Inspiration | JWNphoto

Inspiration

Apr22

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Surreal Color Beach Portrait

Posted in: Inspiration, Projects

I’ve been chasing down my muse lately in one way or another, from getting tattooed to collecting art prints and books, and basically scouring the web for inspiring images and creations (check out some of my findings on my pinterest feed). I don’t think we ever settle down as artists. Sure, we may hit peaks, and sure we hit rough spots where nobody connects with what we’re doing, but we always strive to keep growing either way. One of the worst things that can happen is that you get so bogged down with work that you forget to play. That can drain your soul quite quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, shooting anything is better than doing just about any other kind of work for me, but if I go too long capturing other people’s visions, dreams, and desires, I can start to feel the burn out demon creeping up on me. Every once in a while I need to reset my brain to fine tune that creative spark that got me into this mess in the first place. And with every step I climb up of this ladder, I get a better view of what I want to be doing with my photography and where I could take it.

That brings me to Ashley, who I met via an annual photography event here in Charleston put together by Modstudios. I was hesitant to participate for working reasons (and I did end up passing up a paying gig to do this on Saturday night), but I knew that it would be a no-pressure situation to try something a little different. And, by no pressure, I mean total timing pressure as I lost track of time with my wife at Holy City Tattooing Collective as she got this kick-ass Mehndi-style peacock tattoo by the awesome Margo. Time has a way of disappearing when watching a great artist work. As I rushed to Folly Beach afterwards, I ended up missing a shoot with another cool girl with tattoos (hopefully she understands, I’ll make it up to you Kelsie).

So, back to Ashley. This girl might have the brightest & bluest eyes in the world. Check this out, here’s Ashley with her natural hair color:

And then I pulled out the blue wig and flowers to match that awesome colorful dress:

She looked like she stepped out of a painting by Camilla d’Errico. Once the sun started to do it’s thing, we just made some magical images. A beautiful location, a beautiful model, and an onslaught of color to tie it all together. This is the direction my head is going right about now:
Apr2

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Ink & Art

Posted in: Inspiration, News

This photo at the top here is of my newest tattoo and it’s based on a painting by Tatiana Suarez called Rosa. The tattoo was done by Charleston tattoo artist/genius Margo, who currently inks at Holy City Tattooing Collective.

Check this out – This is the original painting by Tatiana:

And here is an iPhone shot of the tattoo right after Margo finished:

She interpreted the painting so well, I’m in awe of her skill. To watch her mastery of color and shading as I see the image come alive on my skin – It’s just an inspiring process.

Margo also recently did this tattoo for me, which is based on a creature from one of Caia Koopman’s paintings. The little guy looks like he’s gonna take out my Patch Whiskey monster tattoo:

This is what Caia’s original painting, entitled “Bad Bee” looks like:

And the Patch Whiskey tattoo was done late last year by Cristian at The Queens Ink Tattoo in, you guessed it, Queens, NY:

Here’s a shot of the original by Patch Whiskey, which was painted on a vinyl record:

And here is Cristian Neamtu at work on it:

The reason for this is not to show off my tattoos, but to show off the artists involved. The Patch Whiskey and Caia Koopman ones are like small little bite size samples of their bigger work, which in Whiskey’s case is usually the whole side of a building, like this:

And Caia’s work is filled with little details that could stand on their own, but are usually part of a larger story involving a pretty woman. The Tatiana Suarez tattoo at the top of this post is the largest tattoo I’ve ever gotten, and it really does capture what I love about her work. Her paintings have such emotion in them and they’re sexy and soft. Her Brazilian and El Salvadorian heritage mixed with American pop surrealism makes for work that I find highly attractive.

I actually have an appointment set for next month to do an even bigger piece featuring another one of Tatiana’s paintings on my forearm, but I got a little too eager and visited Margo on her shop’s walk-in day this past weekend and pretty much monopolized her time. The reason I chose “Rosa” was because it simply reminds me of my wife Amy (and her similar birthmark on her bicep). I’m sure my wife would kill me if I posted a photo of her topless, so you’ll have to look at this lovely head shot instead :p Needless to say, I’m a lucky guy.

