Studio Time with Nelly

Nelly

Me

Nelly & Me

...because she's such a beautiful model!

Baltimore Magazine, October 2010

Opener for "Behind The Gilt Curtain" article

Shot for the "Home" special edition section of October's issue of Baltimore Magazine, this article featured three homes belonging to a more private area of Baltimore called Guilford.  Each home is featured on the "Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage", an annual tour of the Guilford neighborhood.  The images used in the opener (above) is from the home of Maliene Wajer, an antiques dealer with an absolutely gorgeous home in the area.  Her house is filled with the most amazing collection of beautiful antiques, furniture, books, artwork, and taxidermy.  I could spend years photographing the things in her house and find something new and interesting every day.  Click the jump for more stuff from the Wajer house and shots of other homes featured in the article....

Spro Cafe

Jay Caragay, owner of Spro Cafe in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood, for Baltimore Magazine (October 2010 issue):

Above is my favorite image from the shoot.  I loved the light and the layering of the reflection in the window.  The image was going to appear fairly small in the magazine though, so it wouldn't have translated in print very well.  Here's the shot they ended up using:

Jay Caragay in front of his coffee shop, Spro.

Although I didn't try any coffee while I was there, I'm looking forward to going back and getting a cup.  Apparently, they list five to eight varieties beans and brew using one one of seven methods.  According to the article (by Martha Thomas), the "baristas receive more than 100 hours of training".  The prices range from $2 a cup, for your basic variety, and all the way up to $13 for special blends.  I'm thinking of saving the $13 special blend for one of those particularly rough mornings....

Model Test: Kelly and Anthea

These are from a quick model test for something big in the works:

Kelly Grassia

Anthea Thurston 

Anthea Thurston

Can't say much about what it's for yet, but stay tuned....

Little Howlin' Wolf

Saturday July 17th, 2010, the second day of Artscape.

Artscape is an annual arts and music festival that takes place here in Baltimore during the seemingly hottest, humid-est weekend of the year.  It can be a great place to photograph some of Baltimore's best artist's at their worst, and vice versa.  This year, I thought it would be fun to bring along my Hasselblad and a polaroid back loaded with expired instant film.  Which was great, except for one thing:  I only took one shot.

Little Howlin' Wolf, Baltimore MD

This guy was playing on the corner of Preston and Charles Street, what could be considered as the "outskirts" of the Artscape festival.  Typically when shooting around a festival with a camera like this, people don't mind having their picture taken.  Not this guy.  After clicking the shutter, he immediately stopped playing and

"Why don't you put some money in the case, man?  I'm trying to make a living out here"

"Oh, of course, here you go" (I put a dollar in).

"You don't know who I am.  I don't know who you are......"

"I'm Cory" I interrupt, shoving my hand out for a handshake before he can start on a rant. "Nice to meet you."

"They call me Little Howlin' Wolf.  I got a lot of names.  Some people call me Deacon Blue.  You know, like the Steely Dan song?"

"Oh, hell yeah."

"What are you taking pictures for, anyway?"

"Well, I'm a photographer.  I do mostly editorial work...."

"Oh yeah?" Interrupting me this time, saving me from giving him the usual spiel.  "What publications?  I got a lot to say, I've been around the world, man.  I've been in all kinds of magazines, newspapers...."

He goes on his own spiel, seemingly eager for the press but also appreciative of the attention.  He tells me about playing around the world, places he's been and about his time in Baltimore, and although I'm listening patiently I can't help but feel like I've fallen through a trap door to this guy's damaged monologue.  This shaggy, shirtless, sweaty saxophone player, down on his luck with delusions of former and mistaken grandeur.  I'm not too quick to judge, but I'm not foolish enough to be unwary of strange and potentially dangerous people I run into on the street, either.

Before leaving him to join up with the folks I'd left behind to take his photo, he gave me his address (so I could send him a print) and made sure that I would use the name "Little Howlin' Wolf".  Since I'd taken a polaroid (which I had no plans to reproduce nor explain), I asked him if I could take one more shot of him playing, only this time with my digital camera:

In front of the old Wachovia building, with an O'Malley sticker and reflections of row houses in the background.

Two days later, I couldn't help but wonder if there was some element of truth in some of what he had to say, so I googled "Little Howlin' Wolf".... 

His name is James Pobiega, he's (mostly) out of Chicago and as it turns out he's about as famous as an underground street musician can get, maybe more so.  He's been around the world, has some albums out, and has been written about and reviewed numerous times.  The guy has his own IMDB page, as well as his own MySpace page.  When he's not playing as a street musician, his music is mostly real blues-y and lo-fi, and some of it can be pretty rough around the edges.  If you're interested I recommend going to his MySpace and checking out "Rose of Silence" and "Birds of Capistrano" first, and maybe follow it up with "Tears Were Fallin' Down".  I'm really into it, but even if i wasn't one thing is for sure: this guy is a total badass who knows how to play.

