Michael J Huxley Photography

Mattie Macabre – Tattoo Artist at Siren Studios

Michael — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:26:08 +0000

I was recently asked to photograph some images for a Tattoo Artist friend of mine, Mattie Macabre. He needed the images for his audition for Ink Master in NYC. I’ve shot with Matt before, and I knew I wanted to really do something different this time – I wanted to bring out his personality and let that shine through. And the word that guided me throughout the process was “Mad Scientist”. Head over to his website and take a look at his work: http://www.mattiemacabre.com/index.html So, with his style in mind, and fresh off a couple of complex shoots involving paint, the idea of incorporating small geysers of paint into the shot wiggled into my brain. So, after nailing a few simple head shots that he needed and getting a few of the rest of the shop, I pitched the image you see below to Matt, and luckily he was game.

Matt takes his work very, very seriously.

And here’s a few others we got:

And the rest of the shop. The studio owner and tattoo artist Corinne:

Licensed Massage Therapist Desiree:

And what shop is complete without a Mascot? Here’s Frankie:

Carrie – Makeup Artist Head Shot Portrait

Michael — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:00:30 +0000

Recently, my makeup artist and good friend Carrie came in to get some shots done to add to her portfolio. She wanted some images that communicated her personality, her love of makeup, and her passion for her craft. This is exactly the type of assignment I enjoy getting – there’s boundaries, but I’m left with enough leeway to play a little bit. It would have been easy enough to bring her in, do some wild makeup, snap some head shots and call it a day. Luckily, I enjoy a challenge and taking a relatively simple assignment and pushing it to the next level. The first thing I thought of when she told me what she wanted was what you see in the image above. Bright colors, big splashes of paint and some unusual makeup techniques. The final product came out even better than I had imagined. Here’s a couple outtakes from the shoot:

And we got a few other shots as well:

And what did the studio look like after all this? Let’s just say, I’m still cleaning up:

Published; recent work; future work

Michael — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:49:49 +0000

Some exciting news for this month: I’m currently published in not one, but two magazines available now. I have several images in Solis Magazine for their Photography special issue. Second, I have a couple images in Bella Morte Magazine for their Valentine Special Issue. Go pick up a copy, both are excellent issues (and not just because I’m in them… )

I’ve been remiss about updating on here and filling you in on things I’m working on, so here’s some quick updates:

I recently had the opportunity to shoot with Leah Jung, a model that has graced the cover of dozens of tattoo magazines, including Inked. Very fun shoot that involved band-aid pasties, apples and chocolate sauce and two very large cats (not pictured).

I also got together with Melissa (from my “Flour Dancer” series) once again to shoot a test for an upcoming client shoot. The test was for a paint splash image and the result was this:

We also shot some dance images in which Melissa once again defied gravity and generally rewrote the laws of physics.

I’ve got a couple of things in the works right now – nothing I’m ready to elaborate on too much, but I will share this test image:

Yeah, it’s weird – it’s just where my head is right now. I’m also looking into shooting some modernized fairy tales. Still have to pick some out, so if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments! More details on this and other projects to follow!

Salon: Strictly Local – Post Show Wrap-up

Michael — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:21:32 +0000

I am neither stoned, nor arrogantly smug, so I don't know what's going on with my face.

Wow. Last nights show was pretty overwhelming. 75 Artists. The show was packed for most of the evening so I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I didn’t think you needed to see several shots of the backs of peoples heads. From what I could tell, paintings were the biggest submission for this show. My friend Eugenia Mancini Horan had three pieces in the show herself, and I think you should go take a look at her work, I adore it.

A rather small turn-out for photography, but that was alright by me – I look at photography everyday, it’s always nice to see works in other media. I’m looking forward to going back down and going through everything at a slower pace. There were so many people last night that it was difficult to see everything and really appreciate each piece.

