A Quick Talk About Volkswagens...

Models, get to know your photographer. Photographers, do the same. It really makes a shoot much more pleasant when you start feeling that you are not shooting with a complete stranger, but an actual friend that you can trust. And you can trust me. :-). 

I love Volkswagens. Alot. My tattoo should be enough to prove it right?

So when I was asked to shoot images of this VW Golf, why would I say no?

The Make-Up Series: Candy

Now remember last time I was going to write about a couple of make-up sessions I did with Diana. Candy (yes, that is her actual name) was one of her models. She is an absolutely incredible person to work with. I have previously shot her before as a birthday gift from her husband (expect to see a post about that...one day. lol). We had fun then, and we had fun at this shoot.

Movies and Photography

So I just came back from the movies theater after watching "Wrath of the Titans" (Quick Review: Better than the 1st one.) and I got inspired to write this because I noticed something about me that I guess I always paid attention to, but never realized it until now. I love lighting. I love how a certain color, shadow, or silhouette can create a certain mood. It kind of made me realize why I love Photography so much.

So as I was watching this movie, I started thinking back to a lot of other movies that gave me inspiration. I just never realized it until now. go figure. If I list them all, This will be a VERY long post, so I'll make multiple posts and list them as I go...

The Make-Up Series: Diana

In the next couple of posts, I will be highlighting the amazing talent that is Diana from Bella Lei Creations. She is both an amazing artist and person who added an incredible level of professionalism to our multiple collaborations. The funny thing is, she wanted one shot of herself. I was ok with that...
This is the image that came out.

 

But the story is not that simple...

Salon and the City

I love word of mouth advertising. It means a lot to find out that my clients, friends and family support my dreams everywhere they go. Word of mouth is how I got hired to shoot for this amazing beauty salon called Salon and the City.
I was meant to shoot the stylists and the the general shop, which I figured was going to be fine. Always be ready for the unexpected right? Well the day before my slave flash decided to "retire" and I was left without my "trusty" flash. Oh well. My mantra has always been "work with what you have, and the shoot turned out incredible!

Nyasia

This was an amazing photoshoot! And one of the quickest I've ever seen. Less than 45 minutes for the whole shoot. Originally we were trying to go for a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" concept and I had an idea for a hotel lobby as a backdrop. And I found a GREAT location. Unfortuntely, hotel management didn't agree with me about how great of a shoot this would be...Something about corporate espionage...I was not happy.

Grisselle

What an absolutely crazy shoot! It had everything! Stalkers! Police! Motorcycles! Seriously! We were going for an urban setting in this shoot and I figured Paterson would be the best place to go, since there is a very nice factory section called Bunker Hill there.

Natalie

This was fun. A lot of fun...too much fun! Such an amazing young lady. The concept we agreed to was a forest shoot. Very mellow, the last woman on earth kinda vibe. I think we did a good job. Besides the model and myself, we were accompanied by her brother (a videographer himself) and my assistant/wife (Greatest assistant ever!).

 

Photography and Theraflu

Getting sick sucks.

Yeah I know, I'm supposed to say something profound or even entertaining or at least make it relative to Photography..I'll get to that. There is a connection in there somewhere. So as of Tuesday I've been forced to slow down on my workflow due to the side effects of the drugs...Thanks Theraflu!

I promise there's a connection to Photography after the jump!

 Hit "Read More" to see the full story...

Sandy

This was a very interesting shoot. This was a Maternity shoot commissioned by Sandy's sister that needed to be done prior to her surprise Baby Shower. We arranged to shoot at her house, which turned out to be awesome, because when we got there she just finished preparing dinner...And what a dinner it was!  After being filled to capacity, it was finally time to get to work.

Welcome!!!!

Hi everyone. Thanks for stopping by my blog. 

 

To say it's been an adventure is an understatement. I never expected photography to be my passion. But somehow this became something that I can no longer live without. I never would have ventured out on my own if it wasn't for the help and support of so many people.

You know who you all are. Thank you for your guidance, support, and love. I will not let you down.

Please take your time exploring this site. Expect weekly posts featuring previous photoshoots that I have done as well as upcoming shoots that are lined up. Comments and questions are always welcome.

Enjoy! And if you have any crazy ideas you would like for me to try to capture, please let me know! I would love to try to make it happen!

First blog post will be released tomorrow at 5pm!

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! It's been a labor of love...

Thanks for all the support! God Bless You...Until tomorrow...

How This Is Going To Work

Hi Everyone and thank you for visiting my blog. 


I've been contemplating what I was going to do with this blog for a long time. 
Should I make it a photography tutorial blog? 
A Photographic equipment blog? 
Random thoughts of a photographic madman?

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!!

Yeah, I know. It has been a VERY LONG TIME since the last posted anything. Sorry. But I have the BEST excuse EVER!!! BlackHill Photography is taking off! I feel very blessed to be in the position that I am in,but the time has come to put my blog to work. Expect to see more recent work on this blog, along with stories that helped make the image possible. Stay tuned!

They Should Be Models!!!!!

Hello again! Just wanted to make this quick post of an awesome shoot that I had.

A hairdresser wanted to take some pics and, of course, I gladly obliged. When I showed up to her house, I was surprised to hear that her brother wanted some shots as well as her friend who was hanging around with them.

