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Shakespeare Royal Oak Posters 2015

Illustrating Director Ed Nahhat's concepts photographically in new work for the 2015 season of Water Works Theatre Company's productions of All's Well that Ends Well and As you Like It was easy with great portrayals by Meredith and Ann, plus Corey's stylings.

This cast is fantastic and the dedication of the whole crew means you have to get out to Royal Oak's Starr Jaycee Park for Shakespeare in the Park's 2015 season!

The logos and art direction by  Nightcry Graphics are spot-on. You make us all shine, as always! Thanks!

Headshots for Grosse Pointe Magazine

Recent work for the magazine included images of not only the interiors of the featured businesses but also portraits of the head honchos.

When creating portraits on location, I try to keep viewers focused on the person yet still show at least some of the environment.

Hamlet

Waterworks Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park in Royal Oak production for 2014 is Hamlet.

Knowing the quality and originality of previous productions, this one will be outstanding!

Nightcry Graphics developed the logo - genius work as always.

Executive Portrait

This outdoor portrait for a director of Pitts-Aldrich Associates ties in with their enhanced focus on an outdoor-only team-building program utilizing interactions with horses called Horse Play. See more about their work at PittsAldrichAssociates.com.

For Water Works Theatre

The Merry Wives of Windsor is the latest offering from Water Works Theatre, Ed Nahhat's annual production in Royal Oak's Star Jaycee Park. This effort involved a very capable band of actors including Richard Redman and Sara Catheryn Wolf. The typographic artistry of Nightcry Graphics makes us all shine.

Headshots

How about a whole department full of people, photographed in one day?

It's possible, and the results were very good indeed. We set up in an inner lobby and used some of the background to advantage, mixing it up a little with the poses and lighting. Since most of the people were computer programmers, they are not necessarily happiest in front of a camera. We had fun, keeping it lively and interesting. I think everyone got a portrait that they would be happy to share with the world.

Ukrainian American Archives & Museum Costume

I recently had the good fortune to work again with Dzvinka Hayda, noted educator, author and promoter of Ukrainian history through the Ukrainian American Archives & Museum of Detroit.

This project was to create an image to be used in the museum's exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum's community gallery: A CULTURAL THREAD: The Enduring Ukrainian Spirit.

The full-length portrait of the maiden in a dance pose will be prepared life-size and be an impressive opening to the space. Her century-old costume is made primarily of linen, with hand-embroidered embellishments.

The opening of borders in Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 has unfortunately led to a dissemination of the nation's historical artifacts. Textiles like these are being sold, exported and sadly, fragmented to be re-purposed into new garments by designers and hobbyists.

It is hoped that this trade will get noticed and that the valuable artifacts of history will remain in Ukraine or be properly cared for when they are removed to other countries. The Ukrainian American Archives & Museum in Detroit will include beautiful historical textiles like these in folk wear and embroidery at the upcoming exhibition.

Thank you to costume expert Svitlana, to our model Dimitra, and to Boris for his great interest in Ukrainian cultural heritage.

Water Works Theatre Posters

Now that the Water Works run of Henry V is complete for this summer, it's time to share an image from the perfect spring day we recently enjoyed, making images for posters and promotional materials with lead actor Michael Brian Ogden (watch for this guy - he'll go far!). Thanks go out to Water Works and Nightcry Graphics.

New Headshots!

Working again for Plex Systems, the goal here was to create some headshots of the development teams. Great results were had using my custom 3-light setup and a good deal of natural light from a nice bank of north-facing windows.

Plex Systems Brochure

After working with Plex last fall for a charity event, I was impressed with the people I met: interesting, engaging, and - as is not so often the case with employees having to attend after-hours company-sponsored events - they really enjoyed being together.

My first impressions were again proved to true with this most recent assignment: photographs of the people and places of Plex Systems for an upcoming brochure to recruit software engineers. We had a great time together and made a great big stack of really nice images. Here's just a few:

Grosse Pointe Magazine Portrait

I get the opportunity to meet some wonderfully interesting people through Grosse Pointe Magazine, a gem of a publication.

