2017 Photographs | Ben Gebo Photography

Selections from 2017

Providence, RI Architecture — Providence RI Architecture

First post of 2017! The odd years are best. I started today off with sunshine, cycling, breakfast tacos and a self tour of Providence. This city is filled with historic gems of all kinds.

Documentarian Ben Shaffer 2 of 2.
The second photo in this series with Ben shot for Harvard University’s Colloquy Magazine. Very polite and friendly fellow. We decided shooting in his office where he edits his films was a great place to start. Before any shoot, I plan two options for composition, location and lighting setups. Almost always location shoots have some kind of technical oversight that I have to adjust for on the fly. Spontaneity makes photography fun.

Harvard University Portrait — Documentarian Ben Shaffer 1 of 2<br >Throwback to 2010 when I shot my first harvard assignment This was for an article about Shaffer who was working on a documentary on a fantasy theme park called The Kingdom of the Little People It was created in 2009 in Yunnan province where 100 little people live and work entertaining tourists with song and dance numbers

Anthropologist Cynthia Browne 1 of 3.
I had the pleasure to work with Cynthia for an article in Harvard’s Colloquy a while back. She’s very smart, funny and made my job easier than most. After a great conversation about travel and her work, she seemed up for any of my ideas.
When possible, I try to capture my subject in lit indoor and natural light outdoor locations. When first meeting someone I’m about to photograph, I usually know off the bat what kind of environment works best for them based on their composure and personality. All environments we shot in seemed very natural for her. Thanks for stepping in, Cynthia!

Harvard Cynthia Brown — <br >Anthropologist Cynthia Browne 2 of 3<br >When I saw the front door to Sever Hall in Harvard I knew the dark tones and texture would lend itself nicely as a subordinate subject in this photo Once I have a rough idea of the composition of a location I drop in my subject and partially direct them while carrying on a conversation This was taken back when I never thought twice about using tripods with portraits While my approach has evolved tremendously over the years there is a certain kind of magic that can happen when I shoot as minimally as possible

Anthropologist Cynthia Browne 3 of 3.
The final photograph taken from this session. Once I say we “have the shot” my subjects generally loosen up a bit. From my experience, those extra credit sessions are fertile ground for something better, something unexpected.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Composer Dan Gross 1 of 2.
Dan is the music composer for Comedy Central’s A Drunk History and also one of my oldest friends. We grew up within a mile from each other in Lakeville, MA and first bonded over Green Day’s Dookie on bus #9 when heading to #Apponequet high school one morning. He has a depth of knowledge about music composition beyond anyone I’ve ever met. Having worked on many films and TV shows, I love knowing that my closest of #friends are killing the game and are a constant flow of inspiration.

Composer Dan Gross 2 of 2. Dan and Steamer hard at work. Los Angeles, CA, 2012.

Dan Gross Composer — Composer Dan Gross 2 of 2 Dan and Steamer hard at work Los Angeles CA 2012

First art show if #2017! I’m so happy to be a part of this wonderful pop-up art show. It’s all artwork empowering femininity. Join us! 70% sales/100% raffle go to @plannedparenthood 1/18/2017 at @hatchfenway @the_grab_back Hope to see you there!

One of my favorite things about photography is the endless exploration of a subject. Lighting, composition, framing, shutter, aperture, bokeh, subjectivity. All of these things can be mixed to give you a plethora of ways to view something. When I first started photography, I loved studio work because of the endless hours I would spend experimenting. Regardless of how much preparation and precision there is going into a photo shoot, there is always a level of experimentation that takes place.

Light bulb exploration 2 of 2.
I spent three hours exploring this light bulb. With no starting point or art director watching my every move, it didn’t matter what my approach was. I didn’t worry about making this the most beautiful photograph, I just showed up and got lost in exploration. Just show up.