An outstanding model + an outstanding location = a beautiful series of images.
Follow him here.
Spectres
Two jack-o’-lanterns, an abandoned hospital, twin rock stars (@alex_looby and @anthonylooby) from the Canton-based band, @vollstin, and some creative editing all conspired to make some compelling images for Halloween. Anthony’s pumpkin has the jagged mouth and Alex’s has the evil grin.
Tyler, Part 2
Since there were so many images in this two-part photo session and they were so different, I decided to break them into a two-part blog post. These images were shot in the studio. The images in the first post were shot on-location.
Model: Tyler (@da_dad_duh)
Tyler, Part 1
Since there were so many images in this two-part photo session and they were so different, I decided to break them into a two-part blog post. These images were shot on-location. The images in the second post were shot in studio.
Model: Tyler (@da_dad_duh)
go sports!
It was a day of lacrosse- and football-themed photos: We borrowed the facilities of a local high school to create these images. This is definitely a different theme for me, but I'm so happy with the outcome! You can see more this dude’s work on his Instagram feed.
a downtown walkabout
Continuing my Cleveland excursion, my next photo session was with Joey. We wandered around the area near the casino and used the downtown landscape as the back drop. We started mid-afternoon, and as the sun sank lower in the sky and shadows grew longer, we were able to capture some beautiful portraits with equally beautiful light (some real; some artificial). Joey has a great look and, since he’s a photographer, too, it was great to talk shop during our session.
our great lake
I recently spent a weekend and had photo sessions scheduled from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon. This session was my first: Friday morning at 10AM. It was blisteringly hot and overwhelming hot. The sun was relentless that day, but with some additional light from flashes and a softbox, we were able to create some dramatic images! Jaylen, the model, whose other work you can see on Instagram, had suggested Mentor Beach — and an outstanding choice it was! You can almost feel the heat and humidity in the images.
This was our first time working together and I’m so pleased with the results.
malibu
If ever I’ve been able to create a West Coast vibe in central Ohio, this was it. The late afternoon sun, coupled with Zac and his bitchin’ BMW, all conspired to make compelling images. I’ve shot him a few times and he always does a great job — I’ll be posting another set of him in the Backlight gallery soon.
schoolhouse rock!
Aaron and I have worked together a lot over the years and we’ve definitely improved over time. We used an abandoned schoolhouse for this session — and I think this is some of our best non-studio work. He’s a gym fanatic and it shows in the images: He’s lean and built; notice how the light rakes across his muscles to create deep shadows and lots of contrast.
He’s one to watch — he’s gonna do great things!
on the waterfront
I’m always excited to work with new people! A close second to that is being able to incorporate water into a photoshoot. Having both is dream come true!
Heath and I spent the afternoon — again, another sweltering summer day — at Hoover Reservoir, creating some outstanding images of him in and around the lake and boat dock. I don’t know how he didn’t get burnt in the unrelenting sun, but he was uncomplaining the entire 2.5-hour session. Talk about resilience. The clouds didn’t start to move in until the tail-end of our shoot, but there were enough to add a bit of interest to the sky.
We’ll be working together later this summer in southeast Ohio, so make sure to watch his Instagram feed for those images — and give him a follow!
boiling point
I’m embarrassed by the length of time since my last post: April. The seventh, to be exact. I could never imagine all of the events that have taken place over the last almost-three months. Professionally, I’m happy to be back behind the camera. As soon as the governor lifted the restrictions on non-essential business, I started lining up sessions. I’d grown so tired of taking pictures of my cat.
On the day I shot these, it was a million degrees. No exaggeration. But Chris, ever the professional, powered through the heat and humidity to deliver some striking poses (as always). The clouds didn’t start moving in til the end of our shoot, but I enjoy shooting in harsh sunlight and adding extra light for drama.
For more of Chris’ work, head over to his Instagram feed.
PS: I’ll be releasing more blog posts in the next few days to catch up on my backlog of work, then I’ll get back to a posting on a regular schedule.
reckless abandon
You would think we stumbled in to a logging camp, but it was a parking lot with dozens of felled trees and scraggly branches everywhere. Ansel Adams once said, “You don’t take a picture, you make a picture,” so that’s exactly what we did. This session contained three distinct environments: An abandoned swimming pool, the parking lot logging camp, and finally cliffside and creek. I don’t have space to post the swimming pool that and the rest of the photos we shot in a nearby creek, but you’ll see them pop up over on Instagram.
It was a successful shoot and we didn’t realize during this session is that, in the coming days, life would grind to a halt. Non-essential businesses would be closed and people would spend spring inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m confident that things will be back to normal soon and, rest assured, I’ll be outside (and in the studio) making more art. Stay tuned.
Click over to Isaiah’s Instagram feed to see more of his work and other images from this session.
mood
Fitness sessions don’t always have to be about standard bodybuilding poses. While lighting does a lot to set the mood of an image, it’s very possible to highlight the model’s physique while also creating a specific vibe based on how he’s posed. That was the goal here.
To see more of this dude, check out his feed on Instagram.
Apocalypse Now
He’s the last man standing. He lives in a dystopian world that looks nothing like the one he once knew. No longer a marble of blue and green, the new Earth is now composed of colors like sulfur, puce, acid, blood, ash, and slate.
His masks protects as well as conceals. It hides his expression and intention. He launches the smoldering grenade at friend and foe alike — keeping anything away.
“And after all this is accomplished,” he wonders, “Now what?”
If you’re interested in seeing more of this model’s work, you can follow him on Instagram.
shredded, brah
In photos, the best way to describe him is compact, lean, and shredded. In person, he’s professional, polite, and accommodating. I’ve been fortunate to work with him three times - each in the studio - but with warm weather right around the bend, I’m sure you’ll see an outside session in the future. If you have ideas for something outdoors, leave a comment here!
You can see more of him on Instagram.
introducing spotlight
I’ve been thinking about doing an entire redesign of my website for quite a while — I just had no idea what I wanted it to look like.
Then, one day while I was sitting on the couch watching TV, it hit me like a ton of bricks: Instead of posting photos to huge galleries, I would feature the best photos from each session in a blog post! You’ll be able to go from post-to-post without having to click around to the other galleries — it’s much more seamless. One exception is the nude and implied nude gallery: Because of the nature of the images, they’ll be displayed separately in their own password-protected gallery as they’ve always been.
New images will be posted regularly and each post will feature only the model at the session. You’ll be able to like or comment on the post right on my website and you can also share it on social media, if you choose to.
Because it’s such a massive transition to the new design, I’m making all of the retired galleries viewable for a short time, so you’ll be able to see the hundreds of models I’ve worked with over the years. Don’t worry, though: I’m working on a way to feature older photos here on the site on a regular rotation.
I hope you find the new format easier to navigate and more interactive!
