Damage in Cville - Which way to LA!

Outer Banks Outer Limits, a Portrait of a Virginian Woman and some Beauty Photography for Bristles Hair Design and Day Spa...

A swell and creative time in Charlottesville, VA.

The idea behind this photograph was to simulate walking on water. As sunset loomed, the shoot evolved into a Vitruvian Woman concept as well.

Cool to let ideas run the direction of a shoot!

Above, two "Portraits of a Virginian Woman", the setting is her home, a very chic pad in the heart of the old town of Cville...

Here above are 3 images shot for a cool large hair design and day spa in Charlottesville named Bristles. The idea obviously was to avoid using stock, emphasizing inner and outer beauty as well as claiming Bristles is the BEST Hair Design and Day Spa this side of the Blue Ridge, maybe Mars.

Shot some wonderful stuff here in Charlottesville and points nearby enroute to LA.

From a full wall size portrait which will act as a "come on and get a tattoo, like mine" to a cool looking Town and Country inspired Portrait of a Virginian, to an all out Beauty cool Photo shoot for my pals at Bristles Hair Design and Day Spa here in town.

For all shoots, I used at least 2 lights, mostly several more. You will see a more "equitable approach" than normal in the Portrait of a Virginian as the sitter knew she wanted me to shoot her portrait but we agreed the final photograph had to suit her expectations for herself as well as having it meet mine. Cool!

Check these out with a particular eye to the lighting and how the subjects are separated from their backgrounds. I like that as a concept as well a a portrait technique- all I really want to convey is the subject but I love placing them in their own environments.

Next Post will be coming at you from West of the Mississippi River- spell it!

Brought to you by Wick Beavers Photographer, LA

Photographic Rhythm, or visual Keith Richards

I heard the Terry Gross podcast of her npr radio talk show "Fresh Air" featuring the interview with Keith Richards. Smith. Jones? Edwards??

Google him. One of the most common names in the language... yet. YET.

YET!!

The greatest electric rhythm guitar player ever (and it's probably because he sleeps with his axe, pounded the H and smothered his inhale with barbies, cross tops and meth).

It struck me I'd like to try to photograph like he plays.

And so another bit of fertile cross pollination, strum the nation, exclamation. The THE situation. Cocknee knee bend side swipe.

Idea is cool- play a backing riff that's cool to the goings on that's bright light and focussed.

That hits a note...

I shot editorial at Rick Scott's election night victory non announcement cuz it was so close and got this:

Trauma Center Fundraising Campaign

Campaign to Raise Funding for Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital

Premature by 12 weeks or so, this kid is all there and styling in his cool hat!

Mom sings him Greek lullabies every day.

This kid was 70% sunny side up. Fried. But he is the most normal cool kid I have met in a long time! Back at ya, dude.

a lengthy coma after a serious car crash and I'd be so furious I'd never heal.

The amazingest thing about each of these people is they have been through their own versions of hell. And you'd think they'd have every reason to be furious, hit the bottle, smoke the hooch or just lose themselves in any way.

Not.

They have inner strength unimaginable to us mortals.

I gotta say, this hospital is doing something deeper- and better- than fixing physical trauma injuries- it's healing people. And how!

Honored to have met you all...

Wick Beavers Editorial PortraitPhotographer

Stem Cell Researcher playing tennis for Sabrina Cohen Foundation Calendar

Not the calendar shot

Last week I, Wick Beavers Editorial Portrait Photographer, drove up to Jupiter, the Florida home of the celebrated and world famous Scripps Institute, to shoot Dr Don Phinney, a PhD stem cell research scientist.

This portrait was to be thematic, in that it had to jive a lot more than I like with other Months' portraits and that die was already cast in 4 or 5 portraits- the photographers that had already shot their CELLebrity researchers had done nice, respectful, calm, attractive and generic (so sorry) snaps of their subjects and I was left trying to feel like your high school contract portraitist. Oweee.

Make the best of it and calm down...

I arrived about 20 minutes early and picked a spot that had potential. The theme was the favorite sport of the researcher and Don's was tennis, anyone, so we had agreed to meet at Egrets Landing Tennis Club.

Light flash -Test dial test dial and now we're ready- Don drives up and snap snap. These are the money shots for the calendar, nice straight, evenly lit, cool looking hero shots of our Doctor.

$ shot Yes the Calendar Shot

Alright! Now let's hit some forehands hard, backlit by the early rising sun and look at the lens not the ball and more ---snap snap. Trying to guess for the lag in both the camera and my brain to finger to coincide with Don's full forehand swing was a trick but I thought okay we are done now.

Oh no! My sensor!! The sun just cuts the pixels. Okay, swap a head- think it's too big? yes- and yes, next! Swing harder!! But keep your head in front of the soleil per favore.

Next, serve the ball with the sun in your face. Kitsch and cool and needs a little post on the junk in the background but hey- why don't you just keep your eye on the ball?

Thanks Don! And I hope the Sabrina Cohen Foundation Calendars make a large fortune for you guys and stem cell research!

And me, too...

See my site for some cool pictures and have a great week or three.