philosophy – JWNPhoto.com

Articles Tagged with: philosophy

I Am Not A Wildlife Photographer…

I’m not a wildlife photographer…

But I love to shoot the birds and bugs in my backyard.

I’m not a landscape photographer…

But I love to capture the beauty around me.

I’m not a sports photographer…

But I love to witness mad skillz, yo.

I’m not a street photographer…

But I love to find art in the moment.

I’m not a fashion photographer…

But I love to collaborate with artists to make something interesting.

I’m not an architectural photographer…

But I love to witness man’s feats of greatness.

I’m not a portrait photographer…

But I love to see a part of a person’s personality conveyed in an image.

I’m not a wedding photographer…

But I love to see a bride looking her best.

I’m not an abstract photographer…

But I love to see the Devil in the details.

I’m not a maternity photographer…

But I love to see a woman becoming a new mother.

I’m not a pet photographer…

But I love to capture an old man saying goodbye to his old best friend.

I’m not a music photographer…

But I love music and I think it’s what saved my life.

I’m not a headshot photographer…

But I love to capture a person the way I see them.

I’m not a fitness photographer…

But I love to capture a person in the best physical shape they can be in.

I’m not an editorial photographer…

But I love to make a portrait that tells a story.

I’m not an event photographer…

But I love an opportunity to score a free beer (or seven).

I’m not a fireworks photographer…

But I love to see things that go boom!

I’m not a travel photographer…

But I love to see new places and faces.

I’m not a fine art photographer…

But I love to stretch my imagination.

I’m not a family photographer…

But I sure do love my family.

I’m not any single kind of photographer.

I’m all of them and none of them.

I’m just a person who loves to capture life in a bottle so I can open it up and share it with everyone else every once in a while.

Cracking The Shell

Dr. Colleen Boylston’s husband tasked me with the job of creating a portrait of his wife for a new brochure for their medical practice, Sweetgrass Pediatrics. She was not happy about it at all! She’s not the type of person who likes attention (in fact, she’ll hate that I’m including her in this post). She doesn’t like having her picture taken, especially when I set up an on-location studio in one of their offices and all of her peers and employees are peeking in on the shoot. Can you imagine looking like that and not wanting to show it off?

Regardless, this is one of my favorite things about photographing real people. Sometimes it takes time, and it can take a lot of effort on the part of the subject and the photographer alike. When you can finally get them to open up in front of the camera, it’s such a rewarding feeling. I actually shot two little sessions with Dr. Boylston that morning. The first session was OK, but she was really not being herself – she wasn’t comfortable and I knew it. Thanks to one of her employees, Lakeia, who has done modeling before, she was able to get inspired:

I told her she couldn’t let her employees show her up! She was uncomfortable with posing techniques at first because she thought it was going to look too “Glamour Shot-like”. Once she saw Lakeia’s shots she got it! I was able to get her back in front of the camera with a new attitude and we got the shot up top. Now, if only I could have Lakeia hanging around at every photo shoot! Check out the set of photos from that shoot here.