Fashion editorial: Gwen Albers

2 or so years ago, I met the lovely actress/model Gwen Albers at an Indieworks screening (if you love short films, it's the perfect place, trust me - and there's one happening tonight!) and she has come to be one of my favorite kindred spirits in the city. She so thoroughly impressed me when I saw her fantastic performance in a short film there that I immediately sought her out after, and the rest is history. Fast forward to now, and I'm excited to share some photos from our first official collaboration (hopefully one of many to come!), which I'm happy to say is also some of my favorite new work!

We spent the day working our way through Brooklyn, taking advantage of its fantastic street art, beautiful parks, and impressive architecture - a perfect hyper-saturated representation of New York City's creative culture. We roamed from the Williamsburg Bridge to Dumbo to Red Hook and everywhere in between, and had the most gorgeous sunset glow to work with during the golden hour (a photographer's dream!). Gwen was a natural in front of the camera, and her beautiful spirit inside and out definitely came through, which was wonderful to work with. Add in the beautiful clothing and pieces provided by Dutchess clothing, and I couldn't have asked for a better shoot that day, or better weather. Here are some of my favorites, and can't wait to shoot with Miss Gwen again!

My Fashion Photography Challenge!

A few months ago, I had a fun but unusual writing assignment for a photography blog. They gave me the challenge of creating a fashion shoot on a $200 budget, the goal being to emphasize the ability to produce quality imagery on any price point. While it was definitely a tricky assignment, it also proved to be both engaging and entertaining in unexpected ways, and was a nice way to shake up my typical photographic approach. 

Selecting all the equipment you would need (including lighting) with only $200 to spend is a near impossible task, but I eventually elected on a metal backdrop setup, a muslin backdrop, and a continuous light source. While not ideal, it fit the parameters of the assignment well, especially given the high price tags associated with strobes or speedlights. The continuous light was not as bright as I'd hoped, but given the brand I had to use and the price point I was restrained by, I could only set expectation so high. 

Several of my wonderful actor friends were more than happy to be my test models, and I am pretty impressed with what a solid job all of them did; it certainly made my job easier! While it was supposed to be a challenge, it certainly allowed me to focus on making the setup work rather than purely focusing on posing, which was a welcome change of pace. We of course treated the shoot with the utmost level of professionalism, but that doesn't mean somem fun outtakes with stuffed animals and balloons weren't to be had as well. A big thank you to all of my friends who helped me out with their fantastic modeling skills (Lauren A. Kennedy, Rob Ceriello, Shannon Terrel, and Neil Brown) and can't wait to see what the next assignment brings!

Headshots: Tommy Juliano

Back in the fall, one of the actors I had the pleasure of working with on Six Windows, Tommy Juliano, asked me to hook him up with some updated headshots. We had hit it off really well on set, and he easily gave one of my favorite performances from he project, so I was more than happy to oblige! 

Tommy is one of those very versatile actors with boundless energy and unbridled enthusiasm for his work, which is a large part of why I loved working with him. I wanted to make sure we captured that element in his images, and as he was showing me the various wardrobe options, I began to associate the outfits we selected with certain character archetypes; thus the approach for this shoot was born.

We traversed from the cute neighbor to the bad boy, the jerk jock to the suited up douche, back to the charmer and maybe even the hint of a villain. After spending the whole afternoon shooting (albeit a great deal of that was purely spent laughing), I couldn't be happier with the results. Here are some of my favorites from the day, hope you like them as much as I do!

Epson Campaign: #SwimmingInInk !

Back in September, I had the wonderful pleasure of working with Epson America and the Women's U.S. Synchronized Swim team on the campaign for their new line of EcoTank printers, and it was easily one of my favorite jobs to date. From start to finish it was a grand production, as Epson built a giant swimming pool  in the middle of Times Square overnight for the swim team to perform several routines in, as well as a large step & repeat to have your photograph taken with the team. I was fortunate enough to be contracted as their step & repeat photographer, and while it was a very intense day, it was an amazing blast and I had such a wonderful group of people to work with. If you want to see a little bit more of what the day was like, you can check it out in this awesome behind-the-scenes video!

