I was contacted by an Arizona based company to make headshots for two employees here in Albuquerque, New Mexico following a very specific setup. Well, my usual lighting and shooting style matched the sample they sent exactly, save for the specific Westcott gray background they wanted. I ordered the gray background, which to my surprise felt more like freeze rather than the usual cotton material other foldable backgrounds are made out of. I really liked it as it was virtually wrinkle free right out of the box! The clients paid for and took the background with them, but I may order one for myself. This style gray background looks fantastic to me. It is bold and full of contrast. It also helps when Naomi and Noelle were on point in front of the lens.
Long-time photography client Noah Starer has made the transition from ceramic artist to glass artist in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It took me some time to figure out the technical aspects of photographing his ceramic work to his desired style outcome, but that time compared to how long it took me to figure out how to photograph this new series of glassware was well, incomparable. It took hours and lots of trial and error to get a shooting setup that minimized glare first, then reflections second. Most of the pieces were glossy and made of reflective glass, so you can imagine the challenge involved when you need to use off camera lighting to make them pop, and then stand in front of the piece of glass to actually photograph it. You can see the BTS shot of what I finally settled on as a shooting setup at the far bottom of this post.
Dr. Singh wanted new commercial portrait photos for his website so we met in downtown Albuquerque at the Albuquerque Convention Center. I thought we would mostly be using the Civic Plaza area as I had for another portrait shoot, but that was taken over by setting up for an outdoor concert. Part of being a professional photographer is being able to improvise right on the spot, so instead of starting outside, we went inside to the convention center. Having photography many events there, I knew a few spots that would work well. No one told us we could not make photographs inside, so we just went about it!
Luxury Home with Stunning Mountain Views in Rio Rancho
My photography work often takes me to nearby Rio Rancho, New Mexico, but never before have I seen views of the Sandia Mountains like this from a residential home. Step out into the backyard and there before you, totally unobstructed by anything artificial, loom the Sandias. Look to the north and south and catch a glimpse of the Rio Grande River. Inside this architectural home features those views from all the rooms on the east side of the home, with its open floor plan. Want to own these views? You have a choice of one night or forever as the owner does list this house as an AirBNB, but is also thinking of flat out selling it. If you value views, privacy, and an awesome home office space, this is the property for you!
Going to 1 Million Cups each Wednesday morning here in Albuquerque, New Mexico provides me with many opportunities on a weekly basis. A recent one was meeting Athena Christodoulou who is running for Albuquerque City Council. She needed new headshots and I hold her I make the best headshots in the city and have photographed many politicians at all levels of government. We had a headshot shoot here at the JCP Home Studio, then I proceeded to run into her at several other events, like the 2019 AFRL Awards where her husband took home an award. Thank you for choosing me as your headshot photographer Athena!
Lightning in Commercial Hotel Photography Albuquerque
Almost one month to the day I returned to the San Mateo Inn for more commercial exterior photography, this time at night! My first shoot was all during the day with clear blue skies overhead. For this second shoot right after sunset, the clouds were rolling in and a storm was approaching. I was working as fast as I could with my new Sony a7R IV mirrorless camera. In fact this was the very first shoot I used it for! I could hear the thunder and see the lightning, and in a happy accident, during one long exposure photo of the front of the hotel, I caught a sharp bolt of lightning! I got the remaining photos I needed of the pool and front sign, and was back home safe and dry before the actual rain started. Thank you to the owner, Yvette, for braving the storm with me and watching my back as we were very close to the road to get some of these shots.
Dentist Headshots in Albuquerque for an actor or vice versa
Elizabeth is a dentist here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but she visited the JCP Home Studio not just for headshots to make her look like a friendly dentist, but also for her acting career as well! We started out with getting the friendly dentist headshots, then moved on to getting a serious headshot for a dentist role. It was impressive watching Elizabeth change her expressions between shots! Then we moved on to headshots just for acting. Dental jacket off, hair down, but we progressed in a similar way getting some smiling and some serious actor headshots. If you need dentist in your next project, no need to hire a method actor, contact Elizabeth!
