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November 4, 2011 by Michael

Hana in clay

I really really wanted to sit down and write a long post about this shoot. Mostly because I loved the concept, and I was very pleased with the results. But when I sat down to write about this shoot, I realized that what I liked about it was so very intangible as to make it difficult to write about. For sure, I love the texture the clay creates on the models skin as well as the contrast of it all. But beyond that I’m having a hard time describing what it is that makes me love these shots so much. Too often I feel like what I like about an image is simply “it looks cool”, but that doesn’t tend to make for very interested blog posts, now does it? :)

It’s something I’d really like to work on some more – possibly take it out into a natural setting. I like the organic nature of the clay and the models poses. I think taking it outside will seal the deal for me. Of course, it’s something that’ll have to wait a few months at this point, but I’ll probably shoot some more in the studio and see where else I can go with this.

Head shot with clay

Thanks for viewing!

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January 13, 2011 by Michael

Shanna – A Tattoo Portrait

Back to shooting my favorite subject the other day – tattoos. Why do I keep coming back to this? Why do I love shooting tattoos so much? I can only guess, really. Sometimes artists are drawn to their subjects for completely unknown reasons. Sometimes we just like a certain aesthetic. I enjoy the idea of the body as a canvas for artwork. I’m not drawn to just anyone with a tattoo – there’s a certain something about some people with tattoos – something more than just “Look at my bad-ass tattoo!” The people I enjoy photographing – and I know this sounds cheesy, but it’s true – emanate an aura that says, “I believe in something, something that impacted my life in such a way that I had to permanently etch it into my skin.” That’s a person with a story and someone who really interests me.

Such was the case with Shanna here. I met her while I was shooting Nikki Feroni and the Feroni Project. We scheduled and shoot, and after some harrowing driving through an unexpected snow storm, finally met up at a friends studio and below you can see the results:

If you like what you see here and want to setup your own shoot to showcase your skin art, head on over to the contact page to schedule your session.

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October 13, 2010 by Michael

Kim & Sydney – Family Portraits – West Monroe NY

Shot these a while back – this is my sister and niece. An absolutely adorable little girl (not to mention a complete PITA, just like my lil sis). Here’s the thing: when I’m not around, she asks about me quite a bit. But if I’m around she’s kind of terrified of me. Something about my size, I guess. I tried posing her for the first few shots, but it quickly became apparent that wasn’t happening. Finally I just gave up and did what I prefer to do when shooting kids: let ‘em go and switch from “portrait” photographer to “documentary” photographer. I just let her do her thing and record what happened. I think the result is far better than anything I could have come up with that was posed. If one thing isn’t working, do something else.

Kim & Sydney, Family PhotographySydney, Family PhotographySydney, Family PhotographyKim & Sydney, Family PhotographySydney, Family PhotographySydney, Family Photography

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August 17, 2010 by Michael

Fashion shoot – Frenchman’s Island (sort of)

Had another tremendous opportunity this past weekend to attend a shoot at Frenchman’s Island once again (original post here) with Kelly. Always a good time, however, only a few images actually ended up being taken on the island. Just as make-up was being finished up a storm hit that didn’t let up until a few hours later. So, we took some shots on the boat while we waited out the storm and then headed under a bridge that allowed us to dock the boat and take some shots under the bridge. Gotta give credit to Megan for working that location: I wanted to shoot something up there but I just couldn’t see an image in my head. But put Megan in the shot and all the pieces and parts just start to click into place:

Megan has the tremendous gift of being able to “see” what you’re seeing behind the lens and can make the necessary adjustments without needing to be told.

Worked with Anna for the first time this outing. She seemed like she had a good time, and she worked the camera pretty well, she’s definitely aware of her pose and knows how not to look too stiff.

