@bengebo | Ben Gebo Photography

bengebo

Truth & Balance. Hard times require furious dancing.

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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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A pleasant nook to read. Photographed for @georgantas.design and @georgantas.development. It’s all about symmetry. Shot on a @nikonusa D800 with @elinchrom_ltd strobes. I bounced two strobes against white reflector boards behind the camera at a 45° angle. Very little editing needed for this one!
#librarydesign #libraryofinstagram #librarylove #librarygoals #homelibrary

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Throwback to an old portrait shoot with @whichlight in a side alley. Really, I was just looking for a picture to keep up with all the shades of blue from previous posts. Consistency!
#streetportrait #portraitstreet #portrait_ig #blueportrait #eyesclosed

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Here is a bathroom I photographed that made it into @bostonglobemag some time ago! I worked with interior designer Brenda Be Design. Styling and art direction by yours truly.
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Bathrooms are tough to photograph because of the limited space. That’s when I let the light be the hero of the shot. Here, I had one strobe bouncing off of a white reflector to my left for fill and let the window dominate as the main light source. Could there be a more perfect shade of blue?
#bathroomdesign #bathroomrenovation #bathroomvanity #bathroomstyling #bathroomideas

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This was the immediate moment after Brian popped the question to Nora. It was pure happenstance that I photographed my two close friends getting engaged at Burning Man this year. Right place at the right time. I have witnessed three engagements in my life, all of them were surprises I walked into with my camera. 🔸
Just as I thought my burn couldn’t get any better, the morning of temple burn I bumped into my friends who were on their way to an adventure. Seeing the rising sun, I thought it was time to get a couple hours of sleep before opening up the tea tent for the morning. I noticed them biking the opposite way, so I turned around and joined them. We eventually found an art piece, climbed it and then this magical moment presented itself to my surprise. The three of us stayed in this spot for hours appreciating one another after. With certainty, I can now say 2019 was my best burn ever.
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If you look closely, you can see the ring twinkling in Brian’s fingers.
#burningmanengagement #engagementrings #engagementshoot #engagementseason #engagementportraits

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Wednesday desk inspiration! All designed, built and styled my me! You can never have enough plants, right? While it would be pleasing to have a workspace so minimal, my office looks nothing like this. I have four monitors and reclaimed pallet shelves holding my photo gear. Maybe once I tidy it up I will share with you where the magic of Ben Gebo Photography happens!
#desksetup #bedroominspo #deaigninspiration #deskspace #tinydesk

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What made me fall in love with photography? A simple camera and hitting the streets of somewhere new. The open world choose-your-own-adventure simulation that is our life has a plethora of moments that go undocumented and get lost. I seek those pocket moments and bring them to life to let the world see and remember.
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Here is a fruit vendor that let me take his portrait when the light and backdrop was perfect. Captured on the streets of Guangzhou with the help of my brother @mikemai2awesome who translated Cantonese for me. Circa 2014.

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If you look closely, you see that is a lego wall! There is a lot going on in this lovely living room I photographed for @georgantas.design. Fun for the whole family! It was a game trying to organize the wall so it didn’t look too styled. It brought me back to my childhood in a fun way.
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There was a five @elinchrom_ltd light setup I used for this. One bouncing off the white ceiling in the bedroom farthest back, another in the hallway, another with a @photekusa umbrella in the stairway, and then two in the living room itself. One with an umbrella for direction and the other bouncing for fill. I also used two big white reflectors to bounce some of that heavy light into the dope blue chair on the left and onto the backside of the couch on the right.
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The crucial part was skimming the light off the lego wall. It would look like a plain blue wall otherwise. Could you tell what it is without me saying? There was also almost no natural light here! Let me know if you have any lighting other questions about this one! Fun shoot!

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Boston went from being the worst city in the U.S for cyclists to being in the top five. Here is a photo I shot that was commissioned for @theharveyapts of this beautifully designed bridge. They brought me on to showcase a lot of what the areas near their apartments have to offer. It turned out to be a fun scavenger hunt that allowed me to discover a wealth of known and unknown Boston pockets of interest. Here is the North Bank Bridge that was built in 2012.
#bostonnights #bridges #cyclingbridge #bluehour #northbankbridge

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Night photography of the ultra modern MIT Stata center commissioned for The Harvey apartment building. Blue hour is a magical time!
#statacenter #kendallsq #cambridgema #kendallsquare #bostonarchitecture

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Throwback to August when I discovered my new quiet place. I captured this before sunrise on my way out to Yosemite before heading to Burning Man. I was feeling as tranquil as this lake while winding down part one of my three act journey. I went from nothing but nature, myself and my thoughts to dust, everyone, and the collective effervescence.
#junelake #camping⛺️ #outdoorswimming #lakefront #beforesunrise

