Posts tagged ‘portrait’
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Last night I was watching the Golden Globes and just loved the two hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who kept me cracking up all night. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at a photo shoot I had with the two of them back in 2008. The assignment was a press junket for their then new movie, Baby Mama. Like with any press junket, I’m tasked with showing up to a hotel, this time the Ritz Carleton in NYC, where I’m given a room to set up and have about 10 minutes to make a photo. I arrived early and decided the couch and stairwell would be the best spot.
One of my memories of this shoot was the insane amount of publicists and handlers that accompanied them into the room. Typically celebrities have a publicist in tow, but this time I counted at least seven who were all hovering over my shoulder while I was taking the photos.
The two were very funny and super nice…of course I had to get my photo with them!
Darren Criss Portrait Shoot for The New York Times
Last week I got a call from the New York Times asking me to photograph Darren Criss, the breakout star of the Fox high school musical series “Glee”, to accompany a story about his upcoming Broadway debut in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
One of the things I love about my job is the unexpected assignments I receive usually on a moment’s notice. This time my editor called around 5PM to schedule a shoot later in the evening on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at an old-school diner near Darren’s apartment. It happened to be very cold that night, so I opted to take a few pictures inside the diner so we could first warm up a bit.
I met the reporter, Patrick Healey, and soon after Darren arrived joyful with a big grin. It’s always nice to work with someone who is very upbeat and talkative. Darren, Patrick, and I had a hot tea to warm up and chatted a bit before I started shooting.
When I have celebrity shoots, I always try to arrive a bit in advance to scout the area for nice portrait locations because often I have little time with those subjects. I’m always looking for quality light sources, as I prefer to take naturally lit portraits as often as possible. I love documentary photography and I suppose shooting natural light is my way of merging the two genres of photography.
After capturing a few portraits of him enjoying a ice cream sundae at the bar in the diner, we walked outside and up the block to a bank of pay phones I’d scouted earlier. I liked the nostalgia of a pay phone, but what really drew me was the light from the adjacent Apple Store spilling directly into the booths.
I hope I cross paths Darren again in the future…until then, break a leg on Broadway!
From The Archives: Actor/Director David Schwimmer
I had a great shoot a few months back with actor David Schwimmer of FRIENDS fame for a New York Times article. These days he’s directing movies and living in Manhattan with his wife and his new baby daughter.
Anyhow, as usual I wasn’t given much information about what or where I could or couldn’t shoot because my editors are working with his publicists. In general, the more people it takes to schedule a shoot, less information makes it’s way to me. Par for the course. I was simply told to meet David at the 92Y Tribecca.
Because I didn’t know exactly where I could shoot or how much time I’d have to bang out a portrait, I enlisted the help of my friend and fellow photographer Charles Ludeke. We arrived about 20 minutes early and checked out the neighborhood around the 92Y and quickly found a nearby location with a pedestrian bridge over the West Side Highway and a street with very little foot or car traffic. I took a few test shots of Charles before we headed back to the rendezvous where we were to met up with David.
Once David arrived, he was entirely friendly, non-rushed, and talkative. We really hit it off as his wife is also a photographer and we had a nice and somewhat geeky conversation about camera gear. He’s now familiar with DSLR cameras, using them for some of his productions.
For the most part, all the portraits I took were natural light with an extremely shallow depth of field. I used the city, streets, buildings, and bridge as a backdrop. I did break out a strobe (Canon 580) for one setup, but it was very simple. In fact, my assistant Charles became a human light stand and held the light for me.
All and all, I had a nice time and productive shoot. A few weeks before David had his new baby, he kindly invited me out to lunch to a restaurant in Greenwich Village. Not surprisingly he’s a great guy and just as friendly as he seems on the big screen.
David Schwimmer – Images by Robert Caplin
American Idol’s Katherine McPhee
Last week the LA Times hired me to take some portraits of Katherine McPhee, a former American Idol contestant who’s now gone into acting on top of singing/songwriting. I was given 15 minutes with her in her dressing prior to her appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly to promote her new movie “The House Bunny.”. Typically when I shoot celebrities, I’m given anywhere from 5-15 minutes to make a pretty picture….and this was no different. Fortunately, though, Katherine is still young and new to the world of celebrity, so the session was pretty laid back and fun.
Check out the LA Times Article here.
Here are a few pics from the shoot:
This was my personal favorite from the shoot.
The shot the LA Times chose online
We did a couple white wall shots.
I liked the monochromatic feel of her dress against the wall.
I have this effect on women… 
How it ran in print.
Alec Baldwin Makes a House-Call
I got a call from the LA TImes asking me to shoot a portrait of Alec Baldwin a few weeks back for the cover of their “Envelope” special section….a section about the Emmys. Alec got nominated. Anyhow, they wanted to shoot somewhere private and asked If I had a studio, which I dont, but I suggested my backyard and the deal was set; Alec Baldwin coming over to my apartment for a photoshoot! Wild!
Turned out he canceled the shoot when he got here because he was too hot. So we did a reshoot a few days later in the Hamptons.
*****READ THE LA TIMES ARTICLE….it talks about his sweaty experience at my apartment at the beginning, middle, and end!!!
LA Times Envelope cover
Alternate
Alternate
Buddy Noah posing in one of the would-be shots if Alec had shot in my backyard
Alec and me in my backyard.
