Writer and jazz musician, Dominic Green, was one of the most delightful people I've had the good fortune to photograph – a mix of self-deprecating good humor, wickedly keen intelligence (he studied English Literature at St. John's College, Oxford), and a fount of wonderful anecdotes about his theater-bred family and colorful musician friends.
Read MoreI recently had the good fortune to photograph brilliant Jackie VanderBrug, co-author of Gender Lens Investing: Uncovering Opportunities for Growth, Returns, and Impact.
Portrait of Jackie VanderBrug, author of Gender Lens Investing
The subject of her book is fascinating: women today are an enormous force in the global economy—as successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives and family breadwinners. Yet gender-based violence, the absence of women's legal rights and the persistent wage gap stubbornly remain. This paradox creates an unprecedented and underexplored opportunity for investors. This is the first book of its kind to examine, in depth the advantages of integrating gender into investment analysis. While other books speak to growing numbers and influence of women, Gender Lens Investing moves from economic trends to financial strategy.
Jackie was looking for a portrait that conveyed her extensive knowledge base of her area, and conveyed a strong, smart presence. We worked with different backgrounds, lighting, and expression to nail the image she was looking for in her new book.
Jackie VanderBrug, author of Gender Lens Investing
Photographing mystery writers is an absolute delight; I get a little tingle of happiness when I'm contacted by an author who delves into the deep dark depths of the human psyche to create their stories. Recently, I photographed Ray Daniel and Anne Macdonald, both wonderful writers and human beings, who are members - and in the case of Ray, the president - of the New England Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, New England chapter.
When photographing a writer of this type, I try to avoid the obvious cliches, but infuse a subtle tinge of drama and gravitas through lighting and positioning. The goal is to create an author photo for book jacket and publicity use that tells a visual story about both the book and author in a beautiful manner, inviting their readers to get to know both them, and their books, better.
In my last blog post, I mentioned the lovely, hilarious, and wickedly-grinned Kelly J. Ford, who won a portrait sitting with me at GrubStreet's Muse in the Marketplace conference.
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My booth and the exhibitor's area and bookstore at the Muse in the Marketplace at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel
A table spread with photographs and a fishbowl in front of me, three seven-foot banners dwarfing me from behind, I prepared myself to meet hundreds of writers over three days at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel with a 50/50 mix of exuberance and uncertainty. This scenario lay before me earlier this month when I had decided to take a stab at being a sponsor/exhibitor (party of one) at the Muse in the Marketplace writers' conference organized by GrubStreet, one of the nation's leading creative writing centers (and where my show, the Boston Authors Project, resides). My expectations were fairly low-key; connect with writers, and see how I could help them prepare their book jacket and publicity photography for their upcoming releases.
In truth, I wasn't sure what to expect. I generally work with folks one-on-one, with the exception of gallery openings and speaking at events, so I was equal parts hesitant and excited to take this on. For the first time, I had put together a fishbowl-type of raffle for an author to win a portrait sitting, which was a lot of fun and led to a full fishbowl (won by the lovely Kelly Ford - expect a blog post of Ms. Ford in the soon future). There were photographs in place for people to pick up and examine, a large screen with a slideshow of author images for attendees to peruse, and the requisite marketing materials (livened up by the fabulous faces of past clients).
The wonderful thing about authors as clients is that they uniformly have interesting lives to draw from; at the Muse, I met writers who were art historians, writers who were vets, writers who were professors, writers who fundraise, and writers who work at bookstores. Fiction writers, poets, business writers, all who had come both to get inspired and to learn the intricacies of how to get a book out into the world. While many of the folks I spoke with were from the Northeast, I met a good handful who had certainly gotten their frequent flier milage in - some from California, the Midwest, one from Ireland, all happy to take in as much as they could in three days.
Snapshots of registration table and the morning breakfast briefings at the Muse in the Marketplace
Many of my conversations revolved around the following points:
Snapshots behind the booth at the Muse in the Marketplace. From left, celebrating the last day of Passover, and right, my loot from Porter Square Books
Some of the highlights of my time:
All-in-all, it was a delightful way to meet some fascinating people! I slept well afterwards, too.
Writers and presenters Anjali Mitter Duva (Topic: You're the Boss! Taking control of your book promotion plan) and Crystal King (Topic: How to use social media for self-promotion and not be annoying)
From the first e-mail I received from Sarah G. Ross, PhD, I knew I was fortunate enough to meet a kindred spirit. Sarah's delightful and wicked sense of humor, quirkiness, and warm humanity made her a joy to photograph, as well as an honor due to her impressive background as an academic and author in early European history at Boston College,
History professor, Sarah G. Ross, PhD. Boston College's Stokes Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA.
Given her background, Sarah was looking for an academic/author portrait that placed her in the Gothic architecture at Boston College; the more Gothic, the better, said Sarah. She also requested dramatic light, which I was happy to deliver. Much of her work follows the everyday life of past European artisans, and it was only fitting that the imagery, in a nod to her subjects, would be infused with art and beauty.
History professor, Sarah G. Ross, PhD. Boston College's Bapst Library, Chestnut Hill, MA.
With my assistant, Tim, we kept an eye out for archways, textured stone, and stained glass to frame Sarah's portraits, and Boston College's campus did not disappoint. Our only sadness was that unlike Oxford University, the inspiration for BC's architecture, there was a sad lack of gargoyles on campus. We joked that should we do another shoot, we would have to install stealth gargoyles somewhere - perhaps the BC version of a MIT-like "hack."
Who said that professors were formal? Sarah made my assistant, Tim, and I crack up during lighting tests.
History professor, Sarah G. Ross, PhD. Boston College's Bapst Library, Chestnut Hill, MA.
My assistant, Tim, helping out Mother Nature with the lighting.
Despite our sad lack of gargoyles on campus, we found a surplus of beautiful locations to shoot, and as the sun and rain came and went, got some gorgeous moments, with some help, as needed, by strobes and our voice-activated light stand, Tim (who is a retired historian himself).
Sarah now has a collection of images to chose from to use for her professional needs, whether it be a speaker bio, author photo for an upcoming book, or for online professional use on her academic blog. All in all, this shoot was delightful from start to end, and I look forward to following Sarah's work in the future!
Image by Sharona Jacobs.
Last spring, I posted about the Shalon, a cross-collaborative professional creative group formed between myself, an author, an artist, and a filmmaker (we just added a mosaicist/educator as well, but more on that soon!). Inspired by the concept of 18th century French salons, we meet monthly to discuss our goals, be accountable to one another, and brainstorm ideas. The three menfolk of our group suggested the name based on the first three letters of my name.
Being an independent creative professional can challenge the most stalwart of creative souls, and this group helps keep all of us focused and productive, both creatively and from a business standpoint. I hope that this, and future interviews with fellow independent creatives will inspire and support those of us making a living with our art. In that initial post, I mentioned that I'd be focusing on the Shalon-ers individually so you can learn a little more about them and their work.
For this post, I interviewed our resident artist, Bradford Johnson. Brad has been painting now for nearly three decades and exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions—garnering acknowledgements and awards from such prestigious organizations as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and Yaddo and MacDowell Artist Colonies. Throughout this time he has focused on “first-level” questions: who are we, where do we come from, why are we here, what has gone wrong, where are we going? In his work there is often an element of immanent danger and potential or actual disaster. Images of wrecked ships, airplanes, and balloons alongside ordinary human activities; indicators of aspiration and failure, calamity and hope — overlaid with time and memory. Without further ado, let's talk to Brad about his work (all images of artwork are courtesy of Bradford Johnson).
Sharona: Hi Brad, and thanks so much for speaking to us about you and your work! Could you tell us a little bit about what drives you as an artist?
Brad: I'm fascinated with the boundaries between photography and painting. I delight in criss crossing the line between both - embedding objective photographic backstories with the subjective painting process. Even during the formative training as an artist at The Rhode Island School of Design to my MFA at Hunter College, NYC, I was captivated with memory and the past in visual terms. This was central in my show at the UniLu Gallery in Cambridge MA, Spaces Between the Splendor- Painting Encounter and Conquest.
SJ: How did you first venture into the art world?
