365 Project - Days 352, 353

"When you photograph a face, you photograph the soul behind it." Jean Luc Godard

In one agreeable moment, my son said "yes" to having a new headshot taken. This was unusual, but he was game. The trouble is I forgot, for that same brief moment, what it is like to photograph him. He is simultaneously delightful and exasperating. I told him he was / is my least favorite client. Nevertheless, he and I both had a job to do. His was to look his very best, mine was to deliver the very best image of him.

I thought it would be useful to share the beginning, middle and end of this expedition for the two of us. We had just 30 minutes to produce the photo on Day 352. When I reviewed our work following the session, I decided I was not happy with the pose on the best photo (#2) you see below. So I took us through the tortured process again on Day 353. Both of us were more clear of what we wanted to accomplish and we created a photograph that captures both his humor and mischievousness.

To be clear, he was no easier to work with the second time around. He insisted on testing my flashes every time I looked away. He moved from his spot. Changed positions. Goofed off and was nonsensical much of the session. In the end, it seems we needed all of that to deliver the final photo, I suppose.

Whether in sales, consulting or photography, I have focused on understanding the underlying nuances of the person with whom I am interacting. The surface is meaningless. In fact, I am terrible at interpreting "face value." All value lies beneath the skin. These photos are a perfect example: Despite the fact that the first and third photographs below were taken just 24 hours apart, IMHO, they do not look much like the same person. Had I thought I was interacting with the young lad in the first photograph, I would have handled the session very differently than if I was working with the young man in the third. People are fascinating and while their faces are interesting, it is what lies behind the face that tells the story. Take a deeper look.

Blessings.

Today's Photos: The Soul of a Teen

#1

#2

#3

“It is not easy in this world for one person to understand the next one.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.” Abraham Lincoln

365 Project - Day 313

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” John Lennon

This face has brought me smiles for decades; driven me to laugh so hard that I couldn't catch my breath and my sides ached; made me both content and uber happy. So, when he shyly asked me if he could sit for a quick portrait, I was thrilled. Obliging the request was easy. No real preparation was involved. We chose his favorite shirt and stepped outside on a beautiful clear and sunny day. He often assists me with headshot sessions, having his photograph taken only for my test shots and then he rarely looks at the lens. He can be rather sassy in those sessions. When it came to his own, however, he needed a little direction.

Emerson said, "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." IMHO, that's when you know, true friendship has matured. When you can truly be yourself, without reservation and with reckless abandon, absolutely free of judgment. That friendship is a gift we give ourselves and if we get it right, it is a gift we offer to others as well. I am beyond blessed that this man has been my best friend for so many years. And, frankly, my level of stupidity knows no bounds, but that's okay ... so far ... and it has been part of all the fun. I'm quite fine with being responsible for a lot of laughs!

May we all be so blessed with at least one of those friends.

I should note - this is my first attempt at a portrait using my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, handheld. I'm happy. Hope you like.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Portrait of My Friend

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” Friedrich Nietzsche






EXIF: Nikon D750
ISO 250
190mm
f2.8
1/180s

365 Project - Days 299, 300

“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

I remember the exchange as though it just happened. That's how much this has impacted me, nay "haunted me" for nearly a year. The question went something like her son needed headshots for college and did I do that sort of thing? Almost as soon as she asked the question, I knew I should be doing them, but at the same time, I had no real headshot experience, except taking them of my children for their acting comps. Then, shortly after letting her know that it was not the sort of thing I did, but that I would be happy to try (which she declined), I was asked to shoot headshots of 100 youth for a local nonprofit. This time, I agreed and proceeded to shoot headshots of more than 300 children and teenagers in a 7 month period, easily nearing 10,000 photographs.

I love teen headshots. This is one of my all time favorite activities. I have spent so much time nagging my own children to allow me take their photos and running massive volume headshot sessions, that I have endured all kinds of nonsense, but still I'd rather do this than most other things. In 3 minute volume sessions with children aged 5 - 18, I can create 100 different looks, exhibiting 100 different personalities. And, that is truly by the grace of God. These sessions have allowed me to rapidly develop talent and skills in a contracted time that are easily transferable to traditional professional headshot and portrait sessions where the photographer and client are relaxed and have time for creativity and analysis. I can read the environment and the client very quickly and adapt. This is what I do in under 3 minutes in every volume session. That leaves me with more time in a 1 - 3 hour session with my clients to focus on creating unique beauty in their photographs.

I am constantly working on skills and trying new techniques. In these photos, I wanted to test handholding my 70-200mm. I prefer to hold my camera during headshot sessions to keep in constant contact with my client. This lens is really heavy and working with Kyra is not the easiest way to manage this shoot (she collapsed a few times), but I'm building strength and skill! I don't need this lens for studio work, but for outdoor shots, as you can see, the bokeh here could make all the difference. These photographs were taken very late in the day. And, well, I like.

