Marc Hall Photography

Laura Zukaite "Touch the sky" Collection.

2011-12-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

These shots were all taken at the end of summer for the very talented miss Laura Zukaite. Much of the asthetic for the shoot was her idea.

We shot against some sculptures in Hudson River Park in Chelsea. I think the steel forms give a great sense of form to the compositions and placing the very stark makeup designed by the model, Ashly together with Laura, against the sculptures gives a very interesting look. It almost seems a little Soviet to my mind which may be fitting as Laura is from Lithuania!

Pearl Naidoo Collection Launch

2011-12-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, I once again shot a collection launch for Pearl Naidoo. This time we were at a private event space at the top of a beautiful midtown residential building. The view was spectacular as you can see!

Some random photography experiments

2011-11-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

I've had all of these pictures on my hard drive for almost a year now but just got down to editing them today. They're all about just going out with a camera and seeing what I can find rather than shooting for a purpose as I usually do.

Extreme Macro

Pushing the boundaries of what my macro lens can do by sticking a teleconverter behind it. These are all shot at F40 and see how the plain of focus is still really narrow!

Bokeh, or Playing with traffic

Experimenting with shooting city lights intentionally out of focus to get these beautiful orbs of colour.

Gritty urban abstract

Nature in the cold

And General pretty pictures

Allison's Headshots

2011-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Allison is an aspiring actress with a bright future. I've known her for a few years but it wasn't until last week that she finally entrusted me to shoot some headshots for her. We drove down to Brooklyn's secluded but edgily beautiful Vinegar Hill neighborhood to shoot and I think her shots turned out very well indeed!

Platinum Dirt Fashion Shoot

2011-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Platinum Dirt is a high end leather goods design company with a difference. Someone had the wonderful idea of re-using the leather from the interiors of scrapped cars to make jackets and bags. The implications for style are obvious. The jackets look severely cool with the VIN plate of the car from which they were made on the chest and authentic details such as quilting and in the case of Cadillac jackets the embroidered logo found on the car seats. The emblems from the car hoods (Those in the UK read: bonnets) are repurposed as zipper pulls.

The other side of these edgy-looking fashion pieces is that no new cows must be killed for their manufacture which means less pollution from animal waste and tanning chemicals and sets the minds of vegetarians at rest!

Anyway, The designers were in town a couple of weeks ago and we arranged an impromptu fashion shoot in SoHo, Tribecca and Battery park city. I had a great time hanging out with the guys and getting some great shots.

The brains behind the whole operation Pose for a PR shot.

Irina Shabeyeva's Spring Collection at New York Fashion Week

2011-09-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's fashion week in New York City again and I was privileged to be in the media pit for Irina Shabeyeva of Project Runway fame's show. She presented a huge collection of spring looks (I believe over 50 of them) and, in my uneducated opinion, came up with some absolutely beautiful stuff!

Stacey and Adam's wedding

2011-07-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful, romantic and low key wedding! Stacey and Adam chose to do things very simply and very intimately in Riverside Park with just a few friends and family present. Nature was on their side too, giving them a beautiful early summer day. Just the right temperature and no humidity at all.

I love that I got to take some portraits of Stacey in her wedding gown on the steps up to the Soldier's and Sailor's monument. It's been one of my favorite locations since I realized that it's the very same staircase that Scarlett Johansson is seen running down as Cinderella in Annie Leibovitz's iconic shot for Disney!

Bettina's Headshots

2011-07-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

I've always been a little wary of shooting actor's headshots on a plain grey backdrop. It seemed like it would be too easy to come up with something that just looked like a mug shot. For Bettina's headshots I decided to give it a go for two reasons. One; her favorite shot of grace Kelly is on a grey background and she really wanted to recreate some of that feel and two; we decided to shoot in her apartment for the beautiful window light but the background would've been much too cluttered if I didn't bring something in.

I love the final shots, they have a certain style that standard actor's headshots rarely do but they are absolutely useable at an audition. It also helps that Bettina is very photogenic!