So, if you’re a fan of my Facebook Page, you may have seen a post recently calling for models, designers, & stylists. I’m putting together some ideas for personal work and really want to capture some of the inspiration from my favorite artists and do something on my own terms. I’m excited to meet up with a friend this week who I’ve worked with in the past and bounce some ideas off of her. I’ll be formalizing my plans soon, so come back!

Now, here’s a concise list of the people involved in this post:

Tattoo Artists:

Margo Karolides AKA Margo Venomous
Facebook
Holy City Tattooing Collective
Cristian Neamtu AKA Cristian Zink
Facebook
The Queens Ink Tattoo

(both are kick-ass painters as well)

Artists:

Tatiana Suarez
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
Caia Koopman
Website
Facebook
Patch Whiskey
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Lastly, I’ve got a Lowbrow/Pop Surrealism board on Pinterest that I pin lots of my favorite artwork on. If you’re a Pinterest user, please go ahead and follow it.
Mar12

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Personal Connection

Posted in: Insight, Inspiration

It doesn’t feel like that long ago when I decided that my passion in photography involved the connection to people. I dabbled and still dabble in still life, landscape, and architectural photography, but the photos that mean the most to me are those frozen moments of humanity that I’ve captured. And I think I’ve figured out why. It’s something that isn’t entirely tangible. It’s the magic that happens between the subject and the 4th wall (which is usually the photographer).

This is not a spiritual thing, but there is certainly an emotional bond that photographers have with their subjects. There’s a trust and a connection that radiates in their expression, whether it’s a candid shot or a completely staged portrait. If that connection is lost or broken, the image is cold. The subject looks out of place. It’s like they don’t want to be there, or worse, it’s like they don’t believe in the photographer.

This is something I’ve been struggling to identify for a while now. Why do some photogs take amazing scenic shots, but fail miserably with people shots? Why do some people know every single lighting and exposure rule and live by proven compositional theories but come up with off-putting portraits? I think it comes down to personality.

There are photographers that can make a building come to life, and others that can make you feel like you’re in the habitat of a wild animal. There are ones that will make huge sacrifices and fly all over the world capturing the perfect light at the perfect time of year. Then there are those that can peel back the walls and bring out a person’s soul. An introvert may not be the best person to capture the light of humanity. They might be amazing at seeing leading lines and balancing the exposure of natural light with artificial light. But, they make people nervous when they attempt a portrait.

On the flip-side, I see a lot of photographers struggling with the technical side of things, yet they make amazing portraits. I was reading a thread on one of the photo forums the other day about a photographer who was upset by the popularity of a local photographer in his area who he thought was terrible because she didn’t know the difference between a RAW file or a jpeg. He then posted a gallery of some of her shots and they were really good. He didn’t get it because he didn’t have it when it comes to shooting people.

What is “it”? I think it’s a deep love for your subject – an appreciation for their inner beauty as well as their outer beauty. “It” is also something that someone who lights up a room has because “It” is a drive to bring everyone up a notch. “It” is not just one thing, it’s also a creative eye, an eye for detail, and an eye for spotting a good story and conveying it in a single image. Whatever you believe “It” is, I don’t think you can find it in a manual. I don’t know if “It” can be taught in a class. That special attraction that some people possess is different for different people. I do think “It” can be nurtured and grown. I do think everybody is capable of their own version of “It”. Confidence, skill, experience, morality, emotion – these are some of the key ingredients. The recipe is unique to all of us and it’s our job to be honest with ourselves in realizing what our passions are and if we’re serving the art over some unrelated motive.

It makes me cringe when I see people obsess over F-stops and focal lengths. There are articles written about what aperture is most used in the most popular photos. While the technical information is very important to learn and it’s great that there is so much educational info available, I feel like many people never escape from it. They’re so concerned with technical perfection that they’ve never tried to capture a meaningful photo. In a perfect world, you’d use that information to help you capture an image you’re envisioning, not capture a photo to demonstrate technical skill.

The magical moment that a beautiful image comes together because of the personality and interaction between the photographer and the subject, combined with technical skill and artistry is what we should all be hoping to achieve. Those images are the culmination of lots of hard work both with the camera and more importantly with relationships. What it all boils down to in my opinion is that the moment and the “It” factor are far more important than the technical stuff will ever be when it comes to shooting people. It’s what I’m currently focusing all of my attention on. How can I be a better communicator and make images that resonate?
Jan25

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Being A Tourist

Posted in: Insight, Inspiration, Projects

For my last post about my Caribbean trip, I wanted to showcase some “touristy” shots. That is about capturing the events, people, and places that make a trip special.

