Deland, Florida-based Robert Justin Carmody became a photographer in 2005, when out of necessity, he started snapping pictures for his job. Through his deft use of lighting and lenses, he photographs a wide-variety of subjects from skydiving and action shots to adult themes; to city and landscapes. His exceptional and unique style truly captures the essence of his subjects.

What got you involved in photography?

I was a graphic artist for about 9 years at the time and was always working with images for advertising or designs. Eventually one day in 2005 I was kinda of frustrated asking for certain kinds of photos for layouts. I figured I would just shoot the image I needed. I sold my Anniversary Fender Strat for $1000 and bought the Canon Rebel XT which had just come out. Then it blew up in my face, the good way. I loved it. It was way more rewarding than graphic design for me. I shot a friend’s maternity photos, and then it spread by word of mouth. I have been busy every since based solely on word of mouth and the people who come across my website. Then one day I am in clubs shooting the Dubstep scene in Orlando with Redcoat and MC Collaborator and Haunted Audio Recordings. It’s been a very rewarding journey, and I hope all this is only the very beginning.

How did you get involved shooting skydiving, racing or even the adult photography? Just word of mouth? and how do you know such a diverse selection of people?

I started working in the skydiving industry by chance. A friend told me a company needed a graphic artist, so I went by and that was all she wrote. I was working in the skydiving industry, I started jumping shortly there after. Then that lead to me actually shooting competitions and getting published in magazines. Once you are in the skydiving community, then you are plugged into people from all over the world. Many people with many different talents and skills. If you need a house built, a car rebuilt, software coded, a massage etc there is a skydiver that is more than willing to help. Racing was a couple friends who brother or husband was a racer, so I got on as their crew and all. The adult stuff, was just something that kinda started happening. I was contacted by a girl who wanted to do fetish/bondage kinds of photos, I was like sure, I love a woman in latex or vinyl. I was shocked at the number of woman who loved those photos. Friends and people I knew kept asking for more, plus I enjoy those images myself, I have been the evil version of myself since leaving Private Catholic school, so it all fits. lol. I was in an exhibit that was in Atlanta and Charlotte called the Ikarus Art Collective. It was an exhibit of about 15 artists or so featuring erotic photography. That was a great opportunity and the images were well received by the other photographers. Those images are on my other site www.captivelens.com.

What’s your favorite subject(s) to shoot?

I am finding that no matter what industry, sport, or studio setup I am shooting, I keep coming back to people. To capturing the story, the moment or the “thing” that defines who that person is. I really want to capture in images what people do and why they do it. The weirder or crazier the better, the more discipline or pain you endure for a goal, all that fascinates me. I have shot boudoir, fetish, bondage, nudes, top athletes in skydiving and motorsports, family portraits, engagements, weddings, pregnancy, DJ’s, musicians, dancers, and so on. I feel like I am all over the place, but it’s always the people and their story or interests that draw me in. All that said, I do like urban scapes, time lapse, long exposure and abstract photography.

Are there other areas of art you want to branch out to?

I do seem to have this desire to create something, how would I say it, more organic. The majority of my creative avenues are heavily anchored in Pixels. In the computer. I really like inperfection, randomness and allowing things to happen or form without all the precision of computers. I have some toy and vintage cameras that are fun because you are at the will of film, cheap lenses and whatnot. I’d like to sculpt something out of junk, I love surplus stores. I play, write and compose music, I’ve played guitar for 17 years or so.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by anything that stops me in my tracks. It could be an image, a song or a flash of a vision. Other photographers and artists blow me away with their talent. Musicians have always had a place in my heart, I grew up with my father playing guitar, and so many of my friends are musicians of one type or the other. Women inspire me. I think a woman is the most dangerous thing on this planet. Bring on the danger! lol. Again it seems to come back to people and the infinite talents and abilities we as a species seem to be able to develop and what we are capable of.

Gear-wise, are you happy with your current gear or are you planning on collecting more?

This is the never ending spiral of want and desire…. lol. I could have payed off my car and credit cards if it weren’t for my camera gear. I just un-boxed some more lighting gear last night. I seriously think you could send me to B&H with a blank check and the next day I’d be like, “you know what I would like to get?….” I am doing better with the compulsion though. My wish list is down to about $3000 worth of things… for now (insert evil laugh here). Some one hire me please, I have a photo gear addiction to feed. I am sure there will be an intervention soon.

Canon or Nikon?

Canon. No disrespect to Nikon though, a Canon was my first camera, so I get the buttons, menus and everything, I speak Canonese. I do like to give my Nikon friends sh!t though, it’s just good fun. I have one particular Nikon friend, and I don’t think we communicate at all without talking smack about each others gear. Hey Roy! Humor is the key to life.

What is one of your most memorable shoots, happy or otherwise?

Nice question. One would be going to the Grand Canyon to document a skydiving team jump and flying canopies down into the canyon. It was 10 days of sunrise to sunset shooting in January. Snow on the cliffs, we were in Navajo country, so there were no touristy anything. I was sitting on cliffs or ledges 700 or 1000 ft up, tied to a rock with my own knots… talk about self trust! Some spots were only accessible via helicopter, you would be dropped off, shoot the stunt, then they would come back an hour or so later and pluck you off this rock. That shoot let me do the things that you read about top end photog’s doing. Scouting, hiking, shooting out of helicopters and working with a video production team on the ground and in the air. I grew up in Florida, so that kind of landscape was unbelievable, it was a life changing experience. You can see the gallery here: http://robertjcarmody.com/photos/grandcanyon

Thank you so much, these were fun to answer and I think I learned a little more about myself.

