Rory's Borealis

Kangaroo with Jet Pack, Frothing Monkeys, and Music Video

2012-01-31T08:42:00.000-08:00

RORSHAK CUBED

2011-11-30T19:35:00.001-08:00

RORSHAK CUBED

From underneath layers of tape and paper peer three new wonderful faces adding dimension to the RORSHAK series. Its a pleasure to introduce you to Annaliisa Maki, Nathan Conrad, and Caylin Cervetti in their normal (left) and abnormal beo-identities (right).

WALL DECOR

In an effort to make this analogue portraiture process even more analogue, they have been made into translucent tape transfers on glass. This utilizes some of the techniques used in making the original images. Perhaps with enough arm twisting and bribery, there will be a show where they can be seen in person.

This series is getting a bit of attention from folks near and far. Check out this little blog entry from Le Lettre de Photographie.

If you're curious about the process, refer to this old blog.

Thank you for spending time with this note! If you are an artist, musician, or someone who needs a creative image, please let me know and perhaps we can make something creative together.

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

La Lettre de la Photographie acknowledges the RORSHAK series.

2011-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is a big deal for me. I'm glad that the RORSHAK series is gaining some international momentum with what is perhaps the best photo blog in the world. Giddy up. Check it out here.

Kenny Foster, Brooke Waggoner, Kelsey Maskell

2011-10-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Show and Tell

Every Wednesday in 1st grade, my teacher allowed us to bring something to show and tell. My father had travelled extensively throughout the world, and among many of the exotic objects he had accrued was a 3-foot ceremonial sword from Indonesia with pig's teeth dangling by decorative strips of leather from a bone handle. It was gruesome and intriguing. I remember the excitement of bringing the sword to class and how, the evening beforehand, the anticipation of sharing something so wickedly awesome to my friends kept me from falling asleep. The following images may not be as exotic or involve pig's teeth and bone, but the old feeling of anticipation that came with 1st grade show and tell is still with me today and springs up as I get to share these pictures:

Kenny Foster

Kenny has been hard at work pushing his music in the viscous Nashville scene for years. His work has always impressed me as 'big league' material, but the advent of his new song "Hometown" is not only a top shelf tune with top shelf hooks, but is an intimate and immediate reply to his parents' loss of their home due to last spring's tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri. The tune is available here (iTunes) or at kentonfoster.com.

We made this image of Kenny to aid in publicity. After shooting this frame, I stepped around the camera and fixed his collar. Later, this image emerged as being the most penetrating of the shoot, and the collar is one of the most important reasons why it projects so effectively, along with the tension of the imperfect hair and the unsettled fingers on the body of the guitar.

After the shoot, Kenny opened up his laptop and played the final edit of the video for "Hometown". There wasn't a dry eye in the studio. That song has got legs, and he's got a worthy video to accompany it. Its a redeeming, optimistic anthem that represents the quality of the Midwestern ethos, and you can do your part to bug your local rock and country stations to play it all day everyday.

Brooke Waggoner

Brooke allowed me to make a RORSHAK portrait of her (below), but before her image was deconstructed, the original headshot was so compelling that it deserves some airtime (above). Her presence before the camera is spellbinding. I like the 'royal' look to this image, and it fits with my perception of Brooke, whose songs come from a charmed, idyllic imagination, and perhaps belong in a re-vamped Princess Bride film score. Investigate her song "My Legionaire" on iTunes here to know what I mean. It is some of the best cold weather music on the planet, so purchase the entire catalog, light some candles, and put some soup on the stove. Oooh, I get chill bumps listening to this one!

Kelsey Maskell

Kelsey gave me the opportunity to help her build her modeling portfolio. She's new to Nashville from South Dakota, and I think she'll have no problems finding companies to pay her to wear their duds.

We started in the studio (above), and then caught the bus for a 'big city' look (below right).

My special thanks to Giovanni Delgado for providing his hair and makeup services for both the shoot with Brooke and with Kelsey. Great work Gio! Want a great make up and hairstylist? Bug Gio here.

Also, a special thanks goes out to Cory Basil for his creative input on all three shoots, as well as Rafe Scarpati, who assisted on Brooke's portrait.

Thank you for spending your time with this newsletter!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

RORSHAK AT GRACELAND

2011-05-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

RORSHAK ON TV, Cultural Strip Mining turns up Diamonds

2011-05-01T12:06:00.001-07:00

RORSHAK ON TELEVISION

CMT, May 13, 2011 at 9 E.T.

This month was full of a number of adventures, and most I am not at liberty to write about yet, as the results of the shoots are time sensitive. However, there are other goodies that have not been put in the confidential folder. I am at liberty to point you towards the link that explains the subject matter of one of the top secret shoots: it is for a television show that will be airing on May 13, 2011, on CMT. You may read about it here.

RORSHAK CULTURALLY STRIP MINES THE PAST, TURNS UP DIAMONDS

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful time last night helping the boys of JonesWorld recreate some great album covers from rock history. Enjoy the above with a smile. JonesWorld will be performing a night dedicated to Prince, and another dedicated to Queen. In each photo, they were allowed to keep some small accouterments that mark their true JonesWorld persona. This was a wonderful exercise, and I've grown in appreciation for what it took to make the originals. Perhaps I'll write more about it in a later newsletter. See JonesWorld's May 14 show scheduled here.

Thank you for reading the shortest of the RORSHAK newsletters ever!

Cheers!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

March 2011 Newsletter

2011-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Welcome to this month's Adventure in Photography! Spring is a good time for loving, and so we focus the spotlight on two wonderful couples, both engaged to be married, who rocked my camera and left me with something special to share with the world. Oh, and if you feel jipped because any of the following images appear too small in this letter, just click on any of the images to be transported to a gallery with larger versions of each.

TIM AND LIZ

The first adventure was another 'time travel' shoot (like last month's Elvis and Priscilla shoot here), where we attempted to channel the aesthetics of the past to make a fun period piece. This photo (above) star Tim and Liz, who re-recorded the old tune "As Time Goes By" to give away to their wedding guests, and wanted to take the period idea to its fullest extent, inviting me to help them make an appropriate image to help design the CD packaging. As one examines the image, one may be led to believe that we invested thousands of dollars in the set and took weeks procuring just the right props and period-specific kitchen accessories, hauling them into the studio with borrowed Uhauls in order to shoot the image, but one would be gravely mistaken. Indeed, our initial chosen location fell through, and we had to make a quick scramble to pull a solution together. This set just happened be pre-constructed and the powers that govern the premises gave us their blessing to use it as our shoot location. I honestly cannot imagine a set more suited for our goals. Every once in a while I realize I'm a happy victim of generous providence.

For the technically minded, the lighting on this set is a combination of a strip-soft box on Tim and Liz, a gridded spot through a cookie for the shadow effects in the upper left corner of the image, a light fired into a large 4x8 foam core board for fill, and a narrow gridspot fired into the window to make it appear as light was coming in from outside. I was working without an assistant and had run out of stands, so I put the camera on a two-second delay so I could point the gridspot on the window from an angle outside of the view of the camera and not hit Liz's left elbow with the light.

I especially appreciate Liz's look into the camera with a handful of flowers (+1 point for Tim) and the not-so-subtle "home-cooking" phrase on the wall. Giddy up!

WHITNEY AND DUSTIN

My next adventure was as much rock and roll as it was a couple's shoot. Here, Whitney and Dustin delivered some seriously maude expressions that are as fit for a fashion magazine as they are for a vibey engagement announcement (above).

We pulled up the studio stakes and grabbed a few pictures on a tall hill, where I threw a long lens on my camera and kept my distance (left). Instinctually, Whitney and Dustin composed themselves and went through a few playful gestures. I love the charm of this hillside moment. With an increasingly darkening sky, I couldn't resist making another dramatic rock and roll portrait to finish things off (right).

Thank you Liz, Tim, Whitney, and Dustin, for bringing just the right props and a creative spirit that made these adventures a success.

....and thank you for reading this long letter! See you next month.

Rory

Here's more information than you need:

If you need a wedding photographer, visit my work and info here.

Interested in more pictures? Check out my alter ego RORSHAK who shoots artist portraits here.

Maybe you just want to rock. Check out my gospel cigar rock here.

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Toddzilla Attacks, Elvis Presides.

2011-02-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

TODDZILLA ATTACKS!

Perhaps a mighty sage once spoke from a distant hillside: "Do not discount the leafless tree in the wintertime, for its roots may be making their greatest advance below." As part of the RORSHAK root development this winter, two recent shoots are worth noting: my first portrait session with the renown Nashville funkster Toddzilla, the minister of funk from the funky funk band "JonesWorld" and yet another session with my old friend Laws Rushing, commemorating our 10th year of photo shoots together. Both adventures turn the corners of my mouth towards the north for their air of humor, irony, and aesthetic panache.

THE LEGEND OF TODDZILLA'S AMPLIFIER

In the year 2001, I had $1000 stored up to purchase a guitar amplifier. Over a number of months, I ventured through music stores and researched manufacturer's websites and user's reviews, trying to make a purchasing decision I wouldn't regret. One particular amplifier caught my ear as being particularly unique, and since it is possible to geek out concerning the particulars to the detriment of this story, I'll simply describe a particularly ironic particular that concerns Toddzilla. Being that the amplifier was a decade old by that time, I sought to have it serviced. Alas, when I rolled it in the doors of Nashville's own Corner Music, it was received with a gasp by Toddzilla himself, who proclaimed, "that's my amplifier!" Indeed, Toddzilla was the primary owner of the amplifier, and traces of his kitty cat's fur was still entwined with the amp's carpeted covering from years before. An instant bond was formed as I realized that I was now keeper of this powerful tool that had been the vehicle for one of Nashville's best and most iconic performers. I recalled Bilbo Baggin's discovery of a ring that grants the power of invisibility to its keeper, and was humbled.

