ChatterArtists August 2010

August 18, 2010

aaContinuing on with our theme of “humor” this month we are showcasing photographers who shoot surprise, surprise, imagery that is humorous! And by this I don’t mean photographers that shoot a funny image once in a while, I mean these are photographers whose humor is an integral part of their work and is woven either blatantly or subtly throughout their imagery. So go on, have a good chuckle!

Michael Sahadi

First up is a client of mine from Philadelphia, Michael Sahadi. I really enjoyed working with him because he was very keen to refine his imagery down into one single portfolio that reflected his specific style of environmental portraiture, and I think we accomplished that. This is a recent image from him that is a hilarious portrait of two dentists. I cracked up when I saw it, and I loved the subject line he chose for the e-mail promotion, which was,

“Just say ahhhh…”

Brett Deering

Another client who I had fun working with is Brett Deering. Our conversations were always funny and silly, but the consultations still very productive, and what I wanted to show with Brett’s website was his ability to bring out this quirky sense of humor that lies within. The image we selected however, is not one of his personal project portraits, instead we chose an image from a shoot where the client wanted a more straightforward group portrait with the two business men along with the group of kids, all smiling nicely. That’s what the client wanted. However, Brett managed to shoot his own version of the concept, with all of the kids making funny faces, and I think the result was brilliant. Remember, it is okay to shoot what the client wants first, and then politely ask if you can take a few frames using your own idea. And often, the client becomes inspired and chooses that image!

George Fulton

Next up are two photographers I have known for a while now. First we have my pal George Fulton, who was a client of mine way back when I was working at the Black Book. I always loved George both as a person and as a photographer, with his sense of humor running through both. Based in South Carolina, George is represented by Tricia Scott and Brett Sahler, who make up Merge Left Reps here in New York.

Chris Buck

And the second photographer I’ve also known for a good while is Chris Buck, who has an undeniably hilarious sense of humor that is most apparent in all of his work. It is very gratifying to see how throughout his career, he has not strayed from his specific point of view and he is therefore hired to shoot with his specific point of view. Often “off the wall,” but always entertaining, Chris has also appeared on my panels for APA NY a few years ago and is currently represented by another of my pals, Patrick Casey and Marge Casey & Associates, also in New York.

Hannah Kuo

From the seasoned to the student, so next up I am showing you the work of Hannah Kuo, a young emerging photographer whose work I reviewed at Parson’s graduating class this spring. I absolutely loved Hannah’s series of “couples with their pets” portraits. When I asked her more about them, I discovered that she spends some time reviewing the couples’ wardrobes, and specifically selecting items that she felt would work for the session, along with a plain color background that made the portraits pop.

Christopher Lane

Although I do believe that certain humor is universal, I can’t but help love the unique sense of humor that is uniquely “British.” Let’s be honest, no other country could produce something as the likes of Monty Python. So next we have a very funny and wonderful photographer friend of mine, Chris Lane. Although we met in New York, Chris’s style of humor is still very English and he spends a fair amount of time over there as well as in the U.S. documenting subjects that both interest and amuse him, at the same time as giving him a sense of society. We chose these two hilarious portraits from his series on the “Handle Bar Club” and yes, the “Handle Bar” refers to the mustaches and only eccentric old England could come up with that one!

Gary Salter

And last but not least we have Gary Salter, another “Brit” whom I met some years ago in London, again when I was with the Black Book. There is a tinge of “twisted” in Gary’s work which I love, and he has successfully built a good reputation for producing fun images. I will also be writing one of my ChatterCorner articles for PhotoServe on Gary as he recently completed a wonderful campaign for CRF Health in which the client and art director were willing to allow him to put his wonderful sense of humor to work. He is represented in the U.K. by Horton Stephens and in the U.S. by Ralph Mennemeyer at M Represents.

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ChatterArtists August 2010

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ChatterArtists August 2010

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