Designer Thomas Pheasant at home in Washington DC

A couple of months ago I was being interviewed on the SAID podcast with Jane Dagmi, and at the end of the talk she asked me who some of my favorite designers were. At the top of my list was Thomas Pheasant. Ironically Jane had recently interviewed him for her magazine and I decided to put the wheels in motion to get her to connect us.

A chance trip to DC was planned for a family celebration and I decided to schedule the shoot with Thomas. Everything fell into place with a few short emails and I was all set. Driving to his home I remember being a little nervous, which is strange, I’ve been shooting high profile designers and clients for years, even stuck in an elevator with Giorgio Armani once snapping his portrait, but never felt nerves before. Maybe it was because I had willed this to happen and didn’t want to fail, or let myself down somehow.

All the elements I could ask for were in place, it was a gorgeous day, the sun was hitting the right part of the house when I pulled up, and to top it off he is a PRO. So my job would be easy. After a bit of chit chat and scanning the rooms for a good spot to work, I felt like I had stepped into his instagram feed. His home is everything you would imagine it to be, and it is flawless. Homes like his can create chaos in minds like mine because the visual experience is almost too much to take in, and the options for shots are endless. Luckily he had some great ideas, and the light in the front of his home was perfect, so we stuck to his entry and formal living space to maximize the light.

Someday I would love to explore the rest of the home, and document his space, but feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and photograph a design hero of mine. Thank you Thomas for the time, and sharing a piece of your home with the world.

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

Celerie Kemble

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.