@bengebo | Ben Gebo Photography

bengebo

Truth & Balance. You are the Universe experiencing itself.

When I was taking pictures in an ultra sterile lab

When I was taking pictures in an ultra sterile lab in Framingham, I had the pleasure of wearing a proper lab coat, goggles, even a beard mask! This room will never look like this again. Most times shooting spaces like it requires a small window of time for shooting. Right when the construction is complete, but before everyone and everything gets moved in. Three strobe setup with my @nikonusa Z7 tethered to @lightroom via my ‘19 Macbook Pro.
#labspace #laboratory #sterile #labsofinstagram #laboratorylife

Throwback to a fun portrait shoot with rapper and

Throwback to a fun portrait shoot with rapper and talented graphic designer Mike Mai. We wandered around the city shooting portraits of him and his childhood friends. @mikemai2awesome
#guangzhou #china #guangzhouchina #portrait_planet #portraithood

Throwback to last year when this was the smoothest

Throwback to last year when this was the smoothest part of a five day bike ride. A grueling, unforgiving tour through the middle of Tonto. The harder the ride became the more rewarding the view. If you’re interested in seeing and reading more about my exciting journey, visit bengebo.com/fools_loop.
#surlybridgeclub #arizona🌵 #foolsloop #bikepacking #biketour

My last photo shoot with interior designer @danitb

My last photo shoot with interior designer @danitbenari of Interior Transformations. We spent a day shooting inside this modern home with a lot of space and great artwork. It’s all about making the home look as naturally lit as possible.
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This image was composited from eleven other pictures. I used a black cloth to cover the artwork on the left to remove reflections and the other one on the stairway didn’t exist. I ended up using that piece from another image. There were six strobes I used for this, all tucked in different corners. I evened out the exposure with a curves and brightness adjustment. Also, that runner was red, which I turned to charcoal to minimize its attention.
#residentialdesign #bostondesign #designinterior #interiordecor #bostoninteriordesign

The Riverview School has been one of my favorite c

The Riverview School has been one of my favorite clients to take pictures for. Every shoot, day, hour and minute is something new. Running around with them all day I get to hit my pedometer goals by noon and get to shoot mostly in natural light. 🔸
I learn a lot from these kids. The main lesson is accepting everyone, making others feel welcome and not passing judgement. If our fear of new people is met with acceptance, our guard is lowered which makes it easier to learn and let the love in. @riverviewschool
#riverview #riverviewschool #capecod #rockclimbing #photoshoot

Happy 2020, folks! While I have done a tremendous

Happy 2020, folks! While I have done a tremendous amount of work on myself this past year, the one thing I forgot to incorporate is more play. I can be unforgiving with myself and I rarely celebrate the wins. It’s just mission accomplished, on with the next. 🔸
Revisiting this fun photo shoot in MV made me realize however hard I work it is important to bring out my inner child often. Playfulness. Treating everyone as if they are a baby in adult clothes. Being kind to everyone, starting with myself.
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This house was a dream to photograph. I used this slide a half dozen times over the two day shoot when I “forgot” some camera gear downstairs. For lighting, I placed a gaf taped battery powered strobe in the bottom part of the slide to show the dimension instead seeing just a dark tunnel. I had another strobe with an umbrella from the second floor shooting down to light the table and the wall. Another stobe was behind me bouncing off the white ceiling for fill, and the last was a 6’ light form panel off camera to the left to help tone down the natural daylight. Much more was done, but that’s the gist. Styling was done by @georgantas.design. Thanks for reading! Looking forward to sharing more of myself and my work in 2020!
#slide #indoorslide #insideslide #playhouse #kidshouse

A secret doorway, Clue style! Here is one photo fr

A secret doorway, Clue style! Here is one photo from a two day shoot that featured my work in @housebeautiful magazine. This took two days because the home was huge and had a lot of stunning features to capture. It’s a true funhouse because they have an indoor slide! YES. A childhood dream come true. Check bengebo.com/news to see more photos and read the details of this house of wonders. Thanks to @georgantas.design for the assignment.
#marthasvineyard #secretdoorway #bookshelf #bookshelfdecor #bookshelfstyling

