Classically Modern

The perfect style for your story

The Family in Classic Art Form
I love classical portraiture. It's the perfect style for families who looking for something more traditional, yet rich with artistic elegance. When I studied with Monte Zucker, one of the top classical portraitists in the world, I learned that great classical portraiture provides a window into a person's soul through their eyes.

Real classical portraiture should not be confused with what you find when you visit the mall or the discount chain stores. While the employees of these businesses often use some of the posing formulas of classical portraiture, at the end of the day, these businesses live and die on volume. Regardless of the style, great photography takes time and creativity.

I love to do classical portraiture in the form of what I call the Black & White Relationship Portraits. Black & White helps draw attention to the faces, and that's the point of classical portraiture. I really like to make these portraits pop by achieving a full range of tones in the image and achieving maximum clarity, especially in the eyes. I love to move the camera back and get the emotions of the family as they interact with each other, and then I move in close to capture the eyes.

Lifestyle
Lifestyle photography hit the magazines in the early 90s and replaced the stiff posed images of the time, with images that that emphasize movement, color, natural expressions, and relationships. Don't try this at home, though. Though the images often look like candids, the photographers still employ a great deal of control in lighting and composition to get the perfect look.

Lifestyle is the perfect technique for working outdoors with children, families, and high school seniors, when you want a more casual and modern look.

When doing lifestyle photography, I give a lot of thought to the location, symbols, colors, and the composition. The images that we get will be rich with meaning and reflect your story.