I love a good landscape, but I love a pseudo-landscape shot with other people in it even better. The shot up at the top as we docked in Mexico, or the shot just above in Haiti as a tourist takes some landscape shots. This shot below is more subtle, but there’s a bartender in the background getting the bar ready for the day in this sunrise shot.

And why not hand the camera off to somebody else to get yourself in the shot? In fact, I often go out of my way to offer up cameraman duties on trips like this to strangers because I know how important it is. Here’s a picture of my wife and I taken by our tour guide as we make a stop during our dune buggy adventure in Cozumel.

And here’s a shot of me snorkeling – I handed the camera off to my wife for a while so I could play:

Haitian fire-eater? Yes please!

I also put some collages together from each excursion to showcase the moments from each day. Here’s one from Jamaica, where we visited Bob Marley’s childhood home and mausoleum.

This particular trip was exciting – we took a 2 hour drive through Jamaica and got to see so much of the real countryside and villages. It’s a beautiful country. One of the things that make the Bob Marley Mausoleum an interesting place is that they honor his Rastafarian roots and allow the purchase and smoking of Marijuana. Even this cat looks like he partakes in the tradition:

In fact, the first thing you see when you exit your vehicle upon arrival is this guy in the window selling his wares.

And last, but not least, don’t forget to participate in any local customs or touristy attractions. Yes, that’s a healthy mixture of joy and fear on my face…

- TTFN
Jan24

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In The Water

Posted in: Gear, Insight, Inspiration, Projects

In my previous post, I showcased some of my favorite sun-related shots from my recent trip to the Caribbean. Today’s post will feature some shots in and around the water, mostly with my Pentax Optio W80 compact point-and-shoot camera. I bought this camera a few years ago after realizing that a proper underwater DSL housing costs more than a DSLR. I just wanted to play around, so a point-and-shoot was perfect for the job. Nowadays, waterproof point-and-shoots are relatively inexpensive and every major manufacturer has something to offer. I highly suggest picking one up – they make capturing moments like these a lot simpler.

The shot of my wife Amy at the top was taken at Stingray City at Grand Cayman. This is my favorite shot of the whole trip because it tells a very concise and complete story of the day, which is simply that we rode out to Stingray City on jet skis and kissed some ‘rays. The shot just above was from Cozumel. After a long day of riding up and down the coast on dune buggys, I was able to rinse off some of the dust and sand in the sea. Here’s a shot my wife took of me while we took a break during the buggy adventure:

Here’s a shot of Amy snorkeling off the coast of Grand Cayman:

This last shot was taken with my D90 on the coast of Haiti. While I’m not technically in the water, I was right at the shoreline trying to capture the sea-spray. I must have looked like a maniac shuffling back and forth trying to avoid getting doused every time the water broke. But, I got a few shots from it that I like:

Check back again soon for some more Caribbean coverage.
Jan1

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Happy 2013!

Posted in: Inspiration

New years eve/day is a time to get with friends and loved ones and have a great time – I hope everybody reading this was able to celebrate in their own special way, and I hope you make 2013 the best year ever!
Dec9

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Help-Portrait MUSC Kids 2012

Posted in: Event Photography, Inspiration, News

Photo by William Long

On Friday morning, I was joined by 5 great volunteers to gift portraits to the families of children at MUSC Children’s Hospital in Charleston, SC. This was the 3rd Help-Portrait event I’ve led at the children’s hospital and every year it gets better.

Top Row: William Long, John Lindroth, Joseph Nienstedt
Bottom Row: Katee Cornette, Jen Pfeffer, Kathy Hare

Due to the nature of the event we hold and HIPA, I don’t ask the subjects too much about the nature of their conditions. Instead, my philosophy is a little different than most other Help-Portrait events. My goal for the team is to make these kids and their families feel normal. We treat them as if they were coming into a studio and walk them through the whole process. We also provide them with craft photo frames that they design for their portraits, which is always fun for the kids.

Photo by William Long

One of the children asked to see my camera, so I showed him how it works. Then he wanted to take pictures of our next subject, so we let him – and the portraits turned out perfect! In fact, we printed those out and gave them to the subject, and they loved them. This is exactly what we wanted to provide for these families – a fun event that made them forget why they were in a hospital.

