• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

MEZATRON

PHOTOGRAPHY

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Weddings
  • Personal
  • Travel
  • Friends
  • Jiu Jitsu
  • Archives
You are here: Home / Public / Back at the Barbershop

Back at the Barbershop

January 27, 2018

Jack used to cut my hair but once I started getting my part cut in, I realized that edging up with a straight razor wasn’t his strongest suit. Then I switched over to Ivan for a bit but after he left, I started to book with Raymond. I like chatting with him about his life and watching a 21 year old navigate adulthood. He’ll tell me about his taking care of his little brothers and wanting to travel. I get to share my stories with him and encourage him to see the world. But enough about Raymond, I don’t have any photos of him.

It’s been a bit of a struggle to find something worthwhile to shoot lately. I’ve been super busy with school and find myself shooting a bunch of jiu jitsu. I realize that in order to grow, I need to mix it up and try new things.

After getting a cut, I brought my camera out and started to fiddle with it a bit. I find that in situations like this, you need to introduce the camera to the mix well before you start taking photos. Soon enough, a younger guy getting a cut asks me if it’s a Sony, I tell him it’s a Fuji and we start talking about cameras. Next, another barber asks to see what’s so special about the camera. I use this as an opportunity to snap a few photos of him and show him the results. He replies, “Damn, that’s clean.”

After a few minutes of hanging out, I decide to ask Jack if I can take his photo. Next thing I know, he’s sitting in a chair and I’m framing up my shot. We go out back and take some other photos in the open shade of the building. I know that I want the logo to show but I need Jack to remain the star of the photo. I drop my aperture down to f/3.2 to get some nice shallow depth of field.

Ten minutes later, I’m hanging around trying to strike up the nerve to ask Jesse if I can shoot him. Instead I ask when his next appointment is, he says 30 minutes. Perfect.

Suddenly, I find myself photographing a guy I’ve been wanting to shoot for years now. I’ve never gotten a cut from Jesse but it’s clear that he runs the show at the shop. He’s the owner and an all-around cool guy. Instead of the usual, photographing someone while they are doing something. I’m standing there telling him what to do like a proper photo shoot. Ask and you shall receive.

I often tell my photo students, “If you want to get photos that no one else has, you gotta be willing to do things that no one else will do.” This includes things like laying on the ground, going on stage at events, getting in people’s way, climbing trees and in this case, asking for permission.

I’m pretty happy with how these photos came out considering that they are deviating a bit from what I’ve been shooting for the past 6 months. Change is good right?

This photo is by far my favorite photo of the set. It was also the easiest. Jesse did everything on his own. I love the print on the cover he’s holding. Honestly, this may be one of my favorite environmental portraits I’ve ever taken.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Public Tagged With: barbershop, Long Beach, portrait

Keep Reading

Clouds in Texas

Summer in Texas

July 9, 2018

Ian and I met Bob around the same time while training at the jiu jitsu gym. With whom we immediately became embroiled in a three way rivalry. For years, I chased Bob on the mats vowing to one day D’arce him into submission. When he told us that Toyota was moving their North American headquarters […]

Anaheim District Barbershop

March 30, 2019

Finding a good barbershop isn’t hard these days. There’s tons of guys out there who can cut up a nice fade. Go on Yelp and you’ll find a dozen trendy barbershops in your area that overcharge for a simple haircut. A good barber is a cornerstone of proper manhood You can check my other post […]

Lead Up to Miles Arrival

November 13, 2022

Footer

Translate

© 2023 · MEZATRON · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED