Portraiture of Essential Workers during the Pandemic
I am an editorial and commercial photographer and in one week in March, all of my work was either postponed for months or canceled for the year. My roots are in photojournalism, and so I felt compelled to try to fill this professional void by creating a body of work to capture what we all were experiencing as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through and upended our community and economy.
Signs of gratitude for grocery store workers and delivery drivers are chalked in the streets by children, and neighbors stand on their front porches each evening at 8 to howl in support of these and other essential workers. I, however, wanted to see and document people who are not asked to participate in the national discussion about the coronavirus or pandemic policies, and yet put themselves in harm’s way to keep doing their work as doctors, nurses, caregivers, grocers, cops, builders and bus drivers.
I wanted to give them a voice, to share their stories and articulate something that maybe we didn’t know.
I asked two friends who are ER doctors if they thought this work could be done safely, and if they felt it would be worth the time sacrifice and increased risk for health care workers to be photographed. They gave positive feedback and helped craft a safety protocol that I used to minimize risk to both me and the people I photographed.
Time was tight for each portrait session and there was no reporter or assistant with me. I set up my camera on a tripod (this also assured I would not wander too close to the subjects) and equipped it with a remote. I had printed the questions on sheets of paper and would trigger the camera as I wrote down their stories.
All of the portraits were taken during lockdown for that community, beginning on April 15 and finishing on May 5.
I hope that this work will be looked back on in 50 or 100 years in the way we now look back to the Depression-era photography work created for the Farm Security Administration. Perhaps it will remind us what we collectively went through, or will be used to teach new generations what these men and women were actually thinking during this upheaval. But right now, I hope these portraits inspire you to be kind to one another. To see the woman working in the grocery store, or the bus driver or police officer, as a fellow human going through this, just like you.
Check out the interactive gallery here:
Moody BW Portraiture of an Artist
Congratulations Nick Kreider, Opera Colorado’s 2019 Norblom Award winner. Receiving this award prompted Nick and I to collaborate on a portrait session. We created a few more traditional, conservative head-shots and some beautiful color portraits from this setting, of course. But what I enjoy most are these black and white portraits we created both in the studio and outside.
Modern Architecture during the Denver Bomb Cyclone Blizzard of 2019
Modern architecture is holding its own here here in Denver today during the Bomb Cyclone Blizzard of 2019!
Downtown Denver by Drone (@Dawn)
A gloomy overcast morning helped me create some magical aerial photographs of Downtown Denver. You can’t quite see the mountains (a little disorienting for anyone who has lived here for even a short time) and maybe that helps elevate the moody tone in these black and white cityscapes.
To see more of my aerial photography, feel free to check out my Denver Drone Photographer website.
Architectural photographs from Arizona
Elaine and I made a really nice (but much too quick, and a little too hot) trip down to Arizona this summer. We had a lot of fun checking out some of the architectural gems there – everything from Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, Mission San Xavier del Bac and even Biosphere 2. Here are a few photos I took during our little adventure.
New Portraits of an Opera Singer
Congratulations to Bass baritone Andrew Hiers, recently awarded the annual Norblom Award by Opera Colorado. Because of his selection for the award we did a portrait session. Andrew is a great human, and a pleasure to photograph. I hope you get the opportunity to hear him sing some day.
Empowering Portrait in Colorado
I was hired to photograph Julinda for a health care publication at her home in the Front Range here in Colorado. I always enjoy meeting and photographing real people (a much more authentic and engaging experience and portrait than a model portraying some character) and Julinda was a pleasure to meet and work with.
New Portraits of a Denver area Designer / Maker
Below are a few portraits of Laura, working in her studio in Denver. She graciously allowed me in to photograph her at work and create a few environmental portraits of her in her element.
Black and White Wedding Photography
Congratulations to Linsdey and Josh! Their wedding was beautiful and I’m honored they selected me to photograph such an important day for them. They were married this August in the Denver Botanic Gardens and the reception followed at The Magnolia Hotel here in Denver, Colorado.
As you may know, I am accepting 5 weddings a year to photograph. My background is in photojournalism and I continue to work regularly as a documentary, editorial photographer. So, I approach each wedding as an authentic wedding photojournalist, all the while understanding and appreciating the importance of capturing beautiful portraits of the couple and their family.
Below are my 6 favorite black and white photographs from the day. Yep, I used a camera set to capture in black and white. I also used traditional high-end digital cameras and even created a few portraits using medium format film.
If you are interested in having me photograph your wedding here in Colorado or abroad, don’t hesitate to give me a call or email. I’d love to chat and see if we’d make a good fit!
On Assignment for Washington Post Magazine
My first assignment for The Washington Post Magazine went well. I photographed Senator Bennet and his family as he was in Colorado for the long holiday. We did some reportage and one family portrait. Here is the result: (there are some reportage photographs in the magazine as well, I just don’t have a paper copy yet of my own to photograph and share)
Black and White executive portraits in Denver
3 black and white portraits from an executive portrait shoot here in Denver recently. We wanted the portraits to convey his personality, style and commanding presence while still being approachable.
Black and White Portraits of Artists
I couldn’t hope for better subjects to capture in moody black and white portraits than talented artists. Below are portraits of 3 of Opera Colorado’s Young Artists.
The Old Dog House in Florissant, Colorado
Pam and Sindy run The Old Dog House, a sanctuary for older dogs who would otherwise be homeless and unlikely to be adopted. This is truly a fantastic place for an older canine to live out his or her last years. They live off the grid in a cozy home in Florissant, CO and they let me spend the morning photographing them at play. (well, the dogs were playing, Pam and Sindy seem to have an endless list of chores and a lot of dog poop to scoop)