Wednesday, October 28, 2009

DC in Drag: A Series of Portraits


Tonight was DC's annual drag race, a celebration of counter culture on 17th St NW. Hundreds of men dressed in their finest feminine apparel converge on this spot every Tuesday before Halloween. Their objective: to flaunt what they got for a couple hours down the street, ultimately partaking in two-block a foot race in which one lucky high heel-er is crowned the fastest of them all... in heels of course. This event has always been something I've been drawn to photographing. I'd venture to say it makes for one of my favorite Washington-insiders' activities.

This year I decided to shoot it differently than I normally would. While I'm a photojournalist at heart, I thought this would give me the chance to really explore my new found love of lighting techniques and Avendonian-style portraiture... dare I say I tried. With the generous help of Chris Gregory and Alex Hoff holding that damn white background in the rain for hours, and with extra help from CDIA, Paul Morse, and Ryder Haske for various pieces of equipment, I was able to be my own mobile studio in the streets. One background, one light, one camera, one lens.

Hopefully, you enjoy these images as much as I do, although I bet I enjoyed making them a hellofalot more.

















2 comments:

Smogranch said...

Love it Nick. I see a show!!

just a brief smile said...

nick, love the way it looks... and parasol, gaga, and grandma are unstoppable
-ben doak