Portrait session: Jason Cohen

Local musician Jason Cohen and I were going for a gritty, urban look for his portrait session, to match Jason's style of music. So we decided on an evening shoot somewhere in Gastown, and since it was raining we opted for an indoor location. I mean, we're both dedicated artists, but come on, it's cold and wet out there.

We agreed to meet at the Lamplighter, which, I recalled from the lost days of my youth, was a pretty run down pub with quite a few windows for light, a perfect backdrop. I guess I don't get out much any more, because when I got there I found that it has been converted to a relatively upscale sports bar.

But we went for it anyway, trying hard to avoid the dozens of plasma TVs lining the walls, until management noticed my Speedlights popping off in the corner and politely asked us to leave. Not the first time I've been kicked out of a bar...

So we ended up in the back alley, thankful that the rain had stopped, leaving a lot of shiny bricks and concrete for our backdrops. After a couple of hours we retired to Salt Tasting Room to warm up.

To get enough light I had to shoot at a high ISO, which meant lots of grain on the images, but that just added to the look we were going for. Both Jason and I were very happy with the results.