Mehran!

I know Mehran from freshman year of college which was a looong time ago.  Mehran recently popped up as Someone I Might Know on Facebook and I thought “I actually do know Mehran, and I would very much like to take his photograph!”

We reconnected, and it turns out that Mehran is big in the comedy scene in Boston -  very exciting!    And, even more exciting, he was super enthusiastic about collaborating in the studio.

Making Mehran’s portrait wasn’t so much making a portrait as it was being a journalist – so much was happening in front of me and I had to be crazy fast to capture it!  His energy was contagious, and I actually had a hard time taking photos because I was laughing so hard.  It was like Photo Improv – and it RULED.

This next photograph uses a piece of awesome shag fabric as a backdrop.  I think I am obsessed – I want to get it in all different colors and use it exclusively!!!

I know, I know, I am not supposed to use a wide angle lens for portraits but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

I have no idea what was happening in the next photo – I just really like the moment.  I also like the flaming orange disco background – also fabric, also awesome.

YEAH!  WE LOVE PHOTOS!!!

Another wonderful moment – and LOVE the scarf on the head.

This one has a very different vibe from the rest of them but I still really like it!

This last one is my favorite from the whole session.  Mehran brought candy as a prop and it was genius.  I’ve worked with candy before and I am reminded about how much I love it.  I am thinking of working with candy in my next project…. anyone interested in being a model?

Thanks Mehran!  It was great working with you and I hope we can do it again some time!

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And, speaking of Facebook, don’t forget to become a fan!

Mr. Ni$e and The KID

Mr. Ni$e and The KID are performance art DJ’s (I’m not sure how to better describe them!) in the Boston area. Of course I enthusiastically said “Yes!” when they asked me if I’d shoot some wacky promotional materials for their spring and summer gigs.

This weekend’s shoot was insane – they brought an entourage, costumes, props and a zillion ideas. We tried a bunch of different things and ended up with three or four different themes that they’ll be able to use for promotional purposes. The sessions (we ended up doing two – they came back after we broke for lunch with more ideas!) were super high-energy. It was the kind of shoot that seems to take three seconds because its so fun to do.

I am only going to show one shot from the day because I don’t want to give away their big promo reveal! I really love this shot because its organized chaos, much like the DJ’s themselves.

Egisto Shoot

I was very lucky to participate in this shoot last week. I am a teaching assistant at CDIA in Waltham, MA and the school wanted to send some students into Boston to photograph costumes backstage at The New England Conservatory’s production of Cavalli’s Egisto. I immediately volunteered to help the students as I am a huge theater fan. When I got to the theater I was thrilled to find out that I would actually get to shoot!

We had to shoot in a tight space but everything worked out perfectly. The actors were fabulous in front of the camera and extremely patient while we took turns photographing them. Working with performers is always fun because the collaboration between the subject and photographer ends up being theatrical, a vibe I like to convey in my photographs. The costumes by designer Seth Bodie were amazing – their bold color palette was a pleasure to photograph.

It’s hard to choose what to show you because all of the costumes were phenomenal. Here is a small sampling.

JoJo Portrait Session

JoJo, of JoJo’s Dreamcart and a previous blog post, came into the studio this weekend to do some promotional portraits. As usual, she delivered a high-energy performance that translated amazingly into photographs.

One thing about JoJo that I cannot get over is how perfect her teeth are. Look at them!  Perfect.

In addition to doing some more traditional head shots like the previous shot, we tried some fun and crazy poses.

And some fun (and crazy) faces.

Here is JoJo delivering the famous “Picture this!” line from her TV show.

The session was great. I think we got some good shots that JoJo will hopefully be able to use to promote her show!

JoJo’s Dreamcart

I had a great time photographing a taping of JoJo’s Dreamcart this weekend. JoJo’s Dreamcart is a children’s cable access television show that is filmed at SCAT in Somerville, MA. I was there to document the set and lighting design for the Special Effects episode, and apparently to have a ton of fun taking photos during the filming

I got to hang out in the control room with the sound and video guys during a portion of the filming.

On each episode, kids are guests on the show and learn how to achieve their dreams. Here is JoJo and the cast getting ready to film a song.

Cameras on, enthusiastic singing!

A photo of Ben, the episode’s dream expert. He does Special Effects for TV and the movies!

JoJo talks to the director before filming a scene.

The kids on the show were fun and super talented. They were also patient when the cameras weren’t rolling!

The kids being filmed.

JoJo and Ben joking with the kids.

Ben made this mask for one of the kids to wear on the show – it was awesome. It reminded me of Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi, one of my favorite movies ever.

For the Special Effects episode, the crew set up a green screen for JoJo and the kids to play on. I can’t wait to see the episode to see what they do with it!

A fun shot of JoJo with this episode’s Negative No-No.

Wearing the mask on the set.

After filming had finished, I had about two minutes to take some quick portraits of the kids.

I had a great time being part of the filming of JoJo’s Dreamcart. The songs were contagious, the kids were fun and hilarious, and I think the show will turn out great. I hope that the cast and crew all enjoy the photos!