louisville portrait photographer

Liz Richter - Creative Space

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Liz Richter along with her best friend Bri Bowers, and local artists Michelle Montgomery, and Zara Goldbrg just finished this beautiful mural down in the Nulu District of Louisville on the corner of Market and Clay St. Louisville Visual Arts (LVA) coordinated the project for the new implementation of Google Fiber into the city. The project is being sponsored by Google Fiber. 

Liz Richter, photographed by Ryan Noltemeyer for Creative Space

"The mural is all Kentucky wildflowers that grow in this region. Each one was chosen not just for the shapes but with symbolic meanings as well. Woven throughout the mural are the themes of independent business and free thinking. Mint represents hospitality, Goldenrod is the state flower and represents good fortune. It is also a nod to Thomas Edison, who experimented with goldenrod (his historic home in Louisville is only blocks away). The blue at the bottom (bluegrass) represents connectivity and is Google Fiber blue. The largest plant is milkweed, which I chose as a symbol for Nulu. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. All milkweeds are perennials, meaning they survive for more than two years. They can grow in harsh conditions and have far-reaching impact through the scattered seeds. Technically a weed, their beauty is strange and exotic. A few more plants: Black-eyed Susan's represent encouragement/motivation;  the purple coneflower represents strength. The wildflower design was partially inspired by the lyrics to Tom Petty's song, You Belong Among the Wildflowers/You Belong Somewhere You Feel Free. Ironically I was listening to it while painting my proposal the night before he died (I had no idea)! So it's kind of become my tribute to him as well" - Liz Richter

Liz Richter, photographed by Ryan Noltemeyer for Creative Space

Myself and other creatives are very excited about Google Fiber bringing faster and more affordable internet speeds to the city. After hearing about this project for Google Fiber and seeing some images on Liz's Instagram page I knew I wanted to include her in my project. With the vibrant colors of her mural as a backdrop, we did a couple portraits of her and then several "in-action" shots as she put some final touches and lettering on the piece. Below are all the photos in a slideshow, please enjoy and see all of Liz's work here: lizrichterart.com

For photo nerds, like myself, all images were taken with:

 

 

Food Photography is the Best!

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I don't get to photograph food nearly as much as I would like. This shoot was for The Voice-Tribune's feature about some of the awesome restaurants around Derby City (that's Louisville long-standing nickname thanks to the Kentucky Derby). My assignment was to photograph the 502 Bar & Bistro's signature dish, Pan-Seared Diver Scallops with Heart of Palm Salad and Yuzu Crème Fraiche, along with Executive Chef Ming Pu. 

For this shoot, I photographed the entire shoot with all natural light coming in first through a window, then through a diffuser to create a nice natural polished look to both the food shots and the portrait.

Gear Used:

Food photography is something I rarely do, so that's why it's not included in my portfolio, however, it is one of my favorites! Not for the art form, just because I am a nut about good food. Moving to the Highlands neighborhood was probably influenced mostly by Louisville's food scene. There are some of my wife and I's favorite Bardstown Road restaurants right around the corner from our apartment. We also are close enough to Nulu, Germantown, and Clifton/Cresent Hill to enjoy some of the best food in our city. 

Here is a list of some of my favorite places to eat in Louisville!

Highlands Neighborhood:

  • Louvino - Italian Small Plates and Wine Bar
  • Stout Burgers and Beer - between 5 PM and 6PM, all food is half off!
  • Holy Grale/Gralehaus - Amazing burgers and brunch (brunch is at Gralehaus)
  • Game - amazing burgers with exotic meats 
  • Highland Morning - Delicious breakfast at reasonable prices
  • Ramsi's On the World Cafe - International food from all over the world

Nulu:

  • Feast/Royals - Both owned by HiCotton, both amazing!
  • Mayan Cafe - authentic Mayan food in the heart of Louisville
  • Harvest - amazing farm to table restaurant featuring local farmers
  • Rye - amazing American food and cocktails

Germantown:

  • Hammerheads - The sister restaurant to Game
  • Four Pegs - Super underrated burgers and Chicken-And-Waffles. It's amazing! GO!
  • Eiderdown - European Inspired Southern Comfort Food
  • The Post - New York style pizza only a neighborhood away

Clifton/Cresent Hill:

  • Varanese - Mediterranean and New American. They have an awesome Jazz band!
  • Volare - Amazing Italian. I've had the pleasure of photographing here!
  • Blue Dog Bakery - Go try their Egg Pizza, it's not what you think. Also best bread in the State
  • Irish Rover - Cozy Irish restaurant in an old converted house turned Irish pub
  • El Mundo - some of the best Mexican Food in town!
  • The Grape Leaf - awesome Middle-East food on a budget!

Print Shop

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Hello, over the past few years every once in a while I will venture out and take some photos around my city and in nature. I've decided to make some of my favorite work for sale on my website. I've picked my favorite 4 images (two from my honeymoon on Catalina Island, one from the Hoosier National Forest, and one from the Red River Gorge). 

To retain the highest quality, I will be printing the photos myself with some of best fine art Hahnemühle paper. It's a matte finish with museum texture.

Here is one of those images below. Be sure to check out the rest here

What's In My Bag?

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Here is what's in my camera and flash bags.

Camera Bag (Think Tank Retrospective)

Lighting Bag

Other

Everything is linked via my Amazon affiliate links, if you decide to buy from amazon please use my links! Everything I own has a purpose. I don't own 15 lenses because these are the only ones I need for my style of shooting. I always will have a 50mm lens (read about why here) and something a little wider, like a 35mm. When the job calls for it I rent whatever is needed. Currently toying with the idea of switching to a Sony A7RII or Fuji X-T2 for the addition of 4K video.

Click here for all the gear that I recommend

Creative Space

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Louisville is rich with some of the most creative people. With so many artists, painters, directors, photographers, and designers, Louisville is one of the most creative cities. I started this project by accident. I had scheduled a few test shoots with some people in the creative industry and decided to expand it into a personal project to feature some of the creatives in our community. 

The idea was to produce a portrait of my subject in their place of work and then take a couple shots of them working on their craft. I've also started making a short promo video highlighting the artists at work. 

This is an on-going project, to see the on-going project see this page here: Creative Space. Below are some of the artists I have had the pleasure of photographing. If you are a creative either here in Louisville or anywhere and want to be featured please contact me here: Contact

See some of the videos I have created for this project here: Creative Space Playlist