JOSH TRAVIS

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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.

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HEIDI RAPHAEL FOR SPREE

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My first hometown project in a while!

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.

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PALM SPRINGS

photo PALM SPRINGS

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!

 

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REQUIRED READING 4.24.2013

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. 

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most touching and beautiful, like this underwater dance routine above by Conor Horgan.

Five really simple and effective business tips for pushovers to help you stop following imaginary rules.

A short sweet guide to giving absolutely no fucks, and why you should start now.

What happens when you turn the waveforms of songs into a 3-D sculptural visualization? you end up with something as beautiful as MICROSONIC LANDSCAPES.

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)

Finally, a meme that appeals to my nerdiness, and actually results in some pretty interesting pictures. 

These cover designs for Code, a fashion magazine from the Netherlands, really impressed me when I caught them on Cover Junkie earlier this month.

An ever growing list of quotes and wisdom about working with and relating to creatives.

A brilliantly animated trip through the filmography of Stanley Kubrick by Martin Woutisseth

Stanley Kubrick – a filmography from Martin Woutisseth on Vimeo.

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.

There is an understandable eerie and still atmosphere to be found in these images of the abandoned radioactive ghost towns of Japan. 

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

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ED PETTINELLA FOR MFE MAGAZINE

0413 MFE Cover ED PETTINELLA FOR MFE MAGAZINE

MFE magazine called me up last month about a project, and I was pretty excited when I found out I would be heading to Rochester, NY to photograph Ed Pettinella – the CEO of Home Properties Inc. for the cover of their April issue. I went to college in Rochester and lived in the city for years, so any assignment that takes me there always presents me with a great chance to see some old friends and visit some of my favorite old haunts, and this trip gave me the opportunity to photograph a very interesting and very funny subject.

As the leader of the Home Properties team since 2004, Ed has focused on rehabilitating and repurposing older, run down buildings into higher income rental properties – a strategy that has allowed the company to consistently outperform its peers. Ed was an enthusiastic and affable subject who kept me and the crew laughing throughout the day-long shoot at the Home Properties headquarters, both trading jokes with us and sharing his thoughts on his company and business philosophy while we photographed him in his offices and on the building’s rooftop terrace overlooking Rochester (a seriously amazing view). This was a great day on assignment – the shoot went wonderfully, we had a great subject, an awesome location, and we even capped the day off with a fun crew dinner at one of my favorite places in Rochester – Dinosaur BBQ (I can’t wait until the new Buffalo location opens right around the corner from my studio).

The images above are tears from both the cover and the interior feature, while the one below is one of my personal favorite outtakes from the portraits we made on the building’s terrace.

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Read the full MFE feature on Ed here.

 

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