In line with the first two RORSHAK signature portraits, Toddzilla is a pre-eminent talent whose image lends momentum the vision. Recall below the adventures with Donny Smutz and Mikky Ekko, respectively, and note the latest continuation with Toddzilla's portrait (above, lead image). Click here to learn how we made these images. Click on below on Mikky's photo to listen to his music, and click below on Donny's image to visit his artist site.

Toddzilla plays this February 28, 2011, at the Limelight in Nashville, Tennessee. To say the least, it is an event of relentless stimulation. You can support Toddzilla and attend his Mardi Gras show by purchasing tickets here.

Above, Mikky Ekko contributes to his portrait, and below, Donny Smutz survives a live burial.

ELVIS PRESIDES

My buddy Laws Rushing invited me to make his portrait as he delved into the character of "The King." He is accompanied faithfully by his wonderful wife Stacey, who plays the part of Priscilla. Yes, Laws does perform weddings and will even play a few tunes for a reception, too. Click on the image below to see a really big version of this triptych.

Here is a proper Elvis exposure, perhaps one of my fave versions of the king and his lady (below).

I have posted a small gallery on the internets commemerating the images that Laws and I have made from over the years. His ability to step into character and his air of cool never disappoint the camera. The gallery resides here. It is still only a sampling from an archive that is mostly bound by film.

And just to put the bullet in the brain, here is second version of Toddzilla that links to an even larger version from our shoot. For the portfolio, I have to choose one to share above all the others, but its hard to decide on a favorite. This one is a mixture of Toddzilla, packaging tape, black foil. Enjoy!

I hope that these two adventures have piqued your interest like they have mine! Thank you for reading this newsletter.

Cheers!

Rory

October 2011 Newsletter

2011-02-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this month's photo show and tell! Before this blog turns its focus on photography, I'd like to shine a spotlight on some of my notable models: the artist Donny Smutz (above) and the songwriter Michael Shoup.

After starring in this photo for a RORSHAK shoot (discussed here), Donny packed his bags and headed north to make a splash in Chicago. I'm proud to have commissioned Donny to spread some of is imagination on a canvas for a piece of my own. If you are interested in investing in art, or have a bug to get an amazing gift for a loved one, consider contacting Donny for a commission of your own at www.donnysmutz.com. (I dare you to think of a finer gift than receiving a commissioned painting from a prodigious artist? Just watch this clip from his Nashville art show to get a feel for the gravity of his influence.) Here are some samples of Donny's recent works that have already sold and are dressing walls of intrigue in posh domiciles about the world:

On the songwriter front, my friend Michael Shoup, whose face has graced a number of my shoots, is releasing his solo project this Tuesday, November 2, 2010. If you've got the ants in your pants, however, he has a free download available now at www.michaelshoup.com . Here is Michael from two eras: on the left with his pop rock band Philos, and on the right in my studio looking absolutely fabulous for the album shoot:

Wedding Highlights from 2010

This month, I'm highlighting a portion of some of my favorite selections from this year's wedding work. For many years, weddings have served to secure my food and home and allow me to explore creative avenues in regards to experimental lighting, using different lenses, extending shutter times, etc. Some tools and techniques employed in the following few images are worth noting, and should pertain to any shutterbug with a nerdy technical funny bone.

Sun for Separation

I love these three images not only because my brides were spectacular, but because so many elements in the landscape helped to complete the image. For each of the three images, sunshine is shining on the backs of the bride, helping to define the edges of shoulders, separate the hair from dark backgrounds, as well as casts a wonderful foreshadow to further the design.

Funky Optics

In the following image pair, I pulled out a popular toy that artsy college kids everywhere are experimenting with: the Lensbaby. The Lensbaby delivers a pinhole-like aesthetic, having hardly any optics, and uses different sized aperture rings that fit magnetically into an accordian-style mount that connects with a normal SLR camera. For these two pictures, the edges are very blurry as a result of using a large aperture ring. My appreciation belongs to these chaps who ventured out with me into the January snow and were full of cheer regardless of suffering blue finger tips.

PAR-TAY

The following image is the result of finding a neat workaround I discovered while shooting an event with less than ideal ambient light: I keep my shutter open for around 2 seconds, and fire a flash independent of the camera like Rambo delivering judgment to an enemy foe. The results can be messy, but sometimes they can be entirely unique and wonderful:

Thank you for reading this entire letter. I do hope that it was worth the time you put into it!

The archives of all of these emails can be located here.

Larger versions of these photos can be found on my webpage at www.rorywhite.com.

Cheers!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Mikky, Micheal, and Humble Pie

2010-09-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

Welcome to fall where I hope most of your news is good news. Show and tell this month stars the following two gentlemen, whose mugs are particularily compelling and will make this letter worth looking at:

Mikky in Paste

Mikky Ekko (left) screams during a shoot we had together in 2008, and is gracious enough to let me continue making new images of him as time unfolds. Fortunately for both of us, Paste magazine succeeded in recognizing Mikky's command of the stage and prodigious musical talent with a new article that is adorned with a photograph from our spring shoot together:

Mikky's spotlight in Paste coincides with the arrival of a new RORSHAK magnet bearing his mug opposite the great artist Donny Smutz, both of whom were integral in helping me establish a new trajectory in creative portraiture. The story of how we put those images together is available at the blog here. If you want a magnet to help hold your refrigerator or small economy car together, let me know and I'll send one your way.

Michael Hughes Rocks the Rhodes

Michael Hughes (Right, lead photo) brought his Rhodes over for a few photographs this month, and we discovered some unique ways of involving the machine into an image. I have bookmarked in my mind two photographs that integrate a subject with objects, which, while being Grade A portrait photography and superior to the work that I produce, are worth aspiring to and noting here:

Gregory Heisler and Arnold Newman

On the left is an image that has survived in Gregory Heisler's book for over 20 years. It grabbed my attention as a 17 year-old when my father had put out a call for photographer's books for a portrait job he was commissioning. He brought the portfolios home and we sat around table after dinner and shared our opinions. Heisler's sci-fi portrait appealed to my need for stimulation and was the cure for adolescent boredom. On the right is Arnold Newman's portrait of Igor Stravinsky. It's a masterpiece or organization and successfully integrates an artist with his instrument. If you squint your eyes and tilt your head to the left, you will see how brilliant the picture really is (psst...the piano becomes a quarter note;).

So in the shadows of such great work, why even pick up a camera? (Deep sigh goes here). With a belly full of humble pie, I present the following images that we made this month where Michael shined as brilliant subject and looks like a rock and roll star:

Integrating an instrument with a person is difficult for this reason: the instrument is important and the musician is important. Therefore, there are two different focal points for the viewer's eye to address.

With the bottom image on the left, I was very excited about how the Rhodes looked with its guts showing after having removed the cover. I had never seen inside a Rhodes before! There are ascending rows of golden metal coinciding with the keys. In my zest, I grazed it with a narrow beam of light and it looked brilliant...but then the golden metal competed too much with Micheal's face, which was in the upper portion of the image whereas the golden guts of the Rhodes were in the bottom. Boss Scarpati, who happened to be on set, suggested that we put something in the way of the grazing light to make it more interesting, but not so commanding. With the addition of a black flag in front of the grazing light, the Rhodes looks interesting but is supportive and less competitive with Michael's face.

As a point of gratitude to Boss Scarpati, I want to let you know that he is doing a promotion for a new book that documents the early days of L. A. punk and glam music. Check it out and become a supporter here.

Congratulations if you made it this far in an electronic mail! You are a trooper. God bless you!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

Mikky the Magnificent

2010-08-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Gracing the gates of the Rorshak Iconograph Laboratory this month was none other than the brilliant musical artist Mikky Ekko. Together we assumed the challenge of making the second of a series of faces of artists who I feel are pushing the envelope for creativity (the first adventure with Donny Smutz can be found here). Each shoot starts with a portrait of the artist that I describe as having a pH of 7: an image that is neither pretentious, shy, happy, or sad. After we select the image with the pH closest to seven, it is printed out with a large format printer. Then the fun begins.

Here is our beginning image, with a pH of 7:

Mikky was given a print and had a chance to paint it like a tribesman, just as he does for his live performances. The image was then re-photographed. Re-photographing the image keeps the image aesthetically organic, and restores some of the magic to the photo-making process that I used to love when working with film and darkrooms before I understood anything in Photoshop. Here are some results from how the image developed. Mikky's personal touches appear on the left, and on the right I decorated a print with crayons, honey and raw cane sugar:

Expanding on a tip offered to me by an fellow photographer, we tried combining a printout with packaging tape for the following results, the left image is the front of the image, and the right one the rear of the image, after having been soaked in the bathtub and the paper rolled off with my fingers:

And finally, when all of the camera, lights, and crayons were put back in their places, I set the honey-covered print out on my back porch to keep the ants from raiding the kitchen. The print seemed to take on a new life laying on the concrete, so I threw in a green bullet microphone as a finishing touch and made this final image:

Mikky sometimes sings harmonies into this kind of microphone, has them sampled into a keyboard, and then they are played back through the keyboard's manic processors during a live performance. It seemed appropriate to position it World War 1 style right over his mouth like a gas mask. What else so effectively implies 'rock and roll'?

