AESTHETE STUDIOS photography

Monument Valley 2011

2011-09-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

Irina @ Ford: Brochure Shoot for Canfield Scientific

2011-04-02T12:44:00.000-04:00

Shit Hunter Says

2011-03-21T14:34:00.000-04:00

Hunter: I hate school. Reed, do you hate school?
Reed: Yes
Hunter: It's so stupid, all they do is teach, teach, teach. Sheesh!

--Daddy

Contemporary Wedding Photography

Super Moon, 2:26 AM, Backyard

2011-03-20T03:46:00.006-04:00

Decided to grab a few shots of the moon tonight. Should have borrowed a longer lens -- a friend has a 300mm f/4.0

I saw the moon was rising at 7:30 and setting at 6:30. An eleven hour trek across the sky meant the moon should be overhead 5.5 hrs after it rose or 1AM. Since I am not at the center of the moon's orbit it was never directly over head and didn't clear the trees until after 2:15AM!

This image was shot by Nikon D700 wearing a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Nikon lens at 200mm with a 1.4x teleconverter. Tried the same image with a Fuji S5 thinking the APS-C sensor would pull me in closer and make for a better photo but the D700 shows so much more detail and produces much less noise. Tripod mounted: f/8, ISO 200 at 1/320s.

This image is HEAVILY cropped. The moon is tiny in the sky and if it is 15% larger than normal it is still tiny. My guess is that to fill the frame you would have to be shooting at >1000mm.

Uncropped image.

The Knot Best of Weddings 2011 Pick

2011-01-23T11:29:00.000-05:00

Award Winning NJ Wedding Photography

I knew I must shoot her the moment I saw her!

2010-11-07T14:53:00.001-05:00

$2.50 and she was mine!

Denise and Benny!

2010-11-02T06:47:00.001-04:00

Patricia and Eric!

2010-10-26T07:44:00.002-04:00

Summer's Tossed Bouquet

2010-10-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Destination Wedding Photography

Acorns!

2010-09-14T06:21:00.000-04:00

--Thomas

Bergen County Wedding Photographer

Paula & Josh: 09-July-2010

2010-07-30T19:52:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to shoot Paula and Josh's wedding in South Jersey on July 9th. The just might be the most attractive couple I have yet photographed for a wedding. It was SO easy to make them look good! It was clear too they both have hearts of gold as they are clearly as devoted to their families as their families are to them.

All the best to you both!!

--Thomas

New Jersey Photojournalist Wedding Photography

IR!!

2010-06-19T07:17:00.004-04:00

Purchased a used Nikon D80 and had it converted to 66nm IR. Very excited as it's like seeing the world through new eyes...great fun and I can't wait to take IR photos during my next wedding shoot!

--Thomas

IR Wedding Photography

Jenn and George's Wedding, Stowe, VT

2010-06-16T06:09:00.002-04:00

Jenn and George's Wedding in Stowe, VT

Great wedding on a glorious day at the Trapp Family Lodge in beautiful Stowe, VT!

Rain threatened all morning but at the wedding ceremony the sun blasted through the clouds and the illuminated Green Mountains, became a resplendent backdrop to the ceremony.

Amazing day; amazing bride and groom!

--Thomas

New Jersey Wedding Photography

Brochure Cover

2010-05-08T18:21:00.004-04:00

Brochure cover for Canfield Imaging Systems in Fairfield, NJ.

Great team, great fun...Viktoria was as entertaining and charming as she is beautiful!

--Thomas

New York Beauty photography

© 2010 Canfield Scientific
Aesthete Studios photography
Jed Smith Photography
Viktoria Altman (Model)
Cynthia Rose (Makeup Artist)
Kerrie Urban (Hair Stylist)

3/10/2006 to 3/11/2010: 4 Years & 1 Day Later

2010-03-11T21:19:00.002-05:00

Version 2006.03.10

Version 2010.03.11

On March 10th 2006, I had my 1st solo photo shoot with a model. Tiffany was someone I worked with and was friendly with. A pretty woman with a great sense of humor and winning personality. I was a little nervous about this whole thing so I thought it'd be easier to shoot with someone I was already friendly with.

On March 10th 2006, we drove down to Sandy Hook (not sure why I picked a location so far away), met the MUA there and shot in earnest for a few hours...until the sun had just slipped behind the horizon.

Turns out that I ran into Tiffany at Newark airport the other night --we were both flying in from work in Miami. It was great to see her as gorgeous and charismatic as ever. Unfortunately, all we had time for was a brief chat over the baggage carousel. That was 3/8/2010.

I have been importing much of my work into Adobe's Lightroom II and this effort got Tiffany's shoot in front of me for the 1st time in a couple of years.

It was fun seeing how my eye had changed since then, both behind the lens and in post. There are a few winning shots in there but much I would have approached differently.

Seeing Tiff inspired me, so I grabbed one of my favorite images from that shoot with the thought of processing it for a vintage 70's look. I wasn't happy with how that was turning out, so I changed course towards the image you see above. Next to it was my version from 2010.

