James Hickey was the second subject that I was asked to photograph by Spree Magazine for their special feature on Buffalo NY’s most beautiful and fascinating people. James is a master hairstylist by day, painter by night, and a full-time father who works in two creative fields. The image above is my favorite from that day’s series of portraits.
This was one of those rare projects where I had the pleasure of knowing my subject before being given an assignment to photograph them. James and I have known each other for a few years through mutual friends in the Western New York creative community. Most of the time on assignments like these I am working with people who I have met just moments before, so it is quite a different experience when I am photographing someone I know – it is a little easier to slip into that really great rapport with a subject that leads to creating some really interesting images.
Josh Travis is the guitarist for the Virginia-based metal band Glass Cloud (and formerly the guitarist for The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza). While I was on assignment a few months ago to photograph Glass Cloud vocalist Jerry Roush for the cover of the Alternative Press AP Tour issue I made it a point to create some solo portraits of the other members of this fascinating band, and this very direct and simple image of Josh was a real standout to me. It might have something to do with the accusations that my crew has leveled against me that I turn into kind of a nerd when I photograph guitarists. In my younger days I, like many others, had aspirations of six string godhood (which is nothing compared to the monstrous eight string guitar that Josh plays) – But I realized that I was actually far more talented at taking pictures of bands than being in them, so I traded in my guitar for a camera and haven’t looked back since then (trust me, it was the right choice – as anyone who has ever seen me at a karaoke bar or sat next to me at a red light will attest, my visual skills far outweigh my musical ones. And if you have had that displeasure, I am sorry for the years of therapy you have had to undergo to deal with the damage I caused).
If you want to hear some of Josh’s amazing guitar work check out Glass Cloud’s album The Royal Thousand.
I spent a lot of time on planes back and forth between Buffalo and the west coast the first few months of 2013, so I was pretty excited when Buffalo Spree creative director Chastity Taber tapped me to work on a series of small projects on my home turf throughout February and April for the magazine’s special issue dedicated to Buffalo’s most fascinating and beautiful people. The assignment was to create unique portraits of the locals featured in the issue who run the gamut from business people to artists to celebrities – all of whom share a common love for Buffalo NY and choose to make their homes or careers here.
When I first read the bio information that the magazine sent over about my first subject, Heidi Raphael, the first questions that sprang to my mind was “when does she get any rest?”. Heidi is the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Greater Media Inc, a Boston-based broadcasting company that owns many radio stations across the United States as well as a number of newspapers, a position that has seen her repeatedly ranked among the most influential women in radio broadcasting. Heidi’s passions don’t end with her corporate duties either, as she has become equally well-regarded for her philanthropy and work with organizations like the National Organization of Broadcasters, The Alliance of Women in Media, The National Library of American Broadcasting, The Mentoring and Inspiring Women Radio Group, Tufts Medical Center, Medaille College, The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, The Everywoman Opportunity Center, and many more – Needless to say, she has a busy schedule.
But it all made sense when I finally met Heidi, she showed up at the studio ready to rock and threw herself into the shoot with a ton of energy and enthusiasm, and I get the feeling she puts that same energy into all of her endeavors.
I’m hanging out with Marilyn at PSPF in Palm Springs this week, but I’ll be back next week with a brand new blog post about a recent assignment for Spree Magazine – see you then!
Required Reading is a monthly roundup of things that catch my attention: news, links, videos, blogs, and cool projects by other creatives that I want to share with you – fun, inspiring, and a little addictive.
What happens when you turn the waveforms of songs into a 3-D sculptural visualization? you end up with something as beautiful as MICROSONICLANDSCAPES.
ASMP and Photo Shelter jointly released a must read guide to copyright for photographers and creatives earlier this month that delves into the details on how to actually register and manage your IP (I even contributed a section on implementing copyright into your workflow)
The Impossible Cool has long been one of my favorite Tumblr destinations, but I am especially enamored lately with this photograph of Buster Keaton that I found there.
Liking Lee Bretschneider’s project Role Play on Behance may make me a huge nerd, but I am so okay with that.
An simple comic that presents big thoughts on creative sustainability, recovering the joy of amateurism, and having a positive effect on your photographic environment.
Movie title stills from every decade of cinema – this is an absolute treasure trove for design and film nerds.
Some of the most thought provoking insights into the business of photography today are being shared by Heather Elder in her Community Table blog posts – here is a directory of all of them to date. A must read
As design and food are becoming more and more intertwined Ento explores how the aesthetics of sushi may change the perception of the worlds most sustainable source of protein – this looks beautiful and delicious.
Some damn decent tips for traveling with your photo gear on assignment from Chris Crisman
This trailer for Who Shot Rock & Roll got me pretty excited