Brad: I came to art making sometime late in high school - my application to the Rhode Island School of Design a kind of afterthought amid other liberal art colleges. When I was accepted there I (naively) took this a confirmation of an artistic path. This unexpected stroke of luck or grace was the gate through which I found a vocational calling.
SJ: It's true, luck can certainly change an artist's course, both for good and the difficult! What are the greatest challenges in your work, and what helps you overcome them?
Brad: I think it's particularly hard to hold on the value of myself or my work consistently. There are plenty of metrics in the world that diminish livelong pursuit of painting (or any creative path). Painting can be isolating. There are many moments of self doubt. The only way through these periods is through community and connection. It can also be helpful to muster a determination to keep throwing any shit at the walls until something sticks.
SJ: Absolutely! Persistence is underrated as a vital commodity in an artist's survival and success. Speaking of success, whose work do you most admire or influences you?
Brad: An early guiding light for me was the quirky painter A.P Ryder and some of his obsessive gritty mysterious paintings. Later Robert Rauchenburg offered a way to work with photographic images that was liberating. I also lean pretty heavily on musicians like, Bruce Cockburn, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and Nick Cave as inspiration.
SJ: Sounds like you like to draw from multiple artistic disciplines to create your work, much like we at the Shalon like to support each others' work though we each create with different media. How is the Shalon, or meeting within other creative professional groups, helpful to you?
Brad: The Shalon has been a lifeline of artistic and personal accountability. This group of friends are a remarkably undefended fellow creatives who generously share the burdens and joys of the artistic road.
Portrait of author Mark John Isola, Boston, MA. Arlington, MA.
Mark John Isola, a writer and English professor hailing from both Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts, contacted me recently to photograph him as he had recently finished working on his first story collection. Fascinating work, his new book explores the social within the sexual to consider the reflective, romantic, and randy aspects of human experience.
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The camera-holder gets bludgeoned by a smaller version of both herself and Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Generally, this blog is dedicated to portraits and headshots of writers, academics, artists, and those with Very Large Brains (I've always enjoyed how A.A. Milne used creative capitalization). Today, I thought we'd take a brief break to be a bit a personal, and even a little bit silly, and give you a behind-the-scenes view of the non-photographer side of my life. Well, at least the side of my life in which I rarely use light modifiers and I'm not actually required to hold a camera (but end up doing so voluntarily).
My husband, Jeremy, and I have a rather sarcastic yet delightful daughter named Lilia, who recently turned eight. She enjoys Harry Potter books, zombies, karate, and is currently obsessed with Star Wars - a passion she strongly shares with her dad (I am Star Wars-supportive, but was brought up in a more Star Trek-loving family myself).
Jeremy, on the left, as a rather rabbinical-looking Jedi knight, and Lewis, on the right, a good friend from karate as a young Skywalker.
Susie as Leia, Lilia as Rey, our strong female protagonists (and buddies since age three and six months).
Together, the two of them dreamed up the idea to take over a local black box theater at the Arlington Center for the Arts, invite some of our kid's closest buddies, and pull together a home-made belated birthday party made almost entirely of stuff that Jeremy, Lilia, and our neighbors/adopted family members, James and Jean, made themselves. I'm not talking Pinterest-worthy stuff, just a few basics to make a bunch of kids happy and keep the adult Star Wars fans amused. Pool noodles were cut in half and silver-taped at one end to make light sabers that wouldn't create bludgeoning injury, a chocolate cake was baked by my husband (not fancy, but delicious, with the new Star Wars action figures nestled on top - including our strong females Rey and General Leia) and a bunch of activities were dreamed up that Jeremy thought would be fun.
The birthday girl getting her hair done by our neighbor, Jean, on the left. On the right, Jean and James, avid Star Wars fans, backed by the Death Star. They own a Shiba Inu dog named Princess Leia.
Coming from a theater background, Jer taught the kids some basic attack/defense sword fight choreography and then paired them up with their pool noodle light sabers. After that, still clutching their sabers, he organized them into groups to take turns pitching bean bags so that kids holding a light saber/now baseball bat could take a swing.
Jedi Jeremy teaching the young party-goers their fight choreography.
The grown-ups (take that with a grain of salt) showing the kids how it is done. Yes, that is me dressed as an Ewok. I take my dignity seriously, people. Photo credit: Elizabeth Rocco.
And finally, after Jer's Famous Mac n' Cheese (it deserves capitalization) and cake, the kids lined up to beat the stuffing out of a papier–mâché Death Star that Jer made out of a beach ball, flour, water, and the requisite silver and black paint. The brave adults standing guard kept blood from being shed while each child put their full effort into grabbing as much candy as possible.
The aftermath of Death Star Destruction.
While we all had a lot of fun, after a couple of hours, we were ready to calm down each sugar-charged, pool-noodle-armed kid, hand them back to their families, and go home for a brief nap.
Let there be cake. With action figures.
Despite the breezy tone of my title, I have to say that new author, Neil Hayward, is one of the most charming gentlemen I've met! He recently contacted me as his new book - "Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year" - was coming out in May, and his editor sent him my way to create the imagery for his book jacket and his promotional material.
Neil Hayward, author, Arlington, MA
Hayward, a rather educated Oxford/Cambridge-educated scientist and consultant, decided to take a year off and attempt what’s known as a “big year” — seeing as many different kinds of birds as possible, traversing the continent to do so. He managed 749 which made him the North American bird spotting champion. And prompted him to write a book, as well.
When he came my way, what could I do but take him outside? We had a lovely day in terms of clarity, though it was brutally cold, which Neil took like a trouper, eventually becoming rather blue in the process, but certainly game to try new landscapes outside.
We also shot in the studio, playing with strobes and ambient light, to get some beautiful headshots. Though as much as I love my studio, I have to say that the field trip outdoors felt necessary and true in order to capture the spirit of Neil's big year.
Neil Hayward, author, Arlington, MA
Every once in a while, a client will walk through my door who immediately brightens the room. I feel very fortunate to have photographed Colleen Chapman this past week, a public health expert who lectures at Harvard, Boston, and Georgetown Universities, in addition to running her healthcare consultancy. Hailing from Waban, MA, Colleen was truly a delightful person to photograph; witty, warm, and brilliantly clever.
Colleen was looking for a professional, warm, and polished headshot to be used on her speaker bios and for her company's marketing material. My goal was to convey her wit, vivacity, and lovely personality in her imagery, which was truly a pleasure on my part!
Stacy Kennedy is a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition and an integrative nutritionist. Featured in the award-winning documentary films, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 2, Stacy is a senior clinical nutritionist at the Dana-Farber/Brigham & Women’s Cancer Center Hospital, and is an adjunct professor in wellness and health coaching at William James College. She, along with her husband, Dr. Russell Kennedy, PsyD, run a private practice, Wellness Guides, LLC, in Wellesley, MA, creating individualized plans for optimizing weight management, disease prevention and management, and promoting longevity.
Stacy, regularly featured in TV, radio, and print media, came to me looking for a series of environmental portraits that supported her private practice and media work. A lively and personable woman, Stacy was looking for compelling imagery that conveyed both her approachability and deep professional knowledge. In additional to her nutrition background, Stacy is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health Fitness Specialist as well as a yoga teacher, and it was important to us both to create portraits that also touched on her fitness background as well.
A Netherlands-based publication, Filosofie, entirely dedicated to philosophers, recently contacted me to photograph Adam Sandel, PhD, a Harvard lecturer in social studies and rising star in the philosophy world. The art director of Filosofie was looking for portraits for an interview-based article for their November edition of the magazine, and gave me a lot of creative freedom to create a several images that highlighted this young professor whose new book was shortly to be released in Europe.
Sandel, son of noted philosopher Michael Sandel, also of Harvard, was a joy to photograph. Filosfie's interviewer was running a bit late, so I photographed a bit of the interview while I waited.
Adam Sandel interview with Filosofie Magazine. Cambridge, MA.
Once the interview was complete, I shot Adam both indoors and outdoors on campus, using several different lighting techniques, first in the ambient light, and then shooting to create a virtual night in order to separate Adam from the background.
Adam was infinitely patient as I tinkered around with several lighting set-ups (my assistant's car sadly broke down in one of Boston's innumerable tunnels, so I was flying solo). Adam beautifully coped with me dragging him to different setups, turning and twisting him around, with a lovely personable sense of humor and a quiet thoughtfulness as he answered my questions and quickly adapted to each physical and lighting environment. A lovely afternoon all around, and I even finished on time for him to make a family dinner!