I am very fortunate to already have everything I c

I am very fortunate to already have everything I could ever want in life. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
#christmaslights #xmas #christmas2019 #christmastree🎄 #christmasday

From my most recent architecture shoot with @kachm

From my most recent architecture shoot with @kachmardesign during a snowstorm.
#architecture #residentialdesign #cambridgema #breakfastnook #bostonarchitecture

Writer and man of the Sea Jared Manley. We’ve kn

Writer and man of the Sea Jared Manley. We’ve known each other for more years than we haven’t. Gentle, silly, considerate and a true joy to share space with. He also has the best record collection of anyone I’ve ever met. Stylish mofo too.
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I photographed him with my new favorite camera the @nikonusa Z7. Mirrorless is the new breed and is here to stay. It has less mechanical components, is smaller, has better video capabilities and is solid in low light. My favorite feature is the ability to shoot without any shutter sound. It allows me to shoot with my release cable and not let my subject know I’m snapping away. A true game changer, as far as my process of shooting portraits goes. I try my best to let my subject not know I’m shooting to really get that candid feel. Thanks for stepping in and letting me capture you in your new space, Jared! @jthomasmanley
#naturallight #windowlight #jaredmanley #portrait_today #portraiture

I had a fun two day shoot for American Express thi

I had a fun two day shoot for American Express this week. I was leading a fleet of @uber cars around with @americanexpress wraps on them. The goal was to capture the cars with classic Boston backdrops. It was a bit of a whirlwind as we hit about seven locations around the city. The second part of the shoot even more involved as I led five party buses with wraps all around town. We clogged traffic and did what we had to do to get the shots. This was a super fun scavenger hunt kind of shoot for a big new client. Looking forward to sharing more!
#commercialshoot #carshoot #bostonskyline #eastboston #boston

On one blue hour evening at this year’s burn, I

On one blue hour evening at this year’s burn, I spent time with the wonderful people at the Swing City camp. Do they not know how to have fun or what? On a side note, they win for providing me with the most delicious and restorative meal I had on playa this year. Props to everyone in that camp for their generosity and offering the most fun playground! Thanks to @daniellekushner and @bbrian5280 for the intro!
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A few times every week I wander through memories from the Burn. The people, art, experiences, connections and feelings help me see the unrelenting potential that we have to transform the world, both on an individual and community level. To add, don’t forget to play once in awhile! Get out there!
#boringflamethrower #flamethrower #burningman2019 #fire #flame

The entire scene! You caught a snip of the space i

The entire scene! You caught a snip of the space in the previous post. Now all together, here is a fully composited photo of the stairway and entry area into the offices of Aras. This was a six light setup and a composite of twelve exposures. Always shot in RAW.
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I had two strobes to left of the camera, one hitting the seating area and another with an umbrella to light the floor. One strobe on top of the stairs to light the steps, one in the hallway to the right (not in frame), and another directly right of the camera. That one was raised super high, bouncing off the white wall to brighten the overall exposure. I had the last strobe in the offices far back to overpower the fluorescent lights and annoy the workers. Whatever I got to do to get the shot!
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The light on the floor was slightly off color and had an uneven exposure. What can’t be done in camera can be done in @photoshop! To fix it, I selected it all, desaturated it completely, then painted it with it’s true color, applying an overlay mask. Then some curve brush adjustments to even out the brightness. So much more was done to this photo, but I’ll spare you more details. It’s Friday and I’ve got things to do. Overall, it was about an hour of total work in post-production and about two hours setting it up, composing, lighting and shooting it. Thanks for reading!
#aras #officespace #stairsdesign #architecturalphotography #architecturelovers

Always look down! When exploring a new space I see

Always look down! When exploring a new space I see it from as many angles as possible before I take out the camera.
The first thing my eye goes to is the composition. How we perceive shape, space and angles changes how we view and feel about something. The orientation we choose can create tension, drama, curiosity, pleasure and many other feelings. What are you looking to evoke with your photograph?
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Once I have the composition set, I consider the color in the scene. Do I want one color to be more dominant? Should there be more of a monochromic approach? Colors play so much off of our emotions and engage our subconscious.
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Form is shaped by the way a scene or subject is lit. What are we looking to draw our attention to? Where do we want our viewer to first start looking when they see a photograph? These are just some of the questions that pop in my mind before I click the shutter release cable.
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Out of context from the rest of the hallway that is not seen in this shot, these stairs weren’t too exciting to look at. Having right angles, straight lines, one circle and a pop of red, I felt this was a great mix of ingredients to capture a more minimalistic photograph. Shot for the talented architect Deanne Mcguinness.
#stairs #lookdown #stairsdesign #stairsandsteps #architecture_minimal

A candid moment with famous architect Adèle Santo

A candid moment with famous architect Adèle Santos in her home. I captured these natural light portraits during an interview she had with Design Museum Boston for their recent magazine. I also shot the formal portrait of her for the issue as seen in an IG post from a week or two ago.
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Without light, we wouldn’t be able to do anything. We wouldn’t exist! Once I understood lighting patterns, ratios, quality, contrast and color, I see it everywhere. Any environment I walk into I find myself assessing the lighting and my internal metering system turns on. Really, it’s something I can’t ever turn off. The next time we have a conversation, know that for the first few minutes half of my attention is focused on how the light is landing on your face.
#candidportrait #adelesantos #somervilleportraits #bostonportraits #bostonportraitmeet

Closets might be my biggest challenge to photograp

Closets might be my biggest challenge to photograph. For the same reasons bathrooms are tough. Tight space, limited movement, no place to put the lights. The biggest reason is styling. That’s where most of the effort goes. Trying to make the space look organized, but not too much so. I find a lot of times closets just don’t look correct, almost over-styled. Maybe that’s because chaos is their natural state? I know I’m not alone on thinking that! 😆
#closetorganization #closetgoals #closetdesign #closets #organizedcloset

Bathrooms are very difficult to photograph. You’

Bathrooms are very difficult to photograph. You’re limited with where the lights, camera and tripod go. Trying to show the style and space without getting the toilet in the shot is also tricky, but limitations spark creativity.
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My first step for the this photograph is finding an ideal composition that shows what the space is all about. If you shoot wide to capture everything, you’re capturing nothing. That’s a big difference between architectural and real estate photography. Here, the wallpaper shined as the subject. Getting the roll of tp in there shows the toilet without actually showing it. What you leave out let’s the viewer fill in the gaps.
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As always, I tether to a laptop so you can see the images as we shoot. It’s also very helpful when the camera is pinned against the wall and I can’t look through the viewfinder. If these photography tips help, let me know in the comments!
#bathroomdesign #bathroomremodel #bathroomdecor #bathroomwallpaper #wallpaperdecor

The super modern kitchen inside the offices of Ara

The super modern kitchen inside the offices of Aras. I could have spent all day shooting in just this space alone. We had the entire building to shoot, so I only had time to shoot a half dozen pictures of their spacious kitchen.
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To light this space required a lot of strobe power and bracketing the exposure. I used one strobe at full power to the right of the camera to overpower the ambient interior light that fell on the right side of the island. Three strobes to the left, one bouncing, two with umbrellas hitting the chairs, floor and counter tops. Then two more behind the pillar in the far back to illuminate the additional seating area and ceiling. Trying to match all the strobe power and make the light look seamless and not artificially lit can require a trial and error approach. That’s one of the things I love about architectural photography. It forces me to problem solve the lighting on every single photo I capture.
#aras #officekitchen #kitchenrenovation #kitchendesign #kitchensofinstagram