The swimmers were so sweet from start to finish, I don't know where they found their immense stamina and energy to keep swimming and posing all day long! Below are some of my favorites from the shoot, I love how much personality everyone brought and how much fun we all had. From Broadway performers to Comic Book Superheroes to Disney Princesses, we had a great turnout and many memories to keep after. And good luck to the synchronized swim team on their upcoming olympic trials!

Headshots: Taran Muller

I may have only completed half of my college education at Penn State University, but while I was there, I met many wonderful people along the way. Needless to say I was thrilled when my friend (and costume design extraordinaire!) Taran Muller Zackrison contacted me about getting her some updated headshots! We could not have hoped for better weather, and the time of year worked perfectly in our favor by providing vibrant colors from the tail end of summer. 

I couldn't wait to photograph Taran, as she has one of those infectious smiles and a wonderful personality that never fails to shine through. I wanted to make sure both of those elements came through in our session, and I think that second image really fits the bill. Plus she's got some unbelievably killer eyes that matched her scarf beautifully, which only helped make my job a breeze. While I love doing more complicated setups, getting back to basics with just me, my subject, and a reflector was a welcome return to traditional techniques, and goes to show that sometimes the simplest is the sweetest. I love how Taran's images turned out, and am already looking forward to when she needs them updated!

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Seeing Double: An Adorama Article

About a month ago, I was asked to write an article on the concept and process of working with double exposures, both in camera and digitally through Photoshop. It was quite a challenge to determine how best to articulate what my process was, since double exposures by their nature are so experimental and versatile. But I think given the abstract nature of the subject matter, I wrote an article that could help emerging and new photographers begin to explore the concept of multiple exposure images. It was a little tricky to write, as most of my Natura work is a little too provocative to use in an article so targeted towards a general audience (alas, the fine art nudity was the unfortunate blow), but in the end, I'm very happy with the images I created to accompany the article. Below is one of my favorites, from a senior portraits session with my wonderful firecracker of a friend, Mina, who I have no doubt will take the world by storm one day.

© Alyssa Meadows

© Alyssa Meadows

If you want to see the article on the Adorama site itself, feel free to check it out here! There may or may not be a few friendly and familiar faces featured on there, as I had to create more digital examples of the photoshopped technique. Overall, I'm happy that I was able to write an article that may help others within the photography community, as it never hurts to lend a helping hand to fellow peers; if there's one thing I've learned after 2 years here in New York City, it's that everything seems to fall in place when you work together to create something special. 

Michelle Jones; Experimenting with Light

A few weeks ago, Adorama asked me to do a review on a light kit they were launching, and so I jumped at the chance to do a light test with my good friend and fabulous actress Michelle Jones. We really wanted to play and experiment with the versatility of the light, and spent a good portion of the afternoon into the evening shooting a variety of different looks and aesthetics, and I could not be more thrilled with the results. As someone who started on traditional natural light techniques, working predominantly with studio lighting that day was a welcome change and happy exploration of how dramatically imagery can change with simple lighting adjustments. While it was a lot of firsts, I enjoyed the process of experimenting with the possibilities and discovering what would make the photograph.

Here are some of my favorites from our photo play-day, hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

New Portraits: Gabryal Rabinowitz

I always know it's going to be a great shoot on a day that I'm working with Gabryal; He's wonderfully charming, undeniably handsome, and one of the most genuine human beings I've had the pleasure of knowing. On top of all that, he's a truly amazing actor, so when he asked me to work with him on creating some new and improved headshots for him, I couldn't have been more excited. Casting directors, take note and check out his phenomenal website!

