DAVID VERDINI

Dessert Time

2009-10-21T17:42:00.008-04:00

I occasionally shoot for Dining Out NJ (formally NJ Tables), which is an upscale restaurant/spa guide and foodie-type of publication. I got an email from the Creative Director asking if I wanted to shoot a dessert for them. Say no more! One of my favorite food items to photograph is desserts. They have their own personality and creative beauty (we're talking Montrachet Brulee Cheesecake with a berry compote here, not cookies and milk). This edible art appeared as a beautiful flower with its delicate petals. This was a pleasure to capture.

Fr. Donal

2009-10-13T17:01:00.001-04:00

There are many who influence us in life and leave a lasting impression. I had a few of those people in high school. Some of them have passed on, but recently I connected with someone who wasn't my teacher, but a priest who was one of the "guys". Back then, we'd consider him - cool.

Fast-forward many years and I found Fr. Donal retired, yet quite active. I was glad to again enjoy his sense of humor and his great intelligence. The feeling of finding long, lost friend was there. Inevitably, it lead to the futile efforts of trying to catch up after this long period of time in one afternoon, which prompted the next step of setting up another time to meet.

A couple of months later, Fr. Donal sat for me to create his portrait...

Swami Chakradhari

2009-10-06T10:30:00.007-04:00

A very special guest of EBC Radio in Monmouth Junction, NJ was at the station last week. Program Director, Kulraaj Anand, invited for me to photograph Swami Chakradhari for his appearance.

Swami Chakradhari is a holy man with a great international following, so when I spent a few minutes with him, I knew what kind of lighting I wanted for his portrait: something ethereal and soothing. Swami Chakradhari being such a popular figure was very comfortable in front of the camera, which always makes the shoot go much smoothly more. The portrait was shot on Saturday in the lobby of EBC Radio with large strobes to create the effect.

The rest of the images were selected from the bunch taken in the broadcast booth during Tuesday's airing.

Never Judge a Book By It's Cover

2009-09-21T15:53:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post, but this post is worth writing about:

One of my on-going personal projects is with the Bridgewater Gurudwara where I go once a month looking for a new face (or faces) to capture. Some of these musicians (Ragi) have an amazing character that so easily extends itself to the visual medium of photography - and others - not.

This ragi being younger than most and not having that "character" visibly on the surface, I was already passing a judgement. I got him in front of the lens and he just took off! Animated and FULL of character. This was a shoot that was well worth struggling with my limited speaking skills in Punjabi. Sat Sri Akal Ji!

Article in Fashion Models Magazine

2009-07-04T16:07:00.005-04:00

For their July anniversary issue, Fashion Models Magazine has me as their guest photographer with a pictorial and interview - http://www.fashionmodelsmagazine.com/

Ragi

2009-05-30T12:21:00.003-04:00

A continuation of one of my personal projects: Sardar Ji

Fruit! Lots of Fruit!

2009-04-09T17:35:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything food-related, but yesterday was a great shoot and worth posting. Shot for one of my best clients and worked with the master food stylist, Dan Macey.

The lighting for these images came from an unusual use of the strobes and setup. The client wanted sunlight, so we gave them sunlight.

These will be cropped a bit tighter and used for packaging, so some of the surrounding props will disappear.

All of the images were shot using grid spots, barn doors, mirrors, some improvised diffusion material, Elinchrom Midi Octa, etc., etc. What I thought would be a simple lighting setup turned out to be an exercise in resourcefulness. Main thing: client was happy and we spoke of future jobs.

Patience is a virtue? Yes.

A necessity? Definitely!

The Local Hair Salon

2009-04-05T20:36:00.008-04:00

Occasionally I work with local hair salons and spas in NJ. And now with most businesses today, have a very limited budget. That means no $$ for professional models to display the talent of the hair stylists and makeup artists. So, what happens? We have recruits that have never been in front of a camera other than snapshots and Facebook-type of pictures.

