Photographing an Artist

Artists are a unique breed of person because we are passionate about our work and the way we see the world. We will stand up for each other, but will also "move" around each like two novice dancers who have no idea who is supposed to lead, or who is supposed to follow because you're afraid to step on toes and hurt someone else's feelings.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph a friend and fellow artist, Kobi Baker who is based in Houston, Texas. I've known Kobi for almost 5 years, and while I have photographed him in a variety of styles and settings, our latest project was the most exciting, because it was radically different from what either of us had done in the past. The goal was create an image that would describe Kobi without using words, an image that would show the artist at work.

We threw a few ideas around, but one in particular stuck. Kobi would create an acrylic painting, and I would photograph the artist and his work together. The idea seemed innocuous enough. A couple of months had gone by when Kobi sent me a text saying the painting was finished and asking when the shoot was scheduled for! Needless to say I was stumped. The problem wasn't so much the "when", as the "where"! I was to photograph Kobi in front of his art while a 3rd person poured paint over him. I had no idea of a location that had tall ceilings, had a floor that we could potentially knock a can of paint onto, and was big enough to set up lights in such a way that it didn't look the image didn't end up looking as though it had been photographed in a cave. The MFAH came to mind, but I immediately discounted that idea.

"Untitled"

I contacted a couple of Houston artists and art organizations without success. Some people didn't even bother returning my phone calls. The Houston Art Alliance suggested that I place an ad on a bulletin board that many artists frequented, but while people read they ad, not a single person responded. As days turned into weeks, I realized that finding the right location, at the right price, was going to be a challenge and then I remembered that my fellow artist and colleague David Ayl has a studio located not far from downtown Houston. I shot him an email explaining what I wanted to do and within a day got his return email saying that I was more than welcome to use his place. The only problem was that while his studio didn't have a fully functioning shower,  it did have a tub and shower head that Kobi could use to rinse off the paint.

With the location selected, all that remained was to set two dates: one to set up, and the other for the shoot. I packed my FJ Cruiser with all sorts of photo gear and included some heavy duty plastic bags and tape so we could protect the floor from the paint and met Kobi and David at the studio.

One thing I have omitted in my description of David's studio is that  it doesn't have air conditioning. The humidity and heat in Houston is almost unbearable at this time of year, I knew that was going to be a hot job. As we unloaded my vehicle, the sweat poured from our bodies like water over the edge of Niagara Falls.  We moved David's tables out of the way, cut open plastic bags and taped them to the floor.

Next we set up the lights, set up light modifiers and I took approximate measurements and translated those to use with my Canon 5D and 70-200 Mk II lens.  Why the 70-200 lens?  The longer the lens, the more it compresses the foreground with the background. While I wanted Kobi to stand in front of the painting, I didn't want it to be covered with falling paint, but wanted the image to appear as though there was very little distance between the subject and the art.

Artist and Art

The shoot was scheduled for 10 AM the next morning. This was tricky. After all, once the "operation" started, there was no stopping or going back. We had one go to make this a successful shoot.

I arrived at the studio and David was waiting for us.  Kobi had brought a friend along who volunteered to climb up a ladder and to pour the paint over him.  After a few more adjustments to the changing light, we were ready to go.  Kobi knows how to respond to a camera and as I pressed the shutter, the dance began: lights, paint, movement, light, shutter, stop, wipe face, lens blur, shutter, light, more paint, check light, more paint... Before we knew it, the last bottle of paint was emptied and the last flash went off, but then Kobi had an idea...

The Pour Begins!

The Finished Product

The Finished Product

...could I take a photo of him outside? OUTSIDE?  Why? As we emerged into the hot Houston sunlight, me with my camera in hand and Kobi covered in paint, a Houston Police car cruised by.

Posing Outside

The officer probably just shook his head and thought obscene thoughts to himself.In the meanwhile, the paint was starting to dry. We ran the water for the bath that David had cleaned out and laughed as Kobi tried to wash paint off. That was a sight to behold after which we packed up all my equipment, loaded my car and I headed back to the studio to process the images.