Thank you for spending a moment with these images! Be sure to stop by Mikky's site and grab his newest tune by clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

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Crazy Eye, Bucket Boys, and Keith Moody Band

2010-04-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the RORSHAK RADAR. This spring's adventures include a crazy eye, a salute to the 40-Year Old V*rgin, and some good old band photography with the Keith Moody Band.

My good friend Cory Basil (http://theblacknail.com/) allowed me to make a character representation of him and took the burden of styling and makeup upon himself. Cory's skill at assuming fantastical characters is unmatched by anyone I've known. Here is my favorite of many frames from our shoot together--selected because I appreciate the shape of the candle's flame, the position of the bird in the cage, and Cory's expression and tenuous pose:

Cory's "eye" for detail should not be overlooked-check out his crazy eye (left) courtesy of Mr. Scarpati (www.scarpati.com) who made a generous offering of white contacts to give Cory's image a final touch. Cory's Lemony Snicket-esque appearance is not all that he's capable of assuming, as proven by this candid image taken at a recent party (right):

The Bucket Boys (www.bucketboys.net) required a RORSHAK image this month. From their webpage you can see how incredibly energetic they are, beating trash cans and cast iron skillets with drumsticks like wild monkeys. I wanted to take a different approach to making their image (left), inspired by the hilarious irony of the 40-Year Old V*rgin poster (I had to change the "i" to an asterick so that your email provider won't label me as spam, since the "V-word" would sink my email into 'that' category) that won my favor this past year (right). I used a "Sears portrait" approach with the background, but used reflected light from pocket mirrors to light their faces:

And finally, The Keith Moody Band (www.myspace.com/keithmoodymusic) were kind enough to let me produce their promotional images. We spent the afternoon aiming to help beef up their promotional portfolio, and hopefully they will be fueled for promotional success for the next year. The top image was made in my basement, a dangerous place that I had never imagined would look so cool in a photo, but now seems like an indispensible new location to keep in mind for future adventures (as long as there is someone to help me to bind Lurch before the shoot):

Thank you so much for spending a few moments with this newsletter, and for being on the RORSHAK RADAR. This newsletter and all of my former newsletters are archived at my blog here. Please forward it to anyone you feel it pertains to, and feel free to contact me about any of your creative needs anytime.

I wish you an amazing spring!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

Buried Alive with Donny Smutz

2010-04-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Rorshak Radar! This occasional journal is designed to keep you entertained with new images, informed about the Rorshak portfolio, and slightly perplexed with its creative approach. If you would like to keep abreast of the image-making scene in Nashville, put someone else on the radar, or escape from the radar completely, you may express yourself by completing a 2 question survey here.

For this month, the challenge was to make a rendering of surrealist artist Donny Smutz in the fashion of his own art, which you can view here at his webpage. Donny and I have shot together before in 2007, as shown below, where I took liberties with a wide angle tilt shift lens to produce heavy distortions with his face. Part of the fun of shooting Donny is that he doesn't have to appear flattering and that strangeness is a strength.

With the license to do as I pleased, I drew from the inspiration of Pai Mai, who instructed Uma Thurman on the art of the 5-point exploding heart maneuver as well as how to escape being buried alive. If you haven't seen Kill Bill, please never mind the randomness of the reference, even though it plays heavily in this month's adventure (read on). I have saved you the trouble of doing the research: the image below connects to an informative youtube clip that anyone who feels trapped in small spaces should view.

Here are the two winning images from this month's shoot which concern this newsletter:

The image on the left involved a process of shooting a headshot of Donny, printing it out actual size with a large format printer, hanging the image from a bar with clips, and then repositioning Donny behind the print after removing parts of the image using fire and tearing. The progression of the destruction of Donny's mug is below (left to right: the original image, the picture of the printed image, the burnt image, and the hanging image). A complete gallery of this shoot's images is located here.

After having tarnished a perfectly good printout of Donny's face, it only made sense that I should subsequently bury him alive. Poor Donny had to stick his head through a huge cardboard box and breathe under a towel while I poured black mulch all over his head. What a trooper! After clearing just enough mulch away to reveal his face, shards of the tarnished portrait were laid over the mulch to piece his image back together. My favorite part of the resulting image (far right) is that the 'actual' Donny has a slightly cold, bluish skin tone-especially noticeable on his hand, adding a chilling, surrealist effect.

Thank you for reading this far into the first RORSHAK RADAR newsletter- an extension of a newsletter/blog that I've been producing for a few years. Previous newsletters can be read here.

Have a wonderful spring!

Rory

Rory White Photography | 1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212

rorshakphoto@gmail.com

Tough Guys

2010-02-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the February 2010 edition of the Adventures in Photography! This month brings us more tough guys shot by my alter ego RORSHAK. My affixation for Sergio Leone movies has intensified: the grit, leather skin, squinting, snarling, and piercing gazes of his cowboys in the 'Dollars Trilogy' and 'Once Upon a Time in the West' are leaving an impression on me. It has been a number of years since I had seen a spaghetti western, but after a recent Leone binge, I am determined to make a series of tough guy portraits in that vein of cinematography. That being stated, if you are an artist, actor, musician, or layperson, and you want to make an image that's tougher than all of the other artists, actors, musicians, or laypersons, please let me know and we'll get to work.

This affectation became visible in my recent photo session with my friend Laws, who is working with Village Real Estate and wanted to make an energetic "I solve problems" image. We started things out with a Secret Agent: AKA Danger Man approach. He set up a trampoline and took about 50 leaps (right), and then immediately flashed a smile for the image on the left. (Visit Laws' real estate page here.)

But then it was time to make things look tough. Laws is my longest studied subject, and is the king of tough guys. The following are snippets from our past adventures, stretching back to 2000.

After the 'Danger Man' scene, I insisted on making another 'tough guy' image. I wanted to render a moonlight scene that recalled a scene from 'A Fistful of Dollars' where the bad guys burn down another bad guys' house. The background appears bluish, while the faces are lit by the house fire. We didn't have a house fire to light with, nor did we have a gun to use as a 'bad guy' prop. Instead, we used CT (color temperature) gels to make the background look like night and procured a meat cleaver that just happened to be nearby. Guns for show, knives for a pro. (See this important movie clip to understand, but beware the cussing). The poster on the right indicates where my mind is at, with Laws on the left:

Also crossing the frame of my camera this month was pop musician Michael Shoup (http://michaelshoup.com). I am especially happy with the following images from our afternoon together:

Again, the influence of great photographers has left an impression on me, as demonstrated by the diptych below (the right image is by Arnold Newman taken of Pablo Picasso):

It seems that every shoot I have these days incorporates some sort of salute to the masters of the craft (see previous blogs for more details here).

Thank you for spending time with this blog!

Rory

Visit www.rorshak.com for more portraits.

Know someone who's getting married? I have soft side, too.

Send them to www.rorywhite.com

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

January 2010 People Who Kiss On Each Other

2010-01-31T16:11:00.001-08:00

Welcome to 2010! This episode of 'Adventures in Photography' takes a quick peek at last year's wedding work. In the many years of depending on wedding work for my bread and butter, there have been a few fundamental themes that continue to resurface in my portraiture: tilted horizons, dramatic landscapes/architecture, and people who kiss on each other. The photographs above are indicative of the most important portion of every wedding I shoot: the picture of the bride and groom together in a dramatic space. The best of many worlds collide when we have just a moment together and a chance to get creative apart from all of the other pressures that a wedding offers. Such was the case in each of these images. You may peruse the rest of the wedding work that these images were sampled from by clicking the pictures themselves and locating to the "Photo Vault" section of www.rorywhite.com.

In the above images the sky plays a significant role by heightening the drama just between heavy downpours in Lafayette, Tennessee. It's strangely remarkable how many weddings I've been a part of that have benefitted from daunting storm clouds looming above, but without a drop falling during the photography time. More often than not, my employers get the benefit of the painterly sky without having to pay the price of suffering the storm. Perhaps God and Tennessee have a deal worked out.

Sometimes the weather drives us inside, and if the location is fitting, it's not a problem at all. In the photos above, I kept asking my bride to try a number of locations throughout the sanctuary and had a hard time choosing a favorite. So for this email, I've just used them all! The combination of her hair, makeup, dress, and the venue, have a timelessness that I find spellbinding.

Thanks for reading through this month's email! Feel free to check out my wedding work through www.rorywhite.com. Also, if you haven't already, take a gander at the newly hatched www.rorshak.com for my alter ego photography work, dedicated to developing the images of artists with iconic imagery. FYI: all of these blogs are archived at www.rorywhite.blogspot.com.

To my northern hemisphere friends: enjoy wintertime!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

December Reflection and Multiple Personality Inception

2010-01-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the December rap up for the "Adventures in Photography". When I was in high school, I imagined that of all the professions in the world, making music and making album covers would be one of the most satisfying. Most of my grass mowing money was spent on the expansion of my record collection. I would make the first listen an almost religious experience. The volume would be set to a 'revealing' level, I would nestle on my bed, and spend the next 45 minutes delving into the cover artwork, lyrics, thank you lists, production notes, and anything else that had to do with my new record.

