I love doing photography work that’s actually helpful for my local community. My very first commercial gig was right here in Bridgeport, photographing the gatherings at B:Hive, the co-working space downtown. Last spring I had the chance to work on a branding session with the lovely folks at the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District, alongside the creative brains at The Bananaland, for a new campaign called Colorful Bridgeport.
The project was meant to showcase all the amazing people that contribute to the vibrancy of downtown, and to show off all their amazing work. The team invited community leaders and activists and creatives from all over downtown to participate in a kick-off event called Colorful Conversation.
The team took over a raw, empty space and transformed it into a haven of colorful magic! Chef Raquel of Pinch of Salt catered the event with beautiful food and deliciously colorful smoothies, and every invited guest had the chance to grab a prop and jump in front of a colorful backdrop and show off their very own version of Colorful Bridgeport. There were balloons and music and crazy clothes and hilarious props (including silly string) and it was such a fun day all around.
I loved shooting this branding session! Events are always fun—human connection during conversation and storytelling in purposeful spaces is really intriguing for me—but shooting these portraits was SUCH a blast. I didn’t have a ton of time with each guest, but in the time we had, finding a way to connect and help each one get comfortable in front of the camera is a challenge that I absolutely love.
Shooting solo portraits—of any kind—doesn’t have to be stiff and boring and terrible. You can have fun! And when you are comfortable and having fun, the best parts of who you are come out. When we can capture that on camera, you’re going to end up with photos of yourself that you really love.
I loved working with the team at DSSD and Bananaland to create this campaign, and I loved seeing all these photos (and more) up all over Bridgeport in the months that followed. We’re surrounded by amazing people in this community, and I’m so glad I got to be part of celebrating them all.
Want to see more? Check out the branding session that I did with Bananaland here!
