Tuesday, January 31, 2012

the stand-ins

When you shoot corporate CEO photos you want to make sure that everything is set and ready to go when your guys (I've never photographed a female CEO) arrive on the set.  So, you have to have people 'stand in' for the real subjects while lights are set, positions are established and cords are taped down. Many photographers use their assistants for this job, but for the past 20 years my models on these shoots have been my two art directors and friends Frank Satogata & Linda Shepherd. Usually I capture them with their eyes closed, talking to one another or just looking pissed off.  Since these frames are only for test purposes I rarely care what their expressions are, but as I found out this week, they do.  After I sent samples to them (with really bad looks) both Linda & Frank said they were retiring from modeling - "no more," I think is what they said.  So, I searched through all of the image tests we did and found one that looks pretty good (to encourage their continued participation). Whatever happens, thanks Linda & Frank for all of your 'stand-in' memories.





and for dinner

Hungry?  Want a nice three course meal?  Well, I just finished photographing a number of restaurants for the March Food Issue and I can make some suggestions.  Open with smoked, curried Trout salad at Nectar in Mt. Lookout; move on to roasted chicken (Amish, free range chickens) & goat cheese risotto at the Wildflower Cafe in Mason; and finish with chocolate pot de creme (with salted caramel & toffee popcorn) at Honey, in Northside.  



been such a long time...

Long time between posts - no excuses, just post holiday laziness, starting back to school craziness and a ten day flurry of photo work.  Also working out the kinks with my new laptop (& OS X Lion).  But enough of that, and on to the important stuff - we've got new studio lights at school and my applied class has been using them for portraits.  They are cheap, fluorescent banks that produce a wonderful light, almost as good as the soft light of open shade.  So, here are the comparisons - Lindsay (one of my students), in the studio and Floyd, in one of the Cutter barns. The light on each seems to be just right...