Nick is a freshman Wildlife Management major. He’s also an avid rock climber, a competition archer, and an all-around nature lover who is definitely at home in the outdoors. He can start a fire and setup a tent and, I think, knows something about hatchet throwing. Without a doubt the sort of guy you want along on your next camping trip. He’s also my brother, which is probably the only reason that he agreed to don his coonskin cap, grab his bow, and trek out into the woods for a portrait shoot.

Like most guys, Nick isn’t wild about having his picture taken. We’ve worked together a few times before, for his senior portraits and some sports/band shots. It’s one of the perks of having a photographer in the family; the photos experience was more fun for him, and mom got off cheap! But even so, there was always mom in the background. She’s the client because she’s (in theory at least) the one paying for the session, and therefore calling the shots.

This time was different. I wanted the photos for a personal project, but also for the sheer coolness factor of what I had in mind. Which was great, because it meant that there was no one to answer to; so long as Nick and I were both having fun, the shoot was a success, and he was free to just be himself. No traditional poses, no collar shirts – just him in the woods with his gear, looking badass.

So that’s exactly what we did. And it was a LOT of fun! We drove up to Lefferts Pond and hiked about twenty feet into the woods, with Nick on one side of a frozen creek and me and the lights on the other. And I made photos while Nick stalked imaginary game through the woods and shot arrows into the ice in, you know, my general direction. (NOT something I’d agree to with most models!) The we switched sides and let Nick climb up onto a rock, while I shot from below.

Totally badass stuff, and nobody was there telling him to smile, or look at the camera. I let him do his thing because he’s the wilderness guy, he knows how he should look. And the photos came out great because of it. I’ve got some awesome portfolio shots, Nick has some very cool portraits for Facebook, and mom has prints on order to frame and hang at home. Can’t beat that!

In addition to the country look, we rocked a few glamour style shots as well.  This was a bit of an experiment for both of us, but definitely shows potential.

Had the great fortune to work with local hip-hop artist Para-Dice a few weeks back.  She found me through a mutual friend and told me she was looking for advertising/promotional shots and had a few ideas.  We tossed them around and settled on a weekend shoot on Marywood University’s campus, where we spent most of an afternoon shooting in an absolutely awesome setting (and also managed to send a campus tour slightly off-track).

This was my first foray into shooting for the music industry, which was pretty exciting.  Hip-hop tends to be edgy, so our photos had to match, although we decided to mix the edge with some glamour, staying a bit lower key for this first shoot.  It’s an interesting look that really worked for Para-Dice.

It’s the attitude that really makes the shots – Para-Dice has no shortage of it, and it really shows through.  Seriously, rocking a prom dress with fishnets – that’s some classy badass-ness right there!  We were both thrilled with how things came back and have already kicked around a few ideas for a second shoot, with the idea of pushing the edge a bit further.  Hopefully it’ll happen soon!

Sara is a real joy to work with, full of energy and enthusiasm (not to mention a bit of impishness). While we had a few ideas in mind, such as the bubble shot above, we were mostly taking opportunities as they came, working with the light and the setting as it changed. The last few hours of daylight are the most dynamic from a photography perspective, and it can be difficult to keep up, conditions changing minute by minute. But it’s hands-down the best time to be making portraits.

Aside from the change of seasons, we switched up the photographic technique for this shoot and left the strobes at home, using only natural light. It’s a technique I sometimes like to use; while the lack of strobe light does limit some options, it also lets us emphasize the natural lighting and scenery. It also lets us travel light and cover more ground during a shoot, which can be a big plus.

There’s a lot of summer left and you can definitely expect to see more of Sara – I’ve got a couple of neat ideas in the work, it’s just a matter of finding the right day, the right weather, and making them happen!