It’s been a while since I updated the website or posted a blog entry. Since my last entry in January 31, 2019 (how embarrassing), I got a promotion at work and have been focused on doing my best. However, it also meant that I did have a lot of energy when I got home to work on photography. However, I did hold two photo shoots in February and have completed the editing process, but I have not shared the images anywhere yet. I am definitely looking forward to sharing them with all of you.
I am also taking the time to focus more on photography. I am hoping to start back up in November and hold a series of photo shoots. I am hoping to build a large catalog of photo shoots that will give me something to work on throughout the holidays and on into next year. Plus, I am hoping that I can starting hold a couple of photo shoots each month and maybe even do a couple of holiday-themed photo shoots. I think it would be fun! Either way, I am definitely looking forward to November and onwards!
Darius
Anyway, on to the reason you guys are here – Darius. I first met Darius when he answered my posting for male models. I definitely thought that Darius had an interesting look, but I was sold when he mentioned that he practiced and taught yoga. Yeah, my mind definitely conjured up several different poses that I would love to capture Darius in. I am definitely happy that he easily moved from one yoga pose to another and could maintain it while I captured it with my camera. So yeah, I definitely loved that I was able to capture some interesting poses with Darius and how the shoot reminded me of the shoot with Jeremy, the dancer. Anyway, on to my favorite images from the photo shoot!
Street Clothing
As usual, I photographed Darius in the clothing that we wore to the photo shoot. In this instance, Darius wore a soft looking navy blue sweater and a pair of blue jeans. It definitely feels like a classic look, especially since I photographed him November 2014. It definitely looked nice against the white background.
As I was reviewing the images to determine which ones to highlight for the blog entry, I kept landing on this image for the street clothing. I really like the pose that Darius is in and how it conveys a sense of ease and naturalness. I also like how his weight is on right leg and creates some interesting lines with his left leg. Yeah, I am definitely a fan of the pose and how it creates some interesting lines with the negative space. So yeah, it was definitely easy to select this image to highlight for the street clothing portion.
Darius 001Darius 001
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Underwear
For the underwear portion, I ended up selecting the image below to highlight. Similar to the image above, I like how his weight is mostly on his right leg and how it created an interesting curve throughout the rest of his body. Yeah, I how his shoulders seem to be pointing at the opposite direction of his hips, which helps to create that interesting curve.
Additionally, I love that that his jeans that pulled down low enough to see the majority of the 2(x)ist briefs that he is wearing underneath. I am a fan of the look and am happy that I was able to capture the look with Darius. Additionally, I love that phrase “Lucky You” is at an angle that directs the viewers eye right to the bulge within those 2(x)ist briefs. Yeah, I definitely loved how the image came together.
Darius 035Darius 035
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Yoga
As I mentioned before, Darius mentioned that he practiced and taught yoga when he responded to my posting. For that portion of the shoot, Darius pulled on these tight black shorts and started stretching. I got several images of Darius moving fluidly from one pose into the next one. It was definitely impressive and maybe wish that I had that sort of flexibility.
For this section, I selected the image below for its interesting composition. I like the lines that it created, especially the curve that started at his hips and followed through the points of his fingers. It’s definitely not a pose that I have captured before, but I am definitely happy that I was able to capture it with Darius. For me, it was definitely easy to select the image as my favorite for this portion.
Darius 052Darius 052
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Nude
Previous, I had removed the full-frontal nudes from the site because I was toying with the idea of hosting them on an OnlyFans webpage. However, I quickly grew tired of it since I had to maintain a schedule for it and just hated having another site to maintain. So yeah, I am going to be reincorporating my nude photography back into this website and Model Mayhem.
As such, I am starting off with my favorite nude image of Darius. For me, I love the negative and positive space within the image. As with several other images in the photo set, I love the fact that his weight is mostly on his right leg and the subtle curve that it creates throughout the rest of his body. Additionally, I love that his arms are stretched up and has a slight lean in the opposite direction of his hips. Yeah, I am fairly happy with how the image turned out. It was definitely easy to select the image as my favorite nude from the photo shoot with Darius.
Darius 045Darius 045
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Overall Favorite from the Photo Shoot
In reviewing the images from the photo shoot, I instantly knew that the image below was my overall favorite. I absolutely love the pose and the lines that it creates. I love that this could easily just be an early morning stretch for him and a captured moment. Yeah, this is easily my favorite image from the photo shoot.
Darius 067Darius 067
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Closing
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Darius. As I get back into photography, I am hoping to post blog entries and galleries on a predictive time frame. Plus, I am hoping to have new images to post once I start holding photo shoots in November and on into 2020. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot here in Austin, Texas, please email me at [email protected]!
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If you're interested in my work, definitely check back for some new images of new guys. I am definitely planning on making updates to the website on a routine basis.
Emiliano
Anyway, on to the reason you guys have stopped by – Emiliano. After the first photo shoot, he reached out to me to see if I was looking for models. During the first photo shoot, I found myself being fascinated with his overall look and general moodiness as it translated into still images. So yeah, I definitely jumped at the opportunity to set up a second photo shoot with him and was pleased with the final images.
As usual, the following images are my favorites from the second photo shoot with Emiliano and some insight on why the image was chosen for the specific category.
Street Clothing
As with every photo shoot, I photographed Emiliano in the clothes that he wore to the photo shoot. In this instance, it was a black and white striped tank top, a pair of gray pants, and a baseball cap. As I was reviewing the images, I kept coming back to the image below. I love the relaxed, effortless pose and how it just seems like a capture of a random moment. That feeling is further enhanced by the relaxed facial expression. Of course, there were times that I strove to get some facial expressions from Emiliano, but his relaxed facial expression works for me in this image.
As I mentioned, I also love the pose in the image. In particular, I love how his weight is resting more heavily on his left leg and how it introduces a curvature in the rest of his body. I absolutely love how that curvature plays out down from his torso to his hips. More interestingly, I love how the black and white stripes create a prominent sense of separation between the fabric and his left arm, but also amplifies the curving line on his left side. I absolutely love how that shirt and the lines stand out in the black and white image. It definitely made it easy for me to choose this image to highlight for this section.
Emiliano 007Emiliano #007
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Portrait
As usual, I also ended up getting some portraits during the second photo shoot with Emiliano. Like I said before, sometimes it was hard to get some facial expressions from him, but I also liked how his relaxed, if somewhat serious, expression came out in black and white. As I was looking through the catalog of finished images, I ended up choosing the image below to highlight.
For me, I ended up liking the image because of the position of his arms and how those lines ended up drawing more attention to his eyes. I also liked how his arms created a sense of positive and negative space, but still has a balanced feeling in the overall image. But I mostly like the image because of the prominent catchlights in his eyes. It just creates an intense look and I find myself captivated with the image. So yeah, it was easy to select this image to highlight.
Emiliano 085Emiliano #085
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Underwear
For the underwear portion, I had several options to highlight. However, I ended up selecting the image below because of the overall look of the image and the pose. Like in the image highlighted under the Street Clothing portion, I also like how his weight is resting more heavily on his right leg and introduces a curving line in his body. This is further amplified with the slight twist of his shoulders and the positioning of his arms. Yeah, I absolutely love the interplay of lines throughout the image.
Additionally, I love the balance of color in the image. Sure, it’s a black and white image, but I love that there are two solid blocks of color with the white of the tank top and the black of the Andrew Christian briefs, hair, and baseball cap. While I do love capturing simple and intense patterns in black and white images, there’s also something to be said of the simplicity of solid blocks of colors. I definitely think it work to strike a sense of balance as well as adding some visual weight towards the bottom of the image.
I also like the overall sense of boredom that is displayed on his face. Sure, it might have bothered me at other times, but I actually like the look in this image. It creates a sense that Emiliano standing and being photographed in a pair of underwear is a not a big deal for this college student. So yeah, I ended up liking the facial expression, especially the catchlights in his dark eyes, and made it easy to highlight the image when combined with my other reasons for liking it.
Emiliano 033Emiliano #033
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Nude
As with my other shoots, I photographed Emiliano in the nude. As I was going through the images to select one to highlight in this section, the image below jumped out at me. One of the reasons that I like the image is because it is a full-body image. Normally, I end up cropping the image, but the pose lent itself to be displayed as a full-body shot.
Additionally, I love the details and positioning of his feet. Normally, I do not look at a model’s feet and completely ignore them during the editing process, but for some reason my eye was drawn to the curve of his toes on his left foot and the lines created from their positioning. Yeah, I thought it was weird for that detail to capture my attention, but I find my eye being drawn to that small detail.
Finally, I love the image because of the look on Emiliano’s face. Sure, I may be reading too much into the look and the overall pose, but, for me, there is a sense of vulnerability. It is helped by slight turn and downturn of his head as well as the positioning of his leg and arm. Overall, I love the sense of vulnerability and softness that is present in the image.
Emiliano 049Emiliano #049
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Overall Favorite Image From the Photo Shoot
The image below is my overall favorite image from the second photo shoot with Emiliano. For me, I was drawn to the lines created by his body, such as the subtle curving outside line as his thighs lead into his hips and then torso. I also like the line that his created as his hip and how it leads to his arm before heading back up the image. As you guys know, I am always interested in how the lines within the image can direct a viewer’s eye throughout the image.
Additionally, I love the overall boldness of the image. It definitely takes someone comfortable with his body to create an image like this one. However, there’s also a sense of modesty as Emiliano use his right hand to over himself, but he also uses his left hand to expose more of his torso. Yes, I am definitely in love with the dichotomy present within the image.
Finally, the image is my favorite because of the handling of the gray tones. I love the interplay between the shadows, highlights, and mid-tones throughout the image. Yeah, when it’s all taken together, it was easy for me to select this image as my overall favorite image from the photo shoot.
Emiliano 037Emiliano #037
Reyj Photography
Austin, Texas
Closing
Overall, I liked working with Emiliano throughout the second photo shoot. I am happy with how the images turned out, especially since they have a different feel to them as opposed to the images from the first photo shoot. Because of that and the general easiness of working him, I ended up photographing Emiliano a third time before he moved out to the West Coast. That gallery and blog entry will be forthcoming.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my second photo shoot with Emiliano. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot here in Austin, Texas, please email me at [email protected]!
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Additionally, I started a new job in August 2018. For the last couple of months, I have been focused on learning the ins and outs of the new job. I am starting to feel comfortable in the position, but there are some changes happening around me. It’s not too bad, but change can a little unsettling. However, I am going to make the best of it and just focus on doing a good job.
However, I have not been able to focus on photography as much as I would have loved to during this past year. However, as I look towards the future, I do plan to ramp up my photography and starting hold shoots more often. I am actually hoping to start hold photo shoots again starting in January or February 2019. Here’s hoping it all goes well.
For the time being, I am revisiting some of my old shoots and doing a second round of image editing. It’s definitely been fascinating to see how the most recent edits differ from the initial set. It definitely feels like I am growing as a photographer, but it may be that my “taste” has change over the years. Either way, it’s still fascinating to see.
Ryan
Anyway, on to the reason you guys have stopped by – Ryan. Back in November 2014, I traveled down to San Antonio and reached out to Ryan to see if he would be interested in a shoot. I liked Ryan’s overall look during the previous shoot and found him fun to work with during it. When I reached out to him, he mentioned that he had been working out more often and I found myself interested in seeing his progress.
Additionally, I was looking forward to photographing him at the same hotel since I knew the layout and the overall suite features. However, the hotel underwent a remodeling effort. However, I loved the brick wall and used it as a back drop for several images. The only thing that I did not like was the busy headboard, but I found a way to make it work. Overall, I liked the changes to the hotel suite, especially how Ryan looked against the brick wall.
As usual, the following images are my favorites from the second photo shoot with Ryan and some insight on why I chose the images to highlight in the blog.
Street Clothing
Like usual, I photographed Ryan in the clothing that he wore to the photo shoot. In this case, he wore a black t-shirt and some dark blue jeans. As I was looking through the image catalog, I narrowed my choice to the image below. For the first part of the shoot, I wanted to capture some lifestyle shots. I think the image below captures that lifestyle feeling given the relaxed pose and the incorporation of the furniture and background decor.
As I studied the image, I found myself liking the framing and balance within the image. For instance, I like how the bright yellow pillow in the foreground adds some visual weight on the lower left corner and counteracts the visual weight of the framed painting in the upper right corner. Additionally, I like how several of those lines are echoed in Ryan’s body language, such as the sloped of his relaxed pose as well as the line of his outstretched arm.
Of course, I absolutely love Ryan’s pose. I like the openness of the pose through his outstretched arms and his spread legs. Additionally, I like several of the intersecting lines, such as the connection between his outstretched left arm and his bent left leg. I also like how his bent right arm juts out from the bright yellow pillow and directs the viewer’s eye directly to Ryan’s face. Speaking of Ryan’s face, I like his serious expression.
Between those elements, the lighting, and the overall color handling, it was easy for me to choose the image below as my favorite for this section.
Ryan # 015Ryan # 015
Reyj Photography
San Antonio, Texas
Portrait
When I was reviewing the image catalog for the blog entry, I kept landing on this image for the portrait section. I like the image because of Ryan’s pose and his gaze at something off-panel. With the turn of his head, I like how the light creates various highlights, mid-tones, and shadows across his face. Additionally, I like the catchlights in his eyes.
Finally, I like the visual balance in the image. I like the heavy visual weight created by the dark colors in his jeans, t-shirt, and the couch. It is also enhanced with the shadows on his face as well as his spikey black hair. In contrast, I like the stark whiteness of walls and how it makes the top half of the image feel lighter. Additionally, I like how Ryan’s head and face standout from those white walls.
So yeah, it was easy to select the image below as my favorite portrait from photo shoot.
Ryan # 018Ryan # 018
Reyj Photography
San Antonio, Texas
Underwear
Like my previous photo shoots, I photographed Ryan in a variety of underwear. Prior to the trip, I had looked at the images of the hotel suite and determined that I would photograph Ryan against the brick wall within the suite. I am glad that I made that decision because I like made the images stand out from my previous images.
In the image, I like how the solid black 2(X)IST briefs stand out from the various grays in the image. I definitely like how the intensity of the black is echoed in the shadows around his head and in the darkness of his hair. It almost creates a sense of balance between the top and bottom halves of the images. Anyway, it was definitely an aspect that caught my attention as flicked through the image catalog.
I also love the pose. It is a simple pose that I have seen countless of times, but I still loved the fact that I was able to capture it for myself. For the pose, I had Ryan lean back against the brick wall and then prop his left foot against it. I like the sense of depth that is present in his left thigh as well as in his shoulders and head. Finally, I like the positioning of his hands to draw attention to his face and to those black 2(X)IST briefs.
Finally, I love the lighting. Since I was traveling, I only took one light and soft box with me. With the single light, I like how the light plays across his body – particularly across his face. Additionally, I love the shadow that his body casted against the brick wall.
Yeah, when all of the elements are combined together, it was easy for me to select this image as my favorite for this section.
Ryan # 139Ryan # 139
Reyj Photography
San Antonio, Texas
Nude
Of course, I photographed Ryan in the nude. As I was going through the image catalog, I found myself stopping and staring at it countless times. Of course, I like the pose and the emphasis on the contours of his butt. More importantly, I like lighting in the image. As in the previous image, I love how Ryan’s body casts a shadow against the brick wall. Additionally, I like how the front of his body is shrouded in the shadows but catches a sliver of light to create a line of separation from the wall.
So yeah, I felt like I needed to highlight this image under this section.
Ryan # 082Ryan # 082
Reyj Photography
San Antonio, Texas
Overall Favorite from the Photo Shoot
When I looked through the image catalog, I found myself loving the image below because of the emotion captured on Ryan’s face. I am not sure what I had said to make Ryan smile or laugh, but I liked that I was able to put a smile on his face and capture a natural emotion. Additionally, I like how Ryan is not looking at the camera, which adds to the unguarded moment feel. Because of that unscripted mirth, it was definitely easy to select this image as my overall favorite image from the photo shoot.
Ryan # 012Ryan # 012
Reyj Photography
San Antonio, Texas
Closing
Overall, I liked working with Ryan throughout the second photo shoot. I am happy with how the images turned out, especially since they have a different feel to them as opposed to the images from the first photo shoot. Recently, Ryan reached out to me and indicated that he would be up for another shoot. I am definitely planning on scheduling a third shoot with him fairly soon.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my second photo shoot with Ryan. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot here in Austin, Texas, please email me at [email protected]!
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On top of that, I’ve had some opportunities to travel for work. In February, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to attend a management development summit. It was enlightening and provided me with some additional tools to help me in my role as a manager. More importantly, I spent some time wandering around the city after the training ended and saw the Atlantic Ocean (okay, it was just a bay) for the first time.
In addition to the trip to Charleston, I also attended a three-day management development course in Houston. I’ll make a note here that all the managers in my Unit are being asked to take the training based on our leadership’s decision. However, I will say that I found this training to be the most useful. I particularly liked the communication and personality portions as it gave examples on how to work with a variety of personalities. Overall, I found the training to be helpful.
So yeah, I’ve been spending some of my time in management development programs as well as traveling. Of course, I’m not done traveling yet. In a couple of weeks, I’m going to be traveling to Corpus Christi for a meeting. However, I should have some free time to wander around the city and the beach. I’m hoping to get some good images from my time there.
In terms of photography, it’s definitely been a good month. I worked through a couple of backlog sessions and finalize those images. Of course, I still have three and half sessions to work through, but I’m looking forward to working through those images.
On top of that, I added to my backlog. Yeah, I held great two photo shoots during April. So yeah, I now have five and a half sessions to work through. I’m definitely excited about it, especially once I’m finished with the editing process and can share the images with all of you.
I’m also excited about the fact that I’m going to be hold a few photo shoots in May as well. I’m hoping to have them scheduled on the books shortly. I’m excited about them because all the upcoming models have different looks and will add to my portfolio. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them over the upcoming few weeks. Plus, I’m going to be adding to my backlog of images to work on, which means that I’ll be sharing the images with all of you at some point this year.
Finally, I’m attempting to plan a road trip through the central part of the United States. If all goes well, I’ll be driving and photographing in the following states: West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle. Yeah, it’s going to be a pretty epic road trip, especially since I plan on photographing the Badlands. I’m going to be focusing on architecture and landscape photography during the trip, but I’m also looking to work with male models in each state that I visit. If you are interested in modeling for me, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. Either way, I’m hoping the trip will be amazing!
Lawrence
Anyway, on to the reason you guys have stopped by – Lawrence. I absolutely loved working with Lawrence. When he came in for the shoot, Lawrence was completing his final year at the local university. It was interesting to listen to him talk about his course work, especially since it was so different from my coursework in history and politics. However, I did find that his practical experience in his coursework helped as he understood what I was attempting to accomplish with various lighting techniques and placement.
As we talked about different lighting techniques, we eventually shifted to iconic scenes in movies that stood out for each of us and why it made an impact. We talked about The Godfather, Kill Bill, Hero, The Lord of The Rings, and variety of other movies that had amazing images that left an impression on us. It was refreshing to talk about a completely new topic with such insightful points.
Throughout the shoot, Lawrence was professional and took direction very well. I will say that I found him interesting to work with because of his stoic personality. He was engaging (laughing and smiling) and easy to talk to during clicks, but I wasn’t able to capture a lot of emotion in his images.
However, I think that I was able to capture several great images throughout the shoot. As usual, the following images are my favorites from the photo shoot with Lawrence and some insight on why the image was chosen for the specific category.
Street Clothing
As usual, I started the photo shoot by photographing Lawrence in the clothing that he wore to the photo shoot, which was a pair of jean shorts and a heather gray t-shirt. I liked the simplicity of clothing choices, which seems typical for the guys attending the local university. Nonetheless, I started the shoot by photographing Lawrence in this clothing.
I ended up choosing the image below to highlight for this section. Of course, it displays Lawrence shirtless and posing in just his jean shorts. However, as I was looking through the images, it proved easy to select the image below for a variety of reasons.
One of the things that draws me to the image is Lawrence’s pose. I like the twist of his shoulders and the diagonal created by his flexed arms. Furthermore, the viewer’s eye is drawn through his flexed arms back to his face. I also like how the pose, in combination with the lighting, draws attention to his abs and the lines of his hips. Yeah, it was definitely easy to select the image below as my favorite for this section.
Portrait
The image below instantly caught my attention as I was going through the images. To be honest, I was instantly drawn to Lawrence's eyes and the catchlights found there. However, I love the lighting in the image. I like how the lighting cascades across his face. flexed arm, and chest. I like the soft transitions between the highlights, midtones, and shadows. Yeah, it's definitely one of my favorite portraits from my catalog.
Underwear
As with my other photo shoots, I photographed Lawrence in a variety of underwear. In the gallery dedicated to Lawrence, there are several images of Lawrence modeling a variety of briefs, boxers, and even jockstraps. However, I ended chasing the image below as the image to highlight for this section. If you guys have visited my website before, then you probably noticed that I have photographed several models posing in the same briefs that Lawrence is wearing in the image.
I will say that I love Lawrence's pose in the image. I like how he has the majority of his weight resting on one of his legs, which in turn creates some visual interest around his waist and lower abs. I also like how the light helps to accentuate the muscle definition in his chest and abs, but I am fascinated with the lines at his hips and how they lead down into the briefs. Finally, I love the position of his head and how it directs the viewer's eye to his left arm, which further leads it down towards the briefs. It was easy to choose the image below as the one to highlight for this section.
Nude
Like with my other photo shoots, I photographed Lawrence in the nude. As I was looking through the images, I instantly knew that I would be highlighting this image for this section. The primary reason that I ended up choosing the image below is the pose. As I was working with him, I knew that I wanted to capture him in some classic poses that teased the audience. I love the placement of his thighs, in order to provide some modesty, and how his arms serve to direct the viewer's eye across his body. Finally, I love how the light falls across his body. So yeah, it was definitely easy for me to select the image below for this section.
Favorite Image From the Shoot
As I was taking the image below, I absolutely knew that it would be my favorite image from the shoot. It was further reinforced when I was editing the image. As usual, I love the pose in the image. Starting off with a nice profile shot, I tweaked it with a subtle turn of his hips and his head. The reasoning was to highlight the nice curves of gluten as well as ability to see his left eye. Additionally, I strategically placed the fabric to further accentuate his curves as well as giving him something to hold. Overall, I love how the image turned out and easily became my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Lawrence throughout the shoot. I loved listening to him talk about his education and take on the film industry.
More importantly, Lawrence took direction very well and was willing to try poses that would highlight his body. I'm very happy with the images that came from the photo shoot and several of them have become my favorites from my entire catalog. You can see of my work with Lawrence at http://www.reyjphotography.com/lawrence.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Lawrence. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot here in Austin, Texas, or during my epic road trip, please email me at [email protected]!
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Of course, with the chaotic nature of the job, I decided to drop my photography courses. Yeah, I was excited to be taking the classes, but I felt that the job was a little more important. I’m fairly sure that I could always pick up the classes later, but there are other resources that I can tap into to improve my skills.
Either way, I’m excited about getting some of my time back. I plan on using my time to clear through my backlog of images as well as setting up some photo shoots. My plan is to get several photo shoots under my belt and have a massive backlog of images again. For some reason, I find that idea very appealing. I just need to get started on those shoots and editing those images. It’s going to be awesome.
Brady
Anyway, on to the reason you guys have stopped by – Brady. I absolutely loved working with Brady. Throughout the shoot, we talked about his previous life in New York and his upcoming move back there. I felt inspired as I listened to him talk about work as a photographer’s assistant. Of course, it also had me a little on edge since I was worried about him comparing my shoot with some of the ones he had previously been involved with. Nonetheless, Brady was a delight to work with, especially since he would be hitting interesting poses with minimal direction.
Street Clothing
Like with the other guys that I have photographed, I started the shoot by photographing Brady in the clothing that he wore. In this case, Brady wore a patterned tank top and these soft looking gray shorts. I also liked how the colors of the tank top and shorts stand out against each other as well as the dark background. For me, it added a variety of tonality throughout the image.
It was easy for me to select the image below as my favorite for this section. In addition to the clothing, I absolutely love Brady’s pose in the image. As I was looking through the images, I was instantly drawn to several of the images of Brady posing on the floor, such as this one. More importantly, I love the relaxed feeling evident in the pose, including the relaxed facial expression.
Of course, I love several specific elements within the pose. For instance, I like the repetition of the triangles. There are the two capture triangles formed by his arms; the implied triangle created by the positioning of his legs; and the overall triangle created by his arms, his leg resting against the floor, and the top of his head.
Finally, I love the diagonals in the image and how they serve as leading lines. For me, I like how his left arms leads the viewer’s eye directly to Brady’s face. It’s a simple line, but my eye is instantly drawn to it and the dandelion tattoo that focuses the viewer’s attention towards Brady’s face.
Portrait
The image below was one of the first images from the photo shoot that I worked on. To be honest, I was instantly drawn to Brady’s eyes and the general expression on his face. I actually don’t have a lot to say about the image, other than the fact that I love the image. I think that I will leave it at that.
Underwear
As usual, I photographed Brady posing in a variety of underwear. As I was looking through the series, I liked the way that Brady looked in these magenta Andrew Christian briefs. In particular, I like how the briefs translated into black and white and the clear definition created by the white seams. The Andrew Christian briefs definitely help to make the image visually interesting.
Like with Street Clothing image, I gravitated towards the image of Brady posing on the floor. In this image, I like how Brady’s body is stretched out and on display. I like the diagonal and length of his left leg and how it traverses across the image. I also liked the subtle diagonal created by his arm.
Finally, I love the lighting throughout the image. In part, I like how the light lands on his face and the sharp shadows underneath his chin. Additionally, I like the hint of the Rembrandt pattern on the left side of his face. Finally, I love the catch lights in his eyes. Overall, I’m happy with how the lighting turned in the image and helped to make the image one of my favorites from the shoot.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
As I looked through the shoot’s images, I kept coming back to the image below. I love the lighting in the image. I like the hint of the Rembrandt on the left side of his face. Beyond that, I like how the light transitions from the highlights on the right of his face to the mid-tone/shadow area just past his nose and finally to the hint of the Rembrandt. Finally, I like the intense shadows just below his chin and to the left of his neck. Overall, I’m very happy with how the lighting turned out in the image.
In addition to the lighting, I love Brady’s pose in the image. I like the casualness and relaxed feeling evident in it. As part of the pose, I like the various diagonals found within the pose, including those created by his thighs, the ones created by his chest and back, and the subtle one created by his arms. Finally, I love the diagonal created by his shoulders and how it adds visual depth to the image.
Finally, I like how the image creates a pretty portrait, in my eyes at least. Even in the short amount of time that I was enrolled in my Portrait Photography course, I learned some of the elements that go into a nice portrait. I like the turn of his head as he slightly faces the light and looks towards the camera. The tilt of the head to create a perpendicular line against the diagonal of his shoulders is quite nice as well. And, of course, I love the direct, intense eye contact that Brady has with the camera.
