I’ve known this chick for about a year now and over the past 12 months, she’s lent me her beauty many, many times and we’ve become very close friends.

She’s an absolute doll and a complete joy to work with and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I’m at as a photographer if it weren’t for her. She’s always game to try something new and different and she’s remarkably patient. This was critical when I was first starting this journey in to studio photography and dramatic lighting.. ‘cuz, lemme tell you.. it did not come naturally.

This is the first time that I’ve worked specifically with her and not her burlesque character, Queenie. It was very interesting to see that, while she’s incredibly confident in front of a camera as her character, she’s as nervous as anyone when she’s just being herself.

So, to get past this, her and I sat down and just started talking and had a long conversation about life, past lives, and the world and while we were talking, I was able to capture some photos of the real her. They’re candid, natural, and really show who she is as a person – funny, full of life, beautiful, and candid with a gorgeous, bright smile that lights up a room.

And while I was looking at the photos on my tiny LCD screen on the back of my camera, it occured to me (this is going to sound like a “well, duh” moment, but I’m sometimes slow. So hush. – some day, when we’re dead and gone, our great-great-great-grandkids will be able to look back at my photos and really be able to see who she really is.

You, my dear, are an amazing woman and I’m looking forward to another year of working with you!

My very dear friends, John & Lacey, got married yesterday (yes, it was a Monday.. and I had the honor of spending the morning with John, his groomsmen (and groomswoman), his parents and family.

I’ve known John and Lacey for quite awhile now and they attended our wedding in July out in Vegas, but not very often do I just get to hang out with these two due to our schedules. Between them being super busy in the theatre world and me constantly working on business stuff, we just don’t hook up very often, so I cherish any time that I get to spend with them, no matter how brief.

So, it was wonderful being able to hang out at John’s parents house and listening to the stories from family members as John was going through the pre-wedding emotions – nerves, excitement, panic.

It was an absolutely beautiful wedding – Lacey, you looked gorgeous.. and so did you, John. You both are the salt of the earth and I am so thankful that I can call you two my friends.

I love you both. Have an amazing honeymoon and I look forward to (hopefully!) hanging out more often when you get back!!

I found myself shooting a promo for Freshwater Theatre again and I think this one may have been the most interesting yet. The play is called, “The Book of Liz“, written by David and Amy Sedaris and it involves a pseudo Mennonite, Sister Elizabeth Donderstock (Mame Pelletier – pictured above), cheeseballs (also pictured above), and sweat. Lots and lots… of sweat.

I’ve not seen the play yet, so I can’t give you all of the details, but I have a feeling that it’s going to be amazing. I hear that tickets are selling fast, so I recommend reserving yours today!

FYI – I’ll be there on the 17th, just in case you want to say “hi”.

Also, Freshwater Theatre is premiering “Dirty Girls Come Clean“, AND there’s one evening of “Poetry Cabaret” (on the 16th).  I will be there on the 16th doing some informal portraits and what-nots before and after the show, so if you want some awesome photos of yourself, you should definitely be there.  This was a blast last time ’round.  If you want to see some examples of what took place at the last Cabaret, click here to go to the Fibonacci Studio Facebook page!

Hope to see you there!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything.. mostly because I haven’t had the time TO post anything! Between shooting, getting moved in to my new studio, getting married, scheduling, and weddings.. I’ve had no time to write anything.

Yeah, I know, lots of excuses, right? It’s all true, though. Really! lol.

Anyway, here’s a photo of my new studio. It’s located in the North East Arts District right near the intersection of Broadway & Marshall in the old Grainbelt bottling building. It’s ~1700 square feet with 20+ foot ceilings, sky lights, exposed brick walls, big beautiful windows… I could go on and on.

This is a major upgrade from my last studio and a huge move for us and I’m excited to be able to finally say that I can shoot in it!!

So, I had this idea.  I wanted to shoot the silhouette of a ballerina in the Dowling Studio lobby at the Guthrie.  Thankfully, the wonderful Mrs Queenie Von Curves is always game for something new and is pretty much willing try anything once, so having her put on her burlesque attire and dance on pointe around the Guthrie Theater was a totally reasonable request.  :-)

On top of her enthusiasm and ambition, she is super, super wonderful to work with (and one of the nicest chicks you’ll ever meet!), but also knows how to pose herself like no one I’ve ever met.  While I’m used to directing and helping people pose, it’s wonderful being able to go out and just shoot, allowing the model to do what she does, while she allows me to do what I do.  I’m glad that I can call her a friend, because she is seriously awesome on a multitude of levels.

Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the Dowling and you live in the Minneapolis area, it’s the big yellow box that jets out of the side of the Guthrie theater.  When you walk in to the Dowling, it’s surreal, because all of the light is yellow.  Everywhere.  So, I thought the dramatic light with her on pointe, silhouetted, would be pretty cool.  I think I was right.  What say you?

If you want to see more of these, visit the Fibonacci Facebook page!

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can’t.  The article, I mean.. not the image – the  image is mine!  :-)

I came across this today and read it, and re-read it.  I think it sheds a lot of insight in to the work that photographers do behind the scenes, as well as the importance of using a professional photographer.

For those photographers reading this, I think sometimes, some of us, forget what it means to people to do what we do.  We get so caught up in running, operating, and building our business that some of the passion and emotion that our photos create are lost on us.  I sometimes have to take a step back from an image before I can appreciate it.  Staring at the same image for an hour, while adjusting the sharpness, contrast, colors, etc. etc. etc. etc. tends to prevent me from truly appreciating what it was that I created for someone until I spend some time away from it.

Anyway, it’s a great article, which I stole from Light Essentials:

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A photographer is preparing to make a photograph that may change someone’s life, forever.

An art director is considering a new photographer for a substantial editorial assignment. He is a little nervous about it, but he also knows that this is the right shooter for this gig… and he reaches for the phone.

A mother glances at a photograph of her now grown son, when he was only 14. It makes her smile, and remember that time when…

A photographer is awaking, ready to embark on the biggest job of his career. Anxiety and excitement fill his thoughts… and he carefully prepares.

There are a large pile of prints strewn around the floor as the photographer begins selecting the images for her first one-artist show.

A photograph is being shown to someone who never thought they could look that way. They can’t wait to share it. The photographer smiles.

A company art department is planning their most ambitious collateral piece ever. The AD is looking through a set of photographers websites links they have saved… it is time to decide.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

Someone is writing their two week notice. They have been planning for this for years, and it is time. Trepidation, excitement and fear and wonder all make for a bit of nervousness. But they know they have to do this.

Someone is finding out they don’t have a job starting next Monday. This may be the moment they go ahead and make the jump.

A photographer put the finishing touches on the new portfolio. It will be called in day after tomorrow… but he doesn’t know that now.

A photographer is going through an edit of the best work she has ever done. It all came together on this shoot, and she is absolutely thrilled to be able to show the client.

A photograph is being made of someone who is dying. The image will be a last remembrance of their life for the ones who will miss them. The photographer fights back tears, but works with a smile to make the shot.

A photographer just took a photograph that will change the way thousands, maybe millions of people think about something important.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A photographer is filling out a bid request for an assignment that could change their life.

An editor is preparing to assign a photographer to a project that will result in an image that will shock and surprise everyone.

A photographer sits at a computer carefully retouching a photograph for a new client. It has taken a couple of hours, but it is close to perfection… just one more layer and…

A photographer is smiling as they take their first few rolls of film to the lab in years. It makes them feel nostalgic for a moment.

A photographer is trying to decide between two images to go in their portfolio. They are both good, so it may require a coin toss… or a call to a friend.

A model is being shot for the most important client she has ever shot with. She is very excited about working with the photographer assigned, and he is helping her get a great shot.

A bride has made the decision, and a photographer is about to receive a call.

A photographer is sending a link to his new portfolio to a small list of clients who have asked to see it. He takes a last look and hits “send”.

A client and a photographer are going over last minute travel plans, and finalizing a shot list for a week long shoot. Five months in the planning, the assignment starts tomorrow.

A photographer has reached out for a mentor, and a photographer has responded with guidance and help. It will forever change both of their lives.

A photographer suddenly understands something about her own work. She saw it while shooting today, and it just felt right. A style is evolving.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A young person is picking up a camera for the first time. We don’t know their name… but we will someday.

A hobby is becoming a passion for a photographer. The passion will become their vocation and avocation soon.

A camera is being focused on a subject, and decisions are being quickly made, and the inevitable shutter click will record something we haven’t seen before.

An older person is pulling that old Minolta out of a box and remembering how wonderful making photographs was. It will soon be replaced by a digital, but for now… let’s see how it goes.

A photographer is picking up the mail, and the check he has been waiting for is there. It will be a good summer.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment, something that will happen only once in a lifetime is happening… and a photographer is there to record that instant, that tiny fraction of a moment that a photograph records. It is time frozen, a moment recorded forever, to be held in the time it was made, while the rest of the world grows old.

It is a photograph.

