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Tales of a Portrait Photographer
Take a peek into the life of a portrait photographer. Here you'll find all kinds of stories and anecdotes as my days unfold.
Little Angels
Out of the flood, a newborn portrait takes flight
Did you know that angels are all around us? After what Hurricane Irene did to downtown Denville, I was thrilled to have a portrait session with this little guy. All the devastating flooding and downed trees just melted away and for 3 hours, we just oooohed and ahhhed as this little angel put everything into perspective and showed us how amazing life is.
Holiday Family Portraits
Tis the season........well almost
Remember the good old days when the family would gather around the fire to share stories and celebrate the holidays. A time before TV maybe? Anyway, I had my first opportunity to try out my new holiday set this week with a superb model from nearby Parsippany. We're getting ready for our busiest time of the year, so if you want to beat the rush for family portraits, come in early and take advantage of our early bird holiday offers (click for more information on Holiday Family Portrait Sessions).
The First Year
A photo essay of the life of a newborn
So we're well into my 12 month project with one of Morris Plains newest residents. The first year of life is truly amazing. The most changes, significant milestones and usually the most photographs and video footage taken in any single persons life. Once a month I'm visited by my little cutie and get to share in the many changes in her little life. Here are just a few photographs from her first 4 months.
Click here to see more images from the first 4 months. Incredibly cute!
Candid Moments
Those "in-between photographs" photographs are often the best
Yes, the double photographs in the byline above was intentional. I recently photographed a baptism service for a local Denville family. We started at their home taking formal group portraits in their beautifully manicured gardens. Then headed over to the church for the baptismal service. The photograph below was taken in super low light without flash or tripod while we were waiting to get everyone in the cars to go to the church. I love how she was spellbound by the window. Total calm while everyone else around her was rushing around getting ready. The graininess of the image, I think, just adds to the mystique and tells of the fleeting moment. The hurried capture. The calm.
Little Angel
Capturing more than just a photograph
A few weeks ago I had an outdoor portrait session cut short by heavy rain. Luckily we were only 20 minutes away from the studio, so we packed everything up and 15 soggy people headed over here. Having space to photograph that many people comfortably inside the studio is a real lifesaver. But despite the rain, we were treated to a rare visit by a beautiful angel that lifted everyone's spirits.
Quiet Reflection
Portrait of a musician
So after my post below about how difficult it can be to control reflections on objects within an image, here's a complete contrast where adding a reflection really brings some depth and life to the picture. This photograph of local musician and music teacher, Justice Welp of Just Music, was fairly humdrum until I lit the inside of the piano to get the reflection of the strings in the opened lid. Otherwise the right side of the image was just a large black foreboding blob. Adding the reflection brought a lot of warmth to the image. It also brought meaning and helped balance the contrast of the image. And before you scream Photoshop, this was all done in the camera.
Thinking on your feet and working out clever solutions to problems is just one of the challenges I love about photography. This picture was taken in a space not much larger than the piano itself, so with 2 people, 3 light stands, tripods, a super reflective piano that mirrored anything that was in the wrong place etc. it was a super tricky rubiks cube of a photograph.
You can check out Justice's website at www.JustMusicLessons.com She's an amazing violinist and piano player. I was definitely treated to the best front row seats ever - I'll post some pictures from our in-studio portrait session soon.
Product Photography
The high-tech scientific look
I had a particularly tough assignment today. No....not the usual kids running around, refusing to cooperate. Quite the opposite. This was a box. No legs, no arms, no attitude. Just a box. The problem was that it had many angles and reflective surfaces that would pick up reflections of anything in the studio. It was also near white and needed to be photographed on a white background. And finally, the unit had internal lights that needed to show in the finished photograph. The solution was to use flash to light the unit, a long 2-second exposure to allow the internal lights to burn in and then switch all the lights off in the studio and cover anything that was reflected in the glass with a black cloth. Black gobos were used to add the definition to the edges so you could actually see the product on the white background.
So, the next time you're thumbing through a magazine looking at all the glossy images, take pity on the photographer that had to spend hours setting up for that one shot. Or at least look to see if you can spot the photographer reflected in the shiny jewelry :)
The machine measures very small amounts of gas flow very accurately and is made by Bios International. You can check out their website here - www.BiosInt.com
70 Years Young
Senior portraits of a different kind
I had a really enjoyable portrait session with a young Denville resident. She was turning 70 later in the week and decided that one thing she'd never done in her life was have a portrait taken. So she decided to treat herself and stopped by the studio for a sitting. I could have talked to her for hours. She was so interesting, so feisty and not at all what you'd expect from the average septuagenarian. Her secret, she told me, was reading a good book every day and walking. Lots and lots of walking. Then swimming. She then went on to tell me about 1000 other good habits she has adopted over the years. I imagine that she'll outlive me, but my hat is definitely off to her.
Modeling Portfolios
The most fun you can have in front of a camera
Anyone that's ever done any modeling will tell you that it's hard work, it can be stressful, but at the same time, the most fun you can have in front of a camera. Most people are uncomfortable being the center of attention and being on the sharp end of a camera is definitely that. So why do most models enjoy what they do? Because just like actors, they can let themselves go, put themselves into whatever character they want and just have fun.
Broadway Playbill Headshots
Traditional theater headshots for playbills and auditions
I'm really pleased to see that the arts are still alive and thriving in Morris County. I'm not sure if it's a seasonal thing or if all the budding thespians are making preparations for another fall season of stage performances, but just recently our photography studio has seen it's fair share of Broadway hopefuls and local theatre groups looking for acting and theatre headshots. From a photography perspective it gives a great opportunity to use different and edgy lighting styles that aren't so common in routine portrait photography.
Communion Portraits
First Holy Communion
The dust is finally settling after our studio grand opening, so I'm revisiting some of my earlier photography sessions that have been skipped over. Here's a sneak peek at a wonderful set of Communion portraits I did earlier this year. They were actually my first official photo shoot at the new studio, so I was thrilled with how they turned out despite the studio very much being in a state of construction.
A New Day, a New Life
Sharing in a wonderful thing
One of the things I love about what I do is being able to share in some of the most precious moments that life has to offer. Few things compare to holding a newborn and realizing how tiny and fragile they are. Those early days pass so quickly, so being able to capture those newborn moments through photographs is truly wonderful.
Photography Studio Grand Opening
Denville Photographer, Mat Robinson opens his new studio
We had our formal photography studio grand opening on Saturday, and I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed. I never imagined that so many really great friends, neighbors and strangers would turn up to help us launch our family business. Amazing.
Click here for more information and images from the grand opening
Senior Portraits
Beating the teen portrait rush
Senior year is still several months away. You've got the whole summer ahead of you. Why not beat the rush and take advantage of the cooler weather and the greener scenery.
Dog Days of Summer
Energetic pet portrait sessions
This is a wonderful time of year for pet portraits. Everything is so green and lush and your pets are bounding around, full of energy. Schedule a pet portrait session and don't forget to bring your best buddy along on your next family portrait session.
John Mayer in Concert
Matt's Promise Benefit Concert - Event Photography
I've worked with the "Matt's Promise Foundation" for many years helping them promote their message and fundraising efforts. This year, John Mayer performed at their sell out benefit concert at the Cipriani on Wall Street, NY. The venue is amazing, the creative fundraising ideas and silent auction were phenomenal, and of course John Mayer was a fantastic round out to the evening..........click for more
