Behind the Scenes Video: Isabel Lacatus | RCA Recording Artist

Nathaniel Dodson December 28, 2013

Check out our behind the scenes video for our shoot up at ACME studio in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn, New York.

Merriam-Webster defines “prodigy” as “a highly talented child or youth” and also notes that the word is synonymous with words such as “Marvel, Phenomenon, Sensation, and Wonder”. However, Merriam-Webster seems to be missing Isabel’s photo which should be tucked in with their definition of “prodigy”.

I walked down a hallway into her studio space one winter evening with her father and was greeted by a smiling Isabel sitting behind the control station in the recording area. She hurriedly encouraged me come in and listen to what she was working on, but before she could let me listen, there were some final adjustments that needed to be made. I watched as she masterfully guided her cursor through the Pro Tools music application and adjusted the vocal track until it was just perfect. She turned the speaker volume up and played the track that she was working on, smiling and bobbing her head the entire time. Her little dog, Cimba, thoughtfully watched us and whimpered her voice of approval; or maybe was just concerned that a stranger (me) had suddenly appeared next to her owner. The music was just right and the voice, well, the voice is where all the magic is. This girl can flat-out sing and she’s got a passion unable to convey with words alone.

Isabel is a recording artist with RCA Records/Sony Entertainment and is primed to be the next big thing in the music industry. Isabel aspires to be like her inspirations, Alicia Keys and Andrew Belle, and the uniqueness and depth of her voice combined with her musical talents and production skills will certainly carry this youngster to new heights. She has won contests, accolades, and the hearts of many young fans. Keep your eyes peeled for this young starlet to grace the cover of your favorite magazine or walk down the red carpet in the coming months and years.

Check out the Isabel Lacatus website and sign up for her newsletter to get a free mp3 download as well: http://www.isabellacatus.com/

We shot all day in studio and then wandered out to the Brooklyn Bridge and then later into Times Square and shot until about midnight. Check out some our photos from the day below:

Help Portrait | Philadelphia, 2013 | This one's for you

Nathaniel Dodson December 17, 2013

On Saturday, December 7th, 2013 an amazing event called “Help Portrait” swept across the globe. I lead a group and assembled one of the Help Portrait events right here in Philadelphia.What is Help Portrait? In a word, it's the most awesome photographic, charitable, story-telling, story-giving, picture-creating, tear-jerking, perspective-gaining, thought-provoking, and fun events that one could conjure up.

Help Portrait happens when a group of photographers, hair stylists, makeup artists, and volunteers get together and spend a day giving portraits away to those in need. For free. The people we photographed were characters of every walk of life; fathers, mothers, families, and fun-loving kids.

Partnering up with a number of Philadelphia photographers and artists (credits later on in this post) we had an event that went off without a hitch! I owe a massive “thank you” to everyone involved for helping to make this what it was and what it will be in the future! Without the selfless giving of others, we could never have made this happen!

During the event the best moment I experienced was when one 79 year-old gentleman-who had never been photographed before-looked at me and told me that he now "had a photograph he could give to his granddaughters so they would always remember him”. How cool and incredible is that? That’s a moment that will not soon be lost on me. Perspective gained.

I’d be remiss if I didn't mention that this whole worldwide event was started several years ago by the fantastic Nashville photographer, Jeremy Cowart. (Jeremy hates being mentioned in these articles, but credit where credit is due. *bow* )

We had a great location, Old First Reformed United Church of Christ which the incredible Philly-based company ShareMySpace helped up find and schedule.

Here are a few of the photos I shot on that day:

One of our organizers/photographers for all the Philadelphia Help Portrait events, Jaleel King. This dude is hilarious.

Also, here is a rundown of the awesome people who came out and rocked this event with us!

Organizer & Lead Assistant Nathaniel Dodson (Me) Alex Cerrato

Photographers Chris Dawson & Susan Harner Victor C. Green Kyle Cassidy Max Grudzinski(Max also has a blog post on his experience with Help Portrait ») Stephanie DeFeo Jeffrey Sabotta Jaleel King

Makeup Artists Marissa Cordero Nina Wachuku

Hair Stylists Jessica Pineda Ivy Ji Han

Volunteers Steven Collins Mikey Ilagan Christopher Dodson Angelyn Dodson David and Lexi Moore

Austin, Texas Singer/Songwriter Abraham Weaver -Allentown/Bethlehem

Nathaniel Dodson March 21, 2012

Austin, Texas Singer/Songwriter Abraham Weaver

South of Austin

With a blend of smooth country notes brightly complemented with a commanding and room-filling power, the voice of Austin, Texas’ very own Abraham Weaver is simultaneously captivating and unforgettable the very moment you hear him start singing.

