Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Wooded Melissa

 1. Melissa is a college friend & we shared many an Art History class together.

This was taken years after our respective graduations along a trail in my hometown during one of her periodic forays back to NY state.

The dress she's wearing was originally intended for use at a mutual friend's wedding but I got fired when the bride freaked out thinking I was blowing her off when instead I had no reception due to living near mountains. Bummer but at least that firing saves me from the drudgery of editing.

*shrugs shoulders*

That might have been one of the last times I ever shot a wedding. Not for the bridezillas but more because all the pressure I put on myself. I'd quote the editing turn-around 3-6 months but I'd damn near kill myself getting it out within 45 days WHILE ALSO having a full-time dayjob. 

I just don't like having stuff hanging over my head.


2. I'm currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com. 

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within people's budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Sooty Handed Brooke

 1. The shot below was produced by sheer dumb luck.

The model is Brooke, an interpid teenager, who popped my radar back during the MySpace days (mid 2000's?). 

I approached her about simply taking portraits, pitched my idea, & was relieved to have her talk to her mom about it. I had no idea she was a teenager but encouraged her to give my info to her mom & invited her to come along.

I'm always a little nervous when working with minors because though they may be kosher with my age-appropriate pics, it can be a complete crapshoot whether the parent will see it that way.

Regardless talked to her mom  directly & everything seemed to be on the level.

The overall premise was to shoot inside a burned out hotel, to contrast the prettiness of the model against the dirt & grime of the old fire damage. Before anyone asks, it was in a semi-rural area & there is no shortage of abandoned building where the residents were there one day & literally up & left the next.

As we're shooting, Brooke's hands get all sooty from touching the burnt wood & just randomly starts wiping them on her arms & face.

I chuckle & am like, "I'm going with it" & snapped away.

Stuff like that you just can't plan no matter how hard you try. Those manufactured moments never have the same effect as when they're spontaneous.


2. I'm currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com.

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within people's budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Monday, April 22, 2024

Imperfect Audrey

 1. We all change. I'd LIKE to think its human nature. Yet the pic of Audrey often get criticized for being terrible.


So what's wrong with it? 


If you'd believe some people, just about everything. 

Though the subject matter is pleasant to look at - the lighting is poor, my shooting angle is wrong, the high film speed (to use an archaic term) creates unnecessary grain, there's an unsightly lenses flare going on, I haven't presented the model in a flattering angle, her pose is wrong, etc, etc. 

And if I'm being honest, they're right!

Why do I bring all this up?

This piece is another pivot point in my work where I no longer completely care. Those very imperfections add to an interesting mood specifically when I & others see a sultry yet mysterious vibe. 

From my experience, one can learn all the technical things. But if a person doesn't have that spark to make whatever they're creating interesting or the capacity to convey whatever it is you're trying to convey, there's only so much stale technical mastery can do salvage the situation.

Will this cause me to lose clients or turn off people off? Maybe. But would they have hired me to begin with? Probably not. 

Everyone has an opinion on everything these days EVEN WHEN they've prefaced it with "Well, I'm not an expert but-" & then goes on to pontificate for the next 4 minutes why their NON-expert opinion should matter. Great job on undermining your own crediblity.

Experts who've dedicated their professional lives in their chosen field are dismissed and rank amateurs are lauded for opinions on topics THEY THEMSELVES have said they know nothing a about.

I guess that's simply the age we're living in.


2. Currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com. 

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Jillian Durgin Passing & Thoughts


1. This post is bitter-sweet & I've been struggling to articulate my thoughts into words. However I'm going to try. 

It is with a heavy heart that Jillian Durgin, sometimes freelance model & founder of Ritual Fashion,  was in a tragic car accident outside her home in Rome, GA on 26 Aug, 2023. 

When I first heard the news, I didn't believe it. I knew she was going throughthe usual BS most public personalities have with online a**holes so I called her number & left a voicemail asking her to call me, hoping what I'd heard was a different Jillian. Came inside, Googled her name while I waited, & was devastated to read the first entry was an outside news report of the car accident. This was later confirmed when her family & company's Instagram spread the same news.



 Here is also a link the the remembrance page her family setup: https://www.masonfuneralhome.com/obituary/MsJillian-Durgin

Jillian came onto my radar back during the LiveJournal blogging days (2005'ish?) when she'd post both her modeling pictures as well as her unique fashion pieces & was captivated by her command presence.

We parted ways as so often happens in the age of social media til I found her again on yet another platform. Posted a throwaway comment not thinking anything would come of it since we were literally on opposite sides of the country, only to find out a couple weeks later she was trekking to the area. 

 "Do you still want to work together?" she basically asked. I'm like (eff) yeah! Figured out a place & time & went with it. 
 
Shoot day was a complete cluster(eff). It had more to do with it being literally the 1st nice day AFTER New York City loosened their Covid restrictions. Us Upstaters were already accustomed to the relatively loose restriction because of our rural culture but the location being an hour or two outside of NYC meant they all flocked to the lower Hudson Valley at the same time. 

Tried doing Plan A but that failed because of people. Then B, C, D, E & F. Please understand it was originally supposed to be a "nudes in nature" shoot but there was a crazy amount of people around, I'm not the type of photographer to push a model do something that "I" am uncomfortable having them do. The situation just sucked.

I was going to call it quits, more disgusted at the circumstance we found ourselves in until she pulls out one of her fashion pieces out of a giant duffel bag that probably about half her 3/4 o her bodyweight. In the back of my mind, I'm like "May as well!" LOL

 Migrated to a yet another part of the park again, to many people. So we continued to do clothed work. Tried the "nudes in nature" again & no joy. Taking that it was a sign from the Art Gods to go where the art flow is taking you, we continued to do more clothed stuff until the good light finally dictated we call it. 

