Hannah Lowe Corman is more than a painter- she's a writer, a traveller, a baker, a yoga instructor, and even a former investment banker. I first met Hannah through the Brooklyn/Queens monthly Rising Tide Society meetup, where a group of local creative entrepreneurs come together to gloss over mind-numbing logistics of business, bounce ideas off like-minded people, and just generally chill amongst peers (which is cool for someone like me because I spend a lot of time alone wondering what the hell the rest of the world thinks about anything). Over group conversations discussing monthly themes like marketing and accounting, I started to pick up bits and piece of Hannah’s extensive skill set and was definitely impressed! We eventually got to talking one-on-one when she mentioned having me make some photographs for her new artist website, so I said- girl, let’s do this.
On a calm, overcast day in our crazy New York City, I headed up to her home & studio space on the Upper West Side where she offered me coffee from her collection of favorite brews and led me through a tour of her works. I love this part of the job- just hanging out before shooting, chatting and exchanging questions, ya know, like friends. Making a connection like this is so important to what I do and how I do it, because it primes the environment for a more intimate understanding of the artist’s work and perspective. I just love it. I oohed and ahhhed over Hannah’s palette and the way she unintentionally arranged her paint tubes while I set up a little shooting station in the corner of the room. As I photographed her canvases, I marveled and speculated my way through each shot while she cheerily guided me through her inspirations. After getting up close and personal with her paintings and snapping a few candids of her in action, we then collaborated on a little styled shoot of her works on display. For this part of any brand photography session, I recommend pulling props from your real live environment as they not only usually already represent your aesthetic, but mean something to you and thus create more personal images. Hannah of course was down, so she pointed out a smattering of items in her home collected from family members and her own adventures. Every piece had a story- from the big red chair she painted in to her collection of trinkets! We ended the session at dusk on Hannah’s balcony, overlooking the infinitely unreal cityscape as captivating and complex as the works she creates.
Check out some favorites from our session below and be sure to make your way over to her website to see the rest of her collection and maybe buy a piece or two! I would also recommend her blog, Next Stop: TBD, if you’re a foodie in NYC or anywhere really.
