Hey, Karl! Good to see you!

I was asked by a good friend, Evan Abramson, to photograph his wedding a few weeks ago. Generally, I don’t really take the lead as a wedding photographer, its not really my thing, but in this case he had asked me specifically because I’m not a wedding photographer and he wanted the look to be kind of humorous. How could I pass up a chance at unlimited creative freedom and also a free dinner at peter luger? PETER LUGER. YOU HAD ME AT MEAT TORNADO.

meat tornado.

still telegraphing that wheel kick?

earlybird is the only filter that doesnt turn my photos into oversatured super high pass filter crap.

also, thats right motherfucker.

super run away.

Betty Felon as Hank Venture as Batman

Dwayne Mendez as Evil Ernie

Comic book conventions have been my go to assignment for the Village Voice over the past couple of years and even back in the SF Weekly days I would often do the Cosplay portraits. By now, everyone ever has heard of cosplay and the amount of photographers at these conventions now is kind of gnarly (i think the next series is going to be on said sketchy photographers).

Above are my two personal favorites from the weekend, but as a guy who spent a lot of his time shooting in reportage style, sometimes shooting verticals kills me (the eye doesnt see in vertical man!). A lot of my favorite shots ever have been horizontal, excluding anything by Avedon.  However, I do feel like verticals do serve a purpose in terms of portraiture and layout, but I decided to get all fancy with the shots above and throw them straight up into 16×9 aspect ratio, and the entire feel of the photos change. Plus you can see their faces and details better. Also, Dwayne Mendez scares the crap out of me. (click to view large)

Gallery lives here www.villagevoice.com/slideshow/big-apple-comic-con-2011-33382673/

I am Vince. Vince Clortho.

Went up to the Hamptons last week for 2 days with Jospeh Cartright, Chris Lynch, Nate Osterhaus, reflectors, and a dream.

Came back with a fucking tick bite! I have symptons for lyme disease (fatigue and muscle soreness). But before that I was already tired and I already have a pinched nerve in my back, so who knows.

This is me saying goodbye.

That door marked ‘Pirate’? You think a pirate lives in there?

Penguin Prison for The Village Voice.

 

 

I think ive finally started settling into a certain look and style for the Shelter portraits.  Also, April 3rd is the hard deadline for my new website to go live. If that doesnt happen, you get to punch me in the face (sign in sheet below).

 

 

Holy crap, i think im livin the dream.

 

 

 

almost.

So you think you can tell Heaven from Hell?

The first Shelter subjects after the initial launch last week! I met Kasia Kowalcyzk and Tal Harris last summer while shooting an assignment for the Village Voice. Fully aware that the project was forthcoming, I made it a point to always take good notes and get contact information for potential subjects.  I first pegged them as the eccentric zombie couple, but I lucked out and Kasia Kowalcyzk ends up being a professional monster. No joke.

Kasia Kowalczyk as a Kelvin alien in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek reboot.

Always take good notes dudes. I’ve blown it a bunch of times by not getting names and contact info for people I’ve met to only assume theyve fallen off the face of the earth when I do attempt to contact them.

Also, I really dont use strikeout enough. So expect some more of that.

remember her hair as it shone in the sun.

If youve hung out with me at any point during the last year or so and have had the opportunity to see me have a few too many drinks, you have probably heard me rant about a top secret project that has I’ve been working on.

Said project was (re)launched this past Wednesday!

“Shelter, a column about New Yorkers and the places they call home, ran in this paper from 1997 to 2006. To relaunch the feature, which will run here online weekly, we’ve assembled five portraits of New Yorkers at home.”

The awesome Camille Dodero and myself have been hitting the streets lately shooting portraits and interviewing all kinds of different New Yorkers over the past month or so and my back is killin me. Anywhere between Lofts in Long Island City to Mansions on Staten Island, I’ve never been so lucky to get paid to explore NYC and meet its awesome people.

This is my first cover feature for the Village Voice and also my first actual cover photo ever (unless you count above the fold news, which i dont).  So you can understand my excitement. Celebratory outback steakhouse pending.

If anyone has any cool ideas for people or places to photograph, let me know. You will be rewarded handsomely. Handsomely = beer.

And if you are in the NYC area, pick one up to read on your subway ride. Maybe in a few years you can use it to pack the things in your kitchen when you decide to move out of bushwick.

Day Rioters

Over the weekend I shot some portraits of some Brooklyn Folk at a tweed bike race for the Village Voice down at prospect park (see the rest at the village voice). Its really starting to look like fall, which i guess made these photos really look like a Macys holiday shoot, ha!

Also, there are only 2 more episodes left on this ridiculously short 1st season of the walking dead. If you havent been watching it, I suggest you catch the hell up. If not for me, for my friend sean lee, who landed the role as glen.

We’ll defuse bombs and walk marathons.

Kaiju Big Battel made its way to Williamsburg this year. If you have the chance to check it out when it comes to your town, I highly recommend it, especially if you were all about the WWF in the 7th grade. Shooting these types of things are pretty fun, but there were many instances where I had to move before being totally annihilated by a giant waffle or dust bunny.

Today is my 26th birthday and its the first time I’ve actually felt older. Crap.

I hope all is well with everyone.

 

love(ly) in the LES 2010.

I was dreaming of just you, now our cereal, it is warm.

Comic Con made its yearly trip to New York this past weekend and I was there for two days shooting reportage and portraiture. It’s getting pretty crazy nowadays in terms of the volume of people and also the ratio to extra creepy photographers to really young girls wearing almost nothing. Nevertheless, it was a good time and I got to check out some cool stuff for myself. Walking dead anyone?

My lovely assistant for the day Kyle G.

 

Wish you were here. Virginia Beach 2010.