Did you know that KUTV’s weatherman, Sterling Poulson is a choir conductor? He is the founder and musical director of the Choral Arts Society of Utah, and their next event features a guest conductor from Germany. Sterling called me to photograph Eric Schmidt, the guest conductor for the event for use in posters, programs, and promotional materials. Here are some of the images I did for them.

I know that they needed a very nice but classic, color portrait with a warm brown background.

I started with that, then decided to have some fun, thinking a really iconic and artistic black & white image would be awesome. The subtitle to the name of my studio is “Celebrity Style Imaging.” I love creating images that tell a story about a person, and this is exactly the right kind of shoot for that. I envisioned some images that showed personality and screamed “artist.” I wanted an image that would be intriguing to a complete stranger, and would say, “This is an artist who is interesting and proficient in his field.”

I decided on a high-contrast black and white look with sharper specular highlights, using a light gray background instead of harsh white. Here are the results.

I really like how these images. I think they are strong, impactful, and yes iconic. To see more about Eric and his upcoming event, visit the CASU website. And if you’d like a portrait for work or business, give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something for you.

Until next time, America.