Overall, it’s easy to see why this image is my favorite from the entire photo shoot. I’m definitely happy with how the image turned out.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Brady throughout the shoot. I loved listening to him talk about his experience in New York City and working as a photographer’s assistant while there. More importantly, Brady took cues very well and knew the poses that would highlight his body well. I'm very happy with the images that came from the photo shoot and several of them have become my favorites from my entire catalog. You can see of my work with Brady at photo shoot gallery.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Brady. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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Of course, I'm excited about my Portrait Photography course. It will help me with posing as well as lighting. If anything, it will give me time to actually experiment with lighting, posing, and image processing while have some instructors to critique my techniques. I'm also hoping to further develop my artistic vision this semester, but we shall see how that ends up going. Nonetheless, I'm definitely excited about having the opportunity to work in a studio on a weekly basis with access to a lot of photography equipment. That is definitely feeling like a dream!
As we roll into February, I'm definitely hoping to set up some additional shoots with some male models. I'm actually planning a trip to San Antonio next month and hoping to work with some guys from the area. So yeah, if you're in the San Antonio area and would like to shoot, send me an email and we can see about getting something set up.
Erik
Anyway, on to the reason that you guys are here - Erik. I will say that I absolutely loved working with Erik. He was a first time model, but took cues extremely well. It was definitely easy to talk with Erik throughout the shoot, including while he was completely nude. Of course, that signaled to me that he was completely comfortable with his body. Of course, he told me with a smile that his wife talked him into responding to the ad. I'm definitely glad that she sent him my way!
Street Clothes
Like with the other shoots, I began by photographing Erik in the clothing that he wore to the shoot. Yep, he wore a black t-shirt and a pair of nylon track pants. I will say that I normally find track pants to be annoying, but Erik actually made them appealing. I ended up liking the overall look as presented in the image below, but I definitely took several images of Erik shirtless while just wearing the track pants. The clothing definitely fits with his overall athletic look.
Of course, I love the pose in the image. I like the subtle curve in his body as he rest the majority of his weight on his left leg and how the illusion of a counterbalance is present in his right shoulder. I also like the natural positioning of his left hand on his hip and the angle created by his arm. Finally, I like the tilt of his head to continue the slight s-curve created by his body in this pose. Of course, I've seen and used this pose before, but I definitely like the way that Erik highlights the pose in the image.
Additionally, I like the lighting in the image. Like usual, I'm using a two light system for the shoot, as evident in the catchlights in his eyes. I will say that I like how the light falls across his body and picks up some interesting details, such as the veins on the back of his hands and up through his forearms. I also like how the light falls across his face and makes his eyes pop. And, of course, I like how the light falls on his clothing and separates it from the black background.
For those reasons, it was definitely easy to select the image below to highlight in this section.
Portrait
I will say that I'm finding myself in a unique position. As I'm working through my Portrait Photography course, I'm redefining my meaning of a portrait. What I may have once considered portraits are not necessarily true portraits. Well, portraits in the classical and accepted definition. Because of that, I'm taking a hard look at my portraits and evolving my definition. Of course, I'm hoping to have some improved portraits by the end of the semester, but I'm still going to highlight some of my favorite portraits, in my opinion, from my previous shoots.
The image below is my favorite portrait from the photo shoot with Erik. Starting with the pose, I like how his arms work to direct the viewer's eye towards Erik face as well as the framing that is created by both arms. Additionally, I love the shallow depth of field in the image and how both arms are out of focus while his face is completely sharp.
Of course, I love his serious facial expression. More importantly, I love how his eyes turned out in the image. As you can see from the catchlights, I'm still using a two light system. It definitely helped to make his eyes pop, but also created some interesting highlights, mid tones, and shadows throughout his face. It also helped to create some separation between his arms and the dark background. In the end, I loved how the lighting highlighted his features.
Underwear
I will say that I'm a fan of the Papi underwear brand. I love their bright, bold colors and patterns. More importantly, I love how those intense patterns translate into black and white. Sure, I love how certain models can do justice to the name brand briefs, but I love starting with the briefs and figuring out how well a model will look in them.
Of course, Erik pulled off the look well. I love how the pattern of the Papi boxer briefs highlighted the curves of his lower body while also highlighting his trim waist. Like I said, I was definitely happy with the way that Erik filled out and modeled the boxer briefs.
More importantly, I love the pose in the image. Starting from his lower body, I love the slight turn of his lower body. It helps to provide some depth to the image, especially as it creates some separation from the background. Moving up, I definitely lower the slightly further turn of his upper body towards the camera. It helps to create some interesting diagonals, particularly across his shoulders and collar bones. And, finally, I love that he's look start at the camera with his intense stare. Yeah, I'm definitely a fan of the pose and love how it turned out in the image.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
For me, I absolutely love the image below. Starting with the composition, I like how he's off center. It creates an interesting dynamic between the positive and negative space as well as the lightness of his body and the darkness of the background. Additionally, I love how his left arm and tattoo are at the center of the image and serves to guide the viewer's eyes up to Erik's face.
In addition to the dynamics of composition, I love the pose in the image. There's definitely a sense of modesty present in the image as Erik shields his genitals from the viewer's eyes. This further accentuated with downward cast of his face and the closed eyes. Additionally, I love the slight turn of his body as evident in his thighs, stomach, and shoulders. That turn helps to create some visual depth and interest.
With all of the elements coming together, it was definitely easy for me to select the image below as my favorite image from the photo shoot.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Erik throughout the shoot. He was a little on the quiet side, but very polite and took cues extremely well. Of course, I'm definitely happy with the images that came from the photo shoot and several of them have become my favorites from my entire catalog. Like I said, I'm extremely happy that his wife talked him into answering my ad! I'm definitely hoping to work with Erik again at some point this year! I'm definitely looking forward to creating some new impressive images with him! You can see of my work with Erik at http://www.reyjphotography.com/erik.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Erik. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/reyj,photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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As I mentioned, I hope that 2017 is a pretty good year for me in terms of photography. As such, I'm making an effort to continue with my photography degree and hold more photo shoots throughout the year. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be starting classes up again. Yep, I'm going to be taking a portrait photography course; a survey of photography and how it has developed; and some software classes to bump up my skills in Lightroom, PhotoShop, and Capture One. It might be a little stressful because I'm still working full-time, but I'm not in a terribly stressful position and can actually have a pretty decent work-life balance, which I have heard is very important for some.
Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the photography courses. Sure, I'm a little apprehensive about the end of the semester print show already, but I'm looking to further expand my skill sets and hone my creative vision. Either way, I'm looking forward to the courses and the photographic opportunities that 2017 potentially brings!
Emiliano
On to the reason that you guys have stopped by for - Emiliano. It was definitely fun to work with Emiliano throughout the shoot. I will say that I was definitely interested in Emiliano's overall look, especially with the general moodiness that was present in his facial expression. It was definitely easy to photograph him.
Street Clothes
As with every shoot, I photographed Emiliano in the clothes that he wore to the photo shoot. In this instance, he was wearing a black shirt and these black running shorts. Sure, it's not the most intriguing set of clothing, but I ended up liking how they looked on him and how they stood out against the black background. Yeah, I normally wouldn't photograph black on black, but I ended up liking how it looked overall.
I will say that the image below is definitely one of my favorites from the photo shoot. I love the pose in the image, even if it is one that is seen over and over. However, I like how his left arm, as it wraps around his stomach, gives the viewer a sense of his slim waist. It also helps to highlight the muscles in his forearm as well as his bicep. Additionally, I love how his head is tilted to one side to create some visual interest as well.
Of course, I love the lighting in the image. Sure, I love how the light highlights the muscles and veins his arms, but I'm partial to how the lighting highlights the muscles in his neck as well as his facial features. Yeah, I like how the light creates these beautiful highlights and soft shadows in the tendons and muscles on display near his neck. However, it's definitely the soft light gracing his face that instantly drew me to the image. Sure, it's not dramatic, but there is something about the softness that makes me pause each time that I see the image.
Portrait
Of course, as I proceed through the upcoming semester, I'm hoping to improve on my portraits. However, I'm still happy with several of the portraits that I have done in the past, including the one below. Yeah, I'm definitely partial to this portrait of Emiliano. As with the image above, I'm definitely partial to the lighting in the image. Yeah, it doesn't have the flair of split lighting, but there is a certain charm to it. Either way, I like the highlights, mid tones, and subtle shadows created as the light washes over his facial features.
Additionally, I like the details in the image. Yeah, for some reason, I like the smaller details that are on display within the image. For instance, I like the details in his eyebrows and eye lashes, which is probably weird. However, it's definitely the finer details present in his hair that definitely draws my attention. I like that you can see in the shave portion as well as the longer, wavier strands. Yeah, for some reason, my eye is always drawn to those details in a portrait. Granted, I love the expression and the pose as well, but I also love being able to see the finer details within a portrait. That's just me though....
Underwear
As with my other shoots, I photographed Emiliano in a variety of underwear. There are several images of him posing in a variety of underwear, but I ended up choosing the image below as the one to highlight. Of course, I ended up cutting a white tank top to make it shorter but maintaining the jagged edges from the quick cut. Of course, I also like how the briefs, particularly the mesh portion with the printed pattern, stand out against his tan skin. The pose definitely helps as his cocked hips adds some visual interest with one side of the briefs being higher than the other.
However, it's definitely the pose that drew me to the image. I definitely love the lines that is created from his raised arms and how those lines draws the eyes down his chest through the tank top and finally down to his hips and thighs. I also like how his arms frames his head in the image. Finally, I like how that outline of his body stands out from the dark background.
Nude
Of course, as with other models, I photographed Emiliano in the nude. Working around Emiliano's comfort level, I like how this image turned out. While he didn't have a problem with frontal nudity, he asked that we be creative when it came to his chest area. In this instance, I like the overall relaxed pose. I like how his right arm rests against his right knee as well as the lines that his raised right leg creates. Additionally, I like details in the relaxed pose of his fingers as well as the muscles and veins leading to his toes. It's definitely one of my favorite images overall, especially with the relaxed pose and the somewhat serious facial expression.
Finally, I love the lighting in the image. This is getting a little closer to my typical use of dramatic lighting, but not quite there. Nonetheless, I love how the lighting caresses his body and creates a series of highlights, mid tones, and shadows. In particular, I like how the lighting highlights his facial features. Yeah, I'm definitely in love with the lighting in this image.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
As much as I loved the image above, the image below was my overall favorite from the photo shoot. As with the image above, I absolutely love the lighting in the image. I like how it highlights the muscles and tendons around his neck and collar bones, but I absolutely love how it highlights his facial features. Yeah, I definitely like the lighting in the image, especially with how it highlights individual strands of his hair.
Of course, I like the pose as well. There's definitely a sense of vulnerability in his facial expression that is appealing as well. However, I like lines that his arms create as they encircle his left leg. Additionally, I like the details from the shape of his fingers to the veins on the back of his hands to the tattoos gracing his body. Overall, the pose, the lighting, and his facial expression came together to make this image my favorite from the photo shoot and one of my favorite images from my entire catalog.
Closing
Overall, I liked working with Emiliano throughout the shoot. I'm definitely happy with the images that we created during the shoot. If you would like to check out some of the other images from the shoot, they can be found at Emiliano's Gallery. Of course, Emiliano was definitely like a siren as I ended up photographing him three different times, including one last time before he ended up moving to the West Coast.
Overall, I would definitely recommended working with Emiliano. You can find him on Instagram at The Sound of Milo or at Model Mayhem.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Emiliano. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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I haven't really had a lot of time for my photography these last couple of months, but I'm hoping to get back to it in 2017. Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to holding several photo shoots throughout 2017 starting in January. Of course, I'm wanting to work with several of the guys that I have photographed before, but I'm also looking forward to working with some new guys. Particularly, I'm planning to go on some trips in 2017 and working with some guys in those locations. It would be interesting to say the least! But yeah, I'm hoping to hold more photo shoots in 2017 and share those images with all of you!
Anyway, on to the reason that you guys are here.
Rex Rider
When Rex answered my call for models, I was definitely interested in his overall look. His boyish smile and dimples instantly charmed me. However, it was the personality that showed through his email that drew me in. Sure, I may have been reading into the email, but the text carried a sense of confidence and a hint of his sense of humor. Furthermore, from that initial communication, he was bringing forward his own ideas for the photo shoot. It definitely intrigued me and filled me with excitement about the images that we could create together.
Rex was a professional and suggested ideas and potential poses throughout the photo shoot. When he arrived at my place, he brought several changes of clothes that we had agreed upon. I definitely enjoyed photographing him dressed in his construction worker gear, including the hard hat and tool belt. I also was able to photograph him in the clothing that he used when he engaged in domination activities - black leather chaps and a cat-of-nine tail whip. It was definitely an interesting photo shoot, but I loved the images that came from it!
Street Clothes
Rex works in the construction industry around town. When he mentioned that he could pull off the "sexy construction worker", I definitely jumped at the chance to photograph him in that gear. In the Rex Rider Gallery, I have several images of him dressed in his jeans, bandana, tool belt, and even his white hard hat. I will definitely agree with him in stating that he definitely can pull off the look. However, it's the image below that turned out to be my favorite from the set.
I definitely love the pose in the image. The slight turn of his body, as evident in his shoulders and chest, gives the image some visual depth. Additionally, I love the downward tilt of his head and the relaxed facial expression. Overall, I love the simple pose because of how beautifully it displays the strength and power evident in his body. I also like how the tool belt and the large pouch seems to counter balance his body and create some visual weight on the right side of the image.
And in discussing the pose, it's also important to talk about the lighting in the image. Like in most photo shoots, I'm using a two light set-up in the image below. I do like the softness of the light and how it caresses his body. Unlike my other images, there is a soft gradual transition from the highlights to the shadows across his body. In fact, that are few true dark shadowed areas in the image. However, the light still highlights the muscles in in chest as well as his abs. I also like how the light highlights the muscles and veins in his biceps, forearms, and the tops of his hands. Overall, I'm very happy with how the lighting and pose came together to create a great image.
Portrait
As I was looking through the finished images, I had some trouble coming up with my favorite portrait from the shoot. So instead of just highlighting one image, I decided to highlight two.
