a little imperfection is good for the soul

 on a shoot for the new Random House book project in VT last week

You know you're taking photography seriously when you first want to control the light, instead of having the light control you. *  I started my professional photo life in the days of exposing finicky chromes, so I got very very good at controlling light. Good enough that the Photo District News

wrote about me & my lighting. No highlights without details! Flag that flare!

Last year I noticed enjoying my visceral reaction to blownout sky and skin without pores. And then an art director asked me to shoot a project with intentional lens refractions floating over the subjects-and used it full page. Astoundingly, the earth continued to spin on its axis .  I had some fun breaking the rules.

So for 2010 I'm letting the imperfect exposure creep into my work in a serious way. Any thoughts?

* if you're amongst those yearning to learn to control light, Strobist is an excellent place to start, if you haven't popped by there already.

the view from the other end

When Real Simple said they were sending a photographer to shoot me with my family, at home, I felt like I was falling down the rabbit hole. It's just the kind of magazine assignment or commercial shoot I usually get. I've been her a zillion times. But I've never been them.

So, yeah, every cliche response I've heard  from subjects flew out of my mouth:

"Oh! Our house isn't , um, magazine worthy."

"Do I have time to lose 10 pounds?"

"I'm having, like, a bad hair week"

At least I didn't go for  "heh,heh,  I might break your camera". 

The photographer, Sam Contis, was sweet, and arrived right on time, shooting 4x5 film, available light. Cool. She did the scouting walk-through, you know, when you seem to be making small talk with the subjects but you're actually sizing up their space while also trying to gauge their personality and style, and any physical issues to work around.  I could hear what was running through her brain, I swear it.

She posed us in a spot we don't usually gather, I know I do that to people all the time.  Only this time I felt the weirdness. Truly, it's odd, you're in your own space, but in a new way.

Love the image. It looks just like us. And, I learned a lot from the experience. I'm taking it along now everywhere I go. 

why i want to marry my iPhone

Sunday morning in Brooklyn, enroute to a photo shoot. The night's snow storm had slowed me down, climbing through the mini mountains at every curb and draggng my case over wasn't helping me be on time, either.  But what photographer could pass up this magic?

I love my iPhone cam.

seasonal sighting

 

Saturday, downtown New Haven CT   12/09