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Masqueman Photography

Apr 08
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A Message From My Father Spirit Wrapped in Black Feathers

By Andrew Hughes, Charles Hughes, crow., death, Masqueman Photography
It was one year ago that my brother called me and told me of our father’s passing. I was sitting in my office and clearly, my ears heard the words, but my brain wrapped them in a web to digest later. I had to get out…

As I sat in my car staring into space, a huge black crow flew through my field of vision and landed in a tree next to me. It squawked at me for what seemed several minutes… and then it flew away.

At moments like this, I can get a little superstitious. Some Native American cultures see crows as liaisons between this world and the next. They are viewed as guides that help the deceased cross over.

I would rather imagine that this was a message from my father’s spirit than just a noisy bird who took a keen interest in me sitting in my car. It does not really matter if that is even logical or not… This life is full of mysteries and strange occurrences, and I do not need to know all the answers. Either way, it marked the moment vividly.
Celebrating death anniversaries may be a purely human endeavor. Other animals rarely look back at the end of someone else’s life with pride, remorse or joy. Humans may be the only creature that can understand how the past, present and future glide seamlessly through one another changing our viewpoints along the way. 
What a child’s parents experienced, may later be felt by the same child once grown. The only time I ever saw my Dad cry was when he told us that his father passed away. I understand more clearly what that moment was like for him now that I have felt the same sting.

“I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together.” — John Lennon 

Whether this is what Mr. Lennon was exactly saying, it seems to support my view that these similar shared experiences as humans bind all people and cultures together. We all mark similar milestones in a lifetime, but not necessarily at the same rate or in the same way.

THE PAST

At that moment…the past came flooding back to me. All those lessons my Dad taught me, the secret talks and the shared dreams. Pulling me out of trouble and teaching me that the only way to do a job is “the right way”. The last time I saw him… the last time we talked… I never knew that would be it.

THE PRESENT

One simple call made the present slip into the past as I realized that I would no longer be able to pick up the phone to call him.  I thought “I have to leave right now…. I have to change flight arrangements…. I have to plan what to do next…. I will grieve later…. too much to do…”

THE FUTURE

Keeping an eye to the future can help you cope with the present. During the week of the funeral, I kept myself as busy as possible, never letting my brain sit idle. After the funeral service was over, the walls came crashing down. There was no outrunning it any longer, and it was too painful to think about a future without his smile that was seemingly just for me, and his lovely voice of a southern gentleman. I have replayed messages from him just to hear it again.

My Dad’s smile, captured by his granddaughter, Kristina
FOLLOWING HIS LEAD

Charles Hughes never stopped moving during his life until his medical condition confined him. I believe his last 5 years were purchased with sheer stubbornness and willpower to stay at my Mom’s side and raise his grandchildren. He was a man of boundless energy and creativity. He could be a mystery to those who loved him, hiding his true thoughts behind silence or sarcastic attempts at humor. He did not linger in the past, but decided to look ahead with the vision of what was important to him. I want to be like my father. If I see a crow, I will tell him this… just in case my Dad is listening.
Mar 10
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Executive Portraits for Spin-off Healthcare Corporation

By corporate photography, Graphic Works, head shots, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography
If you have not heard, last year Kimberly-Clark Corporation spun off a $1.8 billion healthcare division resulting in an independent, publicly traded company named Halyard Health. This new entity will be  focusing on preventing infection, eliminating pain and speeding recovery for healthcare providers and their patients.
I was hired to create executive headshot portraits of the international board of directors. I would only have a minuscule 30 minute window of time to do it since their day was crammed with obligations. This meant showing up the previous day to set up my portable headshot studio consisting of a backdrop, 4 lights, a camera and a photographer… that’s me.
I had to cut the set-up short because apparently the flash was bouncing into the board room making people think it was lightning outside. To put it mildly, this was distracting during an important Powerpoint presentation. We all had a chuckle about this later… but not then.
I showed up 2 hours early the next day to finish the setup. Then, during a short break in the meetings, I took all the portraits, packed up and hit the road. Mission accomplished.
Mar 08
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A New Watch Blog is Born at WatchHunter.org

By Andrew Hughes, blog, horology, Masqueman Photography, product photography, watch collecting
A perfect storm of watch collecting, photography and blogging has come together in a pet project of mine located at www.WatchHunter.org. I just launched this blog last week and am trying to fill it with at least an article per week.

