Tribute to Irving Penn

I was going through a pile of magazines in my room and came across a Clinique advertisement in the December 2009 issue of Vogue. It was a simple one, which Clinique seems to have perfected, and it honors Irving Penn in a two page spread. I thought the quote was beautiful and wanted to share it:

Irving Penn gave us the truth and made it so inviting we never needed the fantasy.

He transformed beauty for us, and for the world.

Inspiration/Friends in the Business

Here are a handful of the people I know or have worked with in photography. I went to college, took classes and worked with these photographers and it has undoubtedly shaped how I see and what I do. This definitely isn't everyone that I've encountered but it's a few who are also in the NYC area now.

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• Bri Johnson - Fashion and Beauty Photographer


• Christine Walsh - Still Life Photographer


• Corey Lugg - Food Photographer


• Justin Solitrin - Photographer & Writer


• Kenny Yu - Photographer & Production


• Kevin Norris - Still Life Photographer


• Kyle Dorosz - Photographer


• Lindsay Adler - Fashion Photographer


• Maelynn Kruckow - Photographer


• Margot Cavin - Still Life Photographer


• Marvin Orellana - Creative List


• Michael Fiske - Character Portrait Photographer


• Molly Clifford - Photographer & Stylist


• Nate Mumford - Photographer


• Nicholas Duers - Still Life Photographer


• Nicole LaCoursiere - Photographer


• Sarah Anne Ward - Still Life Photographer

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Website Updates

I redesigned my website with a slightly different look and feel. It now offers more galleries and more room for growth. I'm really excited that it's completed!

Check out my newest gallery, photography from Coney Island.

Photo Expo

The PDN Photo Expo, hosted in NYC, brings people from various parts of the photography industry in to learn about new and upcoming technology and techniques as well as to mingle and meet other professionals. RIT hosts an alumni event to accompany this every year. Last night the alumni of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences met at Connolly's Pub. It was wonderful seeing so many alumni there! And they even had a mini raffle, I won a set of orange RIT luggage tags, another reason to travel more!

At the actual Expo, RIT has a booth where some photography from the honors show is displayed, including my image from the Metallic Beauty series I did of Melinda.

Honors Show

"On May 16, 2008 the Annual SPAS Honor Show recognizing the work of students in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences opened in the SPAS Photo gallery on the 3rd floor of the Gannett Building."

One of my images from my Metallic Beauty Series was chosen for the honors show and displayed near its entrance. After the show is displayed in the gallery it'll be used in exhibits for RIT throughout the year for RITs School of Imaging Arts and Sciences, specifically for photography.

Images from the gallery opening at RIT can be seen here: 2008 SPAS Honor Show Exhibition and Reception

Lauren

While in NYC recently I purchased the book Individuals that GAP created out of shoots for its advertising. I loved how the images really captured personality along with the beauty of each person. It made/makes me want to attempt shoots like that.

With that in mind for my photoshoot with Lauren, I kept the lighting simple and soft and also had the wardrobe stay simple and comfortable even. The images are quieter then a lot of them from the book but I enjoy the simplicity. This is another idea I'd like to continue on with.

Beauty and Boxing

Photographed Kathryn today. Our shoot encompassed two different looks/themes. The first was a set of beauty shots. The lighting was kept soft with a balance of shadows and midtones and the focus was on Kathryn as well as some handcrafted jewelry.

The second set of images was done with a fitness/boxing theme in mind. We worked with a simple background and utilized a couple props for the theme, a punching bag and gloves. The shots range from a woman who portrays a ring girl, with a sporty look in heels, to the look of a fighter in training. The images all still have the element of beauty but accent the body in more of an athletic way.

Images will be on my website in the Editorial and Beauty sections.

Rose Wine

Photoshoot today!

Jen came down from Buffalo to model and Melissa Stillman did makeup. The makeup was applied in a way that compliments the color palette of a rose wine and her hair was slicked back to complete the overall desired look. Jen was a wonderful model to work with and I really like the beauty shots we produced. They can be seen in the Beauty section of my website.

Metallic Beauty

I decided I want to experiment more with lighting and while skimming the internet found some beauty shots where a photographer utilized fluorescent lighting tubes to light the model. I searched for a while looking for a way to use fluorescent lights without the housing behind them that held the wiring and was told by a couple hardware stores that what I wanted wasn't possible.

I'm not overly knowledgeable about the wiring of lights and specifically about disassembling fluorescent lights, so I developed my own solution.

The first shot I did with this lighting was of a model, Melinda, with a copper colored theme. I used copper leaf for an accent on her skin and obtained a copper colored background with a flow instead of being flat. She was wonderful to work with, despite the time constraints of the shoot, and I was incredibly happy with the results.



The second shot, which I did earlier today, was similar in styling except with a gold theme, a bit more time and Calico modeling. I really love how these have come out and it's something I'd definitely like to experiment with more.

Updates

Added new images to my site. One set of Mike dressed in a simple leather jacket and posing by the train tracks and graffiti wall in downtown Rochester. The second set of Fatima posing in a variety of ways with a couple different looks in the studio.

Nature and Beauty

Here's a shot I composited for another assignment in Retouching Beauty. The theme was Nature and Beauty. I was trying to come up with ways to talk about how we, as humans, hold ourselves apart from nature more and more through technology and the things we create.

You would never guess what the bubble was created from!

Retouching Beauty

Back at RIT, after a summer of London and Six Flags Entertainment. One of my photography classes is about examining the idea of beauty in general and within our culture. The assignments allowed for us to work with whatever subject matter we chose and we explored meanings behind images, beyond the pretty aesthetics.

Brandi modeled for a beauty shot.

London Fashion Shoot

In the Notting Hills area in London we had the final photo shoot of the trip. We were once again split into small groups to work with a model and I could not have been happier with the model our group was able to work with. Our model, Lianna Fowler represented by Ford Models, had so much energy and so much positivity to run with. Styling/Clothing was changed three times during the shoot. I started with a beauty shot of her outside of the infamous London telephone booth.



Then after lunch we set up in an alley way nearby that offered a number of backgrounds and spaces to work with and capture different feelings and moods from.



I have so many amazing photos from that shoot and it really opened my eyes to something that I could be passionate about shooting.

**When I returned home from London, I was flipping the channels on the TV and came across "Britain's Next Top Model" which had been filmed before my trip to London and I watched for a moment. One of the models caught my attention and it forced me to watch the marathon all the way through, to see Lianna Fowler win.