I love working with words. With this series I distilled a look, an action, and a word into the most minimal elements. I tried to make it what the mind remembered of these “pivotal moments” in a relationship. Each one could create a book’s worth (or a life’s worth) of stories. What would your memory of your “pivotal moment” look like? And what word do you attach to it?
pivotal moments
I’ve tried to photograph weddings. Mostly for friends. My experience was usually like this: Mother of the bride asks if I have any OTHER photos of the bride and groom. “I was hoping to find one that matched the photos from my other kids’ weddings”?!?!?!?
Or the time when I was photographing before a wedding and the preacher was right there seeing me take flash photos. But when the ceremony started and everyone started taking flash photos with their phones the preacher interrupted his reading to announce that he had a macular condition, and the flashes disturbed him, so no more flashing, please. UHHH…that seemed to include me, who needed a flash for a very dark room!
I’ve since developed a “documentary” style where I am not the prime photographer, but I am free to room around and capture little intimate, unposed moments. When I gave a friend the photos I had taken at her wedding she started crying. “I don’t remember anything from that day, and these show what a wonderful wedding it was.”
Couldn’t ask for a better review of my photos. THAT’S how I photograph a wedding. And I am available for my documentary style coverage.
weddings but different
Emerson Place Spa and Resort was situated 80 some miles from New York City. Because of my background in fashion, and various connections into the New York fashion world, I was given the assignment to do a branding and ad campaign to catch the attention of the New York fashion world.
In order to set Emerson apart from most typical “luxury” destinations, I created an approach that was both familiar and fresh. Using old stock images, I paired them with sayings that highlighted an absurd explanation of the image, meant to elicit a smile from the viewer, as well as start them on a fanciful journey of their own.
This campaign never got to run because the spa burned down just as the campaign was to launch.
I was inspired by the Richard Avedon photos of Pentagon officials during the 60’s. That sparked me to use the individual photos I’ve been taking of executives and create a group of them in my computer. I loved the result, but then I realized there was another, more opportune us for this method.
Richard Avedon group photo
An endlessly adaptive group photo
With this method I could create a group. I could create a group with just some of the members. I could create different configurations of the same group.
Merrill Lynch group 3 different configurations
The REALLY golden use
The BEST THING I realized is that I could add or subtract people from the group! If a company added a person, I could add them to the group. If someone left, I could delete them from the group. All with a click of my mouse.
Steps to create a “never obsolete” group
OK, it’s not quite that easy
No, anyone can’t take a number of full length shots of people and throw them together. It takes me a while to adjust everyone’s position, slightly forward or slightly back, to make it look like they really are standing together. And height! That’s so important because when I have a photo of a person on a white background I have no reference as to how tall they are. I’ve developed a method where I have a reference point recorded in the original photo which tells me how tall anyone is.
Here’s a few examples, but there is a whole section on my website, here to see more versions.
This works for families too
Oh yes, this works for families too. I’ve done several using this tehnique, including one with 29 people.
Family group photo
