Designer Thomas Pheasant catching the morning light in his living room in Georgetown, DC.
People always ask me what is your favorite thing to photograph? Easy, I’ll take an environmental portrait any day. Why? I get to combine my love of shooting interiors with spending time and meeting people usually in a place that is personal and meaningful to them. I get to see a part of their life that many people don’t. One on one on their turf, both intimidating and thrilling at the same time. Throw in the pressure of having to create a portrait that is timeless and tells a little story of who they are, in the blink of an eye or fraction of a shutter click on my camera.
Lela Rose at home in Tribeca
In most of these images I’ve never met my subjects or set foot in their home, so the first thing I’m trying to do is quickly scan the location for the best light and what jumps out at me visually. I tend to shoot most portraits utilizing natural light, and am as low tech as possible to keep things from getting too complicated and stressed. The last thing I want is to look awkward fumbling around with any equipment or analyzing a strobe while they are waiting.
Designer Celerie Kemble in NYC
Photographing Celerie Kemble at home was a great collaboration. The shot on the right in green was a guest room in her home that we reorganized and styled with floral and art for the shot. And her clothing options were on hand to help us decide which outfit was best for the scene(I think we actually shot three versions). Then the shot on the left was at the end of the shoot when I wanted to get some more casual shots of her, more fitting of her personality and style.
Usually I find myself wanting to shoot the entire home, positioning the subject in the spaces sometimes blending in as part of the art and architecture themselves.
Sam Saladino in his living room in Oak Cliff, Texas
Bronson Van Wyck at home, NYC
Depth in an image is crucial for a successful shot. Choosing the right lens and camera position in a tight space can make all the difference between a cramped, distorted shot and a visual treat where you can’t stop looking. The image of Bronson Van Wyck above in his hallway bar at home in NYC was a super tight squeeze for me, but choosing a wide lens to bring it all in to play to showcase the volume of the space and positioning him in a casual pose looking off camera, smoking, gives you the sense you are in the space with him, enjoying a conversation. Below Sam Saladino finds a spot on the floor with his cat, blending in to the maximalist surroundings of his collected home in Dallas.
Sam Saladino on the floor in his Oak Cliff home
I’ll wrap all this up with one of my favorite images from a shoot with musician/songwriter Peter More in his family home in Ft. Worth, Texas. I shot with an old medium format film camera for this shoot, adding an element of mystery to the shoot not knowing what the film would look like, but shooting film is worth it for the thrill of seeing it come out better than you expected.
Musician Peter More, Ft. Worth, Texas. Published in Rolling Stone, Flood Magazine and numerous others.