Charles Manson's Relative

The recent news about Charles Manson and his updated photo made me think of John who came to my studio to take part in the "Unique" series. John traveled about 300 miles with his great big dog who he also wanted included in some of the photos, which I did. He said he was a cousin of Charles Manson.

Kou Hang

Yesterday I took photos of Kou who moved to the US in 2004 from Thailand. He earned his GED from Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning in St Paul. My client (St Paul Public Schools), is doing testimonial stories about its' graduates who have been able to made great strides. It's a great campaign by Brett Johnson over at St Paul Public Schools. People like Kou are very inspirational and it is great to be able to spend some time with him.

Mike over at The Online photographer was kind enough to publish a note about my upcoming shoot next Tuesday. (sctoll down to the previous post for info)) So far, I have 20 people scheduled. Here is the link to the OnLine Photographer.

http://theonlinephotographer.com/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html

Free Photos

After receiving numerous requests to shoot portraits of people for use on their resumes, LinkedIn pages, etc,I have come up with an idea.

Next Tuesday, March 24 I will be shooting free portraits for anyone who finds themselves unemployed. Immediately following the photography, which takes approx 10 minutes, I will make digital files that can be used for whatever. (hopefully to help find work)

If you know someone who can benefit from a photo, please have them contact me.

Free Portraits if you are unemployed
Tuesday March 24
NE Mpls Studio (I will email address)

Please forward this email to anyone and everyone

The Salvation Army Doing Good Work

Recently took a trip to Chicago to do some work for The Salvation Army. I spent a day with a mobile canteen that pulls up to areas where homeless people congregate and then serves hot soup and tea. They also will provide transportation to shelters and services if people request. (A family was taken to a shelter and a man, suffering from hypothermia, was taken to the hospital) The type of work that is being done by this group is so very important, it makes my work feel small in comparison. I am so lucky that I have opportunity and access to make these photos. Shooting under an umbrella in the freezing rain was easy compared to what they endure on a daily basis.

Alliance Housing

Just finished working with Alliance Housing on their Annual Report. Herb Frey is the Executive Director and Bob Bono works with all the tenants. These guys have a get-it-done mentality which is infectious. Alliance owns, and operates affordable housing for poor and homeless people. The residents are people on the edge who just need a window of a chance to get things going. I am not sure how Bob keeps track of everyone of these tenants, but he does and does it well. I work with several organizations who work in affordable housing and am a big believer in their mission. Can't imagine what it must be like to not have a place to live.

"Unique" Jennifer

Jennifer, who was a former student, came to the studio to be a part of the "Unique" series. She wrote many strong statements and gave me a choice. This is what I chose.

Dipping Into The Well

One of my models, who replied to my "Unique People Wanted" ad on Craigslist was a no-show today. Unfortunately, this happens about 1/3 of the time. I don't even set anything up until they call me from my building lobby and tell me they are here. (this is necessary anyway because of the funky freight elevator, which requires me to escort them up to my studio) This also makes the photography more spontaneous, which I like.

While I am at it, I find that the best photos of people tend to be the ones that happen early on in the shoot. Frequently in the first few minutes. I think this is the time when everything is possible and it is this feeling that comes through in the image. I know that many photographers prefer to spend some time with their subjects getting to know them before they decide what to do, but for me it is more instinctive.

As a result of the no-show, I am grabbing some low hanging fruit and posting a previous shoot. Here is Dan, who I actually photographed for "Prison Fellowship", but felt he was a good fit for this project.