Still life of normal

When I was 14, I got my first job collecting carts in the parking lot of our local grocery store, by the end of the summer I was bagging groceries. I would continue to work on weekends and after school when I could for the next few years. The money helped out my Mother, a single parent and I enjoyed having this purpose. After almost a year of being a cashier, I was promoted to stock an aisle. An entire aisle was my responsibly, I loved making sure everything in the aisle was perfect and would get frustrated with customers who would move things around to take an item from the back, thinking it was fresher. To this day, I find myself straightening items on the shelf at the grocery store, almost at times with out even thinking.
My last shoot was Wednesday March 11th. On the Thursday, I went to Target and Whole foods and bought as many things as I felt could sustain us for a while. On the Friday, March 13th at around 11am, already numb from the news I went to our daughters schools' and signed them out, I wasn't waiting for the state to act.
10 years ago, I shattered my right leg and was on crutches for several months. The thing I missed most was grocery shopping, its a thing, hard to explain, I used to go everyday. It was an adventure, no list just shopping for what felt right. When I was cleared to drive, the first thing I did was head straight to the grocery store, it was liberating for me.
These past five weeks grocery shopping has felt more like being at a wake with an open casket, that's the best way I can describe it. It's been completely emotionless until a few weeks ago, when the grocery store had these most beautiful parrot tulips. I may have even smiled when I saw them and picked them up with my gloved hand, I might have even motioned to smell them through my masked face but that would have been fruitless.
After the postmortem exercise of disinfecting everything, I was now ready to allow myself the idea of being creative again. I was full of self doubt, what could I possibly do with these tulips that would have any real meaning, how could I inject my soul into a flower. I decided I would challenge myself to four still lifes using only items I could find around me.

This first one was simple, the books I've been privileged to be a part of, a piece of pottery and this cheap white pitcher, I think I found at target a few years back. This one was more about taking the training wheels off more than anything else. Is it really true that one can never forget how to ride a bike? It felt good, I started to remember what I could see, I started to see again the way that I do, like a camera, its this gift I've always had, the ability to only see what the camera sees, no noise, no peripheral vision. First one done, three more to go, it was 9pm, I poured another glass of wine and stripped myself of all negativity and doubt and took a deep breath. 

The red box was a gift from Serena who I worked with at R. FitzGerald and Company. The skull a gift from Lisa Buyuk, a Designer who knows my affection for skulls and the petrified branch, part of a bar cart I bid on and won at Heading Home to Dinner, I paused. Will that incredible event even happen this year? I poured another glass of wine. Next up, was I just throwing shit at this to see what would stick, I would make the next one simple. Still with the weight of whether or not meaningful charity events would ever happen again, I used this gold vessel, also a part of the bar cart I won that year. There I did it, I could do it. Back to throwing shit at the wall.

It was very late when I created this one, running out of vessels for the flowers, I found this Ketel One nip and said what the fuck. I have always been fascinated by Fornasetti, how he wrapped a bike, a chest, a screen and the faces he created. He truly was a Designer of Dreams, what would I dream about that night...

Next up, cutting some branches from the forsythia hedge I stare at every morning over coffee, simple composition using my late Mother in Law's Depression glass, the news hasn't stopped talking about the great depression, is that really the fate of 2020? I remember everyone posting about the roaring 20's at the begging of the year...

Another week had gone by and it was time to return to the funeral home for another open casket wake of groceries, and a simple bunch of Tulips. This time I forced myself to experiment more with the light, to not think so much about it, but to just let it happen, stop the voices.

These next two started as conversations with the objects of my very ordinary life. How could I bring them together in an almost celebratory way, would that even be acceptable, to dare. Can I even say the word, C E L E B R A T E.

The gold watch was my late Uncles'. He passed away exactly one month before my older daughter was born. I always fancied his watch. It's set at the time he passed away, as my Aunt, my Mother and I sat in the hospital next to his bed. How many people have lost loved ones, alone, unable to be there for those last breaths. It was late, I was drinking, I got out this photo I took of a statued man in Paris, its only a print (I keep telling myself someday I'll frame all of these), I used tape to hang it on the back drop, his expression, his hand over his face in utter disbelief. The pistachios placed just so, after all if I don't laugh I'm just going to fucking cry. 