The first image came from the middle of the photo shoot. I ended up choosing the image below because of the overall composition. I am a fan of profiles and seeing how the positive space interacts with the negative space. In this instance, I love how Rex's chiseled features (the shape of the back of his head, his nose, lips, and chin) stand out prominently from the dark backdrop. I also like how the bend of his arm mimics the shape of his nose to create some repetition. As with his facial features, I like how his arms clearly stands out from the dark background.
Overall, I just like the interplay of the positive and negative spaces within the image. To me, it creates a striking image that gives me pause and my eyes trace the lines of his head and upper body. It's definitely one of those images that I pause to take a few moments to look at before moving on.
The second portrait that I ended up liking from the shoot came from the end of the photo shoot. I absolutely love Rex's relaxed pose as he leans against my textured wall. It's a simple portrait, but it definitely stops me in my tracks as I try to remember what Rex was looking at. As with the previous image, I like how his body is set apartment from the background, even if the texture is visible in the highlights and shadows.
I do like the lighting in the image. Specifically, I like how the light shifts from highlights to shadows across his face. Furthermore, I like how the light makes his eyes standout in the image. Overall, I'm very happy with how the relaxed portrait turned out.
Underwear
As you guys know, I photograph my male models posing in a variety of underwear. Of course, Rex was no exception. However, the image that I ended up choosing to highlight for this portion of the photo shoot comes from the beginning of the shoot and is not your traditional male underwear model pose. Well, maybe it is. Either way, the underwear is not necessarily on full display, but it is evident in the image below.
There's a teasing element in the image as Rex is unzipping his jeans and spreading the fly apart. It's classic seduction and teasing at it's finest, and I absolutely wanted to capture it in an image. I absolutely love how the right side of his fly leads the viewer's eye up to the waistband of his boxer briefs and directly to the "Hanes" name. Finally, I love how the black cotton of his boxer briefs contrasts nicely against his pale skin and the tones of his ripped jeans.
Overall, I'm happy with the way that the image turned out. While there are several images of Rex posing in a variety of underwear that I could have chosen from, it was definitely easy to select the image below to highlight here. It's definitely one of my favorite images from the photo shoot with Rex.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
I absolutely loved working with Rex throughout the photo shoot. We were able to create a variety of looks and feelings throughout the shoot. However, when I was going through the images to select my overall favorite image to highlight, I couldn't decide from two very different images. So instead of trying to decide which one to highlight, I decided to share both of them.
The first one comes from the end of the photo shoot. In some of the previous photo shoots, I had been playing with the idea of capturing lifestyle images. Of course, I'm not entirely sure if I am managing to capturing those types of images based on the true definition of the style, but I'm capturing imagined slices of life occasionally. In the image below, I wanted to capture a relaxed Rex lounging completely nude in bed.
I definitely love Rex's pose in the image. I love the implication of Rex's height in the image, but also how his body is displayed in the image. As I first look at the image, I find myself instantly drawn to his lower stomach just above the intersection of his bare right thigh and his sheet-covered left thigh. I'm not sure why eye instantly focuses on that area, but it's a good starting point to explore the rest of Rex's body. Following the line created by the ridges of abs just above his navel, I'm drawn to his slightly shadowed face and his arched arms. Yeah, I definitely love the interplay of the intersecting lines as well as the highlights and shadows crisscrossing Rex's body.
Additionally, I love the soft light that graces Rex's body in the image. While there are highlights and shadows, they are not too extreme. In fact, I love how the majority of his body, and image, is a blanket of soft gray tones. It helps to create a softness in the image as well as a sense of tranquility throughout the image. Overall, between the handling of the compositing, lighting, and editing process, it's easy to see why the image below is one of my favorites from the photo shoot with Rex.
The second image that I loved from Rex's photo shoot is below. It's a completely different from the image above. While I'm definitely fascinated with the overall look of the whip, the black bandana, and the leather riding chaps, there's also a sense of restrained strength present in the image. Moving beyond the elements of a lifestyle, my attention is definitely drawn to the overall composition of the image.
To start off, I love the lighting in the image. In particular, I love the sliver of light present on the right side of his body. For me, I love how it serves to provide some separation of his body from the background and the hanging leather straps of the whip. Additionally, I love how the light highlights the muscle definition throughout his back, shoulders, and arms.
However, I'm mostly drawn to Rex's pose in the image. As with several of the images in this collection, I'm drawn to the interplay of the positive and negative spaces in the image. Particularly, I love how the outline of the left side of his body stands out in stark contrast to the darker background. My eye easily follows that outline from the top of his hand resting on his head down to the bottom edge of the image. It's definitely a beautiful line that is also mirrored in the curve of his spine. Of course, it's that line along his spine that definitely cemented my love for the image.
Overall, it was definitely easily to select the image below as one of my favorite images from the shot. However, I love both the image below and above for completely different reasons based on similar criteria. In the end, I couldn't decide which one I liked better. So instead of choosing, I decided to highlight both of them in this blog post.
Closing
Overall, I loved working with Rex Rider throughout the photo shoot. We definitely went through several looks during the photo shoot. He was definitely a professional and came prepared to go through a variety of looks. He definitely hit all of the looks and the overall feel that I was looking for in each image. Of course, it definitely helped that I was attracted to Rex's overall look (that smile and those dimples!), but it was definitely his personality that made it a pleasure to work with Rex.
As I look forward to 2017, I'm definitely hoping to work with Rex in another photo shoot. While I don't have a specific idea for the shoot, I'm sure that we could come up with several ideas. Either way, I'm definitely looking forward to working with Rex again.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Rex. If you would like to check out some additional images from the shoot, please visit the Rex Rider Gallery. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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Anyway, it's been a somewhat quiet week for me, but there have been some significant changes. So yeah, I decided to drop the two photography courses for this semester. As I was sitting in my first course, I just wasn't feeling the structured feeling at the time. Going with my gut feeling, I decided to drop the course and just do my own thing with my photography. Of course, it does mean that I'm probably going to be watching a lot of YouTube videos, Lynda.com, and other photography tutorials to help me improve my skills. For some reason, I'm finding myself okay with that notion since it gives me an opportunity to play and learn through creative ventures instead of worrying about getting a good grade to pass the course. So yeah, there's a part of me that thinks this was probably the dest decision for me at the moment. Who knows, I may end up picking up the courses at some future point.
However, I did pick up two marketing courses when I dropped the others. As I mentioned, I got a new job that deals with marketing and public relations to a certain degree. So in an effort to help me with the job, I decided to pick up a couple of courses focusing on advertising and public relations. So far, the courses seem interesting and have the potential for helping me out with the job. Either way, I'm definitely feeling a little excited to be taking the two courses.
Other than those changes, it's been a quiet week. I'm definitely hoping that it continues and I can start holding some additional photo shoots in my spare time. Hopefully, I'll be able to start holding them starting this month.
Oscar
Anyway, on to the reason that you guys are here: Oscar! Oscar was the first model that I worked with in my own home. Previously, I had worked with models in studios and hotel suites since I was living with roommates. Once I got my own place, I eagerly jumped on board with setting up photo shoots in the privacy of my own home. It definitely gave me more space to maneuver around in as well as not having to worry about transporting clothing, props, and equipment around for the various photo shoots. So yeah, I was definitely happy to have a space large enough to have photo shoots in.
As I mentioned, Oscar was the first model that I photographed in my space. When he submitted his images to potentially set up a photo shoot, I instantly knew that I wanted to work with him. He definitely has a great look that I loved capturing. Furthermore, Oscar definitely knows the positions that highlight his body as well as taking direction as I shifted his body around to capture the light better. Like I said, I loved working with Oscar throughout the photo shoot as well as the images that we ended getting from it. Overall, I was definitely happy with the body of work that we created.
Street Clothes
When Oscar showed up for the photo shoot, I was definitely happy with his overall look. Like usual, I started the photo shoot by photographing him in the clothing that he wore to the shoot. In this instance, Oscar war wearing a blue and white plaid shirt and dark blue jeans. The overall look definitely suited his image. For me, I like it when the guys that I'm working with come dressed in button down shirts because it gives me some flexibility to get several different looks from that single piece of clothing. I definitely wasn't disappointed.
The image that I chose to highlight for this section comes from the end of the photo shoot. Like usual, I also like to end the photo shoot with getting several images of the model getting redressed in the clothing that he wore to the photo shoot. For me, I definitely wanted to get a couple of additional images of Oscar posing in unbuttoned button down shirt. Furthermore, I wanted to pair it with the black Emporio Armani boxer briefs that he wore beneath his dark blue jeans. I'm definitely happy with how the image turned out.
In addition to the clothing and how they highlight his body, I'm also happy with the lighting in the image. I definitely like how the light highlights his facial features, especially the highlight on his lower lip. Furthermore, I like how the light makes his eyes pop while also drawing attention to the areas around his eyes, such as his eyebrows. Every time that I look at this image, I'm constantly focusing on Oscar's face, the placement of his right hand, and the details of his stylish hair. For those reasons, it was definitely easy for me to select the image below as the one to be highlighted for this section.
Portrait
Near the start of the photo shoot, I capture an interesting portrait of Oscar. Like the majority of us, I also find myself stopping at unique portraits and taking a moment to determine whether or not I like what the artist did. Even if I do not end up liking the image at the image, it still caught my attention long enough to give some serious thought about the piece. For me, the portrait below definitely caused me to step back and evaluate whether or not I truly liked it, even though it was my own image.
In the end, I decided that I liked it for several reasons. Starting off, I like the composition of it. Yes, I like how his left arm blocks the left half of his face. Specifically, I like how it basically splits his forehead in half. But more interesting, I like how his left arm slopes towards the right side of the image and how it reveals more of his face the further down we go from his forehead. What started off as symmetrical quickly turned asymmetrical. But yes, I love how how that composition element changed the overall look of the image.
Additionally, I love the details of Oscar's facial features revealed in the image. For instance, I like the details found in his lips, including the highlight on the right side of his lower lip. Additionally, I like the highlights and shadows in the dip just beneath his nose. Finally, I like the details of his eye, eye lashes, and eyebrow. Like I said, I like how the portrait highlighted those details throughout the right side of his face.
Finally, I like the depth of field in the image. Yes, having the shallower depth of field allow me to blur out his left arm as well as the back of his head from his ear onward. Furthermore, with the selective focus, I was able to direct the viewer's attention to the right side of his face where I wanted the viewer to notice the details. Sure, I got his armpit within that plane of focus, but I'm okay with that for the most part.
In the end, it was actually easy for me to decide that I liked the unique portrait. Sure, there are some elements that I want to play with in the future in order to improve on it, but I like the portrait that Oscar and I were able to create together. So yeah, it was easy for me to select this image to highlight in the portrait section.
Underwear
Of course, like most of my photo shoots, I focused on photographing Oscar modeling a variety of underwear. As usual, I started with photographing him in the black Emporio Armani briefs that we wore to the shoot. From there, we went through a variety of briefs, boxer briefs, and some others. I was definitely happy to see that Oscar looked good in whatever underwear that I threw at him. During the shoot, he even got me laughing at a pair red briefs with yellow piping. He told me that he was going to call them the Ronald McDonald's briefs because of the color scheme. Ever since then, I laugh at them whenever I see them and can't help thinking of them as the Ronald McDonald's briefs. So yeah, I was definitely happy that we were able to laugh together throughout the shoot about random things.
Anyway, I found it hard to select my favorite image for this portion of the shoot. In the end, I decided to highlight two images of Oscar posing in two different types of underwear. The first one is of Oscar posing in a Go Softwear jockstrap. I did love the way that the jockstrap highlighted his assets in the image below. I have found out that there are some guys that cannot carry off the jockstrap look for a variety of reasons, but I'm glad that Oscar filled out the jockstrap well and owned the look.
Like usual, I love the lighting in the image below. Ever since the photo shoot with Donye, I've been trying to play around with lighting a subject with just a single light. In this instance, I like how I was able to manipulate the light to get an interesting lighting pattern across his face while still have some interesting shadows. Yeah, I'm definitely happy with the way the lighting turned out in the image below.
Additionally, I like Oscar's pose in the image. For me, there is an appeal to see the long curved line that starts at the the top of the back as it flows into a narrow waist and onward. It definitely makes for an interesting line to visually trace. In addition to the line, I also love the placement of Oscar's hands as it adds some visual depth to the image and leads the viewer's eye further into the shadows. So yeah, it was easy to select this image as one of the two to highlight for this section.
The second image that I wanted to highlight features Oscar modeling a pair of white mesh briefs. I like the briefs because of the intricate designs at the sides of the pouch as well as the fact that the seat is basically mesh. In this instance, I like how it allows Oscar's skin tones to come through and change the coloring of that part of the briefs from white. Furthermore, I like how the briefs contours around Oscar's assets and highlights them well.
Like the image above, I love the strong lines that his body creates from the tip of his left hand and flowing down to his left thigh. I also like the visual depth that is evident due to the slight turn of his shoulders. Finally, I like how his right thigh is slightly out of sync with his left one. It further adds to the visual depth while also giving a backdrop to make the pouch of the briefs stand out further.
Finally, I love the color handling in the image below. Using PhotoShop, I softened the overall color tone of the image by playing with the opacity. Like I said, I like how it soften Oscar's overall skin tone. I'm definitely happy with the way that the image came out.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
For my favorite image, I selected the image below. Like all of the other images, I like how Oscar completely owns it. I like his expression in the image and the penetrating gaze that is transfixed on the viewer. Furthermore, I like his pose in the image and the small details, such as the placement of his right hand and how his fingers are splayed out. Additionally, I like the confidence that is evident in his stance, particularly in his shoulders, hips, and thighs. Like I said, it definitely feels like Oscar completely owned the image.
