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Sunshine and shadow...nothing like a Shandy on a hot summer day!

As July 4th approaches, here is another of the American Stories portraits...

It's all about the craftsmanship...precision, ingredients, design, product.  Tommy Rotter, made in Buffalo and enjoyed in fine cocktails everywhere!

Another in the series of portraits shot for the 2004 elections...

Afternoon delight!

The man and the machines...It is a dreary Monday afternoon and Clinton is in constant motion as he deftly prepares another specialty coffee.  Inside Public Espresso's cafe at the Hotel Lafayette, the cold, dank afternoon disappears.  Exquisite coffee, expert barrista, gleaming equipment--you know you are in good hands here.

Octogenarian, humanitarian and idealist, Jean is a woman who values justice and equality in all of her interactions.  When she agreed to participate in this project, I knew her image would be strong and thought provoking.

Inspired by an American flag purchased at an antiques barn, I shot a series of portraits during the 2004 presidential election campaign.  Each subject was asked to hold the flag in a way that was personally meaningful. The resulting portraits remain some of my favorites and the series, AmericanStories, has special resonance for me once again this election season. 

I'll be blogging a number of these portraits -- some of which have never been shown -- in the months leading up to the November election.

I photographed this young woman, originally from Somalia, as part of an editorial series for Buffalo Spree celebrating Buffalo's newest residents. I was once again amazed at the grandeur of the outside portico of City Hall which serves as a perfect backdrop for people who call Buffalo home..

The "Of Men" series began as a response to the idealized and youth focused culture in which we live.  I wanted to create strong, black and white portraits that reveal the lines and the wrinkles that come with a life lived.  Young and old -- these faces have stories.  Knowledge, compassion and wisdom are not the only qualities revealed. Intensity, wariness, warmth and even acceptance are captured when the subject is, just for a moment, unguarded before the lens.

Garrett Green is one of the many intriguing individuals I've shot while on editorial assignment for Buffalo Spree Magazine.  Green is CEO of ONE ROQ, a company that distills and markets an American-centric, super-premium vodka headquartered in Buffalo, NY.  ONE ROQ has won numerous awards including a SIPS Awards Gold Medal and a Best of the Best Robb Report citation.

When I next met Green at my studio, he proposed that we spend some time creating new corporate images for ONE ROQ.

Green proved to be an easy but exacting client who knew his brand and had a clear vision for its identity.  We shot tethered and fine-tuned the brand identity as we reviewed the shots in real time. The resulting images illustrate ONE ROQ's strong, elegant and carefully crafted brand and, in the process, suggest the vodka's pure, refined excellence.

A notable experience...

I've been shooting tattoo portraits for quite awhile now, including some photographed at an earlier Trimania.  I've always enjoyed the stories behind the images people choose to illustrate on their bodies -- and appreciated the tattoo artistry as well. 

Recently, I was asked to photograph local chefs and their tattoos.  Phil is the young executive chef at Tappo in Buffalo.  His calamari and fork seem particularly appropriate given his line of work.  His is one of a series of "Storied Flesh" portraits that will be exhibited beginning this Saturday at the Buffalo  Arts Studio's Trimania .  Trimania is a fundraiser for the Buffalo Arts Studio and celebrates arts and artists in Buffalo..

I hope you can join the festivities at the 2015 Trimania on April 18th.  Check out the tattoo portraits in the Tri-Main Office as you enter the event.

Chris Schobert, the guest editor for the Buffalo Spree film issue, is universally regarded as a really nice guy and a quite astute film critic.  I decided to photograph Chris in two different styles and let the magazine decide which image was preferable.  First, I shot Chris examining a portion of a film -- a vintage porn movie, garbage picked some 30 years ago and doubtlessly PG by today’s standards.  Then, moving a bit outside his comfort zone, I shot Chris wrapped and wound in celluloid. The resulting images provide unexpected insight into the intensity that lies just below his mild-mannered demeanor.

Photographed in the underground "city" under Sapphoro's main shopping district, these "girls" were being shot at an open portrait studio.  Subjects choose wardrobe, hair and make-up, then came out to be photgraphed in the main concourse.  They were really enjoying themselves-- posing for any and all cameras that happened by.  Yet another example of why I love Japan.