At our initial meeting outside Artscape, he told me he'd be playing at the Downtown Farmer's Market at Saratoga Street here in Baltimore.  So, two weeks later and with a few 8x10's of the above image, I met him there.  He was once again really more on the outskirts, which not only seemed appropriate but made it easier to hear him play.  I told him I'd heard his music online and that I really liked it, was really impressed.  He laughed and said "Yeah man, it's a lot different than what I play out here, huh?  That's what I keep telling these guys [motioning to other street musicians].  You gotta change it up out here, man".  I was disappointed to hear he's going back to Chicago either Tuesday or Wednesday, but I have a feeling he'll be back.  I've lived here long enough to know that "Baltimore" can be used as an adjective, and this guy is way too Baltimore to not come back.

As he packed up his sax and the prints I gave him, he said he was thinking about going down to play around Otakon, the Japanese anime convention held at the Baltimore Convention Center every year which was in full swing on it's last day.  He said he was going to go down and play some real "Wabi-sabi, man, Wabi-sabi" for them, which meant nothing to me until I saw it on Wikipedia later.  (Really, you should click the link). 

Before leaving, I had him sign one of the 8x10's for me.  It reads:  "To Cory, From Wolf".

2010 Baker Artist Awards, Behind the Scenes at MPT

Back in April, I had the honor of photographing behind the scenes at Maryland Public Television for the announcement of the winners of the 2010 Baker Artist Awards.  "The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund established the Baker Artist Awards to recognize Baltimore’s artists and engage the public in supporting their work. The 2010 Baker Artist Awards consists of two separate prizes, the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize and Baltimore's Choice."  The Baker Award "B" trophy is given to winners of both categories, and is an excellent prop for photographic purposes:

Keveh Haerian, one of the recipients of the Baltimore's Choice Prize, with the Baker Award "B"

The innovative application process of the Baker Artist Awards is simple - you register at www.bakerartistawards.org, create a "profile", and upload samples of your artwork.  And that's it.  There are a few guidelines, for the most part that you be over 21 and live in Baltimore (and/or surrounding counties).  As any and all mediums are accepted, the website enables applicants to upload images, text, video, sound, etc.  The only limitations are on file size and the amount any one nominee can upload in a 24 hour period.     

Up to three Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winners are selected from the site's applicants (or "nominees") by a private jury and awarded up to $25,000 each, to be used at their discretion.  As in, they are in encouraged to spend it however they see fit.  As in, "You're a pretty amazing artist.  Here's a boat load of money for you.  Enjoy."  Pretty sweet.

The 2010 winners of the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize: Richard Cleaver , Karin Yasinsky , and Peter Minkler (click names to view nominations)

The Baltimore's Choice Prize is a $1,000 cash prize awarded to up to five artists.  The winner's are decided by a voting system through the Baker Artist Awards website.  Anyone who registers on the site is given a vote, and more votes can be earned through further participation on the website (ie: commenting, voting, nominating, etc.).

The 2010 Baltimore's Choice Prize winners: Steven Parke, Amanda Fair, Keveh Haerian, Kelly Walker, and Shodekeh Talifero

 
CLICK HERE to read more about the awards, and be sure to check out the some of the other nominations!

Maryland Life, August 2010

Check out the "Art" feature in this coming month's issue of Maryland Life Magazine for a piece I worked on showcasing Bob Moore, a master weaver of Nantucket baskets.

Bob was great to work with, such an interesting guy and clearly very skilled at his craft.  "The iconic baskets he creates date back to the early 1800's, when sailors would return from the Orient with reeds, rattan, and other materials...." (-Mary Medland, from the article).  Space was a little tight, so maneuvering lighting was a bit tricky, and above all I wanted to be sure to do justice to his work.  In the end, the piece looked great and I couldn't be happier with the results. 

Mad Men

Last night marked the season premiere of the fourth season of Mad Men, a television series on AMC which centers around characters working at an ad agency in the 1960's.  A few weeks ago some friends hosted a Mad Men theme party where everyone attending was dressed in 60's fashion and offered martini's, manhattan's, and other such potent potables of the era.  I brought along a Model 180 Polaroid Land Camera and spliced a sync cord to connect a flash.  Here's my favorite polaroid from the evening:

The flash didn't fire on the first attempt, so there's a faint double exposure

The party was a blast, and last nights episode of Mad Men was, of course, amazing.  Definitely check out the show if you haven't, and CLICK HERE for some great 1960's cocktail recipes.

Cheers!

Nelly at the dog park

Couldn't resist. What a rock star.

Best Daycare Centers in Baltimore

-"The Kids Are Alright" article, featuring the best child care centers in Greater Baltimore, Baltimore Magazine, July 2010-

Had a great time shooting for this piece!  The kids were great to work with and so much fun to photograph.  I would start off as a sort of fly on the wall, photographing them as they went about their normal routines, but would inevitably end up running around playing games and trying to keep up, pausing only to move a light or compose a shot.

Thanks again to all the daycare employee's who were so generous with their time, and especially those who ended up being impromptu assistants- couldn't have done it without you!! 

