Okan Arabacioglu for Baltimore Magazine

What a great assignment!  Last month I had the opportunity to photograph one of my best friends from college, Okan Arabacioglu.  Okan and I became close friends when we attended MICA together, and this month Baltimore Magazine featured him on the opening page to the UpFront section as an “Artist to Watch”.

Congrats Okan!  The piece looks great, and everybody seems thrilled with how it came out.  It’s also great press for Okan’s upcoming show at The Metro Gallery, opening February 2nd from 6pm-9p.  The show- “OUCH! New works by Okan Arabacioglu”- will be up from February 2, 2012 – March 17, 2012, so if you can’t make the opening, be sure to check it out.  I’ve seen some of what’s going to be in it, and I think you’ll like it.

In the meantime, here’s another photo of Okan from the shoot, which was highlighted in the Table of Contents for the February issue:

Love the red shoes, buddy.  Haha, “There’s no place like Okan’s studio, there’s no place like Okan’s studio”  ;)

 

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2011 from my phone

2011 from my phone from Cory Donovan on Vimeo.

This is a little late, but I didn’t get the idea until I saw somebody else do it. 2011 was an awesome year and I thought this was a great way to show it! A lot has been edited down- I take a lot of pics with my phone and just grabbed some favorites. Would love to do a version with more photos when I have more time…

I got the idea from Jesse Rosten’s much better video, posted here: vimeo.com/34418822

CHEERS EVERYONE! To an excellent 2011, and very happy 2012!

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Three Priests for Loyola Magazine

Father Linnane at Loyola's Chapel

Last month I had the pleasure of working with Malia Leary, a fellow MICA graduate who now works at Loyola University as the Assistant Director of Creative Services and Art Director for Loyola Magazine.  Malia contacted me to photograph three priests at Loyola who were celebrating their 25th year anniversary as clergymen and are highlighted in the December issue of Loyola Magazine.

Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., is the president of Loyola University.  We had the opportunity to photograph in the university’s beautiful chapel, which was a great backdrop and gave us a lot of room and different lighting options to play with.  The shots above was taken on the choir balcony over looking the alter.  I loved the light coming through the stained glass windows in the first shot above, and used a little lens flare to exaggerate it.

Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J.

The second priest was Rev. Timothy Brown, S.J., Loyola’s special assistant to the president for mission integration.  The campus at Loyola is really beautiful, a lot of really great architecture and gorgeous interiors.  We photographed Fr. Brown in the lounge area of the Humanities building, which used to be the old Jesuit residence.

The lounge area has lots of built in dark wood bookcases, shelves, and some stained glass windows.  I particularly liked the stairway, and thought having Fr. Brown stand between the warmer tungsten light from below and the cooler, whiter light coming through the windows from above seemed appropriate, if not too dramatic.

Rev. Jack Dennis, S.J.

The third priest was Rev. Jack Dennis, S.J.- aka “Fr. Jack”- the director of Campus Ministry.  Fr. Jack was very charismatic and seemed popular among the students, so we photographed him out and about on the campus.  The shot above is in front of these gorgeous doors which I think- if I remember correctly- were outside the building the chapel is in on the second floor.  We had moved up to this spot after getting a few shots from further away, in the much hotter, harsher sun:

This was a great assignment to work on- Loyola’s campus is full of photo opportunities with plenty of beautiful locations and backdrops, and it was a lot of fun working with a friend from college.  Thanks again to Malia for the great assignment, as well as Fr. Linnane, Fr. Brown, and Fr. Dennis!

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Gary Rosenthal for Maryland Life Magazine

Just in time for the holidays, this was shot for an artist profile in Maryland Life Magazine.  It features Gary Rosenthal and his Judaica art, particularly the intricate menorahs his studio produces.

From the article by Eileen Francis:

“These aren’t your bubbe’s menorahs.

“When I started 35 years ago, there was just no such thing as contemporary Jewish art,” Rosenthal explains while leading me on a tour of his Kensington studio. “So I told myself, ‘I’ll create Jewish art, but also a true piece of art.’”

Today, the effort, which Rosenthal summarizes as “contemporary style rooted in tradition,” has bloomed into a thriving business. Located in the Howard Avenue Antiques District, his studio is a two-floor operation where a dozen or so artisans buzz in a flurry of design, glass cutting, and welding.

Chanukah is a busy time for the crew, but they work throughout the year, designing pieces for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and other Jewish occasions. In addition to menorahs, the collection includes dreidels, mezuzot, bookends, and picture frames, which are shipped to galleries, shops, and museums around the world, from Cuba to Australia.”

Click Here to read the article in it’s entirety on MarylandLife.com

When I visited Gary’s studio, there was lot to photograph.  They produce quite a bit of work and have a huge space in the Howard Avenue Antiques District in Kensington, Maryland.  Although none of these were used in the article, I was particularly interested in these shots of Gary welding:

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The Party Block: Ocean City Nightlife

Last year, I had an assignment to photograph “The Beach After Dark” for the June 2011 issue of Baltimore Magazine.  The goal was to capture beach nightlife in Ocean City, Rehoboth, Dewey, Lewes, and Fenwick Beaches.  It included a variety of things to do when the sun goes down, covering everything from mini golf and karaoke to clubbing and after hours dining.  One of the clubs featured on the shotlist was The Party Block, in Ocean City.

Unfortunately, since most of the shots from The Party Block may have been a little, er, racy for the magazines demographic, none of them were used in the article.  Click here or the “Read More” button below for more on my night at The Party Block…

Read More »

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Education by Design: Baltimore Magazine November 2011

Baltimore Design School Principal Joseph Freed

This is Joseph Freed, photographed for the Nov. ’11 issue of Baltimore Magazine for an article called “Education by Design”.  The article was about a new public middle-high school that focuses on fashion design, architecture, and graphic design. The school is now located in a temporary space at Winston Middle School, but within two years will move into the former Lebow building on Oliver Street in Station North, not far from the MICA campus.  Joseph Freed was a founding member and principal of the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, and came out of retirement to run as the school’s principal.  It’s not hard to see why- I think the school and it’s mission sound brilliant, and I wish I was able to attend something similar when I was younger.

From the article:

“Baltimore now joins cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Miami in embracing design-based public education, as more and more secondary schools implement design-centric curricula. ‘As a field of study and practice, design is both intellectual and practical,’ explains Ellen Lupton, curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at MICA. ‘Students [at BDS] will engage with design’s unique thinking processes while learning with their hands and eyes. Designers are makers, doers, and problem solvers. They ask questions, conduct research, and collaborate. These are terrific life skills.’”

“With its proximity to MICA and the cultural assets of Station North, and with the commitment of local design firms and businesses to engage in internships and volunteering, the current and future BDS students will likely become a visible part of the city’s arts and design community.”

To read more about the Baltimore Design School, check out the article in its entirety here.

 

 

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