Test.

Katie Boyle; Back Tattoo

Every time I work with a client there is an element of trust involved. Trust that goes beyond the basic quality of the work and into the intent of the portrait. We meet, we communicate, we collaborate. I ask questions. Some of them are pretty personal and in any other context could easily be seen as inappropriate (as in not appropriate for that social context). What comes out of all this is more than just a picture, but an image that goes a little deeper.

That is exactly what happened in the case of Katie Boyle. She had just complete the coloring of her back piece courtesy of Todd "Soup" Matayas at Birch Ave Tattoo and wanted to get some portraits that highlighted her new ink. Having seen some images of the basic outline and the piece when it was just completed, I was unprepared for the vibrance of Todd's work when seen on this scale.

The piece lends itself to some natural composition ideas and.....I should stop boring you now and get to the images. 

Katie, thanks for collaborating with me. You bring a remarkable energy with you wherever you go. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

 

So a man walks into a photo studio and tells the Photographer : "Look,I know I'm early but, I brought a chicken....."

I know what this sounds like. But it's absolutely true. The studio is Studio 204 in Flagstaff, AZ. I'm the Photographer and the man in question is Celebrity Chef John Conley. Oh yeah the Chicken is Guy.

John is getting ready for a new show called "Messlords." In the spring he and a group of other Celebrity Chefs will be taking amazing meals to our troops serving in remote parts of the globe.

He needed some new headshots for the show. The Chicken was a bonus.

Having never worked with livestock before, I took this as an opportunity to expand my photographic horizons. A little tip, a little turn, push your beak out (chickens have notoriously weak jawlines) all this kind of direction came pretty easily to the chicken (John did OK bringing the personality too).

All in all, a successful shoot and I'm glad to be part of any thing that supports our troops out there doing the hard jobs.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

PS. Traded cards with the chickens agent. There may be some more work coming out of this one.

This is a test...

About 2 weeks ago, my little blog was reported to the Facebookistan National Freedom Police as "Spam".

I'm testing to see if it still goes out that way and I assume it does. The Oligarchy of Facebookistan has provided me with little recourse so......a new blog and a new URL may be in order.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

It's called : Pre-production. It's part of what you pay for.

 It's not uncommon that there are mis-conceptions about what goes into a creative portraiture session.

To begin with, I like to share some images with clients to get an idea of what they want beyond their own verbal description. I want to see what they react to. What they thought they wanted may be entirely different than their initial vision once they see the possibilities.

 That's when pre-production starts. Organizing the flow of the shoot, the type of lighting schemes and the pace of the shoot so that the client gets not only the images they order but, a fabulous studio experience as well. That one-hour shoot? There's a lot that goes into it.

Ciao Bella,

Dano

 

Why would I need a Headshot?

As my friend and former boss at KNAU John Stark made his preparations to leave Flag for Eugene Ore., he came by Studio 204 for a fresh round of headshots.

Headshots are a vital tool for every working professional. Having a collection of ready -to -go images that present you at your most professional puts you in a position to respond assertively to anything that requires a media presence.

Are you on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter? If you are presenting yourself as a professional you may want an image available that's a bit more serious than the one from your trip to Cabo last year.

Might you get published in a journal related to your profession? Wouldn't it be great to have a portrait at hand with a look tailored to the presentation?

Yes, it takes more than a friend with a good camera. It also takes a bit more than a trip to the mall. The results however, can put you one step ahead of your peers in maintaining you professional image.

Now, go take the world by storm you rascaly bunch of business professionals, you!

Ciao Bella,

Dano

The Impetus.

It would seen that now that I am well rested and have plenty of time in the mornings I have lost the impetus to blog.

So it would seem.

But, that is Not the way it is. Getting into a new rhythm, projects keep coming up and I really only want to keep up a dialog for when I have something worthwhile to say. In addition. I have started another blog elsewhere for my less Vanilla musings. I'm not going to promote it. I just want to see what happens on it's own.

When last we chatted, I was working my way through photo exercises and assignments with my mentor Matt. The last assignment was "Self Portraits." I have decided that I am singularly un-motivated by my own self portraiture.

Having said that, here are the results:

I've included one that I didn't submit. This first one didn't make the final cut but, in retrospect it doesn't suck too bad.

This is my mugshot. Saw the look on my face straight outta bed and went to grab the camera.

This triptych works but there's no context as to why every thing is sdrawkcab.

And finally, Gazing off into the future with a sense of hope.

Next assignment from Sensei is: Silhouettes. Hmmmmmmm. This could get graphic. (Ar, Ar, Ar,)

As for current projects underway... The ongoing Project Q is coming along nicely. I have been trusted by my wonderful friend Q to create a series of images that combined with her poetry bring a transitional part of her life into clear focus. This will be a analog, in-person exhibition in it's time. So you won't see it here. It's too personal for that.

My next big shoot is coming up on the 19 with, well.....ok another project that just doesn't get time on the blog.

I'd better get onto my silhouette assignment so I have something to share....  ;-)

Ciao Bella,

Dano