Those that listen to me babble know that I’m enthralled by the photoworks of Adam Wallacavage. The man does some of the best wide angle portraits I’ve ever seen and I’m obsessed with his use of saturated colors, particularly in his band photos.
What I didn’t know until a year or so ago was that Adam also makes giant octopus-looking chandeliers. We’re not talking cheesy glass and crystal lights here. These are ornate, hand-casted fixtures that look like they were dredged out of the Atlantic.
For those dying to see his work, Adam is part of a two-man show along with Ray Caesar at Jonathan Levine Gallery. I got a chance to photograph the crazed genius during the opening party and needless to say, I was a nervous wreck. There’s only so many ways you can pose an artist to make them look somewhat interesting at an art opening and I’m running low on ideas. Not to mention, it’s not exactly easy to photograph a photo legend.
Luckily, Adam had one of his sconces mounted onto a mirror that bent the light just enough to give people a distorted look. After spotting the mirror earlier in the evening, I snapped a few photos of unsuspecting onlookers to gauge the angle and the light. I eventually gained the nerve to ask him to pose for the shot, and three clicks later he told me I got the shot.
Only one problem. I got someone else in the photo to. Using my lame Photoshop skills and a few hours of work, I actually matched up the wallpaper from a few other shots and cloned it over the guy. Sure, it’s not an exact match, but the photo works much better. Hopefully the wallpaper people don’t mind.