Finally, I love the lighting in the image. Once again, I love the lighting pattern across his face and how it captured the details on the left side. Furthermore, I love how the lighting creates enough of a separation to make the black cotton of his Emporio Armani boxer briefs stand out from the black backdrop. In generally, I definitely love how the light caresses his body throughout the image.
For these reason, and the fact that I just like the image, it was easy to select the image below as my favorite one from the photo shoot.
Closing
I'm definitely happy with the images that came from my collaboration with Oscar. Like I said throughout the blog entry, Oscar was definitely a professional and brought his game to the photo shoot. I definitely loved the consistency throughout the images as well as the emotions that I was able to capture in some of the images found within the gallery (http://www.reyjphotography.com/oscar). Furthermore, Oscar definitely knew the poses that would highlight his body. So yeah, it was definitely great to work with Oscar throughout the photo shoot. As I go through the remainder of 2016, I'm definitely hoping to work with Oscar again for another photo shoot. Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy that I had an opportunity to work with Oscar on this photo shoot.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Oscar. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you guys want, you can also check out my Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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I am spending a couple of hours a week to watch the latest movies coming out. Today, I saw DC's Suicide Squad. I will admit that I'm not much of a DC fan, but I found myself entertained throughout the movie. Sure, the plot was somewhat questionable, but I do like rooting for the underdog and seeing them come out on top. Additionally, I loved Harley Quinn and El Diablo in the movie. Harley was just bat-shit crazy and fun, but I found myself loving the character of El Diablo even more - especially when you got the backstory to why he was weary of using his powers. To me, he was definitely one of the more fleshed out characters in the movie. Plus, he had some awesome fire-based powers, particularly when he took on the bad guy towards the end. Yeah, he definitely spoke to the inner pyro in me! Nonetheless, I would definitely recommend seeing it since it was entertaining. Was it the best movie that I've seen this year? No, but it ticked off the marks for my comic book nerd tendencies to make the movie enjoyable for me.
However, I am looking forward to starting the fall semester at the local community college college. As I mentioned in a few blog entries, I'm putting my master's degree on hold for a bit since I'm working full-time and can't seem to give the degree the attention it should have. So yeah, in order to keep myself busy, I'm going to be taking a couple of photography classes at local community college. They won't start until the last week of August, which isn't that far away, but I'm definitely wishing that it would get here already. I'm looking forward to having some excitement in my life instead of just working and worrying about the job. Plus a creative outlet! So yeah, it's going to be awesome to be taking the two photography courses and the third course. I'm definitely looking forward to expand my photography knowledge as well as getting some studio time in.
Ryan
So yeah, moving on to the reason that you guys are here - Ryan! As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, I had decided to go down to San Antonio for a long weekend to get away. Booking a suite in one of the hotels along the River Walk, I used it as a base of operations while I was there. It definitely was a good thing since I was able to wander around the area without needing to walk through any shady areas. More importantly, the hotel suite gave me the space to conduct a couple of photo shoots while I was there. Of course, one of those photo shoots was with Ryan.
I definitely loved working with Ryan. When he submitted his pics, I was instantly drawn to his overall look, especially the tattoos along his arms. To me, it was an interesting look that I wanted to capture. As we talked throughout the photo shoot, I found out that he had been in the process of transforming his body through some serious cross-fit training at one of the local gyms. Plus, he also told me that he played in a local band in his spare time. Like I said, I definitely found Ryan interesting and fun to work with throughout the shoot - probably why I have worked with him twice and am hoping to work with him again in the future!
Street Clothes
When Ryan showed up, he was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It did crack me up that his shirt said "Bad Boy" since I had thought when he first submitted his images. Nonetheless, I definitely liked the look that Ryan presented in his street clothes and how it helped to create the overall image of the Latin Bad Boy, even if there were hints of the Boy Next Door look as well. It was definitely an appealing look, which is probably why I ended up selecting several images from this phase of the photo shoot as my favorites.
For this section, it was easy for me to select the image below as my favorite. As I mentioned, I love the overall look. Moving beyond the Bad Boy t-shirt and jeans, I also love his pose. Sure, it's a straight forward pose, but it's also classic. There's definitely a sense of ease present in his stance (and throughout the photo shoot) as well as a sense of amusement in his facial expression, particularly in the subtle smile. Additionally, I love the placement of his hands in the image. I like how his left hand is mostly in his pocket with only the thumb visible, but it's the complete mirror opposite with his right hand. It's those little details that help to catch my attention.
Finally, I like the lighting in the image. Moving away from the split lighting, I had placed the light source so that it would bath him in light. I definitely love how it bathes his face in light before moving into the deep shadows on the right side of his face. Plus, the catchlights in his eyes are mesmerizing. Yeah, I'm definitely happy with the lighting in the image overall.
Portrait
Of course, I also selected one of the images from this portion of the photo shoot as my favorite portrait from the shoot. I will say that Ryan is stunning looking, especially his eyes. When I first saw the image below, it definitely stopped me in my tracks. Now, every time that I look at the image, I'm automatically drawn to his eyes.
As with the image above, I definitely love the lighting and the pose in the image. For the pose, I had Ryan positing his body away from the light and then made modifications, such as turning his shoulders and face towards the light, to maximize the light. I will admit that I like how the turn of his shoulders create the visual depth through their span. Additionally, I like how the shadowed area creates a counter balance to the highlighted area. It definitely helps to balance out the image without it feeling too heavy.
Finally, I love how Ryan looks serious as he looks over his shoulder. The light definitely looks amazing on his face, especially in the area around his eyes. Like above, the catchlights in his eyes are mesmerizing. But I also like how the light seems to accentuate the shadows under his eyes to create a smoky look. Between the light and his serious expression, it was definitely easy to select the image as my favorite portrait from the photo shoot. At least, it's a portrait that certainly caught my attention.
Underwear
As with the other photo shoots, I did photograph Ryan in a variety of underwear throughout the shoot. For this section, I selected the image below as my favorite. Of course, I love how Ryan looks in the black Papi boxer briefs, especially with how the lines of his hips seem to lead the viewer's eye down to the Papi logo on the boxer briefs.
However, it's definitely the pose that helps to make the image below my favorite from the shoot. I like the kneeling pose and how the lines on the bed seem to be directing the viewer's eye towards his thighs. More importantly, I love the sense of power that is evident in his body through the pose. Through the visual display of his chest, shoulders, and upper arms, the strength in his muscles to be present in the image and carries with it a sense of confidence. Additionally, I love how his head and gaze is directed off screen, which helps to create some visual interest in the image as well.
Finally, I love the lighting in the image. To me, it definitely feels soft. I want to say that I was using window lighting for this image, but I'm not positive. Nonetheless, I love the feeling of the lighting in the image and how it seems to caress his body. In particular, I like how the light helps to create the definition in his chest and the muscles along his abs. I also love how the light transitions from the highlights to softer shadows than are normally present in my images, which makes me think that I was using window light in the image. Either way, I'm definitely happy with the lighting in the image and how it comes together with the pose to create a stunning image.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
My favorite image from the photo shoot comes from the beginning of the photo shoot. Surprisingly, it's not a black and white image. For this photo shoot, I had decided to play around with several images in PhotoShop and soften the colors through an opacity filter. There are several images within the gallery (http://www.reyjphotography.com/ryan) that has the same color treatment. I definitely ended up liking how the colors were softened, particularly in his skin tone as well as his jeans.
In addition to the color treatment, I like the pose and feeling of the image. There is definitely a sense of superiority present in his facial expression, but I'm probably reading into the image. However, when his serious facial expression is combined with the pose, I definitely feel that sense of superiority. I like how the belt looked draped around his neck and how his hold helps to draw attention to the strength in his right bicep. Furthermore, the display of the muscles in his chest adds to the sense of strength that radiates throughout the image. There's definitely a feeling that the viewer should approach with a sense of caution, even if Ryan is sweet and friendly.
For me, it was definitely easy for me to select the image below as my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
I am very happy with the images that came from my collaboration with Ryan. As I mentioned, I was definitely drawn to Ryan's looks when I initially set up the photo shoot, which is natural. However, as we continued working together throughout the photo shoot, I definitely learned more about Ryan and felt closer to him by the end of the photo shoot. He definitely was professional, friendly, and on point with the posing throughout the photo shoot. Of course, all of these led me to working with during a second photo shoot later on. On top of that, I'm definitely thinking about working with him again in the near future once I find some time to head back to San Antonio. I'm definitely hoping that I can make that happen before the end of the year. Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy with collaboration with Ryan. If you are interested, you can check out the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot at http://www.reyjphotography.com/ryan.
Again, thanks for taking the time to check out the blog entry and the images from my photo shoot with Ryan. I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily!
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected].
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On top of that, I'm been thinking about the classes that I'm going to be taking in the upcoming semester. At the moment, I've signed up to take a Portrait Photography course. I'm a little nervous about it. It's been a while since I've actually taken a photography course and submitting my work for a grade. Sure, in the past, I've gotten some pretty good comments and grades on my work. I'm not really worried about that; I'm just thinking about how I'm going to need to coordinate models to help me out with the assignments. Plus, I really need to do some networking to get in some good graces with local make-up artists since I'm pretty sure that I will end up needing to photograph a female model for an assignment. I should probably brush up on lighting techniques that looking flattering on women instead of my love for dramatic lighting for men. Still, I'm looking forward to the class since it'll help me out in the future.
So yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to moving on through August. I'm looking forward to starting the new job, and the increase in pay! However, I'm more excited about getting a better work-life balance. Through the improved work-life balance, I'm looking forward to being able to do more my photography through the two courses as well as on my personal projects. It should be pretty awesome to say the least!
Sergio
On to the reason that you guys are here - Sergio! He was actually the first model that I photographed in 2014. In February 2014, I had decided that I needed to get out of Austin for a while and eventually decided to take a long weekend trip to San Antonio. Thinking about the photo shoots that I had done in June 2013, I definitely wanted to see if I could work with some male models while I was down there. I did change it up though; last time, I had stayed in a hotel suite a couple of blocks from the River Walk. It wasn't necessarily the best place to enjoy the River Walk from since I had to walk through some slightly shady areas to reach the River Walk. Don't get me wrong, the hotel from the June 2013 photo shoots was definitely a gorgeous, historical place with a lot of charm. However, for this trip, I was definitely looking to book a hotel suite on the River Walk.
During the February 2014 trip, the hotel suite that I stayed in definitely had a nice atmosphere to it. It had some Spanish charm and furniture that definitely made the stay a pleasure. Of course, when I booked the hotel suite, I was basically looking for a nice suite that would give me a base of operations while allowing me to have the space to do a couple of photo shoots. Needless to say, I was definitely happy with the accommodations since I was able to hold two photo shoots there during my February 2014 trip to San Antonio.
It was my luck that I was able to work with Sergio during that trip. While we didn't connect as well as some of the guys that I have worked with in the past, it was still a comfortable photo shoot with some easy conversation flowing between us. More importantly, I was impressed with his physique and overall look. Additionally, he had done a couple of photo shoots before and knew what I was looking for when I asked him to move this way or that. Overall, I loved working with Sergio and am happy with the images that came from the shoot.
Street Clothes
Like my previous photo shoots, I started by photographing Sergio in the clothes that he wore to the shoot. When he showed up, he was wearing a black muscle shirt that showed off his impressive arms as well as a pair black pants. While I do have some images of him in the muscle shirt in the gallery dedicated to him (http://www.reyjphotography.com/sergio), I decided to highlight the image of him posing shirtless while still wearing his black pants.
I love the image below for several reasons. Starting off, I will say that I love the pose in the image and the fact that he's not looking at the camera. I like that his body is turning towards the camera. This helps to create some visual depth that is evident in shoulders and the slight twist of his hips. Additionally, I love the placement of his right hand across his abs and how it creates some additional visual interest within the image. So yeah, I love the pose in the image.
However, I absolutely love the lighting in the image. I love how the lighting is coming in from the opposite direction from where his body is facing. Through that placement, it creates a wrapping effect as the light sweeps across from the right side of the image before tapering off into shadows. However, that light helps to create some interesting mid tones and shadows that highlight the muscles in his chest and abs - especially his abs. Additionally, I love how the light sweeps across his face and there's enough light to highlight his right eye while the rest is casted in shadow. For me, the lighting definitely one of the top reasons why I ended up selecting the image below to highlight for this section.
Underwear
Additionally, I ended up choosing the image below to highlight for the underwear section because of the feeling a comfort that is present in the image. Normally, I tend to favor photographing a guy in a variety of underwear that highlights his physique, but there is something appealing about seeing a guy in pair of boxers. While the gallery has some additional images of Sergio posing in a variety of briefs, I ended up selecting this image because it simply called to me.
In addition to liking the soft looking boxers, I also liked how his black pants are pooling around his knees and calves. For me, that effect helps to create the feeling that I have captured a moment in time. In the past, it has not been a typical image that I have tried to captured; I've been more focused on having "clean" images that move from pose/garment to pose/garment - not the in-between phases. However, I'm finding myself looking forward to capturing these types of images, as well as the "behind the scenes" types, that help to present a more comprehensive view of the photo shoot.
Given that, I also like how the lighting works to show off the definition in his body. In particular, I like how the light highlights the muscle definition in his chest, abs, and hips as well as the muscles over his ribs on the left side of his body. Sergio definitely worked hard to achieve his muscle tone; I'm just happy that I was able to capture it in a positive light.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
For me, there were several images that I could have chosen as my overall favorite from the shoot. However, I ended up choosing the image below because of how several elements came together. As I mentioned before, I definitely liked how comfortable Sergio looked in his soft looking, gray boxers and how that feeling transferred in the image below. And I definitely love how the lighting sweeps across his body, particularly on his face.
