Epic Adventures Ahead

self portrait w/ speedlight
(facebook called for a new profile pic)

Yea, this posting everyday thing is really starting to become an enjoyable experience. I’ve found myself looking for things I’ve accomplished, figured out, thought about, pondered over, or even found remarkably disturbing to share with you all.

Today, for example, has been a day of planning and packing. You see, I’m embarking on a ton of new adventures over the next year and as such have a lot of loose ends to tie up. Along with my larger travel endeavors, my days are also filling up with various and sundry editorial and commercial gigs as well as the ever popular self assignments. To bring everyone up to speed here’s a quick run down.

The Adventures of Mark

Epic:

• Shanghai & Hangzhou China to visit Ryan (Depart: August 15, 2009)
• Cross Country Adventure w/ Ryan (Depart: June 2010)

Extraordinary:

• Maine Lobstermen portrait session (Self-Assignment - Stonington, ME)
• Upcoming portrait session with ‘dreamy’ Maine celebrity (Down East)
• Commercial shoot @ The Pearl bar/club (Portland, ME)
• Wind Farm editorial shoot (Way-The-Hell-Up-There, ME)
• Various cooperative model shoots AKA portfolio building (In & around Portland, ME)

Everyday:

• Visiting the lovely Elizabeth (Boston, MA)
• Visiting Parents in hometown (Palermo, ME)
• Visiting new nephew (Mystic, CT)

Phew! It’s going to be a busy couple of months. Especially considering I’ve made the decision to revamp my entire portfolio with new images. That’s right, new book will be on the way in hopefully no more than a month or so. I’ll be sure to share with you all online when it’s complete.

Stonington Harbor, Maine (2006)
copyright Mark Fleming Photography

The first thing to get crossed off the list will come this Thursday/Friday. I will be heading north to one of my old landscape haunts, the uniquely quaint Stonington, ME. Now, I’ve been to this humble fishing village (one of the few left in this state) numerous times. I watched the sunrise over that harbor more times than I can count.

However, this time I’m going to attempt a series of photographs that have been on my to-do list for going on ten years now. Intimate portraits of working lobstermen. Now, i’ve shot these stone faced seamen before though always from a ‘safe’ distance. This time will be different. Bright and early (3:00 AM) I’m going to arrive at the Stonington Lobster Co-Op camera and gear at the ready. I’ll introduce myself, explain a bit about what I’m trying to do, and hopefully convince at least one stoic weather worn face to step in front of the lens.

Stonington Harbor, Maine (2007)
copyright Mark Fleming Photography

My goal is simple, create intimate and evocative portraits of the men and women who make their living hauling traps out of the freezing waters that fill the Gulf of Maine. Lighting will be kept to a minimum as to avoid overwhelming such a skeptical crowd as well as to keep the images subtle. The plan as of today is to go with a AB800 strobe unit inside a medium softbox, powered by an Alien Bee Vagabond (Courtesy of LensProtoGo) and held by my trusty assistant, my father. The singular light source should, if everything goes as planned, keep the attention on the subject while providing a quality of light that ensures the utmost detail and clarity.

There will be more ‘behind-the-scenes’ info and images after we get ourselves up there. So, for you gear heads, stay tuned. For everyone who would rather watch paint dry than talk about lighting ratios and f-stops, don’t worry I’m sure I’ll have some humorous antidotes from a weekend spent with my parents in a small fishing town that will provide some good reading.

Keep your RSS feeds updated folks, the next few months should make for some pretty interesting blog posts.

As always, any questions you may have are welcome. Either leave a comment or send a personal note to mark@markflemingphoto.com

Fleming, out!

Stonington Harbor, Maine (2007)
copyright Mark Fleming Photography