Boy

I’ve really been enjoying testing with kids and teens, its a totally different way of shooting and that in itself is quite refreshing. Trying to get a natural expression from younger models can be easier (as their filters are lower), or harder (because of being shy) depending on the person.

Recently, I had the opportunity to test with N. I only had half an hour or so, because N was on the way to a casting for a TVC. So I decided to photograph him in the studio, and then pop outside to play with the quickly fading winter light.

N is a champ, and really easy to photograph. Plus I learned a lot about Pokemon Go whilst I was shooting (and apparently there was a Pokemon on my camera!)

Thanks N for being a great model!

 

Photographing Kidlets

I had the pleasure of photographing Callum and Lailey in my studio a while ago. This was my first time creating props especially for use with portraiture, which was a lot of fun, but also very time consuming! I constructed cacti and clouds from cardboard, and assembled a collection of props for the day.

I wanted to capture the personalities of the kids, but shoot and retouch the images in a similar style to how I approach my fashion work. I think the final images turned out well, and the parents really liked the results! But most of all, the kids had such a great time. They were so patient and excited to be in front of the camera. They both also took direction well. You may notice some siblings in there too, who were slightly more camera shy :)

To book a portrait session (with custom built props) don’t hesitate to get in touch through www.stephdoran.com

Tea Party With Alexia Petsinis

Wow, it was a long time ago that I shot this series, but I had such fun doing it that I thought it deserved a blog post! Alexia Petsinis is one of those amazing people whose talents you should be jealous of, but you just can’t be because she is just a lovely human being. I had worked with Alexia before, when she modelled some of her own clothing designs (gorgeous, by the way!) So when she asked me if I’d like to work with her again, I jumped at the chance.

The concept was a tea party, and Alexia had been asked by a child modelling agency if she would model alongside two of their young girls. We thought this would be a lot of fun, and make the shoot a whole lot more interesting. The two girls, Ella and Eden, were so cute, and were instantly captivated by the giant jars of lollies and colourful props that were set up in the studio.

 

Everyone’s hair and makeup was done by Stephanie Broad, who is incredibly fast at creating perfect makeup. And I mean perfect- not an eyelash was out of place.

I knew that I would have to shoot fast, and keep moving quickly, because when working with kids, you don’t have a lot of time, and attention spans are easily broken. But I was so impressed with how both of the girls performed. They listened to instructions and co-operated, and had fun as well! I loved capturing their inquisitive moments as they tried to sneak lollies from the jars when their mums weren’t looking.

The shoot went very quickly, both because we got through each set up fast, and because after a few hours Eden, the younger of the two girls, got a bit tired. She sure hung in there though! We had a few renditions of love songs from the soundtrack of the Disney movie “Frozen” to keep Ella entertained, which gave us the time to capture two more ‘looks.’ Both girls were awarded with very large babychinos at the end, which (ontop of the mountains of candy they had consumed) would ensure for a sugar crash later on.

Alexia sent me some unique illustrations that she had done especially for this shoot, which I plan to work into the backgrounds of the photos. She is brilliant at drawing, and her illustrations are just gorgeous! I really love to add a graphic element into my photography when I get a chance, so it’s great to be able to work across two mediums again. And naturally, I’m bursting to share the results of this shoot!