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A quiet moment captured of me in between photographing fifteen people for @climacell. You have all the time in the world if you let yourself have it.
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I’m getting prepared for another intense portrait shoot for @dunkin on Friday at their HQ in Canton, Ma. It’s something like fifty headshots in one go. I love those moments where I am forced to be on when there’s no alternative. It helps when you’re working with a great group of people. They’re wonderful not just because they offer me endless coffee and donuts! Here’s to another successful week for you.
#dunkinphoto #boston #cantonma #bostonma #bostonusa

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Is your office this clean? Mine might be as clean, but certainly a lot more messy. After walking down the hallway from the living room in the previous post, you’ll find this simple, clean and elegant office. My mother had the same roll-top style desk which was a nice throwback for me.
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I can thank @wizard0woz for the great job in styling and remembering where everything went after we re-arranged. I shot this with a dragged shutter and one strobe bouncing in the right corner behind the door, just tucked out of the frame. In order to put strobes where they need to be, sometimes light stand legs get in the frame that I need to remove in @photoshop. You’d never know to what extent the leg was sticking into the frame here, but it was very apparent! With my 11+ years of retouching interiors it’s like second nature. Photographed for the wildly talented @kachmardesign!
#bostoninteriordesign #bostonarchitecture #bostondesigner #bostoninteriors #bostonarchitect

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Did you see the view from the previous post? This is the living from it. I shot this with a four light setup. One strobe bouncing off the ceiling in the front entranceway, one from the left with a large photek umbrella to mimic sunlight, one bouncing behind the camera off the ceiling for fill and the last strobe is bouncing in the room on the left to match exposure.
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Natural light is great, but you’re forced to deal with blending colors and a lack of direction and contrast. I like to start with where the light naturally falls and then add or remove light from there. I still shoot 20-50 frames per scene so I have options in post-production, but I aim for getting it right in camera as much as possible. Photographed for @kachmardesign and styling by @wizard0woz.
#residentialinteriors #bostoninteriordesign #bostonarchitecture #livingroomart #bostonseaport

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The stunning view from deck number 2 at the last interior shoot I did for @kachmardesign. How fun would it be to zip-line over to an opening exhibit at the @icaboston?
#bostonusa #icaboston #viewfromhome #bostonskyline #bostonharbor

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So much has happened in the past month and a half. All of which is helping realign my values, shape who I am and how I’m moving forward. I am slowly integrating the lessons I’ve learned from mother ayahuasca, burning man, solo time in the mountains, the new relationships I’ve built and the fortifying of old ones. Here is my best contemplative pose on a cliff overlooking Lundy Lake to summarize how I’m currently feeling.
#california #lundy #selfportrait #natureshots #mountain_world

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This was the year of sunset rides, meaningful mornings, radical inclusion, honesty, injuries, asking for help, and seeing the playa grow, bloom and die. My favorite part about Burning Man is the playful, vulnerable, powerful and fleeting conversations and adventures with strangers you’ll never see again. It was also my first year leading a camp and I learned a lot.
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I climbed everything, explored small camps, delivered mail, built lifelong bonds, ate it skateboarding a half pipe, drank the best coffee, flew in a tiny plane, felt how helping deeply heals from both ends, witnessed a friend pop the question at sunrise, renewed my love of portrait photography, turned ten years old again, found new ways to look inward and started really practicing balance and surrendering.
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Burning Man is a practice in letting go. The man burning to me is the year’s seam, the harvest, the real new year, where my realizations switch to actions. As much of an afterglow that I feel, I accept any post-burn depression as a reminder to implement the lessons I’ve learned on the playa into my daily routines and practices.
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My happiness comes from not taking life too seriously, starting all things with love, accepting everyone and not taking anything personally. If I can still dream, I am truly free.
#burningman2019 #blackrockcity #burningmanphotos #burningman #burningmanart

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Hoka Hey! I am on my pilgrimage to the city that burns. So far, I have had quality time and adventures with @tessrud, explored inward with sacred plant medicines, journeyed outward in the Sierras and have an inbox with zero unreads.
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When I return to the default world, I will have silly adventures with @dangrossmusic and @ariellepaul in Reno, then jamming and decompressing with my old friend Leslie in Portland. Right now, I feel the healthiest, most vibrant, appreciative, alive and accomplished I’ve ever felt. Hoka Hey means today is a good day to die. I’m doing everything I can to max out my life and give as much love back to others and the world. If I die the moment this is posted, I know I dived as deep as I could into everything I pursued and loved as hard as I could to everyone I’ve met. The destination of life is this eternal moment.
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Burners, catch me inside the Starcats dome at 8:00 & Esplanade serving tea with @norajordan @daniellekushner and a few other beauties. I’m also taking your professional Burner portrait Monday 2-4p in my photo booth in the dome. Gebo out! 🙏🏽