Theresa Regli, chief analyst of Real Story Group, a global digital workplace and marketing technology analyst firm, speaks at technology conferences throughout the world. She contacted me recently because she needed an updated, sophisticated portrait that accurately conveyed both her experience and her real-life presence.
Portraits of Theresa Regli of Real Story Group. Boston, MA.
Intelligent, witty, and well-traveled, Theresa had a wonderful gravitas about her, a feeling of great internal strength, and it was important that these qualities would shine through her portrait. For an accomplished person like Theresa, I felt that her headshot had to be like a short story that described her world of work and her confidence in that world just through her gaze, stance, and body language. We were both very pleased with how the images conveyed both her internal and external presence.
A change of background for a different look, and a peek behind the scenes.
This past month, I was asked to photograph a co-author team at Harvard University who've recently finished writing a book about Chinese philosophy. Michael Puett, who is the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, teamed up with Christine Gross-Loh, author and Harvard PhD graduate, to produce a book for both general and academic audiences.
Harvard philosophy professor, Michael Puett and author Christine Gross-Loh at Harvard University. Cambridge, MA.
The authors' European publishers, based in the Netherlands, approached me to produce promotional portraits, both singly and together, that conveyed the authors' combined intellect and warmth.
Michael, considered to be one of the most popular professors of Harvard's faculty, and Christine, whip-smart, kind, and prolific author of many books, were an absolute joy to work with - both so friendly and sincere. We shot around Harvard's campus, both in academic and wooded areas, and created beautiful portraits that flattered both the petite Christine, and the very tall Michael, bringing out their distinct personalities.
Emily O'Brien is a recorder and traverso player who now hails from Boston after studying recorder and french horn at Boston University, and recorder and Baroque flute at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, Germany. She performs both classical and historically informed music, and approached me to photograph her for an upcoming CD of music that features her performing on a modern tenor recorder.
Looking for images both elegant and interesting, Emily wanted photographs that conveyed the gravitas of classical musicianship as well as the warmth of her own personality. The photos needed to feature both Emily as well as the detail of her instrument.
Behind the scenes in the studio with Emily O'Brien playing the modern tenor recorder. Boston, MA.
It was a wonderful afternoon of music and and photography, and I hope to post images of Emily's upcoming CD soon!
Last week, I blogged about Manuel and Joe, two men I photographed for BNY Mellon and PFLAG, to showcase portraits of members of the LGBTQ community in order to raise awareness about Pride Month. Peter Tenggren, my contact at BNY Mellon who asked me to create this small group of work, sent me the below picture of the portraits, (printed by Bob Korn Imaging) now settled in the first of its four traveling stops throughout the Boston area for the month of June. I thought I'd share with you all the images, and very importantly, the words behind each person photographed, below.
The Pride Project
Artist’s Statement
I’m delighted to work with BNY Mellon and PFLAG, as a proud ally, to present this collection of five portraits of vibrant members of the LGBT community in honor of Pride Month. With each photograph, I worked to display the humanity, warmth, and intelligence of the person pictured; to show both their inner world as well as to document each person’s features, relationships, and character. Part of the process to create these images was to get to know what was important to each person, and to create a safe and warm environment so that each man and woman pictured would feel at ease to truly be themselves. My goal with each person photographed was to foster a genuine friendship and alliance enabling the viewer of the portrait to feel as though they had somehow already known the person in the photograph. As a portrait photographer, storyteller, and former psychotherapist, it is vital to me that each portrait creates a narrative and sense of recognition between the viewer and the viewed.
- Sharona Jacobs, June 4, 2015 www.sharonaphoto.com
Sharona Jacobs
The Pride Project
Amy and Lori, 2012
Archival Digital Pigment Print
20 x 30 inches
Amy:
“This portrait was taken hours before I married my best friend. It was amazing to have one of the best days of my life documented in such intimate and lovely detail. To me Pride is confidently walking down the street, holding hands with my wife while pushing our 18-month-old twins in their stroller. In the past 20 years my Prideful life has shifted from bar-fueled weekends to Saturday Gymboree outings. What hasn’t changed is me going about my out life in the most honest way possible.”
