Snazzy Headshots

I get really excited when new clients contact me, especially if they do so because they have seen my work somewhere! Last week I got an email from Tanisha, who is a dancer. She wrote me some really nice words about my photos (making me all gushy and smiley) and asked if I could take some portraits of her to take to castings.

Tanisha was SO lovely to work with. Being my usual daggy self, I pulled all the lame dad jokes and had her laughing about on set in no time. She warmed up realy quickly, and relaxed in front of the camera easily. I love to mix these types of shoots up and work both indoors and outdoors, so after a few outfit changes in studio, we took some outdoor shots too. Thank you Tanisha for coming in to the studio, and good luck with future castings!

PS: yes, I do portraits and headshots. Actors, models, dancers- if you need a folio update get in touch! :)

Mini Road Trip With Jeremy

I’m really enjoying doing a lot more testing lately, especially on location. Here are a few snaps from a last minute shoot with Jeremy Anderson from GTR. I initially wanted to drive down to Werribee for this, but we only got as far as Altona before I wanted to stop and shoot. Sometimes I just like to drive around and jump out when a spot catches my eye.

I took the Profoto kit out with me, but I actually just ended up using completely natural light. When shooting tests without an assistnat, I find it faster, and this keeps the pace of the session nice and snappy.

This shot of Jeremy under the bridge was my favourite of the shoot. I love capturing interesting pockets of light and this one was a great find! Thanks Jeremy for being a great model, and MYER for the clothing.

 

New World Soul Fashion Shw

Photographing a fashion show is always an exciting time. Being backstage with the models and hair/makeup teams, feeling their excitement and nerves, you really get a buzz from being a part of it. In December, just as the weather started to warm up, I shot for Upper Volta’s latest fashion event, New World Soul. Having done their campaign photography, I was also given the honour of being the official photographer! That meant that I got to boss everyone around and elbow other photographers out of the way in the media pit (just joking!)

The event was held at Clifton Street Market in Prahran, which is an amazing warehouse space. It was the same location that we shot the campaign shots in. Look at my photo gracing the homepage of their website! ^_^

I arrived around 6pm, but the models and hair and makeup teams had already done a few hard hours. There were around 40 models, so to have everyone ready on time they had to start early. As soon as I entered the building I was stopped in my track, because my photos were printed HUGE on fabric, and were suspended from the mezzanine! One portrait was taller than me, and there were 8 of them! There was also a full lenght shot that would have easily been three metres high. I was thrilled, they looked brilliant! My shot was also on the little brochures for the afterparty- it looked great with the copy on it, and I was not-so-secretly chuffed.

I took a lot of backstage photos of everyone doing their thing- relaxing, getting their hair done, and eating the amazing food that was provided. A lot of the models recognised me from previous shoots, so it was nice to catch up and have a little chat. I even got to wear a KWAMEE t-shirt to feel like part of the crew.

Whilst there was still daylight, I tried to capture a raw portrait of each model. I didn’t quite get everyone because of all the commotion. I love the diversity of faces that Kwamee had chosen to walk the runway.

Finally it was nearing start time, and guests started to arrive. Champagne was served, lights were dimmed, and backstage we were hushed. It was really tricky to shoot the runway, because it was incredibly dark, there was no spotlight at the spot where the models were to stop, and it was totally backlit. Add a heavy smoke machine, and you’ve got a recipe for trouble. I prefer not to use flash in these types of events, because it can kill the mood and atmosphere of the shot. So I ended up using two cameras; one with a fast lens to capture the models as they were walking, and one with a slower lens, but with flash, to grab them as they posed on ‘the spot.’ I probably looked like a maniac switching between two cameras constantly, but luckily there was a table right next to me that I could rest one of them on when needed.

Needless to say, my arms were pretty buff afterwards.

At the end of the show, everyone cheered and I overheard lots of the audience complimenting the designs. Kwamee even made a little speech to thank everyone for coming. I know he’s a little shy so it was great to see the relief on his face when he felt that the event had gone well.

A few days later, my shots started appearing on the designer’s instagram page. There are many many shots, so please go and check some more out here.

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.