Over the last 2 years, I have been privileged to play a small part in other artists' lives as they have produced their image. It refreshed me to look back on this small collection and it made me thankful for my growing family of clients. Whether the image is integrated in the final design or the image is the final design, I am proud to have played a part.

I want to express my gratitude to this last year's batch of writers, musicians, models, broadcasters, comedians, and other daring personalities who took the risk of hiring me to make their image. We never knew exactly what to expect, but when the shoot was wrapped there was a brand new vision of each subject. Thanks for taking that risk.

For 2010, I will be splitting my business personality into two characters: I will continue to shoot weddings, engagements, guitars, events, and inanimate things as Rory White Photography, but will shoot artists as 'RORSHAK'. The reason for this is that all of my hero artists have one name and I'm still at an age where I can begin acting terribly pretentious and its not to late to start alienating people with an air of absolute arrogance. The typical RORSHAK shoot will include emotional outbursts, throwing of objects, and extended awkward moments when the client will turn to the makeup artist in disdain and ask "is he for real?". (The previous sentence is your reward for reading this far in the email ;) Actually, a RORSHAK shoot is a specifically designed shoot for developing artists with a competitive budget who want to emphasize dynamic concepts in a photograph. Please send me a note for more specifics if you are an artist or are developing an artist and need to make images for promotional use or for album artwork. RORSHAK exists because my work was getting diverse, and it may behoove my marketing efforts to specifically promote a specific brand of photography. Much of my business, however, relies on diversity. So to keep from throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I am keeping 'Rory White Photography' and creating 'RORSHAK'. I am also continuing my experimentation with short-haired mustaches.

Visit RORSHAK here.

Thank you so much to all of my clients over the last year--I copied a few links to some your web addresses below. If I failed to link you up, please write me and let me know and I'll make it right somehow.

http://www.myspace.com/calebcollinsmusic

http://www.myspace.com/mistyraemusic

http://www.josephakins.com

http://www.nathantingle.com

http://dailyaudiobible.com

http://brandedsons.com

http://chonda.org

http://www.reverbnation.com/mikkyekko

Happy New Year to you! Thank you for reading this email!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Scowls, Whiskers, and Sergio Leone (November 2009)

2009-12-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this month's photographic adventure! In writing these newsletters, I am continually discovering the indelible impressions of my early exposure to media. When author Rusty Whitener (http://rustywhitener.com/) invited me to make his image, my exposure to spaghetti westerns and Richard Avedon's rugged western portraits/artist portraits was instantly triggered. Spend a moment with the following 'filmstrip' that articulates my immediate mental suggestions from when I first saw his face:

Left to Right: Lee Van Cleef, "The Drifter" by Avedon, Clint Eastwood, Ezra Pound by Avedon

When I was a sophomore in high school, my art instructor laid a stack of magazine images on a table from which we were to make a graphite rendering. I chose "The Drifter" (2nd from the left) and spent the next month trying to retrace every detail of Richard Avedon's image with a pencil on a white paper board. I was clueless about who Richard Avedon was, but I knew that of all the images in the stack, this one resonated with me. It made me feel tougher just to draw it. Ironically, it was in that year that I began shaving.

I reacted to Rusty's masculine mug by making the following images:

It's impossible for me to not feel the effect that Avedon's work has had on my image of the American male, a.k.a. The Marlboro man. When Ted Turner decided to devote his networks to airing Sergio Leone's series of spaghetti westerns on so many Saturday afternoons in the 1980s and 1990s, it created a forum of indoctrination for my generation. After spending countless hours with "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", "Hang'em High", and "A Fistful of Dollars", I learned that real men scowl and always have at least a half-week's whisker growth. I have likewise started to smile less and shave every other weekend with a straight blade only.

Since Rusty is an author, it seemed that he should appear mysterious, as if his mind was a place of untamed imagination. My impulse was to illustrate flipping Rusty's head open and photograph all of his 'ideas' (i.e. butterflies, ping pong balls, silly string, rays of light, etc.) as they float into the air. I was not ready to execute that idea, however, so we decided to use a dirty piece of glass to shroud his face as a subtle way of introducing mystery and imagination. For this series, Rusty remained very still as my assistant Dylan Reyes (http://dylanreyesphotos.com/) moved the glass for each exposure while the camera remained on a tripod. Some of these images are composites of 3 or 4 versions of Rusty's face. I liked the idea of having one eye open and one eye closed because it juxtaposes introspection with engagement.

Another way to illustrate a writer's thought life is to have things growing out of his/her head. We used vines to illustrate that the thoughts are taking hold of things, growing, and wild. For these images, I affixed a Lensbaby (lensbaby.com) lens to the camera so that the edges would become blurry and more dreamlike. I'm a fan of the sincerity and refreshing kindness in Rusty's eyes in the left image, as not every image of him had to be so tough.

The following two images were among my favorites, too.

Thank you once again for reading through this email.

I will make a more formal announcement next month about the following web page link, but just know that I am creating an alter ego for creative image shoots where I will use the moniker RORSHAK (www.rorshak.com). You are welcome to enjoy a sneak peak until this informal announcement becomes formal. This is your reward for reading this far :)

Enjoy the many emails from over the last two years at www.rorywhite.blogspot.com.

Until next time!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

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Torry: A King Of Character

2009-10-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this month's photo adventure! It was my pleasure to help build the portfolio for comedian and author Torry "Moose" Martin (http://torrymartin.com), whose absolutely unquenchable stream of expressions relentlessly propelled the shoot towards previously undiscovered comedic territory. Torry transforms into a complete cast of characters throughout this shoot with his expressive face, orange hair, and dynamic wardrobe. Thanks to the advent of photographic technology, his stellar performance has now been preserved for you, the fortunate email recipient.

Examine this short sample of expressions and poses:

The left image coincides with a collection of works that Torry has compiled titled "Torry Stories". I wish there was room to share the string of faces that he offered as he pretended to read this book--which just happened to be a copy of Dostoevsky's unfunny "Crime and Punishment". Torry dawned his own collection of fishing wares in the middle photo to illustrate his former past times in Alaska, where he was a former citizen. Things were especially exciting in the studio as the net and fishing hooks embedded in his hat intertwined during Torry's emphatic maneuvers. I was allowed to get all up into Torry's grill for the right image, where he crossed an expanse of expressions in great detail. I enjoy this embittered character whose left eye appears to signal the hatching of a diabolical scheme of retribution.

Because of Torry's history in Alaska and his nickname, "Moose", it was inevitable that we introduce a moose to the adventure. I knew of one moose from last year's Chonda Pierce adventure to "Prettyville." The following pair of images pits Torry against his namesake nemesis, and the right image allowed me to break a golden rule of photography by making horns grow out of Torry's head.

If my old photo professors see this they may attempt to recall my degree. I tweaked the contrast and color to appear as if it was a bit of 70's style B-roll footage. Torry conquers the moose and further taunts him with intimidating body language which can be enjoyed here. Note the very small hoof resting in between the roots of the driftwood that attempts to illustrate the moose's left front toe. It's a special effects tour de force! The owner of the taxidermy that we used as a location was diligent enough to re-sand the detached hoof in order that it would set just right for the image. Details, details, details...

As we were out shooting, a number of disastrous events occurred which I will not describe, but we were thankfully rescued by a super-hero that looked surprisingly just like Torry!

After we had been completely rescued from the afore-unmentioned events, the superhero began to confide in us just how difficult it was to be a superhero in such a tumultuous world, as illustrated in the right image. I had my trusty camera handy and was able to capture the depth of his dilemma-ridden face. Note the small close-ups that detail this encounter.

Torry Martin set this shoot ablaze with his display of humor, depth, and charm. A special thanks to Dylan Reyes (http://dylanreyesphotos.com) who assisted on this shoot, and to Scarpati (http://scarpati.com) who also provided services relevant to the mission.

Thank you for reading yet another photo adventure. Please enjoy the fall season! If you know anyone who needs images for building promotions, then please forward this newsletter to them.

All former newsletters are posted at rorywhite.blogspot.com.

Be sure to top your ipod off with music from my rock band Copa at copa.us.com. It's gospel cigar rock and is great for workouts and fast freeway driving!

Many cheers,

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

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September Newsletter: In the shadows of Weegee, Bresson, and Brassai

2009-09-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this month's Adventures in Photography! This month is all about pictures of people who aren't posed and are in a world all their own. It's always been my favorite genre of photography because of its unpredictability, limited control, and the resulting magic of a successful image that tells a unique story.

The Arc of Engagement

From my very first assignments as a student in college, I was fascinated with taking pictures of people without dictation concerning pose or intent. When people become aware of a camera, there is an arc to their reactions. The person will examine the camera, and perhaps the photographer, and decide what kind of face to present. When the photographer presses the shutter, the face's expression is then documented, and it begins to tell its own story-perhaps apart from the reality of what was actually happening at that moment.

The time before the face is fully prepared and the pose struck is often the least sterilized moment of expression. Before a person has prepared to smile, smirk, or otherwise stylize his or her features, is when one is probably broadcasting the truest state of affairs concerning his/her emotions and mindset at the time. To my mind spring three significant photographers who were known to be masterful at capturing these moments: Weegee, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Brassai.

(By the way: if you click on any of the following images, you should be able to see a much larger version with detail that your email version may not be able to provide.)

