Among other things, he works as a contortionist at the Venice sideshow.  We got together one day so I could take some photos of him – let me tell you, this kid is no joke.

The two images above were both shot using window light and a white panel to fill…sometimes I forget how beautiful light coming in through a dirty window can be…

To see more images from these sessions, visit flickr.

Here are some outtakes from the most recent shoot…

I actually find the challenge of working with kids loosens up my shooting style – working with non-professional kids this young (the oldest being 4), there isn’t a lot of direction they’ll take, nor do you have their attention for very long – so it forces you to capture more candid moments and to move around with the kids.  It also allows me to be more playful, which is always something I appreciate.

So I set out to Griffith Park (which is basically the only nature in this city) to find something suitable.  It quickly became apparent that lush colours and foliage were not part of the landscape.  It was at this point that I had a creative block.  I had something so specific that I wanted to do in my mind that I became locked into that idea and it didn’t seem like I’d be able to get past it.  In addition to this, I had planned on using natural light and as the sun was going behind a hill, clouds also started rolling in – which meant I was losing my light very quickly.  But, as a photographer, it’s my job to make things work.  So I picked up Linda (who was going to model for me) and I just had to improvise – and this is what I came up with:

Being forced to abandon what has been pre-visualized is a good exercise, it puts pressure on you to improvise while still being creative – and this is what helps you grow as a photographer.

Hair and make up by the lovely and talented Veronica Lane.

I’m three weeks into my current portrait workshop with Ken Merfeld.  This time it’s definitely all about breaking out of my box – that is, incorporating more shadows and embracing hard light sources.  Our first two assignments were to shoot a portrait with a definite mood and to shoot a portrait incorporating shadows.  In keeping with the theme of my recent work, the mood I chose was a dark one – perhaps introspective, or a little melancholy – what I hadn’t anticipated (because I don’t see this when I see the image) was people thinking it was unsettling and eerie.  Ken always emphasizes that strong portraits elicit strong responses, so if my work makes people feel uncomfortable, I’ll take that as a step in the right direction.

The idea for the second assignment actually came about by accident.  Rich was helping me set up another shot and we had a light bulb really low and as he looked up at me when I asked him to move it, I noticed the way the shadows cast by his glasses mimicked horns.

Utilizing these simple light sources reminds me that photography is all about experimentation…something that I was well aware of when I first started, but that I sometimes have to remind myself of these days…

In addition to working with one of my favourite clients today (more on that later), I also got an email letting me know that my beauty story, Colour Theory (which i spoke about here), is in the latest issue of W25 magazine (January 2010, issue #16).  A pretty rad way to say goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010.

“My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph” – Richard Avedon

One of the last workshop assignments was to take a portrait of someone who has their back to you.  This is what I came up with – it’s probably the piece I’m most proud of from the last 8 weeks.  It’s titled “(I Have Seen You Through) Various States of Madness”

“In a portrait, I’m looking for the silence in somebody” – Henri-Cartier Bresson

This was one of the last shots of the day…to see more, check out both my portfolio and my behance page

This assignment definitely opened up my mind to the idea of starting a series based around the idea of unconventional beauty and form.  So stay tuned…