However, I ended up choosing the image below as my favorite because of the pose. While I could have played with the composition and had him be more off centered to create a different feel to the image, I ended up liking how the image felt with the chair placed directly centered. But instead of him being seated in the middle of the chair and staring directly at the camera, I wanted to create some interested by having him seated off-centered and turned slightly to create some counter balance to the weight of his left leg thrown over the side of the chair. To me, it helped to make the image more interesting while still having him in the center of the image.
In addition to the placement of his body, I love his hands in the image. As I mentioned before, I tend to pay attention to hands because I don't want them to come off like they are just hanging there. Sure, I don't always have the model doing something with their hands in every single image, but I do try and have them change it up to help make them interesting. For me, I love how they look as they are somewhat clasped together. Additionally, I like how they help to add some perspective to the image. Yeah, the hand placement definitely factored in when I was choosing my favorite image from the shoot.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Sergio during this photo shoot! I'm definitely happy with the images that came out from our collaboration and several of them have become my favorites from my catalog overall. Sergio was definitely a pleasure to work with throughout the shoot, especially with how focused he was on helping to create stunning images. I'm definitely already thinking about heading back to San Antonio in order to work with him on another photo shoot. I'm definitely hoping that it works out! If you are interested, you can check out the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot at http://www.reyjphotography.com/sergio.
Again, thanks for checking out the website and blog! I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also checking out my Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I tend to post images daily there!
If you are interested in setting up a shoot or letting me know what you think about my work, you can email me at [email protected]!
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But first, a quick update on life.... Not much is going on. I'm slowly preparing myself for the upcoming promotion and everything that it will entail. Sure, it's not going to be a major change since I've been the acting manager for that area for a while, but I'm thinking about some of the things that I want to work on as the official manager. Of course, it will also entail continuing with some of our major projects, including a statewide conference and some media projects. And, of course, I'll be looking to fill some vacant positions. But overall, I am looking forward to officially taking the helms and figuring out the direction that we need to head. It's exciting, terrifying, and thrilling! All at the same time!
I'm also finding myself taking time to enjoy the smaller things in life. Normally, I would be spending part of my weekends working on work-related projects, but I'm definitely trying to take them back. Like I said in a previous entry, I'm definitely looking forward to having a better work-life balance and having more time to do the things that I want. Of course, I'm finding myself going to the movies to have a little escape from reality. Like today, I totally geeked out as I watched the latest Star Trek film - Star Trek: Beyond. While I agree that it was definitely on the fast pace, there were some beautiful and captivating imagery throughout the film, especially the conception of Yorktown. That interpretation of what a city would like in space definitely appealed to the architecture photographer in me. Absolutely stunning! But, I will say, that my favorite part was watching the U.S.S. Franklin take on the tidal wave of bee-like drones as they blasted the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." And, it totally cracked me when the crew referred to the song as being "classical" music! Those scenes were definitely my favorite from the film, and almost makes me want to watch it again on the big screen!
Finally, I'm finding myself obsessing over Beck's latest song right now. It definitely took me a moment to figure out who it was after first hearing it on 101X. It didn't really strike me as a song that the station would play, but so did Twenty One Pilots' "Heathens." I'm probably just not listening to the radio enough to know how the music trends are shifting and blurring nowadays. But yeah, I'm definitely loving "Wow" by Beck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZlbahhoEIo). It's just an infectious song that makes me smile. "It's my life, you life/live it once, can't live it twice/so nice, so nice". "It's your life/you got to try to get it right/look around, don't forget where you came from". Yeah, I'm definitely Beck's latest. It's definitely worth a listen!
Anyway, on to the reason that you guys are here!
Red Chair Series
While I was working through the various photo shoots in December 2013, I found myself falling in love with one of the chairs in the hotel suite. I had chosen the hotel suite because of the modern-looking furnishings and the amount of space that was available. But there was this red vinyl chair that kept grabbing my attention as I was prepping the space. It was just a bold piece of furniture that I wanted to use as a prop, but I didn't intentionally set out to do a series focusing on it. I just got lucky! You can check out the Red Chair Series gallery at http://www.reyjphotography.com/redchair.
Brent
Brent was the first model that I photographed in December 2013. Like in most of the images, the chair is not the primary focal point, but is a great backdrop to frame the model against. In the image below, I like how Brent's body is curled against the chair and how his arm is griping the top of the chair. It definitely creates an interesting composition and some interesting lines to direct the viewer's eye. Finally, I love the sensual feeling within the image as Brent's attention is focused on himself and not the camera. It helps to create the sense that this is a private moment in time. It's definitely one of my favorite images from his photo shoot.
DA
I absolutely loved working with DA throughout his photo shoot. He definitely brought his game to the shoot, even though it was late at night. However, I loved several of the images that came from the collaboration. In the gallery (http://www.reyjphotography.com/redchair), I have several images of DA set against the large red vinyl chair. However, I loved the image below and wanted to highlight it in the blog. The chair created a great backdrop as DA showed off the tattoos the muscle tone in his arms as he gripped the top of the chair. To me, it definitely served to highlight DA's body while looking great.
Jeremy
As you guys know, the photo shoot with Jeremy was definitely one of my favorites from that month. It wasn't every day that I was able to photograph a dancer. Of course, it also made it difficult to select the images that I wanted to highlight in the galleries and blog entries stemming from his photo shoots. The same could be said for this gallery and entry since there are eight images included in the gallery. However, I ended up choosing the image below because of the pose. While I like how the majority of the chair is visible in the image, I absolutely love how Jeremy is posed in it. You definitely get a sense of Jeremy's height and flexibility from how his right leg is resting on the arm of the chair. But like the first two images, I love how Jeremy's attention is not focused on the viewer and how he's looking off into the distance. To me, it creates some visual interest as the view is left wondering what he was looking at. The image below is definitely one of my favorite ones from my entire catalog.
Enrique
I'm definitely happy with the images that came from the photo shoot with Enrique, but the image below is definitely one of my favorites. Of course, I love the shape and strong lines that the upper portion of the red vinyl chair creates. I also like how the buttons on the back of the chair creates a phantom arrow and points the viewer's eye towards Enrique face, but I may be imagining that phantom arrow. At the very least, the buttons mimic Enrique's position as well as creating a leading line up towards his face. However, I love Enrique's pose and single-minded interest in his phone. Of course, I told him to act like he was taking a selfie with his phone - not sure if he actually took a selfie while I was capturing the image. The age of the selfie. Nonetheless, the image below is definitely one of my favorites from his photo shoot.
Jacob
Finally, I wanted to highlight one of the images with Jacob posing on the chair. Like the images above, I definitely loved the strength of character found within the chair. I absolutely love the crisp bold lines and how they stand out against Jacob's skin as well as the backdrop. Yeah, I was definitely in love with the chair and am definitely looking for a similar one to have in my home! Of course, I also like how Jacob's posed in the chair. I love the casualness of his leg thrown over the arm of the chair. And, like the others, I like how he's not paying attention to the camera and has his gaze directed towards the distance. It's definitely one of my favorites from his photo shoot!
Closing
I definitely loved how a prop can bring together a series of images. In this case, I chose to center a gallery (http://www.reyjphotography.com/redchair) and blog entry around this gorgeous red vinyl chair. As I've mentioned above, I fell in love with the bold, crisp lines of his back and how it held its own against the backdrop. However, it definitely helped to accentuate the models' bodies and show them against an interesting item.
It was also hard to withhold some of the images from the galleries dedicated to the each model. However, as I was posting the gallery focusing on Jeremy, the idea of the Red Chair Series definitely sprang into my mind. From that point, I purposely withheld several of the images until I could post them in a unified gallery. I'm definitely happy with how the gallery turned out as well as how the red vinyl chair pulled together the images from six different photo shoots.
Overall, I'm definitely happy with it. And, like I said, I'm definitely looking for a a similar chair to have in my home. Who knows, maybe I'll have another photo series focusing on a similar object. Nonetheless, I'm definitely keeping my eye out from stunning pieces that would look amazing in my images!
Again, thanks for checking out the website and blog! I definitely appreciate it that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography. I'm posting images to my Instagram account on a daily basis.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, you can email me at [email protected]
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I'm also hoping that the new job will allow to have some more time pursue a better work-life balance. In my previous position, I was usually putting in 10-12 hour days and working on the weekends to get projects done. Now that I'm over the new area, I'm hoping to leave on time and take my weekends back. Hopefully it will give me more time to work on photography projects and actually take some additional courses. Well, I hope since I've signed up for three courses in the upcoming fall semester. We'll see how it plays out. Either way, I'm definitely looking forward to the new job and the prospect of having more time for photography projects! It should be great!
Donye
Alright, on to the reason that you guys are here. As you guys know, December 2013 was a busy time for me. During that month, I photographed eight guys in the span of a week. It may have been a little on the overkill side, but I definitely needed a creative outlet after finishing the semester at graduate school. It was definitely fun since I got to work with a lot of amazing guys and further hone my skills with each shoot. I definitely loved each shoot for different reasons, but I will say that the shoot with Donye was definitely one of my more memorable ones.
Working with Donye was definitely amazing. He has done modeling work before and knew which positions showcased his body really well. It definitely helped that he had an amazing body as well as an easy going personality. We definitely bonded over music as we listened to the divas from the 80's and 90's, including Whitney Houston, Lil' Kim, and Tina Turner. Yeah, I definitely have an eclectic taste in music, but it definitely helped to get us more comfortable with each other.
However, I did have a moment of panic during the photo shoot with Donye. For the December 2013 photo shoots, I had book a suite at a local hotel here. It was pretty decent since it had some modern features that captured my attention as well as having a large amount of open space. It definitely suited my needs since my place was fairly small and wasn't really conducive for photo shoots. Anyway, during the photo shoot with Donye, I had decided to push one of my strobes to the max for some reason. Not really thinking about it, I continued taking quite a few pictures in a row. It's going well until I heard a pop and a fizzle! Looking at the lights, I saw that the maxed out strobe was smoking!
Yeah, I totally burned out one of my strobes during a photo shoot at a hotel! Of course, my first thought is great - I'm looking so unprofessional in front of a model by destroying my equipment. Then the panic set in! I freaked out internally thinking that the smoke from the strobe was going to set off a smoke detector and the whole hotel was going to be evacuated because I burned out a strobe during a photo shoot! I'm not sure how I looked on the outside, but I was freaking out on the inside and thinking of ways to explain and talk my way out of the situation. Luckily, I was able to dissipate the smoke and didn't set off any smoke alarms! Now, when I think and talk about it, I laugh at the experience since I'm sure that a lot of photographers have had that freak out moment when something didn't go to plan. I've learned from the situation and moved on with a shrug.
Donye was cool about the whole situation and didn't seem bothered by it. Either that, or he wasn't really aware of what had happened since I told him to take a five minute break while I dealt with the smoking strobe. However, I had to take stock of the situation since we were still fairly early into the photo shoot and I was down a light. I didn't let it deter me; instead, I just became creative and figured out how to get some cool images with just one lighting source. I will have to say that I love the lighting in Donye's images and that these are some of my favorite overall!
There are days when I thinking burning out one of my strobes was a good thing since it led to these images, but I still mourn the fact that I had depart with some cash to replace that burned out strobe! Still, burning out that light may have been one of the best things to happen to me since I had to think on my feet and become more creative with one light! Since then, I have tried to think back to some of the lessons that I learned from that shoot and play with lighting from a single light source.
Street Clothes
Like with the other guys that I have worked with, I started the photo shoot with Donye modeling the clothing that he wore to the shoot. When he arrived, he was just wearing a t-shirt with Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. on it as well as a pair of gray sweats. I liked how comfortable he looked in the clothing and definitely was happy with the images that came from that portion of the shoot. Of course, he also surprised me when he voluntarily told me that he wasn't wearing any underwear underneath his sweats because he didn't want any indentation lines to show up. I definitely thought that it was interesting for him to tell me, but it also showed me how professional he was and how he wanted to bring his best to the shoot.
Of course, I love the image below and chose it as a highlight from this portion of the photo shoot. Like I said, I definitely chose to work with Donye because he has an amazing look and an amazing body. As I was looking through the catalog of images, I found myself stopping at this one because of the strength evident in his arms and hands. I liked how his arms seemed to be straining against the edges of the sleeves as well as how the t-shirt conforms to the lines of his torso. And, of course, I love the position of his hands and the visual element they created while being in that position. It's a definitely a great straightforward pose that shows off his body in a good light.
Additionally, I love the lighting on this image. Of course, this image was captured when I still had two working lights and could position one as a backlight to open up the shadows on the left side of the image. As you guys know, I'm definitely a fan of split lighting since it creates some dramatic highlights and shadows, but occasionally I like to open up the shadows as well. I definitely liked how that backlight helped to add some highlights on the right side of his face and seeming to fall along the lines of his face. It helps to give a sense of sculpture to his cheekbones and jawline. The lighting in the image definitely was one of the contributing factors to why I chose the image below to highlight.
Underwear
Of course, I also photographed Donye modeling a variety of underwear throughout the shoot. As I mentioned, Donye definitely had an amazing body and knew how to position and highlight his body. It was actually pretty easy to choose the image below as the one to highlight for this section. Additionally, this is one of the images that came after I burnt out one of my strobes.
For me, I like the black and white Male Power briefs that he's modeling because of the visual interest created by the lines. As the briefs contour to his body, the pattern of lines are distorted to give a sense of shape and depth. It's evident in the lines of the pouch as well as those along his left hip. I also loved how these briefs look in black and white images due to the strong and basic pattern. The briefs definitely make a dramatic statement within the image and definitely standout as a point of visual interest.
