Brad, woodsman and bicycle adventurer.
Portrait of Brad
Tag Archives: west bottoms studio
Ansel Adams-y
Starting as a farm kid in a 4H photography class, Ansel Adams was one of my photo heroes. I wanted to make images that sang like his did. I’d like to think that as a photographer, I have my own voice now and my prints sing their own song, but the fact that they can sing at all, I owe to the inspiration of Ansel’s work.
Thank you MFA Boston for the honor. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtQ1WuxFSH1/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Lee Decker
Lee Decker @leedecker97 Chess player, summa cum laude graduate from Truman University, and part-time exorcist (reasonable prices, results not guaranteed). Lee’s chess set is modeled after medieval pieces discovered on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. One of the things I like about Lee’s portrait is that it simultaneously reminds me of the Muppet Christmas Carol, Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and the French Revolution. The chess pieces on and off the board being the Elect and Preterite with Lee himself being the “Hoity-toity Mr. Godlike Smarty-pants” omniscient storyteller.
Ben Parks
Ben Parks – Kansas City based artist (@brancesoftree) and musician (@oftree). To say that Ben does large scale portraits and figurative work doesn’t really do justice to his art. You need more words like “amazing” and “soulful” which can also be applied to the music that he and Laurel (@fiddlemaiden) create. The loop, almost butterfly, light in this portrait comes from a gridded beauty dish – something Ben found to be highly amusing.
Portrait from 1980
Brent Pulsipher
Monday Memories – Brent Pulsipher, 1979/80, Graceland College, Lamoni IA. 4×5 Kodak VPS in a Burke and James 5×7 view camera. A LDS instructor at a RLDS school, I don’t think he got anyone to drop the R in RLDS, or what the administration thought of him, but I remember him as one of the most interesting instructors at the school. A few years later when I was a traveler in a aging 63 Chevy with money for gas, but not for hotels, he opened his house to me, and was the kindest host I have ever met.
Justin Border
Behind the scenes on the 5th floor of the Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building. Justin and Kirk. Capture One running on the computer. Kemper Arena in the background.
Justin Border @jborder – Painter, Illustrator, Graphic Designer. Justin and I talked about how he enjoys experimenting with materials and subject matter to simultaneously calm and expand his wandering researcher mind. Actually we talked about a lot of things over the course of several hours.
I hate the word pose, and only “pose” people as a place to start from. What I have found, is that during a conversation people will settle into postures and mannerisms that are comfortable for them and reflect who they are. As a photographer you have to watching for this, and that’s when you make the portrait.
David Wane Reed
Extreme Farmer
Extreme Farmer David Wayne Reed. Not only is his tractor bigger than yours, it goes to eleven. When he is not Extreme Farming, David is a filmmaker – Eternal Harvest, playwright – Help Yourself, Jolly Rancher, Mother Trucker, director, producer, and actor. KC Pitch (2017 Best of KC issue) says he is one of 25 reasons ‘Why We Love KC Now.’ Mr. Reed hosts and produces the popular storytelling series, Shelf Life, and, is an insightful and genuinely nice guy to be around.
Zachary Weaver
Zachary Weaver, playwright, actor, and intuitive inspirational speaker.
Todd Davis & Two Headed Cow
Tod Davis. Rock n Roller and one of the heads of Kansas City’s Two Headed Cow. On digital and film. Same camera, same lens a Hasselblad with the 150mm Sonnar. Phase One digital back and Rollei Retro 80s film.
Beau Bledsoe
Beau Bledsoe @beaubledsoe, consummate musician, founder of Ensemble Ibérica and Alaturka. Amazing how the sound of his Martin guitar filled my small studio. Beau’s portrait was made in my Westbottoms studio with a Hasselblad 555ELD, 150mm Sonnar, Phase One digital back and traditional Hasselblad film backs.