Lori:
"Pride is raising our children to know that Different doesn't mean Lesser. Differences are a good thing and we should always try to embrace what is different about ourselves and others. Our family might look a little different to some people, but it is full of love and laughter and both the family we were born with AND the family we chose."
Sharona Jacobs
The Pride Project
Mark, 2012
Archival Digital Pigment Print
20 x 30 inches
This portrait of Mark was taken the day Lori and Amy were married, and he and his partner hosted their celebration. Amy: "There’s the family you’re born with and the family you choose. Our chosen family includes two of the kindest, most generous people on the planet who opened their home to host our fabulous wedding.”
Sharona Jacobs
The Pride Project
Robin Lippincott, 2015
Archival Digital Pigment Print
20 x 27.4 inches
Robin: "I am a writer of literary fiction and nonfiction. I have two books coming out: Blue Territory: A Mediation on the Life and Work of Joan Mitchell (November 2015), and Rufus + Syd, a young adult novel co-written with Julia Watts (Spring 2016). I am also the author of the novels In the Meantime, Our Arcadia, and Mr. Dalloway, and the short story collection The 'I' Rejected. My fiction/nonfiction has appeared in over 30 journals, including "The Paris Review," "American Short Fiction," "Fence," "Memorious," "The Literary Review," "The New York Times Book Review," and others. I teach in the low-residency MFA Program at Spalding University. Simply put, pride means having the self-respect to be fully myself.”
Sharona Jacobs
The Pride Project
Manuel and Joseph, 2015
Archival Digital Pigment Print
20 x 26.5 inches
Manuel: "We are constantly making each other laugh. A common scene would include me talking about my day, but in Sofia Vergara's voice, followed by Joe bursting out laughing with his eyes shut, probably thinking to himself, "I hope this is only part of today's show, and not what I actually signed up for!" The roles reverse when Joe starts walking around the kitchen imitating a praying mantis while re-enacting a scene from Isabella Rossellini’s, "Green Porno" (which we went to see on our first Valentine). But life is not all about laughter and smiles. With our highly sensitive and introspective personalities, we often find ourseleves having to support and uplift each other, especially after reading one article too many about some form of injustice in the world. In this higly curated society driven by selfies and social media, we are proud to show all sides of our love, from laughter to tears. And as Milennials, we are thankful that we can safely show this connection outside of our private spaces (even if Joe sometimes shrugs off one too many of my PDAs)."
Sharona Jacobs
The Pride Project Joseph, 2012
Archival Digital Pigment Print
20 x 30 inches
Joe: "I have an innate fear of photographs. Perhaps it's from a youth deeply concerned with judgement and being misunderstood. Or perhaps it's because I've spent my life seeking out difference and broadening my knowledge, skills, experiences, and connections into the multi-faceted person I am today; I feared a portrait could not distill this. Yet Pride, for me, is an inversion of that fear. It is acceptance, celebration, and love for the diversity both within and outside ourselves. And it is in this light that I couldn't be more proud to show--at least an aspect of--our selves and our love.”
Recently, I was asked by a friend at BNY Mellon to showcase some of my portraits of individuals and couples from the LGBT community in conjunction with their partnership with PFLAG in honor of Pride Month. My friend, Peter, biked with my husband and I across Europe in 2002 in the European AIDS Vaccine Ride - 575 miles in seven days with a $5k minimum fundraising goal to help fund research for an AIDS vaccine - and we had kept in touch ever since; it was a pretty intense bonding experience! Peter had seen my Boston Authors Project show at GrubStreet, and asked if I could do something similar for BNY Mellon's partnership with PFLAG (Parents, Families, Friends and Allies united with LGBTQ people to move equality forward) - of course I said yes.
For this project, I photographed Joseph, an architect, and Manuel, one of my former students at MIT, now a scientist, along with a few others - I could only choose a couple of these for the show, so I'm expanding a bit here. Both Manuel and Joe are incredibly funny guys, smart, and a joy to be around - Manuel has a particular touch for interacting with kids of all ages (my daughter snagged him as I took Joe to the studio first), and Joe has a wicked collection of expressions that were just a joy to shoot, as well as similar literary tastes - everything from mindfulness to Orson Scott Card (we both enjoy the fiction, though neither of us share that author's politics). My goal with this collection of photographs was not only to reveal each man's loveliness and character but to also to describe the warmth and joy of their relationship.
