ABOUT GREG BIBENS
Premier Vermont Portrait Photographer & Videographer
"With his stunning photography & artful videography, Greg Bibens will ensure you stand apart from the rest!"
As a Vermont portrait photographer and videographer, I’m continually drawing on my artistic roots and my close family ties. I grew up in a very creative family. My grandmother was a sensational soprano, my grandfather played the fiddle and harmonica, and the rest of my family grew up performing in some form or another. Inevitably, music, writing, theatre, and playing the piano, would all become passions of mine. Later, I’d start to write and direct home movies, loving the post-production editing process even more. I was fascinated by the medium–the edit, the final cut, the theatricality of it all.
After many school plays, community theatre shows, home videos gone bad, and countless hours of backyard productions (I convinced my father to build me my very own stage), I would go on to professional theatre. In 1994, I was cast in my first professional production, LOST IN YONKERS, at the Weston Playhouse (now Weston Theatre Company.) It was at this time I’d need my first professional headshot. I found it all so exciting–the dramatic backdrops, the moody lighting, all in search of the perfect portrait.
Meanwhile, I’d continue to perform in community theaters throughout Vermont, later touring with the New England premiere of a children’s opera, conducted by Robert de Cormier and featuring members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra! “An excuse for a new headshot!” I thought to myself, yet again eager to get in front of the camera in hopes of capturing my best self in black and white.
Photography and videography, a constant backdrop to my life...
As high school came to a close, I enrolled in the prestigious Musical Theatre Department at the University of Michigan. My classmates and I would seek out new headshots and video our acting classes to study the craft. In our spare time, we’d shoot actor reels for audition submissions. Photography and videography were a constant backdrop to my life.
Soon, in preparation for our senior showcase for New York agents and casting directors, I’d travel to the city for yet another headshot. I clamored up the rather uninspired dusty stairway to a photography studio tucked away in some artsy part of SoHo. It was during this session that I’d learn about the use of natural light. I’d be shown how to carve out more facial definition, clothing that best suited the shot, and how to portray just the right facial expression to draw the viewer in. I was one step closer to embarking on my new life in the Big Apple in pursuit of a career on Broadway.
For years, I longed for that Broadway dream, that desire to live a life in the theatre...
For years I longed for that Broadway dream, that desire to live a life in the theatre. I’d wait tables, I’d bartend, I’d even dabble in real estate between those out-ot-town acting gigs–anything to make ends meet and to keep the dream alive. One day, I wandered into B&H, the famed megastore, the Disney World for photographers and videographers. I had scraped together enough money to buy my first real camera–a Nikon D80–a long lost relic by today’s standards. And that was the true start of it all–a life destined as a professional photographer and videographer.
To this day, photo and video paraphernalia perpetually multiply in my studio just outside Burlington, VT.
As years went by, the dream of “making it” dwindling more and more, family beckoned me back to Vermont. Moving to the Burlington area, I rejoined the family business, Bibens Ace Hardware, as Training and Marketing Coordinator. “Wow, a real job,” I thought. It was here that I’d produce commercials and training videos, honing my skills, trying new techniques, and yes, buying more equipment along the way. And more equipment…And MORE equipment. To this day, photo and video paraphernalia perpetually multiply in my studio just outside Burlington, VT.
Finally, I started my Vermont photography and videography business in the fall of 2022...
Finally, I started my Vermont photography and videography business in the fall of 2022, creating more commercials for retail stores, restaurants, and hotels up and down the east coast, all the while photographing headshots, senior photos, and family portraits.
Today, as a seasoned professional, I hope to share some of what I’ve learned over the years, some of my passionate creativity, and maybe, just maybe invite you to let me take a peak into your world, exploring your life’s moments through my creative lens.
