I LOVE PORTRAITS + I LOVE MUSIC

I have never found much interest in landscape photography, it’s all about people, for me.  I enjoy the interaction, the give and take of subject and photographer, and most of all, I love seeing or hearing the reaction to the images we come up with.

I’m sitting at home today, a little sick and itching to go outside and shoot… so I thought I would blog.  I needed to do it anyway, so here I am.  The first thing I do when it’s time to get into the workflow mindset is turn on some music.  The sound fuels my work, it just does.  Often it’s music that inspires me to take a certain photograph in the first place; or, I at least have a particular song in mind when shooting something.  I recently discussed this very subject  with a musician named Andy Zipf, who finds inspiration for his songs in images from time to time.

The type of music I choose is usually determined by the type of work I have in front of me.  For example; weddings usually require some chill music, such as, Over the Rhine, William Fitzsimmons, or Peter Broderick.  I need the lovely, the sentimental, the emotional to come into my head and make me think “wedding.”  Now, portraits are a different animal for me.  Some portrait sessions are moody, and require the likes of Radiohead, other sessions are light and fun.  I grew up on 80’s and 90’s pop music… so when we’re talking about fun and light music, it’s gotta be Wham!, Milli Vanilli, Michael Jackson, or, if I really need to get fun and funky – and that takes some work – it’s Color Me Badd.  Yep.  With two “D’s” there, folks.  They’re that serious about being bad.  I mean, badd.

Hip Hop is a great energizer for days when the tasks is large.  Large editing job with little time to complete it?  Hip hop.  The Beastie Boys and Run DMC were in as heavy a rotation as Bon Jovi or Tears for Fears.  YO! MTV Raps – if only I could buy it on DVD.

I’m completely rambling, so I’ll stop.  I have some more formalized posts in the works, but for now, here’s another big post of multiple shoots.