What happened recently was there were two women that fit this description, but completely surprised me with their comfort level in front of the camera. I need to thank both Tori (b&w image) and Kim for their professionalism and attitude that made the shoot for the salon successful and Jackie, the owner of A&E salon, a happy artist.

"Dream Of Life" in Asbury Park, NJ

2009-03-31T07:28:00.017-04:00

Asbury Park, NJ. Haven't been there in years and then I found myself reliving some of my youth. Back then, I was hanging with Eddie-O and enjoying the beverages of choice from that time. Now, Eddie-O is in Georgia, my beverage of choice is water and my purpose in Asbury Park is different. I was asked to photograph Patti Smith and Steven Sebring at the screening event of their new movie, "Dream Of Life". Steven was the winner of "Excellence In Cinematography: Documentary 2008 Sundance Film Festival for this movie.

Walking the boardwalk to the Paramount Theatre, Patti pointed to her right and said she remembered when she played with the Ramones. Earlier during lunch, when she spoke of Robert Mapplethorpe, Bob Dylan and others, it was if I was looking through a portal back in time. Being so close to a music icon and artist was an amazing experience.

After the screening, Patti performed a few songs, including an a cappella version of "Because The Night", which she has the audience join in.

Thank you Patti and Steven for such a memorable day. And a huge thank you to Michele Lanfrank (www.Lanfrank.com) for the opportunity to provide my services. Without you, I would've never been able to experience that day.

Rick

2009-03-28T08:53:00.000-04:00

A portrait of a NY makeup artist.

Renovance NY Editorial Program

2009-03-06T18:20:00.012-05:00

I spent this past weekend in NY at the Renovance Editorial program with the theme of the 1940's Hollywood fashion lighting. These dresses were worn at the Oscars at one time, combined with the 1940's style of lighting, gave a different challenge from the softer umbrella approach. This was done with all grid-spots that gave that harder light as the old Fresnel lighting did of the George Hurrell era.

NY ART EXPO

2009-02-27T08:30:00.011-05:00

I went to the Art Expo at Javits yesterday and came back completely inspired by some of the beautiful art work. I met Ferjo again after ten years, who is one of my favorite artists/painters and who I own two of his pieces - what a rush. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another ten years.

Then I got completely blown away by another, Fabian Perez. Absolutely gorgeous work. All acrylic and the most dramatic and emotional work I've ever experienced.

Makes me envious of some of these artists' talents although, seeing what's out there, it gave me inspiration and the push myself even harder.

Studio Lights vs Speedlights

2008-12-05T23:35:00.010-05:00

Spent some more studio time with Chris Knapp from Nikon and Brittany again last week to experiment a little with some "big lights" and "small lights". The portrait of Chris was taken with three Elinchrom studio lights and Brittany was lit with two Nikon Speedlights.

This was a great opportunity to work with the new SB-900 along with an SB- 800 and an SU-800 Commander. The accuracy and the versatility of these lights made for some beautiful results.

A Mixed Bag In One Weekend

2008-11-17T15:11:00.007-05:00

It may be obvious to some why I'm calling this post "A Mixed Bag". Shooting some of Claudio's guests and one of mine yielded some interesting faces in different lighting scenarios.

1) First image of the famous fine art photographer Robert Farber. A chance to shoot a portrait of a talent as Robert was a wonderful opportunity.

2) Harbajan Singh came all the way to NY from PA as our guest. We thank him very much for his participation and patience.

Sat Sri Akal, Harbajan Ji.

3) Two looks from the same lady in different lighting.

Also, being able to shoot with Claudio again always makes for an interesting afternoon!

A Different Path

2008-11-12T11:03:00.004-05:00

Other than culinary, I've been involved in other disciplines of photography lately. Incorporating Nikon's Speedlights as an alternative to the larger studio strobes in situations where these little lights have a practical edge.

Most recently, I've been working with Designline Construction Services, creating some interior images as well as environmental portraiture.

All images posted here have been created using Nikon's CLS and Speedlights.

Thank you Designline Construction Services for all your business.

