Back to Beauty

So obviously the studio is up and running and the deal for it’s long term is still pending but close enough that it’s time to start getting back to building business.

And what has been a strong part of my business has been Beauty Photography. Way back from the early days shooting for Sears:

to later work in Chicago:

And the more recent work:

It is work I enjoy (no, really), am good at, and really do feel I’m contributing to others with. So many of my clients have talked about the way that these photos give them a sense of “Empowerment”. And  I think they really do.

Whether the images are being used within a resume, for on-line dating or any other place these women feel they need to show themselves at their best. A beautiful photo adds a huge amount of confidence. 

 

Mon voyage poursuit…

Soft morning rain

I woke this morning just as it was getting light to the sound of a soft rain falling in the woods.

I laid there dozing and thinking about all the different times and places I’ve listened to the rain and different things it’s meant, very often alone but sometimes with others. Sometimes it summed up my frustration or sorrow, sometimes the beauty of new found love. Lying in bed or waiting under an overpass with my motorcycle ticking as it cooled.

Deep in a forest or in the heart of a city, it’s a wonderful time to be in the moment. Even if it is only a moment as you finally get a cab to stop and jump in like a near drowned rat. It is a beauty that I’ve never been able to capture in a single photo, probably because it’s so much more than just visual. The flood of memories and remembered feelings.

I woke this morning listening to a soft rain in the forest just outside my window…

Mon voyage poursuit…

Money is the best rule of commerce…

One of the rules of commercial photography is that it “Ain’t all art”.

And while I think every photographer working commercially will tell you that they do their best to make the most esthetically pleasing image they can working within the constraints of the subject and layout. It still comes down to being a matter of ultimately pleasing the client. “He who pays the piper, calls the tune”.

And sometimes it’s simply a matter of straight forward representation of a product the client is offering for sale.

So while there may not be much creative satisfaction in a specific job, there is still the satisfaction of a job well done. And  it certainly beats digging ditches.

It feels good to be rebuilding my business.

 

Mon voyage poursuit…

A busy week…

It kind of surprised me today when I sat down to write and realized it’s been week since my last entry.

The studio that I talk so much about and love working in has been (until recently) a  co-op arrangement that’s been run by the building owner and he’s decided that it simply isn’t working for him.

And to be honest, it’s really been treated more as a Frat House by the other members which has at times been pretty frustrating. So I’ve entered negotiations to lease (along with a couple other photographers I trust) myself. Big step in terms of price considering I’m so new here and am just beginning to bring in commercial work but I will not let this studio go. I’m sure one way or another, it will be my creative home for some time to come.

And part of what makes me so sure has been The work this week. These are my first 2 shots for my Art Prize series of the first 10 Heart Transplant Patients at the new Transplant Center here in GR (which is of course what in a circuitous route brought me here).

The space is just easy to work in and people seem to feel comfortable and at ease when they walk in.

I’m not certain exactly what will come to be but I know this is the space where I’m supposed to be. Wish me luck!

Mon voyage poursuit…