I am a man of tradition. Every year for Thanksgivi

I am a man of tradition. Every year for Thanksgiving I’ve been going to my great aunt Daisy’s to celebrate. I can’t remember a holiday where I had’t. Along with me, each year I bring coconut curry butternut squash soup. It’s important to have moments in life you can rest knowing what to expect, especially if if it’s centered around great food, reminiscing, laughing, appreciating and sharing space with people you’ve known, loved and trusted your entire life. 🔸
I give thanks to all the people and experiences that made me who I am. They gave me the opportunities that allowed me to flourish, put my heart into everything I do, learn, grow and give at full capacity. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. 🍽🍁🦃 🍜
#thanksgiving #thanksgivingdinner #soupseason #butternutsquashsoup #thanksgiving2019

Underpromise, overdeliver. I shot a beautiful work

Underpromise, overdeliver. I shot a beautiful workspace for architect Deanne Mcguinness. Here is a snap of the seating area in the kitchen. While we made it through our entire shot list, I found it very worthwhile to take the time and capture the details along the way. It’s the small crystallized details that we tend to hinge our subconscious perception on. Also, clients like it when you give them more than they asked for. 🙂
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Shot with one single strobe 45° to the right of the camera. Skim the light so you can accentuate the angles.
#chairdesign #designchair #kitchenchairs #redchair #behindthechair

A high functioning kid’s playroom/office. With t

A high functioning kid’s playroom/office. With the minimal touches of color throughout the space, I thought maximizing the bright and airy feeling would make the colors pop.
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I shot this with my trusty Nikon D800 and @elinchrom_ltd strobes with photek umbrellas. I had two strobes camera left, one bouncing and the other hitting the desk area. It was a science minimizing the shadows under the desk. The best lighting is when it doesn’t look lit! I also had a strobe fired in the room on the left to continue the bright exposure. In post-production, I did a gray/black gradient fill on the computer monitors, adjusted the perspective so all the lines were straight, increased the contrast in the colors, which brings up the saturation, and applied a high pass filter for sharpness.
Styling and design by @georgantas.design. Thanks for the assignment! Loved photographing this unique space!
#officedecor #officedesign #kidsoffice #officespace #officeinspiration

Ultra high ceilings with maximum livability. I cap

Ultra high ceilings with maximum livability. I captured this living room for @georgantas.development and walked away in awe of the time and dedication @georgantas.design put into her work. This whole house was fun to photograph.
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I captured the room at various angles, but really enjoy how this shot leads you into the blue library. This would be a perfect home to host a murder mystery dinner party!
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I lit this room with two strobes. One bouncing of the high ceiling at max power and the other with a wide umbrella lighting up the couches. I had another strobe with an umbrella fire into the door from the library. Shine a light at things worth looking at I say!
#livingrooms #livingroomdesign #livingroomideas #livingroominspiration #livingroomstyling

Utah in blue hour glory. Shot circa December 2017

Utah in blue hour glory.
Shot circa December 2017.
#utahphotography #utahrocks #utah #utahunique #utahisrad

A candid moment with my friend Matt as we walked t

A candid moment with my friend Matt as we walked the coast in Acadia. When people think of professional photography, it’s common to envision all of the extravagant lighting, sets and extra eyes making sure things are perfect. While that is true in many situations, I believe the essence of still portrait photography is capturing that moment when a person’s guard is lowered and creating an image that will outlive the photographer, the subject and the camera they were shot with.
#portraitphotographer #portrait_page #portrait_today #portraitphotography #portraitphoto

Here is a deck house I photographed for architect

Here is a deck house I photographed for architect Eve Isenberg. The special thing about this 1950’s style of home is the feeling of walking around inside a luxurious children’s fort. The walls of windows create different lighting at every moment of the day. That stimulates creativity and works with our circadian rhythm. As a photographer, natural light is my best friend and photographing interiors like these is a dream.
#deckhouse #exposedbeams #residentialinteriors #interiorarchitecture #residentialdesign

