As a young photographer I was strongly drawn to the work of portraitist Arnold Newman...especially his photographs of artists. Newman pioneered a kind of environmental portraiture that had not been seen before and his photographs of artists in their studios were works of art in their own right. As my own career developed, I never turned down an opportunity to photograph a creative person...not then and not now. For me, photographing artists is a joy.
Otis Jones describes himself as a "reductivist" painter. He lives and works in a loft a couple floors below me and we have been friends for many years. Throughout his long career he was always highly regarded, but mostly thought of as a regional talent. All of that changed a few years ago when, through a lucky set of circumstances, he connected with a European gallery. They totally and completely "got" his work and within a few years, elevated him to an international level. Today, he is represented by top galleries around the world and his exhibits often sell out before they even open. As his friend...witnessing this transformation has been so much fun!! It really can happen.
Ari Raphiel was a student at the Booker T Washington Arts Magnet school in downtown Dallas when I made this photo. He lived in my building with his father Sedderick and I saw him often. When the management of the property hired me to create photographs of actual residents for potential ads, I asked Ari if he would sit for me. He looked so great when he showed up that I knew only a simple background was needed. And as luck would have it, old brick walls abound in our building. Have always loved this simple and determined image.
For the past few years I have been working on a project called The Creatives. It is a portrait series that looks at a wide swath of creative individuals within the DFW community. The initial group of images were all black & white, shot in the studio on a special set. Recently I've decided to take the project in a new direction and am now shooting on location...and in color! The above photograph of artist Albert Scherbarth is one of the first examples. Albert is a man of many talents... known especially for his work with steel. He lives in my "hood" and his large multi-room work area is right across the street from a studio I used to rent. The space is exactly what one thinks of when imagining an artist's loft and it was so much fun visiting him and creating this image. Thank you Arnold Newman for the life long inspiration.
This final photograph of interior lighting guru and synthesizer artist Tully Weiss was created in his home and is also part of my new direction for The Creatives. Tully's wife Kalynn worked with me in the 80's as a stylist and I remember meeting Tully went I went to their stunning apartment at the Terrace house. They'd taken out all of the walls which resulted in a large open space that looked out (through floor to ceiling windows) over tree tops to downtown Dallas. The furniture and objects in the space were eclectic, but impeccable. One of the centerpieces was an exquisite old harpsichord that Tully played regularly. They now live in an equally unique home in East Dallas and the harpsichord has been replaced by a complex (but meticulously designed) set of synthesizers. Thank you Tully and Kalynn for allowing me into your wonderful lair!
And thank YOU for looking at this imagery and for joining me on this passionate journey. High end portraits and head shots is what I do! My clients are corporate entities and professionals...as well as artists, writers, lawyers, realtors, entrepreneurs, etc. If you like what you see, reach out and let's see what we can create.
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