WHERE I'M AT: Photography for me is a deeply personal thing. I've been lucky to have reached a point in life where I don't need the money, don't need the recognition, don't need really much of anything but to create that which moves me because this inspires me and gives me balance. All of those other things are great but really at the end of the day I just want to shoot something that for years I want to sit and stare at. I want the process to expand my mind and I want the end work to captivate me. Anything else is a bonus that I may or may not notice because I'm most likely lost in staring at the work or the inspiration that lead to its creation.
The most successful work and experiences I've had are with those who feel the same, be they models, everyday people, musicians, artists or performers. You either get it or you don't.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not shoot TFP and generally do not accept hired work other than very select commissions. I only shoot subjects that fit artistic collections I'm working on. This amounts to 4-6 people a year who I shoot not as models but rather subjects. If you're interested let me know and I'll keep you in mind, but please no requests to shoot ports, TFP, etc., etc. Also, if we start talking about shooting and you just want to know where to show up and when, full stop, and don't want to spend the time to build a creative connection before hand then it will not work, no matter how good your port is. Remember I'm shooting you as a subject so there is a lot more that goes both into the period before the shoot and during the shoot itself. This is not show up and punch the clock.
Work primarily falls in the area of artistic gallery type prints and at times moves into the fashion and glamour areas. Shoot an extensive amount of nightlife imagery at lounges, clubs and restuarants in NYC and DC designed to capture the feeling/atmosphere of the space.
I've shot an eclectic mix of everyone from Cirque du Soleil performers to Grammy award-winning DJs Deep Dish to models with little or no experience. I tend to provide very little direction in most shoots and look to capture what the model brings to the shoot in terms of creativity and individuality. My studio shoots are very much a collaborative process between myself and the model.
If you're looking for a photographer to do Maxim/FHM style shoots, I'm not it. While I am certainly not one to oppose an amazingly beautiful shot in the stereotypical sense, it's not what really captivates me. I'm much more interested in the shot that's beautiful because of the energy that emanates from it or what it reveals, even if that is something dark. There is a unique and piercing beauty in the raw and pure. The perception of that beauty is also a very individual thing. I have a wall in my house with about 200 of my prints on it. One of my favorite things to do is to watch people’s reactions as they make their way along the wall. Every person triggers on something different. One person will be floored by one image and another person not so much. However, when that person looks just to the side, there is one that they connect to. The individuality and diversity of opinion people have to the work is one of the things I find so rewarding about it. If I reach the point where everyone likes every image, I think I'll have to take a serious look at what I'm doing and find a way to push the edge harder. Fortunately, I believe I'm quite far from that point in time.
The promise I made to myself when I began shooting was that the moment I lose the passion for this or find myself shooting something I'm not artistically involved in, then it's the moment I stop. Consequently, if I'm into the concept you have, I'm there. If I'm not into the concept, no amount of money is going to interest me and quite frankly you would get better results hiring someone that's into what you're trying to accomplish. The biggest issue for me and every creatively cursed person I know is time. So many ideas, so many things to do and so damn few hours in a day.
You can see more than 4,500 photos of mine in finished collections on my site at
http://www.passiontolive.com.
You can also find a good overview of my work and notes about new collections, etc. on Myspace at
http://www.myspace.com/passiontolive and on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/passiontolive
TO MODELS LOOKING TO WORK WITH ME OR THAT I APPROACH:
I only shoot on average about six people a year in studio shoots. The people I select are not chosen because they fit an editorial or artistic concept. I choose them because of their looks, individuality and spirit as a person. Their energy, taste in film and music, outlook on life, personal experience and much more are just as important as how they look. If any one piece is missing my shoots will fall flat. Consequently, it's not enough to just look at a port, have a five minute phone conversation and get you on a plane. The process usually starts with looking at one's work but then if you're local there needs to be an in-person meeting and if you're outside of DC then a real conversation by phone. It's through this process, that you're able to get a feel for me and I'm able to understand more about who you are as a person and what you're going to bring to the shoot. Also, you have to be comfortable enough with me to let those key aspects of your personality show. You could be perfect for a shoot but if we don't connect and there's not the comfort level then again, it won't work.
The point here is that for a series like "Sunday Sessions" the shoot is about shooting you as a person rather than you as a model. In that same vein I tend to shoot people more as subjects than models.
So please let me know if you're interested but don't get discouraged as I only shoot six people a year and don't do TFP, port work or really even any hired commissions.
If I approach you because I saw your port here on MM or somewhere else, then obviously I'm interested but I never fully decide until I've had a chance to meet or talk with you at length. Then things can move forward. Please don't make the mistake that so many do of trying to abbreviate pre-shoot discussions to when and where. In every case where models have just tried to rush through the process and think they can just show up, I've dropped it and won't shoot them. When I only do a handful a year, I just don't have the time to work with people who insist on trying to fit the shoot into some mechanical process.
self-portrait
A few of the people & groups I've shot:
• Deep Dish
• Cirque du Soleil (Varekai, Corteo & Quidam)
• Thievery Corporation
• Karina (Thievery Corporation vocalist)
• Vida Guerra
• DJ Nic Fanciulli
• Dubtribe
• Rabbit in the Moon
• The Smiths
• DJ Dimitri from Paris
• DJ Rap
• DJ Seb Fontaine
• Manu Chao
• IAMX
• Carolyn Neff
