Artist Spotlight: Monster Dolls Promotional Photoshoot

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The "Melbourne Mausoleum" at West Lawn Cemetery (Canton, OH)

What a shoot this was! The Monster Dolls came to me to see if I would take on a challenge of shooting their next promotional. Last week, we all ventured and met up at West Lawn Cemetery in Canton with the dead as the backdrop to the shoot. As any cemetery, this place was chalk full of history. Most notably, the first resting spot of our 25th President, William McKinley until his monument was built and later moved.  When I scouted this place, I was blown away with the beautiful 67 acres of land. Neatly plotted graves surrounded by bare grotesque trees with driving paths that lead down into a small hillside. Here, is where my brain started to jolt ideas. Mausoleums stretched this area left and right with a serene creek splitting the middle of the site. 

The weather was a chilly 40 degrees that day with a strong overcast in the sky. Perfect for producing moody photos of the Dolls. Some of the girls only had a few hours to spare, so I utilized the time we had efficiently for the areas I thought would have the strongest punch. We started off at the coolest mausoleum on the grounds, the "Melbourne Mausoleum". I couldn't find too much information on this resting spot, but what I did find is there are 7 crypts inside and heard a Revolutionary War veteran is buried inside. What struck me most about this area was how the steps lead your eye up into the hillside mausoleum and how the architecture looked as if someone could be living inside if you were to knock on the door. If anyone has more information about this specific place, I would LOVE to hear more!

Next, I shot different style portraits of the girls, close-up, full-length, and varied it up in between. All of which came out fantastic! I decided to settle on and focus more on the full-length ones where I could add in more creativity into the shot. A few tricks were up my sleeve, one being fog in a can that called Atmosphere Aerosol. I quickly learned it didn't work the best in an outside environment considering it dissipated way too fast. So to fix this, a few of the Monster Dolls kindly volunteered as they sprayed the backs of my subjects while I was shooting. The fog was a nice environmental element as the path area along with the surrounding trees would create an eerie foggy night. I blasted each girl with one strobe in the back to get the fog the strongest and lit them with another at 45 degrees, camera right in the front. Each girl had a unique character to display, so I thought it would be beneficial to let that show in each portrait.

Artist Spotlight: Dakota Wilkinson of Flight 619

I had the honor of working one-on-one with the beautiful front woman of Flight 619, Dakota Wilkinson. Besides the stage life that I LOVE to shoot, I decided to expand my music portraits to show off a cleaner, more technical side of my work.

Like I mentioned, Dakota or 'Kota' is the voice behind Flight 619. She's had a strong musical upbringing thanks to her dad, owner of Mad Rabbit Media (the band's recording stomping grounds) and now manager of the band. Don't let her beauty fool you. Shes got brains, as she will be pursuing a career in aviation at Kent State later this fall. Hence the band name and her love for flying. The skies the limit for her figuratively and literately!

If you're available this Saturday night, please make plans to come see her and the rest of the band as they'll be opening for Red Sun Rising in Kent at the Kent Stage. More information and tickets can be found here: Flight 619 w/ Red Sun Rising

The Blueprint

The Scene:
These shoots are never quite that easy for me. In hindsight, I needed to prepare a location that would fit Dakota's image as a young rock-n-roll musician. Take for instance her edgy rock star hair. I took that element placed her in a urban/industrial setting in downtown Canton to match that attitude of the rock star life.

Making the Shot:
Now that I had the location figured out, the next question was how to light her. Well, this was a simple solution. Dramatic strobe camera right with a second flash behind Dakota filled with a purple gel to highlight her purple hair and accent her body. Any time you light your subject from the back, it's automatically going to look badass. Guaranteed!

We tried different poses, but the trickiest one was the hair flip. It took about 10 tries to get my timing down and making sure the light was hitting her face since she was in a lower position. If you know Kota's stage presence, you know she's notorious for flipping her hair. Check out the "High" music video to see it all in HD action!

