It actually started with another favorite Client of mine, the Nonprofit Technology Network (who, by the way, makes excellent strategic use of the images I deliver to them).
I was photographing their big annual conference in Austin, Texas, and had scheduled an extra couple of days in that city, which I'd never visited before. But, when faced with free time, I'd much rather be feeling productive and engaged, so I reached out to the community to see if anyone else wanted a little photo shoot while I was in town.
And, during some of the final hours of the conference, Stacy Dyer of Trianon Coffee in Austin invited me out to do some work for her cafe!
Less than 14 hours later, she picked me up at my downtown hotel and we wandered out to the coffee shop, where we threw together a quick strategy and plan (over coffee, of course) and started shooting.
Amongst other things, we shot the full process of making a perfect french press and a pourover series:
We also took some seasonally-themed shots (totally out of season) to give them some options for social media and website images through the year:
Afterwards, Stacy took me out to some fantastic BBQ, to quell my post-cafe jitters (all those mugs of lattes have to go SOMEwhere when they start to deflate!), and sent me away with a few pounds of their excellent, single-source coffee beans.
Thank you, Trianon Coffee, Austin, and the pride of imagery that pervades throughout the massive state of Texas.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Finding Settings and Props On Location
I love taking portraits of friends and of people I've known for years.
With just two small flashes, two tripods, and a shoot-through umbrella, Felice and I produced a series of portraits in her home in Central Oregon.
I have known Felice since I was about 17 years old, when I became a close friend of one of her daughters. She has led a life of travel, and continues to enter and exit the country throughout the year. In the past, it was family and work that pulled her from place to place, and now it seems to be a search for the beautiful things and places on Earth.
Therefore, besides just being a gorgeous artifact, the globe, found partway up her home's stairwell, was a natural element to include in the image. I chose to spin it so that Indonesia shows towards the camera; that country holds a unique and special meaning to both her and I.
She holds a mala; similar to a rosary chain, these 108-bead necklaces are used in spiritual reflection, in meditation, and generally for decoration around Indonesia, India, and nearby regions.
The giant brown wall behind her is actually part of a root, representative of a significant piece of her personal past; how it made it into the house, I do not know, but when I asked her if there were any particular items she wanted to include in her portrait, she pointed to it. Given its grand scale, the portrait location had to be defined by the location of the root!
One small light is on the left side, in a shoot-through umbrella, about two feet above the globe, and it casts a glowing light on her; her white clothes reflect it back into the globe, which gives her a remarkable glow. Another light is on a tall tripod, perhaps 9 feet above the ground, camera right. That bare flash is aimed at the wooden ceiling, bouncing a warm fill light back into the scene from above.
The exposure was set to capture the flame of the candles, as well as the background glow coming from a large window. Incidentally, the maroon cloth in the distance is covering a TV. Electronics wouldn't have looked right in this scene!
There were many more variations on this shot taken, but this one I fell in love with, as it seemed to bring the past and present together; with her eyes shut, I see reminiscence and meditation.
When shooting in somebody's home, to me, it makes sense to gather items from their lives as the props in the scene. I typically sketch potential portraits before arriving on location, but beyond stick figures and basic layout elements, I choose to let the details be dictated by meaningful items. Before using an item (such as the globe), I always check first; you never know when a gorgeous artifact actually holds negative meanings for your subject, and you want to produce something that tells a story they are proud to share.
With just two small flashes, two tripods, and a shoot-through umbrella, Felice and I produced a series of portraits in her home in Central Oregon.
Felice In Her Home. Copyright Trav Williams, Broken Banjo Photography |
Therefore, besides just being a gorgeous artifact, the globe, found partway up her home's stairwell, was a natural element to include in the image. I chose to spin it so that Indonesia shows towards the camera; that country holds a unique and special meaning to both her and I.
She holds a mala; similar to a rosary chain, these 108-bead necklaces are used in spiritual reflection, in meditation, and generally for decoration around Indonesia, India, and nearby regions.
The giant brown wall behind her is actually part of a root, representative of a significant piece of her personal past; how it made it into the house, I do not know, but when I asked her if there were any particular items she wanted to include in her portrait, she pointed to it. Given its grand scale, the portrait location had to be defined by the location of the root!
