About Us | Bill Brady Photography

Still Photographs

Still photographs were my first encounter with uncensored truth. Photographs, captivating in childhood remain objects of personal fascination. War photography of Life Magazine, grainy black & whites, dye transfer images from the fifties, surreal colors ignited my imagination.

Photography was still pure when I reached for my first camera. A picture was an ephemeral moment, captured. Thin sheets of light and silver, an equal dose of luck and talent proved sublime alchemy. There were no do-over’s, “fixing in post,” no rescue for the failed attempt. The odds were stacked against you. It was inherently difficult, technical and challenging. But when it worked, it was magic.

Food, like film, is transformative. Chefs merge flavor, essence, and aroma. Much like a recipe, a still photograph requires the right combination of light, composition, and technique. Eating a meal or viewing an image offers a subjective sensual experience.

I capture food, flavor, and form.

My Story

I grew up in Italian food culture. My grandfather owned a famous waterfront bar called Puffy’s Tavern in Tribeca. The bar serviced immigrant dockworkers, boatmen and cargo ship crews. Tabs were often paid with 84-pound wheels of Parmesan cheese that had “fallen” off ships.

Like many Italian-American families, food, in my house, was a way of life. Cooking was associated with pride and honor. Sunday dinner was the glue that held generations together. Our meals were raucous and lively. We ate through good times and bad in the basement on Bay 20th street in Brooklyn. Bacon, garlic and olive oil remind me of simpler times. The transportive quality of food mingling with memory reminds us of who we are and where we come from.

Double feature movie matinees were also a staple of my childhood. Spaghetti Westerns, Hamer Studio horror movies, cartoons, and gritty crime films were an all day affair. I started experimenting with motion a couple of years ago. The process was intuitive. I translate my knowledge of still photography into the moving image. This new direction is exciting and I am proud to offer it to my clients.

Bill

Still Photographs

Work With Bill