My Printed Portfolio...

Just found an interesting website, ISSUU.com, that lets you upload and "publish" a PDF... I embedded it in my website HERE and am now doing so on my blog too. This is the most recent update to my printed portfolio, the one I mail to folks I want to work for. I've got some cool shoots coming up in the coming weeks, included the former governor of SC, so this sucker will be updated regularly... but here it is for now. What do you think?

Family First...

The holidays are upon us... in reality today is Tuesday, but in life the workweek is just about over... time for family begins. And so in that spirit I want to introduce you to 3 spectacular families; these are couples who, once they began having children, gave up their normal office dayjobs to turn their homes into workplaces that allowed them to actually be home. While shooting these 3 families I was consistently impressed by the togetherness that they exhibited... they each gave me grand inspiration for my own future. Read the stories at WNC Magazine here.

Meet the Scales (above), Cate and Ben and their kiddos. Cate is an interior designer, and Ben is an attorney and a fantastic musician. They both work from home so that they may be close to their children, and close to each other... The benefits of such a lifestyle are powerful, and let me tell you, the Scales prove it. They treated me to an impromptu bluegrass concert in their living room and they are all quite talented. The picket fence doesn't make it "perfect", they do... perfect.

Meet the Hammonds (above), Mary Ellen, Jim and their son Sidney. Together (yes, Sidney too) they run Milestone Press. They've got terrible jobs! They hike and bike all around the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains then write and publish guidebooks. A fantastic family with a fantastic home life. They raise chickens, harvest honey, and have created a perfectly wonderful and envious existence for themselves. Kudos!

Meet Lupe Perez and Monroe Moore (above). As a costume designer for Mars Hill College, Lupe took paternity leave after the adoption of each of his 3 children, but he soon realized that wasn't their perfect solution. Raising kids is in his blood, so in 2007 he began a new career at home as a tailor. A super fantastic and wonderful family, they also have bee hives and one of the best tomato gardens around. The kids were my personal photo assistants, and I've never seen folks laugh so much... Awesome.

Meet Tom Davis, The Brewmaster... Thomas Creek Brewery

Meet Tom Davis... Tom is the brewmaster of Thomas Creek Brewery in Greenville, SC. Let me tell you, it's good beer.

I shot Tom for G Magazine, along with a few other artisans whom I'll highlight in the coming days... Tom got the best time lapse, so he goes first.

I don't like going into portrait sessions blind, without having scouted the locations beforehand, but that is happening more and more regularly... sadly, it's mostly a result of the economy, having to maximize my time by cramming more into less... and that is what happened here. It all works out, I just stress about it a little more. One of the primary reasons I've been loving this whole editorial lit-portrait thing is it's challenge: the process of starting out with only an idea, a box full of toys, and my two eyes, and inventing an image from scratch. I love the method of brainstorming and executing an original idea with story as intent... that is what makes location portraiture fun for me.

Patrick Cavan Brown :: Commercial and Editorial Photographer :: Asheville NC, Greenville SC

The Art Of Fashion...

Who would a' thunk it... Me shooting fashion? Well it happened... and it was a whole lot of fun and didn't turn out half bad.

The shoot was for G Magazine... The editor, Jack Bacot, came to me with the idea of combining fashion and art... in the sense that we'd actually stage the shoot in an art museum. The initial plan was to use the galleries of Bob Jones University... they claim their museum to be "recognized as the finest collection of religious art in America." It is in fact amazing. When asked, they said no... for obvious reasons.

The Greenville County Museum of Art, on the other hand, was willing to assist and absolutely amazing to work with. Mary McCarthy, the media relations director, and her fellow employees were more than helpful. There were some really neat works of art which provided fantastic accompaniment and contrast.

I had some awesome folks backing me up... Mary Ann Sudnick and Taryn Scher styled the whole thing... They were crucial in the selection and pairing of the clothing to the art pieces. Karen West came in from Charlotte for the hair and makeup. These images are as much theirs as they are mine.

Matt Tierney, Paul Mehaffey, Sally Morris, and Jay Vaughn were also more than crucial to the entire project... a big thanks to everyone. You can see the rest of the images and the story here at G's Website.

See more HERE!

New Website!!!

Guess what, folks? I just launched my new website! I did every little ounce of design and coding myself, and I am looking for your feedback... honest critique, please, not just typos. If you hate it, just say so, and tell me what you hate.

Some of the galleries (especially in the world-map area) still need to be updated, and some of the full-screen features aren't working as they should. If you run into any other technical flaws, please holler!

Visit: patrickcavanbrown.com

Commercial, Editorial, Portrait, Documentary Photographer... Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Charlotte NC, Charleston SC, Atlanta GA...

Thanks!!!!!