We chose to try for a more GQ-eqsue aesthetic and stylized portraits, and I am so thrilled with how they turned out! We elected to experiment with using a ring light in some of the shots, and I think it worked wonders for bringing out the texture in the velvet suit he wore for the first part of our shoot. It was an adventure using a new light that is not a normal piece of my lighting kit, but I absolutely love the results it produced. My favorites by far however are the sunset shots we created at the end of the day after scaling to the roof of my apartment building. We couldn't have asked for a more vibrant and beautiful sunset, and it paired spectacularly with his wardrobe; serendipity at its finest.

It's always such a joy to work with your friends, and I am so fortunate that I've been able to work with Gabryal for so many years now; here's to many more in the future!

Headshots: Ellyse Burnett

As a photographer often working within the film industry, I get to meet a lot of fabulous actors and actresses, and many of them come to be my closest friends. The beautiful and immensely talented Ellyse Burnett is certainly no exception, and I was thrilled when she asked me to do her headshots for her. If you recognize her, it might be from the upcoming web series I worked on a few month ago, Six Windows. While she may seem a bit shy at first take, she's got a smirk and sense of humor that will steal the show, and I loved trying to bring those aspects of her personality through in these images. Which, if I may as so bold to say, I think I achieved fairly well. I can't wait to see where her career will take her, because it's definitely leading to bigger and better things!

-Hair & Makeup by  Jodi King Makeup-

A Night for James Earl Jones

Near the end of January (where has the past month gone!?) I had the immense pleasure of working with the Drama League photographing their annual Gala Fundraising event. Every year, the League honors someone with their Lifetime Achievement award, and they selected none other than EGOT winner, Mr. Darth Vader himself, the larger-than-life James Earl Jones. Not only was I honored to be part of such a prestigious event, but I also had the opportunity to meet and photograph many prominent members of the theatrical community, which was truly an amazing experience. From the star-studded list of guests, to the fantastic live performances, it was a night I'll never forget, and hope to have the opportunity to attend again. Everyone had only words of the utmost respect and admiration for Mr. Jones as an artist, peer, and human being; Kelsey Grammer's near outburst of tears stood as a testament to the genuine and heartfelt words he expressed about James, and he was not alone in that night full of emotion and support. The Drama League put on a flawless event, and I am so proud and happy to have helped support all the important work they do for aspiring actors and actresses, as it is both necessary and progressive. Congratulations to them for hosting such a successful fundraising event, and may they have many more in the years to come.


On-Camera Interview!

I'm so happy to share with you all this fabulous promo video my good friend Brandon Taylor directed and produced for my upcoming exhibition with the Young Photographer's Alliance. It was my first on-camera interview, so please forgive any awkwardness or long-windedness! I can't believe how wonderfully this turned out, given my nerves about making it, but making artwork is all about pushing boundaries, including our own comfort levels. I am so proud and excited to share my new artwork with all of you, and hope that you can join me on the 24th at the Art Director's Club to come support all of the artists showing in this sure-to-be-spectacular exhibition. You can buy (donation based!) tickets here. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Boy Code: Promotional Stills!

December was a big film month for me, one of the projects being a short film titled Boy Code, directed by Christian LaMorte and starring Elijah Trichon. A story about the pains of growing up in a hyper-masculinized environment, Boy Code follows a young man through his last days of senior year at an all-boys Christian Academy, and reveals the pitfalls of trying to live up to his peers' expectations. It accurately portrays the pains of adolescence, but also explores the awkward nature of our first romantic encounters. 

I wanted to be a part of this film since I first heard it was in development, and am so glad I was able to contribute to a story I found so valuable and necessary. It not only shines a justifiably-harsh light oh the sex-obsessed, macho bubble young men grow up in, but it also brings into question why our culture has these unfortunate and detrimental societal standards in the first place. 

I was only able to be on set for one day of shooting, but I can't wait to see the finished product of what I truly believe will be a fantastic short film. 

Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in Boy Code; © Alyssa Meadows

Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in Boy Code; © Alyssa Meadows

Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in Boy Code; © Alyssa Meadows

Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in Boy Code; © Alyssa Meadows

Kensi + Tommy Anniversary!