One small light is on the left side, in a shoot-through umbrella, about two feet above the globe, and it casts a glowing light on her; her white clothes reflect it back into the globe, which gives her a remarkable glow. Another light is on a tall tripod, perhaps 9 feet above the ground, camera right. That bare flash is aimed at the wooden ceiling, bouncing a warm fill light back into the scene from above.
The exposure was set to capture the flame of the candles, as well as the background glow coming from a large window. Incidentally, the maroon cloth in the distance is covering a TV. Electronics wouldn't have looked right in this scene!
There were many more variations on this shot taken, but this one I fell in love with, as it seemed to bring the past and present together; with her eyes shut, I see reminiscence and meditation.
When shooting in somebody's home, to me, it makes sense to gather items from their lives as the props in the scene. I typically sketch potential portraits before arriving on location, but beyond stick figures and basic layout elements, I choose to let the details be dictated by meaningful items. Before using an item (such as the globe), I always check first; you never know when a gorgeous artifact actually holds negative meanings for your subject, and you want to produce something that tells a story they are proud to share.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Beth and her Traveler's Outfits: Palo Alto, California.
This is Beth. If you have been involved in Nonprofit Technology over the past few years, you have probably heard of her or been influenced in some way by her research and writing. Last year, while I was shooting a conference in California, she contacted me to take some headshots for her latest book. As a world traveler and speaker, she has amassed a lovely collection of outfits, and our shoot turned into a series of "Beth Around The Globe"! Special thanks to Steve Fisher for assisting on this shoot.
I am a terrible marketer, but I love talking to people. I'm going to use this idea to begin a brief brainstorm right in front of you, dear reader, that might help all of us become better photographers (or whatever your profession is) and help us all contribute to social good while earning a right livelihood.
Now, I am not a nonprofit, but I work with them and sit on the board of one at the moment. Using Beth's "Networked nonprofit" concept (albeit bastardizing it a bit to apply it to a solo-photographer business model), I am trying to conceive of ways to build my personal photography business. I am not a landscape photographer, and rarely an art photographer. I take photos of people. Therefore I need to talk to people! I love documenting social events and being asked to take portraits of individuals and organizations at work.
I need "in"s. I need invitations. You can walk up and down a street all day taking portraits of strangers, but it will be a long time before that builds into a paying business. Those people need to begin asking YOU to take their photo.
And my best connections always come from personal references and meetings. The blind email query works sometimes, but it's rare.
In the description of her book, The Networked Nonprofit, Beth states that:
Networked Nonprofits are simple and transparent organizations. They are easy for outsiders to get in and insiders to get out. They engage people to shape and share their work in order to raise awareness of social issues, organize communities to provide services or advocate for legislation. In the long run, they are helping to make the world a safer, fairer, healthier place to live.
- By being honest about the level of service and quality of work that I can offer ("Sure, I can be available to shoot a series about livestock. I need to remind you, though, that I work primarily with humans, and would need some assistance by someone skilled with sheep-wrangling.");
- By being upfront about what I need to charge for a shoot ("I'd love to work within your budget. Unfortunately, I can't go much less than $X, because I need to cover my operating costs.");
- Be being upfront about my intentions when networking ("Yes, I'm a photographer, and, by the way, I am expanding my clientele, and would love to work with you");
- By inviting my clients to take an active role in our shoots ("Can you provide an assistant from your community, someone who knows the subjects I'll be working with?").
- By allowing my images, whether commissioned or personal, to be used by nonprofits and quality organizations to further their causes;
- By offering discounts and trades to nonprofits and organizations that support causes that I believe in.
- By specifically searching out individuals and organizations whom I support, and pitching directly to them.
I have a copy of "Measuring The Networked Nonprofit", which brandishes a tiny little 1/2 inch square version of the first photo on this blog post. That was my first author photo on a book cover. Of course I bought a copy of the book when it came out (now I at least ask for a couple of copies as part of my contract when an author wishes to use my images). The social media aspect of the book seems foreign and unreachable to me at times, but nuggets have helped encourage me to become more active on Facebook, amongst other outlets. Twitter is still a distant tool for me, but perhaps someday I'll cave to it.
In Measuring the Networked Nonprofit, she writes often of working for the social good. It's honestly very challenging for any of us to donate time, money, or energy, or even dedicate brainpower to the larger societal picture, when we are not making a decent living.
In the past year, I have tried very hard to focus primarily on photography, struggle as it is to have a consistent income, and not revert to working on non-beneficial odd jobs. The odd job still has its place...the day of comfortable middle-class-ness is still a ways off for me, but I am working towards it, pulling up on those bootstraps (or slipperstraps, since I often work from my home office), thumbing my nose at the "economic downturn", and dedicating much thought to building my personal life in conjunction with supporting a world that I want to live in.
In an interview on Fast Company's Co.Exist site, she states that:
If you are either cash poor and time rich or cash rich and time poor, it is important to give. Giving your time to help a nonprofit, whether you are helping to sort food at a local food bank or contributing your professional skills to a nonprofit, can have an enormous social impact. And it can be a rewarding experience.Yes, I know. I will do more. On the financial down-season, it is tough to feel confident enough financially to even leave the house sometimes, but I'll do more of it. For social good and for myself.
And of course, there is Death Star Beth. Can't forget her. |
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Briana: Bend, Oregon
This is Briana. This is the photo that made me want to take pictures of people. More on that in a second, and on how I was overcome with the desire to take portraits.
After awhile, we became friends; Bend has a small and tight community, and potlucks abounded, which fostered many of the strongest friendships in my adult life. I always felt a little bit like she was beyond me, like I'd never be able to keep pace with her mind or excitement. But we spent plenty of days together, including many sunny Bend summer days in parks, Burning Man (along with 30-some close- and soon-to-be friends), and some trips to things like tea parties in Portland:
After awhile, we became friends; Bend has a small and tight community, and potlucks abounded, which fostered many of the strongest friendships in my adult life. I always felt a little bit like she was beyond me, like I'd never be able to keep pace with her mind or excitement. But we spent plenty of days together, including many sunny Bend summer days in parks, Burning Man (along with 30-some close- and soon-to-be friends), and some trips to things like tea parties in Portland:
Wings, sure. It was for a "Fantastic" tea party in Portland, at our friend, Romana's house, so...why not? |
When I had my very first art show, a display of my printed black and white portraits of the Bend community, it happened to be in the very same place that I'd met her, where she'd had her own art show a year or two prior. At the event, I set up some cheap lights and encouraged everybody to ride their bikes to the event. At least 60 people must have shown up to my "Bikeluck", and I tried to get a shot of every one.
I was thrilled and honored to have Briana show up; sometimes, even after becoming close to a person, you hold them in such high regard that they remain larger than life. To me, at that time, she represented things much bigger than myself...the artist, the tense joy of life, the hub of community, the person for whom everybody swooned. To see her there, in support of little old me, to hear her compliment my work...it made me feel like I'd graduated from some apprenticeship that I hadn't signed up for.
We watched the 4th of July fireworks one summer from the top of the same bakery in which we'd both had art shows. We couldn't actually see Pilot Butte, where they were being lit, but just watched the sky turn colors from behind the next-door building. We frolicked in Drake Park, the giant central green space in Bend, where everyone ran into everyone. She inspired poetry and photography.
She is now living outside of Portland, with a new venture, into which she has gone head-on. She's a goat shepherdess (is that a word?), and, despite being busy every single day with managing dozens of goats and using them to mow landscapes, she still finds time to dress up, to have fun, and to smile. I hope to get out and take some updated photos of her and Goat Power!
Thanks, Bri!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Cathy and Reid in Their Speakeasy: Asheville, North Carolina
This is Cathy and Reid, with a Mason Jar of what is definitely not water. In West Asheville sits one of my favorite bakery/cafes in the country, and Cathy co-owns it, along with Krista and Lewis, her business partners. I had the pleasure of working there for a spell, making pastries and wedding cakes (yes, baking is one of my other arts/hobbies/careers...we all should have a few of those). One day, as it turned out, Cathy hit the age of 40, and a party was thrown, in the style of a Speakeasy. I was impressed with how many people played the part, and played it well!
Working with Cathy and spending some off-work time with her, I enjoyed her work ethic and dedication to sustainability, but the fun that she had. I knew Reid less well, but loved spending a couple of outings with him as well, including a garden-tour-by-bike, which doubled as a progressive dinner to a few of our houses.
She asked me to take photos at her Speakeasy party, and I was very happy with how they turned out; a photographer never knows how in-character a community will be when asked to enter into an unfamiliar group of people, but from mobsters in fedoras to bonafide moonshiners (with bonafide moonshine) (don't tell anyone I told you that), everybody rocked the look!
Working with Cathy and spending some off-work time with her, I enjoyed her work ethic and dedication to sustainability, but the fun that she had. I knew Reid less well, but loved spending a couple of outings with him as well, including a garden-tour-by-bike, which doubled as a progressive dinner to a few of our houses.
She asked me to take photos at her Speakeasy party, and I was very happy with how they turned out; a photographer never knows how in-character a community will be when asked to enter into an unfamiliar group of people, but from mobsters in fedoras to bonafide moonshiners (with bonafide moonshine) (don't tell anyone I told you that), everybody rocked the look!
I love this one too! Is this the Charleston? You will likely see more of Ashley and Nate on a later post, as I was honored to shoot their wedding nearly a year after this! I also love bowties! |
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Warren Wilson Garden Crew and their Tractor: Swannanoa, North Carolina
This is Joe, Laila, Jenn, Melanie, and Micah, and Arielle in the next shot. In the summer of 2010, Kacy Spooner and I were working on a project entitled "Stewards: Stories and Perspectives on American Agriculture". We traveled to 24 states and conducted about 160 oral history interviews and portrait sessions. We spoke to everyone from agribusiness plant breeders to grassroots farmers, folks with draft horses, tractor salesmen, professors, and, in this case, students. In Swannanoa, NC, during the Warren Wilson College summer semester, we found this crew of five working on the garden/vegetable production plots.
We spent the day with them; we had just come from a series of large-scale commercial chicken, hog, and tobacco operations, and the principled contrast with which this crew was working was stark. Kacy wrote about them and Warren Wilson College in our blog at the time:
We spent the day with them; we had just come from a series of large-scale commercial chicken, hog, and tobacco operations, and the principled contrast with which this crew was working was stark. Kacy wrote about them and Warren Wilson College in our blog at the time:
Warren Wilson College is a well known liberal arts school near Asheville that began as an agricultural school in the 19th century. There is still a large agricultural component and we were lucky enough to meet the student farm crew who is running the CSA as well as the market operation this season. It appears as though we have arrived at some kind of farm utopia; everyone is young and beautiful and farm chores in bikini tops is the norm here. Jenn, our main host told us about the origins of Warren Wilson. Agriculture was top priority from the foundation of the school, and in the original mission statement there is even a line about city boys with their "diseases and attitudes" not being welcome on campus.
We toured around the garden which has an extensive herb section that students harvest to make teas and tinctures for personal use and to sell at the bookstore. The drying shed for the herbs was a small and beautiful log cabin with a kitchen in the downstairs and an attic that had an abundance of different herbs hanging from the rafters. The sweet smell that wafted over us was a mixture of lavender and licorice.Arielle, pictured above, gave us a tour of that herb area; it really felt great, with herbs in all stages of drying or preservation. Some more snapshots can be seen on the Stewards blog.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The Barker and Her Characters, Portland, Oregon.
about a werewolf and a small village full of frightened and distorted townsfolk. The One You Feed was written by J. Pizarro and performed as a partial-play, partial-salon-reading at Cerimon House, a fantastic small theater and troupe in NE Portland. The Barker was played by Gretchen Rumbaugh, the man/werewolf is David Buttaro, and the gypsy is Cecily Overman.
Cerimon House has hired me a few times to photograph their rehearsals and do some portraits; this was one of my favorites, with elaborate masks created by Portland artist Jane Clugston. There's nothing quite like taking portraits of actors who are not only in costume, but in character. While a business portrait often takes some work to get the subject to emote, an actor often just needs to be told, "you're sad." And then they're sad.
A few more shots of the townsfolk. I love this series!
The Sheriff. Cool masks, hm? Lights were lowered a bit to match the level of his hat brim, so I could get light both onto his eyes and onto the top of the hat. |
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