Last week, I wrote about the cross-disciplinary artists group I assembled called the Shalon, made of up a commercial/fine art photographer (yours truly), an artist (Bradford Johnson), a writer (Robin Lippincott), and a filmmaker (John Neely). This week, I am taking a brief break from introducing the members of the Shalon, to introduce you to another small creative group I belong to that is just for commercial and editorial photographers in the Boston area.
This group, is one of a handful in the New England area organized by the New England chapter of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). ASMP is a national organization with 39 chapters from Alaska to New England. These small groups are run through the MAG (mutual accountability group) program. MAG is for ASMP members and designed so that you can either find a group currently meeting to join or start your own all through the MAG website.
Our group is composed of Boston commercial, editorial, and fine art photographers – it's up to the individual group to decide how to best use the knowledge, support, and motivation of fellow photographers to achieve the group members' goals. Our group tends to lean on the mentoring, creativity support, and advice side of things. Recently, we've used the group to get feedback on developing new branding strategies, crafting beautifully designed direct mail campaigns, and critique of project work. We even have a monthly creativity support exercises in which we come up with a theme (for example, white-on-white images) to stretch our creative muscles.
I should take a step back, and say something briefly about the national organization of ASMP for those of you unfamiliar with the organization. For photographers either involved or interested in editorial and commercial photography, as a resource, ASMP is an amazing asset. It's a really strong national organization that offers events, resources, incentives, discounts and lobbying for photographers at the national level for those of us that shoot non-retail work – meaning those of us that don't exclusively shoot weddings or family portraits. It's a fantastic resource, providing everything from health insurance to marketing resources to licensing and pricing guidelines for independent commercial photographers. The New England chapter also puts on an amazing free portfolio review each fall in Boston where photographers can meet up with regional art directors, art producers, and curators to get the real scoop on how their portfolios appear to industry experts - this year's event is scheduled for October 16th, 2015.
But the small MAG groups offer something far more personal than insurance, or a great discount on software. It offers a place for photographers to be real about our triumphs and struggles, and get the support of others who understand our exact situations. We are own best resources - if we're unsure how to price a job, need a pinch-hitter because of an emergency or illness, or are feeling stuck professionally or creatively, we know we have a group of fellow professionals in our corner, ready to help the others out. Commercial and editorial photography can be a tough and competitive business, but our group is made up of more than just colleagues; we are friends and supporters of each others' work and businesses.
To that end, I'd like to introduce you to Mike Ritter, of Ritterbin Photography, the current president of the New England Chapter of ASMP, and also one of the founding members of our MAG/MMG group. In the next few weeks, I'll be introducing you to a few of our other members as well through short interviews and examples of their work. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Mike, our intrepid ASMP NE president, and all-around awesome guy. Sharona Jacobs: Hi Mike! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Mike Ritter: I'm a Pennsylvania hayseed who went to school in the wilds of Maine and then ended up in the big city (for New England) - Boston - in 2002. I worked in a photo lab and photo gallery before heading out on my own freelance photo career in 2005. My photography has taken me all over Boston and through Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and New Orleans. My wife and I live in a Dorchester triple decker with our daughter, Vivian.
SJ: Can you give us a little bit of information on your company and your typical clients?
MR:
I've run Ritterbin Photography for 10 years focusing primarily on Boston area clients - I primarily shoot events and on location portraits. My clients are principally schools, financial services companies, non-profits, and event companies.
SJ: What made you want to be a photographer?
MR:
My dad gave me his camera in college, and I enjoyed learning on it. While I love the craft of making a great picture, I'm even more excited by the life I can live as a photographer. I meet so many people from so many walks of life and get to know Boston much better than I could in a job at one location with one group of co-workers.
SJ: What type of projects will you be working on in the next few months?