I started this to have an outlet (other than my patient wife) to write about my passion of being a horologist… also known as a watch nerd. You can often tell a watch nerd by the way he wears his sleeves just above the watch. He does this so that he can gaze upon the amazing timekeeping device on his wrist, much like a proud parent may look at a newborn. 
This can quickly get out of control with the advanced watch nerds skipping the wrist watch altogether and opting for the ultimate neck watch. Of course, you have to ask someone else “What time is it?”
Photo by Comedy Central
My plan is to write about the watches I own and ones I would like to own. I will have different series within the blog including “Strap Swap”, “Meet the Watch”, “Watch DNA” and perhaps a sales corner with product recommendations. The subject is limited only by the time I throw at it.

The www.WatchHunter.org blog will also create photo studio projects for me to hone my watch photography skills. Watches can be incredibly tricky to shoot. Believe me, every spec of dust, microscopic scratch and unwanted reflection tries to photobomb the shot. There are also industry standards as far as how the hands are set … usually at 10 and 2 just like they taught you in driver’s ed. Of course, rules are meant to be broken as seen in a sample above.
If you have an interest , please check it out and subscribe. 
Mar 03
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Shooting 225 Badge Photo Portraits in 3 Locations

By badge photos, corporate photography, Graphic Works, head shots, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography
There are different quality levels of portrait photography from a typical DMV mug shot to a multiple-light professional headshot. The difference is all in the lighting and maybe the willingness to make the subject look decent. I was asked to do something in-between, and was hired to make 225 badge photos for a national healthcare company in multiple locations in the Atlanta area.
Many of the subjects shared horror stories of past badge photos during a bad hair day, when a pimple sprouted on the tip of their nose or they got just one attempt. Though a necessity, many employees do not like getting these and they are in a rush to get back to the day’s deadlines or lunch. 
On the flip side, many people are not willing to give up the 10 year old badge photo of their younger self. I made it my personal mission to make them look good and maybe even have some fun. There is nothing fancy with the 2 light setup, but it works for this sort of thing. 
Many of the photos were taken in just 2 shots. I had them write their names on paper and hold them up like they do in a police mugshot. Here’s one guy who is familiar with that concept…just kidding Nick.
Regardless of the quick nature of these utilitarian photos, quite a few of the employees were photogenic… not bad for a badge photo.
Feb 28
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Creating an Impromptu Architectural Image for an Atlanta-based Healthcare Company

By Andrew Hughes, architecture, corporate photography, Graphic Works, Masqueman Photography
A photographer must be ready for any hot potato a client throws his direction. It is not always possible to accommodate impromptu requests, but the more versatile I can be, the better.
Perspective corrected image…
While on location setting up a mobile headshot studio for executive portraits, I was asked to make an architectural image of the client’s new building. They had just completed parts of the build-out so this location still had that “new car smell”… and they needed an image the next day.
Outside was dull, dreary and threatening snow. I only had a few moments to snap some images before I was needed inside. I did the best that I could with the 24-70mm portrait lens I had with me. I normally do not bring my wide-angle 16mm lens to portraits so it was this or nothing.

A tilt shift lens would have been handy to dial out the perspective, but that is a rental for me. As such, I had to remove the extreme perspective in Photoshop. There are limited to what looks realistic. The very first image is what a tilt-shift lens might have produced. I’m not sure which I prefer since the second slightly distorted one looks more epic.

Building with some of the perspective left in…
The light played to my advantage with the foggy overcast sky acting like a giant softbox to evenly illuminate the structure’s facades. The sun was cooperative and placed itself directly behind the building allowing parts of the giant glass tower to be both reflective and transparent. 
Out of camera capture…

Of course, the sky had to be replaced with something better than boring white. Above is the original out-of camera shot… I think I added enough drama to make it work.

Feb 22
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Happy Birthday to My Second Dad

By male portrait, Masqueman Photography, portrait photography, portraits
We may get to pick our spouses in life, but we don’t always get to pick the family attached to them. I hit the in-law jackpot by marrying into a very nice family. In particular, I not only gained a father-in-law, I gained a friend in Ronald Heady.
To me, he exemplifies the best that a man can aspire to be. I have never met a more intelligent or analytical mind in my life. I am sure that if scientists performed intelligence tests on him, their machines would have to be recalibrated. My relationship with him allows me to share my interests from photography, guns, gadgets, watches, robotics and science… not your typical “how’s the weather” banter.
A few years ago, he allowed me to take some portraits of him. He had just given me two special gifts for my camera collection that reaches back as far as the 1930s. One was a Minolta camera that he personally used. 
The other was a Yashica twin-lens reflex camera that his father, Ray Heady, used as a newspaper reporter for the Kansas City Star newspaper beginning in 1943. I was over the moon to get these treasures and they are displayed in a place of prominence in my collection.

Here he is with his favorite gal, Sue. Happy Birthday, Ron! We love ya!

