Wedding Portait: Empire State Groom

From the moment I found out I would be photographing Sarah and Jamal's wedding at the Midtown Loft I envisioned this kind of portrait.  Nothing says "New York Baller" like this.  Jamal is relaxing with a glass of wine and the Empire State Building in the background. 

Wedding Portrait: Yaritza & Eric

I love photographing weddings.  Not only do I get to capture one of the most memorable moments in a person's life, I also get to dance at the reception.  LOL.

Truth be told I do love wedding receptions.  And my clients will tell you how adept I am at photographing on the dance floor while doing my own dance moves.  :)

The cool thing about Yaritza and Eric's wedding was I had the opportunity to talk with them and photograph them in my studio before the wedding.  This allowed us to build a strong repoire with each other.  So during the wedding they knew I would take care of them and provide them with excellent and amazing photos.

Which leads me to today's photo post.  After the ceremony we went to Glenn Island to take formal photos of the couple and the bridal party.  One of my favorite photos was taken in the gazebo.  Yaritza and Eric are killing it in this photo.  It makes perfect sense why they selected this photo to be a 16"x20" Gallery Wrapped Canvas for their living room.

Headshot: Zion

As I have shared here previously, I have taught a few photography courses of the past year and a half.  So it was a pleasure when one of my former students asked me to photograph her son's headshot. 

I love working with artists, whether it be for album covers or headshots.  My first intro to the arts was an actor during my teen years so headshots are very familiar to me.  It also helped that I knew the family and had seen Zion in numerous photos already (on FB and Instagram).

As always I start off by establishing relationship with the people I am working with.  Zion is the same age as my nephew so I immediately took an interest into Zion's love of music and acting.  He is also the oldest of his siblings as I am too.  I reminded him that we were in Central Park to have fun during our 45 minute shoot.  He took direction very well.  And his smile is amazing.

Check it for yourself.

Portrait: Najah

Two years ago I photographed Najah's birthday party.  It was so much fun.  She and her friends really know how to have a good time.  Since that time I have photographed a few other events from those same friends.

Of course I love when my Event clients become Portrait clients.  Having Najah in the studio was such a delight.  She is a Fashion Consultant for her company "NajR" (Click name to see her FB page).

During our pre-production we discussed all the outfits and the color designs we would use in the studio.  Najah is no joke.  She definitely knows fashion and definitely has a great vision for consulting and events.  Of all my Portrait clients she was one of the most prepared.  Her clothing, makeup and hair were on point.

Check out this "Queen Najah" pose.  Tell me she ain't working this.

Portrait: Jacita

About a year and a half ago I had written down Jacita's name as someone who I wanted to photograph. I waited until I felt the time was right to ask her. Earlier this year when I did ask her she said "Yes," but with trembling.

Jacita had always wanted to do a shoot. It wasn't just for the photos though. It was to conquer the fear regarding her own negative self-imagery. In a world where the definition of beauty is so heavily influenced by magazines and models, it can cause many of us to question ourselves. "Am I beautiful? What makes me beautiful? Are people noticing me? How come my friends get noticed? Am I ugly? Am I not skinny enough? What do I have to do to be sexy? How come Joseph hasn't done a photo shoot of me?"

This is a real journey for many of the people I photograph (It has been for me too). They are choosing to be vulnerable with me. The degree of intimacy they grant me directly shows in my portraits. That intimacy & vulnerability allows me to go beyond the surface.

I am not interested in cookie-cutter fake photos. I am interested in highlighting the real person. The person underneath the poses and the fake smiles. Realness is what I desire in my photos. I guess that drives me as an artist.

As expected Jacita was a lil nervous in the first of the four setups I designed with her. Somewhere around the ending of that first setup she began to relax into it. From then on she really just worked it. All the pre-shoot conversations and preparation all came together. Jacita rocked it.

That is why I am choosing to share this portrait below. It is one of my favorites from the third setup of the shoot.

Big-ups to Jacita for facing her fear and getting some amazing photos.

- J

Portraiture: Alexis (Fashionista)

PORTRAITURE

From the beginning of our collaboration I definitely wanted to highlight Alexis' long legs. I think they look great and the white backdrop and low angle really accentuate them. There were loads of photos from this set but this is one of my favorites. :)


Portrait

Portrait: Lyndsi

PORTRAITURE

This is my goddaughter Lyndsi. I love her very dearly and was happy to bring her to the studio to have her very own photo shoot. She is growing into such an amazing beautiful young lady.

Here is one of the portraits from the shoot.

Portrait