Dennis Gatz

Malkia wa Africa:

Dennis Gatz Photography:

I love kids. In fact, I’d love to have enough to populate a tiny village on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. Kids have also reciprocated the love (or they’re simply fascinated by my poofy hair) which is probably the most validating thing.

They are easily the cutest part of any wedding ceremony I've ever photographed. They’re the adorable little bows that wrap the celebration of love and life. Tiny echoes of happiness spreading across the ceremony

Which country topped Frederic Chopin’s Liszt of favorite countries? … Franz 😁  

Always with me, Tiny dancer in my hand.

Which president Handel-ed a Schütz-y economy with great aplomb? ... Baroque Obama!  😃

Contemplating how long it’s been since he had a brownie...too long

Plotting her path to taking over the world and making it a better place.  Step one: A worthy lieutenant. Check

Two types of people. Those wowed by contemporary design and the modernists

Awesome kid showing an example of proper kerning on brochures - Probably

Listening to Helen Reddy and getting ready for the world. 

Images from the beautiful wedding ceremony of Jasmine and Brandon Gant at Unity Village will come shortly.

Exif info:

B Hi, I’m Brandon

J Jasmine :)

B Soo, doing anything later for the rest of our lives?

J :))

Nailed it!

Here’s to eternity

Jasmine and Brandon Gant - by Dennis Gatz

A most beautiful celebration of life and love. This is a testament to what surrendering to something greater than yourself - love - can accomplish. This is one soul in two bodies dancing to an eternal song only it can hear.

The best part of 2017 was meeting so many couples ready to spend their lives together. Having a front seat, seeing what true love/commitment looks like, and what it entails was very inspiring. I love love.

I’ve known Jasmine and Brandon for what feels like eons. Their powerful philosophy of love culminated to this beautiful wedding at Unity Village in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. I wish them the very best in their lives together and I hope I can continue learning and looking up to them in the years to come. 

Sorry Seems to be The Hardest Word:

Part 8 of a 10 part series celebrating Elton Johns. I create conceptual images based on some of his music. 

Unity

A composite created by stitching together pieces of the Union Station in Kansas City.

Wedding Photography with the Wrights

Desiderata:

Dennis Gatz Photography |

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

Model/Graphic Designer/Stash Connoisseur - Jared Horman:

Marquis of Vaudeville: - Dennis Gatz

I had a great time working with this phenomenal band while I was in Dallas, TX. They have been featured on shows such as Dexter, 90210, Melrose Place, and Charmed. They have a hauntingly beautiful sound that takes you on a journey to the farthest depths of your mind.

We discussed a number of concepts before ultimately deciding on this one. The idea was to have an entirely white backdrop filled with trinkets and subtle symbolism. The band would also be levitating in a semi-lucid state. We drew up the sketch and made a few changes until we were all happy with it. 

I’ve always found the “sketch” phase to be the most crucial part of the creation process. It allows everyone involved to draw (no pun) from the same vision board. It also gives room for experimenting down the line while obeying the rules of the concept’s universe.

We shot this at a studio in downtown Dallas, TX. 

I usually group and mask each individual object. This allows me to create a separate additional layer within that group to adjust lighting direction and color as needed; sometimes to paint over the object non-destructively.

I’d say that the most challenging part was converting the clothes to white. This was done with a combination of the pen tool, several path layers for each part of the garment, and the paintbrush. 

I get into a trance or tunnel vision state where I can work for hours nonstop. It was amazing having their music rustling around in my mind vignetting any distractions.

Check out their page below and listen to their new album, “The Tragic Valentine.”

www.marquisofvaudeville.com/

Here’s an article about the album on Huffington Post

Exif info:

Nikon D7200 50mm @ 12 feet (approx) ISO 100 1/250 F/7.1

Rebecca Mardikes:

- Dennis Gatz Photography

Besixdouze: 

- Dennis Gatz Photography

This was a lot of fun to create. It started with an impromptu photo session with model extraordinaire, Izzy. 

First, I sketched the universe around her image. This was to create a framework for her reality and also to let the vessel design congeal from the minds-eye. It’s crudely done because I was excited/impatient to get into the work.

The only raw footage I used here was Izzy herself, a cinder block, and a fish bowl provided by my friend Felicity Bianca. The rest of the composition was created in Photoshop.

The galaxy background was created by using the noise filter. I squeezed out the low and high levels to form the stars. Stars are always a great opportunity to create Easter Eggs. Thereafter, I rendered some clouds to build the nebulae. 

The asteroids were built using a custom shape brush. This was followed by painting the highlights and shadows using the same brush (for roughness) and blurring the strokes. Thereafter, I used the cinder block (and noise) to create the rock textures.

