Different Strokes for Different Folks

Last Thursday I participated in the first of a weekly industry forum at Reproductions. I was on a panel with two other headshot photographers, and we had a lot of fun. The event was sold-out, and we covered all issues relating to actor headshots. Very lively discussion!

At one point the moderator, Tony Nation (yes, that's his real name), asked about natural light vs. studio light. The two other photographers primarily use studio or mixed light, so I was outnumbered! I made a passionate (and lengthy) defense of natural light and location photography. In my mind, it's the most flattering light possible, and outdoor locations offer the most vibrant backgrounds. Plus, I'd go crazy sitting in a studio all day, and my photographs would all look the same (I discuss all of these issues thoroughly in the FAQs section of my website).

Of course the studio photographers had a different opinion. They argued that natural light is unreliable and yields inconsistent results, but I couldn't disagree more. To my mind, if the results are inconsistent, you're not doing it right.

You know how sometimes you actually say what you're thinking? Well, I did. And that led to an even more lively discussion. So lively, in fact, that an audience member actually videotaped the tail end of the disagreement and emailed it to me the next morning. Take a look.



Below are a few images from the Before and After section of my website that illustrate my point about natural light vs. studio light. See the difference?




Anyway, keep an eye out for these forums at Reproductions. I think they're a terrific resource for actors.

And You Thought Shoveling Was Hard Enough...

Yesterday I photographed Allison Griffith's actor headshots. She's a musical theatre actress and freshman at Point Park University.


During the course of the shoot, she mentioned that she's a hip-hop dancer as well. She also mentioned her interest in Dancers Among Us.

Now I've been pretty fortunate to work with some amazing dancers for this project, so I said something like, "Well, let's see what you've got." Said with a smile, but a challenge nonetheless (I've got high standards, after all). Allison thought for a minute and then said, "Well, I can do this."


"This" was some kind of headstand/backflip combo that I'd never seen before. It looked like she was levitating on her hair! Very difficult to photograph as well - to the naked eye it's a blur.

BUT I had to capture this move for my project. All we needed was an action of some kind. When I mentioned that I wanted to use the grungy city snow somehow, my makeup artist extraordinaire and dance collaborator Pamela Bob said, "I have a yellow shovel in my car." Bingo!

Now for the impossible part - "Allison, I need you to grab the shovel in the middle of your backflip. I think it's impossible, but let's give it a try." Really, this was as challenging as anything I've asked a dancer to do. She starts the flip in a headstand, then she pushes off with her hands, so when in the world can she grab the shovel? She's only off the ground for a millisecond. She was an amazing trooper though, trying again and again. But she kept missing the shovel.



A couple of times she managed to grab the shovel, but her feet had already landed. Still a cool photo, but not quite as impressive.


Finally, after 48 jumps, Allison managed to grab the shovel while in the air. Unbelievable! And thank God (or Nikon) it's in focus!

Capturing Spontaneity

Every actor knows not to share the stage with animals or children, because their spontaneity will steal the scene. In photography, however, spontaneous moments can turn a good photograph into a great one. And kids and animals are terrific at delivering such moments. In my Dancers Among Us series, I've tried to capture those moments as much as possible.


This is my very favorite example. When I asked Xiomara Forman to jump in front of Dunkin Donuts, I knew her pink shirt would match the sign, but I had no idea a little girl dressed in the exact same shade of pink would turn and look at her at the very peak of her jump. It's difficult enough to photograph the optimal moment of a dancer's jump, but to time a bystander's reaction to that moment is impossible. It's purely luck! I didn't even know this had happened until I reviewed the photos later that day.


I wanted to take Sarah Bumgarner to the Flatiron Building for a photo, but I had no idea what the shot would be. I was looking for something that hadn't been done before (a typical concern when shooting iconic NYC locations).

As I looked in vain for a shot, a dog pooped in the perfect spot! Not only that, but it was the perfect kind of poop - not too big, not too soft, just right! As the owner knelt down with a plastic bag, I screamed, "Wait, let us clean it up for you!" He happily volunteered his dog for the photo.

I took over 100 shots, but it was in the final frame when the dog finally looked at Sarah. We got the shot, and Sarah, ever the gentlewoman, cleaned up the poop.


I took Selina Chau to the MOMA, where a crowd began to gather as I photographed her in front of a Jackson Pollock painting. All of a sudden, a little girl walked into the frame and started taking her own photo.


I hope she posted it on Facebook!


In this shot with Karin Ellis-Wentz (from American Ballet Theatre), we had to be lucky enough to capture Karin at the height of the jump with the baby giggling or at least smiling at the same time. Karin started getting tired, and we didn't have many more chances, so my assistant Hannah (see her shadow?) started making funny faces at the baby. All of a sudden, we got it! This moment happened only once -- the peak of Karin's jump with the priceless expression on her baby's face.


This was taken on my vacation in Montreal, where I photographed several dancers (for my follow-up book, perhaps?). This shot was my wife's idea, but I don't think she anticipated that her son would get such a unique perspective. Of the 200 photos I took of Alyssa Desamais, only one had this unexpected moment.

Dancing in the... blizzard?!

"Stay inside! Don't travel! Armageddon is around the corner!" warnings by every news organization on December 26, 2010.

As the most recent Blizzard of the Century blanketed the east coast, with white out conditions on all the roads and public transportation at a stand still, it was probably not the greatest idea to leave a warm house and drive 25 miles to Times Square to take dance photographs for my Dancers Among Us project.

