Toddzilla Attacks, Elvis Presides.

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

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

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