Masters of the Moment

On the far left, Weegee has photographed two ladies who emit opulence, juxtaposed with a contrasting 'bag lady' dressed in a masculine looking hat and overcoat. I have interpreted her expression as that of envy, and the subjects of her gaze seem disengaged from her, but are aware of us, the audience. If we cut the lady out on the right then the image says much less, and becomes just another red carpet celebrity portrait.

In the middle, Cartier-Bresson has caught the attention of three seemingly unguarded people involved in the practice of vanity maintenance. Ironically, this photograph is probably the apex of their fame, when their presentation is unguarded. The circuitous wave-shaped arrangement of arms and untended facial expressions seem credible, remarkable, and perhaps even cartoonish.

On the right, Brassai has captured a moment of passion. The couple has tuned the audience out and seems to be interested only in each other. They have created a secret world in a public place, and despite the conflict, age, and the other forces that await them in the days to come, their apparent bliss pervades.

Mimicry

In the same curious spirit, exercising faith that there are millions of moments that tell stories still waiting to be captured, I have ventured into parties from time to time to make my own catalog of meaningfully pregnant images, i.e. images that have a plot embedded in them and reward a patient viewer.

Engagement

These two images indicate effectively the arc of how a person looks towards the camera before deciding on a sociable expression. The subjects' gaze seems alarmed. The image on the left is one of my all-time favorites, because of the gentleman's brilliant expression and the fiery background that compliments it. His wonderful hand gripping the cane was icing on the cake. The picture on the right seems to make a proper compliment.

Partyscape

Nightlife can be both energetic and disorienting. The ape can come out of a man, as on the left, and the environment can become very alien, as on the right.

Politico

These two images, although not as energetic or epic as the previous two, present a political commentary that's worth noting. I sent the image on the right to the lab and had the man's shirt blown up, just like Columbo would do. Note his resemblance to William Ayers.

Thank you for enduring yet another exhaustive email. Please remember that this and all former 'Adventures...' emails are posted at my blog here.

See you next month!

Rory

Rory's Web Page: www.rorywhite.com

Rory's new alter ego photo page for artist development: www.rorshak.com

Rory's Blog: rorywhite.blogspot.com

Rory's Music: www.copa.us.com

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Gallery Highlights-August Newsletter 2009

2009-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this month's Adventures in Photography! This summer, I was invited to hang a few photos up at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. The contents of this email will provide you with a quick glimpse of the photos that I chose to display, so if you were unable to visit the gallery you still have an idea of how it all looked. For any artists whose picture was made for web/print purposes, I have placed a link from their photos so that you might learn more about them.

Mr. Joseph Akins' photo was made on the stage with a piano for his new album 'Spirit Touch'.

The Branded Sons for their self titled debut.

Mrs. Chonda Pierce for her 'Staying Alive' album.

Mr. Steve Satre for his web page.

..and two of my friends, Ben and April, who posed for a 'rooftop escape' scenario.

I am proud to share this little family of photographs, and honored to get to hang them anywhere outside of my own residence. Thanks for enduring this, the shortest of all of the 'Adventure's...' emails. Enjoy the fall weather--and thank you so much for being a part of this email list!

Many Cheers,

Rory

Enjoy my blog at rorywhite.blogspot.com--its loaded with all of the 'Adventures in Photography' emails, my Gospel Cigar Rock bulletins, and other strange but wholesome content.

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Asking Questions (8/23)

2009-08-28T09:29:00.001-07:00

You're not ready for this.

Asking Questions podcast under the Jesus Christ Show.
http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/podcasting/

I tried to make a direct link but failed miserably. It's difficult to know how to take this show, but, after you get past the satire, it actually can point you in the right direction...

Copa Gospel Cigar Bulletin 8/20/09

2009-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

The following is an online-friendly version of the Copa Bulletin from the Rory Rorshak Copakustic shows from 12th and Porter on 8/19/09 and The Gap in Johnson City on 8/20/09--

Gospel Cigar Rock song Creation Suggestions:

To Write a Gospel Cigar Lyric-Refer Heavily to the Books Of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Imagine Consequences that May Stem from Failing to Apply the Advice Therein. From the Outgrowth of Drama, you will find your Source material for a Darker shade of Gospel Cigar Tune. For a Brighter Shade, Refer to the Song of Soloman and Add WaH Guitar and a Dance Beat. For an Copakustic sound, Borrow Heavily from ‘The Godfather” Soundtrack. Sing or Speak Softly Into The Microphone as If it was Someone’s Ear, Maintaining a Mental Image of Dirty Harry Delivering the “Do You Feel Lucky” Speech.

Throughout this evening you may be presented with the following lines That I have arbitrarily extracted from the song lyrics:

You Never Talk To Me (Anymore)

you never talk to me anymore
they way you used to talk to me oh lord
you never call my name the way you used to call my name oh lord

i haven't seen love laid out quite they way i saw it
when i was knocking with my fist against your door
the air up there vs. the clouds around here
makes me think i've taken less than i should have stood for

you never talk to me
for so long i just do what i please
eat the fruit from the forbidden tree
just hoping that you'll talk to me

i've been green, greedy, and foolish
i've been clean then returned to the sewage
i've been mean, it seems, to the sweetest things
and i don't blame you if you don't take be back
you've no reason for doing that

you never talk to me anymore
they way you used to talk to me oh lord
you never call my name the way you used to call my name oh lord

when i was young i was full of faith
but let nonsense cloud my mind
now i'm too afraid to reach for the light
to believe and not receive

so i lay me down after all these years
for you to do what you will
i keep no strings to sacred things no joker up my sleeve

you never talk to me
for so long i just do what i please
eat the fruit from the forbidden tree
just hoping that you'll talk to me

i've seen weeds growing in the clover
and i cut them down with the blades of a mower
and if they return i will burn them with gasoline and a match
but i don't blame you if you don't take me back
you've no reason for doing that

Lot, Samuel, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and Paul
burning bush, dancing bones, and a pillar of salt
its hard to believe when you haven't seen anything unbelievable
but in faith we see nothing but the wind
i know there was a time when you spoke to them
so won't you let me come listen....

You’re just sleeping in the bed you made
between a bible and a razorblade
do you want to come back?
can you remember the way?
kissing daddy’s girl
trying to kill pain.
-Kissing Daddy’s Girl

The paradox of the Prodigal
Clipping the Wings of his Angels
and sending them back to their King...
...between the broken and the mended things
lay the feathers of his Angels Wings
-Angels

In grace you may come away a richer soul with less control-
is that o.k.?
In love you may leave this earth without your shirt
because you gave it away.
I know you.
-What Could Be Better Than Loving You?

I may be the accident
who gave you one last chance
to become the punching bag
that started punching back
-I Love You So

By good grace we did collide
and you showed me that every blue-sided mountain
has a sunny side, too
-Children of the Empire

Who broke the glass above the gems that were your eyes when we were new?
-Come Home!

stop. No. Wait.
3 words to hate
to have
to hear
but its not the devils way
no, never devil's play
To Play Fair
-Fingers and Toes

And so, if you weren't able to attend, you have a clue about the content of the show--though you will have to do without the free mustache!

Many cheers!
Rory

Rory White-not the kidnapper and thief in the news. I promise.

2009-08-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to receive a Myspace message this morning from a buddy who let me know that a 28 year-old Rory White (not me) was caught by the police in Murfreesboro for kidnapping, theft, and aggravated assault. My name is Rory White, I am 31 years old, and I operate my photo business in Nashville, TN. I lived in Murfreesboro from 1999 until 2005. It is such a thrill that there is another Rory White helping our good name with acts of kidnapping, thievery, and assault. A good percentage of my yearly business comes from people who live in Murfreesboro. I also attend church regularly in Murfreesboro. Because the name 'Rory White' is somewhat unique, I felt that it is important to state that I am not the one who was captured by police on July 28, 2009. I promise. I will be excited to spend the next few weeks clarifying this fact to my client base, friends, and old neighbors.

I welcome all stories of mistaken identity as comments to this blog, as I would like to incorporate them in my next 'Adventures...' email.

-Rory White (not the kidnapper)

http://www.wgnsradio.com/news/local-news/

Man Wanted for Kidnapping Caught

July 28, 2009

A man wanted on charges of aggravated kidnapping was arrested after someone spotted the fugitive at a local McDonalds. 28-year old Rory White was pulled over after leaving the fast food restaurant and served a warrant for the kidnapping. He was also charged with violation of probation, theft and domestic assault. The Jackson, Tennessee man was arrested without incident and taken to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

Written by Michael Lansing · Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

Orphan Images--June Email

2009-07-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this month's Adventures in Photography! For this episode, I have been beckoned by old, orphaned images that have existed in obscurity for years. The art of photography is broad--from real estate, architecture, portraits, sports, landscape, stock, etc. Sometimes I find that, as I concentrate on portraiture, I neglect the quieter side of the art: shooting things and places. If you've practiced photographing things and places, you may already know how therapeutic it can be.

Exhibit A: The Green Roof. There is an old southern practice of painting a ceiling blue. Do you know why? It's because the ghosts (who aren't very smart) think that the roof is the sky and, since they pass through physical matter without restraint, fly straight through the roof and will therefore leave the inhabitants alone. None of that applies to this image, save that colored ceilings are pretty cool. This space deserved more time and attention than I was able to offer, but of the images that I collected, this one with the pigeons in motion was the most interesting to me. It makes a dashing desktop image.

