Harvey Petito + A Fishy Friend

I’ve been testing a lot in the studio lately, but a few weeks ago I had my youngest model on set yet. Harvey Petito is making a huge name for himself in Melbourne, and no wonder- he is a champ! I had been following Harvey on Instagram for a while, but had never thought to ask if he wanted to test. But a little emoji comment on one of his pictures caught the attention of his mum, Sharon (who manages his account), and it snowballed from there.

I was really excited to work with Harvey, because I hadn’t worked with a model of his age and experience before. What I liked was that he was just himself. Asking questions, telling puns, eating the lollies that I purposefully placed out on the bench. He was full of energy, but also knew how to work the camera. It was fascinating to watch, and I found that I approached the shoot and my way of reacting to him differently than when I shoot older talent. I really liked that fluidity, and the way that we both kind of adapted to each other’s rhythms.

One (silly) idea that I had, was to do quite a dark portrait, involving Harvey holding a squid. Something quite deadpan and a bit faded or washed out. Long story short, I couldn’t get a squid, but I did get a garfish, which provided a bit of fun and a little bit of “grossness” to the set. Something different, that’s for sure.

Thanks Sharon and Harvey for coming down to the studio- I had a great time, and I think I would like to do more testing with young models. It’s a different way of thinking and working and I liked that a lot.

 

Portraits For Infold Creative

I love working closely with other small businesses, so when the opportunity to capture some portraits of the staff at Infold Creative arouse, I jumped at the chance. Infold creative is a small creative solutions business, run by Lee Douglas and Victoria Devine.

Photographing ‘real people’ as opposed to models presents its own challenges, but i really enjoy doing it. Whilst models are obviously used to being in front of a camera, and know their best angles, everyday people (even very attractive ones, such as Lee and Victoria) sometimes need a little more help. 99% of my ‘real people’ portrait clients say “I’m so bad at photos” as soon as they jump on set. My job is to make them feel comfortable, get their bodies and heads in a flattering position, and extract a natural reaction from them. Sometimes it is more challenging than other times, but I love it all the same.

Lee and Victoria were fantastic to shoot- even after speaking to them for only a few minutes, I felt like I had known them for ages. I kept the shoot fast paced to keep spirits and enthusiasm high, with plenty of bad jokes and girly laughing all around.

I’m looking forward to attending a workshop with InFold creative soon, as this is something they might be offering on a regular basis!

Check out their website here, or their Facebook page here

 

Taking My Studio To The Streets

I had a dream a few weeks ago about using the Profoto b2 kit on location in the city, with a beauty dish to shoot a male model.

SO…

Last week I decided to make this dream a reality and used the Profoto b2 kit on location in the city, with a beauty dish to shoot a male model.

The model in question was Matt Saccuzzo, from GTR. Matt is heading overseas soon, and needed some more fashion work in his book. So we hit the streets of Melbourne with a little team and made some magic. I had the fantastic Trent Pace as my assistant (I was actually super stoked that he wanted to assist me- I’m a fan of his work!), and Emma Gordon as my stylist.

3pm on an overcast day on Williams Street, we made some pictures.

 

Testing With Marlon

On a cold, wet, miserable day, I had a shoot scheduled with Marlon, a new recruit signed with GTR. Poor Marlon is from the more northern shores of Australia, and was down in Melbourne for only a few days, so the cold was probably a shock to the system. In any case, he was such a trooper, and a pleasure to shoot. I’d photographed his sister earlier in the year, and his father is an ex model too, so it must run in the family!

This was Marlon’s first test, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him. He moved really well, and wasn’t afraid to try out a few different poses and techniques. He also took direction well, which can be hard for newer models.

We both ended up getting really soggy by the end of the shoot, but the overcast weather created excellent light for photographing, and so I was pleased with the results. Marlon’s new agent was also thrilled, instantly sharing the images all over social media. I don’t think this is the last time I’ll see Marlon- if he wants to continue modelling I have no doubt he will go places!

^ My favourite image from the shoot – the colour of Marlon’s eyes really shines here.

Bond… Charlotte Bond

I really enjoy photographing people, and love the challenge of capturing their personalities and true selves. In order to make people feel comfortable in front of my lens, I sometimes have to take different approaches.

I’m a bit of a dork at the best of times, but when I’m shooting I’ll often be very self depreciating and goof around, which can extract laughter or at least a smile from even the most nervous subject. I find that I can build rapport with people quite quickly, I think because I am small and not very intimidating-looking (well, I hope so.)

In any case, last week I photographed Charlotte Bond, an up-and-coming actress in Melbourne. Charlotte needed some new headshots for her agent, so that she can be put forward for roles and castings. She was so lovely, and a little shy at first (as is normal), but quickly opened up and relaxed. Being only 15 years old, I wanted to capture natural images, and keep the element of youth in each frame. That meant no heavy makeup, over the top posing, or extravagant costumes.

I was really happy with how the images turned out, and so was Charlotte and her mother Wendy (who happens to be one of my photography students!) Good luck with the castings, I’ll be keeping my eyes on the big screen. ;)