Photography in New York City

I previously posted some work on my blog during a 10 day stay in New York, which received some particularly great feedback. This summer is was lucky enough to leave England and jet off across the pond for a 90 day stay in the USA. A majority of my time was spent living in New York in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since my first trips to the Big Apple last year in 2012 I discovered that NYC has an enormous wealth of interesting and beautiful things to photograph.

During my time living in NYC I shot many portfolio shoots with some amazingly talented creatives and we had a whole plethora of fantastic locations to choose from.

The first shot featuring the Empire State Building shot from the top of a high rise of apartments I was staying in on 6 ave and 24th Street in Manhattan about a block from Macey's. The model is Kelly Gray from MC2 Model Management.

The 2nd shot is from a half days shooting in Dumbo in Brooklyn. It was particularly tricky to get the shot as I we had to keep stopping for traffic, I was however really pleased with the final shots that we got from the shoot. The model is Caroline Thompson also from MC2.

Just before I left to fly to New York I was watching an episode of Doctor Who. It was the story Angels in Manhattan and it gave me a little bit of inspiration for a shoot in Central Park, two of which are below. There's a scene with Matt Smith sat on a rock reading a book in Central Park which is where the original idea was conceived. We shot in early July using available light and a 5 in 1 reflector, it just happened to be during a heatwave so between sessions my assistant had to shield model Guilia from the sun so she didn't break out in a sweat. We prepped at David Ryan salon in Hell's Kitchen which is where the book prop came from. It was a joke book of bad haircuts containing mullets and just general bad hair from the 1970's.

The hair was done by Jill Schnapp and the makeup by Jen Evans.

The image below was shot on location around Hell's Kitchen, this shot was taken next to the USS Intrepid which left for some interesting backdrops. 

The hair was again done by Jill Schnapp and makeup by Courtney Culkin.

I've put together a few of my favourite cityscape and architecture shots from the trip. This are just shots that are taken out of passion, I however contacted by a real estate company in Manhattan who follow my Instagram who wanted to commission me to shoot four of their buildings in Midtown so they could frame them in their office. I've included many of my Instagrams, feel free to follow my account: simon_ackerman 

  

Manhattan Cityscape shot from Brooklyn

Franklin Avenue Subway in Brooklyn 

Street Art at 5 Pointz in Queens

This is a shot of the filming location of Michael Jackson's Bad video shot in Hoyt-Schermerhorn station. 

Hell's Kitchen Cityscape

Apple Store on 5 ave

Crown Heights in Brooklyn

Creative Traffic Lights

Street Art at 5 Pointz 

Art in Jay Street MetroTech

Coney Island Beer

A summer day's chess in 14th Street Union Square

FDNY responding to an incident in 10 ave, Manhattan

Coney Island

Dalai Lama mural at 5 Pointz in Queens

Skyscrapers in the Financial District

Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenue Subway

One World Trade Center

 My plane bound for Las Vegas at the American Airlines lounge at JFK

Mural at 5 Pointz, Queens

Graffiti at 5 Pointz, Queens

Hell's Kitchen Cityscape 

Manhattan Skyline shot from the Rockefeller Center

Pigeon at the Empire State Building Observatory

World Trade Center

Sunny day in East Village

Manhattan Sunset

© Simon Ackerman 2013 - All Rights Reserved

www.simonackerman.co.uk 

The Matrix Runway Show Has You

Day 1 of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC and a really fun backstage for me to shoot. I've always been a big sci-fi fan and unexpectedly discovered that the Ammerman Schlosberg show was Matrix inspired was guaranteed to be lot's of fun. The models cast for the show were awesome at following my direction for some cinematic type poses for the lens. 

Here's some of my favourite behind the scenes shots. 

No actual Keanu Reeves appeared in the show but the models more than made up for that.

I asked some of the models to pose with their hand up as a take on Neo stopping bullets in the movies. Surprisingly this model hadn't seen any of the Matrix trilogy but still managed to get into character and pull it off for the shot.

Taken at New York Fashion Week - Spring 2014

© Simon Ackerman 2013 - All Rights Reserved
www.simonackerman.co.uk

East Side Story

With skin so soft and sweet.

Kelly Gray makes for an entirely spellbinding subject matter in this portrait style photography shoot by Simon Ackerman. The raw and sexual nature of these photographs comes through in Gray’s direct stare, the luscious lips and uncovered skin.

Hair (done by Vincenzo Cortimiglia) and make-up (done by Lindsay Cullen) are smooth and natural, done only to emphasise the glowing features of the model, and not to mask them in anything unreal. The New York skyline and background create the scene of a city full of hustle and bustle, all the while this sensual photo shoot takes place unbeknown to the world around it.

Ackerman creates a scene of pure beauty, having it done to it’s most natural and elegant form.

Written by Chevaun Roux for  www.fashionising.com

© Simon Ackerman 2013 - All Rights Reserved

www.simonackerman.co.uk

The girl’s got style: Rachel by Simon Ackerman

There’s a particular magic that’s formed at the place where two eras collide. Or in this case, three, if you count the here-and-now.

Combining contemporary youthfulness with retro ’70s-inspired glamour is a shoot by rising photographer Simon Ackerman, working with a creative team who turned a straightforward portrait of model Rachel Validum into a picture of freshness and strong femininity.

Hairstylist Jill Schnapp added her love of the “Deco Decadence” of the 1920s into the mix, merging an edgy pompadore with a textured side braid or coaxing two twirly pigtails out from under a chic black hat to create styles that borrow from multiple eras without subscribing specifically to any.

  

Makeup artist Crystal Watkins played perfectly to Rachel’s features and colouring, contrasting her velvety dark skin with the boldest red lipstick and adding a flick of black liner and white shimmer to her eyes.

The era collision of the ’20s and ’70s comes into play again in Amelia Schussler’s flirtatious styling: Deco-inspired jewels atop plunging necklines creating an element of night-time glamour, while a perfectly on-trend black and white patterned crop top paired with high-waisted black pants is the vision of what this ultra-cool, modern-day glamazon would wear during the daytime hours.

Words by Tania Braukamper at www.fashionising.com


Photographer: Simon Ackerman

Hair: Jill Schnapp @ www.jillschnapphair.com | www.davidryansalon.com

Model: Rachel Validum @ MC2 - NYC Model Management

Make-up Artist: Crystal Watkins @ www.themakeupboo.com

Wardrobe Stylist: Amelia Schussler @ www.ameliaschussler.com



© Simon Ackerman 2013 - All Rights Reserved
www.simonackerman.co.uk