But that's just what I did.

My insanity was matched by dancer extraordinaire Jennifer Jones (fresh off a performance with the Mark Morris Dance Company). She landed at JFK in the thick of the storm, and minutes later headed straight to Midtown to pose for me. I've always wanted a snowstorm photo for Dancers Among Us. As usual, I had no specific plan when we met, so we improvised.

I wanted the photo to feel celebratory, so I asked Jennifer if a jump was possible. She didn't feel safe - slippery conditions, 60 mph winds, frigid temperatures, Dansco shoes - so we tried a standing pose. I borrowed a red hat from someone who very well may have been Ben Vereen. He gave us three minutes. Jennifer improvised a pose, reaching up to catch the snow.


We took a thaw break and reviewed the image. We both knew it could be better.

Jennifer agreed the pose had to be a jump, and she threw herself and caution to the wind. I tried an environmental set-up, using a wide-angle lens and featuring lots of people.


It’s okay, but it could still be better. I felt the people were distracting, and I wanted the feeling of Times Square fading into the blizzard.

After another thaw break, we went to a new location and Jennifer came up with a terrific jump.


Unfortunately I just missed my timing, and I captured her back leg too low. Bummer, given the fun background action.


Beautiful pose, though no humor in the background this time. I like the people huddled together contrasting Jennifer's joyful energy. Now we really needed a thaw break - her hands were turning purple.

When we went back outside, a Starbucks holiday cup was drifting across the snow. I considered it a sign. I am looking for a corporate sponsor, after all!


I really think Jennifer was approaching a state of shock. So when I turned my head and saw the famous 42nd Street subway station, I almost didn't ask her to jump again. Almost.


After we finished shooting, Jennifer explained why these photographs are so personal to her. You can see the video by clicking here.

How to Get Kicked Out of Rockefeller Plaza

I just had my latest run-in with law enforcement while shooting Dancers Among Us with Ballet Hispanico. This time it was in Rockefeller Center. I simply wanted a quick lift and a kiss. First I tried to have Vanessa Valecillos and Nicholas Villeneuve stand on a bench so I could get their full bodies in the frame. After about five seconds, they were told by security to get off the bench, and we didn't get the shot.


So then we went in front of the tree to try it again. But apparently there's a rule against lifting of any kind, because a second officer stopped us.

We still didn't get the shot.


The dancers were getting cold and stiff (it was 25 degrees!), so I decided to have them go back to the original bench.

We practiced the lift once on 5th Avenue,


and then they jumped on the forbidden bench and nailed it! I got the shot, we all got yelled at and nobody ended up in handcuffs. Perfect!

Dance Photography on Speed

This past fall, I had the opportunity to shoot six dancers from The Boston Conservatory. In one weekend. It was dance photography on speed. I had to come up with a different location and pose for each dancer, in addition to making each look his or her very best.

Luckily, as I've found in my dance photography project Dancers Among Us, dancers are masters at not only making themselves look their best but also at taking advantage of their settings.

Plus, this particular group had a daredevil streak, which contributed to the adrenaline rush of a satisfyingly packed weekend.


With an oncoming train, this one is spine-tingling, but she was so professional -- she doesn't even look scared!


I'm so impressed with his strength -- he was able to hold his right arm and leg completely parallel while I got the shot.

Hope he has Apple Care.


Leaping off a wall in Central Park -- and smiling about it!


I can't get my leg that high, especially not in the face of oncoming traffic.

Overall, it was a great weekend, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of daring dancers.

"Will Jordan Matter please come to security immediately."

I shot topless women publicly for seven years for my book, Uncovered. I didn't think I could get in even more trouble for something as innocent as dance photography. Apparently I was mistaken. Though you can't tell from the photographs, I've been escorted out of many locations. Since I basically assume the answer will be no, I never ask.

American Museum of Natural History

This image took awhile to compose because I couldn't figure out how to include Elise Drew (a founding member of TAKE Dance Company) and the dinosaur in the same frame without her looking tiny. The guard had SEVERAL opportunities to kick us out of the museum.

Which she did.

But we kept coming back.

As I took this final image, the guard screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????" That was it. Luckily I got the shot.

Minsung Kim in Bryant Park

Really? You can't do a backflip in the park? Who knew. I hadn't gotten the shot, so I challenged the guard a little bit, which meant he had to call his superior, which meant we got three more shots! This was one of them.

Apple Store

Surprise, surprise. We got about 30 seconds, which is really about as long as Tenealle Farragher could hold the split anyway.

Rebekah Morin and Jake Szczypek of Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects at Grand Central Terminal

It's one thing to just get kicked out of a location. It's quite another to hear "Will Jordan Matter please come to security immediately."

Chelsea Market

They were really quick! Literally after about five jumps (by the talented Sara Bumgardner of Randy James Dance Works), two security guards descended on me. Why???? I still don't understand.

Parisa Khobdeh of the Paul Taylor Dance Company at Yankee Stadium

This was no surprise. The guards were really cool about it. Of the daily offenses they see in the bleachers, this was pretty mild. Still, I only got four shots.

New York Public Library

I was certain we were going to be dragged out of there. No doubt in my mind. But... nothing, not a peep. And Michelle Fleet (of the Paul Taylor Dance Company) and I shot for a good ten minutes, which is an eternity in a deadly quiet room.