Exhibit B: The Floating Chairs. After a series of January rains in 2002, the water in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, refused to recede. I decided to stop being lazy and took a drive around town and was rewarded for my efforts by these 'floating chairs'. The water in Murfreesboro has a hard time soaking into the ground because the earth below is mostly limestone covered with a few feet of dirt. I once had a buddy who moved there from California and was terrified of tornadoes. He purchased an underground shelter and thought he would be able to bury it by renting a backhoe. He quickly learned that he would also need to hire a professional to dynamite an enormous chasm the size of a mobile home in his backyard in order to install the shelter.

Exhibit C: The Bottom of the Lake. I saw the movie Deliverance at an obscenely young age and it left me terrified of mountain rivers. I saw it again at age 20, and despite all of my teenage desensitization, it still gave my soul a chill. This image was created in east Tennessee on the bottom of Patrick Henry Lake. The Tennessee Valley Authority had let the water out of lake to perform maintenance on the dams, and behold, the world beneath looked akin to the aftermath of nuclear devastation.

Exhibit D: The Copa Microphone. This is a portrait of my Shure Beta SM 58 microphone. It has endured my slobbery singing for nearly a decade. It is the subject of my latest record's album cover, 'The Copa Club'. You can hear it in action on the live recordings available here. For this image, I punched holes in background paper with a screwdriver, and then focused on the microphone with a wide aperture, making the light that shone through the holes look like night club lights. The smoke was created using a stick of incense and a sauce pan (to keep the smoke accumulating near the microphone).

Thank you for reading this far! May your July be delightful and blessed.

Rory

Need something else to do?

Become a fan of my gospel cigar rock here.

Enjoy my blog here.

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Television Time

2009-05-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Its been a very, very busy May. Unfortunately I haven't had much to share creatively for the blog, but have been able to create some interesting photos and land some TV limelight time.

Here is a cool picture from this week's Gospel Dream shoot including the awesome camera man:

and here is an interesting one that I will leave up to the viewer to interpret:

This job was for the television show Gospel Dream. Gospel Dream 2008 will run for five consecutive Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on the Gospel Music Channel, starting June 28. If you've got the curiosity and time, you will be able to view our photo shoot and my jubilant exclamations during those times.

How did I get to be the photographer for television shows? I have sought acting jobs for years through a local talent agency, AMAX, and last fall landed a gig as a militant photographer in this video from last fall:

It has been a delight to get to be boisterous and to get to use my expensive toys, too. A special thanks goes out to my two friends and fellow TV stars: Brady and Joe.

Visit Brady at globalsupportmission.com and support his efforts in Africa.

Visit Joe at burlingamephoto.com

Missing Persons

2009-05-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Art has lost its artists. They are an army of missing persons.

They are away tending to the banalities of email, facebook, and television.

This morning I could have written a great song, or waded through writing one of the hundreds of poor songs that make up the intervals between great songs.

I could have rendered an idea. Instead, I allowed it to slip from me.

50 letters in my inbox everyday beckon me away from doing what I always dreamed I'd do: write great songs, record great songs, and live and breathe DIY music.

How many great songs, plays, papers, and ideas, go unrendered because of our social priorities? Let Howard Beale have your ear for a moment (caution: the following clip contains necessary profanity):

April Adventures in Photography

2009-04-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Rory's Adventures in Photography! This spring has been a delightfully busy one with a diverse list of victims: photographers, models, musicians, lovebirds, and baby-filled people, oh my! From left to right, top to bottom: Samuel Delgado, Joseph Adkins, Roxanne Underwood, Samuel Delgado, Joseph Adkins, and Cyndi Williams.

It is difficult to select a shoot to highlight for the newsletter-so I will simply choose the most recent adventure with my new friend Nathan Tingle-a Nashville musician who surprised me by arriving to our shoot wearing a 77's t-shirt. The 77's are an old, underground alternative/blues/pop band that has been putting out albums in the Christian music industry for almost 30 years. I feel a special kinship whenever I run into a fellow fan. 1980's alternative Christian rock is a sub-genre of a sub-genre from a day when it was us against them: they were many, and we were few-so we old-school fans have to stick together! This only makes sense when you understand that in some churches all rock was banned and Christian rock was simply uncool elsewhere because lumpy groins in spandex, "lick my love pump" lyrics, and men in excessive makeup were en vogue. Even though Stryper breached the polar extremes of tight pants, guitars, and the cross, there were other musical offerings available, too! So here's a link to the 77's website: http://www.77s.com/

Christian alternative underground music history aside, our goal for this shoot was to create some safe images that could be used for Nathan's promotion and for use on a future album layout. I wanted us to imagine trying to "break the 3^rd wall". Obviously, photographs are 2-dimensional and are doomed to remain within their rectangles. With a little play, however, we might increasingly energize the viewer by advancing the pose: freezing motion, having the talent reach towards the camera, implying an association between the viewer and the talent, placing the camera in abnormal positions, and so on...

Above are some of the safer images according to our risk assessment modulation unit. The zig zag trail of light in the background was provided by Dylan Reyes, my first-class assistant who drew light paths with a flashlight from behind a hanging wax paper. If you would like a great photo assistant, click on his name and put him to work!

Here are the riskier images according to our risk assessment modulation unit. As you can see, we are trying very, very, hard to make you, the viewer, entertained :) It simply makes me absolutely thrilled to get to play with all these toys: lights, camera, and energetic, wonder-filled talent!

Thank you for reading this month's briefing. Don't forget to visit to my blog here for a more current and randomized slice of what's going on with my photography, Copa's Gospel Cigar Rock, philosophical expeditions, etc.

By the way, I released 3 albums and 1 compilation by my rock band Copa last year on iTunes and haven't told anybody about it. If you would like to check it out, click here.

Grab a few tunes for yourself and go underground with the gospel cigar!

Be seeing you!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

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Some Peers I Admire

2009-04-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm reading "The Ruler" aka "The Prince" by Machiavelli this month. It can be summed up, from my 50-page experience thus far, by watching the way power flows to and through the Corleone's in "The Godfather". Attaining power is not a casual exercise, but requires the absolute annihilation of all of the former ruler's family and loyalists. At the point of takeover, if the ruler is to ascribe major shifts to the law, then he must do so immediately. If he is to kill a number of the old guard, he must do it all at once and at the beginning of his rule. Machiavelli notes that the shock of the death of one will cover over the shock of the death of many, thus allowing for a massive violent maneuver that, once complete, will be much more palpable than a long term multi-phase termination of the old cabinet.

How does this apply to us? For my purposes, it is a useful analogy for personal change. One can change according to gradual, seemingly less painful increments, or go cold turkey from one modus operandi to another. The initial shock of the latter can often deliver better long term results once it is complete. The other, like stretching a bungee cord, can land a person back in square one because of its underlying lack of resolve.

That has nothing to do with the following part of the blog, save that there are other peers in my field that have been much more effective in gaining a foothold in the industry...

My transfer into full time photography was one of gradual maneuvers that has fortunately landed me into a career with a camera and without a debt, thanks to some fortuitous gifts and purchases along the way. There are others my age, however, who are beating the pavement in the world's power broker centrals, making an impression on the photo industry and with prestigious clientele. Perhaps they are more Machiavellian in their strategies, and perhaps they were dictated less by fear than I have been. Their work is superb. Here are a few links to some great work by photographers my age who make me dig in deeper as I strive to be better:

http://kareemblack.com/
http://www.davehillphoto.com/
http://brianniven.com/
http://www.timtadder.com/
http://www.chaskielberg.com/
and fellow Nashvillain http://www.jeremycowart.com/

There are so many others who belong on this list...

The Rebellion

2009-04-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

I finally found a Beatles Butcher album in Franklin, Tn. "Butcher album?" you ask. Yes--enjoy this youtube clip that explains it all....almost. I believe that the album shoot herein was a reaction to the way that the record company re-ordered the Beatles masters into albums that were not what they had originally intended--thus 'butchering' them. So they put themselves on the cover with babies and raw meat as a rebellious statement. Before there was Madonna to shock us...

Rory's Photo Newsletter from March

2009-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Adventures in Photography!

Before I get down to business time, I must announce that I have been building up a blog for the last month. It is located at www.rorywhite.blogspot.com and will be the place where I will post these newsletters for a larger audience, my personal musings, and manifestos from my Copa bulletins. Please take a moment to add the RSS feed to your Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, or other start page. I will do my best to keep you intrigued.

"Copa?" you ask. If you were unaware, I also govern a gospel cigar rock band called Copa where you can grab free tunes from our new album titled "The Copa Club" by becoming a fan (join the Copa Costa Nostra here). As part of the Copa Costa Nostra you will also receive the Gospel Cigar Newsletter which will keep you up to date on rare Copa shows and provide you with access to some of the best workout music ever.

Now let's get together for two minutes of business time.

I have had to sit on my hands to keep from writing about this adventure until the DVD was taped for Chonda's new routine "This Ain't Prettyville". It's a big month for the Pierce family as Chonda taped the "This Ain't Prettyville" routine at the historic Ryman Theater (available by clicking here), and her dapper husband David Pierce released his new book "Don't Let Me Go" (which is available by clicking here).

