About Tim Raab Northern Photo
About Timothy Raab & Northern Photo, your Albany and Capital Region Photographer – “I started in the photography business in 1974 and have been enjoying it ever since. I feel lucky to have the advantage of a bedrock experience of old school traditional photography techniques combined with cutting edge digital technology expertise.
I’ve loved being a generalist, and kept quiet when each type of client believed all I do is their specialty. I’ve made thousands of friends creating fine headshots since the beginning; crawled inside furnaces, caves, and under railroad engines; walked I-beams high up on new buildings, and appreciated old construction such as finely carved woodwork and stone, and slate roofs; photographed so many amazing, talented artists and teachers in concerts, theatrical shows, and dance performances; been treated to intimate exposure of artists’ work in the course of creating gallery catalogs; shot out of many Cessnas and helicopters (sitting side-saddle, feet on the rail, with no harness, back in the 80’s); helped many attorneys win big with visual evidence; always enjoyed the brilliant energy on college campuses; frequently stayed up all night with Irish musicians enjoying the craic – music, fun and good company; photographed presidents, governors, legislative leaders, Kodak CEOs, countless bankers and lawyers, but always felt a greater pull on my heart documenting the Capital Region Visiting Nurses with their clients. I love the buoyant energy of endlessly creating polished images, and the reward of providing happiness to the people I meet along the way.”
More About Timothy Raab and the Performing Arts:
Tim jumped into Performing Arts Photography in the fall of 1974 as the house photographer at Albany’s Palace Theater, shooting legendary musical artists weekly, such as Bruce Springsteen, Genesis, and Santana. In 1984, Tim’s live performance photography skills secured his position as the principal contract photographer at the NYS Theatre Institute, where he freelanced until 2010. Since the mid-1990’s, Tim has also provided SLOC Musical Theatre with publicity stills, headshots, and graphics and photography ads. At Tim’s Multimedia website gallery, you will find hours of enjoyment in the Multimedia Sights and Sounds exhibits. Sights and Sounds all began in 2004, when Tim experimented using an in-camera audio recorder on a Fuji Pro S2 SLR Digital camera body, capturing 30 second, 8 bit mono audio clips to accompany the digital photos of musicians. Recording audio now with a Tascam portable digital recorder, the latest exhibit [Visions & Tunes: CIAW 2010] features high-quality MP3 256 bit rate live music audio paired with the images.
The Catskills Irish Arts Week, an Irish music school and festival that takes place every July, has been a focus of Tim’s artistic efforts particularly since the summer of 2008, with the production of 2008 and 2009 Sights and Sounds exhibits and two hardcover books, “It Wasn’t Just A Dream”, and “Melody, Tradition & Craic”. The CIAW Sights and Sounds exhibits are formatted similar to ‘A Week In The Life Of’ documentaries. Utilizing a new audio-with-still images program, the newest 2010 CIAW exhibit is divided into 40 chapters, with over 3300 images, projected in more than five and one half hours of dedicated music samples recorded simultaneously with the photographs. Please check out the Multimedia gallery where you will also find Sights and Sounds of the Capital Region Dance Flurry Festival, fiddlers Bruce Molsky and James Kelly, Scandinavian artists Vasen, and the exotic New Music from Music Omi. Timothy Raab’s book “It Wasn’t Just A Dream”, published June 2009, was placed in the Performing Arts Reading Room at the US Library of Congress, and is also in the collection at the Albany Public Library. Tim’s second book “Melody Tradition & Craic”, published in December 2009, features a foreword by the world-renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes.
Statement:
Inspirations: 1. Sometimes my favorite inspiring images have instantly created a spark in my mind upon capture and I know immediately that it will be a magical composition.
2. Other times, after the shoot is over, I discover the best when initially reviewing the capture, and one image just mesmerizes me.
3. After I have detached myself from the initial rush of the shoot, it’s gratifying when a certain particular image just keeps growing undeniably stronger every day, and evolves as the most inspiring photograph.
Client feedback is often a great inspiration as well: “A wonderful tribute to the work, time and effort for all concerned. You captured the magnitude and sheer heart of this magnificent happening. You allowed us to recapture those wonderful moments which we were all sure, were now just a dream. Thank you Tim.” (Kathy Ludlow). “He (Timothy) participated in this great gathering as a photographer in such a subtle manner that we are taken inside the world of this music without it being disturbed or stilted in any way.” (Martin Hayes). “A really well documented account in photos and sound, expertly put together. Rarely has clicking on a link given so much pleasure. Well done Mr. Raab!” (G. Cassa) “It is absolutely fantastic. It completely transports you back to what many of us think of as the best week of the year, capturing every nuance. I can’t imagine how long it took you to put it together and the technical expertise required to do it so flawlessly. It is truly a magical journey and I loved every frame! Congratulations on an amazing body of work and thank you.” (C. O’Sullivan)
About HeadShots and Portraits:
Click here for Portrait Prep Info
Headshots and polished professional business portraits are available through Capital Region Photographer Tim Raab’s studio in downtown Albany, NY, or at your corporate office environment. Standard business portraits requiring one perfect pose are turned around in just one hour, including general retouching, with both color and expert black and white duplicate output, cropped, sized, named, and sent via email. Ask yourself: Can you afford to use a professional portrait that shows you at less than your very best?
Scheduling a session with Tim is easy. Please contact Tim via phone or email to set up an appointment, to check pricing, or to request more information. Please read the Portrait Prep Info before your head shot and portrait session so you better prepared to create a portrait that gives all viewers a great first impression.
Utilizing Your Polished Portrait / HeadShot:
Websites, Press Releases, Annual Reports, Publicity, Advertising, Social Networking Sites, Business Cards, Email Signature, Newsletters, Letterhead, Employee Recognition Events such as Awards, Organizational Charts, Retirement. And last, I have learned to accept it as a compliment when a senior admires his/her polished portrait and says to me: “Great job, Thank-you; This will also be my obituary portrait”.
My Beginnings
In the summer of 1974, I borrowed my sister’s Kodak 126 Instamatic camera, shot lots of performers at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival, sneaked a couple shots of Peter Gabriel at a Genesis concert in New York City, and I was hooked. Later that summer, I purchased my first SLR, a basic German Practika. Two weeks later, my downstairs neighbor, Paul Pintavalle of the legendary L’Artelier Salon, requested that I create headshots of their flashiest hairdos for the purpose of entering a contest. I needed lighting in order to complete the assignment. After telephoning almost every single studio in the phone book, I found an old photographer eager to unload used lighting equipment. Two huge, old Beattie Hollywood newsreel flood lamps, an adjustable Fresnel spot, and a boom arm Giraffe hair light, all four with portable heavy iron light stands, and all for $100, and I was in business with 1930s style Hollywood movie lighting! Then came investing all my earnings in more lenses, building a darkroom lab in a closet, and bringing my camera to the Palace Theatre in Albany, switching to Nikons...........
16 James Street
Albany, NY 12207
Phone - 518.465.7222
Fax - 518.465.6715
Email - tim@timraabnorthern.com
