This week I’m taking a little break from food photography and doing a portrait theme over on Instagram. While I specialize in food photography and love food and product styling, sometimes sharing portrait work gets placed on the back burner. But I do a lot of portraits! So today I’m taking over the blog with some of my favorite portrait work selected from the past few years. My main focus is environmental portraits and editorial portrait photography for blogs, magazines, and other publications.
My photography background is heavily influenced by fine art and design. I love to do things a little differently, and create candid, emotive portraits, rather than your typical cheesy matching sweater photos in front of the Chicago skyline or the fireplace. I rarely find a kid (or adult for that matter!) who loves sitting for overly posed, unnatural photo sessions, so capturing moments from genuine interactions is a better experience for everyone. I am available for headshots, family sessions, and more in Chicago and nearby.
This photo is a completely candid image taken in Times Square from a trip to NYC a few years back. It may have even been a misfire, but I love how it turned out. I have no idea who these women are, and they didn’t know I was taking the photo. It might be strange to come across a photo of yourself on someone’s website, but I think if they ever do, I like to think that they’d be pleased that they accidentally struck a pose in totally gorgeous light.
A moody photo composite that was part of a series for a film noir-inspired photography class with Milwaukee-based photographer Jessica Kaminski.
I work almost exclusively digital nowadays when it comes to commissioned work because film is incredibly impractical with modern day deadlines (but if you have a vision and some leeway with turnaround time, let’s talk!), but I learned photography on a large format camera. Most of my film work is the product of learning to maneuver 4×5 film in a giant camera, but I loved processing my own film, and the process of slowing down in the darkroom. This portrait is probably my favorite photo from a large format camera.
A portrait of Andi Woodward of the new video and creative services team in Milwaukee, Seadog Creative! I will be conducting an interview with Andi and Betty on the blog soon, and sharing some of the other photos from their shoot.
I recently shared the next couple of photos in previous blog posts. This one is JoAnn from interior design company EM Interiors Chicago. I do interior photography for her finished interior design jobs, and we fit a portrait session into a day of interiors shooting.
I Am Young America sent me to the GiveForward offices earlier this year to do a portrait session of co-founders Ethan and Desiree for an interview on their blog.
This portrait of Nicole, Dan, Maizy, and Greta of Upton’s Naturals is the lead image for the Upton’s story, ‘Behind the Stache’, in the first issue of the brand new Driftwood Magazine. The digital copies were recently release to subscribers and the print version is coming out soon. I’m planning on doing a more thorough review of the magazine on the blog once my print copy is here!
This is a portrait of Betty Allen, the other half of Seadog Creative, from the Milwaukee shoot we did for their new website!
And finally, once a year or so I get on the other side of the camera. Perk of the job = doing your own headshots.
For more info on portraits and other photography, check out the services page, and please get in touch!
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