As both the photographer and the photographed, I feel it is significant to know the person capturing one's image. We have progressed long past the Olan Mills Age which gave us cookie-cutter studio portraits by random photographers who awkwardly tried to make comfortable that discomforting one-on-one portrait sitting. Very flat and undynamic. We are now in a wonderful age of heightened expression; so much information is at our fingertips and everything is accessible and customizable. If we are open minded, so many opportunities exist and make it so easy for us to get acquainted and interact with new people. Relationships are easier than ever to create and to maintain.
Simply put, it is valuable to You to know your photographer. By "knowing" I don't mean just attending your initial consultation to discuss the shoot and photo packages. I mean seeking information about this person who will be capturing intimate moments in your life, getting to know what she likes, who she is personally, finding out what you have in common with her. Learn what her creative aspirations are, follow her artistic excursions. Be an informed photo subject. I want to form a friendship with you, and I also want to learn similar things about you too. Doing this allows me to know you, and knowing you allows me to figure how to capture you in your best face. Knowing me makes you feel comfortable with how I'm getting you to show me your best face. It's a symbiotic relationship. People are very important to me. In my mind, selecting and hiring a photographer is not a one-event activity. It's an activity that involves selecting someone you know and trust to capture your life changing moments for any Now and Future events. Ideally, a wedding is just the spring board for a longer lasting relationship.
This being said, I encourage my clients to continue following my creative progress via blog or Facebook. I'd love to keep in touch with you and hear from you at random. If you want to get together just to chat over coffee, I'd love to!
For potential clients who don't yet know me, I've highlighted here some aspects of my personality which translate into my work as a photographer.
I am a hopeless romantic. I think the best wedding photographers have to be. With each different couple I meet, I have an individualized goal to capture them looking the most in love that they can look together. I enjoy the thrill of the romantic magic moment. As a child I believed that Lord of the Rings-like fantasy worlds could actually exist in real life. When I discovered make-believe could never be a true or lasting reality, I rebelled. No! Fantasy is real; it exists through Art. And this is true.
My favorite color is green. Nature is something very dear to me. I'm generally vegetarian (occasionally pescetarian); I eat all-natural ingredients and I love being outdoors. I'm not quite the true neo hippie, but I do enjoy "being green". A twisted tree that you can hang upside down from is far more interesting to me than a studio backdrop. To me, being outdoors feels closer to God; it makes me feel real, boundless and happy. When I take my subjects outdoors, I notice that they always feel more at ease and free to be themselves. Open spaces are pretty grand.
I am a classic art connoisseur. I traveled to Rome recently and have since become overwhelmingly inspired to do a photographic master study on Renaissance art in all it's sculpted glory, serenity, expression and dynamism of shapes and textures. The Renaissance is the quintessential period in history for understanding art. (I also do so enjoy a local Renaissance Faire now and then.) The era was an explosion of heightened artistic expression. Attempting to understand the vision and genious of Bernini, Michelangelo and Da Vinci is simply mind boggling. I occasionally seek inspiration from their ingenuity of art and design. I strive to incorporate the human shapes, colors, hazy-atmosphered sfumato backgrounds or high contrast chiaroscuro techniques into my photographic style. Love it, love it.
I am a writer. Some find it curious that my degree was actually focused on filmmaking and screenwriting at the start. After discovering photography as my calling, I was delighted to realize that everything I learned about directing actors and composing storylines relates directly to photojournalistic photography. It is all about storytelling. Writing has forever been my background passion, and with photography I can write with pictures. It's an amazing thing. My other joy is people watching. I love malls, airports and movie theaters because they are the most diverse places to observe human interactions and learn about societies. I believe that having an interest in humans and their stories makes me a well educated photojournalist, intuned to a pending emotion, and then knowing when to fire my shutter to capture it.
If you'd like to get to know me more, please follow this blog and continue to check out my updates on Facebook!
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