The other night I met with my friend Gerard near Riverside Skatepark near the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. I’d never been to this spot before—and to be honest it has been a while since I’ve been in the city itself. Gerard (@tantrumfury) brought his friend Danni (@dang.danni) as a model and we started taking pictures of everything around us in-between sessions.
For me, this was great because I hadn’t worked on any “modeling” photography in years and the balance of architecture/surroundings with Danni was a good mix. Below are my favorite images from this photoshoot, which ended on the rooftop of the Monarch in Detroit. Suffice to say I spent the most time working on the latter as I’d been craving some rooftop shots of Detroit for some time now.
We headed towards the train tracks near the bridge and skatepark. Despite my resistance, I took some shots of Danni with the tracks disappearing into the distance towards the city despite how cliché it made me feel.
You know what though? Some things are cliché for a good reason. Shooting with train tracks vanishing is a fantastic way of using leading lines and direction, and I’m thrilled with how these turned out.
Going for a walk and taking pictures before sunset is an excellent way to spend an evening. Gerard had everything planned out, from the food truck to the skatepark and the Monarch Club. His planning, along with inviting Danni, gave me the opportunity to get more photos like this (AKA not client work).
Danni overlooking a rooftop balcony, leaning over the ledge a bit while looking over the city of Detroit. This final shot is among my favorites. To be honest, I hadn’t taken pictures like this in years and I’m thankful I had this experience. The conversations we had were interesting, and both of them were so much fun to hang out with. These laid-back “photoshoots” are the best because over time the camera becomes invisible and people can be themselves.