However, I absolutely love the lighting in the image. As I mentioned, I had to get creative in my use of the single strobe to light Donye. Sure, I've always said that I've loved dramatic lighting, but I've also used two lights during each of my previous photo shoots. So yeah, I was a little nervous on how the lighting would look with just the one strobe. Of course, I shouldn't have been worried since I've always been partial to split lighting and cascading shadows. In the image below, I love how the lighting seems to mode itself across his body. It further accentuates the muscular planes of his chest as it gives hints to the strength in his pecs as well as highlighting his abs. I also liked how it picks up and highlights the details of the veins in his left arm as the light caresses it. Yeah, I absolutely am happy with how the lighting turned out in the image.
Portrait
There was one portrait-like image that I wanted to highlight from the photo shoot. I ended up liking the image below for several reasons. First, I like Donye's facial expression. I like how his eyes were closed and conveyed a sense of calmness. However, there's also a sense of tension since his eyebrows and forehead are slightly furrowed. Through those elements, it helped to bring the viewer's attention to the details of his eye lashes and eyebrows. Of course, the lighting also helps to bring attention to his nose and lips as well. For me, it's definitely an interesting image visually as the eye wanders around and takes in the details on display.
However, I also like the edits made to the image. As you guys know, I'm a fan of black and white images and will usually present my images that way. Sometimes though, I will choose to present an image in color. While I do have a copy of the image below in black and white, there was something that spoke to me about the version below. Sure, it's not the colors that were captured in the raw image. After getting the image how I wanted, I went into PhotoShop and played with the opacity to soften the overall color quality of the image. To me, it definitely helped to make the image more interesting and draw the viewer in due to the softness of the colors. Either way, I'm definitely happy with how the color quality came out in the image below.
Closing
I'm definitely happy with the images that came from my collaboration with Donye. You can see several of them in the gallery dedicated to Donye at http://www.reyjphotography.com/donye. Working with him was definitely a pleasure since he was professional, thoughtful, and brought his best to the shoot. Of course, it definitely helped that he was gorgeous and had an amazing physique, but it was definitely his professionalism and personality that won me over. I still think there are some additional images that I want to capture with him, which means that I'm definitely hoping to work with him again in the near future. I am definitely looking forward to making that collaboration happen!
Again, thanks for checking out the website and blog! I also appreciate that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.phtography.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, you can email me at [email protected].
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However, I definitely felt like I was squandering the time off since I didn't go anywhere or do anything remotely exciting. It didn't help that it rained here in Texas for my entire first week off from work. But, as I was cooped up in the apartment, I did spend a lot of time on YouTube watching music videos and how-to videos for creating visual effects for movies (not that I'm planning on making videos or movies in the future). It was definitely interesting to see how simple some of those effects are, including the Harry Potter magic as well as Nightcrawler's teleportation (Film Riot's YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/filmriot). Not sure how I will use that knowledge in the future, if ever, but it was still cool to see how it's done. But I did spend the majority of my time catching up and eventually downloading music that caught my interest on YouTube.
Yeah, I was definitely drawn into a time sink with YouTube, but I did catch up on a lot of videos posted by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottBradleeLovesYa/featured). I'm definitely a sucker for cover songs and have definitely come to enjoy Scott Bradlee's twists to modern songs. I have to say that some of my favorite covers include his versions of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvZzhK_3X8), Maroon 5's "Maps" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gO_lxThc1M), Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvEWNlcefAw), and Bastille's "Pompeii" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJY83K3o670). I will say that the cover of "Pompeii" may be my favorite because of the inclusion of the song portion similar to the Zombie's "Time of the Season". "Maps" is definitely up there because of the soulful rendition. Yeah, I am fairly eclectic when it comes to music, but I definitely love the reinterpretations to the songs. Plus, the clothing worn by the singers and band appeal to the photographer in me. So yeah, I definitely spent a lot of time watching Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox channel and downloading some choice songs on iTunes. I'm definitely hoping that the music will get me through next week - even if it's a short week since I don't go back to work until Wednesday.
Anyway, since I have a few more days left, I thought I would go ahead and post an entry about my favorite images from the photo shoot with Jacob.
Jacob
As you guys knows, I photographed eight different guys in a span of a week during December 2013. It was definitely intense since I was trying to keep all of the shoots running on time and not overlapping with each other. Of course, I'm definitely happy with the results from the photo shoots and worked with several interesting guys during that week. Jacob was the seventh model that I photographed that week. Throughout the photo shoot, I found that it was easy to talk with Jacob about pop culture related topics. Sure, I was a little out of touch with some of the references since I didn't have a lot of time to stay current since I had been focusing on working full-time and attempting to complete my masters degree. Still, I found myself listening to him and providing my input whenever I felt knowledgeable about the topic. I definitely found it easy to keep up with the conversation while diverting more of my attention to the photo shoot and trying to capture interesting shots of him.
Street Clothes
When Jacob showed up to the photo shoot, he was wearing these skinny black jeans and a gray sweater. He definitely looked nice, but I changed gears when I found out that he was wearing a white A-shirt underneath. For me, that has been such an iconic look ever since I first saw Herb Ritts's image of Richard Gere sporting an A-shirt and tight jeans in a deserted gas station (http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/the-photograph-that-kicked-herb-ritts-career-into-high-gere/). Ever since that image, I have come to associate that look as typically American and sought to capture it whenever possible. So, when I found out that Jacob was wearing that shirt underneath, I definitely knew that I was going to be focusing on capturing several images of him posing in that shirt and his skinny black jeans.
Normally, for this portion of the entry, I try and select an image from the start of the photo shoot to highlight the clothing and look that Jacob wore to the photo shoot. However, the image that I wanted to highlight actually came from the end of the photo shoot as he was getting redressed in his clothes. I definitely like that it feels a little like a moment in time as he's treading his belt through the belt loops of his jeans. However, I selected the image based on Jacob's facial expression and overall feel of the image.
For me, I was definitely drawn to Jacob's boy next door looks, particularly his eyes. When I was looking at the images in the catalog, I definitely stopped for several moments to evaluate the image and knew that it would be one of my favorites from the shoot. Like I said, I was instantly drawn to his inquisitive facial expression and his wide eyes. For me, there's definitely a sense of innocence as well as some vulnerability present within the expression. Either way, it definitely causes the viewer to pause at the image. At least, it causes me to pause each time I come across the image.
Of course, I do love the look that Jacob is sporting. Like I said, I love the classic look of an A-shirt paired with jeans. It definitely helps to highlight his shoulders as well as the lines of his body. Additionally, I love the subtle tease that the viewer gets of the waistband and white cotton of his Champion boxer briefs. It definitely helps to add an unconscious sensual quality to the image. Yes, there's definitely a small thrill of being able to see his underwear in the image, but it's not anything that is overtly sexual. It's part of the underlying sensual quality of the image that helps to make the image appealing to me.
Like I said, it was definitely easy to select the image below as one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Underwear
Like the previous photo shoots, I photographed Jacob posing in a couple of types of underwear. However, unlike the other photo shoots, I only photographed Jacob modeling his white Champion boxer briefs and a pair of black Emporio Armani briefs. Yeah, I normally photograph a model posing a variety of underwear, but, when I went back to look at the images in the catalog, I only photographed Jacob in those two. I'm not sure how I did that, but I'm definitely a little disappointed in myself for not realizing that during the photo shoot. I'm hoping to fix that mistake in a future photo shoot, but time will tell.
However, I was able to select one image that I wanted highlight during this portion of the blog entry. Like I said, I was able to photograph Jacob in a black pair of Emporio Armani briefs. When I gave him the option to choose a pair to model, he instantly went for the briefs and cracked me up a little. However, I liked the way the briefs looked on him, especially how the gold eagle print added some depth to the image.
For me, I like the image because of Jacob's pose. I like the twist of his body and how it creates some visual depth to the image. However, I like the sensuality of the image from the position of his hips and stance to the placement of his left hand on his stomach. It's definitely the tilt of his head and the pointed stare over his shoulder that caught my attention. To me, that helps to make the image interesting and was the primary reason why I selected the image to highlight.
Portrait
Throughout the photo shoot, I found myself capturing several portraits of Jacob. Instead of highlighting my favorite nude from the session, I decided to highlight my favorite portrait. As I mentioned, I was definitely drawn to Jacob's box next door look. As I was going through the images, I constantly found myself stopping at one image. It is a crop of an image that shows Jacob sitting in a white chair in just his Champion boxer briefs, but I found myself cropping that image to create the one below.
For me, I like the overall composition of the image. Sure, I'm definitely a fan of the pose, but I like how the positive space (his body) works with the negative space (the background). For me, there's definitely a sense of balance with his lower body in the right corner as well as his arm and captured negative space in the upper left corner.
Additionally, I like the lines in the image. I like how the lines of his left arm in the lower right corner helps to drive the viewer's eye up towards his left arm and how it wraps towards his head. It helps to drive the viewer's eye throughout the image, while also creating some interesting repetition like the line of his wrist and left hand against his left collar bone. Even the "line" of his knuckles helps to drive the viewer's eye to the muscles of his neck and up towards his head. Like I said, I like several of the visual elements created by the lines of his body.
Finally, I like his facial expression in the image. As I look at the image, I find myself getting lost within the intensity of his eyes. Like several of the other images in the gallery, there's definitely a seriousness present within his expression. It's further enhanced with the lighting as it creates some interesting midtones.
Overall, I definitely love the image. It was fairly easy to select this image to highlight for this portion of the entry.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
My favorite image comes from the beginning of the photo shoot. Of course, it features Jacob wearing his A-shirt and black skinny jeans. However, I wanted to pair that look up with a pair of black suspenders. What can I say, I thought it would be interesting to photograph a guy wearing suspenders. However, I selected the image as my favorite from the photo shoot based on Jacob's facial expression and overall pose. I like how he's playing with the suspenders to help create some visual interest. But it's facial expression that really seals it for me. I like how he's looking off into the distance and has a somewhat serious expression.
Overall, I selected the image as my favorite because I just liked it a lot. Sometimes, there's not a strong element that stands out or something that can be articulated. Sometimes, it's as simple as just liking the image a lot. For me, I just really like the image and choose it as my favorite image overall. Sometimes, it's just that simple.
Closing
I definitely loved working with Jacob during the photo shoot. I'm definitely happy with the images that came from the photo shoot, but I feel like there is still some additional work to be done with Jacob. Like I said, it was only after the fact that I realized that I had only photographed him in just two types of underwear. But I also think there are some additional images that I would like to get of Jacob that could potentially go beyond the studio environment. Either way, I think there may be some additional images that I want to capture with Jacob that would lead to another collaboration. As I get more grounded in 2016, I'm hoping that a potential follow-up shoot with Jacob could be in the works.
Again, thanks for checking out the website and the blog! I definitely appreciate that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, you can reach me at [email protected].
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Robert
I absolutely loved working with Robert throughout the photo shoot. When I first came across his portfolio on Model Mayhem, I was instantly drawn to his hair. While I am definitely on the look out to work with attractive guys, I'm also looking to work with guys that have an interesting feature that draws me in - whether it's a facial tattoo or an abundance of curly red hair that looks like an afro, as was the case with Robert. Of course, I did find him attractive, but I was instantly drawn to him because of his hair. However, there were several other images on his portfolio that showed him with short cropped hair, but I was hoping that his hair was still grown out. I definitely lucked out though. While it was not as grown out as in some of the images on his portfolio, I was still happy with the length and the curls that were easily seen.
Street Clothes
As you guys know, I like photographing a male model in the clothes they were to the shoot in order to help us get comfortable with each other. When Robert showed up to the shoot, he was wearing a stripped button down shirt with jeans. I did take several images of him dressed like that, but I was definitely more interested in the look that was created with the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers shirt that he wore beneath the button down. To me, it definitely recalled some of my childhood memories of watching the show after school, but I definitely loved how it seem to make him appear younger as well. That's part of the reason why I love the image below.
In addition to the clothing, I love Robert's stance in the image. The placement of his hands helps to add some depth to the image, particularly with how his right hand helps to create some separation from the background. Additionally, I love the slight turn of his body from his shoulders to his hips as it creates some visual interest for me. However, I absolutely love his facial expression. While I loved capturing several moments of him laughing and smiling at something that I had said, I love his serious expression and how his eyes completely standout in the image.
And, of course, I love the lighting in the image. In particular, I love how the lighting dances across his face as it goes from highlights to midtones to shadows. Additionally, I love how the lights creates the catchlights in his eyes and makes them pop even further. I was definitely happy with how the image turned out overall.
In addition to the image above, I also wanted to highlight the image below. The image also comes from the start of the photo shoot, but I love how it turned out. As with the image above, I absolutely love the lighting. In addition to loving the gradation, I love how the light showcases several of the attributes of Robert's body such as the veins in his arms and hands as well as the muscle definition in his abs and chest. Finally, I love how the light dances across his face as he turns towards the light. It definitely helped to highlight several of the curls around his forehead as well as making his eyes standout. Yes, it's definitely easy to see why the image below is one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Underwear
Of course, as you guys are well aware of, I love photographing guys in a variety of underwear. As you can see in the gallery (http://www.reyjphotography.com/robert), I photographed Robert in a variety of underwear including white Calvin Klein briefs, black boxers, and multiple pairs of Go Softwear briefs. However, as I was looking through the images to select one to highlight for the blog entry, I instantly choose the image below. It comes from the end of the photo shoot when I was photographing Robert in a pair of Go Softwear briefs with pink stripes.
The reason I love the image below is how the light highlights his body due to the pose. I absolutely loved how his body is turned away from the camera while also creating a profile shot of his upper body. As my eye travels throughout the image, I'm instantly drawn to his shoulder and arm and how it leads down to his hand toying with the waistband of his briefs. I also like how you get a hint of a curve through the stripes of his briefs as it stretches across his bottom.
Additionally, I love the lighting playing across his back. As it wraps around his abs and waist, I love how it transitions into shadows with a jab of rim light leading down towards the briefs. It definitely adds an element of interest that captured my eye when I first looked at the image.
