Old Hollywood Style Portrait

Here is my attempt at an old Hollywood style portrait from the 1930's and 40's. I choose not to convert this image to black and white because I like the reddish background. I used a tungsten light to light the background and a Kino Flo to light the model.

In the Studio

A recent studio session with Francesca.

Which image do you like better?

I find the first image compelling. It's not an amazing picture and not very creative. It's just a very basic, straight ahead, full face portrait. What I like is how her direct eye contact creates a connection between her and the viewer. Well, at least with me it does.

My style of wedding photography can best be described as "photojournalistic". Basically, I prefer to take candid pictures, as opposed to posed pictures. While I definitely take a decent amount of formal portraits at my weddings, I think that candid pictures tend to be better for capturing the emotion of a wedding day. In fact, I find that true for most photography settings, especially if the subject is uncomfortable in front of a lens.

However, the first image reminds me that portraits can be compelling. Out of the pictures I've taken in the last couple of weeks, for me, this is probably the one that I've spent the most time looking at. The image has flaws, but I still really like it. I showed it to a friend recently and he didn't particularly care for it. I guess that's part of what makes photography, or any art form for that matter, interesting. Different people see different things. Jackson Pollock is considered a master of abstract expressionism. I don't care for his work. I'm not saying that the first image is a great work of art. It's not, but you get the point.

The second image shows that she also has a less serious, playful side. My friend likes the second image better.

Ode to Robert Palmer

Some of you out there may remember Robert Palmer's music videos from the early 90's. The two that come to mind are "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible". Basically Robert Palmer sang while a bunch models who were all dressed alike and wore bright red lipstick would pretend to play instruments and dance around him. The music was good, but those videos turned them into huge hits.

Earlier this week I worked with a model named Madeline. She came in wearing a red dress and BRIGHT red lipstick. She said she was going for the "Robert Palmer" look. I immediately flashed back to those music videos. Because of the vivid color of her lips and dress, I decided to try to get her skin as light as possible to create contrast.

Madeline was great to work with and she is eager to pursue a modeling career. I hope to work with her again some day.

Studio session

Most of my photo sessions involves shooting on location. Since I live in NYC there are so many interesting places where I can bring my clients. Last week I had the opportunity to do some studio work. Candice is an aspiring actress/model. Take a look: