In this shoot with Cecily I explored hazy, vibrant lighting, tapping into old sci-fi and 70’s horror film vibes…
Read MoreThe Birds and the Bees and Other Dead Things
I’ve expanded my still life studies to include dead bugs. Most of these were collected from my window sill. On a walk the other day I came across a dead baby bird that had apparently fallen from a nest, which I carefully took back to my studio to photograph. I’ve really been enjoying seeing how these tiny, forgotten specimen come to life in front of my lens…
Read MorePlant Pressing Studies
I recently discovered a new love in the pressing and photographing of plants. I love the hunt for new specimens almost more than I love the challenge of interpreting their natural beauty in an image. It’s an exercise in slowing down and seeing the beauty in the quiet, unremarkable moments I so often take for granted. That said, plants are simultaneously the hardest and easiest subject to photograph in that they can’t collaborate with me to help me flesh out an abstract idea or mood I may have. Rather, they simply exist as they are and I can either figure out how to capture their beauty or not.
Read MoreCannabis Campaign Photo Shoot
Rapper SSGKobe: Relapsed Los Angeles Photo Shoot
Photo Shoot with The Blue Stones
I was recently tapped by Brandon Rike of Tension Division to create images of The Blue Stones in anticipation of their new album. Styling by Mattey Spicer (assisted by Chyna Tene).
Read MorePsychedelic 60s and Futuristic Sci-Fi Vibes with Rachel
When is a Work of Art Finished and Other Creative Musings
I recently discovered a new love in the pressing and photographing of plants. I love the hunt for new specimens almost more than I love the challenge of interpreting their natural beauty in an image. It’s an exercise in slowing down and seeing the beauty in the quiet, unremarkable moments I so often take for granted. That said, plants are simultaneously the hardest and easiest subject to photograph in that they can’t collaborate with me to help me flesh out an abstract idea or mood I may have. Rather, they simply exist as they are and I can either figure out how to capture their beauty or not.
Read MoreStef's Aura
Images From the Creative Portrait Workshop: April 2022
This past weekend I taught a Creative Portrait workshop to five students, at my Columbus studio. I’ve been teaching workshops for over a decade now, and each time I teach one I tweak the format a bit, which keeps it interesting for me and my students. My work is constantly evolving and so I like to work a couple of my newer techniques into each workshop. I typically teach 8 core techniques, each of which can be executed in a number of different ways, each producing radically different results. Here’s what I taught, this time…
Read MoreShoot with Lit for Their New Album, Tastes Like Gold
Back in February I drove down to Nashville to shoot with the 90’s icons, Lit, as they prepared to drop their latest album, Tastes Like Gold. It was super rad to work with a band that broad me so much joy as a teen in the 90s.
Read MorePhoto Shoot with Starset for Horizons
Here’s some recent work I did with the band Starset in promotion of their new album, Horizons. Creative direction by Brandon Rike of Tension Division.
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Glow On: Art Nouveau Photo Shoot with Sonia Constable
This shoot is the result of my most recent collaboration with Sonia Constable. Going into the session I knew that I wanted to create a wrapping, well-defined outline around her, in a nod to the Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha. Though I certainly took inspiration from Mucha’s bold outlines, I took these portraits of Sonia in a different direction by adding a soft, internal glow to accompany the well-defined silhouettes. The combination of hard-lined silhouette with a graduating internal glow creates the effect of a body heat map.
Read MoreSession with Maggie Arias pt. 2
When I was in LA last week I met up with model/actress Maggie Arias to do a quick studio session. We did such a broad range of setups over the 2-hour session that I decided to split it into two posts. This set had more of a sci-fi / psychedelic aesthetic.
Read MoreSession with Maggie Arias pt. 1
When I was in LA last week I met up with model/actress Maggie Arias to do a quick studio session. We did such a broad range of setups over the 2-hour session that I decided to split it into two posts. This set had more of a dreamy, classic romantic aesthetic.
Read MoreUsing a Fungus-Filled Lens with Long Exposure and Prisms to Create Psychedelic In-Camera Effects
Whenever I’m doing a personal shoot I try to make at least one small change to a tried-and-true technique in an effort to see how the resulting images differ from previous sessions. For example, let’s say I’m shooting long exposures in a darkened room while my subject is wrapped in strands of LED lights and moving around the room. Each image is different based on their movement, which creates unique light trails. In the following shoot I might have the subject and camera stationary as I swing the strand of LEDs around the room, thus framing the subject in light. Another session might involve me moving my camera while the subject and lights are unmoving. Each tweak of the formula creates dramatically different results and I frequently discover new techniques through these experiments…
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New Work with Muse
Back in November I flew out to LA to shoot two of the members of Muse. One of the members wasn’t able to attend the shoot, so a week later I met up with him in London where I set up a makeshift studio in a lobby. While I was shooting at the studio in LA I had to be cognizant of the fact that the space I would be shooting in a week later would have to be recreated on a 4-foot wide seamless in a hallway. Thankfully I had the Lindsay Adler X Westcott Optical Spot, which allowed me to control and sculpt light in a small space (historically I would’ve used a projector or flags, which requires working in a dark or large space)…
Read MoreColorful Long Exposure Portrait Shoot with Lily
It was a blast exploring color and motion and shapes with @humbleflowers for my final shoot of 2021…
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Shoot with Fashion Photographer Gail Shamon
This was a fun, quick little shoot with fellow photographer and friend @gabrielleshamon. Gail did her own hair, makeup, and styling. I did three lighting setups, sticking to a red/yellow/blue color triad. I simply rotated out gels on my main, background, and rim lights for each set. This allowed me to have a broad range of looks that still felt related to each other, all in a short amount of time (I think we shot for about 45 minutes).
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Hair / Beauty Shoot with Chyna Tené
A few weeks ago my friend and frequent collaborator @chyna.tene stopped by my studio to hang out. She brought some of her crafting materials with her to work on some of her art while we chatted. We got to talking about hair and I showed her a book of hair portraits from J.D. ‘Ojeikere before suggesting that we do a similar, hair-themed session. She selected some jewels and I cut some strips of wire from her crafting materials and we styled her hair in several different ways. I used the @lindsayadler_photo x @westcottlighting Optical Spot and gobos to illuminate her in a variety of patterns. The whole shoot only took about 45 minutes but the act of creation and collaboration stuck with me for the rest of the day.
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