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The gear is mostly packed and my yearly pilgrimage is imminent. After my most fruitful year of photography and firing on all cylinders I am ready to hit the dusty trail soon. Hard work has earned deep play.
#burningman2019 #burningmanfestival #burningmanphotos #burningmanusa #nevada

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These old New England streets. Captured web content for the new apartment complex The Harvey in East Somerville. I collaborated with supremely talented and prestigious design firm Visual Dialogue based in Boston’s South End. We had a photo scavenger hunt to shoot various surrounding neighborhoods. In the process of shooting, I discovered many pockets around town I’ve never been to after living ten plus years here!
#charlestown #bostonstreet #boston #charlestownma #boston

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A bright and open kitchen I photographed for architect Eve Isenberg. This was a four light setup, three with photek umbrellas for a diffused light and one shooting into a very large bounce card. The first step was getting the right composition. Second, I wanted to see where the natural window light fell and then added in my strobes from there. Third, capture all the brackets with the lights on and off so I can composite them in post production.
#kitchen #architecture_minimal #kitchendesignideas #kitchenisland #bostonarchitecture

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Beetles are very common in Peru and all over the place in Puno. There used to be a @vw plant in Trujillo. Because there were no real laws passed concerning driving old cars, Beetles and other VW vehicles remained.

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My dear friend, associate, co-pilot, and adventure buddy @jthomasmanley. He is one part writer, one part fisherman and one part silly.
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When starting portrait photography a decade ago, the advice I got from @nesop_boston teacher Steve-O was to not photograph your friends when building your skills. The reason was because it forced you getting comfortable capturing strangers. While that worked, what I didn’t anticipate was how it made me less comfortable shooting my friends. Why is that?

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Another planet.
#nevada #valleyoffire #valleyoffirestatepark #stateparks #nevadadesert

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A rare deck house I photographed for architect Eve Isenberg in Concord. These homes are simple, beautiful, let the outside in and make you feel like you stepped into the 50’s. I have been in love with the open floor plan ever since I had an interest in shooting architecture. Deck homes embody that feeling of being open and natural.
#deckhome #deckhouse #openfloorplan #concord #interior_design

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Lucky me! I had one full hour with Tom Malone at the Center for Collective Intelligence at MIT. Photographed for @deloitte. It’s uncommon to get a subject with as much notoriety as Tom to stand in for longer than twenty minutes. He is a very gracious and willing participant!
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Before our call time, I walked around the entire building looking for unique backdrops and naturally lit scenarios to see where I could drop him. Because of my meticulous planning, we managed to photograph Tom in seven locations within that hour. It was a slow paced hustle going from one spot to another and I was in a deep flow state nearly every minute.
Thanks to assistant and reflector master @smurrydesign behind the scenes.
#tommalone #mitsloan #portrait_shot #onlocation #flowstate

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Here is one of the portraits I shot for an @iffboston campaign. The model was none other than the excellent @mileswhelan. He is one of those models who gives you what you want in camera without even asking. 🙏🏽 I used one beauty dish and a reflector on a black backdrop. Shot on a Nikon D800 with a 105mm lens. I wanted to keep it simple, classic and elegant. Our studio space for this was about 9’x9’ and we somehow made it work!
#simpleportrait #onelight #instudio #portraits_vision #portraitboston

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A behind the scenes throwback photo from an @iffboston production. I collaborated with @conductor_productions to produce content for the IFF. While Conductor worked on shooting mini scenes that would play in between movie showings, I was in a separate studio next to them photographing a portrait series. The photos were used for print and web marketing materials. We hunkered down all day in an East Boston studio to get it done.
#tbt #bts #btsimagines #silhouette #bostonusa

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Portraits of two Theology professors for @harvardgsas for the Colloquy alumni magazine in the dopest of libraries. There were undoubtably ghosts in that place. The lighting here was done with one very soft fill light coming from behind the camera to decrease the contrast and a silver reflector to the left of my subjects. The main light was from just window to the right. I generally like to find the natural light and work with it.
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As usual, I shot this on a tripod to maximize my connection with the subjects. For whatever reason, shooting duos is more difficult than any group size larger. I wanted to make the mood serious and only slightly unnerving.
#harvard #librarylife #theology #portrait_universe #duo

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A quiet moment with anthropologist @aneiltrips by the window.
#portraitshoot #anthropology #windowlight #minimal_phototrip #portraitsession

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My friend @weelyle whom I haven’t seen in awhile also has rainbows on the inside.
#rainbow🌈 #friendportrait #candidphoto #portraits_vision #portrait_universe

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It is possible to see 7,500 visible stars from Bryce Canyon on a clear night. In most other places in the United States this number is 2,500.
#utah #bryce #canyon #natureshots #travelutah

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Mo’ France with @dangrossmusic and @adam.tavares. The skies and air look and taste different than in the U.S. Why is that?
#france #skyclouds #treeportrait #twotrees #talltrees

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