Portraits at Pearl Brewery 

I had the opportunity to meet my daughter’s mother and her family down at the Pearl Brewery this past weekend!  The weather was perfect. It was a cool March morning, a little overcast.  The Pearl had a farmers market and other vendors scattered around the grounds.  There was a healthy crowd, and many people took their dogs out for a morning stroll.  The event was dog friendly.  The temptation to shoot a series of dog photos was tough to resist.  That wasn’t the headspace I needed to be in, though.  I wanted to shoot a small series of photographs for my daughter’s mother, Emily, one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever known.  She said we hadn’t been taking enough photos of Raven at this age and wanted to be sure there wasn’t a gap in the photos we have of her at this magical age, 16.  

For personal projects, I love to experiment and rarely do photos that are part of a cohesive collection or series of photos.  I love stretching my legs and dabbling in various photographic treatments.  This can help take a series of photos taken in the exact location, presenting them as if they were disconnected. The photographic treatments like monochrome, vivid saturation, and matte finish give each photo it’s own personality despite all being captured at the exact location, maybe about 20min from one another.   

I also like to leave a photo untouched.  I took this classic “Pearl Brewery” portrait as part of the collection.  I’m a bit of a completionist.  While I enjoy doing something more visually interesting, it’s essential to visit the foundations of simple portraiture and not always force the situation into something edgy where a traditional treatment allows you to think about my roots and classic art theory and what makes a good portrait.