New Studio - Behind The Scenes

BEHIND THE SCENES

Some people asked me to post photos regarding the new JDP Studio in the Bronx.  Instead I decided to create a video tour of the raw studio so you can see the "before" look...lol.

Enjoy,
J

Portrait: Elements

PORTRAITURE

As some of you may know I am on the Board for a church in the Bronx called The Elements Church. We had a board meeting last week and I decided to take my 5D MkII with the 85mm 1.8 lens.  I had never brought my camera before to a meeting.  I thought I could capture a few candid photos.

The meeting was in the evening so the only light in the room was from the ceiling.  Basically the 85mm was living in the f2.0 area the whole time.  I snapped a few photos just to test out the low light capabilities of the lens.

So here are a few of those pics.  Yes, there was no flash used here.


Efrain is the lead pastor. Here he is testing out some new DJ equipment.  Yes, Elements has a resident DJ during worship service.  Shout-outs to Manny aka DJ NuMan!



B&W of Efrain - my fave



Did someone say Cannoli Cake?



Focused Celeste



Miss Denise


Erika was dodging my camera the whole night.  I finally caught her while she was writing notes.  That is what the smirk is all about...lol.



Of course at the end of the meeting she got all cheesey for the camera

Subway Story: NYC

   

While working on a photo project for a client I walked by this New York City subway tunnel.  With camera already in hand, I decided to stretch my arm out to see how far down I could get the shot.  It may look like I was on the tracks or by the catwalk but I was actually safe on the platform.

For all you techies I shot this at 1/60, f2.0, ISO 5,000.  

The image looked good in Lightroom but I still brightened it up a little.  Then I made a small version and placed it on my jPhone.  I opened up the "Plastic Bullet" app and applied this particular filter.

That is my Subway Story.

Family Portrait: Throwback

PORTRAITURE

My dad often volunteered with the Catholic Youth Organization.  One day they decided to write an article about him so they hired a professional photographer by the name of Ed Lattau (now deceased) who spent 90 minutes with my dad, mom and me.  He took pictures of us in Spanish Harlem where my parents were raised.


That's me enjoying the view


Here I am working on my handle


Here I am working on my hopscotch skills


Moving on to baseball


On to 2nd Ave


Two things are interesting in these photos (besides the clothing...lol).
1) I would not be able to see my childhood had photos not been taken. With technology that is a no-brainer for the generations growing up today.
2) Snapshots are cute with an iPhone or Blackberry but a professional photographer does some amazing, out-of-this-world imagery.  Being one myself, I can testify.

I encourage you to give your family the experience of a professional photographer spending time with you and not just go for the cheesy (yes cheesy) standard sitting in front of a cloth backdrop photo. 

Should you need assistance, please contact me and we can design a fun concept for your photo shoot.

Impressions: New Series

IMPRESSIONS

Recently I had a friend from out of town comment about how much she loved one of the photos I posted on Facebook.  She actually wanted to buy a print for her home.  The image she loved was taken with my jPhone (iPhone 4) so the reproduction of that image would not have been suitable for a print on a living room wall.

I emailed her the small jpg from my phone as a gift.  The next morning she emailed me back asking if I would be interested in photographing 4 to 5 original art pieces to go with her living room decor. She then went on to describe her apartment.

Commissioned abstract prints? I was down so I said Yes.

After getting a feel for the concept, I visited four different locations throughout the week to photograph. Needless to say it was a joy using my creativity to photograph abstract images which would fit the decor of her living room.

There were so many photos that were amazing. It was tough to edit the list down to a Top 28. Very early this morning I sent her the Proofs of the Top 28 images.

In light of all this creativity I decided to blog about one of the images which did not make the cut.

For whatever reason I really like this image.  Maybe it is the stones or just the coolness of the swirly lines.

This is the first in a new series I am calling "Impressions".


Impressions