Father. Husband. Photographer. I am all of those things, but the one that matters most here is photographer. My foundation in photography is solidly commercial, spending 20+ years delivering specific, detailed imagery for advertising and design professionals. After becoming a husband, and then a father, I naturally rediscovered my passion for portrait photography. More than ever, I enjoy delivering simple, clean, naturally beautiful images to consumer clients, whatever their needs and those clients benefit from my years of delivering magazine-quality imagery to demanding commercial clientele. Whether it be technical photo restoration, a wedding, or senior portraits, my goal is always the same – meet, then exceed, the client’s expectations.
A lot of people who call about wedding or portrait photography tend to ask me what my style is. It feels odd to me because it’s irrelevant. My job is to deliver the photo the client wants. Years of commercial work have drilled into me the desire to recreate the client’s vision as closely as possible. I like a challenge as well, so if a customer brings a photo to me and wants that style, that lighting, I’ll deliver. When you hire me, you are both the model and the art director.
Sometimes, though, the customer is unsure of what specific style they want. No problem. Mostly, we choose to start with clean, simple light that works for most people and then focus on creating a relaxed atmosphere which elicits natural expressions and photos reflective of people’s true personalities. Pushing people into “standard” photographic poses tends to produce imagery that looks robotic or wooden. Photo sessions shouldn’t feel like falling in line for military inspection. When people relax, their personalities shine through and the images become fun, beautiful.
If pressed, I will admit I love dramatic lighting. I’m very inspired by the lighting style in old film noir. I like the dark, dramatic Hollywood styles of yesteryear. I love to try new techniques. Whether it’s a single light raking over someone’s face or a super-bright light that produces a snow-white blizzard effect, it’s all rewarding to me. So, if you want something theatrical, striking, melodramatic, farcical, or imaginative, call me. Let’s talk.
Aaron Spain
ASMP
Martin Evening
MUDHAUS
noir
PLUS
Seth Resnick
Stan Jirman