dancing Tag

matty_5.21.11_ 208 Portraiture, it's a pretty simple idea... taking photos of people. Wait... it's not so easy... dang it. As simple as a portrait concept may be, anyone who has consciously gone out and attempted to take photos with a purpose finds out real quick it is not such a simple job. The translation from idea to materialization is not so simple and quite hard to make these two matchup well. We are talking nearly infinite avenues in which to photograph a person when factors like location of subject, style of lighting, actions of subject, etc. come into play. It's telling a visual story, no words need be spoken. What kind of story do you want to tell for viewing eyes? The idea drives the photographic work, sculpts the final product. On the topic of bringing mental visions to live, it goes beyond, "hey, I want to photograph _____," and loosely photographing a subject matter for a few hours in a location that roughly works and produces the basic idea. No, this rough/loose approach won't work 90% of the time for those who want that image in their mind. It's really drilling down, not compromising, nailing that exact image in your head. Is the image in your head the image that you want to produce, or simply an inspiring idea to branch-out to some other visual? How do you make this all come together in the concept and planning stages so that you setup for success at the actual shoot? These are things I ask myself, being realistic, and not expecting magic to happen without giving a major contribution on my behalf before I even walk in to the shoot.

matty_1.15.11_ 064 At least it seemed so at Richard's 50th birthday party. And when I say party... it really was a party. I don't think anyone would have guessed this was a birthday party if they stumbled in, it was the next level of party. The event was held at the Pacific Grill event center. I'd say that the space comfortably holds 125ish people, but Richard is a pretty popular guy. I would have pegged the attending number around 250+. That meant standing room only for a good number of people, and limited space for me to work. It was all good though, everyone had a great time, and the limited space made everything a bit more exciting. The shots below were the first two of the evening, and probably my favorite. Richard's father, who lives in another part of the country, was not supposed to be in attendance, however, he made the trip and was there to surprise his son. Here are two consecutive frames - Richard walking in like he owns the place ;), and then when his father walks around the corner. Love the second shot and how it is framed, father with arms out. It tells a great story.