Artist Emily Hyde

Emily Hyde is an award-winning artist. If you look at her stunning prints, you'll see why. You can view images of her lovely drawings, prints, and etchings here and here and here.

You'd think, from meeting her, that she was Scandinavian. But in truth, she hails from Estacada, Oregon. I had the privilege of photographing her in the letterpress studio at Pacific NW College of Art recently.





Next time you need editorial photography in Portland, call us!

Slideluck Potshow on Saturday

PhotoLucida is going very well. And I was just notified that my work will be in the Portland Slideluck Potshow this Saturday, April 25. Come! Here's the lowdown:

The space is amazing. The slideshow is world-class. The weather is looking good. Both our master of ceremonies and our disc jockey are geniuses. The potluck will be off the hook. The crowd will be hot. And the afterparty is but a few steps away.

All that is missing is you and yours. Come join us on Saturday, April 25th, for night for an unforgettable multimedia slideshow and potluck dinner.

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW PDX III
Saturday, April 25, 2009
7pm Potluck | 9pm Slideshow
Sandbox Studio | 420 NE 9th Avenue | Portland, OR 97232 | http://sandboxstudio.com

RSVP Strongly Suggested: http://network.slideluckpotshow.com/events/slps-portland-iii
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=60422528982&ref=ts

Keep in mind that this is a potluck, so bring on that big pot of Hoppin’ John, those scrumptious little dumplings, that crunchy green papaya salad, those Krismer Family nachos, that spicy eggplant lasagna, or those red-velvety cupcakes. And please don’t forget a bottle of wine or some ice cold brew.

What makes this show unique is our collaboration with the participants of Photo Lucida. We want to extend a special invitation to everyone who’s come into town for the portfolio review. If you are not able to contribute to the potluck, which is understandable, you may be asked to make a small donation. In any case, it’s only an 8-minute cab ride, a 27-minute walk, or 15-minute bus ride across the Burnside Bridge. http://maps.google.com

Lydia

A couple of classic shots from a studio shoot this week. The photo session was even more interesting when I learned that the model, Lydia, is married to a Moroccan. Since we've both been there recently, we talked about Morocco as we worked, and about the 5 or 6 languages she speaks, and the 5 or 6 jobs she holds.

Chloe

Good light has been in short supply while I've been in England. Most days the skies are a blank gray canvas covering the city. But. . .when the light is good, it's very good.

Skeleton at DaVinci

Selected images from the series Skeleton in the Closet will be on display at Portland's DaVinci Arts Middle School from November 13-December 8. These photographs (including new work recently completed) will be in the Library, and in display cases around the school. It will also be on display during the annual DaVinci Arts Fair.

During this month, I will be teaming up with their counselor to host 6 different small group discussions about eating disorders, art, and whatever else their brilliant adolescent minds come up with. Should be interesting!

Faces and Facades

Faces and Facades: London, Kenya, Israel

England, Kenya, Israel. Three continents, three cultures, three weeks.

While my work in these places was to photograph those I was there to serve (a medical relief team), my eye was constantly drawn to the local faces and façades.

Whether in Kenya, where the mud structures that have been built for millenia may begin to crumble in a few years; or London, where history crowds each street with magnificent stonework; or Israel, where rubble and ruins signify over 5000 years of culture; wherever you turn you see the texture of civilization.

In among these vestiges of the past, faces reveal themselves: at Hell’s Gate, in Ceasarea Philippi, the adolescent children of a kibbutz giggle and run rampant. In the slums of Eldoret, a woman caring for poor children speaks softly of her endeavors as she shows me her tiny schoolhouse. In Covington Garden, a young girl peers through the crowd at a street performer’s shtick.

While this is a disparate collection of images, there is the common element of the present interacting with the past: my feet on the Roman mosaic of Bet She’an, or a Kalingen elder draped in furs, or a Jewish man at the Wailing Wall with tallit and phylacteries talking on his cell phone. Past and present, stone and flesh, young and old, faces and façades.

Click here to view the gallery.

Be Nourished

Today I am hanging a brief show, in collaboration with Be Nourished, for their open house. Come by Friday, April 20, from 4-7 pm, to see some work and eat some yummy food. I'll be there. The work should be up for a week or so, so stop by later if you can't today. If you can't come by at all, you can view the work online as well.

Be Nourished is located at 3808 N Williams, Suite F, in Portland.

You can also meet the women that run Be Nourished, providing wholistic help to those struggling with eating disorder and body image issues.

Talitha Koum

A photo for the day: really a combination of photography and encaustics, which is an ancient form of painting involving beeswax, pigment, and mixed media. You can see more in this series here.

The RACC Grant...

Back in August I applied for a visual arts grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC). It was the first real grant I've applied for, requiring extensive preparation, a couple classes, lots of thought, calculations, and organization. You submit all of this, along with samples of your work, and then you wait. Three to four months. Wondering if you should be making plans for the following year, but not quite sure.

Well, I got home from rock climbing this afternoon, opened the mail, and...I got the grant.

I applied so I could pursue the documentary work on eating disorders (see posting below on anorexia and bulimia) which I began this past year. I have some goals set out in the grant, which need to be met by the end of 2007. Now I can (once the holidays pass...) jump in and get moving. Pretty exciting stuff. Can't wait to show you what I come up with.

