read MoreTim Hortons x Fruit Loops
A few weeks ago I shot a range of social media images for Tim Hortons’ recent crossover with Fruit Loops. When it came to the visual approach I wanted to mimic old print ads from the 50s and 60s, which translates to hard light and shifted color hues. I think it gives the images an elevated look.
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New Work with Chyna (plus LIMITED EDITION BOOK AND PRINT SALE)
Alexander Dreamer: Feel Alive
Jalen, who raps under the name @alexandrdreamr, reached out to me last Sunday about collaborating on a photo shoot. The entire nation was in its fourth day of protesting the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police, which was in-part the inspiration for his new song, Feel Alive. When I first listened to the song, these lines really hit me:
“I risk everything just to feel alive
We don’t go outside, that’s how n****s die”
He showed up at my studio the next day and we got to work. While he mixed ingredients to make fake blood I set up lighting to mimic police lights. After working through a range of poses we settled on this shot. What immediately struck me was the fatigue in his eyes, which sadly made complete sense. This injustice wasn’t anything new; simply par for the course in this country.
Here’s another verse that struck me:
“Feel pain for my brothers, cause those are all of my keepers
Surface is not worth it it’s been urgent to dig deeper”
As Jalen states, now more than ever we have to dig deeper. Question our realities and check our privilege. Think twice before calling the police. Believe minority voices. Be willing to admit when we’re wrong and grow rather than giving in to shame or pride.
In the original version of the song there was the following line:
“Footprints in the sand but I bring the sand to my beaches”
If you’re not familiar with the reference, Footprints in the Sand is a popular poem in the Christian community where a poet describes two sets of footprints walking side by side through life. They lament that during the most difficult period of their life there was only one set of footprints, and ask god why they were left alone. God responds that that was when they were being carried. Jalen’s statement that he’s responsible for bringing his own sand to the beach implies that the comfort of god’s “presence” would be non-existent were it not for Jalen’s efforts. Thoughts and prayers are nothing more than empty consolations. There is an expression “It’s impossible to steer a parked car, so get moving.” It’s time to stop waiting around for god or government to make the world a better place and get to work doing it ourselves.
A 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.
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