Justin
www.robertjcarmody.com
www.captivelens.com (NSFW)
facebook.com/robertjcarmody
twitter: robertjcarmody
robert@robertjcarmody.com

“Chocolate Circuit”, the first tune on EMB001, produced by Mite, is a funked out, half step stomper with dreamy synths that gently punch through the layers of building rhythm. Once the beat drops, a hip-hop laced wall of sound emanates the air. “Attempt At Yellow” from Distal is a bass heavy, almost tribal rhythm tune with subtle percussion elements that build to a solid, flowing rhythm that forces any listener to bob their head.

EMB002’s “Serengeti”, produced by Distal, is a fun, upbeat housey sort of a thing. Playful chords and stabs commingle with Baltimore Club and Juke-ish rhythms, picking up pace as the song progresses. “Villa de Straylight” from Mite balances out the release with a more relaxed but driving rhythm with soothing pads, dubbed out stabs and some nice wobbling bass.

Check out the Embassy Recordings website, which has more information on these releases as well as a few mixes and show announcements. Shouts to whoever handed me the Embassy Recordings promo CD during this WMC! My favorite promo mix of the Conference, fo sho.

Bonus video – check out Joe Nice going nuts to “Serengeti” live at Dub War NYC!

The (((Shake))) crew will be doing what they do best in celebration of the showing, with guest DJ Tony Touch.

Read more to check out the promo video.

Ahol Sniffs Glue – 7.625 FL OZ from 131 Projects on Vimeo.

Shouts to Hank Shocklee for the link.

Part of the varied and growing online and artistic content Scion keeps generating, check out Scion Radio.

Teaming up with music luminaries such as XLR8R, Ninjatune and many more, this is clearly a strategy to appeal to the young, hip generation, who presumably will buy Scions, thus, marketing by osmosis. In any case the results are grand. Also check out the rest of the visual content on the site.

Ocean Beauty

Miriam Lorenzi, aka Miriphoto’s slogan is simply: “I take your picture” and she certainly does. She captures her subjects perfectly with portraits that communicate the core human essence of each. Already a fan of her work, I was pretty surprised and blown away by this interview, I must say.

This quote from her website sums it up:
“A bond must be made between us on the inside in order for a great image to be created, so it’s my task not just to get the lighting, focus and angel right, but to receive the person before me, wholly, or they just won’t give it [ the great shot ] up,” she says.

“At the end of the day, we’re all rock stars and celebrities, saints and sinners, and the sum of those parts add up to so much more. I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to know a person who I otherwise might never have met, and for that matter, may never have connected to on personal level.”

You can find more of her great work here:

http://www.myspace.com/mirimotophoto

http://www.miriphoto.com
Miriphoto on facebook.

How did you get into photography?
The short version: While on a road of tears and blood. In detail: I’d gotten permission to leave my full-time graphic design job for an extended period so that I could “soul quest.” There was a time when I was really into throwing clay and wanted to be a potter by profession. So I signed up for a Native American Pottery workshop in Penrose, Colorado to get a feel for a different aspect of the medium. Honestly, I went looking for Indians. What I found was red dust, lizards, scorching heat, dry eyes, nose bleeds, and a static and unrelenting loneliness. On instinct, I took photo after photo of everything I saw all the while distracting myself from the pain. When I returned to my regular life, I got unexpected reactions of praise from the people I shared the photos with. So it was then I decided that photography would save me from sitting on my ass in front of a computer all day every day for the rest of my life.

What’s your favorite aspect or type of photography?
What most seem to cringe or scoff at, portrait photography.

What inspires you?
The Uniqueness, asymmetry, and impermanence of our human features. We are so very beautiful in one way or another.

What was one of your favorite shoots?
Tough one! I’d say shooting Amy Tacner for my Ocean Beauty project.  Amy was a fill-in for another girl I really wanted to shoot and I was reluctant to go through with the project because I couldn’t get what I thought I wanted. But what I got was the best! Amy and I created some wonderful photos at Apollo Beach and I still love the hero shot to this day.

Most unusual gig?
Photographing crack-smoking, lesbian lover prostitutes in the hotel room they lived in off of OBT. They shared their stories of what it was like to work the streets – hustling to get by, getting beat up and raped, smoking all their earnings, and what it was like to make love to each other while on crack. About an hour and a half into the self-assigned gig I got paranoid that I would be affected by all the crack smoke in the room and I ran out in a panic. That was back in 2004, I believe, and definitely the hardest and most unusual gig to this day.

Prostitutes

'In Sunlight' - Art piece created for Surrounded 2, a group show of Orlando artists at Bold Hype Gallery, www.boldhype.net.

Portrait of Erin Nolan

Reposting permission courtesy of shes_jack / Jacqueline Rivera . Check out more on flickr .

When finally set free 177/365

in my world.

Snails see the benefits, the beauty in every inch 263/365

Pressure 126/365

Leave your worries here, we’re not coming back.

It’s time for sleep, ted.

Shooting the streets of New York and beyond, I Shot NY is the photographic work of Julian Goldstein. Julian really focuses on the day to day life of New York City capturing every bit of it with amazing subjects and settings that are generally overlooked. I Shot NY is updated weekly.

http://www.ishotny.com