"Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT", 2009, Platinum/Palladium contact print by Andrea Modica

Great news: Andrea Modica has a showing at Gallery 339 in Center City Philadelphia through July 21, 2012!  For fans of the “slow food” movement, let me recommend to you “slow photography”, which results in the same sort of intensely flavorful product.  In this age of speedy digital photography and “Instagrams” sent from smart phones, it is a rarified pleasure to view thoughtfully considered images.  Something wonderful happens when Andrea Modica uses her 8×10 view camera – the kind where she must duck under a black cloth to view her subjects, upside down and backward on a ground glass surface.

"Scuola Venturi, Modena, Italy", 2010, Platinum/Palladium print by Andrea Modica

The slow, interactive nature of her portraiture allows conversations and relationships to unfold, rendering them visible, and granting Modica the opportunity to capture elements of friendship in a way that is entirely missed while snapping quickly and continuously, camera blocking one’s face.  In this way, Modica has approached pairs of best friends in high schools in the US and in Italy.  Employing both a sharp eye and skilled judgment, Modica was able to reveal a level of interpersonal complexity and cultural expression unparalleled with a quick digital shoot.  And then there are the Platinum/Palladium prints, rich and textural in a way still not possible in any other medium but film.  This is an intriguing show whose images celebrate nuance.  I say, “long live process”!

“Christmas Solar Eclipse in My Father’s Hands”, Sanibel, 2000, gelatin silver print by Barbara Bosworth

For an entirely new take on the “environmental portrait”, see Barbara Bosworth’s show at the Peabody Essex Museum through May 2013.  Bosworth’s family members appear, dream-like, in the environs of her childhood home and various other places she holds dear.  Her images often utilize mere fragments of a person to invite a deeper meditation, concentrating our eye and thoughts on the significance of, say, her parents’ aged hands bearing their 50-year old wedding bands.  The presentations at first appear a disjointed collection: single shots, multiple-image dioramas, color and black & white, recent and decades-old images.  Upon inspection, Bosworth’s photographs form a cohesive whole whose glue is her magical and magnetic viewpoint.  Whether wide-angle or focused, all the images seem to share a feeling of serenity and suspension in time.  Her dusk and nighttime shots, while mysterious, contain delightful elements of light, such as fireflies, infusing the image with wonder.  Bosworth’s presence is so strong that it can be felt even in her landscape shots.  Her photographs are like a compass, always pointing home.

Forget those times when you were up all night with a sick baby, or the whining around dinnertime, getting stuck in traffic after yet another after-school game, or when homework never seems to end.  We really love our kids.  And we strive to celebrate that parent-child bond.

At every opportunity, we are documenting their triumphs (usually with the ever-handy camera-phone).

Well, just think a minute: when’s the last time you got a terrific photo of you and your kids together?  Consider this as Mother’s Day approaches.  Wouldn’t you like a portrait both meaningful and memorable?

Often, dads or grandparents can take your hint and call me to create a lovely gift certificate for a sitting that can be scheduled at a convenient time.  As if there’s ever a convenient time with kids.

“Apocalypse II”, 1967, gelatin silver print by Jerry Uelsmann

A comprehensive 50-year retrospective of images by Jerry Uelsmann is at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts through July 15, 2012.  The conceptual father of Photoshop, Uelsmann has been disseminating his philosophical views by constructing photographs with image components for over 50 years: positive, negative, geometric, flowing, symmetrical, asymmetrical, focused and blurred.  He orchestrates the components in a process he calls “post visualization”, wherein “the darkroom is, in the truest sense, a visual research lab – a place for discovery, observation and meditation.”

Untitled, 2003, gelatin silver print by Jerry Uelsmann

Describing the process as “my way of connecting to the world”, a Uelsmann gelatin silver print achieves a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts.  Sometimes humorous, often metaphysical, and occasionally political, his images are always stunningly beautiful.  For an extra added “oh wow” effect, visit the cubical with a film short demonstrating his use of four enlargers to create a single image.

"The Crevasse" by Auguste-Rosalie Bisson, July 1861 courtesy of MFA, Boston

Europe’s earliest photographers faced significant practical challenges from the sheer size of their bulky equipment to the portable darkrooms they carted with them everywhere.  Their elementary, home-made recipes for developing a print required precise preparation and no small amount of luck as they depended on intuition and hard-won experience to make each successful print.  The “Silver, Salt and Sunlight” show currently running until August at the MFA, Boston celebrates the pioneers of early British and French photography from 1840-1870.  Their feats of persistence are exemplified by Auguste-Rosalie Bisson in “The Crevasse, Savoie” (July 1861) on one of his several attempts to capture a trek up Mont Blanc.  One of just three successful heavy glass “negatives” resulted in this albumen print, remarkable not only for the awe it inspires, but also for its composition and lovely tonal range in extreme lighting conditions.