Photo by Kathy Hare

Here’s one of the portraits that Tyreq made:

Photo by Tyreq

There are a lot of meaningful things that the families and hospital staff say, but one that sticks out was a parent who’s child was too sick to leave the room but really wanted to participate. Because it was the parent requesting it, we were able to send a photographer into the room and take their family’s portraits – something they haven’t been able to do because of their situation. The photograph meant so much to the parent that she figured out a way to make it happen. This was such an example of the power of a photograph and what it means to someone in need.

Photo by William Long

Please take a moment and watch this slideshow of images from the event. I hope the images move you even slightly as much as they moved us:
Dec6

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Fun With Shapes & Holiday Lights

Posted in: Insight, Inspiration

Here’s something fun that you can do with your DSLR (or any camera that lets you shoot out of focus).

1) Cut a shape into an index card
2) Set your camera to manual focus and defocus it so that it’s completely out of focus, or use a large aperture and shoot something in the foreground in focus so that the background is out of focus.
3) Hold the index card in front of your lens and try to center it so that all of the points of light take your cut-out’s shape.

Here’s an example with something in focus in the foreground (the shapes are less dramatic here, but you can start to see some more creative possibilities):
Sep22

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Help Help-Portrait 2012

Posted in: Event Photography, Inspiration, News

First off, lets start off with some great news, the date has been set for my Help-Portrait group’s now annual visit to the MUSC children’s hospital. We will be shooting on Friday morning, December 7th 2012. The actual worldwide date for Help-Portrait is the 8th, but the hospital can’t do this on a weekend, so we’re as close as humanly possible this year! The Help-Portrait community website hasn’t quite settled on what back-end technology they are going with yet this year, so I’ll be using this Facebook page to get organized. This leads me to the next thing I wanted talk about.

Help-Portrait needs your help! We’re turning to our local communities to pitch in and help us provide portraits to the families we’re serving. Here’s the deal:

Every $10 donation provides the ability for us to provide at least 3 prints and a frame to each family we shoot. What’s better is that for each $10 donation, Wacom (the makers of the pen tablet that I use to edit photos on a daily basis) is matching each donation! So for every $10 that gets donated, Wacom will also give a $10 donation that goes to our community. In effect, your $10 just magically became $20 because of Wacom! Also, if you are donating in Charleston, SC, the money raised stays in Charleston to fund one of our events (including the one at MUSC).

Here’s the link to donate: Donate $10

I know that this is a tough time of the year to ask for a donation, with schools and boy/girl scouts both doing their annual fund raising now, but time is of the essence! This is a Groupon Grassroots Campaign and is only running to Wednesday, September 26th 2012!

So, if you’ve felt the slightest bit of warmness in your heart for the service we provide, please consider helping out. Need some more convincing? Just check out my previous wrap-up posts here and here and here, and also here.
Aug10

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Lovely Reminders

Posted in: Inspiration

Last night as I was laying in bed, I had this thought in my head about losing touch with photography by getting wrapped up in one of the multitude of aspects surrounding this business. When I first realized that I love this stuff, I was like a teenager head-over-heels over his first real relationship. Those amazing and wondrous emotions in the beginning that consume you as you explore what it is about this person you’re obsessing over that makes your stomach ache at the mere thought of them. Then, the feelings mature and you become more functional and less passionate. Sometimes when the fog of love clears a bit, you find out that she really isn’t all that interesting to you anymore and then you move on.

One of the greatest fears that plagued me when I decided to take the plunge and become a professional photographer was idea that I might find the work less than intriguing over time and become merely functional instead of inspired. Instead of searching for the light, I’d be searching for a compromise. Instead of creating, I’d be replicating. Instead of loving it, I’d be simply going through the motions.

This morning as I walked down the steps of my front porch, something caught my eye. In the center of one of my wife’s little succulent plants that she’s been collecting for a project she’s working on was this giant water droplet. It caught the light and was glowing like a diamond. I was absolutely entranced by it and went back inside to grab my camera. Then I noticed how all of them were retaining water in a similar fashion.

As I moved from plant to plant I realized that I was shooting for the love of it. I saw something interesting and captured it in a way that conveyed what I felt. Like an answer to a wish, I felt a calm come over me as I realized that I’m still in love.