Self-assigned photo shoots are really a necessity. Shooting for yourself keeps things interesting and on your own trajectory. When the paid jobs are not where you want to be or where you want to go, it's doubly rewarding. Sometimes, for one reason or another, those shots may not be ones that you can use or ones that fit precisely into your portfolio, and your portfolio needs to represent exactly the kind of work that you want to attract. This latter point took a long time to sink in for me, but it is one of the most important things that a commercial photographer needs to learn. We all want to show work that we are proud of and that shows the world we are versatile and capable. But you need to ask yourself if any given shot in your portfolio is the kind of work that you want to continue to do, and further, if it is consistent with a focused message. Who are your ideal clients? What do they look for? Show them what they are looking for! Chances are, if they are looking for that specific thing, they probably don't want someone who does that thing along with all sorts of other, unrelated kinds of work. I'm sure this is not news.

For photographers, as well as many other disciplines, self-assigned work is really magic. It's an avenue that is freeing, useful and necessary. If you're building a new portfolio, especially one that is heading in a new direction, or if you are unhappy with the alignment of the work you are shooting for pay with your goals, self-assigned work is the answer. It's freeing because the what, when, where, who and how are all up to you. It's your chance to create a world from play-doh, to appropriate a phrase that someone used last week who I unfortunately cannot recall.

But here's where it gets tricky, for me at least; that clean slate. Which way should I go? And when I choose, who will give me permission? There's that word: permission. I used to be a professional musician, and there was always an undercurrent of guilt when I was practicing or working on something that wasn't income-generating. That's a pretty debilitating way to be if you are an artist. I'm not sure what made me like that, but as a musician I was always wary of the people who I would encounter who had “real jobs”. Well, I am older now, and my coping mechanism has grown from the unwavering support of my wife and the fact that I have seen the other side, and I know now that I have it so much better. Now I can give myself permission to work on something that has no practical value at this moment and is not generating income. I can do that because I know that what I am working on is part of what I want to do to be where I want to be, so that I can be sought out by clients, to do that thing.

The essential factor in giving yourself permission to do self-assignments is structure. Where do you want to go? My friend, photographer's consultant Selina Maitreya, talks consistently about “vision”. Without that, where are you going? I am reading David duChemin's new book and he has almost the  identical message. In order to get where you want to be, you need to figure out where that is. Once you have done so, make it happen. And if you don't have enough work that leads you in that direction, create it. I find it very useful to get myself into a situation in which I must create such work. For me, it has been taking the form of art shows. I create the kind of work that I want because no one is really dictating content, and it gives structure and permission to do so. But whatever form the structure takes, make sure that it leaves you free to create the work that you want to keep creating.

Melissa said that she was nervous. I couldn't tell. But we talked about all kinds of things as I arranged lights and modifiers. Melissa works in health care, and her friend Matthew, who came with her to the shoot, works on a sustainable farming project, so we had lots to talk about. She even asked about me, which was really nice, so for a while we talked about music and photography. I was hoping that her nervousness had dissipated by this point, and I was happy to hear her say a little while into it that she was enjoying the shoot.

I think sometimes that a subject's nervousness is actually excitement. Excitement about the event, the process and the whole idea of being literally and figuratively, the focus of attention for that short time.

There are times when you get a chance to photograph someone who is really excited to be photographed. I think this was the case that evening because in these shots of Melissa her personality and beauty just jump out at you. When I do studio shoots like this I rarely photograph two people the same way. After we interact for a while, I start to develop a direction in my mind of the way in which I want the shoot to go and how to capture that person in images. With Melissa, I knew somehow that I just wanted a simple, almost monochrome theme, and that I was working with someone with whom I could use relatively hard light, and would absolutely glow, contrasting with the starkness of the scene in a really significant way.

As you might have guessed, I am working on a project to capture images of people that I meet around the Lowell and Merrimack Valley area of New England. I asked Andrew Wetmore if he would sit for me several months ago, but time has a tendency to slip away if you aren't attentive. We finally got to it during the recent holiday break at my studio. Andrew is a playwright, journalist, high-tech nerd (and I mean that in the best possible way - I was one myself ;-), and Canadian, in no particular order. As you will see, he has a very interesting and character filled face!

This year I decided to browse the studios, along with other Holiday Open Studio guests. It was fun to be able to talk with lots of the artists that I don't see that often, or that I usually only have time to say hi to in the hall. As always though, the camera was with me and I wanted to share some of the portraits and other scenes at Open Studios while it is still going on. Details of hours and how to find Western Avenue Studios are here, on the Western Avenue website.

Western Avenue Studios - Holiday Open Studios 2009

Last Saturday, November 28th was the Annual City of Lights Parade and Holiday Art Stroll in Lowell, Massachusetts. I had the privilege of shooting for COOL, The Cultural Organization of Lowell, which gives me access to all venues and the ability to cut in line! :-) And they encourage me to photograph anything that interests me. So here is a small part of the documentation of my adventures on Saturday.

I started by visiting local businesses who were participating in the 2nd Annual Hot Chocolate Competition. I went to too many to list here, but here are a few that were chosen ... because I got better pictures ;-)  Unfortunately, the time that I had allotted to me to do this walk-around was short, and I wasn't even able to get to all of the places that I had on my list.

Dharma Buns Sandwich Co.

Coffee Mill Emporium

Welles Emporium

And here is the first place entry being created for me at the Second Wind Cafe.

Second Wind Cafe
Then it was off to the main event, the parade reviewing stand, where there were dancers, floats, bands...and the kids supplies all manner of cute.

And my friends from Western Avenue Studios were there!

Among the many who made this a success were the event's MC, Trica Boshco, and COOL's Director, LZ Nunn.

Trica Boshco and LZ Nunn

Last week I worked with independent film maker, Bridget Driscoll, of Mill City Studios, photographing her at the famous West End Gym, in Lowell, Massachusetts. We were after environmental portraits of her shot in this unique location where she has been documenting the gym, the owners, staff and athletes, and how they all contribute to the community.

Mill City Studios produces all kinds of videos for the academic, business and public service markets. The idea with these shots was to put Bridget in the ring, a central theme of the studio's made-for-TV documentary, "Fighters: Road to the Golden Gloves".  I also had the pleasure of meeting the gym's owner, Art Ramalho, and seeing the location first hand. I can attest that this is not a movie set, but the real thing. I really wanted to capture the real look of the gym, so nothing in the scenes was moved and I lit Bridget without gels and allowed plenty of ambient light into the shots so that I could get the color of the fluorescent lights around her.

Bridget Driscoll at The West End Gym in Lowell, MassachusettsAn environmental portrait of Bridget Driscoll at the West End Gym

I've never been good at self-portraits. It's the running from behind the camera to in front of it, and back again until I'm are ready to find a 4th career. (Not really Amy, just kidding!) I used to have a self-portrait on my web site, until my son said: 'you're a portrait photographer and the shot of you stinks.' He's very good at bursting my bubble. :-)  Then I took one where I stood in for a greycard test and cropped it half-way across my face..you know the shot. We all do it.

So I finally convinced my son, mister Leica/Hasselblad/film guy to shoot my portrait for my web site. He humored me and shot some with his D200, but also shot some Hasselblad ones where we set up the lights as a tribute to Jousuf Karsh. One of those is on my 'info' page now (http://www.adrienbisson.com/about). Not exactly Karsh quality, but cool just the same.

So my wife, Amy, who does a calendar for her family every Christmas, convinced me to photograph the two of us for that purpose. We were both tired enough so that we were beyond caring. And maybe that's why they seemed to actually work this time. Plus, having her in the shot made the mechanics of a self-portrait much easier; you know, focusing, framing, etc.  Working tethered and seeing the images come up didn't hurt.

What's a portrait without funny outtakes?

...It never really is. Who wants to just paint by the numbers? Every subject is unique and you need to approach every person and their shoot differently. You want to get a special look or gesture that seems to be the special thing about that person.

I recently worked with the excellent graphic designer, Geralyn Miller on one such project with Anthony, a finance guy. It was a lot of fun! Anthony is a great guy, and I think it comes across in the shots. We worked in the renovated 19th century mill building where Geralyn works, and Anthony was very patient as we dragged stuff from place to place looking for just the right atmosphere.

Geralyn took her own shots between holding light stands ;-) Got to love shooing on a staircase!