More recent print

I also recently shot a story for Birmingham Magazine called Best of Birmingham for which I made several portraits of the winners of different categories. My favorite of which was photographing Frank Stitt at Highlands Bar and Grill for three different wins: Frank for Best Chef and Best Local Food Advocate as well as Highlands Bar and Grill for Best Service (for which I also photographed a server, Goran, who has been there since Highland's opened their doors).

The main photo I wanted to get was a classic portrait of Frank shot on large format with simple, natural light. We chatted a bit about what we both wanted out of the shot and I was pleased to know he wanted his kitchen staff in the photo with him for his "Best Chef" shot. I went with the same natural light setup I'd thought about for the solo shot and applied it to the whole group with the goal of creating a photo I could visualize hanging in the restaurant's kitchen at the turn of the century. An image with a certain amount of pride and dignity to it. (I don't know that I could have pin pointed it like that in the moment, but thats the emotion that came with the idea of the group shot and the chef wanting to give credit to his team.)

Enough rambling. I ended up shooting the main shot with a Crown Graphic (127mm) on Fuji FP100C45, recovering the negative, and scanning that. It turned out super gritty and made my day.

While waiting on the kitchen crew to get ready we chatted a bit in the dining area during which time I shot much more casual frames of just Frank which, to my surprise, ended up running as the cover. Below is the cover as it ran for the September issue.

New work + new site both on the way!

I've had some excitement building for a while now about some new work that's been officially released and also for the new site that is on the way for my work.

I've been slammed with preparing images for different shoots and getting portfolios together for the new site which has limited my time for blogging but the plan is to step it up again once carynorton.com is officially unveiled.

For now I'll mention a project I worked on earlier this year that I'm really proud of. I partnered with Slaughter Group to create a new library of images for the longstanding local manufacturing bulwark M+B Hangers. I've never really thought about how hangers are made but I had my mind blown like a tiny child being in their manufacturing plants. It was like living the show How It's Made right in front me.

The first goal was to explore their Leeds, Alabama manufacturing plant—the last metal hanger factory in the United States—and get a sense of their lovely employees as well as document the process by which their various hangers are created.

Step two was to do the same process at their factory in Piedras Negras, Mexico and stop by their distribution warehouse in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Everything was photographed in a very simple way. Most shots are available light shot on a Mamiya 6x7, Canon 1V / 5D, or Leica. I had support in Alabama from Caleb who made it possible to manage all the gear, reflectors, and the occasional low-key light setup (total Strobist style..580EXII on manual shot through a medium shoot-through umbrella).

The process was legitimately fascinating to my science-and-nerdery-driven brain and I couldn't be prouder of the images we created.

Their are viewable currently on the M+B HANGERS website and there was some talk of a physical book down the road, but that's far from confirmed (though I'd LOVE to see these in print instead of just on the web).

Above is Phillip, an energetic and warm employee at the Leeds plant. Below I'm going to put together some of my favorite shots from both locations. We also put together a special advertising series for M+B, but I'll wait to talk about that for another post.

There are so many more I love that really fill in the story. Check out the site to see more.


Cheers

Long Island City circa 2007

Digging through old images...found this one of the Hunter's Point neighborhood in Long Island City, Queens. The Pepsi sign has been since moved and that site is the future site of the Queens Library.

Something about this shot was eerie to me and felt sort of like it was older than I am...so here it is.

Steph's Dad on the couch

Steph's dad back at Memorial day hanging out on the couch. Pardon the dust.

Loan Modificaion

Saw this and was compelled to photograph it. Seems to me very much a staple of life today. People upside down in large amounts of money, everyone else trying to "help" them while trying to feed their own family. Perhaps too cynical of a view, but I see this stuff everywhere, especially in the poorer areas.

Favorite part is the "No Plantation Politics" sign. What an interesting phrase.


4x5 Recovered Negative shot on Fuji FP100C45.

Cannon Beach pano

Please, look at this LARGER. I promise it is better. Really, I'd like this thing huge somewhere.


This is Steph taking a photo of Cannon Beach (aka Goonies rocks) and a few other tourists making a photo with them as well. Yet another favorite Poptpop...yet another from the Oregon coast.

I love HP5 film.

Megan

Megan having her hair done / Self portrait.

Matthew Mayfield

I've been MIA for a while it seems (to me) but at least for good reasons. Lots of running around town making photos. Lots of trying to put out other weird little fires (it's the little crap that takes so much time).

One of the _good_ things that has taken some of my time lately was to photograph Matthew Mayfield for his upcoming full length release. We had a specific goal and to my delight it called for shooting film and working with a bare bones setup. I love, love, love simplicity.

He had a specific idea in mind. Think old. We shot on the rolling white wall with the Crown Graphic, RZ, and Leica. On the large and medium formats we shot instant film as well (mostly to scan the negatives of them...as it lends itself to the feel we were going for).


Above is a photo of the setup, mid-shoot. Talk about simple. Wall, subject, camera, north light in the studio. Done.

Troy, again.

Troy, again...from the San Diego trip.

Steph on the train

Steph on the train, somewhere in California.

Caleb & Laura

Caleb & Laura in New York in May. Caleb assisted me on the job I was shooting there and Laura came up for a weekend to hang out with him. I enjoy this shot (which I guess is obvious since I'm blogging it?)

Steph's parents...on a lawn mower apparently.

There isn't much I can think of to say about this shot, other than it's completely absurd...and I love it.


Stephanie's parents (William and Kathy) at home in Monroe. On the lawn mower. In their back yard. After a crawfish boil. A for serious crawfish boil.

Her family is the most delightful kind of odd.

Jessica & Anthony. American Gothic revisited.

Back at Memorial Day we headed down to Monroe to hang out with Steph's family and to celebrate Jessica's graduation. Seemed like an appropriate holiday to revisit American Gothic.

Troy + Fuji FP100C45 recovered negative

OH SHIT. My world just got asploded.


As mentioned, I went out to San Diego to hang with Jon Canlas and while there Ryan Muirhead told me about recovering the negatives of Fuji FP100C (and in my case 100C45) by bleaching the back. This means I shoot the instant film, can give that away to whomever, keep the other chunk you normally throw out...let it dry...take it home and bleach off the black crap...and...I've got a negative.

OH MY GOD. I kept 8 of my "negatives" from shooting at Film Is Not Dead and bleached them out today. I have 6 more to scan...but here are two more (one this post, one next post).

This is Troy, one of the many people who came out to be our models...he and his wife Clare are awesome and both bring a great style to being photographed...makes our jobs easier for sure.

Above is Troy's negative. I converted it to black and white as it had some weird green blotches..which translated really nice in monochrome.

Caleb

Caleb. New York, May 2010.

scan of steph's dad's beard

It has only grown since this. This was photographed over memorial day weekend in Monroe on Fuji 100C45. #nerdnotes

YamAscani

John

I feel that this is truly John Yam.

Catching up...

Gonna try to catch up a bit. I have so much stuff hanging around I just haven't had time to get it out.

First, here is Alison. I shot so photos of her and long-time friend and general badass John to celebrate their engagement.

She's first...John is next (in terms of posts).

Totally bobo mobile electric lioning

I'm still on the road sans computer so here is a totally bobo phone post. It's a phone picture of a 4x5 fuji 100bw45 of Garrett in his awesome backyardpatiothing. I shot helen back there too, but differently. Film shot to come eventually.

We just went to council crest and saw mountains. Pretty great.

We head to San Diego today by train and we are both pretty excited about it. I'm hoping to find a way to shoot 4x5 out the window or some such.



[ed. note: fixed the image...uploaded a scan later]