MR:
I'm adding video to my services which is very exciting because it's a collaborative process with other creatives, and it can communicate certain things better than photography (and vice versa). So, it will help me tell clients' stories in as effective a manner as possible. I will also begin to do more direct marketing to clients I'd like to work with rather than relying on word of mouth. And, I'm putting together a website for my Boston Cornerstone project (
) which will roam all over Boston looking for cornerstones and then shooting a time collage cityscapes where they are found.
SJ: Can you tell me how the MAG group helps you in your career as a professional photographer?
MR:
My MAG partners have dealt with issues I'm trying to get under thumb and vice versa. Sharing our work as it's in progress whether it's a recent shoot, website redesign, or a contract etc., makes for a much better final product whatever it is. It's too easy for photographers to work almost entirely alone, but our work and our ideas improve tremendously when we share and work with others. That's why I joined ASMP and was interested in helping re-organize the MAG program.
A few months ago, I posted about the Shalon, a cross-collaborative professional creative group formed between myself, an author, an artist, and a filmmaker. Inspired by the concept of 18th century French salons, we decided to meet monthly to discuss our goals, be accountable to one another, and brainstorm ideas. The three menfolk of our group suggested the name based on the first three letters of my name. Being an independent creative professional can challenge the most stalwart of creative souls, and this group helps keep all of us focused and productive, both creatively and from the business standpoint. I hope that this, and future interviews with fellow independent creatives will inspire and support those of us making a living with our art. In that initial post, I mentioned that I'd be focusing on the Shalon-ers individually so you can learn a little more about them and their work. This week, I interviewed our resident writer, Robin Lippincott, the author of the novels "In the Meantime", "Our Arcadia", and "Mr. Dalloway", among many other published works.
Sharona:
Hi Robin, and thanks so much for speaking to us about you and your work. Could you tell us a little bit about you and your work?
Robin: I am a writer of literary fiction and nonfiction. I have two books coming out: Blue Territory: A Mediation on the Life and Work of Joan Mitchell (November 2015), and Rufus + Syd, a young adult novel co-written with Julia Watts (Spring 2016). I am also the author of the novels In the Meantime, Our Arcadia, and Mr. Dalloway, and the short story collection, The 'I' Rejected. My fiction/nonfiction has appeared in over 30 journals, including "The Paris Review," "American Short Fiction," "Fence," "Memorious," "The Literary Review," "The New York Times Book Review," and others. I teach in the low-residency MFA Program at Spalding University, and am also an avid film/museum/gallery goer, as well as a frequent walker in the city.
Sharona: How did you first venture into writing?
Robin: I first got into writing as a result of grief, not death but loss, as has been true for so many writers—one long, hot, long ago summer in Central Florida, where I grew up. Van Gogh's letters to his brother, collected in Dear Theo, and Anne Frank's Diary, were seminal aspects of my aesthetic and moral education that summer.
Sharona:
What are the greatest challenges in your work, and what helps you overcome them?
Robin: The greatest challenge in the work itself is simply getting it right, and in creating something that's beautiful and true. And then there are the challenges that occur at the intersection of art and commerce, at which there's most always a collision: sometimes it's only a bump or a scratch or a dent; at other times the vehicle is totaled. In both cases, you've just got to keep at it, teeth (sometimes) gritted.
Sharona: Whose work do you admire or influences you?
Robin: The list is long. I consider Virginia Woolf and D. H. Lawrence as my literary parents, with Emily Dickinson as a great aunt, and from there it's largely the great minds and/or stylists (the writer's writers), as well as a few Southern writers, whom I most admire. Here's a shortlist: Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, John Berger, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, James Baldwin, Elizabeth Hardwick, James Salter, Grace Paley, James Schuyler, Toni Morrison, Renata Adler, Michael Ondaatje, W. G. Sebald, Anne Carson....
Sharona:
How is the Shalon, or meeting in other creative professional groups, helpful to you?
Robin: The Shalon is invaluable to me for several reasons. First, I believe the artistic pursuit (and the life that goes with that) is best and perhaps only really understood by other artists; in my experience, non-artists just don't/can't fully get it. And so I receive meaningful emotional support, both generally and also specifically. And I also get ideas and inspiration, and stimulation, as well as direct, inside exposure to the work of artists working in other art forms.