I had to be reminded that this was school vacation week, I smirked as I thought about how funny that is. School vacation week, I'm laughing right now as I type that. I've been re-reading my favorite author, Edgar Allen Poe. The beauty and the fear that drip from his words haunt me. I'd driven by this beautiful flowering tree several times in the last month. I would go in the dark, I would be silent, I wouldn't take more than I needed. As the sound of the steel blade of my clippers cut through the firm full of life branch, I paused. I looked around to see if anyone could see me in the dark, I stared at the clippers, I would need more branches...

It started with the bottle of bleach. I wanted something that KILLS in the photo, I wanted to inject a macabre humor that only Edgar would appreciate. I then took all of my favorite books from some of my favorite authors'; Charles Baudelaire, Atticus, and Leonard Cohen would suffice. The apron I had found in this most beautiful gift shop in Montreal, two summers ago. I've never worn it, I don't want to get it dirty, I love the leather pockets and brass snaps. It just hangs in the kitchen, it reminds me of the late Anthony Bourdain. Oh could I use a bit of his wisdom during this time of numbness. 

Peace

Michael J. Lee

The Art on your Walls

Well it's embarrassingly been almost a year since I've written a blog post, sorry, but here it goes...

As we come to the end of another year and as I look back on all the wonderful opportunities I've been so fortunate to be a part of. Rather than do a top 10 or 25 list, I wanted to just mention one aspect of my almost daily life that really resonates with me. Often times stopping me dead in my tracts. That is the art, the private art collections that I have been privy to in New England. 

About a month ago I was visiting/scouting an upcoming project I'll be photographing and there was the Designer and myself; just the two of us, alone standing in a home surrounded by more Kandinsky's than I'd ever seen in one place. If there is one single solitary aspect of my daily life that is truly priceless, than it is the opportunity to view and take pleasure in the collection of art that most will never see in their lifetime. That privilege is truly meaningful and it's impact often stays with me for a very long time. 

One of my personal favorite elements of all Design Publications is not necessarily seeing how someone lives or how their home is decorated. I look to the art, the private collections that are generously shared by their owners in the photographs that grace the wonderful Design Magazines we all love. 

When I first scouted the home of Craig Tevolitz and Richard Baiano this one cibachrome print by Vee Speers stopped me dead in my tracks. There is just something about it. This is the scouting shot taken and when I scout I use one lens and so at 35mm with my back to the wall this was as much as I could get of the stair landing…

On the day of the photo shoot after Editor Kyle Hoepner and I had gotten settled we discussed the shots for the day and decided I would start setting up this shot first. Primarily because there was very little styling to do and that allowed Kyle to start styling other aspects of the home with Designer Craig Tevolitz. For me this shot had to be absolutely perfect, not just through it's composition but from a technical standpoint as well. There where so many parallel and perpendicular lines that all had to line up. In order to get this shot, I would use my 17mm Tilt Shift lens which allowed more information in the framing of the shot and the tilt shift aspect made certain all the many lines would be perfect. 

This is the shot as it appears in the magazine:

And sorry about the screen shot, but when you shoot for a magazine they technically "own" the photographs until after the issue has outlived it's shelf life. So even though it would be very easy for me to use the unmarked photograph in this blog, I believe in playing by the rules and honoring my contract with New England Home Magazine :-)

Please be sure to pick up the January/February issue of New England Home Magazine to view the rest of this home's beautiful artwork, stunning Design and thoughtful Architecture which really becomes art in and of itself. 

I am very proud this feature made the cover, please look for your copy on news stands.

Happy and Healthy New Year

Michael

A Study

I was recently asked by a new client why I pre-scout shoots, and was told it was very rare. Maybe it's because I entered this field after having practiced Interior Design for 16 years and during that time would never have created anything with out first drafting a sketch and then a plan for which to build from. Though I think there is more to it than that. So since I haven't blogged in over four months, here we go...

When a great painter sets out to produce a masterpiece, they might typically start with a sketch which evolves into a study. The study is primarily used to work out an important element of the larger painting. When I photograph an Architectural Project, I first start with a scouting visit. I do this primarily because it allows me to discover great compositions without the hinderance of the tripod or the limitations of shooting a certain amount of images in an allotted time. Moving through a home with the camera in hand, provides a tremendous amount of freedom to allow my eye to wander and discover truly great photographs. Architectural photography is very different than say how a photo journalist might approach a composition. With a journalist the magic of a great image is the culmination of being at the right place at the right time and having the innate ability to anticipate what might happen and of course being ready to capture that fleeting moment in just the right light. For them their world is in a constant flux, while an Architectural photographers world never moves. It is the photographer that is moving to precisely align that balance of Architecture and Design into an image that inspires and transmits the experience felt within that space, that Design narrative. 

If you've ever watched the behind the scenes of an Annie Lebovitz shoot or any sort of commercial shoot with an expected outcome you'll notice the tremendous amount of forethought and control that goes into creating great photographs. Imagine a photographer working for a commercial client and just running around shooting willy nilly (always wanted to use that phrase). 

I've been asked to give a talk about this approach to Architectural Photography during Boston Design Week and take you behind the scenes in the making of truly great photographs that grace the pages of major market Design Magazines. So for a more in depth discussion, please join me on March 26th at Jill Goldberg's Hudson in the South End. Please follow the link below to RSVP as space is limited.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/discover-the-secrets-of-interiors-photography-with-michael-j-lee-tickets-10557019329

Warm Regards,

Michael

Thanksgiving for a Room to Dream

Several years ago I'd offered to photograph the finished rooms for an organization called Room to Dream. I was inspired by my friend Joanne DiFrancesco's passion for the organization and was completely out of my element on that very first shoot.

The reveals typically take place on a Sunday and as I pulled up to the house, I saw almost a dozen cars parked in front with volunteers going in and out of the house, always carrying something under their arm. I was shown the room and told the family would be home in about 45 minutes and could I get as many shots as possible before they get home…

In my world it takes 45 minutes just to set up the first shot, never mind take as many as possible? Inspired by the tireless enthusiasm of all the volunteers around me we took about 12 great photos and then I started to pack up. One of the members of Room to Dream asked if I could stay and take a few shots of the family as the room was revealed. I hesitated and then said yes of course. I got out my flash and positioned myself in the room waiting for the signal that the door would open and for me to capture that moment, that split second when a child would see their Room to Dream in for the very first time. I could hear someone say that the family had returned home, then through the commotion I thought I heard someone say, "he's going to walk in unaided…"

Then the signal and I don't really remember what happened after that, I just kept pressing the shutter button. I cried the whole way home and when Isabella saw me she asked what was wrong. I said, remember how you are always asking me if you can go to work with me? Well, the next time I have a shoot on a Sunday, you are coming with me, ok? She smiled and gave me a big hug. 

This past year, I was blessed to have hid in a room six times (with Isabella, most times), waiting for the signal to capture the moment when a very special child realizes their Room to Dream is a reality.

Isabella helping me photograph, Ethan's Room

I want to THANK Stefan Nathanson, Jodi Petrillo, Gail O'Rourke, D. Michael Collins, Joanne DiFrancesco and the countless numbers of Volunteers, Designers and everyone who have allowed me to hide in a room and capture a moment that will live with me forever.

Brendan seeing his Room to Dream

Ethan seeing his Room to Dream

Maeve seeing her Room to Dream

Stephen seeing his Room to Dream

Sabreena seeing her Room to Dream

Sean seeing his Room to Dream

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael

Clone Stamp

If you've ever been on a shoot with a photographer than I'm sure you've had the conversation about getting rid of something that is a distraction to the shot. Have you ever wondered how photographers get rid of distractions? Clone stamp, which is probably the most used function for me anyway in photoshop. Basically to get rid of something, you have to replace it with something, kind of like "copy and paste". However most times it's not that easy and can take almost an hour in certain cases. My least favorite rooms to get rid of things in are all white rooms, because all white rooms vary diversely in degrees of white and while white maybe the absence of all color it certainly takes on varying hues depending on what is near...

So I thought I'd show you some examples of clone stamping that I'm really quite proud of.

In this first instance, the light switch and thermostat just completely distract from the beauty of the moment, of course the rivets in the Phillip Jeffries paper make this quite a complex process.

In this next example, the high gloss cabinetry in South Florida with 15' glass walls across from the kitchen made this kitchen almost impossible and I think it took close to two hours to remove all of the reflections. Normally I would have draped the glass to prevent any reflections in the cabinetry however the sheer scale of the glass wall made it impossible to do so and I had to deal with it in post production.

This last example is me just not paying attention and learning my lesson, mirror can be very very tricky! After getting all of the styling and everything just right and after having combed the image to make sure it was perfect, I then typically take around 5 different exposures and sometimes will blend those later in Photoshop. Well in this instance everyone cleared the room (or so I thought) for me to take the last set of exposures. Look at the feet reflected in the mirrored night stand...

Warm Regards,

Michael

Boston Home Magazine

Today I had the opportunity to hear Boston Home Magazine Editor in Chief, Rachel Slade talk about her favorite projects over the years to celebrate Boston Home Magazine's 10 year anniversary. I was very eager to hear what elements, design aesthetics and style Mrs. Slade liked. I had also hoped to get the inside scoop on what types of projects Rachel is drawn to. What I learned (Rachel Slade was an Architect) was that Rachel appreciates good design, period. Not just appreciates it, but respects and celebrates it. More importantly though, she recognizes it, whether it's a meticulously restored antique that exemplifies everything that we think about in New England or a mountain/lake house that was conceived in the manner of Frank Lloyd Wright, where every solitary object is custom designed and produced for that space. It didn't matter if the project was black and white, full blown color, ornately carved plaster or contemporary hill top modernist wooden sculpture  the unifying feature in all of these homes was good design, period. 

Then to my surprise one of the projects that was included in her selections of favorite design projects, was a project I'd photographed. Which brings me to my main objective for writing this post. Kitchen Designer Rosemary Porto had invited me to scout a recently completed Poggenpohl Kitchen in Boston. The below image was a hand held scouting shot and as you can see right there are all of the ingredients of good design. Number one (something Rachel pointed out today) the Kitchen cabinetry is intricate to the design of the space, the cabinetry doesn't stop shy of the ceiling line, it is part of the architecture. Then, how can you not love, I mean love the antique gilt dolphin mirror reminding the double ovens that this home has a past...

My excitement of the home grew exponentially as I learned about the homeowners, their respect for the past, their travels and the fact that they where the designers (and that is not what they do for a living).

I asked to see more and in conjunction with writer Jaci Conry we submitted this home to Boston Home Magazine for consideration. The project was picked up, we photographed it and the rest is history.

Well almost, I'll include a few of the shots from this project below but first, here is my plea to all of you. Please, Please, Please vote for this project under the "Urban Residence" category by following the link below:

Boston Home Favorite Design Projects

Warm Regards,

Michael

Boston Design Home

I often times post photos through social media of me sitting in a bathtub or standing on a rooftop or car top or rocks at low tide. Often times I end up in these precarious positions so I can use the longest lens I can, which ultimately minimizes any sort of distortion in tight spaces, which is why I'm seen in more bath tubs than anywhere else. 

Sometimes though I have to get an entire building in a shot, not just a 10 plus thousand square foot home but a luxury 14 unit building. That specific task was recently accomplished for Boston Magazines' Boston Design Home for 2013. So the first step was to get as far a way from the front of the building as possible, which put me here:

The next step was to use a prime 17mm Tilt Shift Lens. I captured this photograph at a 50 ISO, with an f-stop of 22 and a shutter speed of 1/6 sec...

This is my second year photographing the Boston Design Home for Boston Magazine and rumor has it I'll be back for 2014. Want to see what this years Boston Design Home looks like? Well there are only a few weeks left and trust me the build quality and design of this years Boston Design Home is simply perfect! So follow this link to arrange for tickets:

BOSTON DESIGN HOME 2013 Tickets

You won't be disappointed.

Warm Regards,

Michael