After I became acquainted with everyone, I started shooting away and it was such a blast. They really made my day. And they were such naturals! Seriously, they need to take up Modeling...

Then we shot her friend and she was just as amazing. She had such a unique look about her. And that's what I always love to have for a subject...

At The Park

So back to Jersey!

I was asked to shoot an up and coming model that was willing to fall victim,Ahem, I mean was willing for me to shoot her. She recommended Branchbrook Park, in Newark, NJ. I had no idea where it was at, but I figured the internet has Google maps for a reason!

So off to the park. She was an amazing shoot and I had an absolute blast. I got absolutely dirty! It had rained (of course) and the ground was completely saturated!

But she was a true sport and new how to be in front of that camera! She loved it and I had an absolute blast. I did end up looking like I was 5 years old with the grass stained jeans, but it was definitely worth it.

We're already scheduled to do another shoot later on this month, so we'll see how that goes. I can't wait. Obviously more to come.

Some Early Work...

When I first picked up my camera, obviously I wanted to shoot everything and everyone. Some people really didn't want me to shoot them, but oh well. if they are not holding the camera, then I can't make any promises. Lol

So I was at the misses Godmother's house and obviously brought the camera...Something I noticed a lot of people say about my pics. I've been hearing a lot of "you always seem to capture the moment". I don;t know if I necessarily agree with them, but I'll leave that up for you guys to decide.

So The following pic is of the misses Godmother and her daughter in a very private moment. It only lasted for a split second but the outcome was very nice. to this day it's one of my favorite pics I've ever taken.

I've learned a lot since then (the ISO was ridiculously high...oh well) but I still look back at this pic amazed that i captured it. I hope you guys like it as well.

Doggie!!!!!

So we had a game night at a friends house, and I obviously showed up with the camera in case I needed to capture spirited playing. The star of the show ended up becoming Diamond the Beagle.

Hands down, the cutest dog I have ever seen. And friendly! I'm a cat person, so dogs ain't my thing.

So we were in the middle of the game when I realized that Diamond was minding her business on the couch, and I saw the opportunity and took it!

She was such a model! No direction was needed but she was acting like she was getting paid for this! Lol. After this the owner saw the pic and was blown away by what she saw.

If anyone's wondering the background was the leather sofa that Diamond was sitting on. Nothing fancy. Happy shooting fellas.

To The Rooftops

Wow the month of April sucked! Well at least the weather did. But I still found plenty of time to shoot more and get some more shots.

So I finally convinced the significant other to let me shoot her. She's out in Queens,NY and it was a perfect day. The weather was just right and there a=was plenty of light for me to work with. So only place we could shoot with some kind of sense of freedom was the roof to her building.

So after some time for her to get dressed (women...:-p) we finally made it out there and started shooting. I had a ton of fun and I am very happy how the pictures came out.

If you look carefully you might be able to catch a glimpse of Citifield as well. I wonder how many more years will it take for me to convince her to shoot again? Honestly, I have no idea. But it might be a while...a very long while...very VERY long while. LOL. Have a good one guys. Happy Shooting.

So it continues...

Before I even start writing, I need to mention the breakdown f the previous post's picture. The lighting was very simple, but it was completely improvised. I was bored out of my mind and I decided to shoot myself since no other subject was readily available. I have no backdrops, it was 11 at night, and I was being very lazy...So, I decided to turn off all the lights in my room and turn on the LED light from my Blackberry...That's about it. Nothing fancy, but just some imagination and the effect can be pretty awesome. I'm very glad with the outcome. I rarely shoot myself...

When it comes to taking pictures the lighting makes all the difference. Some of the most amazing light can be found in the craziest places. Shadows are just as important, especially if that's an effect that you are looking for. The next shot shows a pretty good example.

After a pretty bad Winter in the Northeast, the weather finally decided to give us a break to want to explore the outside world. What better place than Central Park.



I loved the silhouette that the underpass projected. It's not a perfect shot(by any means) but I was very happy with the outcome. I wish I had the power to empty out that fountain. BTW if anyone is wondering the header is a shot of that statue in the background from a very extreme angle. A lot of fun that day.

A really cool landscape shot that I took that day is below as well. I loved the multiple layers of awesomeness that was in this moment, from the guy on that cliff, to the boat to the city still looming in the background. I loved this moment. But that's my opinion. I crave your opinion more. Let me know what you think. I won't be disappointed. Promise

Hi

Hello and welcome to BlackHill Photography!

What was my hobby is evolving into something so much more. Did I plan this to happen? Nope. Not at all. This was the last thing that I was expecting to happen. Anyway. This blog is meant to showcase some of my more favorite pictures. I'm not sure if I'm going to show exif info, but I'll make up my mind about that as this goes along.

Critiques and comments are always welcome. Seriously. One cannot grow if he does not know his mistakes. And I want to grow. Every picture I take is another chance to get better.

At the same time I am always looking for more people willing to let me shoot them. I am located in Northern NJ, but I can travel depending on the situation.

So I think every photographer does this at one point, so I figure "let me get it out of the way. So here is my self portrait.



I would like to point out that I am not that menacing by any means. I use whatever light is available to me to create a shot. This has no backdrop, and no professional lights. I was just bored and used whatever I had available. Can you take a guess what I used? I'll break down this picture on my next post.

Hope you guys enjoyed!