Flashes Of Hope

2008-10-03T12:16:00.013-04:00

Flashes Of Hope is an organization that provides charitable photographic services to children with cancer at certain hospitals. I was approached by Nat Clymer, the local representative and NJ-based photographer, to participate in this program, along with other members of the ASMP NJ chapter.

Over the course of the year, I do a lot of work for non-profits and charitable organizations, including the Lymphoma Research Foundation, but this shoot put quite a bit of my life in a different perspective. Gave me almost the same feeling I get when I return from India - be grateful what what you have Verdini!

The kids are allowed to pose by themselves, family members and certain hospital staff, if they wish. I would watch some of them smile, especially the little ones who really don't know what's going on other than they're not feeling well.

If any ASMP photographers are asked to participate, please consider the offer. The ASMP-NJ chapter will be hosting Nat on Jan 14th to speak about the organization and to have a few photographers show their work and briefly comment from their sessions.

A Special Guest

2008-09-23T18:15:00.001-04:00

Last week, I invited Christopher Knapp of Nikon to my studio to shoot. He was generous enough to bring along a model with all the necessary qualities and accessories. Great fun and plan on another shoot next month using the "noir" look. Not much to say other than we captured some beautiful imagery with the use of the Claudio Basso plain white background lighting scheme. Claudio's workshops were worth every penny...

The Many Voices Of EBC Radio

2008-08-24T17:43:00.004-04:00

Kul RaaJ Anand: EBC Radio Program Director, Voice-Over Artist and a man of many other talents, truly an amazing personality. Witnessing his many talents and voices, he is a chameleon of sorts. I've seen other radio personalities on the air performing, but Kul Raaj takes to creating his

many moods and voices through physical animations. It's amazing how he can go from one voice, instantly to another that doesn't even sound like him.

With all these different personalities, there was no specific lighting setup that would've captured his many voices and moods, so I chose three. All were shot with Elinchrom lights using either grid spots, softboxes or the 53" Octa.

Oak Tree Road Section Of Iselin, NJ

2008-08-22T13:00:00.011-04:00

I typically get to this area of NJ approximately twice a month, where there is a large Indian population. I've been doing a personal project here just shooting some of the locals and the transplanted Indian culture. I frequent some restaurants and sweet shops that treat me like family (I'll post some from my favorite sweet shop in the near future), but there is a place called "Food Town", part of the Shalimar group, where the chicken tikka is perfect every time! Many times, restaurants will serve it smiling only to bite into it and the chicken has the consistency of wood. Ali is the tandoor chef and felt it was time to capture him preparing my order - The master at work! Thanks Ali for the great meals. See you in two weeks!

Hollywood Noir

2008-07-19T15:31:00.006-04:00

Being a big fan of the old Hollywood portraits of George Hurrell, I started experimenting with my own style in the studio. Playing with different types of lights and modifiers, working with different models, it's a different approach than I'm used to in my commercial world. I'll be posting more as time goes on...

New Personal Project - Sardar Ji

2008-07-13T20:47:00.007-04:00

Started a new personal project a few weeks ago. Every month, one of the Sikh temples (Gurudwara) in NJ has a change in their spiritual musicians known as Ragis. I've noticed over time some of them have faces that would make for great portraiture. Depending how far this goes, perhaps some day I'll put together a show. Until that time, readers of my blog can view them at www.davidverdini.com under the gallery "Sardar"

This first image was shot side-lit with two Nikon SB 600 flashes and a Nikon SB 800 as the commander. Meeting Joe McNally a few months ago at B&H (see previous blog entry) really inspired me to use these little lights.

This Ragi was lit with conventional strobes (two Elinchrom heads on a white seamless). It's a pleasure to work with these Ragis. Not one of them whom I've shot have had their formal portrait done. So these portrait sessions for them are a special time spent.

Sikh Warriors

2008-06-16T19:13:00.002-04:00

Last night I attended a Sikh cultural event. It was mainly for the children of the NJ Sikh community, but there were performances by some of the adults as well.