I was so excited when one of my favorite couples called me and asked me if I would like to do their one-year anniversary photos! Needless to say, I immediately and enthusiastically said yes, as I couldn't wait to take their pictures again. They wanted to do a little twist with their 'family' photos however to include their two adorable fur-babies, Nala and Harley, which I couldn't have been more excited about. They were easily some of the most beautiful pups I'd ever photographed, well behaved too! I love working with Kensi and Tommy because of their big hearts and the personality they bring to our photoshoots, and the love they have for each other is readily apparent. I never have to wonder if the shoot will go well, and we're always guaranteed to have a lot of fun, which I think shows through in the photos without question. Happy anniversary you two, and here's to many more!

Carri + Marie!

Last month I had the wonderful pleasure of photographing Carri + Marie taking their vows! One of the sweetest and most genuine couples I've ever met, I loved getting to spend the day with them and photograph such a momentous occasion for them. While they already had a destination wedding, they had yet to make it official in the states, and I was honored that they asked me to be their photographer. After flying in from Texas, they took their vows at the Marriage Bureau in NYC, and then spent the afternoon enjoying their newly formed nuptials exploring the city. I couldn't be happier for these two, and hope they're enjoying the southern sun with their 3 adorable puppies, and that married life is treating them well. Congratulations you two!

"Ella" Production Stills!

It's been a little while since Hollow Tree Films finished filming for the 24 hour film race, but I wanted to share some of our official promo stills! Starring Michelle Jones, Ellyse Burnett, and Brandon L. Cabrera, "Ella" explores how the choices we make can have huge ramifications, and how tenuous relationships can become. While we only had one full day to develop a story and bring it to fruition, I think we did a pretty solid job and produced something we could all be proud of. Already counting down to the next Hollow Tree Films production!

"They Hunger" Proof of Concept Production Stills!

I've been waiting to share these images for a little while now, but I just received the green light from Hollow Tree Films, a co-producer of the project, and am so excited to finally unveil a few of the production stills from the Proof of Concept project we shot! Not only did I have the pleasure of working with such talented actors and actresses, but I was also fortunate enough to work with some of my favorite crew, and I am already counting down the days until the next project. Starring Alyssa Kempinski, Lauren A. Kennedy, Russell West, and Gabryal Rabinowitz, I can't wait to see where this project goes and hope to work on more of it soon!

Actress Alyssa Kempinski as Parker  in "They Hunger" Proof of Concept                                                     © 2014 A. Meadows Photography

Actor Gabryal Rabinowitz as Ezra in "They Hunger" Proof of Concept                                                   © 2014 A. Meadows Photography    

Actress Lauren A. Kennedy as Robin in "They Hunger"  Proof of Concept                                                 © 2014 A. Meadows Photography

New Beginnings!

Last week, I had the lovely pleasure of shooting a baby shower for a lovely woman named Anita. Her sister inquired on whether I would be available to photograph the chic brunch they had planned, and of course I was more than happy to help them document such a special kind of celebration.

The baby, cutely coined "M" at the moment, is not expected to arrive until August, but the anticipation was undeniable! Both family and friends came to share wisdom, words of encouragement, and enthusiasm with this soon-to-be mom. 

I think my favorite part of the whole shower was the game they chose to play once the meal had commenced. They created the most adorable version of "Catch Phrase," which of course was baby themed. Overall it was a lovely event that seemed to bring everyone a little closer together, waiting for the arrival of their new family member. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day, hope you enjoy!

Headshots: Neil Brown

Over the last few months, I've had the chance to meet some fabulous actors and actresses in NYC, this handsome fella included! After seeing him in a few theatrical productions, I was quite impressed with his abilities, and couldn't wait to do his headshots!

We couldn't have asked for better weather on the day of our shoot (well, okay, maybe we could have). It was a perfect cloudy sky, and with the exception of having to dodge a few short bursts of rain showers, I think we made the most of a beautiful May day. Can't wait to see some more fabulous work from this guy!