Fun stuff this photography.

--Thomas

New Jersey Wedding Photography

Snow Chateau

2010-02-20T15:26:00.002-05:00

On 2/16/2010 it snowed again on top of the 18" we had less than a week before.

It wasn't very windy and the flakes were big so the trees were blanketed and beautiful!

We have a little clubhouse in our backyard, for the boyz and it looked so rustic in the snow I had to get a photo.

Climbed up the the bedroom window, popped on a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens and snapped a few images...I liked this one the best.

Shot at 1/1000s to better freeze the falling snowflakes.

--Thomas

Professional Event Photography

Level Up!

2010-02-08T22:30:00.007-05:00

I was lazily perusing Model Mayhem over breakfast one morning a few weeks ago and I spied a photo of up and coming model Kat Nelson there.

Kat wowed me immediately! She has a great look, the right frame and measurements. Her photos didn't do her justice yet. I could see what hadn't yet been captured photographically. I KNEW I had to shoot with her. She was only 60 miles away in Poughkeepsie, NY. I wrote her a note asking if she would like to collaborate --beauty head shots, and she replied almost immediately that she was interested!

COOL!

So I called on a make up artist who's clean and restrained work would work with what I had in mind, Tai Lotson. Tai was quickly on-board. Hairstylist...we needed a hairstylist. Karen Skolski, an almost local Bergen County H/S had caught my eye previously. Karen too was interested and free on the day I planned to shoot!

SHOOT DAY

Kat arrived with her Mom Kim. Kim was a huge help that day...more on that in a bit. Karen arrived and started work on Kat's gorgeous mane. I started a small blaze in the fireplace, put on some music and finished setting up my gear. Tai arrived and began working on Kat's already lush and dewy skin.

We decided our 1st look was to be a natural look, playing up Kat's fresh, young face and long locks.

I was really looking forward to the 2nd look where I wanted to play-up the drama and give Kat a look that was nowhere to be found in her incipient portfolio. I had been imagining smoky, kohl-eyed beauty, and dramatic lighting for a couple of weeks now. I felt that my portfolio really didn't reflect my studio lighting skills and I knew Kat would be a great canvas for that exercise, only making my job easier. Putting together the right team gave me confidence going in that we would succeed.

I won't talk about the lighting for look one as I have not posted any of those studio shots here.

For look two I used a gridded beauty dish to the model's front left and varied the height during the shoot. I used a gridded spot as a hair light (when I did use a hair light) and another gridded spot on the backdrop for a dramatic splash of light. The last light was close to the seamless gray backdrop and angled severely as I wanted an oval of light behind the model. This was my first shoot without ANY softboxes. Oh, remind me to get barn doors for my gridded hair light...I had to have Tai or Karen hold a black card to block spill onto Kat's face at times.

Tai and Karen did a great job. Kat looked hot and sultry for look II...I was wowed watching the look evolve. Karen swept Kat's hair up so we could show Kat's gorgeous neck and shoulders. Tai's skin work was flawless cat's eyes made my heart race a bit and her lips were the perfect shade so as not to be eclipsed by those eyes!

Shot with my Nikon D700, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens (always 100+mm), Paul C. Buff White Lighting strobes and beauty dishes. Grids were bought from Kacey Enterprises. If you have beauty dishes, buy grids, they really transform how you can shape light and drape shadow!

I was so excited as I was shooting I had to repeatedly stop and share the images with everyone!

Of course the day was not w/o it's drama out side of the actual shoot.

I had two interesting ideas for look II. I wanted to wrap things around Kat's neck: a rusty chain followed by a very coarse and thick rope. A friend found a great rusty and thick chain and I got the rope at Home Depot. I described what I wanted to achieve to Kat and she was cool with it.

I wrapped 20-30 lbs of chain around Kat's neck...those beautiful clavicles looked as though they might break. Kat's spirit seemed broken by the chains...after ~20 shots we switched to the rope and got our best shots of the day. Often the best shots are at the end of a shoot when energy is high and everyone is excited about what I have shown them thus far.

The images weren't exactly what I wanted but I am pretty damn happy and proud about the final results!

Of course the day wasn't without drama surrounding the shoot:

My car wouldn't start that morning. I wanted to run out and grab a few last minute things and some cash.
Got Kat's Mom Kim to take me to the bank...just got a new ATM card and couldn't quite remember the PIN. ATM machine ate my card a few times even with the help of the bank's staff so Kim had to wait and wonder why it was taking me 20 minutes to withdraw some cash.
I was going to p/u my BoyZ from my mother-in-law's but my car was dead in the driveway. My wife had to pick them up and drop them off while we were still shooting. Hunter, my 3 y/o sat behind me in a chair while I was shooting. Kim started reading to him to keep him occupied. Reed (my 5 y/o) was intimidated by all the new people at first but once he saw Hunter was cool with it, he started bringing more books for Kim to read. Oh maybe 50 or 60 of them. Reed keeps asking when Kat and Kim can come back...maybe in the summer when we go to the lake.

Great day; great new work...feeling good about where I am as photographer and artist right now...oh and as a Dad too!

--Thomas

NYC Wedding Photography

The Value and Beauty of Post Processing in Photoshop

2010-01-03T14:08:00.003-05:00

Often in photo forums alleged photographers will complain boast that they don't use Photoshop, they "get it right in the camera." I think everyone is for getting it right in the camera, but just about every photo can benefit from some post work in Photoshop.

Sometimes, upon looking at an image I will find that where nature or man didn't get it right for my photo...I can make it right in Photoshop. Sometimes it is the only way to create the vision you had aspired to.

--Thomas

Professional Wedding Photography

Beautiful Blue Brothers

2009-12-31T15:52:00.002-05:00

Amidst shooting a wedding in Sarasota, FL a few weeks ago, I noticed these two beautiful boys sitting quietly outside the area where the bride was having her make-up done. They were both engrossed, gaming on their PSPs. I spoke wit them and found their Mom was the make-up artist for the wedding.

I found her (her name eludes me) and commented on how well-behaved and beautiful her boys were and how I'd LOVE to take a few photos of them. Sure, she said, and continued saying how blessed she and her husband were as the twins were born prematurely. She was a beautiful lady and their Dad must also be attractive as these boys hi the genetic lottery for sure!

--Thomas

New York City Portrait Photography

Buffalo Bill's Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

2009-12-27T07:17:00.003-05:00

This is a photography blog (allegedly) but I must give props to the great Buffalo Bill's great brewery for producing the Winter beer I look forward to all year, their Blueberry Oatmeal Stout! This beer contains just a hint of blueberry, more on the nose than the palate, and is a treat for at least three senses! I have to make the pilgrimage to their Hayward, CA brewery/restaurant when next in San Francisco!!

--Thomas

Photojournalistic Weddings

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T07:01:00.004-05:00

[CLICK ON PHOTO FOR FULL IMAGE]

Quick shot of our Christmas tree after all the boys' presents were laid out. I have two boys, 3 y/o and 5 y/o. Tripod mounted Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 lens, NEF, f/16, ISO 200, 30s. Played a flashlight across the presents to camera right for a few seconds.

--Thomas

NYC Catalog Photographer

Kids Holiday Portraits

2009-12-10T06:59:00.003-05:00

Been having a lot of fun with holiday portraits of kids. The unfiltered, genuine and unexpected expressions you get are just fantastic sometimes. Check out Elizabee here --I have 5 or 6 more that are just as good!!

I used a white seamless as backdrop with two lights firing at f/16. I used a gridded & gelled light subject right and behind at f/11 (didn't work out that well). Main light was a 48' Octobox at f/9.

Shot with my Nikon D700 and Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens.

--Thomas

Professional Portrait Photographer, NJ

Goodbye to Summer '09

2009-11-15T06:52:00.006-05:00

[CLICK ON PHOTO]

One of my favorite images from this summer...actually have been tweaking to get a good, representative print. Just a great moment, in a great day, in a great time in my life. End.

--Thomas

Professional Corporate Headshots NY & NJ

Cranberry Harvest in South Jersey

2009-10-25T15:32:00.003-04:00

There is a working cranberry farm at Double Trouble State Park in Bayville, NJ I discovered last year. I finally had the chance to see the harvest this year and to take photos!

I had seen cranberry harvest photos before and had expected the berries to be much more uniform in color. Clearly those photos had been retouched as the floating berries are quite a heterogeneous mosaic.

The harvest takes 4 days and we were there on the 4th day. I'd aim for the 2nd or 3rd day to get the best photos. You can call the state park for harvest info starting in late September. I would also take a ladder as shooting from a higher vantage point would allow you to frame the workers within the cranberries rather than having their heads project above the cranberries and be framed by the shore of the bog. Hopefully I will get a sunny day next year that will allow for the use of a polarizing filter.

--Thomas

Professional Headshots, New York and New Jersey

Renee & Ricky's Wedding in Brookville, FL

2009-10-25T04:10:00.003-04:00

I just photographed Renee & Ricky's wedding in Brooksville, FL and posted a web gallery yesterday telling the colorful story of their beautiful day!

It was brutally hot...mid 90's and the air soggy with gulf coast humidity but no one (but me!) seemed to feel the heat.

The love between these two was palpable --I was moved as I watched their emotions play across their faces.

These wonderful families took me in as if I was one of them and ensured I was taken care while there. Many thanks to them all.

One funny story. As the bride approached the scene of the ceremony, one of Ricky's aunts started crying...sobbing loudly. Ricky's 80 year-old Grandma, leaned over and said,

"Shut the f**k up, Phyllis!"

All the best to you, Renee' & Ricky!

Love,

Thomas

Destination Wedding Photography

Nikon's Poor Customer Service

2009-10-09T06:22:00.003-04:00

Nikon Service Blows

Finally I have my D700 back and working...$800+ in repairs and taxes.

Nikon took a week to check my camera in after it was received. It took 2 weeks for the repair.

Nikon told me the camera would be fixed by Monday PM, so I decided to pickup the camera myself this Tuesday...I have to leave to shoot a wedding in Sarasota, FL today and I was worried about missing UPS.

Nikon service told me the service center at Melville, NY (Long Island, 53 mi away) was open by 7AM. That was great...get in at 7, p/u camera and be back home by 9! I spent a long time on the phone with Jose' ensuring my camera was removed from the shipping queue.

That night I rec'd a voice mail...Nikon saying my camera was shipped and I should receive it tomorrow. By the time I rec'd the v-mail it was too late to call back. I figured this was another symptom of a poorly-run organization and probably a mistake.

Tuesday I got up at 5AM and was on the road by 5:45AM. No traffic; I was in Melville by 6:50AM. When I walked into the Nikon building (see above) at 7AM the security guard looked at my like I was crazy. "I am here to p/u a camera body," I said. "We don't open until 8:30AM," he said. Crestfallen, and realizing that I'd be driving home from Long Island at the height of rush hour, I headed out for breakfast.

I returned at 8:30AM, headed down to the service dept. "I am here to p/u a camera body," I said.

The service rep looked at my paperwork,"We don't expect your camera here until 10AM," she said. turns out repairs aren't done at the HQ bldg.

To kill some time I headed over to the village of Huntington and drove along the shoreline.

Got back to Nikon at 10...rec'd my D700. tried a few lenses...flashes...all was working.

I ended up getting home just before 12. Seven hours...Nikon had wasted at least 3 of them.

Contemplating selling my Nikon gear...buying a Canon 5D Mark II and a couple of Canon lenses...we'll see.

--Thomas

Professional Headshots NY & NJ

Nikon D700 in the Ramapo River

2009-09-10T06:50:00.007-04:00

Photos after my Nikon D700 was immersed in the Ramapo.

Saturday I was at the Ramapo river catching crayfish (crawdads) with my boys and their cousins. The crayfish were everywhere; I caught the biggest crayfish I have ever caught one that would have delighted a Cajun!

I would take a few pix and then strap my camera across my back, out of harm's way.

I was turning over a big rock in the river and stepped back --the rock gave out under me and I fell backwards in to the river, camera and all! As I was falling all I could think was camera, camera, camera. I did hoist it out of the water ahead of the rest of me and immediately went ashore took out the battery, took off the lens, etc...Wasn't much water that I could see and it is a weather-sealed camera body. Put it in front of a fan at home and let it dry of 48 hours. Put battery back in and turned it on. It powered up. Took a photo. The shutter snapped. The image was just a bunch of vertical lines.

Sent the camera into Nikon service yesterday. We'll see how much this is gonna cost. :0(

--Thomas

Child Portraiture

Arthropod Macro Imagery

2009-08-25T00:32:00.004-04:00

Long before I was being paid to take photos, as a kid I developed a love of macro (close-up) photography of insects. I have never tired of it.

I can spend an hour or two in my back yard seeing things that are seemingly invisible to those around me; and then take photos that reveal detail I cannot see with my naked eye.

How cool is that? Hmmmm, maybe it depends on who you ask, eh?

Anyway, here is some arthropod goodness for y'all out there!

--Thomas

New York Wedding Photography

Gem of a Photo from 2004

2009-08-14T23:37:00.004-04:00

I was importing old images into Lightroom II tonight and ran across this gem from Grand Teton National Park taken in May of 2005!

It was a diamond in the rough, shot in jpg with an Fuji S2-Pro. I started shooting RAW format regularly a few months later.

I am getting good at massaging photos and think I have something special here. If I invest some time I think I can make it even better.

The bad news is...I think Ansel Adams nailed this long before me!

--Thomas

Aesthete Studios Portrait photography

Gritty Faces in Adobe Lightroom II

2009-08-07T22:47:00.003-04:00

I have been playing with some settings to deliver a gritty face no matter the lighting but this doesn't seem possible. I generally have to tweak a lot after applying the gritty face preset I created.

Here are three faces.

--Thomas

New York Portrait Photography

My Beautiful Niece Amber

2009-07-23T06:46:00.003-04:00

I love taking photos of my beautiful niece Amber who is 9 years old. Fun and interesting to look back even a year ago to see how she has changed. Photos like this when she is not hitting a starlet pose are always the most beautiful.

--Thomas

A E S T H E T E S T U D I O S Wedding photography

Raia in Seattle

2009-07-02T20:03:00.003-04:00

I was in Seattle a few weeks ago on biz & had looked to book a couple of fun, free shoots a couple of afternoons. I found a couple of models a few weeks b4 the trip but as the trip approached one became un- responsive & the other suddenly couldn't shoot the day we had agreed upon. Meanwhile a great local model struck up a dialog with me, not aware that I would be there soon. When I told her I would be in Seattle in a couple of days, she told me with some disappointment that she would be in San Francisco. I was disappointed and asked if she might recommend a friend. She recommended Raia, who you see here. I sent Raia a note & she immediately responded and booked an evening shoot with me.

Raia called for an edgier style than is typical to my work. This came easy as she REALLY inspired me. It was great to work with her...her easy confidence impressed me and her beauty floored me.

My 1st shoot in a hotel room, I rearranged all the furniture (and had her climb on top of some) to create a shooting lane in the spare light streaming in from the huge hotel windows. Decided not to use lights I had brought with me.

Captured a strong set including nudes you won't see here but can on my portfolio on Model Mayhem and perhpas on Raia's as well there.
AESTHETE STUDIOS Professional photography

Kim and Mike's Wedding!

2009-06-25T05:36:00.003-04:00

www.JerseyWeddingPhotography.com

Save the Baby Bird

2009-06-07T21:03:00.002-04:00

We found 3 dead birds...and one live one on the side of our house. We took him/her in and are feeding it constantly. Seems healthy thus far but not sure how it'll fare when it is alone for 8 hrs with no one feeding it.

Aesthete Studios Wedding photography

Contentment: Cool Breeze, Warm Day

2009-06-03T23:41:00.004-04:00

A E S T H E T E S T U D I O S professional photography

Aimee and Peter Take Manhattan

2009-05-26T06:55:00.006-04:00

Stepped off a redeye from a biz trip to Vegas (h8 that town) on the morning of 5/15 @ 5:15AM. Got home, grabbed add'l gear and drove to Manhattan to shoot Aimee Kuhn and Peter Bellamy's wedding. Landing thsi gig was rather a coup for me as Peter is a commercial photographer and I was competing with several photographers for the chance to shoot his wedding in and around Manhattan! It was VERY exciting to land this job!

Peter, Aimee and their entire clan were so much fun and so lacking in pretension. They were so comfortable in front of the camera...and so funny. The speeches at the reception had many LOL moments.

Here are a couple of photos...thanks for everything Peter and Aimee!

--Thomas

A E S T H E T E S T U D I O S Wedding photography

Levitating

2009-05-23T21:24:00.007-04:00

I have been wanting to take photos of my kids levitating for some time...but they grow more reluctant to pose for my Nikon D700 as they grow older (and wiser?).

So, I set-up camera on a tripod...set it up for a timed shutter release and levitated. This time of year it is safe as the foliage grows in thick around our property...no one can see me.

The 1st couple of shots I levitated too high and I captured only my legs. Finally I nailed a couple of good shots. Here is one for posterity's sake. --Thomas

A E S T H E T E S T U D I O S photography

'Tricia & John

2009-05-13T07:34:00.006-04:00

Had a great time shooting a wedding at the Jersey Shore...Spring Lake to be exact. Trica and John and their kids were so much fun to spend a day with. Their love for each other and their children palpable, their joie de vie infectious. Thanks for the football and Guinness, John!

--Thomas

A E S T H E T E S T U D I O S Wedding photography

2009-05-10T17:30:00.003-04:00

I was lucky to book an early AM swimsuit shoot with Laura Marie Baker while on vacation in Florida 2 weeks ago. LMB was a pro, showing up at 6AM to prep for our sunrise shoot! I had always wanted to shoot sunrise bikini shots with lighting so I was excited to finally get the chance!

We were on location by 6:15AM taking test shots so when the disk of the sun kissed the horizon we were golden.

Laura was amazing, fetching face, amazing and lithe physique and very comfortable in front of the camera.

We shot until 9:03AM and did so in a few locations. I only hope to get to Orlando so that we might shoot again soon!

--Thomas

Aesthete Studios Professional photography

Shoot for Wilhelmina NY

2009-04-24T08:03:00.002-04:00

Wedding Photography Web Site

2009-04-06T07:20:00.002-04:00

I have been optimizing my Wedding Photography Website for search engine indexing. Added an animated gif to home page so I could add ALT attributes --another search engine target.

Not sure I like the animated gif...may change it on one image.

--Thomas

Carpe Nihilum

2009-03-22T10:55:00.004-04:00

So frustrated.

The only way I can make headway with my photography business is to take time off from the F/T gig or to excise a few hours of sleep from my schedule a couple of times a week. I have no surfeit of vacation and the vicissitudes that accompany sleep deprivation only accrue.

It seems I have abundant opportunities that I cannot seize.

Carpe nihilum.

Web Work

2009-03-13T07:07:00.003-04:00

Added a travel gallery to www.AestheteStudios.com. Photos of Montana and Wyoming and a bit of Yellowstone.

I also have posted two wedding websites (tweaking continues):

www.TristateWeddingPhotography.com

and

www.JerseyWeddingPhotography.com

Missed & Missing

2009-03-05T20:24:00.004-05:00

I miss my boys, the most heartbreakingly beautiful creatures on the planet.

I am away from home, missing out on the most wonderful time in my life to make a buck. I cannot help but think there will come a reckoning when I look back and truly grasp what I have let go of & what I let slip away.

It's not as if what I am doing in here Murrel's Inlet, SC is exciting or rewarding. It just is.

I need to move on so I can look back without regret knowing I soaked up every wonderful millisecond I could.

--Thomas

Nascense

2009-03-01T06:54:00.003-05:00

My beautiful niece. I love taking photos of her and she rather enjoys it too.

--Thomas

Glow Stick Portraiture

2009-02-08T18:14:00.004-05:00

I am amazed by how good digital SLRs have gotten. Particularly amazing is the ability to shoot at very high ISOs and still capture good images with but a modicum of noise.

My Nikon D700 is the best camera I have ever used in this regard (and I have played with the Canon 5D Mk II and 1Ds Mk III). I regularly shoot up to an ISO of 6400, allowing me to shoot things I never could before...or to use a faster shutter speed than you might otherwise be capable of in light-compromised situations.

We cracked open a couple of glow sticks to entertain our boys last night, and they immediately wanted to take them in the bathtub. Excited at the prospect of capturing images in this environment, I grabbed my D700 popped on a 50mm f/1.4 lens and shot a few photos at the following settings: f/1.8; 1/50 s; ISO 3200. Incredible!

Gorgeous XiXi

2009-01-18T16:00:00.005-05:00

The morning of the 17th I arranged for a portfolio shoot

with beautiful Cecelia Zhong. We originally planned to shoot immed after sunrise. Since it was expected to be cloudy, we perused a few locations while talking on the phone and decided to travel to Hamilton Pool for the shoot.

I plugged in my GPS and Ceci drove (spiritedly) in her Eclipse. We had a great time chatting on the way, laughing and getting to know each other.

The location was beautiful...even in the dead of winter the turquose waters were enthralling. It was an inspiration shooting in such a setting.

Ceci was confident and poised in front of the camera...and gorgeous. I felt so lucky to be capturing her beauty in so beautiful a place. She is a gem and someone I would shoot with again in a heartbeat!

Anyway, you can see more of Ceci here --tell her I sent you!

www.modelmayhem.com/xixi1117

--Thomas

Lauren: A Gorgeous New Face in Austin, TX!

2009-01-18T02:35:00.005-05:00

Shot with Lauren Wed afternoon. She was a bit nervous and needed some direction but we were able to capture some beautiful images of this tall and gorgeous Texan!!

See more of Lauren here!

Seems to me that I need to start hiring a W/S for these impromptu shoots. I think I can get by w/o a MUA or H/S but I need better clothes for these shoots!!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-24T23:12:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays...nuff sed.

2008-12-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

Needed a novel background for some Holiday portraits yesterday and I decided to use strings of decorating lights! Hung 400 at different distances behind the subjects. Shot out of focus with my stellar Nikon 85mm f/1.8 lens, they became beautiful globes of light.

May just end up as my abstract holiday card this year!

--Thomas

Taylor Steele of Wilhelmina, NY

2008-11-26T10:12:00.002-05:00

It was a cold morning in Brooklyn...once wind chill was considered. Taylor was dauntless and radiated warmth while the MUA and H/S were shivering uncontrollably. I wore only a T-Shirt to show my solidarity with Taylor and to ensure I didn't ask for too much.

Again, a problem as my Wardrobe Stylist was coming back from ATL and ended up stuck in Reagan Int'l Airport in DC...I had to ask Taylor to turn her driver around and raid her closet for a few looks. Hopefully I will post more in a few days...as time permits!

H/S: www.KerrieUrban.com
MUA: www.CynRose.com

All the best and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

--Thomas
www.AestheteStudios.com

My Mom's Husband Died...

2008-11-16T21:47:00.002-05:00

...and this peace lily sprung up...blooming as he faded.

Las Vegas, NV: 4:55 AM 10.04.2008

2008-10-08T00:17:00.004-04:00

Had biz in Vegas for a few days. Returned home on the red-eye, 5:20AM Sunday. Had an internet model bag a shoot on me...said her ride didn't have $$ for gas (whatever).

Drank too much, ate too much and somehow got plenty of sleep.

Good to be home.

--Thomas

Child Portraiture

2008-09-26T06:26:00.003-04:00

I love taking children's portraits.

There is nothing more beautiful than a child.

Synchronous Quiescence: 9/13/2008 14:55

2008-09-15T09:32:00.001-04:00

Tomato Sauce Face Reconstruction

2008-09-15T08:50:00.003-04:00

A few weeks back I took photos of my web-designer's beautiful boy Alexander. Unfortunately, we were eating pizza and he had gotten tomato sause all over his face.

Last night I finally tackled this in Photoshop with good, if not excellent, results.

I am beginnig to realize I love shooting kids most of all.

