Project 4: An Active Portrait

Brief:

• A subject in a natural activity
• Concentrate on the person and the facial expression

This shot is one of a sequence from a photoshoot in May of this year. Charles is a hip hop and artist asked me for some ideas on how he should pose. I know that most hip hop artists gesture a lot with their hands while singing but it would have been difficult for me to describe what I had in my head and he would have appeared quite wooden.

I asked him to sing one of his songs (not necessarily at full volume), and he immediately started gesticulating in a natural and spontaneous way.

What have I learned?
I found that once the subject was engaged in an activity, he almost forgot about the camera and didn't have to think about how to pose (nor did I!).
This wasn't planned, but his right hand acts as a leading line taking the eye to his facial expression. I also like the slight blur in his fingertips which shows that he wasn't static.
One of the things to be careful of when photographing singers is getting shots of them with their mouths wide open or 'pulling faces'.

I'm Back!

I haven't been here for quite a while, but I have been busy from a photographic point of view.

I've worked really hard to improve the quality of light in my portraits - experimenting with various camera and flash settings, using light modifiers, going to workshops and reading books. I'm also comfortable working in studios to produce a pure white background.

There has been a steady increase in demand for my work which has enabled me to work with a wider range of subjects in numerous settings. I've also put considerable time and effort building up the number of 'fans' on my Facebook page, albeit at the expense of my website (and my studies).