Today’s photographer spotlight is on the ever talented CJ Nicolai of Cheryl Jacobs Portraits, out of Denver, CO.

by Cheryl Jacobs
About the image…
1. Why do you love this image?

This is my recent favorite image for a myriad of reasons. First, it’s from my newest project, called Snow White Drifted (from the Mae West quote, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”) After years of primarily photographing children and families, I gradually switched to photographing performers backstage, and now, into photographing women in sort of a candid vintage-style boudoir project. Second, I love how peaceful she looks, despite the clutter and chaos that was the reality of the session. Third, the lighting. It just works really well to create a Vogue Italia ambience and mood, and it carves out her features nicely. Fourth, the subject did a phenomenal job on the styling of the image; the hair, makeup, and wardrobe were absolute perfection. I’m a very retro kind of girl, and this kind of image just makes me very happy.

2. What were your settings with this image?

I’m a film shooter, and used Tri-X 400, as I do at nearly every shoot. This was shot at box speed, developed in Tmax developer, and this is a neg scan.

The tech info was my usual combination of f/2.8 (wide open) at 1/60th, shot with my Bronica SQ-Ai and 80mm 2.8 lens.

About Photography…
3. What brought you to photography?

I was brought up on music and visual art. I started painting and drawing at a very early age (preschool or so) and gradually fell backward into photography about ten years ago.

4. What type of Photography do you specialize in and why?

I started out 100% children with the occasional family session thrown in there. Really, though, I describe myself as a B&W people photographer. Anything that is emotive, honest, raw, and allows me to work in my own way is just fine for me. That means children, adults, seniors, commercial work, retro boudoir, fine art, really anything that I can do MY way.

About your life?
5. Outside of photography, what are your interests/hobbies?

I’m also a professional musician, and I spend an awful lot of time singing. I have a band called Reckless Red, and also a jazz project, and a band in Arkansas. I love raw honesty, whether in music or in photography. I don’t like excessive slickness in either. Imperfection is full of character, and that’s what I’m after.

6. Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by emotion, both in music and photography. But emotion comes from a lot of different places; beautiful light, interesting texture, irony, luminosity. I love to tell a story, whether a big one or a small one.

7. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, doing anything at all, where would you be, what would you be doing, and why?

THAT is a very difficult question. I’m an adventurer, and I love people. That means I basically have a blast no matter where I go. I’ve run around London with strangers, jumped up on stages with bands in a lot of different cities, done lots of fun stuff. Really, I don’t care where I am as long as I’m either singing or surrounded by music. That is when I am the most raw and honest.

8. What song can you listen to over and over again?

Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles. There are so many great songs out there and I’m constantly finding new ones that blow me away, but this one is just about as good as a song can ever be.

9. Can you tell me some quirky or little known fact about yourself?

Again, good question. I’m really an open book in most aspects of my life, so it’s tough to think of something people don’t already know. Reaching all the way back into my childhood, I won my very first art-related award when I was seven years old for a really, um…primitive pastel drawing of a swan.

10. If you weren’t a photographer, what other profession would you pursue?

Well, I’m a photographer / musician / writer / mentor / editor / mother at the moment, and all of those together make me pretty happy. I’ve got a pretty short attention span, and I really need this kind of variety in my life to stay inspired. If one thing starts to get boring or uninspiring, I can focus on something else. I can’t think of anything else I’d want to do.

My current websites:

Portraits: www.cheryljacobsportraits.com
Backstage project: www.cherylnicolai.com
Snow White Drifted: www.snowwhitedrifted.com
Workshops and critiques: www.cheryljacobsworkshops.com
Denver band Reckless Red: www.recklessred.com
Arkansas band Red Barn Ramblers: www.redbarnramblers.com