Into the Light with Hope Hoffman

1. Hope Hoffman was a dancer model out in Maine who I discovered VERY early on on one of those professional networking websites that isn't around anymore.

I was mesmerized by the depth of her portfolio but also how, the people she's worked with were able to incorporate movement into a still (photography) medium.

Lucky for me, a college friend lived out in Maine & made an excuse for a roadtrip. Oh, how I miss those quasi-carefree days where I could arrange such a trip at the drop of a hat! LOL

Prior to leaving, I visited the local library & Xeroxed a slew of inspiration content (this was before "Google Pics" was a thing), drawing heavily from classical sculpture & paintings with a particular focus on Greco-Roman art & it's later Neoclassical periods. Not sure if it visually translates with this specific one but whatever.

This is a scan of a physical print since I was shooting film at the time.

I vividly remember laying on my back shooting up, struggling to get her in focus & adjust my camera settings. I look back on it now & wonder how the heck was my body withstood that kind of physical punishment.

The things we do to create.

Maybe its because of the where, when, how, & my mindset at the time of when I got the shot but it remains one OF my favorite pieces ever taken.

I miss shooting film but do NOT miss the lag in developing, nor the pretty penny that was needed to get it all done. 

Unfortunately, its been so long I have no idea what Hope is doing these days. Last I heard she was teaching children how to fiddle out in the Midwest somewheres.

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.

Subtle Smile with Samantha

1. This shot with Samantha was another that almost didn't happen.

We were supposed to have a formal photoshoot but I got a call (back when people did that sorta thing) that she was going to be late. She was finishing a paper or trying to, for the last 4 hours.

As annoying as it was, I've been there. 

By the time she was able to turn it in AND arrive, I felt like the good photo'ing light had been lost.

Bought her a lunch to try & brighten her spirits, til I saw something right then & there at the Barnes & Nobles cafe. Pulled out my camera & started clicking away. 

Not remotely the photoshoot I was planning on but when the moment strikes, you just have to go with it.

Its not ever the tools the photographer uses but HOW they use what's available.

2. I'm currently selling my work. If any 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.

Laundromat Diaries with Brittany

 1. The "Laundromat Diaries" was a VERY early series entailing sticking models inside a giant laundromat dryer & seeing what happens & what kooky things I could be got.

Brittany climbed into the dryer & played around for a bit. I like recession & repeating shapes so I made sure to include the neighbor dryers into the frame. 

This also was an early submission piece back when I attended SUNY Potsdam.

I stopped doing this series a few years later after a heated exchange with another customer who wanted to get his laundry done on a hot Summer's day. Because God forbid he use any of the other 10 empty dryers but that's neither here, nor there. Nothing physical happened but was enough for me to move on to other "stupid" ideas.

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.

Skeptically Passive Kira

 1. The model is Kira & was taken back during my college days. 

She worked in the Student Union manning a table looking for volunteers for something. I chatted her up, gave her my schpeel, & said I'd very much like to work with her.

In a voice that was one-parts skepticism & another part flattery, "You doooooooo?"

I said yes & gave her my contact info & where she could see my work. Also threw in that she's welcome to bring a friend if it'd make her more comfortable.

I left thinking I'd never hear from her again. Sometimes women will agree to do things to get out of an uncomfortable situation and was pleasantly surprised she reached out & set up a shoot date. I knew a spot in the next town on thebanks for a wooded creek & milked that as best I could. 

It took a little bit for her to get comfortable but once that happened, she did just fine.

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.

Black Prom Dress Deborah

1. There's an interesting story behind this shoot. 

When Deborah arrived, she laid out her wardrobe where I instantly took a liking to her big poofy prom dress. Explaining that it as so new, she hadn't had time to get the darn thing tailored. 

I'm like, "I do have safety wire & we can synch you up that way." Yes, it would be a one outfit type shoot but whatever."

To my surprise, she's as nutty as I was & agreed. So I synched her up. Did some stuff on the Boston fire escape, did some stuff riding-but-not-riding a moped, playing hop-scotch (all not seen here btw), & typical-me windowlit stuff.

Below is the remastered version of her playing in the apartment windowsill, having a grand ol' time.

"Remastered" because I edited it many years later. My know-how had grown considerably since we originally shot.

& yes to get her out, I had to use my handy wire cutters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The news link is here:  https://www.wrganews.com/2023/08/26/rome-man-killed-in-chattooga-county-wreck/

 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.

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.

Cammo Loving Charissa

 1. This shot is Charissa. She's a cammo lover which is probably helped that she was married to an active duty Marine.

This little piece was shot locally on her family's property during the dead of summer. If I'm remembering right, these were shot as extra "motivation" for her husband as he was off on a 3-month training exercise on the opposite side of the country.

This was also where I was introduced as"(her photographer). Such titles make me cringe but have since come around that there are certainly worse titles people can give. LOL

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.

Breast Cancer Awareness with Ann & Ashley

1. What y'all are seeing is a Breast Cancer Awareness shoot w/ Ashley & her mom Ann. The original intent was to make it as simple as I could get - a black & white rendering with only the pink ribbon (or the tatoo) being the only thing in color. 

I put out a casting on one of the many social media sites I used at the time & Ashley responded & her mom, a Breast Cancer survivor tagged along. I did a number of shots of Ashley & asked if her mom if wanted to participate herself despite being 2 weeks post-op from a double mastectomy. She was all for it.

We were both in the moment. Anne doing her thing, me focusing on camera setting & composition & simply trying to stay focused (no pun intended). At one point, she was about to showcase her still visible sutures & me about to shoot her when her daughter put a stop to it. It was probably for the best.