All in all, a great day and a great experience, with some incredible photographs in hand, and special thanks to Kobi and David for an fun time.

On Your Own? Think Again!

It's easy to think that we are sometimes that only person who has a certain world view or is struggling to define concepts, or battling to make ends meet in this rather lack-lustre economy.  Yes, you can talk to friends and family about your life and the struggles you have on a daily basis, the disagreements you have with your bank or credit card company, but there is nothing quite like connecting with colleagues who are in the same boat as you are.

A couple of weeks ago I booked a flight up to Omaha, Nebraska on the urging of Ann Monteith an incredible photographer and past president of PPA to attend a workshop hosted in the town of Norfolk, Nebraska.  I wasn't sure what to expect at the workshop. I knew that I would have to be bullied and glared at by cold-hearted security personnel with room temperature IQs at the airports, have to squeeze into aeroplane seats designed to fit 5-year olds and endure the two hour flight to Omaha on teeny packet of pretzels with the possibility that some 3-month old kid would be screaming his/her lungs out the entire journey. While the latter didn't happen, the plane was delayed for over an hour.  I wonder if this is a sign of things to come with the merger of United and Continental?

I arrived at Omaha, picked up my car rental (a PT cruiser which handles the way it was designed - awkwardly) and drove into the green hills of Nebraska carpeted with fields of green corn. After a 2 hour journey, I found the hotel, checked in, rushed down for the "Welcome" cocktail hour (the older I get, the more cocktail hours I need!) and introduced myself to a few stragglers and made out way to the restaurant for dinner.  What a treat.  At table I sat with Bruce and Josh Hudson, a father and son team at Hudson Portrait Design. What an incredible team they make and they set me on fire with their stories of hurdles they had to overcome and tales success.  This was a sign of things to come. For two days, I "workshopped" and networked with 35 other photographers who insisted that even though the economic climate sucks, failure in business is not an option. After all, what else can a photographer do? Work for some cold-hearted jack-ass boss whose ongoing mood swings need to be controlled with bi-polar medication?  I think not!

The energy was intense. The workshops helped us design our goals, put systems in place for the next two quarters, overcome issues, tweak some ideas and plan for success. The evening were spent sharing our stories around a glass of wine, beer or scotch. The third day of activities was tightly scheduled as we met with graphic designers, web designers and marketing specialists back to back and who helped translate our ideas and dreams into marketing reality. At 5 PM we parted and I headed back to Omaha, NE and checked into a Holiday Inn (thanks to Priceline.com) at a good price.

 I spent the Thursday morning relaxing over a late breakfast and then made my way to the airport. I was so anxious to get home, that I boarded the wrong plane! How was I supposed to know that the plane I was seated on was going to La Guardia, NY instead of Houston, TX?  I mean, there I was comfortably seated in my teeny aisle seat, and the doors were about to close but one person had a ticket but because some people had switched seats, he had no place to sit. The gate official came up front and made an announcement for me to come to the front of the plane with all my belongings.  What?  Why was I being kicked off? I went up front without my stuff, and asked what was going on. The gate official asked if I had all my belongings with me.  Of course I didnt!  I wanted to know what was going on before they kicked me off. That's when I learnt that I was on the wrong flight.  Ooops!  I was a little flushed and apologized profusely. The gate official said it was their fault because they should've caught it. I exited the plane with my bags and ensconced in the waiting area once again waiting for the correct flight! Anyway, after a dull flight with well-behaved passengers, I was glad to get back to Houston.

It's easy for us to sometimes wallow in the fact that we're on our own and to underscore our aloneness by taking online classes or read books and manuals in isolation.  This experience taught me how important it is to get out there, to mix with others,  to share ideas, to listen to others and to surround yourself with people who know the taste of success and are happy to help you in your quest for success. The poet John Donne put it this way in his Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...