Instruments...

I really enjoy taking portraits with instruments. Maybe it's because I admire musical ability, having none myself...well, I whistle a lot but that doesn't count does it? When someone calls to make an appointment and they mention they will bring their instrument, I get pretty excited. It could be a harmonica and I'd still say, "This will be fun."

I would like to do a portrait of someone with their instrument in an outdoor setting. Maybe a harp in a grassy field or a cello at Caesar's Palace or even just on a sidewalk on the strip with light trails from the traffic and blurred people walking by. Oh! A sax player in a tunnel! Hmm...what else can we think of.......whoops! Gotta go! The phone is ringing! Please have an instrument, please have an instrument, please have an instrument, please have a...................................

New Family Portrait!

The holidays are a busy time for photographers. This season I had several memorable families come in to be photographed. Families are definitely the most difficult portraits I take but also one of the most rewarding. The entire feel of the session is different from say, a graduating senior or a business portrait. From the smallest family of 3 to the larger families of 20 or even 30, each bring their own unique personality with them that I enjoy working with. The energy in the studio is fantastic...all eyes on me, everyone waiting for me to pose and make them look great. Some are nervous at first while others are not. Some are talkative and others are more reserved. Each represents a new challenge. 

On December 1st, I photographed the Gina Pignatello family. With 6 kids ranging from 3-14, Gina sure has her hands full! In this session, I produced one of my favorite family portraits to date. In it, each of Gina's kids' personalities comes jumping off of the print with life-like realism. Many kids are very reserved and shy around new people but Gina's kids greeted me each with a smile and a hello. Her kids were so friendly and helpful too. I was impressed by how when the session was completed, without even asking, they all started to help me clean up. Even the youngest boy was eager to help me fold the blanket up when we were all finished. 

Gina's new family portrait is reminder for me about just how important family portraits are. She came in around April of 2006 (several months before I was working here) and you can see how much her kids have changed between a little over a year between her previous portrait and my recent portrait of her and her kids.

Here's to 2008! Happy new year, everyone!

-Nate