With the exception of documenting Ground Zero less than 2 months after the attacks, this remains one of my most emotionally grueling shoots. 

Hope you enjoy.

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.

Anonymous Couch Bum

1. During my undergrad senior year, I chose for my photography series artistic nudes.

I had previous worked with a female classmate of mine in a PG-capacity & tried to recruit her but no joy. However in this failure, she pointed a couple of her sorority sisters in my direction. & we were off to the races.

This here is, well, an anonymous raven-haired girl. I don't think she'd care if she's identified but am respecting her wishes given at the time.

We shot at my sister's place who also lived in the area. She hated the entire series because, I guess, all she could see was the gaudy orange couch. Yet when I presented them for critique, it was met with overwhelming approval. Familiarity of that couch breeds contempt, I guess.

Later that year, the model put me on the phone with her mother where I was met w/ a flurry of compliments. "I've never seen my daughter look so beautiful in such a tasteful manner.". Getting the mom-seal-of-approval definitely ranks up there in my career highlights reel.

There's more to this story but think I'll save it for another time.

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.

Adirondack Group Shoot with Erin

1. 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.


2. I used to go to group shoots. Basically, its sorta like a get-together models & photographers & them shooting each other in relatively short segments. I have nothing against them par say but unless I know the person arranging it, they no longer played to my strengths. Meaning, I believe my creative strength is best when establishing & developing a rapport with said models over the time available. 15 minutes rarely doesn't do much for me. Nothing against other people doing them, they're just not my thing.

I schooled at SUNY Potsdam in Northern NY. Its a stunningly beautiful part of the state but ultimately a not-well traveled model route. There is more lucrative places to hit up in more dense population centers, maximizing earnings in a shorter amount of time.

I got thinking, why not a group shoot?

I discussed it with another photographer friend & he told his friends & soon enough there were 5 us willing to shell out money for this. We put out a casting-call & 7 models were interested. 1.4 model to 1 photographer seemed about as good a ratio as we could expect considering where it was to take place.

Slowly but surely the cancellations came in, a disappointing prospect but not entirely unexpected. Come shoot day, the only model who showed up was from VA who I picked up at the bus station. & for the record, she seemed pretty enthusiastic about the trek. So we all carpooled to various scenic sites in the autumnal Adirondacks (a stunning sight in its own right) & all did our photoshoot thing.

It comes time to pay the model & the rest of us photographers were so grateful she showed, we decided to give her all the pay that was meant the canceled models. It was easily quadruple what was initially promised. The look on that undergrad face was priceless.

I certainly hope you've enjoyed today's edition.

Danielle and her New Ring

1. 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.

2. During this shoot with Danielle, she kept maneuvering her hand in a particular way & I couldn't figure out why. Only then did I realize she was trying to show off her new engagement ring.

Yes, I know I'm slow & not great at picking up on social ques everyone else takes for granted. I'm sorry.

(Apparently the blogging system, will cropping the width if I go any larger so you're going to just have to deal with this not-so-great size)

I certainly hope you've enjoyed today's edition.

the Pretty Little Blonde Jennelle

1. I'm currently selling my work. If any particular shot or shoot or set or model 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.

2. Back when I was in school, there was this pretty & fashionably dressed blonde that I'd often see around campus who kept being all friendly w/ me. Try as I may, I couldn't place where I knew her, nor figure out why? So one sunny day, I stopped & asked where she knew me from. W/o skipping a beat, this once strange pretty blonde replies, "I'm in your philosophy class."

Sometime later that semester, I not only got her in front of my camera doing "artsy-fartsy" stuff (her words) but also met her roommate Meg. After the semester ended we went our separate ways, I continued at the university while she transferred to a school up in Montreal til many years later she contacted me through a social media site & eventually set up a photoshoot where we shot this pic.

Some subjects even after a many years lull, still just feel right.

Birth of Slutty Minnie Series with Brennan

1. I'm currently selling my work. If anything interests you, don't hesitate in emailing me at farenell.photography@gmail.com.

Just tell me what pics or sets interest 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.

I posted the picture below a number of years ago back when I was opining about the current issues of the day but I'm re-presenting for different reasons.


2. This is part of the "Slutty Minnie" series with Brennan. 

The idea arose when I got ahold of a headband version of Minnie Mouse ears. There was a pair of leather bondage cuffs leftover from a previous shoot & how fun & messed up if I paired the two.

We were shooting in a photographer friend's living room & could hear him in the next room. We easily got what we needed early in the set but continued shooting as an excuse for him to see us since it'd be fun to see his reaction. And he did.

The model & I would find out later that he was pissed off! Fear not, it was the "I'm pissed because I didn't think of it first" version.

& thus the series was born.

I certainly hope you've enjoyed today's edition.

Shadow Lines with Naureen

1. 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.

2. This is Naureen.

I found her after she posted an online ad seeking a "real" photographer to shoot boudoir-type pics as a gift for a recent ex. It sounded like it was an amicable split, him moving across the country & her staying behind to finish law school...but I digress. I found the phrasing humorous but in an era where everyone has a camera & can call themselves a "professional," I get why. 

I emailed her back with several website links, giving samples of my work, met her criteria, & set something up.

I get there & do our shoot, doing a variety of sets. & come to find out later she was utterly astonished at how (& I quote), "here I was half-naked, hugging you, & flirting with you, & you were super professional. My (college) friends think I'm full of sh*t." My response was & I quote, "Sweetie, I'm Italian. We hug everyone." 

We had lovely little friendship but the distance, combined with us both being in college, combined with us being on very different life trajectories, it was simply not to be.