Sep 30, 2009

Kate Ochsman

As many of you may or may not know, I really love clothes. My friends regularly make fun of how much I love to go to a store and try stuff on. I have, in previous posts, mentioned that one of my favorite stores is Lululemon Athletica. The clothes are so comfortable and they really do a good job of designing men's work out clothes. Aside from the clothes, I love the people who work there. That is where I met Kate Ochsman.

Kate is a local theater actress who has a love for connecting with people through entertainment. A few months ago Kate asked me to take some portraits of her for her portfolio. To my surprise her web site had regular, candid pictures that were taken with a point and shoot camera. I gladly agreed to jump in and offer my services. She told me that she would be honored to have me take her pictures because she really did like my work. That made me smile and blush. I guess I am still learning how to take compliments LOL. After a few schedule changes, we finally got together today and shot some portraits at Glen Echo Park.

Kate was so easy to work with. She is very creative and offered some cool ideas during the shoot that we tried out. Her adventurous attitude is one that leads her to try out anything, even if it seems a little silly. Being an actress made directing her very simple and she really did an amazing job of showing some good emotions for the camera.

It was a joy and honor to work with her and I know there will be more collaborating in the future.

You can read more about Kate on her web site. Be sure to catch her as "Lizzie" on the Obamanologues.





I have said it before, in this business who you know helps you land some fun gigs. My friend Carolina got me access to come shoot the after party of one of the biggest events in the Latin community; the Hispanic Heritage Awards.

It was truly an honor for me to take part in this event. There were high profile leaders in the Hispanic community in attendance, Latino music stars like Alex Gonzalez from the group ManĂ¡ & recording artist Crisitan Castro, Latino comedians, television stars, a red carpet and everything. I got to meet some really cool people at this event and felt that it will go down as one of my most memorable experiences to date. Thanks again Carolina!!!

Here are a few samples from the evening.







Sep 27, 2009

Marta

A while back my friend Carolina asked me if I would do portraits of her mother, Marta. She wanted to have fun pictures of her mom and the family done as a gift to her mother.

As I have shared in the past, it is very important for new photographers to get used to, and comfortable with, giving direction to your model. As artists, we photographers have complete control over the look of the pictures. I have really worked hard to work on my direction during a shoot because I want to make sure that I provide the best images possible for my client. Let's not forget, however, that direction alone will not accomplish this. We must also aim to find a way to build trust with our models by connecting with them on a personal level. Emotions will be communicated through our pictures so why not aim to bring the best out of a person?

How do I do this? Spend the first 20-30 minutes talking with them about who they are, what they do, and what their passions are. On this particular day, I found out a lot about Marta including the fact that she used to run her own Modeling agency years ago. This made working with her very easy. I also used it as an opportunity to learn a little bit about working with models and how things are done in the fashion world. I definitely learned a lot and valued her input.


A few months ago, thanks to the power of Facebook, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with my old friend Bonnie. Bonnie is another person I grew up and went to school with. When she found out I was doing my own photography and trying to build a business, she was one of the first to want to work with me.

It was a pleasure to hang with her and catch up. This will go down as one of my favorite shoots. Thanks Bonnie!






Sep 20, 2009

Terp Football

After being on the set of "Despondent" yesterday, I decided to join one of my best friends, Derek, to a University of Maryland Football game. It has been years since I have been to campus for a game. I think the last game I went to was back in 2001. Being at the game reminded me about how much I miss being in school. I never attended UMD but always had dreams of attending. I came close after graduating high school back in 2000 but decided to go to Montgomery Community College to save money. 9 years later and trips in and out of school due to finances, I am currently on break from UMUC. After yesterday's game, however, I would like to explore UMD College Park as an option. We'll see.

Though UMD lost the game (by 1 point!) fun times were had by all. Sitting in the student section is the place to be for a game!




Yesterday I had the chance to be on the set of my friend Israel Groveman's movie, "Despondent" to shoot stills. This movie is the brain child of Israel and another friend of mine, Joe Falcione. A few years back Joe began his own company, Reliant Films, which producesMachinima trailers for video games. He then partnered with Israel on an idea for a movie about a hitman. This began the three year project which is now coming to a closure. Yesterday they were filming the final sequences for the movie which they hope to have out in 2010.

It was sure a blast to be on the set. It made me feel as if I were a little kid again playing man hunt in the park with my friends. I know I have blogged about Israel before and how he is truly a gifted individual but seeing him in character brings out that intense side of him that makes him out to be the next Kiefer Sutherland. It is quite entertaining to see actually.

Though I was not able to stick around for the entire day, I enjoyed hanging out on the set and seeing my friends do what they do best. I was a little nervous, however, about someone in the neighborhood we were shooting in calling the cops due to all of the replica semi-automatic weapons the cast was running around with. Luckily no trouble was stirred up. In fact, it seemed to draw some attention from onlookers. I guess people thought Hollywood had come out to the middle of nowhere to shoot a film.

Just as an FYI: ALL WEAPONS IN THESE PICTURES ARE FAKE. THEY ARE MADE OF PLASTIC. THESE ARE MOVIE PROPS. Just wanted to clear up any misunderstanding.