Our last adventure with Chonda took us to a land of 200 lb disco balls (see the blog), and this adventure took us to a land of jukeboxes, water pumps, and neon lights. We traveled to a taxidermy and a backyard in historic Ashland City with the goal of creating an imaginary 'Prettyville' to compliment Chonda's recent comedy routine. The most difficult task of the day (refer to the lead image) required that we guard the camera from hungry pickup truck drivers as it stood innocently upon a tripod in the middle of the parking lot surrounded by yellow caution tape and orange cones during sunset. This allowed me to photograph the diner with a beautiful sunset sky and later mix in a wet reflective parking lot (accomplished by momentarily stealing the neighbor business's hose!) There was a problem in shooting both the sky and the wet parking lot at the same time, since the parking lot was full of cars during sundown. As soon as both the sunset and wet parking lot photos were captured, it was up to Chonda to step in and strike some poses, which made for a cheerful diner shot.

For the yard photo, we were assisted by a retired man who had a very small yard that he spent his free time making into a quaint slice of Americana. It appears as an idyllic dreamscape that fit our "Prettyville" façade uniquely.

Fellow comedy pros Zan Augderheide (www.zancomedy.com) and Leland Klassen (www.lelandklassen.com) stepped into the taxidermy with Chonda and served to create this juxtaposition of animal corpse heads with wholesome family comedy. They look menacing here. Hey, this ain't Prettyville!

Thanks for reading!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

Copa Flyer from March 2007

2009-03-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

The preceding images and following text compose one of the old Copa bulletins that attendants receive at my Copa shows. I try to make them of interest to a thoughtful listener. They take 1/2 day to create, so its nice to be able to give them a second life here on the blog, since only a handful of people attended that nights show in March 2007. I copied the essay-like stuff below so that it would be more readable.

tonights
copa
thought
___

artist donny smutz is a
local master of surrealism.
his painted world is the place
of dreams and distortions.

in a play, the characters
are often briefly
defined in a short para-
graph at the play’s beginning.
it is here
that an actor will either
gain an affinity or an
aversion to the chara-
cter’s descriptions.

perhaps you have cho-
sen a character for
yourself and have been
assuming its details for
so long that you forgot
that the person you
have become was a
person you chose to be.

or maybe you never
made a choice, and
never defined an ideal
character to assume.

that is unlikely.

our shoes, hair, speech,
temperament, etc., are often
extentions of our desire to be like
an ideal character. if we lose
touch with what we have chosen
to mimic, we might believe the
surreal distortions of what we see
in the mirror, or what we hear
through others testimony about
us.

it is a dangerous thing
to hate or fall too
deeply in love with our surreal
selves-losing touch
with the possibility that we could
have been born in a different skin.
much of what we believe defines us
is assumed
and not to be fully believed, much like
the landscapes within donny smutz’s
vast fictional universe.

___________________________________

How to freeze a man in a bottle:
To freeze a man in a bottle, one must first understand that the bottle cannot easily be
broken out of. Please be very careful when freezing
a man in a bottle, for once placed inside, he may
never escape. Though placed in a bottle, a man may
still function normally, attending school daily or
performing work alongside his peers. However, though his
skin may wrinkle and he may appear to age, his true self
remains within the bottle. Can you match the numbers
with the code letters to figure out the ways to freeze a man
in a bottle?

We could go on and on, but one might notice that
trauma is often involved, tying a man to an
experience and thus freezing him in a bottle.

To unfreeze a man from a bottle, one is sure to be frustrated! The man
inside the bottle must escape my his own will and effort. Often, a man is
released by calling out for help through the upwards pointing opening at
the top of the bottle. It is recommended that the man call out through
the opening everyday, as he is always prone to becoming bottled!

Elation vs. Foresight Correlation Discovered!

2009-03-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Soloman was a wise guy who did a lot of stupid things and then wrote about them. He was skilled in wrapping his poor choices into proverbs that tied consequences into their root causes. It benefits me to read a chapter of proverbs a day, and sometimes better yet, just a few lines a day--so that I can chew on the thought like a cow does cud.

As spring arrives, I must now suggest that we gander upon this scientific correlation: with a high level of elation there seems to be a restriction to our foresight (in terms of consequences) as well as the inverse: with low elation comes improved distance in foresight. This seems to be true in terms of alcohol indulgence, sexual infatuation, high speed driving, and dessert consumption. In the springtime, the temptation to indulge in the moment often overcomes the guiding, conservative mind that helped us navigate the wintertime.

Solomon said that the ant is so wise that he stores away for the winter. I was a touch afraid as winter came that my finances might be stretched thin through February, but had a sense that if I could make it to March that the flow of money would improve. Consequently, my foresight during the fall season stretched all the way till spring in terms of my stores of savings and the restriction of my monetary indulgences.

Now that the weather is warming, however, you may feel a temptation to relax your disciplines.

Lent will be over soon for many folks who are observing some sort of abstinence from alcohol, television, sex, cussing, street-fighting, and televised alcoholic street-fighting with sexual partners who cuss. (There are many ways to observe this playful religious season.)

The purpose in observing the above charts is so that, if you happen to find yourself elated, you may refer to them in your shortsighted state. Its easy to remember pictures--since you probably won't be peering into the distant future through the clearest glass.

Negative consequences sneak up on those who are not looking out for them. Like a lion on the plains, they can be avoided from a distance with little effort. Likewise, when they are close, they require the greatest of maneuvers to evade.

Tom Jones

2009-03-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

I dreamed I was lost. I was somewhere in a neighboring neighborhood walking towards my wonderful girlfriend's wonderful house, and was looking at the corner street signs with my head tilted like an inquisitive Labrador. Alongside me pulled up none other than Tom Jones in a sporty, Lexus-like vehicle. He insisted that I step in. I stepped in. He drove me a few blocks and we arrived at his unassuming middle class house. It was made of pale stonework, with bushes lining a walkway that led to an arched entrance. He invited me in to visit with his family.

At first, it was just him and a few of his early teenage kids, 3 or 4 of them, simply hanging out on the sofa, sitting on the floor, and playing old school Nintendo and laughing in the family room. I was impressed with how functional it seemed. Everyone was in such good spirits. Tom was happy in his sofa chair.

Then 3 or 4 more teenagers showed entered the living room. They were older, say 16 through 19 years of age. They were also Tom's kids. It felt like a Stove Top or Sunny Delight commercial. They were bursting with energy, pouring drinks in the kitchen and making sandwiches. It was so festive.

How could a man who's had so many pairs of panties thrust at him for so many years have such a wonderful and functional household?

It was a wonderful dream, and I hit the snooze on my alarm to see if I could spend just a few more moments with Tom and his family, but alas the dream was over.

I was compelled to visit Grimey's record store and purchase Tom's new album, "24 hours", from which I have learned the following things:

1. You have got to get dirty when your digging a ditch
2. You don't send a boy to do a man's job
3. A man who knows how to make baby making music knows how to make babies, too.

When Tom Jones sings, it gives me that rare experience of feeling like my own soul is surfing in the deep amplitudes of his vibrato. This may sound like dry comedy, but its not. You just have to try it for yourself to understand. Pop in "I (Who Have Nothing)" from one of his many greatest hits albums at loud volume in your grandpa's big stereo, and just see if it doesn't compare with one of the most messianic experiences of your auditory life. Then try to match his performance on your own.

My first Tom Jones experience was at a club in the Patpong district in Bangkok, Thailand. While there exist plenty of unwholesome venues in the area where you might observe unimaginable tricks being performed with ping pong balls, there was a place where one could attend without having to follow up with a requisite confessional visitation. It was called Radio City.

The headline act at Radio City was a Filipino fellow who dressed like Elvis and sang Elvis songs. There just happened to be an opener for Elvis, and it was a Filipino fellow who sang Tom Jones songs, accompanied by 5 other Filipino fellows with 2 horns, guitar, bass, and drums. Before that time, I thought that Elvis was the King, but after seeing that Filipino fellow perform the Tom Jones canon, I cannot passively agree any longer with the idea the Elvis should stand atop his throne alone. What Tom Jones can do with a belly full of air stands head and shoulders above anything that Elvis was able to achieve during his Vegas years, and matches the likes of the four Tenors.

Yes, I may come to be greatly hated for making this daring argument. The time has come for truth to shine, however.

I have met Tom Jones, in my dreams at least, and I have seen the Filipino version of Tom Jones perform. I can therefore say with certainty that he is a fine man to whom one might only appropriately react by thrusting panties just as you might be compelled to photograph a beautiful sunset or bow before an bright, white-winged angel.

Corruption

2009-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

The blue lights were clearly visible in my rear-view mirror today, so I pulled to the side of the road. My tags had expired a month ago.

I hoped that the officer would give me a warning, and let me take care of the problem A.S.A.P as I handed him an envelope containing the renewal papers that I had resting inside the driver's side door. This was what had happened almost exactly one year ago, and the officer sent me on my way with a reminder to "get those taken care of." It was obvious that I was getting around to it, but, as you may have heard before, the law is the law. I was granted a 'non-moving violation'. It will amount to about $50 of stupid tax.

Something struck me about last year's experience with the officer who let me go with just a warning versus this year's officer, who stuck me with a fine. Now that I have been fined, I will change. It costs too much to stay the same, even if it amounts to just $50.

Many years ago I was given a ticket for a 'California stop', which means that I rolled slowly through a stop sign. It cost me $110. At the time it took me 2 1/2 days of work to recuperate. Believe you me, I never roll through stops anymore. That silly ticket left a branding mark in my brain. But last year's grace experience didn't change me. This year's will.