Blessings.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi

365 Project - Day 261

"You have given me the capacity to hear and obey." Psalm 40:6

"If you want God's plan for your life, I can give you the recipe in its most basic form: pray and obey." Joyce Meyer

Sometimes summer church can be a bit of a hit or miss. Today was a "hit" for me. I enjoyed listening to our pastor's former pastor discuss faith. There were two exciting pieces for me. The one referenced above: Pray and Obey ... That was fantastic in it's simplicity. What does God require of us? Time and attention. To achieve the purpose(s) we are here to deliver, our quest becomes clearer, easier and more direct if we pray / listen and then obey / execute.

The second exciting discussion was the realization that we have already been gifted the promises of God. They are ours; freely given; waiting on us. We have the talent and capabilities necessary to achieve our purpose, yet we don't believe it. It is that very lack of belief we all experience that holds us back and gets us into trouble. As Pressfield & Coyne explain in their book, The War of Art, "Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no one else has but us." Yet, the angels are simply awaiting our signal - one positive thought, our declaration of purpose, our first step. That is their opportunity to boost our flight.

So we have been granted these promises. We own them, but rarely acknowledge or possess them, like a pair of shoes we bought, but never wear. We need to just get on with it and step out in faith, secure in the knowledge that the promise has already been delivered.

The photo below is of one of the cast-boards I created for the shows this week. You may even notice that there is one waiting to be completed in the background - intentionally in the shot. With it, I am stepping out in faith to embrace God's promises and declare my purpose. How about you?

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Without Resistance

"Now He was teaching one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her. and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Luke 13:10-13

365 Project - Day 215

"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning."
Psalm 30:5

I have mentioned the trials and tribulations of photographing my sons. I thought a visual from Brooks' session during last weekend's cast photo session would make my point. The photos below are his first (unedited) and eighth (finished). Quite a substantial improvement in 1 minute! This is our norm. His was the longest session at just under 6 minutes. We had one person for 4 minutes, but the bulk were 2-3 minutes.

I have now had time to reflect on this event and I'm frankly pleased, stunned and disappointed all at the same time. When I look at the product, I'm pleased. I am still aiming for a high degree of perfection, but given the rapid fire circumstances, these are good. When I evaluate my ability to thrive, not just survive, in this situation I'm stunned. Every time I think about the waiting line out the door, coupled with giving every child just 2-3 minutes of time, I am disappointed. There's no time to individually adjust the lighting. No time to talk to each child and give us both time to relax. No time to refer to my notes if something is not working for one person. No time to step back and breathe. I literally ate half a sandwich when I asked one of the students for 5 minutes before we moved on to his photo. Every moment was hurried and harried. And I neglected a few simple techniques.

So I'm left with a choice - anguish over what could have been or rejoice over what was. I choose the latter. The session was far from perfect, but it was, nevertheless, joy filled. I cannot let my own anxieties, impatience and fears trump my opportunities for joy. I confess, I am a perfectionist and myopic focus on "right" can cause me to miss the "light" on the periphery. Often, joy and love exist in the periphery.

Rather than dwell in the land of anguish, I must choose to celebrate the excitement of that imperfect moment, and live for the tomorrows that will invoke the lessons I learned today. What "imperfect moment" is stealing your joy? I encourage you to find and celebrate the joy in its midst. Then look for the learnings in those fears and anxieties and store them away, as though precious gems, for later use.

Best wishes.

Today's Photos: Trial and Tribute

"Every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor." Ralph Waldo Emerson







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 125
50mm
f5.6
1/180s

365 Project - Day 205

I have a headshot session for summer shows coming up in a week. So I once again tortured my sons into sitting for a few minutes of practice with me. I have to remind myself that these sessions are just about technique and not about art. My sons are not agreeable and the discussion normally goes something like this, "since you have no plans this afternoon, I have something I need you to do for me." "Oh no, oh no. Mom - not again. I have something I need to do. I don't want my picture taken, please mom, no. I just won't do it." To which I respond, "oh yes you will. I promise not to take more than a few minutes of your time." They then squirm, roll their eyes, make faces, slouch and cross their eyes while I take their photos. And again I remind myself, this was an exercise in technique.

For this exercise I was trying out 3 new tools: 1) the black (and typically unused) side of my white matte Hurleypro Proboard; 2) Paul C Buff 47" Octabox (which I was unable to use previously); 3) 2x PocketWizards with my Paul C Buff Einstein strobe (which I had been incapable of sorting out how to use heretofore). All 3 worked beautifully. I plan to use this set-up for the headshot session next weekend. The black background looks sharp and is so much easier to edit.

In the frame just preceding this one, my son is slouching and looking down with a grim expression. I told him I would take one more and the photograph would be perfect if he would sit up, cross his arms and look at me. We finished up on this shot. As I look at this photograph, think about his leaving for college and beginning his life as an adult, I have to remember that we have given him roots and soon he will exercise his wings. It is my greatest desire that he soar high and far, knowing that he always has a place to come for nourishment.

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Swag!

"Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit,
not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you,
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent
forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you
with his might that His arrows might go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves the bow that is stable."
Kahlil Gibran







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 160
50mm
f5.6
1/180s