| john@johndeane.com |
| 212 . 563 . 3054 |
| 529 West 42nd Street Studio 4F New York, NY 10036 |
| john |
| In my own words.. When John Lennon was once asked in an interview, for Rolling Stone, I think it was, what he listens to when he is preparing to record an album, he indignantly answered something like, “Listen to? Me? No one! I’m John Lennon, I don’t have to listen to anyone. It’s all in my head.” When I prepare for a shooting, I never, ever, look at photographs, though I may go wandering through the painting galleries at the Met in search of some inspiration. There I will seek out the great portrait painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Edouard Manet, and for sheer expressiveness, Caravaggio. It is that depth of experience I wish to pursue. For me all my work comes down to portraiture, perhaps seeing people “in the best light possible.” A printer I used to work with once said, “John, there’s one word that describes your work: elegant. There is an elegance to your lighting, composition, and choice of subjects.” A stylist told me, “Your fashion photos are like portraits, in fact they’re fashion portraits. But rather than shooting models, you should be shooting heads of state!” If there is any truth to these compliments, it is certainly due in part to the degree in Art History I received years before ever taking up a camera. My work is strongly influenced by those studies in my college years, as well as the years playing bass and performing in rock bands, during which I developed my ability to collaborate artistically with groups of people. Later in my photography career when digital shooting came along I embraced it wholeheartedly, learning those new skills on only the most sophisticated equipment available. So today I find myself with the skills to coordinate complex projects while bringing to bear a love of classical art combined with a full embrace of technology, all of which help me create a portrait of the subject at hand in that best possible light. ...John Deane |