I am a professional Washington DC photographer based on Capitol Hill and shooting events, weddings and portraits, headshots and brands, families and kids. If you want to know my story, I encourage you to check out my website and selected portfolio there. My instagram is damonbowephoto.

I shoot with flash and natural light, whatever the situation calls for. My photograph color style is natural with bold colors and my goal is to make photos that look great for years to come. I like to be creative with my shots. Generally if I'm using flash outdoors I'm looking for something more dramatic than natural light alone, making the subject stand out.

WHY I AM HERE: I use Model Mayhem when I want to expand my portfolio, like shooting in a new location where I don't have clients lined up already, or somewhere I want clients to shoot in the future. I also like to work with models in difficult locations because a skilled model can take the pressure off of my direction and allow me to work on something else more, like lighting and composition. With these types of shoots I am usually looking for a natural look, whether that comes from shoot cues or your talent. And I'm usually going for epic looks, golden hour shots, etc.

At times I might use MM to help a commercial client, in which case their design team dictates the photos. These are going to be more staged, but the model must look natural in the setting. Whether it's a personal shoot for my business portfolio or a commercial shoot, I do not think that experience is always the best thing. I really love the Benetton photographs by Oliviero Toscani, who rarely used pro models--they just did model calls in the SF Bay area and got genuine photos. I want to be like that!

HOW I INTERACT WITH MODELS:  If you are good at posing, I let you do your work. I then like to correct for things like hand placements, foot placements, posture, etc. Essentially we work together as a team to achieve the best look.

The most common question I get from models is whether I do nude photoshoots. The answer is no, and I do not even pursue boudoir work. And just to remove the creep factor even more, I do not touch models, ever.

This is my job and I pride myself on being a professional, and I expect everyone I work with to approach our photoshoots the same way regardless of the budget and location.

Copyright Damon Bowe Photography, Washington, DC. All photographs registered with the United States Library of Congress.

Tags

See All Tags (3)