A Different Kind of Headshot

I'm accustomed to shooting headshots and actor comp cards, and it was a treat to photograph Patti LaBelle, featured in the Broadway show FELA!, and Alan Cumming, Eli Gold on the CBS show The Good Wife, for the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation's PSA ads.

On the day of my shoot with Patti, my assistant, Hannah, had an audition later that evening and needed a soulful song to sing. Patti suggested "Let It Be" by the Beatles, and in the photo below, she's encouraging Hannah as she sings.

After Hannah sang a few bars, Patti interrupted her and finished the chorus. She said she was holding back to save her voice for FELA! that evening, but I couldn't tell. It was surreal.

Dance Photography on a Bathroom Floor!!

Imagine you're a waitress taking a quick pee break during a shift at your restaurant in the Time Warner Center. It's late at night. When you enter the bathroom, you see a man lying on the floor of the ladies room, photographing under the stalls. Creepy, right? That's what happened on Thursday night as I was taking this photos. She said, "Uhhhh...." and as I tried to explain myself out of an awkward situation, she said, "Wait a minute, are you Jordan Matter?" Surreal, right? Then she said, "Is this stall free?"

This was the last shot in a series of Dancers Among Us images I took that night. Te see the entire series of dance photographs, click here.

Shooting Bill Irwin in a mall

Most days I think my job is pretty cool, but yesterday took the cake. Bill Irwin, Tony winner, movie star and probably the most famous vaudeville clown in a generation, spent some time with me in a suburban mall. First we shot for my "Dancers Among Us" series, then he just played around in his clown suit. My favorite moment came when a woman recognized him while I was asker her directions to the food court. She looked right through me, walked over to him with her two young children in tow, and said, "Oh my God, it is so fucking awesome to meet you Mr. Noodle." (Mr. Noodle would be the character he plays on Sesame Street)

To see more images from our shoot, visit my Facebook fan page. If you become a fan, you'll get regular updates! I'm much better with Facebook than I am with this blog (notice the last post date). The link to Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/JordanMatterPhotography#!/JordanMatterPhotography

Comp Card for Dolce and Gabbana model

I just completed a model comp card photo shoot for Max Schneider, who will star with Madonna for the upcoming 2010 Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign. Since I photographed Max years ago as well, I take full credit for his success. Here are a few photos from this week's session. To see more of my model comp cards, click here to visit my website.

Behind the Scenes with "Dancers Among Us"

Here's a behind the scenes look at our last shoot for "Dancers Among Us". Watch us sneak around Grand Central Station and crash mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Sure, we got in some trouble but we got some great shots!

When does a celebrity need a headshot?

When he's in NYC promoting a movie and his LA manager says, "We'd like you to get some headshots and use Jordan Matter. And make sure to bring him a soy latte from Joe Coffee!" Okay, I made up the part about the coffee, but the rest is true. Here are a few images from yesterday's session with James Pickens, star of ABC's Grey's Anatomy. He's one of the coolest people I've worked with.

You can see more of my headshots on my website by clicking here.

Jordan Matter on the Nightly News!

I was a guest on "The Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough". He brought me on to discuss my "Dancers Among Us" series, which has recently been featured on the prestigious Photo District News website, NBC New York, The Gothamist, and La Repubblica. He also gave me an opportunity to dish out some advice to young photographers. Wasn't I once a young photographer too? When did that change?