What You Really Look Like.

I had the pleasure of shooting with Joe over at Brainchild Collective to create some new headshots for some of the gang over at Hodges Partnership, a local public relations firm.

Headshots are about making people look their best but occasionally, if you snap enough, you can catch people looking like themselves.

I should say that before I decided to post these, I asked Duncan Phillips and Tony Scida (pronounced “sky-day” according to his twitter handle) if they minded these candid looks. They consented and even smiled about the images themselves.

We had a great time and I think we had some pics that’ll look good on their website.

Duncan Phillips takes a moment to wax poetic.

Tony Scida, a Nikon user, openly scoffs at my use of Canon equipment.

Thanks, guys, for letting me show off some of the funny outtakes!

Local Boys Make Good.

Reality television abounds. It’s not like you need me to tell you that but if you don’t pay attention, new shows appear that make you wish you paid closer attention.

One of those shows that’s both sensational and revolting is Hoarders, a new bit on A&E. The show spotlights people across the country who keep too much stuff, and that’s putting it mildly. These folks often refuse to throw things away. Their houses become suburban trash heaps, where all manner of things are just stuffed into rooms or piled high as the ceiling.

That’s where they guys at Clutter Cleaner come in. Clutter Cleaner is the brainchild of Richmond entrepreneur Matt Paxton. He and his crew (Colin, Woody, and James) show up and help people decide what to keep and what to toss. They toss a lot. They worked mostly locally until the folks at A&E found out about them. Now they fly all over the place and do it.

I got to spend some time with them working on a few images they needed for their website and heard some amazing stories. One was about a man who was storing his own poo in plastic bags in the attic of his house. Another was about a woman who had collected so much stuff that she’s forced herself to live in her kitchen. It’s as creepy as it is fascinating to hear about and see.

Something Different.

I didn’t, as a rule, shoot weddings.

They’re high stress enough knowing that some bride might take my head off because I missed some moment of her special day that I thought wasn’t interesting enough. Moreover, wedding photography has become focused on a photojournalistic style and I tend to like having total control of my images. That’s something I have to relinquish to capture the joy of single moments. There was a time when only some photographers shot this kinda stuff. Everyone does it like this now.

Despite all that, when a friend for whom I’d done some baby portraits awhile back suggested that she knew some folks who was searching for a photographer for their special day, I was intrigued. Y’see Angel and Roger aren’t getting married. They’re committing themselves to one another.

To be sure, this isn’t the first same gender wedding (’cause c’mon, that’s what it is, innit?) but it’s the first in a long time and the first for which I’ve ever shot engagement photos.

We met up on a rainy Saturday and Joe came along to assist. Roger complained of having a cold so he had some trouble smiling for all the shots, but it wouldn’t be for a few days that we’d find he had walking pneumonia.

Against all odds, we got some pretty neat images, I think. I’m really looking forward to their ceremony. It should be a hoot.

Rockin’ It Out.

Yeah. Not much more to say.

And the Band Played On.

I actually got to shoot some stuff this weekend, to include this group of rapscallions. It took awhile, but once I got into my groove, the ideas kinda flowed nicely. I’ll share a couple more of these as the week progresses.