Fresh Face: Sam Kieseker

 

I always love working with new faces, especially when there isn’t an elaborate concept behind the shoot. I find that this really allows me to develop the expressions of the talent, and get them feeling more comfortable in front of the camera. Because there is no background or context, the model’s ability to emote and have something going on in their eyes is really important.

A few weeks ago, I had Sam come in to the studio for some new folio images. He had recently been signed with GTR, and was even off to Hong Kong the following week. Sam was a little nervous at first, but really enthusiastic and willing to try anything I threw at him. He took direction well, which I think is particularly important for new faces.

As the shoot developed, Sam became more comfortable in front of the camera and relaxed a lot. This meant that I was able to capture a range of emotions, both light and serious, which added extra diversity to his book.

A quick venture outside the studio ended the shoot- I never tire of the textures and shades of the walls nearby the studio, but I think I’m going to have to come up with some new locations soon so that my folio doesn’t look too repetitive!

Thanks Sam for coming down to the studio, and best of luck in HK!

Sam is represented by Greg Tyshing.

 

Adventures in Shiba Park

After testing with some of the girls from Folio in Tokyo, I came back to the office to pack up and say goodbye. In the meantime, a young male model had dropped in and was chatting to the office staff. He explained that he was looking to do some testing, so I asked if he wanted to do a shoot the following day. He was thrilled, and so we organised to meet back at the office the next day.

Ty was such a friendly guy, and was in Tokyo to work. He usualy resides in Hawaii, so I had lots of questions to ask him about the differences in living in the two locations.

We decided to shoot in Shiba Park, which is near Tokyo Tower and not too far from the office. This time, it was just myself and Ty with no other staff. There were so many spots to shoot in- shrines, parks, streets- so we just walked around and every so often I asked Ty to stop in a patch of light, or lean against a random wall.

Ty’s folio had a lot of smiling, youthful shots, so I wanted to capture some more serious faces and different expressions. He took direction really well, and was so easy to get along with. He was also very comfortable in front of the camera and moved well.

We shot for only about an hour, but I got so many great shots, it was hard to choose which ones to retouch. Thanks Ty! Looking forward to shooting again next time I’m in Tokyo! :)

And a couple of my shots made it onto Ty’s comp card…

Olivia Visits The Studio

I have been working with a few actors and actresses recently to capture natural, honest portraits of them for their CVs. The latest talent to enter my studio was Olivia, who was great fun to photograph. I really wanted to capture her friendly, cheerful nature, so there was a lot of smiling going on (some of it prompted by my terrible jokes.) All the best for the auditions Olivia!

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