I ran in-school suspension for 4 years at a middle school. As I escorted students to my dim room designed for punishment, I would encourage them, stressing that "consequences are good. They keep us from becoming monsters. They force us into humility, and if we apply what we learn, we never have to pay stupid tax again!" Every once in a while I get to eat my own words.

As I sat in my Honda, waiting for the officer to run my plates, I thought about how many initiatives the city has to pay for. I stared at the asphalt and saw how it buckles in places, and realized that my very destination at the moment was a community center gym that costs a mere $2/visit. I imagined the officer being given his traffic assignment- held accountable for how much money he is able to collect every month, which filters its way through to the county budget. I was at peace knowing that I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and not Tijuana, Mexico, or some other place where I might have to pay the officer with something more costly. I was glad that this officer wasn't going to grill me beyond what was lawful, and in turn, that he actually enforced the rules as they are meant to be enforced. As a result, I will no longer be the jack-ass who drives around with outdated tags.

Corruption makes monsters. The application of order and civility makes a pretty good neighbor. Of the two options, I hope to apply the latter without resentment.

Now I must write that blasted check to the county.

Large-Breasted Tire-Iron Woman Seeks Chat

2009-02-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was checking my email and had to make a screen shot of this advertisement to share on the blog. It has appeared daily for a few weeks, and is especially interesting. The model is rather masculine and very large breasted.

I once took a college photo class where we critiqued images. This certainly would have made for a delightful class discussion.

I noticed that Facebook allows you to click a 'thumbs down' icon if you find an ad especially unappealing. I wish I had that with Yahoo.

I wanted you to suffer with me for just a moment. We live in an interesting world...

If you have 10 minutes and feel like you're no good at what you do(photographers and musicians especially!), watch this.

2009-02-24T12:49:00.000-08:00

My Buddy Brawner

2009-02-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

I once was working as a landscaper. The boss assigned me to clear out a deep and narrow trench that was over-wrought with large stones. I broke a number of shovels trying to dislodge a particular rock, and eventually had to call out for help. Along came Brawner, who, with what seemed like his left pinky, lifted the massive element from its roost and discarded it over his shoulder as one might do after opening a pair of socks for Christmas.

Brawner's birthday isn't so far away, and he is simply one of the coolest, baddest, most talented and unique individuals I have ever known.

Here is a picture that I made of Brawner when we were still in school from around 2003. He recorded my band, Copacabana. I dropped the 'cabana' part since the kids these days keep confusing it with 'Copabanana.'

The album is available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/copatunes3 and is a pretty righteous rock record.

Dogs and Neighbors

2009-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

As I pass the small dog, who,
in his small fenced-in world,
has little fear and all necessities provided,
but begins to bark.

His neighbor and friend-
the neighbor dog-
answers back with gusto.

Their unseen but alerted friend-
the neighbor dog's neighbor-
joins the chorus.

The owner of neighbor dog steps out and begins to loudly rebuke neighbor dog,
perhaps to make a gesture of neighborliness on my behalf.

The neighborhood resounds with uproarious nonsense.

At first, I was tempted to kneel beside the fence that keeps the small dog
and lend him a soft word and the scent of my hand,
but now it seems best to pass without pause.

The Philos Challenge

2009-02-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the "Adventure's in Photography" by Rory!

To begin, please allow me a brief business-minded offering:

If you need a pretty cool gift to give for Christmas, you may consider the following 3 pretty cool options:

Choice A: purchasing a photo shoot for a friend or family member (I'll happily send you a quote via email),

Choice B: if you have starred in one of my past shoots/events, consider purchasing a photo as a gift from my photo vault here.

Choice C: if you starred in a past wedding that I have shot, consider giving one my huge books as a gift by clicking here.

Now, allow me to change from salesman to storyteller...:)

In this month's adventure, we invade an aged, enigmatic downtown church to create the latest album cover for the rock band Philos, whose latest single "Defying Gravity" has been collecting grandiose attention from coast to coast and has earned them the special audience of Steven Schwartz, who originally wrote the tune for the musical Wicked. Their ultra-modified version of the song is invigorating, and demands an appropriate image to accompany the promotion of the single.

The leading picture, which succeeded in becoming the cover for their iTunes image, is an example of either providence or dumb luck in action. We had a number of large, empty rooms at our disposal with tons of windows, but started the shoot late in the afternoon and we were left with only a few minutes of natural light in the sky. I had to compensate for the darkening sky by leaving my shutter open for 4, 8, then 15 seconds per exposure- a technique that, for better or worse, creates sci-fi light effects when combined with perceivable motion. I wanted to avoid having to use Photoshop to composite the image, and so I recalled one of the first neato photo tricks that I ever learned..utilizing multiple flash pops in a single exposure!

The Magic Bush

I had the honor of meeting photographer Gregory Heisler when I was 17 and very curious about photography. He described to me how to leave the shutter open and use multiple flashes to impress two different scenarios into one frame, as demonstrated by this photo that he had recently shot of George Bush Sr. George had to look in one direction and be lit on one side, the flash would fire, and then George would turn his head towards the other direction, and another flash would fire from the other side-giving him two faces in one frame. It was my understanding that this was done in one exposure, without the use of sandwiching two negatives. His 'behind the scenes' description was as transforming to me as when Spiderman found web glands in his wrists. I was ready to have of fun with visual fiction! I started to invite friends over to my house and make photos of them holding their own head in their hands, standing beside themselves, slugging out differences between themselves, etc. It was a like David Blaine discovering what he could do with a bathtub.

My Take on the Birth of the Multiple Exposure

In the early days of photography, exposures lasted for many minutes, requiring head clamps to be placed behind the necks of the subjects (ouch!) in order to keep them from becoming blurry in the photograph. Eventually, the chemistry used to record light was improved and became more sensitive, so that artificial light could be used to make an image. Some photographers utilized a hybrid technique, as represented in these black and white images: Thomas Eakin's "History of a Jump" from 1885 and Harold Edgerton's image of Densmore Shute from 1938-employing both a long shutter speed and powerful pulses of light.

Oh yes...back to dumb luck: I hadn't intended to make a double exposure for the Philos image, but the light in the sky had grown so dim that my exposures required 15 seconds to get any light exposure from the windows. It was an impossibility to have the boys of Philos remain absolutely still for that length of time without my head and body clamps handy (Where did I put those again?). So what could be done to make a successful image?

As you can see, the boys looked especially dramatic laying down on the ground. We juxtaposed the vulnerable, sleepytown-version of the boys laying on the floor with the pretense of a standing 'rock star' look-and we came out with the final image that leads this article.

For the shot, we turned off all of the lights in the room, I pressed the shutter to fire the first flash, then the boys fell to the ground, assumed their sleepytown positions, and I called out for our faithful assistant Robin Giannattasio to fire the second flash. Note in lead image how the window light exposed in the area where Kenny's chest was when he was standing-giving the scene a ghostly look that, by dumb luck or providence, fit wonderfully with the theme of "Defying Gravity".

I am grateful to Kenny, Micheal, Robin, and Vince, for their especially generous attitude during this shoot--they embraced my far-fetched idea, they were willing to lay upon a dirty floor in their funky duds, and they arranged the wonderful location for us to use. They are noble sports!

If you would like to visit Philos on iTunes--just click here.

Until next month, many cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

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The Branded Sons Mailout

2009-02-18T09:18:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the "Adventures in Photography" Newsletter by Rory!

This installment of adventures in photography pits us face to face with the fierce Branded Sons (brandedsons.com), who had just picked an alley fight with some unlucky opponents in an old Midwestern township. I was able to teleport them from the 1930s and bring them into the studio for a few photographs. They were distraught, obviously, but offered great expressions which we will now savor.

Please note the extra-ordinary battle scars, compliments of Tianna Calcagno, who just happened to have her brass knuckles on hand the day of the shoot. She was able to inflict the exact amount of violence upon the Sons according to my 3 aesthetic preferences: Brutal, Extra Brutal, and Tarantino Brutal! Kudos Tianna! To my other photography friends: Tianna is interested in doing more makeup for shoots if you need it, or she can simply provide security for your next social event :)

In these two detail shots, you can see the bruises and cuts detailed in Tianna's work. You may also note that the light on the subjects' left shoulder and face is from a reflected light created by directing a powerful flash head into folded foam core board (a trick I learned from Master Ninja Photographer John Scarpati), the light coming down from above is from a flash head with a narrow grid. The eyes were far too dark-so I put a long strip box in front of their faces at low power--which allowed me to get a sparkle from each of the Sons' eyes. The background was created from cardboard science display boards purchased at Hobby Lobby. The lines were drawn with the largest Sharpie marker that I have ever seen, and I believe that I am still trying to rebuild brain cells that were lost during the inadvertent inhalation that occurred during pre-production.

Laws, the Branded Sons charismatic front man, described for me the look of the alley from which I had teleported them from, and I just so happened to have a similar alley behind my back yard. The Sons each suddenly produced a weapon, cigarette, or other contraband, and were ready to pose. They were amazed by our surplus of power lines (shown here), and were also quite taken with other aspects of our post-modern era: cell phones, glow in the dark objects, and my ultra suave teleportation unit (Honda CRV), of course.

Thank you ever so much for sharing this adventure with me! I'll see you next month! :)

Rory

Rory White Photography
1609 Linden Avenue B Nashville, Tn 37212
615.631.0106 | chilidogcowboy@yahoo.com

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