The wonderful and museum-like home of architect Ad

The wonderful and museum-like home of architect Adèle Santos. I was assigned to photograph Adèle in her space for the cover of Design Museum Boston magazine, but I couldn’t help just shooting the space itself as well. Every corner has some history and story to it. This house is right next to train tracks. With the exposed beams and pulleys that were attached to the ceiling, my guess is that it used to be a loading station for the train. Thanks to @designmuseumbos for the assignment!
#bostonarchitecture #architecureboston #bostonhome #newenglandhome #instarchitecture

This is how street photography is done on the Galápagos islands. We were on our way to a turtle sanctuary during an epic downpour. At the bottom of the island it never sees rain, in the highlands it’s almost nonstop. We got around by truck taxis and made our driver laugh his head off when we referred to street cats as Galapagatos. More photos from my trip: bengebo.com/galapagos
#galapagosislands #galapagatos #galapagos #galapagosisland #galapagos🐢

Hitting the streets with @gmwll. Thanks for showin

Hitting the streets with @gmwll. Thanks for showing me around. My roots as a visual storyteller: street photography. A simple camera, not much worry for technique, shooting with my gut and with a genuine curiosity. Circa 2016.
#perutravel #puno #peru🇵🇪 #travelperu #travelperu

Curves and colors in a beachside town where I used

Curves and colors in a beachside town where I used to call home.
#daytonabeach #daytonabeachshores #floridalifestyle #floridabeaches #floridaarchitecture

Adèle Santos is the inspiration for @pixar’s Ed

Adèle Santos is the inspiration for @pixar’s Edna Mode from @theincredibles. This is a portrait I shot of the of world famous architect and urban designer for @designmuseumbos magazine. I collaborated with the wonderful people at the Design Museum for their upcoming issue.
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We photographed Adèle at her home, which was like a museum, and she kindly gave me as much time as I needed. We shot in her living room, but finished in a green space that connects her office to her living space.
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While she looks pretty serious in this photo, she has a very friendly, welcoming presence. She is hiding her right hand because she is secretly holding a sandwich behind her back. She so graciously let us interrupt her lunch to let us photograph her portrait. Thanks for the DMB for bringing me in on another fun shoot and for Adèle for standing in!
#adelesantos #architectportrait #bostonportraitphotographer #architecture_lovers #architecturaldigest

A quiet, solo trek down to Walker Lake. This was t

A quiet, solo trek down to Walker Lake. This was the easiest hike of the post-ayahuasca/pre-burn recuperation getaway with nature, and arguably the most stunning visually. There is nothing comparable to feeling the sun on your skin after you’ve given up the spiritual ghost when everything is still. I felt so aware of myself and every movement was without flaw. I learned that setting a proper course of action and opening up to the unknown lays the foundation for hearing truth.
#walkerlake #mountainscapes #mountainsarecalling #mountainside #californiatrip

Play time! Fun for children of all kinds in this r

Play time! Fun for children of all kinds in this room. Shot for @georgantas.design and @georgantas.development. This was a straightforward lighting setup. I used two @elinchrom_ltd strobes with my @nikonusa D800. One bouncing behind the camera and one on the left with a wide @photekusa umbrella. The trick was in the styling. Trying to keep that giraffe’s head up to look at the camera, smoothing out the carpet and minimizing reflection in the iridescent disc on the top left. The disc required a lot of compositing in post-production because it reflected everything in the room including the photographer 😉, but you would never know!
#kidsroomdecor #playroomdecor #giraffe #bostoninteriordesign #playroomideas

Tonight for the first time, I am going to publicly

Tonight for the first time, I am going to publicly share stories from my recent plant medicine journeys. I will open up about what I’ve seen, heard, felt and learned. Come listen to me and others talk about our experiences in a welcoming space. 7:30pm, Make Shift Boston, 549 Columbus Ave.
#ayahuasca #plantmedicine #ayahuascaceremony #plantmedicines #psychedelics

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