A portrait with a twist!


Just recently I had a plan mapped out in my head, which basically focused on creating some portraits with a bit of character attached to it. I wanted to marry a few aspects together and see what I could come up with.
I wasn't expecting to find inspiration from a reality TV show, but that's exactly what happened while watching re-runs of 'LA Ink'. Watching Kat Von D do what she does best set my mind in motion, and helped me find the missing link to my unripened plan.

To be able to incorporate my portrait style with the personality of a tattooed subject was the gist of it. Right off the bat it sounded quite simple, but like I said earlier, it needed character. The chase was on to find the right subject. After exhausting local contacts I prowled social media. Just shy of four hundred friends on facebook and all I had to show for in this case was a handful. Luckily, one of them was flying into the country very soon, and after exchanging a few messages we managed to set a date and time for a quick photo shoot.

Working with 'Vim' was fantastic. He has a great presence in front of the camera and his fun yet mature demeanor could not be faulted. It's fair to say that we had a pretty good time going back and forth between poses and lighting setups, and got exactly what we set out to.
I had so much fun during this shoot that I've just started a new project, trying to work more with people and capture all there is to, from a face. This here is one of many, that we shot on the day. To view the rest from this shoot you only have to wait a tad bit longer, as they will be up on my site once it's launched. Drop me a line, let me know what you think.

If you would like a similar portrait or even something vastly different, all you have to do is use the 'contact form' on the blog or drop me a quick personal message on my facebook page right here.

Enjoy!


Let down by colour! - Part 3


Welcome to part 3. If you're one of those eagerly awaiting this newest installment, then hopefully this post lives up to it.
This here is an image which initially caused me a heap of problems. Shooting at this angle was near impossible. I had circled the Elizabeth Tower and the Palace of Westminster trying hard to find a clear line of sight for a promising image. The wide angle lens I borrowed was in its widest setting and yet after everything I tried the result was severely mediocre. Here I was in one of the best cities in the world, shooting a famous landmark. The last thing I needed was to go home having photographed it like everybody else. No, this was not about creating a snap shot image to print as a postcard and mail to grandma. This was about finding elements that help catalyze the natural beauty of the Elizabeth Tower and its surroundings.

After numerous tries it dawned on me, that in order to get the image I wanted I had to work an angle. Usually I love working different angles on my images, but this proved to be harder than I thought. With my tripod and camera set as close to the ground as possible, I now had to figure out a way to get behind the viewfinder and compose the image. Unfortunately this meant having to get on all fours and lie on my belly, all this in the middle of bustling London. Amidst an ever growing number of awkward looks I got on with my work, perspiring profusely from the heat of the summer sun. I've had my fair share of moments while pursuing an image but this really did take the cake.

After what seemed an eternity fussing over composition and balance of light I hit the shutter button, twice. The shots were satisfactory, yet there was a definite void which I felt could be sufficiently filled.
The beautiful afternoon sun shone some amazing light, which kissed the cotton like clouds and made for a visual spectacle. Unfortunately the default colour in the image robbed it of all this. Another little niggle was the silhouette of the foreground which drew too much attention to itself.  Absolutely hell-bent on a unique outcome I found that the solution to these observations was to create a black and white image.
The conversion proved its worth. Pure black and white gave a cleaner image, something more visually engaging. Gone was the ordinary details, now replaced by something worth writing home about.
This was it, the image I'd been chasing. Lying on the asphalt soaking in my own sweat was a distant memory, one which was now overcome by sheer elation.