Victoria and Schäffer © Leland Bobbé

I previously had photographed both Victoria and Schäffer for my burlesque project. Now a happy couple, they have somehow morphed into looking like each other. I wanted to capture that in a portrait and after we all talked about it they told me that they each had a dark suit and red satin ties. Since they both wear glasses we decided to shoot it with matching frames. After a quick run to a discount store, Robin and I found the perfect nerdy magnifying reading glasses. I shot them both as singles thinking of pairing them up and then shot them together. This shot definitely worked the best. A really fun shoot.

Frank Bara @ Leland Bobbé

I recently met Frank at a galley opening of a painter friend of mine, Glen Hansen. With his red shirt and red suspenders he looked like the second coming of Santa. I approached him about sitting for a portrait and he readily accepted. He came with his Santa gear but i decided to strip it down and make it about his great face and his emotion. As an ex-actor this was not problem for him at all. I shot in color but as I was processing the raw files I decided to see what it would look like in black and white. As soon as i saw it reduced to black & white his expression and emotion just jumped out at me. I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results.

Ilona © Leland Bobbé

I recently had the pleasure of shooting 90 year old cabaret singer and painter Ilona Smithkin. Recently featured in New York Magazine, Ilona is as you can probably tell from her portraits a one of a kind. With energy to burn and stories to tell, llona really knew what she was doing in front of the camera, taking my direction perfectly. Lit with a beauty dish with a grid, I wanted  a high key effect that really showed off the personality she was able to exude. Check out those eyelashes, made by Ilona using her own hair.