The mic cord was a little fun thing I thought of, but also goes with her routine. I slightly exaggerated the cord wrap around her so the mic wasn't totally lost in the two images. I let her wrap it as long as some of it was around her neck. BUT importantly, reminded her I did NOT want her to strangle herself.

The most important element about making the shot count is being sure you are capturing the authenticity of your subject. I could of gone a completely different route for Kota, but I wouldn't think it would have had a strong impact as what she's always done in the past. The concept is the hardest part. Shooting it just becomes a pre-flight checklist (see, I'm aviation saavy) of things to do.

Gear:
I shot this with my D600 along with the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4. The Sigma Art serves about 70% of my portrait work with the 105mm hitting the long end. The SB-910 and SB-700 coupled with RadioPopper triggers were used for lighting. It seems I had everything prepared when I realized I forgotten to bring sandbags to keep the wind from knocking my light stands. Always happens to me that I end up forgetting a small crucial item at home. Thanks to Dakota's boyfriend, Cody for assisting me and making sure the shot was made. Thanks man!

Editing & Processing:
I really didn't do anything too over the top in these shots. Of course, I cloned out the light stand behind Dakota and removed a few distracting spots in the background. To serve the rock star intensity, the saturation was slightly dialed back and to prevent too much of her purple hair from getting too overpowering. Touch up was all done with Lightroom, Photoshop CC, and Nik Software plugin.

Review: Gin Blossoms w/ Hey Monea @ Glenoak Community Theatre

Sitting at work, I received a text message from my buddy, Joe asking if I'd like to shoot the Gin Blossoms Tuesday night with "Hey Monea!" at the Glenoak Community Theatre. He was originally suppose to shoot Hey Monea, but had to take care of some business on his end which allowed me to acquire his media pass for the show. Thankful he immediately thought of me as I was actually free that evening and for one, don't like turning down opportunities which allows me to do what I love. Thanks, Joe!

The show was put together by Pulse Entertainment and the staff were one of the most helpful and nicest bunch of guys I'v met during a concert. It's hard to find this kind of hospitality from other media outlets and it made my evening that much smoother. Even made nice, nice with security. Always a plus if you shoot live shows.

Hey Monea opened that night and if you're not too familiar with them, don't worry. You'll soon understand why this trio band group has the talent to give you your ticket its money's worth. Originally from Canton, Ohio, this Rock/Pop triad opened for such bands including Bare Naked Ladies, Goo Goo Dolls, to the Doobie Brothers, Lady Antebellum, and even Kid Rock. If you're ever down in the Arts District during First Friday, you can sometimes catch them playing there. Be sure to check them out and give a listen.

Never heard of the Gin Blossoms. Mainly because their music is a little out of my 'listening zone'. I didn't quite know what to expect until about half way through the set. As Robin Wilson began to strum the opening cords to "Found Out About You", the crowd's cheers widened a bit louder than normal. By this point, the notes began to harmonize my ear drum and I said to myself, "damn, I know this song! So these guys wrote it!". Immediately I was shot back to the 90s. This seems to happen to me numerous times when I end up seeing a national band I'm unfamiliar with.

Photographer's Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600 (Updated)
Lens:
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

2014 'Mask Affair' @ Journey Art Gallery

The 'Mask Affair' is what's hot in downtown Canton at Journey Art Gallery. This is my second year providing visual stimulation for the event, but don't think my work closely resembles the feeling of actually being there to witness it first-hand. The work here is worth the trip to Journey. So what exactly is the Mask Affair?

Su Nimon, the gallery owner, puts together the biggest fundraiser of the year known as the Mask Affair. She invites artist to participate by giving them a mask and allows them to come up with most creative idea to display in the gallery. No restrictions. Each mask is $75 and the proceeds this year go to The Children's Network of Stark County. 

The event this year is even bigger. Four walls now occupy the gallery and the level of craftsmanship is exceptional. I bought two of them last year and I already see numerous mask I want.

I recommend you stop down on 4th street in downtown Canton and see the show before it ends November 14th. It's a beautiful space and Su and Jeffery always greet you with a warm welcome.

Portraits: Joe Albert of J. Albert Studios – Canton, OH

What great honor. Got the nod from my friend, Joe Albert of J. Albert Studios (<--Check him out) to go out and shoot some professional portraits of him for future promotional pieces. I've known Joe well over a year and a half now – picked up and learned a bundle of invaluable tidbits of information about photography that has elevated my game. As professional, competitive and stocked up on the latest camera gadgets, Joe also carries a very vital and infectious trait that's key to success – his cheerful and devoted respect towards others. If I haven't convinced you yet, click the link above and follow him on Facebook.

When he asked me for this task, the first idea that popped in my head was, “Joe, we gotta shoot you in downtown Canton.” Joe LOVES the city of Canton. When he's not busy with a photo shoot, you'll more than likely find him downtown roaming around with his camera interacting with the locals or shooting the architecture around the city. And here's a quick tip. If you wanna make a good first impression, bring him a cup of coffee. I'm pretty sure it's intertwined in his DNA.

Joe also enjoys photographing the angels on top of the courthouse. They're amazing! Only made sense to grab one with them in it.

If you're thinking about getting some quality shots, don't hesitate to ask Joe. He's your man!
J. Albert Studios
1218 Pittsburg Ave NW
North Canton, Ohio 44720
(330)-966-1186

Thanks bud for spending the last hour and half of daylight shooting you!

Photos: Diverge @ The Auricle Music Venue

I made my first appearance at The Auricle - Music Venue in Canton, Ohio last night to shoot Diverge. Honestly, this has to be one of the more professional small club venues I've been to. The quality of sound bounced seamlessly around the room. Alongside, stage lighting provided ample mood sets throughout the band's playlist. Oh yeah, they have a friggin fog machine!

Photographer Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600

Lens:
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

My Little Sister's Couple Session

My little sister is officially all grown up! As the pages fall and end on this chapter, I thought it would be great to share her 'Couple's Shoot' I had with her boyfriend, Bronson. Now, I really didn't plan on putting these images up on my blog, but these turned out far better than I expected and not sharing would be a utter waste. Congrats Carly and best of luck to you in your college years!

The images you see below were shot in Canton and Smithville, Ohio.

I'm no adroit couple photographer, but I captured this shot at the perfect time. I told the two to walk towards me while looking at each other and see who could crack a smile first.

Photographer Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600

Lens:
Nikon 105mm f/2.8
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

Stranger #67 - Chris

April 27, 2014

Did ya think I gave up on this project? Well, I don't give up on commitments that easy. BUT I have been super swamped and with this hellish 6 1/2 month Winter, it's been brutal finding people to photograph. Not that I need an excuse.

I had a few minutes to kill and the weather was perfect in the downtown area. So I decided to hang out on a Sunday late afternoon and catch some bystanders passing by.

I just sat my camera down on a table when a shadowy presences caught the corner of my eye.

"Hey dude. Sorry to bug you, I just woke up. Would you happen to have a cigarette?"

Everyone, meet Chris.

I was feeling charitable that day so I struck a trade that could help both of us. I give him a few bucks in exchange for a story and a quick photograph.

"Sure. I don't care. I really don't look the best right now."

I didn't care. I loved the hard-edge appearance and the natural look of his hoodie and deep, tiresome eyes. 

Walking around for a photo spot, I could tell right off the bat, Chris literally just woke up. Either that or he just got done smoking something. But we did talk how he's been living in the Canton area for about 15 years, the fall of the economy,  looking for a job, and even about the homeless around Canton.

Thanks Chris for the brief encounter and photo!

Photographer Notes:

Camera:
Nikon D600

Lens:
Nikon 105mm f/2.8