Atlanta Celebrates Photography – Auction Portraits – October 2014

Last Friday I set up a small portrait studio at the fundraising auction that Atlanta Celebrates Photography produces every year in October.
I was soon reminded of the tendency in artists to wear black… I wonder why that is?

These guys bucked that trend, nicely:

One thing that I really enjoy about making portraits at an event like this is the level of immediate intimacy that is available, and it’s concurrent brevity.
I try to get something about who each person is, adjust the lighting quickly to their relationships, appearance and/or character (within the necessary limits) and then get them back to the gathering efficiently.

It became apparent early on that another thing I would have to do was dispel the seemingly ubiquitous and corrosive influence of the photo booth craze. A light-hearted attitude was most welcome, but no feather boas, no goofy hats or cliche’d signage were provided. I was there to make portraits, not blackmail material. These were people who had assembled to celebrate photography, and they immediately got the idea.

Of course it was a really good crowd, and everyone that was photographed left with a small print… or two. Or three. I even got some great pictures of the catering staff. Being a veteran of the professional kitchen, I am keenly aware of their contributions to a successful gala such as this one. I wanted to also give them a token of my appreciation and awareness.

The overall results, I think, are way Better Than A Photo Booth might have produced (and that’s your link to the gallery of portraits).