This day was a cold a snowy "I'd rather stay inside" sort of day, but once I got myself out there and met Dzvinka Hayda, the outdoors was all forgotten. We had a nice chat and created a really nice image for the magazine - she'll be featured in the upcoming issue. I am grateful that she is so pleased with the image that it is her new "About the Author" favorite.

Linkedin Headshots

You know what you get when your employees choose a photo of themselves for their Linkedin profile:  something snapped at a party - because its "all we have."

My friends at McCausey Lumber wanted better - so I set up my "instant" portrait studio up in their lobby and we made some very captivating, high quality portraits.

If your company wants something better for your Linkedin profile - or for an association roster or for press releases - and you need a photographer who can bring it all to your location - email me and we'll get it done.

Minowitz Manufacturing Company Photos

Pleased to report that a full day of photography in their expansive enterprise (of at least a half-dozen buildings) resulted in a very goodly many images for the upcoming renovation of the minowitz.com website.

Their specialty is basically big stuff for army tanks - big heavy stuff. Making it all is a corps of very talented people who are expert at what they do - very custom fabrication done to exacting specifications.

Thanks to Tammy and Jeff at Glo Marketing for another great opportunity! From portraits to machine shop images, to still life setups, this job had it all. I even got myself out at 5:30am on a Saturday to watch the sun rise on the front of the building for an exterior photo.

Detroit Elevator Company Photographs

We started big on this job: "let's do the whole staff!"

No problem - 3 lights and a tall ladder and we've got first the install and maintenance crew and then everyone in the team.

I found out that noone on the staff has less than 10 years of experience with the company - which says volumes for the kind of people there.

What a pleasure to work with a group of supremely talented, dedicated and just plain good people.

Thank you for welcoming me and doing everything you could to make the day's photography so successful.

Holiday Grettings from McCausey Lumber

This year, my friends at McCausey Lumber company asked me to help with a photo for their holiday card. I was lucky that the warehouse could be rearranged to accommodate the photo, and it all worked out very well.

The relatively simple lighting setup makes the most of the warehouse background and allows the group to stand out well too.

People Pix

This project involved photographing the employees of a veterinary practice to be used on a website. Now this usually means doom for photographs: nasty on-camera flash snapped in the hallway between appointments.

But I did it a little differently by doing all the photos outside with flashes and softboxes and fill cards like a fashion shoot - put the telephoto lens on and do headshots like they were modeling comps.

In the end, we had a fine collection of images that everyone was proud of - a far cry from what might have been!

Great Food at Dylan's Raw Bar

Pointe Magazine needed some shots pronto for a new advertiser, Dylan's Raw Bar in Grosse Pointe. We had three new dishes, some interior views and a portrait of Chef Derrick Collins to do. It was 11am and the final images had to be uploaded to the graphics people by 4pm.

So I set to it, thanking heaven for radio-controlled flash triggers and digital cameras so I could dial in a lighting setup quickly (and without an assistant too). I was also thankful for years of work in fast-paced product photography studios and for years in a premier food photography studio in New York city.

And it all turned out very well. I am pleased with the results and the Dylan's folks are loving it too. Let's hope that the ad pulls in new diners who no doubt will be ecstatic about the great food and great atmosphere at Dylan's in Grosse Pointe.

Waterworks Theatre Posters

Here's a nice little shot for Waterworks Theatre, the best outdoor theatre in southeastern Michigan. Held in Starr-Jaycee Park in Royal Oak, it's the best kind of local production that feels like the real deal. Well Done!

As for the photo, it's a mix of flash and daylight, shot late in the day against a well-ivied alley wall. Wish you could see the crowd in the alley working away on this photo. Not a bad result.

Kudos to Angela Marsh of Night Cry Graphics for the way cool work on this postcard.

Executive Portraits

I've been busy lately doing some work for The Family Center, a nonprofit providing the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods with many programs for families. This project was an executive portrait sesion with the founder of the nonprofit and the new executive director. Shot on location with simple lighting and not much time for fancy stuff, it worked out well, especially on the cold and dark and misty morning we had.

I always like to do one setup and get the "expected" photo out of the way, then I move "out of the box" and do another setup somewhere else that is a little more informal. In this case, limited time and space enabled me to concentrate on getting the work accomplished. We all worked well together, and the result is a nice portrait that not only is well-lit but also reveals their personalities.