Watching these "warriors" perform almost seem to defy gravity. Reminiscent of the Matrix at times the way they flew through the air.

The lighting inside the room was absolutely horrible. The Nikon D3 performed flawlessly without any flash!

Assisting Claudio Basso's Fashion Workshop

2008-04-30T17:37:00.011-04:00

Last year I started as a student of Claudio Basso's. This year I became one of his assistants for the original Fashion Workshop I attended. It's funny how things happen.

On the second day after the shoot, everyone was encouraged to ask the panel questions. The panel consisted of:

From left:

World Famous Fashion Photographer - Claudio Basso

Fashion Designer - Loris Diran

Model from Ikon Agency - Geoconda

Celebrity Hairstylist - Dan Riccio

Fashion Stylist - Elle Horton

Ikon Model Agency Founder & CEO - Cynthia Aktipis

Celebrity Makeup Artist - Anita Nouryeh

2008-04-20T18:09:00.005-04:00

Br. Prabodh Chaitanya of San Jose, Ca., visited NJ this past week and I had the privilege of creating his portrait. His presence and teaching left me with a different perspective towards life that will remain with me forever.

Hari Aum Prabodh Ji

Verdini's Portrait By Claudio Basso

2008-04-03T21:41:00.005-04:00

My portrait done by Claudio Basso at the Power of Light workshop.

Claudio Basso - The Power Of Light

2008-04-02T16:36:00.025-04:00

Attended Claudio Basso's "The Power Of Light" two-day class in NY this past weekend and what an eye-opener that was. I left with a tremendous amount of lighting knowledge from the Master. Relatively simple lighting sets that yield amazing results.

I had the extreme honor to photograph Claudio's good friend and artist, Santo Bruno (www.santobruno.net), using a high-key approach; the result was beautiful.

Towards the end of the second day, the "Image Award Winners" were announced and one of my submissions (upper right) was chosen as first-place winner for "Extraordinary Image" by Claudio.

Thanks to Keith Rinearson for the above image of Claudio and me.

Met Joe McNally at B&H

2008-02-17T21:45:00.003-05:00

I attended the one of the B&H events in NY with Joe McNally. It is amazing how he controls light, especially his work with the Nikon Speedlights. I just have the SB-800, but after seeing what can be done with these lights, I plan on getting a few to work wirelessly and create some new projects.

Elected To NJ ASMP Board

2008-02-01T15:08:00.008-05:00

Was elected to the Board of Directors to the ASMP New Jersey chapter (American Society of Media Photographers). This is a great honor and I'm looking forward to making my contributing efforts in education and the monthly salon.

www.asmp.org

www.asmp-nj.org

Indian Movie Star - Sonia Gill

2008-01-31T21:50:00.002-05:00

I had the extreme pleasure to photograph Indian movie star, Sonia Gill. She is here in the US filming a full-length film, and I was offered a two-hour photo shoot with her and her make-up and hair stylist. Truly a wonderful experience to work with a such a warm and down-to-earth lady. Hopes are that I may have a future session with her. Thank you Sonia!

Working With Dan Macey

2008-01-09T21:29:00.008-05:00

Had the experience to work with food stylist, Dan Macey today. We were creating images that may be used in a future cookbook. Hopefully, I'll have more news in a few months regarding these images.

My Intro To Fashion Photography / Claudio Basso's Workshops

2007-12-01T09:07:00.005-05:00

Since people were some of my first photography subjects, I decided to go back to that area and learn a specific type of lighting. I still, and always, will enjoy photographing food, but I felt the need to pursue an aching question: How do I properly light people as the ones I've seen in the fashion magazines? An online ad made it to my email, bypassing the SPAM filter and was linked to some of the images I've seen around for quite some time. I've always admired this person's lighting, but never knew who the photographer was. I finally got the chance to meet him and be formally trained by the master himself - Claudio Basso.

I've taken three of his classes so far to assemble a new portfolio and will be attending a new one coming up in March. What an experience!