The Ring Master

I don't get it. It's late/early again and I'm sitting here retouching photos. It's about five past seven and the sun came up a bit ago. I'm not a morning person at all, but I've found myself doing retouching as the sunrises. I haven't planned it this way, perhaps it's my subconscious mind pulling me closer to the earth's daily cycle of creativity. Maybe this is the time my photographs demand my attention. They get it for now.

This is probably my favorite photograph from the shoot with Phil Vassar. He's wearing a ring master costume to coincide with the "traveling circus" theme of his upcoming album release. The red coat is tasty to my eyes, and I thought it would look vivid in the drab ol' freight elevator shaft in the studio building.

So, sometimes posing people can be awkward. You're standing there thinking, "Well, I can only make this guy look like a badass so many different times before it gets repetitive. What else can I do with his hands?" Then... BAM!!! You pull the top hat off his head and just tell him to go to town flipping it up in the air and being crazy with it. He's a showman, so naturally, he 'get's it' and puts on a show for us, my camera his stage. And we dance back and forth, subject-to-photographer until the connection is made.

And... Snap. We got a cool "candid" pose with PV. I love it. Just look at the genuine smile on his face, and I don't think I could have Photoshopped a better top hat than the real one he's flipping in the shot. There are shots from this series that look much more sinister and are a stark contrast to this fun 'n' happy shot. Maybe I will retouch one of those when I get a minute. If I get a minute!

City Lights 2

Here is another shot of Michael and Jennifer. I dig this one, too. Gotta run. Off to the Studio Daylight to give Nashville commercial photographer Michael Gomez a hand with a head shot.

Whoops... forgot about this one!

Glad I remembered it.

It's Chris Cobb on his wedding day at the Cannery Ballroom. He was kind enough to pose for me with some attitude and a lil' bit of grit on such a beautiful day. This image is pretty intense... and pretty much the polar opposite of Mr. Cobb. Yeah, he's really a laid-back, nice gent of a guy. If you haven't seen him at any of the many he promotes through SellOut Presents, then you should get out to local venues more often. Check out his site:

http://www.selloutpresents.com/

Go find him at his shows... he's such a great guy!

Halo Stereo Bassist Jody Hicks

Here is Halo Stereo Bassist Jody Hicks from his single shoot at Studio Daylight. I did a bit of retouching on it to make sure it has a little "pop." I dig it. I think the guys are going to swing by tonight and have a look at the shots from Wednesday on the big screen. There are many that I really think are rockin' and I can't wait to share with the musicians. There is some talk about shooting with them in an upcoming studio recording session, too. We'll see how things pan out, sounds like it could be some fun.

Shot Day: Halo Stereo, First Look

My good friend, Brian Carter at Red Light Management, hooked me up with "Halo Stereo" for a session. The bassist Jody Hicks and singer Andrew Fry stopped by for a few shots. Here they are... on to the next look in the elevator shaft!

Go check out their music on their site:

www.myspace.com/halostereo

[IMAGES FROM SHOT DAY @ STUDIO DAYLIGHT ARE NOT RETOUCHED. RETOUCHED IMAGES WILL REPLACE CURRENT RAWS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.]

Shot Day: Kristen Kukta, First Look

We just finished our first look with Kristen Kukta. She is a great singer, and loves to pose it up for the camera. Really happy shooting with her today at Studio Daylight in downtown Nashville. Much more to come, gotta get back to it.

[IMAGES FROM SHOT DAY @ STUDIO DAYLIGHT ARE NOT RETOUCHED. RETOUCHED IMAGES WILL REPLACE CURRENT RAWS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.]