Either from a artistic or a commercial point of view, sometimes you want to show people in the shot, sometimes you don’t. Photo editors can be very specific with their requests “I’d like an image of x at dawn with no people” or “I need a landscape shot of z during the day showing tourists visiting but no identifiable faces”.
Model – Amanda ‘Hamilton’ Perez MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Grey background. Octabox powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. A medium size strip softbox on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
On April 30th, I took portraits of Kiyohide Shinjo. He is a 9th-dan Uechi Ryu karate master and a nine-time all-Okinawa kata and kumite champion. He dominated karate to such an extent he was known as the Okinawan Superman. Shinjo-sensei has conditioned his body to be able to withstand huge blows without sustaining damage. He can smack his knuckles, fingertips and toes into pretty much anyone or anything. Shinjo sensei put on his serious face for the portraits, his whole body tense and ready to strike. I’m pretty sure opponents who witnessed this face were just about to lose their fight and quite possibly consciousness. This was the second time I have photographed Shinjo-sensei, the first time was in 2006. Read my Island Icons interview with Kiyohide Shinjo for Okinawa Living Magazine.
A final image from the studio session for Leia Heider’s portfolio. I wanted a completely different look, but didn’t have time to change the makeup or hair after the Princess Leia shot. Instead we removed the flowers from the hair, she put on a sweater, and I shot the image back in the studio. I toned the images slightly differently in Lightroom and Photoshop, so hopefully people will be impressed by the shot, rather than realize it was taken during the same session. Model – Leia Heider MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO
Another image for Leia Heider’s model portfolio. We shot this look first in the studio, but I decided it would work better outdoors, so we stepped out into the garden and used some green foliage as a background. Model – Leia Heider MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S
Model – Leia Heider MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist Agency – Lona Blake Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
Things are going to look a little different on the blog over the next few days. I wanted to post slightly larger images online, so I’ve had to make some adjustments to the layout of the page. Of course, there are going to be some little niggles with the new design, but please be patient, and hopefully everything will be bigger and better in the not too distant future.
A few shots from a shoot last year to highlight the work of hair stylist Aiasha Orick-Fleurant. Aiasha is available for weddings, balls and photo shoots. She will be on Okinawa until June 2015. You can contact her via email at hairverbage@yahoo.com or her visit her website A. LaQuin. Model – Desiree Snyder Makeup – Summer Johnson Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin
A doctor friend of mine lent me some medical scrubs. So, at the end of a couple of recent shoots, I asked the model if they wouldn’t mind wearing something a little more clinical. Models: Amanda with makeup by Summer Johnson (above) and, Talisa with makeup by Mallika Sharma (below).
Model – Alexis Makeup & Hair – Summer Johnson Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Octabox powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. A medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 