Designer Knitwear Fashion Shoot

2011-05-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Laura Zukaite Is a designer of beautiful knitwear and also a friend of mine. She designs for a top tier fashion company whilst also selling her designs as patterns via books she has written and now her website. Recently she was the winner of the Vogue Live knitting competition.

Recently we got together with our mutual friend Ashly acting as both stylist and model to capture some high fashion images of Laura's new collection. Here is a sampling of the results.

Anna's Headshots

2011-04-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've always loved shooting headshots. It's great to hang out with people, finding out more about them whilst capturing their likeness in the best possible light. The weekend I shot Anna's headshots I was trying out the Canon 5d mkii and I was really glad to put it through it's paces and compare it to my Nikon in an environment I'm very comfortable with. We shot up on the High Line and also in a Union Square loft apartment. Anna is a blast and I think we both had a great time!

Pearl Naidoo Website Launch

2011-04-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Pearl Naidoo is a hot, up and coming designer of fashion jewelry who gives high priority to social conscience and African vibe. Last month I began shooting her products for the website and I also covered the website's official launch party which featured beautiful model Christen showing off the wares! I managed to get some great High ISO available light shots of her at the event on the Canon 5D I was trying out that weekend. Here are some highlights of that event as well as some product shots.

Paola Hernandez Fall collection at the W Hotel

2011-02-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

As part of New York fashion week recently, I was invited to take pictures at Paola Hernandez's show which took place at the W Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Rather than a runway show, Paola had chosen to take the "installation" route, this time with a twist. All the models featured were actually artists recruited from a arts college and they were busy working on pieces during the show while dressed in pieces from the collection. This brought a whole different vibe to the proceedings and definitely made this show something unique. The penthouse suites of the W only added to the sense of overall style. I want to live there!

Ruff&Cut Jewelry Fashion shoot

2011-01-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Whilst I have been shooting Ruff and Cut's beautiful jewelry designs as static products for some time now, creating portraits that at once show the beauty of the models and present the jewelry in it's best light was a new challenge for me. I really enjoyed the opportunity that Ruff and Cut founder Wade Watson presented me with here and I'm very pleased with the final shots!

MCF Brunch on Central Park South

2010-12-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, after a lot of big events, a charity just has to kick back and do something smaller for the true, faithful supporters! There's no reason you can't do it in style though and that's just what MCF did this fall!

The event was an intimate brunch early one Sunday afternoon but the venue was amazing! This Central Park South penthouse has one of the best views to be found anywhere on the island of Manhattan and is designed in absolutely sumptuous style. We were treated to a trio of fantastic musical performances (one of which featuring yours truly on piano!), and Stephen Baldwin and Irina Shabeyeva were both in attendance along with the star studded, faithful crew of long time MCF supporters. Even with a broken jaw (It's a long story) I still managed to have a fantastic time!

Rachel Fine interviews Stephen Baldwin

Irina Shabeyeva steps up to Rachel's mic.

The host enjoys the festivities in his incredible penthouse.

Aris Ziagos Live at Webster Hall

2010-12-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Aris Ziagos is a talented videographer and web designer whom I have had the pleasure of working alongside at many charity events. He also happens to be a rather amazing performer and songwriter. These shots were taken at his Webster Hall show a few months ago. I really appreciated the chance to shoot a live performance, I wish I got to do it more often!

Fashion Test Shoots

2010-12-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

My friend and former roommate Adrianna decided to start a fashion blog to showcase her styling ideas in the latter part of 2010. This gave me the perfect opportunity to work on my chops as a commercial fashion photographer. She provided the beautiful models and outfits and I got to experiment with new lighting styles and posing ideas in a low stress environment. Perfect!

Nikolas Putvinski's Fashion week show and Irina Shabeyeva's after party

2010-12-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

New York Fashion Week, September 2010. This year I finally had the opportunity to photograph a fashion show and who should show up unannounced but Heidi Klum!

The show was to display the collection of Project Runway finalist Nikolas Putvinski and did so in the form of a montage featuring Naked supine and wounded men, and dominant, whip wielding women dressed in high fashion!

