This is my travel kit. I’ve whittled down my gear over the years to get the leanest and meanest kit possible. With this two camera, two lens, two light setup I can easily travel and solo shoot, creating a broad range of indoor and outdoor scenarios.
Read MoreNathan Ward's Winter Triangle
Aside from being a great photographer, Nathan Ward is also a multi-instrumental musician. His first album until the name Winter Triangle is a lush, layered, ambient endeavor in the vein of Daniel Lanois and Harold Budd. Needless to say I was stoked when he asked me to shoot his portrait for the album promo. After listening to the album I knew I wanted to used a projector and smoke machine to create pins of light. The native color temperature of the projector was on the cooler side and I leaned into the blue tones as I colored graded the files in post. I also decided to add a bit of grain to give the images an older feel. The final images look like his music does in my head.
Read MoreLiquid Color
This was a fun little test shoot with Jona. For some of the frames I projected video footage onto her and made multiple exposures. Other frames I used a pulsing, multicolored LED and had Jona do the moving. There was an element of control and chaos in each scenario, and all of them led to discovery and delight.
Read MoreMy Photography Studio: From Basement to Loft
This is my studio. Not even 5 years ago my studio was in my basement. The ceiling was just under 7ft and the foundation leaked every time it rained. My lighting kit was little more than a couple battery-powered flashes and a desk lamp. Though I only had a tiny space and limited gear, it was my space. I learned to use every inch of that studio and gear…
Read MoreWilted Flowers, Crumpled Leaves, and Other Pretty Dead Things
We had a bouquet of flowers on our dining room table for the last two weeks, and it had been dead for easily half that time. When I finally got around to tossing the dead flowers I caught myself and decided instead to bring them to my studio to photograph. Though I’ve been photographing flowers and plants for years I’ve never thought to document them after their prime. I added in some dead leaves from one of our ailing house plants to round out my decay study. I enjoyed these studies so much that I may begin a new series around it.
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FaceTime Photo Shoot with Mrs. Piss (Chelsea Wolfe) for Revolver Magazine
Stoked to have photographed @cchelseawwolfe and @jessgowrie’s new project @mrspisss via FaceTime a couple months back. These are in the latest issue of @revolvermag. Design by @toddweinberger. Long live print!
Read MoreMaking My Own Alternative Camera (Pinhole)
Back in 2002 I was halfway through the BFA program in fine art photo at OSU and I’d just started a course called “alternative camera” taught by the great Ardine Nelson. The umbrella of “alt camera” encompassed everything from finding/modifying toy cameras to making your own cameras from scratch. The course awakened in me a drive to explore and push the boundaries in my artmaking and I really learned to lean into the element of chaos and the beauty of imperfection that accompanied exploration. I crafted a range of cameras during those three months. I made a LEGO pinhole camera that shot 4x5 film. I modified my grandmother’s broken stereoscopic 35mm film camera to shoot hazy, ethereal pinhole images. But my favorite camera ended up being one I made from an old cigarette tin…
Read MoreTim Hortons x Fruit Loops
A few weeks ago I shot a range of social media images for Tim Hortons’ recent crossover with Fruit Loops. When it came to the visual approach I wanted to mimic old print ads from the 50s and 60s, which translates to hard light and shifted color hues. I think it gives the images an elevated look.
Read MoreDiscovery with Marissa Nadler
A couple weeks ago I drove down to Nashville to photograph @marissa_nadler. I’d been a fan of her music for almost 15 years so I was super excited to work with her. I didn’t have any visual plans for the shoot— no mood board or pre-conceived ideas. In recent years I’ve really embraced improvisation when it comes to shoots. I bring a few key pieces of equipment with me— enough to cover a broad range of techniques— and then I allow the space, the subject, and the moment to dictate what happens within the session. Sometimes it backfires and I come away with nothing. Other times magic happens. Either way, it’s my favorite element of a shoot…
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Nick Fancher X Adobe Lightroom
I’ve been an Adobe Lightroom user since 2007, when it first dropped. When it comes to post-processing, I use it almost exclusively, only rarely opening Photoshop. It has not only elevated my color grading game but it has also probably added a year to my life with the time it’s saved me. All that to say I was honored and flattered when they reached out to me to write some tutorials on how I use their software…
Read MoreEphemera: A Collaboration with Hana Mendel and Celeste Malvar-Stewart
Last week I collaborated with Hana Mendel (an amazing photographer, illustrator, guitarist, etc) and clothing designer Celeste Malvar-Stewart. In an effort to maintain social distance guidelines, Celeste dropped off her garments, giving us permission to style and shoot them as we saw fit. Hana showed up ready to shoot and I kept my distance, wearing a mask the whole time. Save for the addition of wearing a mask, the shoot wasn’t any different from my other personal shoots— I always work with a minimal or non-existent crew…
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Remotrait (FaceTime Photo Shoot) with Sara Lando
Sara Lando is my friend. She’s also a brilliant photographer, artist, and teacher based in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. Last week we hopped on a FaceTime call and she graciously sat as my subject for an hour-long shoot.
