Dan is one cool cat. He is an Akron, Ohio actor, gas-station attendant, and shares an apartment with four girls. I met Daniel after a mutual friend of ours –who lives all the way out in Los Angeles, California– suggested me when Dan inquired about Ohio photographers who shoot actors headshots. After Daniel contacted me, he scheduled his shoot for the following day. That immediately told me he is super serious about his acting career. He is extremely dedicated to the craft, even being a member of the theater company Heads Up Productions based in Akron, Ohio.
During our initial consultation, Dan told me that he was a likeable, confident guy with a great sense of humor and wanted to express those traits in his photos. Right then I could tell that Dan knows what he wants and goes right for it. Dan has probably studied and applied the three ancient arts of discourse to his life. He speaks clearly and concisely, looks you in the eyes, gives interesting feedback, laughs at your lame jokes and humors you with his own. He's a very free spirit. One of his favorite movies is Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, which I cover in my loved-but-hardly-updated movie review blog: Reel Hard. Needless to say, Dan and I have a lot in common and get along really well. I wish him nothing but the best in his acting career.*
So far I have been fortunate enough that my husband Chris can accompany me on most of these shoots. He is usually there serving as my trusty assistant, but he is more than that, he is also a motion graphics 3D artist, but even more than that he is my best friend and brainstormin' buddy. :) Chris is currently working on a project that requires digital video cameras, computers, "and compositions and things with... molecular structures." So when Dan came along, we knew he was perfect for our project, and he has already agreed to jump on board with us to see where this 'ship goes.
And that's what I love about being a photographer. I love being an artist working with other artists. Every job is different and exciting. Strangers become friends. Art becomes life.
Keep On,
KellieAnn
Keep On,
KellieAnn
* It's a surprisingly good year for actors living in Ohio. There are several movies filming here now due to enormous tax breaks offered to the already-rich Hollywood producers. And apparently since Michigan stopped offering these perks, the upcoming superhero film produced by Marvel Studios will start filming in Cleveland this fall. 'The Avengers' is directed by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and DollHouse) and stars Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Helmsworth and Chris Evans. Meanwhile, chairman Wayne Hill of The Greater Cleveland Commission claims it will be the largest film ever made in Ohio.