Next. I built the Kino (top left) using the same cinder block and spherizing it. The glowing LED tracker was inspired by the show Black Mirror. It appeared in every episode of Season 4 and I found it simple yet quite elegant. 

Finally, I built Izzy’s vessel. This was the most time consuming part but my favorite. The base, which needed to look like an egg, was created using a mixture of the ellipse tool, a liquefied noise layer, and shading. I included the same LED tracker as (fingers crossed) a visual exposition device - the Kino and The Vessel are from the same creator; same home. The glass, body, and helmet were composited from the fish bowl. The “M-3.16″ inscribed on her vessel is her birth-date (May 3, 2016) and also a reference to M-type asteroids. 

Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were handy in providing the pace, mental rush, and fuel to complete this.

Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal:

Dennis Gatz Photography:

“Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal is an award-winning vocalist, songwriter, producer and world-renowned guitar virtuoso, with over 20 years of releasing music, playing international festivals and headlining tours, and gracing magazine covers as a solo artist. As lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses (2006 - 2014) Bumblefoot toured sold-out shows all over the world, headlining festivals with crowds up to 150,000. Bumblefoot's unique 'fretless guitar' can be heard throughout GNR's 2008 Chinese Democracy album.” - Source, www.bumblefoot.com 

It was an unbelievable experience working with Mr. Ron Thal. He is an amazing soul with a big heart and very down to earth. 

The top image was used on his award winning Hot Sauce (here)

Moon Dance:

Dennis Gatz Photography:

01/24/2017

From a seemingly discarded lump of coal, a beauty is forged. From the depths of pain and despair, a pure spirit is born. One to be revered. One to be celebrated. Having withstood want, she stands tall; a shinning diamond. She weaves her triumph into her dance to the moon, illuminating all around her.

This is a story of metamorphosis. A rallying call to look into the future despite your current circumstances. The audacity to pursue that which makes you whole. To scream into the skies and declare that you are worthy. Worthy to be standing in the altar of the stars!

This was the first time working with one of my favorite humans and great friend, Felicity. Thank you for the countless and the unnamable.

It was featured on Art People Gallery.

Existential Pawns :

Wanderer Above The Sea of Balloons:

Invictus:  Dennis Gatz |

This concept was inspired by William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus which has been a call to action at crucial points in my life. It features Bayleigh Dayton: actor, model, social activist, and Miss Missouri 2017. She’s the epitome of wisdom, grace, strength, and kindness.

While brainstorming concepts, we discussed resilience, the relentless pursuit of things that fulfill you (and the cost), self-improvement, and embracing our true selves to tap into our inner powers. Elephants rampaging through the city made sense. They symbolize stamina, wisdom, longevity, and can withstand anything thrown at them.

We shot Bayleigh in my downtown KC studio. This was followed by scouting and shooting around Kansas City, Mo. A fun and challenging endeavor that had to be done twice; in the morning and evening. This was to ensure that for each street needed, the light direction would be similar. The elephants were purchased via Shutterstock and none were harmed during this process. They seemed pretty docile.

Thereafter, I built this new world around Bayleigh in Photoshop and finished up in Lightroom. A cathartic process that took a number of weeks. To see the final image come to life and a large print of it hanging on the wall was an amazing feeling.

Exif info:

Bayleigh:

Nikon D750  50mm @ 15 feet  ISO 100  1/250  F/5.6  250w 7′ parabolic umbrella softbox. 

City:

Nikon D750  35mm & 50mm  ISO: 400  1/160sec, 1/2500sec (train image) F/4

Gemini: Dennis Gatz

An album cover for Kansas City artist, MABkc. We decided to stitch together this concept based on his oft dueling personalities and approach to life. He wore two sets of (purposely-blunt-different) clothes which were merged together in Photoshop. There was the temptation to set one side on fire but decided that since the two sides existed simultaneously, it would be a bit of a disservice to the concept. The window frame, drawn using a mix of the ellipse tool, rectangle tool, and some textures, was a subtle nod to the Gemini sign ♊ with the background featuring the same forest in a state of tranquility and chaos. 

Perhaps digging deeper, there’s the cognitive dissonance that plagues some of us. The fight between the person we are vs the person we want to be. What is expected of us vs pursuing our own interests. Navigating between certain socio-political pressures vs existing as our own individuals. Maybe even the putting on a facade of being okay/happy/free vs the turmoil/hurt/pain right underneath the surface.

We felt that these were some of the themes the image and the album as a whole pursued. Listen to MABkc on iTunes.

Exif info: