Portrait sessions with a twist

I get a lot of requests to do portraits or other photo shoots with people. I like to put people in environments that seem to suit their personality or their character best. And I like to suggest variations they may not have considered. 

Down by the River

This summer I have had quite a few shoots where I have been able to suggest variations on the model's ideas to create beautiful images.

Here is an example. Paige called and asked if I would do a series of images of her by the water. Her initial plan was simple, by a waterfall, in a new swimsuit. But we did not have easy access to waterfall on the day so I suggested this river area.

We started with the image ideas she had of her new swimsuit and had a lot of fun with that. I had suggested (ahead of time, I don't like to spring surprises on people) this length of fabric over her shoulders would look interesting in the water. I was very pleased with the results.

Wanderer

There were a few challenges to this shoot. We had been having a crazy hot summer all through July. But by the time we got our dates aligned and were able to do this shoot, morning temperatures here now in the low teens - pretty chilly. So complete submersion was out of the question.

There have been other shoots this summer where I have been able to create wonderful images. I am excited to be doing more and more of these.

Mirrored

Encore

Torso

As part of the BOX-11 series, I was invited to show some of my new work in a show entitled Encore. This show is being held in the WalterFedy building as was my last exhibition entitled CAPTURED. I was excited as well as a little apprehensive about this show as I had decided to show some of the work from my nude and body art projects. I had no idea how this work was going to be received especially since it would be on display in a corporate environment in a relatively conservative community.

I need not have worried. My work is of a sufficiently abstract nature that it should give offence only to the most sensitive (or prudish?) of people. In fact, I sold a couple of my pieces almost immediately.

For this work I found that printing using normal (even though high quality) ink jet, giclée inks was not quite the quality I was after. Doing a bit of research I found the piezographic print process would provide the best quality images showing the intensity of black that I needed. The piezographic process prints images using eight (or more) ink cartridges of the purest black carbon inks available. The tonal range offered by this process is breathtaking.

Waves

I was especially pleased that so many people enjoyed my work. The comments and praise has been very encouraging.

But probably the most encouraging, inspiring comment I received was from a woman who asked if I would use her as a model for images of this style hoping that she might then be able to hang one of them in her home.

I am always on the lookout for other potential models for my work. If you or anyone you know might be interested in modelling for me, please get in touch. I would be very pleased to work with you to create an image that suits you. (If you think your body might not be appropriate for this style of modelling, please be aware my models have ranged in age from mid 20's through late 40's. I am sure I can create something that pleases you :) ).

More of my work can be found on Flickr in my Nudes/Body Art set.

CAPTURED

WalterFedy, a local architect and engineering firm has started to host art exhibits in their main foyer area as a way to engage with the art community here in Kitchener & Waterloo. Their first show is called CAPTURED and is a curated collection of the work of 11 local photographers. The show opened in late October and continues through the end of December.


I was invited to show a couple of my photographs. And in particular I was asked if I could/would produce something especially striking for display on a large red wall. I had just the image that would do very nicely. It is a scene of a local railway station taken from a bridge. During this past year's Contact photo show in Toronto I saw a number of very cool images printed on aluminum. It struck me that a scene of the railway station would look fabulous printed on aluminum. So, I did a bit of research and sent off a number of sample images to a couple of printers to see that my idea would work. It has turned out even better than I could have imagined.

Transportation, printed on 4' x 6' sheet of aluminum
(ignore the watermark, this photo taken by Jared Davidson (using my camera))

The photographers were given a chance to hold a reception for friends and family to view the show (access is normally somewhat restricted because it is a regular working environment). We put together a very nice reception and invited about 80-100 people. It was wonderful to see people's reaction to our work.

More images from that evening can be found on my Flickr CAPTURED set.

BOX-11

My installation

BOX-11 is an annual art show and sale that happens in the Kitchener/Waterloo region. This is its third year and it has become very large and influential. This year, there were at least 60 or more eligible entries but only about twenty three that were accepted by the curatorial jury. And only five of us were photographers.

It was quite an honour for me, my first art show. I was very excited. (I was also accepted to show some work in another art show at WalterFedy about this same time, I'll write about that in another posting).

Preparations

Preparations for this showing were extensive. First selecting the works that would define my body of work had to be done. I knew what, generally speaking, I wanted to show - my industrial images. But which ones? After a great deal of contemplation I had decided on the required four images for the initial jury review. If they liked my work I would be able to submit more images for a second review. Printing the images turned out to be a big problem. I was having serious problems with the ink in my printer and could not get a consistent black. Finally, after a lot of experimentation with ink and with papers, I found a combination I was happy with. Then getting the initial four images printed and still making the deadline was a challenge.

Sample of one display area

Setup

The show is always held in a local, derelict factory (with permission, of course). Getting the factory space cleaned up and prepared for the show is a huge challenge that I am fortunately shielded from. The week before the show starts all artists are expected to attend an initial reception where we are given directions on how the show will run. We get to see a lot of the preparations at this time. The lighting system is being installed as we listen to our directions. Cabling is being pulled by our heads, we duck and shuffle to miss being bumped (we're not in any real danger, it's more fun than anything).

Darren documenting the show

Friday night arrives and an invitation only reception is being held for local big wigs and mucky mucks and fancy "people of means". (I'm not dissing this, actually. I count myself as one of that group ;). Just before the doors are open, I walked about and took this image of Darren documenting the show. Everything looked great. And there was a huge turnout. I met many people who were very interested in my images. I was inspired by many of the comments I heard (and overheard). I was inspired by how I saw people studying my images. I was tickled pink that I sold a few that night too!

Saturday and Sunday were very busy days. Maybe a thousand people came through those two days. I had great fun talking to people about my photography, about art, about the historical significance of the factories I photographed, about so many other things. I was excited to sell a few more images. It was a wonderful event.

I am talking to two interested art collectors

Factory Update

Factories continue to fascinate me. I have an ongoing project with the Breithaupt Block factory, photographing its revitalization. There are, of course, still vestiges of its earlier days. The windows always capture my imagination. Sometimes it's the glass itself that provides an interesting colour or texture. But sometimes it is what is beyond the window, what is outside, that gives us something interesting.

There is, even after more than a year of work, much of the factory that is yet dirty. Much that is a mess. But it is in these very ugly places that I find interesting details. I was a little slow to react when I came into this room. The dust was thick and the sunlight streaming through the windows lit up the dust like laser beams. By the time I realized I had an amazing image right in front of me, the sun had started to fad behind a cloud and the dust was settling out. The transitions in a factory do not wait for anyone!


New areas are constantly arriving. One day I might see a room like above. And when I go back a few days later, I find there are walls popping up, plumbing being installed, wiring connected...

Portrait Update

Thoughout the summer I had the chance to do a number of portrait sessions. One with a family, a few with friends and a few nude shoots too.

I learned an incredible amount with each shoot. Mosty, that I have so much more to learn. Sometimes it was the little things that complicated life, such as during one shoot on a beach...

... I hardly noticed all the flies (except they were biting us!) till I got home and realized I had a lot of photoshopping to do.

Other things, not so small, cannot be so easily fixed. Is her hair still neat and tidy? What's in the background? ...

... It was not till I got home that I noticed her hair. There is little that can be done about wind blown hair after the shoot. The background was less work, but still a nuisance that could have been easily avoided.

But sometimes, everything just works. Sometimes I got exactly what I was after. The lighting, just right...

Or the background and environment perfectly suited to the clothing and style of the model ...

Or the weather cooperating giving me exactly the atmosphere I was after...

All in all, it was a wonderful summer to do photoshoots. But I am keen to continue trying to hone this dimension of my art. I look forward to working with many of these people again and with new people too.

American Standard

Over the past year, or more, I have been actively photographing local history industrial spaces. Most recently I was invited to join a group of photographers to shoot the interior of the now defunct American Standard factory in Hespler, Ontario. This factory has been purchased by Shawky Fahel in the hopes of converting it to a condo development targeted at the needs of our senior population.

The factory has been cleared of all the heavy equipment that was used during its manufacturing era. But what remains is a wonderful look into its history. Graffiti by long gone workers. Random bits of furniture laying awkwardly in unlikely places. Dirty bits of broken equipment. Odd bits of the forgotten past. Sometimes it can be heart wrenching seeing a twisted, broken lunch box and wondering where the owner is now.

Our group had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours here. Each of us lost in our own little world trying to discover some bit of beauty in all this decay and ugliness. Many of us have had a chance to compare our images. It has been interesting to see how differently we all see the same space. How one of us might notice a chair sitting near a wall. But another will notice that they back of that same chair against that same wall makes for an interesting contrast in textures.

More images are available on my Flickr photostream.