Grammy Winner Kuk Harrell

Today I realized my job totally spoils me. I get to do what I love, and am lucky to have such a great client who actually thanks me for doing it. This was my second time shooting Songwriter/producer/engineer Kuk Harrell. He won a Grammy last year for his work with Mary J Blige. He is up for a couple more this year. One with Beyonce for Single Ladies (Put A Ring on it). His clients also include JLo, Sting, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jamie Fox, etc. Super talented and couldn't be easier to work with. See?! I am lucky.

weighing in on the feather weight

I tried not to let my mouth hang open as I did a casting this week for a fashion editorial. I kinda thought Janice Dickenson style super skinny models had gone by the wayside. I have been conflicted about supporting an industry that makes the naturally beautiful women out there feel like they have to look like the uber skinny airbrushed girls and celebrities that are on the magazines. For this reason it's been a while since i've done a fashion editorial. I tend to cast the girls that at least fill out their jeans. In all fairness, some of these girls are skinny b/c they are so young and they haven't filled out yet. Others of them are struggling under the pressure to stay this skinny as their bodies start fill out at 17. Of course, just as bad is the slightly more filled out Victoria's Secret girls that catch men's eyes with their push-up bra's and taped up boobs. Even though I know the power of photoshop, I walk in VC, and see adrianna lima's butt and slim thigh and think how good she looks. I have to remind myself that the cottage cheese on her thigh & zit on her butt were magically removed by the power of the computer. I wish I was in a position to change the industry. I feel that celebrities & designers could change it, but celebrities tend to get more photoshopping and botox than anyone else to stay in the game. Not to mention the designers keep designing clothes for, and casting the waifs. In part Tyra has been better than most, but i've caught her saying to the size 2 model on her show that they need to get her on a exercise and eating regimen that will help her get down to the right size for a working model. So Tyra, for all the girls who look to you as a role model are you saying size 2 is 2 big?

and some more work....see post below!

New Work, New Blog, & caren west PR

Since I last posted I've actually started on my first art project for an NBA player, my client Zac Brown Band is winning CMA awards, and I'm on Twitter - although i've basically been picking my nose trying to figure out what to tweet about.  One thing i'm stoked about is that my friend caren west has agreed to take me on, and do some PR for me. This PR world is totally foreign to me and I realize I'm small potatoes in comparison to....oh all her other clients like Paste mag, Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber....need i say more?  However, I am really grateful that Caren is helping me.  My next venture is to gain some more established clients in the music industy.  How do you do that?  Well, I'll let you know when I figure it out unless you already know and want to share your secrets with me. Otherwise, first stop is Nashville.  

Here's some recent work.  I have a wonderful interior client - Bradley-Hughes, as well as Cinda Boomershine (tbs movie & a make-over),  Zac Brown Band artists done w/ my buddies over at alevencreative: Sonia Leigh, Levi Lowrey, Nic Cowan,  America's Next Top Model Bre Scullark, a great graphic designer Liz Malpass that did the WireRose CD, among others.  Feel free to comment and critique.  

Rain Rain go away - The sunny side of working in England

So as many have seen Dan had a good time documenting our trip while I worked with the well-known classical music group Aronowitz. My childhood friend Jennifer Stumm is an accomplished violist who invited me to England to photograph her group for their upcoming album and press photos. Coming from shooting rock bands and fashion editorials I know very little about the rules of the game for photographs in the classical music world. As I am shown the typical press photo, I dismiss the idea of shooting within the confines of that box. Why not put my mark on classical music? Why can't they look as cool as any rock band or as beautiful as a pop star? So in typical Angela fashion I infused my general sense of humor and love for vibrant color into the photos. I aim to capture not just their faces, but their personalities as well. Of course there were challenges - there were no stylists or make-up artists, no art director, no trained assistant, and my light blew up (even with a power converter for UK). Oh, and not to forget there's the challenge of shooting 7 people that were used to being on stage, but certainly not models in a photoshoot. For many it's easy to take a picture of a beautiful setting or a pretty flower they see, but here a photographer has to separately light and bring beauty to 7 people in a way that makes them look like a cohesive group, and match the background chosen. Of course, they were all extremely gracious to work with and willing to try new things. On this trip I realized that my love of music and photography causes me to enjoy shooting every genre.

Who is going to want an Angela Photography t-shirt anyway?

It's been said to me by other photographers that my website isn't "professional enough". That it's not the clean conservative website that my peers are showing.  They can't believe I have a flashy logo, and now I'm going to have a t-shirt!  "You are not selling a brand, " they tell me.   My response to them, and anyone else who wants to put me inside a box is that I just got tired of looking at hundreds of boring ass slow loading photography websites.  I am so sick of simple, clean, and boring.  I want people to smile when they come to my site, not just because they enjoy the photography, but also because it's a good overall experience.  No, I am not a graphic designer, but I work with talented graphic designers who layout my photos and can create an even better packaging of my work.  Why not embrace that?  If the layout of the website or my logo turns you off then you probably wouldn't like working with me. I am a perfectionist at work, but I also like to have fun.  I love what I do, and I've been told that it shows when I work. 

That said, I have teamed up with an amazing graphic designer Chris Rucker, at ruckercreative.com to design my first t-shirt.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the shirt - whatever they may be!  Lemme know if you'd wear it.  

VOTE for this picture in the Billboard contest!

click on the link below the photo to vote. it's ONE vote per email so only vote once from that email address or the vote will be voided. thank you! 

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