July 2023
|
|
|
| VOL 18 ISSUE 7 | July 2023 |
I had the incredible opportunity to do a mid-century themed photoshoot at the historic home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his son David. I recruited the best vintage makeup and hair stylist when I brought Stevie Rosalie ( https://stevierosalie.com ) into the project and I found the perfect model for this look with Ariana Gonzalez ( https://anureads.com ). The current owner of the home, reknown architect Bing Hu, had seen a photo that I took of a model named Lux on the piano at the Arizona Biltmore. That photo was shot in front of Frank Lloyd Wright designed stained glass at the entrance (Fun fact - Frank Lloyd Wright originally created "Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers" as a colored pencil drawing for a series of covers for Liberty Magazine in 1927. The magazine said it was too radical for the times and never published it. Mrs. Wright found the drawing and commissioned an artist from Mesa to put it into stained glass). Hu asked if I would recreate that image at The Wright House's piano and utilize the same model and design team. Unfortunately I had lost touch with Lux, but fortunately Ariana was the perfect stand in. She spend much of the afternoon in the make-up chair with Stevie and they found that they shared a lot of the same interests and had great conversations. I'm so glad that we were able to take many other photos around the house and got many unique looks to complement the piano shot. Some of my favorites included the colorful designs of the rug. It was a very memorable shoot and my team was awesome to work with! Here is the shot of Lux that inspired the project and the shot of Ariana replicating the image...wearing the same dress, by the way.
The time had come for me to finally own a Fender Stratocaster guitar. I've always loved the sound of them and some of the greatest guitar heroes played them on the songs of my life's soundtrack. After much research, I opted for an American made Professional series with the silver burst finish. I've only played it a short while so far, but I am very pleased with the variety of sounds that you can get from this iconic guitar and it feels great to play. I decided that instead of adding a guitar to my growing colletion of instruments, I wanted to replace one. I obviously will not part with my Gibson Gold Top Les Paul and my Ibanez Musician has been with me since high school. The guitar that I've decided to let go is my Kramer Condor. I played this guitar for years in Anti-M and the Styx tribute band Equinox. The custom airbrush painting on it is probably what drew me to it in the first place and that is what has made it increase in value over the years. The artist, Dennis Kline, became the go-to artist for guitars back in the 80's metal arena, painting guitars for Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and so many others. It's strange to think of a guitar as an original piece of artwork since the canvas is actually an instrument, but that's what this guitar is. Plus it is a very rare model from 1985 that was American made and the brand that Eddie Van Halen was promoting at the time. It's a little nostalgic and not easy to let go of, but I do think that the new Fender Strat is more in-line with my current evolution and future planned endeavors.
A lot of it is having a good camera and lens, but there has been quite a lot of wisdom and technique I have learned over the years for capturing awesome architectural photography. Since I am a lighting designer, many of my shots are purposely taken at twilight to show off the lighting as well as the architecture itself. I have dabbled with writing a book on architectural photography and I think I have enough portfolio shots now to make it interesting and enough experience to make it educational. I have given several seminars on architectural photography so I already have a bit of the outline started and I even have permission from the Eiffel Tower to use my photo of the illuminated tower that I took while in Paris (they don't allow the use without prior permission). The picture above is from the Palace of Fine Arts that I visited in San Francisco this month. I loved this shot so much and it has spurred me to start compiling my book again. A few select photos can be found on my website, but there are so many more to choose from that I haven't shared with the world yet. So coming soon!
E-ya later,
Mark Greenawalt
[email protected]
My gift to you is my music. Please kindly accept by going to these fine streaming services to download and stream! I hope you like some and consider them for your favorite playlists!
copyright Mark Greenawalt, Future-Class X Publishing - Phoenix, AZ 85044
Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions
To Read the Archived Green Pages, Click
Here
