Hey hey, good and patient people. I'm sorry I haven't posted on here as much as the three of you would like, but that's because I've been busy with some photography-related things, but mostly stand-up comedy (which is why there's an empty page called Laughing Works that magically appeared one day). Those photos will be ready for viewing in due time, but for now, here's volume two of "The Colorized Edits." The full set will be on my Photoshop Works page for your viewing as of now. So go check it out, pardon my (digital construction) dust, and cheers!
- Scott*
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Hello, happy people, and Happy Mother's Day. I wrote a bit about this on Instagram, but as some of my closer friends know, my mother actually gave me a camera on Xmas, and I've taking photos with it for over five years now. In celebration of such things, I present to you the first volume of "Pearl's 4th Street Shenanigans." I say 'volume one' because the title might change to something else just as clever. Like, "Pearl's DTLA Shenanigans," or "Pearl vs. the Skyskcrapers," or even "Super Pearl vs. King Kong and Godzilla." That last one was just a B-movie pitch with franchise potential. In any case enjoy the photos because there will be more of them, much more. Cheers!
- Scott* It makes complete sense that, eventually, I would write a retrospective like this one within weeks of my birthday, one that I’ve ceremoniously labeled on my calendar as “You’re officially older.” There’s a reason I’m preluding this retrospective, and it’s due to the fact that out of everyone I’ve photographed at this point in time, Eli is not only one of the few people I’ve regularly collaborated with, he’s also one of my oldest and closest friends. I’ve known him for thirteen years, and even though we don’t hang out as often as we did back in middle school or our high school years, whenever we do hang out, it’s like a sequel done right, picking up right where we left off, and not getting bogged down by irrelevant things along the way. Plus, we churn out some pretty amazing work in the process. Hopefully, we can collaborate more often in the near future, especially since my brain thinks I need a senior citizens’ discount for reaching the physical age of 26. This person is one of my dearest friends, and has been for roughly half of my life, and will continue to be even long after he and I depart this mortal world. He’s even done something that few people would be allowed to do to me: he made me the photography subject… for two minutes. Granted, this was when I was rocking the 1960s nomad look with more pride than I needed while continuously dressing like I stepped out of that era. Luckily, they were in black and white so I didn’t have to look too much like a madman. It’s highly rare that I’d have a friend as close as him for this length of time, but I’m glad I do. The photos accompanying this retrospective may only span a couple of years, but they reflect a lifetime of true friendship, trust, and a mutual appreciation of good cinema. Photos by Scott Raineri Photos Edited by Scott Raineri Photos by Eli Bezner
I've known this woman for about a decade now. Which is bizarre to me in the best of ways. As we get older and (for the most part) wiser, we look back to old connections that are still current. Friends you haven't seen in almost ten years or a few months. I look back on my time spent hanging out with her fondly. We used to mail actual handwritten letters to each other (and will once again when I get my address finalized) while I was in art school and she in Pennsylvania. Both of us being writers, the idea of sending handwritten letters was frankly heartwarming to me in this digital age bathed in social media. She had never modeled for photographs before our shoot, and during my recent year in Pittsburgh, I pitched the idea of featuring her on my website, which sounded less creepy during the actual conversation. Once she was on board, she dressed in an outfit inspired by the film, "The Craft." I had never seen the film, which baffled me due to my love of film, along with my mild obsession with Neve Campbell. The shoot took place on June 7th, 2016. It went like most of my other shoots: directing poses and doing my best to make people feel comfortable enough in front of the camera to be the truest form of themselves or whoever they want to be. To me, beyond all the technical aspects and terms regarding photography, at its core, it's all about trust. I think that's why I hold all of these photos to such a high standard. Regardless of how people change, either physically or behaviorally, they are still the same human beings at their core. So to photograph Ali in that respect felt like an honor. I felt as if I was capturing who she was and who she wanted to become at the time. The last time I saw her was on June 10th of this year while I was visiting Pittsburgh for my sister's graduation, just one year and four days after our shoot. Since the shoot, she has kept on with her life, lost weight in the process, and changed her hair, but she's still Ali, only now she reminds me of the actress Robin Wright. I do my best to keep in contact with her; I really want to start up that letter chain again. I know she's doing okay, and that she'll continue to do so. One day, I hope to shoot with her again, whether it involves her coming out to California or me flying out to Pennsylvania again. Considering that this is the longest retrospective I've done to date, it goes without saying that these photos are special to me, as she is an especially important person in my life, and as much as I can keep talking on and on about her, there are other things I must do. So I'll just say this to Ali: Thank you for letting me do this. Taking the photos, sharing them with people, and well... being an example of a true counterpoint in all good relationships, platonic or otherwise. Most of all, thank you for letting me be myself as I have let you be you. - Scott* Hello, lovely people. I have, not one, but two new photo albums to debut today, along with a music video I shot some time ago before I encountered some technical difficulties with my laptop. I'll keep this one short and sweet by saying all links can be found on the home page and this post. Cheers! |
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Mark "Scott" Raineri
Independent Filmmaker & Photographer who likes crafting evocative and iconic images. |