Actual entrance  to the Fridge Door --a bar in  Hirafu Village. Run by a Canadian  ex pat, you have to duck to enter but once inside it's warm,  the whiskey selection is unrivaled  and the company includes riders and skiers from all over the planet. Kampai!

Only in Japan.  A stage, a performance space in the center of the most culturally significant airport I've ever passed through. A magical moment at the end of an almost mythical experience, another story waiting to unfold.

A widow, the lingering warmth of a bourbon kiss and a bit of folklore make for a memorable bar experience.  It is a  story I wanted to tell while photographing cocktails for a recent editorial assignment.  Bitter Revenge was created by Buffalo bartender Jason Wood of Vera at the request of a regular customer. He is one of a number of fine Buffalo bartenders, including John Karel, Tommy Lombardo, Adam Smith, Kerry Quaile  and Tony Rials, whose work is featured on this website.  Visit Cold Comforts (under the Portions section) to sample other cocktails.

From the archives of Buffalo Spree, Jessica Railey  See more work at the "47 Years of Buffalo Spree" exhibit at the Gyda Higgins Gallery.  Opening reception today at 5:30 PM.

The faces of people I meet while on editorial assignment often stop me in my tracks.  From farm hands to entrepreneurs, restauraters to engineers, each has a unique story.   Creating a visual equivalent of that story is at the core of my approach to portrait photography whether for editorial or corporate applications. 

October 15th is the opening of a new exhibit at the Gyda Higgins Gallery at Fox Run, "Celebrating 47 Years of Buffalo Spree Magazine".  Included in the exhibit are a number of editorial portraits I've taken during my years at Spree--some published and others not.  Opening reception is at 5:30 pm and I hope you can join us to celebrate Western New York's award-winning lifestyle magazine.

Innovative and visionary project that enabled the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian  Church to continue to serve the community and preserve its historic Elmwood Avenue place of worship.  The LAPC Memorial Hall has been converted into apartments that will provide income and reduce ongoing costs for the church.  We were hired by Port City Preservation LLC to photograph the model apartment (designed and furnished by michael p of room) as part of a collaborative assignment for Lafayette Lofts, Peyton Barlow Co. Inc., and the Buffalo-based firm Carmina Wood Morris.   More images of the Lafayette Lofts can be viewed in the Places section of this website.

Frits Abell as photographed for a 716 feature in Buffalo Spree Magazine.  I had shot Frits, a well known artist, arts promoter and businessman in both New York City and Buffalo, before.  These earlier environmental portraits told Fritz's story as an affable supporter of the arts and as an ardent advocate for his hometown of  Buffalo, NY.   This time, however, I wanted to create a more probing image that used only a black backdrop and available light from the large wall of north facing windows in my studio.  The resulting editorial portrait hints at an astute and complex man who has achieved much but is driven to accomplish more. 

One of the Buffalo bartenders recently photographed for Buffalo Spree Magazine.  Tommy Lombardo is a man of style, confidence and a certain sartorial flair.  When creating an environmental portrait, I try to use the setting, the lighting and the language of the subject to capture an essence of that individual in that  place, in that moment..... a sense of the character in front of the lens.

It was a late spring afternoon and, after completing a shoot for an engineering client, I walked over and shot a few frames of the nearby Martin Luther King sculpture.  The massive bust dominates the surrounding landscape overseeing a public park in Buffalo’s largely African-American East Side.

As I photographed, changing the angle of the camera, the face of King seemed to convey many moods: hope, anger, resentment, patience...belief.   I had not expected to be moved by the experience.  

A portion of King’s text from his famous speech is inscribed on a plaque below: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’

Public art, private moment, unanswered question...why are we still waiting?

Promo shot for a restaurant scheduled to open this summer in downtown Buffalo.  Although the menu will specialize in seafood, actual dishes have not been finalized.  So we photographed oysters, lobster and crab on an ice covered table...the chef was pleased.   The image is a tantalizing tease of what’s to come.

Rick Smith in his trademark cowboy hat strolling through Silo City on a blustery, wintry day--can anything be more iconically Buffalo?  Another in a series created for the "Facing Forward" event at Indigo Art.  Opening March 7.  https://www.facebook.com/IndigoArtBuffalo