Getting a grant is exciting and moving, not just to have the money to work with, but moreso to have the recognition from people you respect. It's more of a pat on the back that says, "What you're doing is valid and important. Keep moving."

A grant also seems to give validity to others that what you're doing is bonafide, genuine. I hope it might open some other doors as I move forward. Stay tuned.

Laura's Silvery Eyes

I love watching people, and faces are what make my artistic boat float. Last week I met Laura, who works at Print Arts Northwest (a wonderful gallery in Portland's Pearl District), and decided I ought to include her in my Women's Faces portrait series (which just became a series, because this is the second one shot in the same style). (See this post for another.) She's a novelist, and she's the same age as me. I haven't decided which of these 2 is more striking; leave me a comment, and tell me what you think:

Anorexia and Bulimia

I've been working for almost 2 years now on a photographic project about anorexia and bulimia. I'll give the overview of the project another time. For the moment, though, I have some new images about which I'm excited, and wanted to post one or two to share. There's nothing like having something beautiful in your back pocket, with no one to show it to....



The above image is new. This young lady, in our interview, shared how she both wants to garner attention by being the skinniest, most flexible dancer in her studio, while at the same time hates to garner attention from people concerned about her weight. A true Catch-22.
If this is something you struggle with, and you live in Portland or the Pacific NorthWest, I would like to talk with you. Please contact me; I would like to know your story, and consider including you in this project.
Alternately, if you have a strong interest in this subject as a writer or publisher, I would also be interested in talking with you. While I will soon be in the process of showing the work to publishers, I am open to discussing the matter with all interested parties.
More work in this continuing series may be seen on my fine art website, under the title Skeleton in the Closet.

The Catcher

Heritage High School in Vancouver is new, and massive. In the early morning light, the 3 baseball fields glisten with the dew on the grass and the fine layer of spiderwebs that cover every inch of the ground. Our breath glows in front of our faces as if we were smoke-breathing dragons.

Into this scene steps James, varsity baseball catcher for the Timberwolves. We fire away, imagining this photograph reproduced one day in Sports Illustrated, when James has his own trading cards, screaming fans, and pennants.

As one of the premier Vancouver senior portrait photographers, I love portrait sessions like this!

Grace's Portland Portrait Photographer

I've known Grace since she was in the 7th grade. She was going to DaVinci Arts Middle School while I was there working on a photographic project on adolescence. One day I looked out the classroom window and saw Grace down on the swingset, wearing a pearl necklace and jeans and Converse, looking a little melancholy under the gray skies. I told her to stay there, while I grabbed my big wooden field camera, and raced out to photograph her. Later that day I discovered that Grace and her friend were supposed to have been in class at that time, and they spent a little time in the principal's office as a result.

On the upside, the portrait I took of Grace on the swingset made the final cut, and was published last January in LensWork Magazine.

So it was a delight to have opportunity to take some new portraits of Grace yesterday at Mt Tabor park. Here's a favorite:


I'm pleased to say that, in spite of her time in the principal's office in middle school, Grace is now the student body president at Franklin High School. Pretty cool.

View more of my Portland portrait photographer portraits at www.fritzphoto.com!

Amanda the Cellist--Portland Senior Portrait Photographer

Well, I've only included one photo of Amanda with her cello here, but she does play one...

We photographed Amanda's Portland senior portrait photography at the amazing Leach Botanical Garden.  
 
Such a gorgeous venue for her senior portrait photography!

Natalie's Portland Senior Portrait Photographer

On Wednesday I had a portrait session scheduled with a young lady who is the younger sister of someone I had photographed a few years back. I waited at the Washington Park Rose Gardens for her to show up, enjoying the warm sunlight and the scent of the roses. After a while, her mom walks up to me, and asks if they might reschedule their portrait session for a few days later. It turns out that there was a little relationship trouble that day in her daughter's life, and she just wasn't up for it. So I went over to the car to talk to the daughter.

I wish I could have photographed her right then, with tears streaming down her face, dripping onto her shirt. It's hard to concoct a good crying picture, and this was the real thing. But, even though I'm a guy, I do have enough working radar to be able to detect when is a good time to ask for such things, and when not to. This was a definite 'not to'. So we rescheduled for today.

And it was worth doing so. Natalie is about as easy to photograph as they come. Here are some favorites:







Natalie is such a beautiful high school senior!  Hailing from Jefferson High School in Portland, she made for some stunning Portland high school senior portraits!

Meg's Portland Senior Portrait Photographer

High school senior portrait photos in Portland are just an excuse for me to take some really cool photos of cool young people, such as this young lady from Lake Oswego. That's how I look at them, anyhow. Instead of me having to go and find models/subjects to shoot, they come to me....

Stassia's Portland Senior Portrait Photography

High school senior portrait photos can be rather dull and repetetive. That is, if you go to a studio that manufactures them like the Chinese manufacture plastic toys. I try to keep mine fresh and interesting, and try to do something different every time. This includes interesting lighting, which I got by the boatload yesterday: the sun shining off the Willamette River across from downtown Portland made for wonderful light. Interesting lenses also help, and this portrait includes one of my secrets:


Would you believe that Stassia actually wears braces?  We removed them for her.



See these senior photos and more of the best Portland portrait photographers at www.fritzphoto.com!