We have since produced more interesting stuff but I here are a couple that fondly bring me back to that day.



I always appreciated Jillian's patience, creative drive, poise, as well as our long conversations. I will especially miss her kindness towards others & her drive to make this world a better place. 

 Jillian Ann Durgin, you will be missed.


2. Currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com.  

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

One True Talent in Life Gabrielle

1. Gabrielle was a college Art History classmate of mine. 

With not a lot of persuasion, I coaxed her into a photoshoot. Nothing big or elaborate, just two creative individuals seeing where that creativity takes us.

Somewhere along the way she oh-so nonchalantly says, "Making goofy faces is my one true talent in life." So I of course asked her to prove it. 

This was the result:


I really appreciate people who can relax & poke fun at themselves. Its also a schtick I have Gabrielle do whenever we shoot to which she's been ever gracious to indulge.

I also distinctly remember it being an ultra cold day in March & having a 20-page term paper due the next day that had yet to be started. Priorities, right? I guess that's what A LOT of coffee is for.


2.  I'm currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com. 

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within people's budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Monday, August 28, 2023

Avid Reader Jenna Q

1. The following recent shot reminds me a quaint incident I had with my first shoot with Jenna Q.


It was her 2nd semester at the local college & replied to an online ad I posted for a project that I either soon petered out or wasn't in the direction I was hoping for.

But whatever.

We kicked around other ideas & among those many emails she mentioned that she was an avid reader, with her favorite author being Kurt Vonnegut. So much so, she got "And So It Goes" tattooed along her ribcage. For those not in the know, its a frequent refrain in one of his most famous works.
Vonnegut is one of the most strangest authors I've ever encountered not because of his subject matter but his writing style. 

What do I mean? 

If you read multiple things from the same author, their flow & cadence is similar enough where you can kinda tell its from them. Its akin to a painter's brush stroke or a photographer's compositional eye or editing style. To the keen eye, you can tell its from the same creator.

However in the 5 of books I've read from Vonnegut; Slaughterhouse Five, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Player's Piano, & Timequake; that isn't REMOTELY the case. S5 is different from Cat, Cat is different from Breakfast & so on while no of those 5 have remotely the same flow read as any of the others.

But I digress.

In our preshoot conversations, Jenna mentioned that "Slaughterhouse Five" was her favorite book & she didn't have her own copy & was bummed  because if she wanted to reread it, she'd have to borrow it from the local library.

As a fellow book lover, I vowed to put a stop to that problem & purchased said copy.

At the end of our shoot, I gave & she opened the wrapped present & squealed with delight & jumped up & down with excitement. Seeing how happy the gift made her, brought a slight smile to my stoic face.

I don't care what people say, being nice matters. Kindness especially when there's nothing to be gained by the act, is a strength not a weakness.

I don't remotely pretend that I'm good at living up to those lofty ideals but it happened that day with Jenna.


2. Currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com. 


Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Riding the Pony with Faye Brandt

1. The shot below is titled, Riding the Pony & the framed print version was submitted to a gallery showing a number of years ago. I really don't name many of my pictures unless there submitted in a real world showing of some sorts. Nothing against it, I just shoot A LOT! And thinking up names for all the stuff I produce & edit gets exhausting!


This shot was also from my 1st shoot with Faye Brandt

She's a native New York City resident & loved the urban life whether it be walking her neighborhood streets at night, going to raves & clubs, & enjoying its hustle & bustle among other things. This aspect of her personality is where this ensemble came from.

The wooden pony is another one of those random finds in a former textile mill environment. Please don't ask me how or why it was there because I have no clue. 

Afterwards I heard noises on the other end of the mill floor. I saw multiple figures & told Faye & her friend to grab their things because we need to leave immediately. We did.

We h almost made it to our exit when we were spotted. "Hey, stop," the voice yelled. I whispered to ignore it & to walk faster hoping to get off the property in time. Again, "hey, stop" this time with him running over to us. There was no escaping. 

The gentleman reamed us out about trespassing. "With no signs, how were we supposed to know," I thought to myself but thought it wise to not say nothing. Meanwhile I apologize profusely & told him we were just art students taking pictures. He continued lecturing us almost from a script in how much he was losing with broken equipment & blah blah blah.

"I'm sorry, sir. We're artists & just wanted to take pictures for class" while holding up my camera & shaking it to call attention to my claim. 

He pauses for an agonizingly long time. "Oh! I thought you were vandals" & then goes on about the troubles he's had finding cigarettes & graffiti & broken industrial cleanup equipment & replaceing assorted damage from likely the bored neighborhood teens.

And as if this situation couldn't get more bizarre, he then introduces us to his two sons, Odin & Loki. Yes, you read that right, Odin & Loki. Why he brought his barely 2 10-year old boys into a derelict industrial site with broken glass & wood shards everywhere, I haven't a clue but considering our position felt it best NOT to ask. Nor as a mythology geek, did I ask about how Odin is the adopted father to Loki, all happening before the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But again, I digress.

The gentleman lets us leave after some small talk, where once we were clear the 3 of us breathed a sigh of relief.


2. I'm currently selling my work. If anything particular shot, any model, or any set interests you, please email me at farenell.photography@gmail.com.

Just tell me what interests you & I'll see what I can do. I try to work within people's budgets but I'm also not going to like give them away for pennies on the US dollar.


3. Also for those not in the know, I've started a Patreon. The link is here.

Its a subscription based site where I offer considerably more of my work for a small monthly fee. Pictures obviously on the lowest tier while getting behind-the-scenes shots & videos to an interview series to anecdotes to blogs to hard copies prints, the higher the tier levels.

It may seem like much but every subscriber contributing helps fund more art creation for me to bring to the viewing masses.