Stuart Tracte 9/5/23 Stuart Tracte 9/5/23

Portfolio building with Anja | September 5, 2023

Anja from The Source Models needed some basic studio work for her portfolio, and I needed to get back to work after 2 months of recovery after surgery.

I don’t think I’d mentioned this here….I had surgery on my left arm (elbow) on July 11th of this year. I knew it was coming, so I slowed down, in the weeks before, and cleared my schedule for about two months afterwards. I’m left handed, and edit with a stylus, so, I knew it would be a bit before I was able to get back to work.

It funny… you go from 0% to 80% post-surgery so fast! I was expecting to be out of commission through the end of September, but I got back to life much sooner than expected. So, I reached out to Jeff Fuller of The Source Models to see if he had anyone for me to shoot. He sent me a package to select from, and it was very clear who I wanted to work with. Anja had gorgeous images that I could tell were from a single shoot in South Pointe Park, and her limited portfolio was screaming for some studio work. I also needed to get back to work and stretch my lens and arms after almost three months off.

I must say, working with Anja was a wonderful experience; she even showed up early! We kept the styling simple & classic and I think that was the right move. Here are the completed images from our work together.

A great shoot & experience. I hope to create more with Anja in the future.

(click image to expand)

Stuart Tracte 6/27/23 Stuart Tracte 6/27/23

Kwadwo in Color

We started writing this story in 2013, and only finished today.

Here’s another one of those times. You know… when you go back through a decade or more of images, with a decade older eyes, experience, editing prowess, style…

… and create something you never saw before. By ‘saw,’ I mean when I looked at these images back in 2013, I saw 2 or 3, and considered them individual compositions. Yet, looking at the photoset in Lightroom earlier this week. I saw a story I hadn’t noticed before, and went right to work.
I keep thinking about where to put these images, and wind up never showing them to anyone. I’m hoping this ends that trend. I really need to dive into the archives, delete wasteful 1s and 0s, and properly treat images that may have been overlooked over the years.

So, I wasn’t even done with the set, and I HAD to hit up Kwadwo.

Gotta say…. that felt good. Glad to have made this incredible set of images with you, old friend. This dude was always working on something good for the world. We shot an ill-fated but wonderful intentioned campaign for an clothing idea, proceeds of which would go to anti-bullying organizations, and now he’s traveling the world spreading positivity and good vibes. You can check out some of his work here.

OK. Those were words. These are images.

Stuart Tracte 2/12/23 Stuart Tracte 2/12/23

Posing with @pineapplepey | Peyton Bell | February 12, 2023

Peyton Bell is top notch. Great energy, enthusiasm for creativity, and fearless. Can’t ask for more. I look forward to shooting more with @pineapplepey

It’s always great to find new collaborators. Oftentimes, creative or spontaneous shoots are like dancing. Not only do you need to find a good partner, there needs to be a good rhythm. I met Peyton at the Motorcar Cavalcade, and we set up a simple shoot. We spend Super Bowl Sunday doing what NY Jet’s fans do…. not watch the game. Peyton has truly great creative energy. We had only a simple plan and creative chemistry, and I’d say we nailed the assignment. These are the results. (click image to enlarge)