He seems to be everywhere that's anywhere in Lowell. Last evening, he was in front of the now famous doors in suite A405. Sovanna told his Facebook friends that he was visiting me "this lovely evening", at Western Avenue Studios to be photographed. A pleasure to work with, Sovanna was impeccably dressed, as always, and ready to be photographed. Here are some of the shots for my Big Door series and my pick for my ongoing Basic series, which are all in B&W, and all done as simply and as similarly as possible in an attempt to really "portray" the person, in the true sense of the word. Enjoy!
Four at the Door
This post makes my fourth submission in my Big Door series, so I think it can officially be called a series now.
In the process of casting for a short video project, which was the same occasion on which I met Obehi, I also met Jacquie, another talented actress. Interestingly, both Obehi and Jacquie are musical, and both are brass players. Her family owns Golden Girl Granola, which is awesome!
I also thought I would reshow the black and white portrait that I did of Jacquie, since I have received so many kind words about it.
Keep watching this space for who will be next in the series!
More in Front of the Door
Another shoot, in my series of photos of people, in front of the great green doors in my studio. Lisa is a very talented graphic designer with whom I have the pleasure of working from time to time. She was one of my first subjects after having moved into my new space. It was shortly after this shoot that I started to collaborate with my doors! They always come through!
Basic
I have started a new series. It's a personal project in which I am inviting people into my studio for a very specific portrait. The project is called "Basic", mostly because I am shooting them all utilizing a very minimal setup: one light, white background, prime lense, and all shot almost exactly the same way, and all rendered in black and white. The idea is to try to capture something about my subject's personality that has revealed itself to me in my interactions with them, and that I want to try to convey, visually, to the viewer. I want to tell a story in one frame.
Here are the first five, of many to come, in no particular order.
Yary Livan, a Master Ceramist
The blog that Middlesex Community College and the Lowell National Historical Park maintain to document what is called "Yary's Kiln", calls Yary Livan a master ceramist, an "expert in Cambodian traditional pottery" who "embodies the tradition with artistry and excellence". He also just happens to have a studio across the hall from mine at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, Massachusetts. He has been written about many times, most recently I think in the Boston Globe. That doesn't stop me. I asked him if I could photograph him in his studio. He continued to work quietly while I fussed with lighting gear. When I asked him if he would come into my studio, which I had, of course, set up for him, to have some shots, he was more concerned about tracking clay into my studio. I thought, "that's what I bought the broom for!" Let's do it!
Check out his work:
http://community.middlesex.mass.edu/blogs/cambodiankiln/default.aspx
http://www.massfolkarts.org/object_detail.asp?ObjectID=8140023
http://www.nps.gov/lowe/parknews/cambodian-wood-fire-kiln-with-master-ceramicist-yary-livan.htm
Obehi, the Multitalented
I recently met Obehi Janice while casting for a promotional video that I was working on with filmmaker Pete Pedulla. A performer, writer and speaker, she clearly fit with my ongoing goal of finding interesting people to photograph. She came to my studio yesterday along with her sister, and UMass Lowell student, Joy. It was a fun shoot!
...and this Big Door Portrait series is really on a roll!
Obehi regularly performs her own, solo work, FUFU & OREOS, and will be doing so in Chicago, on Friday, February 15th. Check out her web site for more information: http://www.fufuandoreos.com
No Going Back for Western Avenue Studios
Today we saw one of several vestiges of Western Avenue Studio's former life as a mill be dismantled. The old smoke stack was taken down today. When I arrived it lay on the parking lot in sections, having been cut into sections. Here is a shot of the stack as it was, late one summer afternoon in 2009:
And here it was today:
While not apparent, it is about 5 feet in diameter.
This is one of several changes that are being made to the building that will put any future as a textile mill in doubt.
The Big Door Portraits
My studio has, among other nice attributes, a set of really large green barn doors. I am on the 4th floor, so if they opened, it would be quite a drop. Fortunately, they don't. I imagine that in the days in which this Western Avenue Studios building was a textile mill, this was a kind of loading dock door for raw materials in and goods out. Today, it's just dark green awesomeness.
I feel a portrait series coming over me! Here is my latest shoot with sports photographer, Liz Cardoso, who specializes in photographing runners.
There will be more to come!
Something a Little Different
Boston has finally reached double digit temperatures for the day, so I'm in the mood for something that brings pleasant thoughts of almost triple-digit temps of days gone by. So I dug out some shots that an interesting guy named Victor asked me to do last summer as he gave me a tour of the Lowell Cemetery. Enjoy!
UTEC Revisited
It's been a while since I have blogged, unfortunately, but I have spent the last week, plus 1 day, upgrading my computer system. Oh the terabytes!!! Anyway, I have arrived and am back in business! Yay!
The week before, I was invited back to United Teen Equality Center (UTEC), in Lowell, to create more photographs of the Alternative Diploma Program, or ADP. Both the young people and their teachers are a dedicated bunch!