Heidi Klum stops in to see the show and poses for a photo op with the designer

After Nikolas' show I just had time to go over to Irina Shabeyeva's after party. Other commitments had kept me from attending her show earlier in the day, but from all accounts Her collection featured some sumptuous creations and the party was a great way to wind down at the end of a busy but satisfying day.

Oil Kills! Protests in New York City

2010-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

OilKills.org is the website of a grassroots movement to raise awareness of the terrible ecological and humanitarian consequences we are suffering because of the greed and lax attitude towards safe operating practices shown by big international oil corporations. After being brought into sharp focus by the Deepwater Horizon disaster this subject rapidly faded from public awareness, and so, in the fall of 2010 Oilkills.org planned two public protests in Union Square and Washington Square. I was there to take pictures for the website.

Tom's Shoes Pop up Store Opening Celebration In Montauk

2010-12-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

Just a few weeks after the Champions of Education Benefit, I once again found myself out in the Hamptons (Montauk to be exact), this time for a relaxed yet impressive event to celebrate the opening of Toms Shoes' new pop up store.

Toms is built on a simple yet powerful idea. For every pair of shoes you buy, another pair is given to a child in a developing country who would otherwise go barefoot. The event featured local artists customizing shoes for patrons as well as live music and assorted beach games. Toms founder Blake Mycoskie was in attendance and played host to Dylan's candy bar founder Dylan Lauren and Socailite/ Presidential niece Lauren Bush.

All in all this was a great way to spend a late summer evening away from the city!

Toms Founder Blake Mycoskie

Dylan Lauren of Dylan's Candy Bar

Blake Greets Lauren Bush

MCF Champions Of Education Benefit 2010

2010-12-28T07:15:00.000-08:00

Continuing the slow catch up of this year's special moments, here are some selected pictures from my second annual trip to the Hamptons with the Macdella Cooper foundation this summer.

As it was last year, this little working weekend away was one of the highlights of the season for me. We started out in Bridgehampton at the Mercedes Benz Polo Challenge. There was much socializing and enjoyment of the complimentary drinks and, as usual, the polo match was more of a diversion than a focus!

In the evening, we retired to an incredible SouthHampton Manse for Dinner, a Silent auction and entertainment provided by the very tallented miss Rachel Fine. The event was well attended, with many VIPs including the majority of the cast of both the New York and New Jersey real housewives!

Once again, this was both a worthwhile and immensely enjoyable way to spend a weekend!

YSC's "Sharing the Light" Gala

2010-10-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

If there was a top ten list of perfect venues in which to have a party, I think that the lobby and Temple of Dendur room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City would have to be damned close to the top of it! It was in May of this year that I photographed an absolutely sumptuous gala for YRF at that incredible location.

Youth Renewal Fund is a charity concerned with providing supplemental education to underprivileged children in Israel. Even though Israel is a modern country with plenty of wealth, it seems that options to attain a good quality of education are very limited for those children who cannot afford to attend a private school.

The Gala commenced with a cocktail hour in the Met's monolithic lobby. Living statues blended seamlessly with the architecture and the massive main staircase was turned into a waterfall of light by thousands of tiny candles. VIPs were photographed in front of the step and repeat banner and everyone got to make their introductions and socialize before heading through the maze of the Egyptian wing, passing the mummies and other priceless treasures of the Met's collection before emerging through a portal Flanked by Sphinxes into the Temple of Dendur exhibit. The gigantic space was gorgeously lit so that the glass roof seemed to disappear and it felt as if you were standing amongst the ruins on a balmy, star lit night.

After Speeches by the luminaries of the organization, Dinner was served. I only got to taste some of the deserts and one of the custom designed cocktails, but if everything else served was as fine then I'm surprised that no-one died of pure bliss. This was a fine night indeed!

Enjoy the pictures although they don't do the event justice!

Fashion Week After Party to aid The Macdella Cooper Foundation

2010-02-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I got to spend time with some of my favorite people- The volunteers for the Macdella Cooper foundation. The occasion was their second annual Fashion week after party, Once again held at Nikki Beach on the East Side of Manhattan.

