Our Lady of Rapture

I Got to shoot some new portraits on Christmas weekend. This is the first one I finished. I also got a few artbooks on Chirstmas morning. I received books about Jan Saudek and Loretta Lux, and also got Twilight: Photographs by Gregory Crewdson and Graphis Photography Annual 2007. among the books I enjoy the one about Jan Saudek the most. It's an enormous book with images spanning his photographic career. I've looked before at Jan Saudek's work on his site*, but being able to see his work large and up close is entirely different then seeing images online. His work is a real inspiration for the pieces I'm creating right now and the book is really helping me refine my own style as well as borrow from his.

The idea that began the work on this image was when I was thinking of a mistress or seductress that would fit in this world that I'm creating. After the shoot though this image stuck with me above all the others and seemed to capture a moment of pure ecstasy and of course rapture. It reminds me a lot of Edvard Munch's Modanna. I chose red for the dress to inspire temptation and lust from the viewer and the wall was colored to contrast it and complement it. Blush was added to the cheeks to emphasize the overall feeling. I really enjoyed how this one turned out and only hope that future images can meet this type of mark.

*some images on Jan Saudek's site may be offensive to some people, view with care and not at work

Self Appointed King

I finally got to do a new portrait today. I was trying to do photos since I finished the color test but everyone was busy with one thing or another. I'm glad my friend came over today to help.

This picture is about a man that believes himself king. His mind is obviously playing a trick on him though which is why he is wearing a towel as a cape and a piece of cloth as his crown. I really worked hard to make it look like actual royalty was portrayed because in his mind he is the king. The whole picture tuned out a bit brighter then I would originally planned, but I think it really conveys the grandeur of it all. I may still revisit it later though and see what else I can do with it.

I'm looking forward to this Saturday, I have 3 shoots planned for that day which means a lot work for my portfolio and a lot more post.

(I also took some time and made all the images on my blog bigger. Enjoy!)

Color Test for The Saint

Just got done with the color test last night. I'm really happy with how it turned out and have to say that I like it better then the black and white version. I think this new process of making pictures, that I'm using with this series, is turning out really well overall. Making the black and white copy first gives me a chance to get the contrast and exposure just right. Then I'm free to experiment with the colors and get everything just right. I think the hardest part about it is giving the color depth and layers like natural colors have. The skin tones are especially hard to reproduce accurately. Hopefully with practice I can make some really amazing stuff.

Light Test for The Saint

Last night I suddenly got the urge to do a picture but the problem was the next appointment I had for any model was two weeks away. So I decided to set up the lights and do another self portrait to figure out the lighting for my next shoot. The next photo in my series is "The Saint" (working title). The idea is actually inspired by some of Jan Saudek's images.

I was really please with how the lighting turned out for this, especially when I got it right the first try. I think figuring out the lighting setup ahead of time will help a lot when I do the actual shoot two weeks from now. Now I just have to decide whether to keep it in black and white or make it color.

The Typist

Two post in one night! This is the second photo in my new series. The idea behind this one is uncontrollable obsession. I believe this is reflected in the papers posted on the wall and in front of him. I really wanted to make it feel like the paper was consuming him. Also, the look he has is supposed to convey a disturbing sense, because simply by looking at him we are interrupting his world. The red of the paper helps to convey this tense feeling and is also there to challenge and discomfort us.

(On a side note, the model's personality is nothing like this, he is actually quite cheerful and it took some time to develop the look needed for the piece.)

Update 2/22/08 - Since I've now done a lot more work in this series I no longer feel this portrait fits in with the overall feel and look that I'm attempting to accomplish. However, I am still keeping it on this site because I feel that its important to keep a record of this series progression intact even though I know that not ever piece will make it into my final series.

Self Portrait in the Yellow Room

I decided to start a new series. The idea behind this series is to create portraits that have a certain schizophrenic twist to them. That maybe the wrong word to use but the general idea is that the portraits take place in another world using a different mindset. "Self Portrait in the Yellow Room" is a great example because it shows me taking a picture of myself. The wall is actually white but I decided to change in an attempt to make it exist somewhere else in my mind. I want to go really crazy with this series and the colors is an important way to do that.