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Monthly Archives: February 2009
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Shooting Victim: Woody Allen
February 22, 2009 – 10:44 pm
Disclaimer: Shooting Victims is a portrait series by Benjamin Reed. No subjects were harmed in the making of this portrait.
Woody Allen. The only celebrity thus far to match completely with what I had preconceived. Intelligent, quirky, somewhat neurotic, pleasant and insightful…not a fan of being photographed.
It was a tag team shoot with photographer Liz O’Baylen in Beverly Hills just as his new film Vicky Christina Barcelona was coming into U.S theaters.
The same hotel set-up as so many others. Less than 15 minutes to pull something together and you’re out of the room. We put up a black background to kill the omnipresent wall paper and then started formulating the frame in our heads.
My thinking was to observe and see what I could pull from his direction. It was going to be in the presence of an American film legend, it had to be simple and about reflection. Woody is getting older yet still cranking out movies as fast as he used to. He is a timeless product of American culture and I wanted that to show. I wanted to shoot for black and white and capture a pensive mood.
I focused on that goal and tried to just be in the moment. It’s a blessing and a curse for me as a photographer. I develop a tremendous respect for a lot my subjects through what I consume of their work. And my work begins when they come in. You put on a show of personality and confidence…like you know exactly how you want the picture to work and everything will be fine. You never let them pull an ounce of incompetence from you even though it my be permeating in your mind. You shoot like crazy and try to calm your nerves and you never really think about who you’re photographing until it’s over with. That’s the curse. The blessing is having a split second of their personality with you to share for eternity. It’s a powerful thing.
When I’m asked, "How was it shooting (fill in the blank celebrity)?" I often don’t have a good answer because I become so engaged in the process…making the best image I can and being as professional as possible. I know what they were like when I met them, how they treated me and others around them, and how they looked when I walked away. It’s a strange thing. My understanding of who they are is often shaped by the image I capture. My personal reflection on my own work. That mental picture I’ll take to the grave. And it’s that realization that helps me understand the power of photography. The blessings and the curses.
The Monk
Work Break: When We Were Young
February 22, 2009 – 9:46 pm
I thought it was cool when I learned how to whistle and blink my eyes. That was my peak. I should have kept going, kept pushing my vision and reinventing myself. Lesson learned.
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
February 17, 2009 – 1:45 pm
There were a lot of bears. I can’t quite explain what happened…it was the white one that scared me the most.
Shooting Victim: M. Ward
February 13, 2009 – 9:28 pm
My idea of what celebrities and musicians will be like to collaborate with on a photo shoot is incredibly preconceived. I often base my expectations from their movie characters or television interviews. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, this preconceived idea is almost always wrong. I’m always surprised (except for Woody Allen, he comes as advertised). From Ben Stiller to Beck, I’ve been wrong 100% of the time.
That’s what I love about photographing celebrities. It’s high pressure, sure, but you don’t know how it will come out. The publicist may be a control freak, the make-up artist is aggressive and kills your set direction or the celebrity only wants to look a certain way in every photograph. It’s their right. They have to protect their brand in order to preserve their worth to the public. In any case, it’s always different and that’s what makes it exciting.
M. Ward was no exception. I’d heard of him before the shoot, but I didn’t really know who he was. I had a few songs in my play list but it ended there…so we did a considerable amount of research to get the best idea of his personality. Research is key in portraits.
My assistant and I pulled up to our location and started unloading gear. He was arriving at the same time and I saw him coming towards me down the sidewalk.
"Hello" he said. "I’m Matt."
He reached out a hand.
"Benjamin," I said.
"Have I met you before?" he said.
"No," I smiled. "It’s nice to meet you."
"Do you need help bringing stuff in?" he said.
"No, thank you so much, but my assistant will help me."
He was calm and had a warm personality. He had me at hello…no seriously, he was really easy to work with. I know that was lame but it was the only thing I could think to write. It’s true though.
We walked into our location with the gear. This is the most stressful part for me. It’s like watching a car accident almost happen. You don’t know if the car will swerve out of the way or if you’ll see destruction. You want the best possible environment to work with and you never know what’s on the other side of the door.
The place was great and I had a big smile on my face. I could breathe again. It was a traditional Portland set up with quirky posters and vintage character. We were going to get some good stuff.
My assistant and I were coming up with ideas on how to light it and shuffling through gear when I noticed M. Ward sitting on a couch reading a Credence Clearwater Revival book. That was my shot right there. Scrap the other ideas.
"Matt, I’m going to start shooting you just like that. I really like this scene," I said. "I’d like you to continue what you’re doing and just go with the flow."
"Ok," he said.
He kept reading his book. I had him look up at me a few times. We adjusted some lights and reflectors and kept working with it until I had something good (photo below).
"You’ve been busy with She & Him and now Hold Steady this year," I said.
There’s always and awkward silence I have to break up when I’m shooting…otherwise they just sit and watch. This is where the research helps.
He mentioned his up coming tour and other ventures around the corner.
Photographing musicians is very chill. They get it. They get the artistic vision, they want you to do well and they want to collaborate with you for the most part. It’s great for me because I get to shoot in my cinematic portrait style, which is starting to define my work more and more.
We moved to two other locations before we were finished with the session and I was comfortable with the final shots.
"Can I look?" he said.
I hate this part too. You want people to like your work and it can be difficult to take when you get the….mmmhhhmm.
"That’s good," he said. "Yeah that one’s my favorite." (photo above)
"I’m glad you like it, it was a pleasure working with you."
"We nipped it!" he said.
And that was it. 30 minutes and done.
The Monk
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M. Ward
February 9, 2009 – 12:40 pm
Thom Tries To Quit
February 8, 2009 – 7:08 pm
I’d like to thank my friend Thom for sitting on the other end of a live television feed while I placed him in a rat infested attic without a lighter. The patch didn’t work but we’re thinking this immersion method will.
Nestle and The Seven Deadly Sins
February 5, 2009 – 8:36 pm
I recently partnered with Nestle to use one of my photographs in their advertising. Oddly enough the image is from my Seven Deadly Sins project last year…they used "Sloth" to promote their Stouffer’s line. Here’s a screen shot of the video:
You can see the video in it’s entirety here: Stouffer’s