Raised in Southern Texas and hailing all the way from Austin Texas, the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Abraham has been singing and performing since the early 1990s. Having reached a personal “point-of-no-return” in 2004 he transformed himself from a Dance Hall and Night Club singer, where he would perform up to 200 shows each year, to a Contemporary Christian singer & musician.

As he belts out the lyrics of thought-provoking tracks like “The Car” and “Like Matthew Sees You” you are seemingly transported to a world that began with the pursuit of ease, prestige, and wealth in this world, but has instead led this singer to a life of contented happiness at the feet of his Saviour. At any number of social functions, special events, or maybe even your local café, your ears may someday be delighted as you listen to this vocal gem from Southern Texas.

Abraham and I got together and shot a great series of photographs for promoting his music and putting together a consistent look for the images associated with his music. We found a massive old abandoned factory and wandered in and shot some great photos!

Currently we’re working together to build a new brand and website for his music!

Abraham Weaver on Facebook » Abraham Weaver on ReverbNation »

Check out some of my favorites below!

Kelly Franks – POP ROX Band Lead Singer Portraits

Nathaniel Dodson March 1, 2012

Kelly Franks – POP ROX Band Lead Singer Portraits

Yes, Virginia

I had the opportunity to photograph Kelly Franks, a local singer, for the cover of her newest album “Yes, Virginia” which debuted on November 25th, 2011.

Check the album and listen to the track “Yes, Virginia” here » Follow POP ROX band on Twitter » Like POP ROX on Facebook »

The lighting for this set of images was a 28” Westcott Apollo softbox as an overhead light and a light with 7” reflector camera-right. I used 200W Elinchrom strobes for the lighting and Elinchrom Sky-port triggers to fire the lights wirelessly.

For the majority of the headshots I broke out my Lastolite tri-flector and had some fun playing with the angles in an effort to get a nice triple reflection in her eyes. With the Lastolite tri-flector I’ve found that using a light directly overhead and keeping each individual reflector at a near 90 degree angle to the chin and sides of the face (per each reflector). Check out a shot of how I was using the tri-flector.

Below are a few of the shots we captured that evening including the shot that was used for the album cover.

Musician Photography Bridgeport, PA: Brodi Valos & Gethin Lewis

Nathaniel Dodson January 2, 2012

Musician Photography Bridgeport, PA: Brodi Valos & Gethin Lewis

Relaxing in Nags Head

After spending some quality time relaxing and shooting some photos in the small coastal town of Nags Head in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina I hooked up with Brodi and Gethin on my drive home to shoot some photos for general purpose use and for promotional material for their music.

When driving for 7+ hours it is sweet relief to have a break worked into your driving plans. Mine came as I rolled into Bridgeport, PA. It was a brisk, cool evening and the light was amazing. All the photographs I shot using a single light on a stand an toyed with what I could using the ambient light (what little there was) in the scene.

Brodi Valos

Brodi Valos is a talented and perpetually hard working musician/recording artist who performs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region with Philadelphia-based group Dirty Electrick. Brodi, who himself hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is recognized for his roots rock sense of style in fashion, performance, and in his music videos.

Inspired by classic music icons such as AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, & Ray Charles, and even my all-time favorite group, Social Distortion, Brodi creates a wonderful blend of Rock and Country in his tracks that you’re sure to enjoy.

Did He Just Say 'Ron Paul'?

Brodi is a man after my own spirit and, like myself, views Dr. Ron Paul as the best of the candidates for presidential election in the upcoming 2012 Presidential election as we rapidly approach the conclusion of the Republican Natl. Primaries.

Check out and ‘Like’ Brodi’s Facebook Page.

Gethin Lewis is a musician and guitarist from Philadelphia, PA who, along with playing music with Brodi, creates his own Psychedelic brand of music. A great personality and a bunch of fun to photograph!

We had a great time hangin’ out and shooting these photos and spent some time chatting after we put the camera down. Check out some of my favorites below!

Acoustic & Pop/Rock Singer Photography. Philadelphia/New Jersey

Nathaniel Dodson September 20, 2011

Southern Rock, Broadway Jason

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to photograph solo musician, Acoustic & Pop/Rock singer and guitar player, Jason Schocket out of Bordentown, New Jersey.

We used natural light for nearly the entire shoot and broke out some light towards the end of our shoot. Check out Jason’s work on his MySpace page!

Below are a few of the images we captured that day. Enjoy!