The event was a great success, replete with a dazzling fashion show, An awesome musical performance and free cupcakes for all. It was a lot of fun!

Jewelry Shots for Ruff&Cut

2010-02-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Ruff&Cut is a company specializing in fair trade, socially responsible jewelry. Their beautiful designs have a timeless appeal yet stray far from the traditional. Many of their ethically sourced stones are presented in their "Ruff" unpolished states which gives a very different perspective and removes some of the stuffy formality associated with high end diamond jewelry. Please take a look at the company website www.ruffandcut.com.

Recently I was asked to photograph some of their pieces for catalog and promotional use and even though I have had little experience with product photography in the past, I was happy to give it a go. Let me tell you, these shots look simple but strange things happen when you photograph something this small! There was definitely a steep learning curve, but I think I cracked it and added a new string to my bow. Enjoy the shots.

Earrings From the new "Klido" line, hence the polished stones!

Cortez's Portfolio shots

2010-01-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met up with Cortez at the High Line park in the Meatpacking district. I think this may be one of my new favorite places to shoot! Despite the cold we had a great time! I brought my friend Erica along to help out and His friend Anita who I met once before was also in attendance.

Cortez is trying to get into modeling and maybe acting so we took a mixture of headshots and portfolio shots. I think we got some great results.

Kelly and Chris, 11/8/09

2009-11-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Chris and Kelly are a wonderful, down to earth couple with an awesome sense of style. Their big day was last Sunday and they chose to get married In Long Island City at the Foundry: a real live metal foundry converted into an event space with an amazing, bohemian atmosphere.

My Friend and fellow Photographer Erica Mankowsky has known the couple from the very beginning so it was natural that she should be the one to record the day for posterity. She very graciously hired me to help out.

The day was low on formality and big on everyone relaxing and having a great time. Everything was impeccably designed and yet superbly simple and low key. I'm sure that this is mainly down to Kelly's impressive arts and crafts skills. See that party dress she changed into, with acres of peasant/bohemian inspired style? She made that! See that bouquet painstakingly crafted from hundreds of buttons? She made that too along with many others to be used as centerpieces!

Chris and Kelly's love for each other radiates for all to see and I'm sure their marriage will stay fresh for as long as the button bouquets!

MacDella Cooper Foundation Celebrity Gala

2009-11-09T20:05:00.001-08:00

Last Weekend it was my pleasure to photograph my 3rd event for the fabulous MacDella Cooper Foundation. This time the evening was a Gala dinner at the illustrious Four Seasons in Midtown Manhattan. The VIP list was impressive as ever, especially with the last minute addition of New York Governor David Patterson. Others included the Liberian Ambassador, Project runway finalists and Editors of major magazines.
The evening was a great experience for all involved and managed to be both a great social event and to stay resolutely focused on the foundation's noble cause of helping children in Liberia to recieve the education they so richly deserve. Oh, and the after party in the VIP section of the Nikki beach nightclub made a fantastic finale to a great evening!

This time I actually got to be in the volunteer photo thanks to a very helpful Wire Image photographer!

Stephanie's Headshots

2009-11-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to shoot a wedding for a beautiful bride named Stephanie and her new husband, Justin (unfortunately it was for a studio so I couldn't publish the pictures here). I have met few brides more relaxed and vivacious as Stephanie and we got some awesome pictures both at the wedding in New Jersey and out and about in Times square.

During the day I learned that Stephanie, like me is an alum of AMDA. She mentioned that now that the craziness of her wedding planning was done, she was looking forward to getting back to auditioning. The only problem being that her headshot was way out of date.

Naturally, when Stephanie called me on returning from her honeymoon to enquire about headshots, I was anly to happy to oblige. I think we got some beautiful shots!

I have every confidence that an illustrious performing career awaits Stephanie and that her marriage will be long, loving and happy. She and Justin seem like the perfect match!

Cohens Fashion Optical annual awards dinner

2009-11-09T19:18:00.001-08:00

On the first day of November, I was honored to shoot Cohen's fashion optical's corporate awards dinner for the second time. Once again I got to spend my Sunday evening in the elegant rooms of Manhattan Penthouse on fifth avenue at 14th st.

This year has apparently been a record breaker for Cohens despite the tough economic climate and everyone was definitely prepared to celebrate. There was much dancing, and all involved seemed to enjoy themselves immensely (oh and the food was way above my usual expectations of a catering hall)!

I love when I get to shoot happy, beautiful people in a great location and am proud to say that I have already been told to save the date for next year's festivities!

Step up and Step out benefit for the Step up Women's network

2009-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing The Step up Women's network's "Step up and step out" Benefit Brunch and designer shoe sale. SUWN is dedicated to empowering young women and girls through outreach and mentoring programs in underserved communities.

The event, held at the W hotel, was a combination of a brunch attended by celebrities including Kelly Rutherford and Vanessa Minnillo, And a Sale of shoes donated by some of the most exclusive names in the business.

Needless to say, much fun was had, much shopping was accomplished and a great deal of money was raised for a good cause.

Pictures from The homeland.

2009-09-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

So I have finally found a little time to post some of the hundreds of shots I took on my recent vacation to the UK. Beautiful landscapes and the beautiful light given by dreary weather. Enjoy.

St Mary's lighthouse, Whitley Bay. Around about 5am!

Fans of the Kevin Costner Robin Hood may recognize this tree. It is actually on Hadrian's wall, nowhere near Nottingham!

The inimitable Bernie explores his Border Collie heritage on the hills around Hadrian's wall.

No rain, No rainbows!

Baah!

York Castle

Chelsi in Hoboken

2009-08-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting up with my friend Chelsi near her pad in Hoboken to shoot some fashion pics for both our portfolios. Chelsi kindly drove me around town in her awesome Mini Cooper so that we could find the perfect industrial backdrop for the shots we had in mind. Credit must also go to the model for her wonderful styling ideas and for bringing her usual infectious enthusiasm to the shoot in spite of the ten thousand percent humidity and imminent threat of thunder!

I'm very proud of the results!

Nuriya Live at Drom

2009-07-31T16:24:00.001-07:00

Nuriya is a singularly talented and charismatic vocalist. I had the pleasure of photographing her latest show last night at Drom on Manhattan's Lower East Side and what a show it was!

Nuriya's music is as unique as she is, revealing influences from two sides of the globe. The dominant tone is Latin with all of the contagious beats and strident horn parts that you may imagine; most of the lyrics are in Spanish. The Hispanic flair is tempered by the other side of the vocalist's heritage- Middle eastern and Hebrew notes abound in the deep passion and romantic pathos of Nuriya's delivery. The fusion is glazed with homages to Jazz, flamenco and even contemporary pop music.

By all means check out Nuriya's website, but be warned, only by seeing her live can you grasp the intense passion of her performance. This young woman knows how to move, had the audience in the palm of her hand and was an absolute joy to photograph!

Hamptons Benefit with the Macdella Cooper Foundation

2009-07-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

The MacDella Cooper Foundation is a wonderful charity dedicated to giving children in the war torn country of Liberia a chance to receive an education which will ensure them a better future.

This weekend I once again had the absolute pleasure of photographing a fabulous benefit for them: A very swanky affair out in the Hamptons complete with Polo match and dinner at Southampton's Four seasons. Here's a selection of the best pictures.

The amazingly talented volunteer team

Real Housewives of New York as featured on People.com

2009-07-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sunset Movie in Dumbo

Last Thursday a couple of friends and I joined the hordes of New Yorkers who, every year, descend on Brooklyn's Empire state park to view the spectacular sunset and enjoy a classic movie in the most perfect location imaginable. The film this week was "The Maltese Falcon" with the inimitable Humpfrey Bogart, luckily I had remembered to bring my camera because the sunset was one of the most dramatic I have witnessed in my years in New York.