--Thomas

www.AestheteStudios.com

Paci-Aiello Wedding Photos (Unedited Images)

2008-08-31T13:16:00.003-04:00

I SHOT A wedding in N. Haledon, NJ yesterday. Great families --I felt so at-home, like I was an old friend of the family! People deferred to me, made sure I was fed and comfortable. The love they all felt for each other was on open display and was great to witness. Hell I got teary-eyed more than once!

Congratulations to Robin and Ray!

--Thomas
www.AestheteStudios.com
www.myspace.com/aesthete_studios

Wilhelmina Model No-Show Rant

2008-08-31T12:36:00.002-04:00

Woke up at 4:45AM this morning as I scheduled a paid test shoot in Brooklyn with a Wilhelmina model MvH. I confirmed with her Friday night via phone and sent subsequent e-mails.

Lemme back-up a bit. When I talked to her on Friday it was the 1st time I talked to her in a week as she had not been returning voice or text messages since the prior weekend. We booked the 31st at that time and immed after I hired a hairstylist, MUA and wardrobe stylist.

The model's call time was 7:15AM at the H/S's home in Brooklyn. I wanted to shoot earlier but compromised to make it easier on everyone else.

So I was on the road at 6:15AM as I was to P/U the make-up artist in Jersey City on my way to Brooklyn. Arrived in Brooklyn at 7:23AM only to discover, that much to my chagrin the model wasn't there yet! I began calling, texting and e-mailing but there was no response. Meanwhile the wardrobe stylist shows up. Now I have 3 people who woke up especially early on a Sunday to work and I have no model.

At 8:30AM I bag the shoot...and pay my ostensible collaborators. I hired them so I feel it is my responsibility to pay them...right? Right.

Cynthia and I climb back in my car, I tell the W/S I will drop him off in mid-town where he has another gig in a few hours. As I am just shy of the Lincoln Tunnel, the model calls. She is as apologetic as all hell almost in tears. Someone in the bldg blew a fuse last night and her alarm never went off this am...she is so, so very sorry. I feel she is in earnest and am not one to harbor ill-will so I tell her thas shit happens...I believe her but I still need to charge Wilhelmina because my team and I wasted our time because of her. Suggested she use her cell-phone as an alarm clock (as I do) to avoid future mishaps.

Ah well, another of my scarce shooting windows trashed due to a lack of professionalism. I just hope Wilhelmina pays me...I can't afford to pay for their model's behavior.

--Thomas
www.AestheteStudios.com

Getting 30+MPG from One Photo

2008-08-28T08:32:00.003-04:00

Nicole

More of Rachel from Ft. Worth, TX

2008-08-21T08:51:00.003-04:00

Rachel on MySpace

Trying to get a bunch of edited photos for Rachel for her honey's mid-September birthday. this one stands out amongst the lingerie photos. I edited this image to make it look like it is the middle of the night. Her gaze and pose are so sexy. Incredible glamor model!

--Thomas

New Mexico: Albuquerque II, Joan Marie

2008-08-19T02:31:00.008-04:00

Beautiful Joan Marie worked with me the late afternoon of 8/16 in downtown ABQ. Smart, pretty, fun, confident...great to work with her!

Joan is the reigning Miss New Mexico Galaxy!

Visit her on the web:

www.joanmarie.net
www.modelmayhem.com/yazze
www.myspace.com/princessjm87

New Mexico - Albuquerque

2008-08-14T11:11:00.006-04:00

Introducing the beautiful, smart and confident Cree of ABQ.

More of Alexandra M of Click Models NYC

2008-08-12T18:57:00.006-04:00

Click on image for full-res view.

www.ClickModel.com.
MUA, Cynthia O'Rourke: www.cynthiaorourke.com
Hairstylist, Kerrie Urban: www.kerrieurban.com
Wardrobe, Katelyn Mooney: www.modelmayhem.com/Kmooney

More Rachel!!

2008-08-02T16:15:00.002-04:00

Rachel in Ft. Worth

2008-07-31T03:33:00.003-04:00

While I was in Dallas on other biz, I had an opportunity to shoot with a captivating model I 1st shot w 2 years ago, when I was just developing my photography chops (not that I am done yet, btw). I shot with Rachel in Branson, MO at what was to be a photography workshop but was really a bikini shoot-out. Can't say I learned much but it was fun and gave me some much-needed confidence in shooting models.

Rachel stood out amongst the models in charisma, sensuality and beauty. She clearly had all the photographers under her spell. I was happy that afterwards she told me she liked my images best!

We were tentative at first, but after a few minutes laughing and having a good time...love when I make that connection with a model and that wall falls down. Now that I know what I am doing it was good to see her and capture her beauty again!

Shoot w Click Model Alexandra McNeil

2008-07-28T23:57:00.004-04:00

Shot a test this afternoon on location in Soho. My first shoot for the estimable modeling agency Click in NYC: www.ClickModel.com.

I was fortun8 to pull together a great team for this shoot.

MUA, Cynthia O'Rourke: www.cynthiaorourke.com
Hairstylist, Kerrie Urban: www.kerrieurban.com
Wardrobe, Katelyn Mooney: www.modelmayhem.com/Kmooney

I will have a hard time narrowing this down to ~60 images for the agency...really strong shoot!

--Thomas

Portfolio Shoot, NJ Botanical Garden

2008-07-27T04:14:00.002-04:00

I love the NJBG (www.NJBG.org) and have been meaning to shoot with a model there (besides my beautiful boys) for a couple of years now. It is full of wonderful locations...and there are a couple more in Ringwood, NJ.

I had wanted to get in at <6AM to shoot, to catch the early morning light, but the gate is locked until 8AM most days. Had planned to get in by 8, but the model was late (as unsigned models often are) so we didn't get on location until 8:30AM.

My MUA/hairstylist did a great job and we were able to get many stellar shots and work through 3 different looks. All involved had great fun.

Many thanks to the model's friend Kim who held a reflector for much of the shoot and with very little direction did a damn fine job of keeping the light on target, and model Nicole effulgent!

Fun in the Summer Time

2008-07-22T07:25:00.001-04:00

Look out! Projectile sand and pressurized cold water!

Pearl on Indigo

2008-07-19T14:44:00.003-04:00

Friday night I was out and about to check the early morning light at an upcoming shoot location. I was on the road by 5:15AM and on my way to the site was blown away by a huge and glorious orange moon hovering over a large lake. Made a note to check moonset time for Saturday AM.

I went back this morning, but unfortunately the moonset was a bit later so the sky was paler than I would have liked and the contrast between it and the moon lessened.

I was able to recreate the scene as I saw it the night before with a modicum of effort. I need to try to get out next month the night before the full moon to get the best photo!

It was a cool and lonely scene there this morning. There were so many bats flying at ~20' that you could hear their wings. Times like these make me appreciate photography even more as there are many things I would never have taken the time to see without the passion to capture and create images!

--end

Pan

2008-07-19T00:45:00.006-04:00

I am using this image as my desktop wallpaper. Reed, my 3.5 y/o son looked at this image and asked, "Who is that, Dad?" I explained that Pan is a god of the woodlands and is associated with Spring.

Reed thought about this briefly, looked back at Pan and said,
"He really likes sandwiches, huh, Dad?"

"Yes," I nodded, "He really does."

--end

2008-07-17T08:35:00.002-04:00

Early last Saturday morning I spent a few hours at the NJ Botanical Garden in Ringwood, NJ :
www.NJBG.org

Great place to visit. To relax...to take photos...to commune with nature. A trip there is a highly recommended jaunt!

Actually undertaking a shoot with a model --portfolio building exercise in the next couple of weeks!

Booking Weddings

2008-07-11T07:25:00.003-04:00

Booked another wedding yesterday and I am slowly raising my prices towards profitability! Will be creating a wedding website to keep that work separate from agency (modeling) and fashion work. I think having wedding photos there might dissuade agencies from collaboration, but having fashion work on my wedding website, I think, would be a boon.

My Boys

2008-07-10T01:05:00.001-04:00

My little boys are the only spots of joy in my life. Wonderful, gooey, sticky, warm, goofy, dollops of happiness that I am loathe to be without.

Empty; Done...

2008-07-09T23:57:00.004-04:00

Been feeling empty for far too long. So long it feels normal and change has no allure.

Photography once provided joy but of late I feel that I am going through the motions and models have left me uninspired. I think I need to take photos of the mundane to fine the hidden gleam of beauty. It's always there...used to be that I could always see it and easily capture. Maybe I need some time to feel that power and thrill again.

I was too shoot with a model today. Was coming from upstate NY, 45 mi train ride to Suffern where I would pick her up. I was excited to shoot with her as she seemed bright, daring and interesting. Fuck she too loves Chuck Palahniuk's novels! The plan was for her to be at the train station by 1PM. Been talking since March. First attempt to shoot was in April. The night b4 she told me she was booked to be an extra in a Kristen Bell film (who is she?) and would be on the st till 4AM. Fine. R/S for 6/8 the night before she tells me she is drained and unprepared...OK I say don't want uninspired talent. R/S for 7/9. Last night, she doesn't return my call but a get a PM saying all is well, will call at 10AM, will be arriving in Suffern at 1PM.

Today's AM Time Line
9:02 - message: Will be on 12PM train, will call soon
9:55 - text message: Could we shoot Friday, not feeling that well...felt bad last night and has stuck with me this AM
10:18 - I call, leave VM: Cannot shoot Friday...took day off from F/T gig today to shoot. If you are sick so be it but maybe we can just truncate the shoot
10:24 - I send a text message: Check your VM
12:01 - I send a text message: Are we on for today, or not?
12:07 - text message: I'm at the hospital, so I don't think so.
12:07 - I send a text message: Hope all works out, call me when u can

I'd like to believe she really took ill, but am not convinced. Why didn't she say she wasn't feeling good last night...this morning? I suppose the litmus test will be if she contact me to R/S. If she doesn't she was full of shit and wasted the little time I have to do what I love.