His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow….
Tag: portrait
Long Hair. Beanie.
Meet Dan. He has long hair (or used to, anyway). And a grey beanie that goes well with his shirt.
I created some portraits of Dan to commemorate his long locks before they hit the salon floor.
One more shot, in black and white.
Do you have an event, a hobby, or a favorite hat that you want to immortalize? Contact me and we’ll throw our hair to the wind.
Kristi. Firefighter. Bride.
I had the opportunity to do the bridal photos for Kristi, a firefighter/paramedic, a month before her wedding. The photo shoot had everything that I could have asked for – beautiful weather, a beautiful bride who was up for anything, and killer locations. I shot in a fire station and on a runway at a commercial airport! (Still giddy about that!) I guess the only thing that we could have added would have been to have some actual fire on the set, but I’ve heard that wedding gowns and flames don’t typically get along.
Here are the results from her bridal session:
People in the Parking Lot
As I mentioned in my previous post, the other photo subject that you can usually find in an otherwise barren parking lot is people. Because I was at a photo workshop, the other participants were easily accessible for portraits (read: they couldn’t really run away) and they were a little more tolerant of my camera aimed at them than a random passerby or visitor to the coffee shop might have been.
It started with Mr. Blue Eyes….
I was going to call him Ol’ Blue Eyes (a nod to Frank Sinatra), but he might not appreciate the “old” reference and he might hate to sing. I don’t know. But his eyes were definitely the focal point of this photo.
In a similar way, Eleanor’s quirky glasses and the layers and texture of her scarf were what inspired me to create a portrait of her.
If I hadn’t mentioned it, I’m guessing that you wouldn’t have thought that this photo was taken in a parking lot with dead trees and trash and possibly Sasquatch in the background.
Anyway, as this portrait of the super-friendly Dan shows, a shallow depth of field and precise focus on a person’s face can create great portraits in environments that are *ahem* less than ideal.
So, don’t be discouraged if a photo-creating opportunity doesn’t happen in the perfect place, or with a breathtaking backdrop, or during the most perfect light of the day. Sure, that is what photographers aim for, but if there aren’t any other options, shoot anyway! Use your brain, move your feet, and see what you can come up with.’Tis better to shoot and practice then go home with an empty CF card, I say.
Portraits of A.
It’s been a while, dear readers! An explanation might take too long to write and I already chastise myself daily for not blogging more regularly, so let’s just move forward…
Here are a couple shots I created during a portrait session with A., who is cute and sassy and outgoing. I love both pictures…
Thanks for not being afraid to make faces at the camera, A! It was fun to work with you.
B. & C. Christmas Portraits – Part II
B & C’s family Christmas portraits are now up on my website! You can view the images here. Warning: looking at these photos may cause an increase in holiday joy and involuntary audible exclamations of “Awwwwwww!” at your computer desk.
Still trying to figure out how I can get C’s perfect skin and teeth….
B. & C. Family Christmas Portraits – Part I
On the day after Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to do a portrait shoot of a gorgeous couple and their baby boy, who is a clear contender for Gerber’s Next Top Model. The shoot was inside of a historic mansion (think gorgeous architecture, but very, very dark inside) and had its share of adventurous moments, but I think the pictures turned out well. Both stunning AND adorable.
I will be posting these pictures on my website in the next day or two, so check back soon for Christmas family gorgeousness. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek:
Teen portrait fun!
My new teen portraits are now up on my website! It was incredibly fun working with these girls, and I found each of them to be unique and beautiful. There was definitely no stuffiness or formal-ness allowed on our shoot, and I think that came through on camera. Thanks, girls, for letting me work on this project with you! 🙂
Readers… check out the new pictures using the link above and then let me know what you think!
Picture of the vampire or picture of the man?
Just ran across some rockin’ portrait photos of actor Robert Pattinson (best known for his role as Edward the Vampire in the movie Twilight, although I am proud to say that I recognized him from one of the Harry Potter films before he became famous as the perfect undead boyfriend). Below is one of five published photos taken for GQ Magazine by Nathaniel Goldberg.
I LOVE Goldberg’s focus, the lighting, his choice of black and white versus color for this shot, and especially the shape of Pattinson’s hair. SO awesome. The image is similar to my vision of what I want to achieve with my portraiture – anyone out there up for a practice shoot?
My thoughts: Pattinson is one of those people that can look very intriguing and handsome or very unkempt and unattractive depending upon the way that he is shot by a photographer. There isn’t a consistent “oh, he’s so good-looking” feel to the images created of him, nor is there a consistent “ugh, not so much” feel. I attribute his perceived handsomeness to the skill and aim of the photographer…and the amount of facial hair that Pattinson is sporting on any given day.
My question to you, my reader, is – would you rather have a photographer capture you “as is” – freckles, crooked nose, or pointy chin and all – or would you rather have him/her capture you as ideally as possible – soft light, angled in a way that hides your nose or chin? Is the absolute real more beautiful than the idealized? Modern photography trends easily go either way. Let me know what you think!
Fantastic Portrait of a Hero
Wow…. the People magazine cover featuring Captain Chelsey Sullenberger is one of the best portraits that I have seen recently in a common publication. The lighting is beautiful and spot-on, the baby (youngest survivor of Flight 1549) is angelic and his pose perfect, the red blanket is an integral piece of supporting color, Capt. Sullenberger looks every bit as relaxed and humble as he is in person, and the Madonna-esque theme of the image is perfect for the story.
I couldn’t stop looking at this image when I received my weekly People in the mail. Find a copy yourself and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Nigel Parry with CPI created this stunning portrait.