Somewhere, right now, at this moment…

A photographer is making something magical, unique, important, remembered, and special.

That’s pretty cool, if you ask me.

All I can say is, “wow”.

I wont lie.. when Megan Bren asked me to shoot the Poetry Cabaret, I wasn’t immediately excited.  I’d like to pretend that I’m super cultured and in to things like poetry, but, alas, I am not.

Then I found out what Poetry Cabaret really is.  Yes, there was poetry, but it was awesome, edgy, angry poetry.  There was also a one man band, performed by Moustache Jim (pictured above), burlesque performed by Musette The MistressOmischief, and a close friend of mine, the lovely Queenie Von Curves, singing by Debra Berger, and a plethora of other activity.  It was a really awesome evening filled with great performances and seriously, seriously great people.

Not sure what else to say, except for that it was something that I’m so totally glad that I was able to experience.  There will be another one in September, so keep an eye out for it!

If you’d like to see photos from the evening, check out the Fibonacci Facebook page!

This is John Zeiler; a super talented local actor, a really good friend of mine, and seriously one of the nicest individuals that you will ever come across.  I’m honored that he and his lovely & awesome fiance, Ms Lacey Piotter, are coming to my wedding in July and staying with us.. in a mansion.. in Vegas…

Ahem.. anyway.. this was a candid that I took of him the other night while he was warming up for the Poetry Cabaret.  I had my assistant (also known as my fiance!) act as the boom and held a single speed light & umbrella on a light stand directly above and behind him.  The result created this beautiful silhouette and isolated him in a moment.

I really love this photo.  It’s going to wind up on my wall, for sure.

This is Joel, a local actor, and a new friend of mine.  He had seen a bunch of my portraiture work and asked me if I’d be interested in doing a recreation for him.  He wanted to recreate a popular picture of Walt Whitman.  The above picture isn’t the recreation, you can see that here.

Before a shoot, I obsess over details.  Where should the lights be?  What angles?  What mood?  Softbox or umbrella?  ISO, aperture, shutter speed, yadda yadda yadda.  This shoot, however, had me thinking about something much deeper.

Back in the day, in this case, we’re talking circa 1850, having your photo taken was something special.  It was almost like having your portrait painted, yanno?  The photographer didn’t rip out 800 exposures in an attempt to capture a perfect photo.  You’d sit down, he’d set up his equipment, make sure that you looked as good as you could and you had one, maybe two photos taken, and that was it.  And afterwards, there was no skin softening, blemish removal, sharpening, or noise reduction.

The result was real.

And, because this was likely one of the few that you’d ever have taken of yourself, it was the only record we, today, have of your life.  We rely on that one picture to tell us everything there is to know about you.  Where you’ve been, your career, your views, whether you’ve had a difficult life or not.  All of this gets relayed through that one photo.  You know, the old adage, “A picture is worth 1,000 words”?  Well, no more is that true than for old portraiture work.

As much as I enjoy the digital era and the ease of use and how creative it allows me to be, I think that because everyone has a camera, a Facebook account, and 1,000+ photos of themselves doing keg stands, or what have you, we’ve kind of lost the appreciation of the photograph.

I urge you to ask to go through your parents, or even better, your grand parents, old albums.. tell them that you just want to look through it without their narration.  You’ll be forced to rely on each photo to tell the story and you’ll find yourself noticing details that you normally would have overlooked.

Anyway, Joel will probably disagree with me (he’s stoked about the Whitman photo), but this is my favorite photo from the shoot.  The reason why, is because if I hadn’t taken it, this is one of those photos that I’d be staring at for an extended amount of time trying to figure out the story.

Yes, I know.. the picture above is out of focus, blurry, and rather uninteresting… but.  ITS FRICKEN JOE MCNALLY!!!  :-)

“Who’s Joe McNally???”

If you’ve ever picked up a magazine, you’ve seen his work.  He’s shot for Time, Life, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, etc.  He’s also the photographer that ignited my passion and lust for photography and creative lighting.

He and David Hobby (of Strobist) decided that they were going to take a coast-to-coast road trip, stopping in various cities throughout the country and try to help people understand their methods and how they’re able to produce the results that they are consistently producing.  The amount of knowledge, understanding, and wit those two have is astonishing and I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to meet and learn from them.  I know that the quality of my work is going to improve substantially after I begin to incorporate some of the tricks that I learned today.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be working on the way I light my subjects.  I’m going to focus more of my time on light placement, direction, and modifiers, so hopefully you’ll be seeing my work evolve a bit.

But, first, I need to let everything sink in and go back over my notes and try to decipher them!  :-)