George Stevens Jr

I photographed George Stevens in his office at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts the week before the Kennedy Center Honors.
His assistant Dottie showed me his collection of photographs and posters and I decided that was the backdrop for the cover of the Georgetowner Magazine even though I initially wanted to do it in the foyer of the Kennedy Center. There were some amazing photographs on display. His whole life was portrayed in that room. Elizabeth Taylor aged 21. Jimmy Dean, Warren Beatty and Clark Gable plus numerous other icons.
What I liked best was the poster for the play Thurgood, starring Laurence Fishburn, with a sticker saying "sold out" I had seen this production at the Kennedy Center.  George was very easy to work with and the most difficult part of the session was controlling all of the reflective surfaces in the room.

The Georgetowner picked the photographs below but I really like the black and white of George.

Placido Domingo in Pagliacci

Placido Domingo as Canio in Pagliacci

This portrait was made backstage at the John F. Kennedy Center during the dress rehearsal of Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. I had photographed Plácido Domingo in several roles prior to this session but he was so quiet and subdued on this occasion that I thought perhaps I had offended him. It was not until I photographed him in the next costume that I realized that he was totally consumed in the role he was playing.  This photograph was selected as the DVD cover for the Washington National Opera's upcoming release of Volume Four of Plácido's "My Greatest Roles." 

Plácido was accompanied by Verónica Villarroel as Nedda, Gregory Yurisich as Tonio, Manuel Lanza as Silvio, and David Cangelosi as Beppe.  The performance's opera orchestra and chorus were conducted by Leonard Slotkin; the Director and Scene Designer  was Franco Zeffirelli.

An enlargement of this image was also printed sixty by sixty inches to hang in the lobby of the Washington National Opera's headquarters.

Springtime and Mother's Day Portraits

This last week I had the pleasure of photographing Channel 9's Angie Goff for the cover of the Georgetowner.  

It was a beautiful day outside, Spring in full bloom, and I took the opportunity to capture Angie and her daughter, Adora Kate, surrounded by the colors of the season.    

This second portrait was a chance to show the happy nature of both mother and daughter, focusing on their beautiful smiles.  

Angie has a fantastic blog you can follow, called Oh My Goff.  You can also catch her weekday mornings on on the local CBS affiliate, WUSA (Channel 9).

It's not too late to get your own Springtime or Mother's Day portraits! Contact the studio at 703-827-5957, or at katherine at philipbermingham dot com, to discuss a session, or purchase a gift certificate.   

Cover-ing the Georgetowner

This photograph was for the Georgetowner's "Green Issue."  They were looking to showcase Steve Ma, the "Green" Executive Officer (GEO) of Live Green, a company dedicated to the idea of affordable and eco-friendly living in DC.  The portrait session took place at Café Green in the DuPont Circle area.  The location was perfect, with its rich and vibrant decor, bright colors, and friendly staff. We had lunch ahead of time to plan the session out ,(the Raw Trio on the menu was exceptional) however, when we met Steve later that day, our original plans went out the window.  And this, one of the last shots, was clearly the most dramatic and best choice for the cover.  I've never seen so much green since we were in Ireland, but it really worked!  Steve was lit by a key light 45º to the right, and a fill light behind the camera.  There was also a small hair light coming in from the top right and behind, separating him from the background.  The camera used was a Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105 lens (75 mm), at 100 ISO, 1/125th @ f8.

Royal St. Vincent and Grenadines Police Officer

I am constantly photographing people in my mind, and often, am frustrated when I don't have a camera in my possession.  I recently started carrying a camera wherever I go, and when I walked into the Mustique police station, I saw this police officer behind the counter.  He consented to a photograph, and I made this exposure with a Canon 5D Mark II, at 1/100 s at f6.3, 400 ASA, hand-held, with a 24-105 mm lens set at 50 mm.  I personally think this is the most versatile lens in the Canon range.  

No, this is not a Football, this is George Starke, IV.

The thing that struck me about this portrait, is the sheer size of George, III (not the British Monarch, but the former captain of the Washington Redskins) against the tiny personage of his son, George Starke, IV.  The contrast is amazing.

   

George's wife, Petra, clearly looks better in the jersey than George does.  However, from a portrait perspective, my favorite image is the close-up, because the proximity of the three heads creates greater intimacy, and the adults do not overwhelm the tiny child.  This is the photograph that we made a wall portrait of.