After about 20 minutes at this location, we headed back to the docks to end out the day. On our way the rain stopped and we took the opportunity to snap a few shots off the pier. Here’s my absolute favorite from the whole day:

Melissa was another “new to me” model. Great personality, and she’s another model that I barely had to give any direction to at all. I’m getting spoiled like that. Also, tremendously patient as she waited for me to bumble through several frames as I tried to get the sky just right and the “perfect” warmth to her skin. Went back and forth a couple times until I finally landed on this one. I like it a lot.

Also finally got to meet Laura Marino a stylist/make-up artist/hair stylist (I’m meeting some wonderful Renaissance Women thanks to the East Coast Artists group, it’s tremendously inspiring and humbling) whose photography I’ve been following since I joined the group. I’m over there sherpa-ing lighting gear all over the place all day, and she’s rocking the available light to amazing effect. She’s got great vision – you can tell from her images – told her I needed to work with her more, I’m insanely jealous of her styling.

Good day. Great people. I love my job.

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July 19, 2010 by Michael

Private Shoot – Frenchman’s Island

I was recently invited to join a private photo shoot with Kelly of East Coast Artists, which involved a boat trip to an island – Frenchman’s Island out on Oneida Lake – for the day this past Saturday. Kelly and myself were the only two photographers, along with 3 models – Morgan, Taylor and Megan; as well as Kelly’s husband (our “OMG there is no way he can fit that boat in that tiny space!” boat pilot), their daughter (the group survivalist – if we had been stranded we would not have lacked for food – that girl can fish.) and Morgan’s mom (all-around helper and extra hand). The first thing I did when I got up was check the weather – it didn’t look good at first, but by the end of the day, you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Lots of storm clouds, on and off rain and very windy. “Perfect day?!” you say? Sounds like a photographers nightmare. That’s why I’m hardcore :)

Kidding aside, dark, stormy weather just fits my style. Grungy, dark and moody. We did get plenty of sunshine during the early parts of the day, which posed a bit of a challenge as we chased cloud cover for the perfect diffused sunlight, but towards the end of the day we were getting some very rockin’ clouds. The wind threatened to blow my Beauty Dish – flash and all – into the water at one point, but the risk was worth it for the shots we got. After make-up (provided by Megan, the model/photographer/make-up artist Renaissance Woman), we walked for a bit to this old abandoned lighthouse. Big cement building. Lots of graffiti. Great place to start the day. Morgan was our first victim model. Had to get through the typical 30 minutes of nerves as I’m running “Whatamigonnado? whatamigonnado?” through my head over and over all while trying to maintain an outward appearance of calm, serenity and confidence. I’m getting better at this part, but still – for future reference: if you’re working with me, don’t tell me anything you expect me to remember for the first 30 minutes or so. I’m too busy fighting the inner demons. So we got some shots of Morgan in and around the lighthouse, before we went back to get Megan and Taylor who were finishing make-up. Got some decent shots of all three ladies up at the very top of the lighthouse. Huge props to all 3 for making the climb up a rusted ladder in a building full of cobwebs – that’s some dedication.

Next up, we headed down to the water nearby. The first biggest challenge was ahead of us: Killing the glaring afternoon sun. Me and Kelly had two different approaches to the problem: she rolled with it and filled in the shadows with a light touch of on camera flash with great success. I decided to arm-wrestle the sun by rigging two flashes, bare, onto a stand and nuke my model. Was so-so until I realized that one of my flashes wasn’t working thanks to a busted hotshoe bracket – which eventually decided that, while hanging out over a foot of water, was a GREAT time to finally snap completely. My flash gave one final goodbye “pop” before taking the big dunk. Which was nice of it – kind of a “So long, and thanks for all the fish.” While, I do think the sun won in our wrestling match, I did pull this image before I walked away, defeated:

Took a break for some food and a dunk in the lake before getting back to shooting. Pretty much stuck to the pier at this point before heading over to 3 Mile Island and getting a few last shots. I’ll shut up for now and just make good with the…er…goods:

Oh and for some behind the scenes action, take a look at Kelly’s Facebook page