Nov 02
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Two for One Headshot Sessions

By Andrew Hughes, corporate photography, head shots, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography
When two of my buddies told me within the same week that they wanted new head shots, my response was to proverbially kill two birds with one Canon. There is nothing more business-like than high efficiency, but that does not mean we had to be boring. They wisecracked jokes the whole time. I am afraid that they might hurt me for posting the photo below… ha ha.

We knocked out the standard business head shots first. Unless I am trying to specifically match the style of a company’s headshot, I tend to shoot a variety of backgrounds for the client. I can do this quickly by moving a few prearranged backdrops.

The requirements for Jason were slightly different since the headshot was going to include his company logo on his shirt. He owns Performance Audio & Video Atlanta…one of the best audio, video and home automation companies in Atlanta. Give him a call if you need any of that.

While Justinas was dressed to the nines, I took some full body portraits in case he becomes a CEO or lawyer in the coming years. I remember the first time I met him with long hair riding a motorcycle. Now he is a respectable business man, and he cleaned up nicely.

We then moved on to more stylized photos. For Jason, I used a warmer tone to match his shirt. For Justinas, I chose to use a slightly blue cast to match his shirt. I think doing this emphasizes the face more and the clothing less.

I know for sure that I have the best friends in the world.
Oct 31
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Halloween Character Portraits

By Andrew Hughes, Halloween, Masqueman Photography, party
What is the best holiday of them all? I say Halloween for many people including adults. This might be the only yearly event where people get to step outside of their mundane lives and become somebody more interesting for a night.

In years passed, I have been hired to run photo booths at masquerade parties. These are as much fun for me as the participants. I love to see what will walk through the door. Maybe stars from the past will reappear…

In the case of Ricky and Lucy here… they were just enhancing reality with a sense of humor.

I think you can tell a lot about a person from the disguise he or she chooses. It could be a hero or villain unlike themselves. So, our next guy could be the dashing Clark Gabel…

…or a scoundrel tycoon named Dick Dasterly. You decide.

 A costume could be in poor taste and you wish you had not seen it. An example of this was a pudgy white man I saw (in 1998) who dressed himself as a minstrel-styled Aunt Jemima… yes, the nice lady from the syrup bottle. He even had a plate of pancakes and sang what he called “spirituals.” Unfortunately,  you can’t unsee or unhear some things. My advice… don’t do this. And by the way, the guy next to him is no priest… 

The characters can come from literature like the Queen from Alice in Wonderland.

…or from pop culture like the Tom Petty styled Mad Hatter that came with the Queen.

This only makes sense if you saw his 1984 music video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More”

Sexy vampires almost make you want to get bitten. More than once please…

I’m not sure if the motherly Morticia from the Adams Family was a vampire or not…

Some people never grow up and have to take their mummies everywhere. This gentleman English explorer’s costume and expression were spot on. Blimey!

Whoa! I hope it wasn’t the liver paté that made her turn green…

A touch of the old country… all that is missing is some beer mugs and polka music.

Is this what the Tooth Fairy really looks like?

It’s only fair that I should embarrass myself with my favorite Halloween outfit of all time. One year I went as my West Virginia cousin, Bubba Joe Jethro (the third). The ladies loved my dental work.

That guy always gets out of hand though. Here he is talking things over with a security officer.
I hope that everyone reading this has a wonderful Halloween. Be safe.
Oct 25
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Zombie Transformation Caught on Film

By Andrew Hughes, Halloween, humor, Masqueman Photography, time lapse, Walking Dead, zombie
Fans of The Walking Dead have seen plenty of zombies. Usually they are shown in a state of decay just long enough to get their heads smashed in by the heroes of this popular TV series.
But, after watching every episode, I don’t think I have ever seen a zombie transformation. For the first time EVER, this unseen event has been captured with time lapse photography. It’s not a pretty sight either. If you are easily frightened, turn your eyes away now.
Apparently, the pre-zombie being grows a wild beard and his teeth turn into hideous bucktooth fangs. If you don’t believe me, just watch the video evidence. It’s got to be true if it’s on the internet, right? See the link zombie video here.

Aug 26
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CEO Power Portraits

By Andrew Hughes, corporate photography, Masqueman Photography, portrait photography
One of my favorite things to do is make corporate style portraits. Usually that involves head shots, but it can also include body poses too. These can be great for magazine covers, articles or web pages. You never know where the images could end up including company sites, social media, email or print. In the samples below, I composited the client into 2 different backgrounds.

In this case, they will be used for several different types of articles on the company web site. With just a few modifications in the studio, I was able to provide a wide range of photos from formal to more informal. Providing different looks during a shoot gives the client’s graphic designer much more material to work with. Variations on a theme? Check, check and check…

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