I was recently commissioned to create a conceptual portrait to accompany the @wsj article, “Why We Choose to Suffer.” The essay is an excerpt from Paul Bloom’s upcoming book, The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning, which touches on why we humans often choose things that create unpleasant moments for ourselves, and how these moments can ultimately lead to growth and even pleasure…
Angels and Airwaves: "Lifeforms" Album Cover Shoot
Here are my favorite shots from the @angelsandairwaves cover shoot I did last year with @tnsndvsn. Creative direction by @brandonrike. Hair by @hairdavinci. Modeling by @yesandso
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Bold Colors and Shapes with Ballet Dancer Kristie Latham
My latest shoot with dancing queen, Kristie Latham. We’ve been shooting together for over a decade now and it’s fun to look back at how our work together has evolved over the years. I started off with a simple color and shape study with the Lindsay Adler Optical Spot (Kristie styled her wardrobe). Then I finished the shoot with some long exposure work (I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this technique).
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Femme Fatale Vibes with Molly Ridge
This was a short, impromptu study of color and mood, with Molly Ridge. Once again I used the Lindsay Adler Optical Spot to create sharp, bold shadows.
Read MoreShoot with Ballerina Francesca Jordan Dugarte
My latest attempt at capturing the beauty of movement over time. Been exploring long exposures while rotating my @prismlensfx linear filter and multi-strobing my flash. Excited at the possibilities! Also really loving the hard light and fast falloff I can get with my @lindsayadler_photo @westcottlighting Optical Spot.
Read MoreAll the Things with Annika
This was my first shoot with Annika Peterson and we did all the things. I started off with some light lighting, using a black fiber optic brush and orange gel from Light Painting Brushes. After that I explored making long exposures while rotating a linear prism FX filter and multi-strobing my flash. Finally, I took some shots with my fungus-filled lens, using shutter drag and an LED with changing colors.
Read MoreInterplay: Exploring the Relationship Between Light and Movement with Dance Couple Carly and Gabe
Last October I began experimenting with wrapping dancers in LEDs and making long exposures in the dark. In essence this turned the black room into a blank canvas and the lights turned the dancers limbs into (light) paint brushes (check out the old post here). Since that point I had it in the back of my mind to use this technique when photographing a dance duo to see how their light trails interacted. That time has finally come…
Read MoreMarissa Nadler - If I Could Breathe Underwater Music Video
I recently worked as cinematographer in creating a music video for Marissa Nadler’s new single, If I Could Breathe Underwater. This was my first underwater shoot and I definitely learned a lot in the process (I used a Canon 5DIV with an Outex camera housing). I love this song and I’m happy to see this out in the world!
Read MoreKey Art Shoot with Charlamagne Tha God for New Comedy Central Show Tha God's Honest Truth
Back in June I joined forces with the creative team at @comedycentral to create the key art for @cthagod’s new show @cthashow. It’s been so cool to see images of the art out in the world and I’m really looking forward to watching the show premier this Friday…
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Images From My Creative Portrait Workshop
This past weekend I hosted a 2-day Creative Portrait workshop at my studio. In an effort to keep the atmosphere intimate and allow for a lot of hands-on time for students, I capped the workshop at 5 students. We covered a range of techniques such as using flags to shape light; color theory; making and using snoots; long exposure portraits; and lighting with projectors. We packed a lot in, as you can see below…
Read MoreDreamy Shoot with Actress Aleksa Palladino
Always great to shoot with @aleksa_palladino. Thanks to @nalanihmelo for co-directing and styling the shoot. Also, how amazing is that light through my fungus lens?!
Read MoreThe Score- Head Up Photo Shoot
Grateful for the chance to create photos and motion for @thescoremusic upcoming album cycle. Super cool to work with @jesseleestout and @grantjamesorchard of @metaform.studio on their vision. Thanks to @baileykobelin for assisting and to everyone on the creative team for a great shoot!
Read MoreRyan Bingham for Easyriders Issue #2
In February of 2020 I shot portraits and a short film about @ryanbingham_official for @easyriders magazine. Then the pandemic hit and the issue was placed on an indefinite hold. For a long time I didn’t expect that the story would ever see get to see the light of day, but the day has finally come…
Read MoreMaking Light in Darkness
Talking about light and darkness and then making light in darkness. Had a great time chatting and making with @dust__shape
Read MoreThe Boy Who Was Struck By Lightning
When @mengesdesign was 8 years old he was struck by lightning. That random fact immediately came to mind as we looked over the first two images from our latest collaboration…
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Creating Dappled Light with a DIY Reflector
What if I told you that i only used one light to create this image. It’s true. I used one of my favorite lighting modifiers— a DIY reflector…
Read MoreWater Drops, Light Painting, and Lens Fungus (Oh My)
When Lily arrived at my studio I decided to start off with some colorful water drop portraits before getting into the light painting…
Read MoreMy Shoot with Beartooth for Revolver Magazine
It was great to reconnect with @beartoothband for @revolvermag. I wanted to honor the album art that @tnsndvsn made for their new album so I decided to work within the same purple color palette. I was happy that @calebshomo was so patient and willing to let me experiment on making the image that ended up running as the newsstand cover. I’d never done that technique before and wasn’t sure I could pull it off (swipe for behind the scenes). It was a deceptively simple setup (just a flash, a sheet of plexi, and a projector) but super technical when it came to angle, distance, focal length, and aperture. Thanks as always to Jimmy and the crew at Revolver for the opportunity.
Coors Light: Hold My Coors Campaign
I recently teamed up with the creatives at Five Hundred Degrees studio to shoot the Hold My Coors campaign for Coors Light. We spent a day on location and a day in studio capturing this clever line of beer accessories. I legit want one of those hoodies now.
Read MoreStudying Time with Multiple Exposures
For the last week I’ve been working on creating content for a chapter about in-camera multiple exposures, which will be included in my upcoming book, The Creative Portrait. @yungallyce graciously popped by my studio and patiently waited as I worked through a number of different techniques…
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