Not all of the following images were used in the article, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Mount Vernon, Baltimore

When I take Nelly for walks, she frequently gets distracted by a scent here or there (usually by a tree or sign post). Here's a few things I got distracted by on a recent stroll through the 'hood:

Silo Point - Turner Developement

While backing up some files I came across some stuff I've been meaning to post. Here's some shots I took for Baltimore Home, a special edition of Baltimore Magazine. They're of Silo Point luxury condo's, located close to Fort McHenry in Locust Point. The condo's are the project of developer Pat Turner, who I photographed with his wife Jeanine in what was to become a reception area (if I remember correctly):

The building is, as writer Martha Thomas describes, "...a 1923 cement structure that once shot five million bushels of corn, wheat, and soybeans up and down its cavernous shafts each day, loading them on railroad cars to be transported across the country for Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM)." I found "cement structure" to be a pretty accurate description of the building. Throughout the condo's, structural elements of the grain elevator still exist and are incorporated into the design of many of the condo's. In the shot above of the Turner's, you can still see large concrete pillars behind them, circled by fancy floor lights.

Part of the article on Silo Point also featured some of the early residents at Silo Point, such as Chris Guarda and his girlfriend Andrea Lasner (above). They had this gorgeous red wall in their condo which turned out to be a perfect backdrop for our shoot.

 Also featured was Michael Cox, another resident who lives at Silo Point with his wife Cathleen. I also photographed some of the interior of their condo, which had these two walls of windows with a beautiful view of the city.

I'll have to post more of some of the interiors when I get a chance, some of these condo's were really amazing....

Baltimore Magazine: November 2009

The January issue of Baltimore Magazine hits shelves in about 2 weeks, so there's still time to pick up the November '09 issue. But in case you miss it anyway, here's a few tear sheets:



This was the "UpFront" opener, which is always a full page and in my experience has always been a blast to shoot. This month, B-mag featured Jeff Hinton, a tailgating Ravens fan so passionate that he opened a Ravens tailgating supply store in Westminster, MD. We got permission to shoot just outside the Ravens M&T Bank Stadium, and Jeff brought a bunch of merch from his store. (Oddly, the address isn't in the piece, so if you're interested in checking it out, here you go):

Home Gamers
400 North Center Street
Westminster, MD 211457

When we arrived, the light outside was ideal- slightly overcast, perfect for the small light set up I packed. But by the time we finished setting up, the sun was out full bore and we were pretty much shooting into it (towards the stadium). One of the things Jeff brought was a giant tent, which under the glaring sun made anything under it go totally dark and obscured. Fortunately, it had a silver lining on the underside, pretty much making it a giant reflector so long as I could sneak a light in underneath. It took a few more to overpower the sun and have a little control, but it worked PERFECTLY. Here's an outtake where you can sort of see what I mean:



And here's the Dep't. Arts piece, featuring Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, and her daughter Adia (who is currently enrolled):



The article was about four Baltimore School for the Arts alums, but only Linda and her daughter were available to photograph. The auditorium at the school is gorgeous, and we thought it would be a great place to shoot. For this shot, I played with some filters on the lights and the white balance to make it a little more dramatic, here's a better look at the shot they used:



And here's a shot balanced for the light available in the auditorium. Instead of using filters to make it more dramatic, I used them to match the available light in the auditorium. So in this shot, the background is actually closer to how it appears to the naked eye, in real life, etc:



I think this second shot is nice and all, but I'm glad they went with the more dramatic option. I thought it was much cooler, and somehow more appropriate for the Baltimore School for the Arts.

Last but not least, here's a few from the "Home" special edition section:






This was a piece on a "green kitchen", owned by the Plisko family in Catonsville. The kitchen was designed by Polly Bart, who owns Greenbuilders. The kitchen is energy efficient and environmentally friendly, and th Plisko's enjoy much of their family time together and were warm and welcoming in letting me into their space and their lives to photographs. It's too bad they could only use a handful of images in the article, there were plenty more!

Coming soon...

I'm getting to that point again where I feel guilty for not updating the blog more frequently. So to stop feeling like I've been slacking....

Just finished working on the Top Salons feature for the January 2010 issue of Baltimore Magazine, which went great! Got a lot of great shots, many more than what will be featured in the piece. When the issue hits stands, I'll post tear sheets along with some of the out takes and shots that weren't used (there are many - I shot a TON). Anyway, in addition to Top Salons they're featuring me as a contributor again. I wanted to use a different head shot this time, so here's what I went with:



This was shot while testing a lighting set up before a head shot shoot. Then I played with some of the post production techniques that have been so popular lately...

Anyway, that's all I have time for now, more posts to follow soon!

Hasselblad Polaroid Self Portrait

Shot with my 503cx Hasselblad and Polaroid 100 back. I love these polaroids- the lens is so sharp and renders the tones so nicely, but there's still that instant film quality. The film is daylight balanced and there's a combination of tungsten lights and sunlight in this shot, so there's kind of a cool mix of colors.

I also just got some expired Polaroid film that I can't wait to toy around with....