If you get a chance, I hope you’ll take the time to stop by the The Tech Garden at 235 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY and see all the great Art on display. Gallery hours are from 9-4 Monday through Friday, and extended hours on Friday from 5pm-8pm. Were you at the show last night? Leave some feedback in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Art Show – Salon: Strictly Local

Michael — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:19:07 +0000

Tomorrow night is the opening reception for Salon: Strictly Local, an Art show that I’ll be a part of, along with many other local artists. Opening reception is tomorrow night (Thursday) from 5-7pm at the Tech Garden in Syracuse. I hope to see you all out there! Come on out and say “hi”! I’ll make sure to snap a few shots of my favorites and write a nice long blog post about the show – I’m long overdue for a decent sized blog post.

Anti-Valentine’s Photo Shoot

Michael — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:36:48 +0000

Tired of cliché roses and chalky candy hearts to show your beloved the intensity of your affections?

Looking for something a little…darker this Valentine’s Day?

Make your intentions clear with a little lust and a dash of danger. Beginning January 16 and running through the 20th, delve into love’s baser cravings with an anti-Valentine photo shoot. From the sinfully sinister to the playfully wanton, I can bring out the devilish cherub in you.
You bring the wardrobe reflecting your Valentine style, I’ll provide everything else to make this romantically devious interlude come alive. Black angel wings, fake blood, bloody hearts, and more reside in my arsenal of provocative props! Makeup and hairstyling is included in the package price to make you look your most seductive, risqué and steamy.

You will receive a black, faux leather, 5×7 album with 20 images of your choice. The total cost of this package is $375. A $50 non-refundable deposit is required to book your session. Call me today at 315-775-3887 to get started dreaming up your sensuous walk on the wild side!

Find your thing…

Michael — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:00:45 +0000

I don’t know if I’ve just been paying more attention to his blog recently or if his posts are somehow more relevant lately, but I’ve really been enjoying reading Chase Jarvis’ Blog a lot and he’s had some really good posts recently. So here’s another one really quick that hit home:

Find your thing and do that thing

Emaleigh the Deer

Michael — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:00:13 +0000

Recently took a trip to Geneseo for a shoot with my favorite makeup artist A Mandaline’s Makeup who sadly will be leaving the area in a few short months. So I contacted her about setting up a shoot – one last hurrah, as it were. And what a hurrah. We had no real concept other than “Let’s shoot, I’ll bring a bunch of stuff!” We brought Emaleigh, the model, on board and she helped us solidify a direction, asking to do something earthy and connected to nature. She also had a pretty amazing location. There are sometimes when going into a project with no concept is scary as all hell, and sometimes when it’s exciting and invigorating. This time was one of the latter. It’s exciting because since there’s no concept, everyone is envisioning something different – which has the potential to go very very wrong – but with personal work, that’s ok. Leaving the images room to breath and grow organically can be very rewarding in the end when all of these disparate elements coalesce into something tangible that wows everyone involved. The key to making something like that work and not devolve into a chaotic mess, is to work with people who know their job and whom you can trust. I’ve worked with Amanda, the makeup artist several times and so I knew I could trust her. And although this was the first time I had shot with Emaleigh, it took all of two seconds before I knew she was someone who could handle herself.

So the final concept came together as the makeup was being done and on a whim Emaleigh suggests adding white dots to her cheekbones. After doing so, Amanda proclaims: “You’re a f*cking deer!” (She has a mouth – but she earns it). I had also just happened to have bought the deer skull the day before and thought it’d be cool, so I brought it with me. Ended up being a great prop and tied in with the theme really well.

Me and Emaleigh got to the location first and spent about an hour testing and exploring the location.

And one final experiment, catching the last few rays of sunlight left.

Melissa

Michael — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:00:37 +0000

Melissa was kind enough to swing by and fill in for a shoot that fell through. We got some great shots, and I got to try a few new techniques. Looking forward to expanding on these ideas…

Hana in clay

Michael — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:00:30 +0000

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.

Thanks for viewing!