"Xie Kitchin Asleep on Sofa" by Lewis Carroll, 1873 courtesy of MFA, Boston

Primarily, this show provides a fascinating primer on the earliest photographic methods.  But there are some remarkable photographs on view.  I especially like the portraits of Lewis Carroll’s “Xie Kitchin Asleep on Sofa” of the girl who inspired his “Alice” and Julia Margaret Cameron’s “Kate Keown”, who embodies her painterly and idealized vision of childhood.  In today’s digital world, the fortitude and artistry of these earliest photographers inspires my admiration and respect.

A digital media marketer, the LinkedIn profile pic for WSK Photography, Marketing and Design accents both his accessibility and professionalism.

What do you notice first when you visit a business website?  Images, design, text?  They all have to harmonize in order to spark and engage the interest of those searching the web.  Including a dynamic and appealing portrait on your website highlights your marketing message; an effective photograph can reflect an aspect of your job, position and personality.  Most of all, your portrait should represent your character. My careful planning and highly collaborative style allow my clients to feel comfortable during our  photo session.  The result? A portrait that goes beyond a simple headshot to become an effective marketing tool.

Warmth of personality and physical environment are featured in the website profile photo of interior designer Anita Clark.

This LinkedIn profile pic for the founder and CEO of HipHost, a travel and leisure business, is relaxed and informal.

On her website, the founder of Back To The Workforce, a career consultant, emphasizes the collaborative and helpful nature of her business.

from "Oyeme Con Los Ojos" by Josephine Sacabo

Mardi Gras may be over, but there’s still something wonderful to see in New Orleans. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is currently hosting an expansive retrospective exhibit of New Orleans-based photographer Josephine Sacabo.  Working in a self-described “very subjective and introspective style”, Sacabo draws her inspiration primarily from poetry, ranging from the surrealist epic “Altazor” by Chilean poet Vincente Huiobro (c1920) to the myth of Shakespeare’s Ophelia.  I found the gallery “Geometry of Echoes” especially evocative and moving; dedicated to the memory of Sacabo’s mother, it conjures the images of a woman seen through the eyes of a 6-year old child, “impossibly beautiful as only the heart can perceive and remember her.”

from "Une Femme Habitee" by Josephine Sacabo

Sacabo consistently utilizes the alchemy of her French and Hispanic roots and travels to transform her ideas into mystical and allegorical photographs.  As NYC gallery owner John Stevenson writes of this exhibit of separate but connected portfolios, Sacabo portrays “the symbolist world of dreams and primal emotions, and drawing the outside in.”  Her originality and significance as an artist lie equally in her lyrical interpretation of literary muses and in the meticulous, stunning artistry of her photogravure and toned silver gelatin prints.  I came away with an enhanced appreciation of the importance of enchantment, in art and in life.

Following the close of her show, Sacabo’s work can be found at A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans, http://www.agallery.com/pages/photographers/sacabo.html

and on the artists website,  www.JosephineSacabo.com

What makes a great headshot?  The best way to prepare for a headshot is to understand the purpose of the portrait.  In addition to being technically outstanding, an effective headshot should portray a relevant aspect of your job, position and personality.  Collaborating with my subject ahead of our sitting insures that I produce an attractive and expressive headshot.

This headshot of Rachel Perry Welty was created by me to accompany her biography and samples of her artwork for publication.

I had to conform to corporate guidelines to create this shot of a medical staff physician. Constraints aside, it is an appealing portrait because it reflects his friendly personality.

In contrast, this portrait is more revealing of the surgeon's role and workplace. Like the portrait above, it succeeds in showing this doctor's personality.

No smart phone can create a portrait like this.

When grandparents tire of red-eye ridden, haphazard photos of their grandkids, shot on a smart-phone, they call me!

It's impossible to get a portrait like this when you're the one wielding the camera.

When an appreciative boss wants to reward her dedicated employee with a gift that acknowledges that working mom’s importance, she calls me!

Put the family back in your family portraits!

When a husband wants to delight his wife with a sensitive and astute anniversary gift of portraits of their children, he calls me!

Commemorate your special gathering with a distinctive portrait!

When families celebrate special gatherings and reunions, they call me!

There are so many reasons to give that someone special the gift of portraits they will treasure – what’s yours? For the month of December only, I am offering a special 20% off Gift Certificate for a portrait sitting that is redeemable for all of 2012.

Call (781) 581-0002 for all the details on this beautifully packaged and meaningful gift.

Fall foliage offers way more than gorgeous background color and lighting for portraits.  It provides the perfect playground for kids.  I get my best shots when my youngest clients and I get to fool around.  When we grab the opportunities as they present themselves, great shots occur naturally.