A successful portrait is more than just a picture of an interesting subject in a nice environment. It is all about staging. What is your subject doing? What emotion are they exhibiting? Is lighting providing the joyful, dramatic, sexy, or mysterious mood you want to convey?
I take the time to discuss your ideas and intentions with you. We then agree on a staging to start with, in order to guide the session.
Be it for a professional/corporate picture for LinkedIn, or an alternative lifestyle session, all ideas deserve being discussed and explored.
Professional portraiture
The following picture was taken in the client’s studio, as he wished to be in his own workspace. The setup was adapted a bit, and the accessories you see on the table and shelves have been selected to better reflect the new project he will be presenting. We then adjusted the lighting and tried various expressions and poses (even one similar to the Pump Up The Volume movie poster). Finally, we both agreed that shooting in black and white delivered the best result for this portrait, as it allowed for a cleaner composition and greater focus on the client.
Alternative portraiture
For the following stagings, we have chosen the decor in a hotel room, composed of a concrete wall on one side, and a fireplace on the other. It was clear from the beginning that no faces would be captured, since the focus was to be on the poses themselves, as well as the textures of the models’ clothing and accessories.
We did two solo photo shoots first, with the concrete wall side giving a slightly textured background. You can see one of the models adopting a casual pose, below.
For the duo photo shoot in front of the fireplace, I asked the models to act out a little power struggle by providing them with a few simple instructions. In this case, the models knew each other, but the same result could have been achieved if both models were not friends, simply by giving them some time to discuss and get acquainted with one another.
For this type of photo shoot, choosing the right photographer is paramount. The model(s) must be comfortable in order to roleplay and to simulate emotions. This will make all the difference in the end product.
Do you need a professional, cosplay or alternative style portrait? Something that would take you out of the ordinary? Do you have any questions about this kind of photo shoot? Contact me to discuss and make an appointment.