Read MoreShe's on Fire
A couple weeks ago I shot with photographer/model/stylist Hayle Cordle and I leaned back into my passion for color. Since I wrapped writing for Chroma two years ago I have shifted my focus from color to experimenting more with abstraction and texture. This felt more like a simple study of mood, via color. I need to give myself permission to do more of these simple, fun explorations. It’s restorative.
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Trauma Portraits (Series)
In 2017 I began a series exploring trauma. I invited participants to come share their story with me, which was followed by a brief portrait session. I had subjects gather several images (or a video) that represented a time of significant trauma in their lives, which they brought to my studio to share with me. When they arrived we took some time to sit and discuss their story. After chatting I took the imagery they brought, loaded it into a slideshow, and projected it onto them while I created multiple-exposure portraits. As the photographic layers began to stack up, the projected images of trauma became less and less recognizable and only the colors and fragmented shapes remained. Old photos representing terror and loss began to disintegrate. Scars transformed into beauty marks, wounds and wholeness inextricable.
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Exorcise Routine
Yesterday I shot with Katy and really leaned into creating dreamlike (nightmarish?) images. I’ve been experimenting with mylar for over a year now and continue to find new ways of interpreting the material. I love the soft reflection it offers, which give the photos a painterly quality. With the warping of the material, otherwise dreamy images turn into those depicting an exorcism.
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New Work with Chyna (plus LIMITED EDITION BOOK AND PRINT SALE)
Remote Photo Shoots Featured in Better Photography Magazine
Better Photography Magazine (India) recently interviewed me about my Remotrait sessions. I’m still taking bookings if you’re interested in portraits of your own.
Alexander Dreamer: Feel Alive
Jalen, who raps under the name @alexandrdreamr, reached out to me last Sunday about collaborating on a photo shoot. The entire nation was in its fourth day of protesting the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police, which was in-part the inspiration for his new song, Feel Alive. When I first listened to the song, these lines really hit me:
“I risk everything just to feel alive
We don’t go outside, that’s how n****s die”
He showed up at my studio the next day and we got to work. While he mixed ingredients to make fake blood I set up lighting to mimic police lights. After working through a range of poses we settled on this shot. What immediately struck me was the fatigue in his eyes, which sadly made complete sense. This injustice wasn’t anything new; simply par for the course in this country.
Here’s another verse that struck me:
“Feel pain for my brothers, cause those are all of my keepers
Surface is not worth it it’s been urgent to dig deeper”
As Jalen states, now more than ever we have to dig deeper. Question our realities and check our privilege. Think twice before calling the police. Believe minority voices. Be willing to admit when we’re wrong and grow rather than giving in to shame or pride.
In the original version of the song there was the following line:
“Footprints in the sand but I bring the sand to my beaches”
If you’re not familiar with the reference, Footprints in the Sand is a popular poem in the Christian community where a poet describes two sets of footprints walking side by side through life. They lament that during the most difficult period of their life there was only one set of footprints, and ask god why they were left alone. God responds that that was when they were being carried. Jalen’s statement that he’s responsible for bringing his own sand to the beach implies that the comfort of god’s “presence” would be non-existent were it not for Jalen’s efforts. Thoughts and prayers are nothing more than empty consolations. There is an expression “It’s impossible to steer a parked car, so get moving.” It’s time to stop waiting around for god or government to make the world a better place and get to work doing it ourselves.
A Rose by Another Name
As quarantine restrictions are starting to loosen I am slowly resuming shooting with people IRL, which is such a blessing. This was a quick study of soft pastel colors, which I selected based off Rose’s wardrobe. For the final scenario I (subconsciously?) had Rose cover her face in one of her shirts, which gave the image a mysterious, even mournful look. Though we are beginning to go back to work and return to “normal”, the quarantine has left an obvious mark on human interactions.
Read MoreZoom Photo Shoot with Roarie Yum
I first met Roarie Yum three or four years ago at a shoot I was doing with a different model. The two of them had been on the road together, taking modeling gigs one city at a time, and while I was shooting with the other model Roarie hung out on my studio couch and caught up on her email. I wasn’t aware of her work at the time and when I later saw her incredible portfolio I kicked myself for not working with her when I had the chance.
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