Finally, I love how the lighting canvasses his face. While there are some highlights scattered across his face, I liked how it is mostly midtones and shadows due to his face being turned away from the light source. I also love how his eyes continue to standout as a focal point. They are further helped along with the serious facial expression with a hint of smile gracing his lips.
Overall, it was definitely an easy choice for me as looked through the images to highlight for the underwear portion of the blog entry.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
As with most photo shoots, it was definitely easy to select my favorite image from the photo shoot. For me, I love capturing a moment in time. In the image below, I was able to capture the moment that Robert was pulling off the button down shirt before leaving himself in just a pair of white Calvin Klein briefs. While it definitely is a staged image, I love the moment quality that is evident with the piece of fabric fluttering down just to the lower left of the image. For me, that sense of motion helps to elevate the image as a moment in time.
Additionally, I absolutely love the lighting in the image. I love how the light is caressing the left side of his body as it wraps around from behind him while also highlighting the muscles in his neck as well as the veins his arms. Furthermore, I love how the light sweeps through his gorgeous curls creating a mixture of highlights and shadows to create the separation of the individual curls.
However, it definitely is the facial expression that cements this image as my favorite from the photo shoot. As I have mentioned throughout the entry, I'm definitely drawn to the seriousness found within his facial expression as well as intensity of his eyes. Additionally, I love how the light accentuates his facial features and adds to his facial expression. For me, that definitely helps to make the image standout as my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
I was definitely happy to work with Robert throughout the photo shoot. Of course, I was instantly drawn to him due to his features, particularly his curly hair, but I loved talking with him throughout the shoot and laughing at several of the comments and jokes passed between us. Additionally, I'm definitely happy with the images that came from the photo shoot, including the ones not highlighted in the blog entry. Of course, I'm definitely hoping to work with Robert in the future - hopefully at some point in 2016!
Again, thanks for checking out the website and the blog! I definitely appreciate that you guys are taking the time to scope out my work!
If you want, you can also check out my instagram at http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, you can reach me at [email protected].
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Enrique
As you guys may remember, I photographed eight models in eight separate shoots in the span of a week in December 2013. Enrique was the fifth model that I worked with during that week. When he first submitted his images, I was definitely attracted to his facial features, particularly his eyes. When I first saw his images, I instantly knew that I wanted to photograph him because of those features. For me, I definitely loved how the images turned out with his serious facial expression.
Street Clothes
As with all of my shoots, I like photographing the model in the clothes they wear to the shoot. In this instance, I loved how Enrique looked in his black bottom down shirt, black jeans, and cross. With the white backdrop, the dark clothes definitely helped to make him stand out. Even more so, I loved how the black shirt looked on him and how the buttons caught the light, as seen in the image below. I will say that this is one of the looks that I like on guys quite a bit because it dresses up a pair of jeans quite nicely. Plus, a button down shirt is pretty versatile in that unbuttoning a few buttons can change the look completely. So yeah, I love using these shirts during photo shoots.
In addition to the clothing, I like the stance in the image. While it's not terribly exciting, I like how casual it looks and is somewhat iconic of the typical young man. There is a sense of defiance within his body language, especially with the tilt of the head and the somewhat bewildered look on his face. However, he's not backing down from the challenge. Like I said, it's a somewhat typical stance of the young man.
Additionally, I love the placement of his hands. During one of my photography classes, I photographed another guy in a similar stance. However, when I asked my lab instructor what he thought of the image, he noted that placement of the hands made it seem like I was directing the viewer's eyes towards his crotch. When I asked my camera instructor what he thought about the pose, including the comments made, he just laughed and said that most young guys wanted to have attention directed there. Nonetheless, I still like having a guy pose with his thumbs within the pockets of his jeans and his fingers splayed across his upper thighs. Though, I am a little more careful of the finger placement though. In this image, I love how Enrique's long fingers are splayed down across his thighs and curl slightly. It adds a interesting visual element without distracting from the overall image.
Finally, I love the lighting in the image. As usual, I went with a split lighting pattern while having another light to slightly open up the shadows on the left side of the image. However, I do like the dramatic lighting and how it spreads across his face and body to creating an interesting lighting pattern. I love how it picks the details of the veins in his forearms and hands as well as highlight his cheekbones. Yeah, I absolutely love the light in the image below. With everything combined, it's definitely easy to see why the image is one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Underwear
Of course, I definitely wanted to photograph Enrique in a variety of underwear. Usually, I would photograph the model wearing just the underwear; however, I absolutely loved how he look in the black button down shirt and wanted to continue dressing up some of the images. As I mentioned above, I love how versatile a button down shirt can be. By unbuttoning the top three buttons, it creates a different overall look as the viewer gets a hint at the skin below the material. I've always liked that hint of a tease of what lies hidden beneath the fabric.
I also unbuttoned the last button at the bottom of the shirt in order to create a wider opening. I definitely wanted to create an element that would frame the bulge within Enrique's briefs as well as direct the viewer's attention towards it. While the opening isn't completely in alignment, the edge of the fabric definitely helps to direct the viewer's eyes to an interesting element within the image.
In most images highlighted under this category, I usually highlight the underwear since that is all the model is wearing in the image. In this image, the underwear is definitely interesting in the outline seen through the cotton and how it's highlighted by the black edge of his shirt. However, I love how Enrique's thumbs are trapped within the waistband of the briefs and are brining it down. It's more evident on the right side of the image, but it's there on the left side as well. He's just mere moments from pulling them completely off, but the moment captured definitely has a sexual appeal to it as well. Sometimes, it's all about the anticipation.
Half Nude
And sometimes it's all about the tease. Usually, I would be highlighting my favorite nude from the photo shoot, but I really liked how Enrique looked in that button down shirt. There are several images in the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot (http://reyjphotography.com/enrique) without the modesty of his hand; however, I decided to highlight the image below as my favorite.
As I mentioned above, sometimes it's all about the anticipation of seeing your lover for the first time. At other times, it's all about teasing or being teased by your lover. In the image below, I loved that that Enrique is only wearing the black button down shirt and is nude from the waist down. However, his hand is providing some modesty by covering himself in an effort to tease the viewer. For me, I absolutely love the placement of his hands. I like how his left hand is gripping his right shoulder which helps to lead the viewer's eye down his right arm to his right hand.
And, of course, I love the lighting in the image. As with the image above, I love how the light highlights some of the details within the image. For instance, I love how it highlights the veins in his hands, particularly the right one, and the muscles in his forearms. I also love the highlights on the buttons of his shirt and cross. Yeah, it definitely easy to love the lighting in image when it's combined with the subject matter and the pose.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
My favorite image from the photo shoot turned out to be a portrait. Fun fact: when I captured the image below, Enrique was nude from the waist below. Yeah, that's an interesting snippet from the photo shoot. However, I loved his facial expression in the image and wanted to capture it in a portrait. To me, there's a sadness within his facial expression that first caught my attention when he submitted his images for consideration. When I saw that look in his images, I definitely knew that I wanted to capture it.
Of course, I love the lighting in the image. I love how the light highlights the left side of his face and tappers off towards his right. However, I was using a light on the right side of him to open up those shadows on the right side of his body. It definitely helped to pick up the details within his hair, the piercing in his ear, and the details of his skin. For me, it's definitely the lighting that makes the image my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Enrique throughout the photo shoot. While I mentioned that I loved the sad look in facial features, Enrique was anything but sad throughout the shoot. He was definitely on the serious side, but I was able to easily engage him in conversation as I learned about his life. Of course, I absolutely loved photographing him in his black button down shirt and how it created an interesting look for me to work with throughout the shoot, especially when I paired the shirt with different pairs of briefs and boxer briefs. Overall, I'm definitely happy with the images that we created throughout the shoot and the fact that I was finally able to share them with all of you.
And, of course, I'm definitely hoping to work with Enrique in a future photo shoot!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at: http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography/.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, feel free to email me at [email protected].
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I can't believe that February came and went and March is following in its footsteps. It's definitely been a busy couple of months. I traveled across part of Texas in February - went to Ft. Worth and Houston within the span of a week. It was a work-related trip, but I definitely took some time to work with a male model in Houston and was happy with the images that came out of the photo shoot. I'm still in the process of editing those images, but I definitely like what I'm seeing on the computer screen.
Of course, I'm also trying to line up some additional photo shoots with some male models in the next couple of months. I've got one tentatively scheduled in San Antonio next month and am definitely looking forward to working with him. I'm also looking to schedule a couple of additional shoots here in Austin before summer rolls around, but we'll see how successful I am in that venture. Overall, I'm definitely happy with the progression with my photography work, especially as I'm trying to balance it against a full time job.
Dancer Series - Jeremy
As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, Jeremy is a trained dancer and has worked with a dance company. When I found this out, I definitely changed my idea for the photo shoot and asked him to be prepared to do through several dance moves during the shoot. I was definitely anticipating this portion of the photo shoot and hoped that the images would look as beautiful as Jeremy's precise movements from pose to pose.
Composure
In addition to the carefully orchestrated movements, I also love how Jeremy was able to hit a pose and make it look elegant and powerful. For me, that is why I love the image below. I absolutely love the lines created by his body, particularly his legs and arms, but I absolutely love the sense of power that is evident in his shoulders and the serious facial expression. I also think that the image clearly captures Jeremy's confidence as well as how comfortable he is in how body. For me, this is one of my favorite portraits that I have captured.
Along the same lines as the image above, I love the image below for similar reasons. Again, I love the lines that his legs make as well as the those in his arms. Additionally, I love the additional depth that is evident through the position of his legs as well as the twist of his hips. To me, it definitely is a dynamic pose that captures the beautiful lines of Jeremy's body.
As with the image above, I also love the seriousness of his facial expression as he gazes to the right side of the image. Of course, I was drawn to Jeremy's strong profile from the slope of his nose to the strong jawline. His facial features in combination with the lighting creates a dynamic lighting pattern as it transitions from highlights to the shadows around his jawline. As with the image above, I absolutely love the image below and count it amongst my favorite images that I have had the opportunity to capture.
Movement
I am always amazed watching dancers gracefully move from one pose to the next. As we were going through the photo shoot, I found myself in awe of Jeremy's body and strength as he transitioned from one movement to the next. For me, the image below captures that sense of movement while also capturing his strength and precision. In the image, you can see that he is holding his body weight with his fists. What is not shown were the slow extensions of his legs and the act of pulling them back towards his body in slow and precise movements while holding his entire body weight on just his fists. However, you do not see any signs of stress in his facial expression indicating that he did not have any difficulty with the movement. To me, that simple demonstration of power was amazing. Of course, I am absolutely happy that I was able to capture part of that transition in the image below.
As with the images above, I am absolutely happy with the lighting in the image. I like the transition of the highlights to shadows are the light drops off towards the lower part of his body. However, I do love that the light is able to create highlights, midtones, and shadows in his black tights. Additionally, I love the shadows on the floor that were created by his body and crossed legs. Yeah, I'm definitely happy with the overall image and the movement that was captured within it.
Underwear
As you guys know, I tend to capture the model posing in a variety of underwear throughout the shoot. In the previous gallery and blog entry, I highlighted several images of Jeremy posing Papi boxer briefs and others. However, when I was setting up the shoot and bouncing ideas with him, he asked me if I wanted him to bring the dancer's pouch that he wore while dancing. Of course, I jumped on the chance without really having a clear picture of what a dancer's pouch was, but I was definitely happy that I had him bring it.
I love the image below for the slight tease that Jeremy is presenting. I love the casual display of the dancer's pouch as well as his upper thigh as Jeremy pulls down the left side of his tights. Of course, I love how the light highlights the creases in the dancer's pouch and helps to lead the viewer's eye further down. In addition to this small creases, I love how the light tapers off from the highlights on the right side of the image and descends into shadows as the viewer's eyes moves to the left.
However, I love the pose even more. I like the placement of his arms and hands as he lowers the left side of his tights. Of course, I love how the light picks up several of the details, such as the veins on his hands and the muscle definition in his forearms. I also like how they are serving as leading lines directing the viewer's eyes to different parts of the image. Additionally, I love how the lighting pattern falls across his arms, and body in general, as well as how his hands stand out against the black tights and the white background.
Finally, I love the positioning of his head. I love how he's not making eye contact with the viewer and gives the impression that this is a private moment. I love how the tilt of his head helps to reinforce the leading lines and helps to direct the viewer's attention to his left forearm and then down to the bottom of the image. On top of that, I love Jeremy's gentle facial expression. It helps to strengthen the calming feel of the image as well as show how comfortable Jeremy is with his body. With all of these elements combined, it's definitely easy to see why the image below is one of my favorite images from the photo shoot.
Favorite Image From The Photo Shoot
I already listed my favorite image from the photo shoot in the previous blog entry. However, since I'm treating this part of the photo shoot as a separate entry, I'm also going to identify my favorite image from this part of the photo shoot. For me, it was easy to actually chose the image below to highlight as my favorite from this portion of the shoot.
As I have been indicating throughout the shoot, there is definitely a sense of power and grace within Jeremy's body that easily seen as he moves from one pose to another. For me, I love the strength that is displayed in the pose as he reclines back with his only support coming from his legs. There are no telling signs that indicates that Jeremy is stressed in holding the pose.
In addition that casual display of strength, I also love how elegant the pose appears. I liked the placement of his open hand across his chest and how it gives a subtle hint of movement. I also like the subtle turn of his shoulders as it helps to create some additional visual depth in the image. I also love the placement of his left hand and arm as it directs the viewer's eye to the lower part of his body. Finally, I absolutely love Jeremy's facial expression and the calmness reflected in it. All of the elements, in combination with the lighting, definitely helps to establish the image as one my overall favorite images in my catalog.
Closing
There are several items on my photography bucket list that I want to accomplish. One of those was to have the opportunity to photograph a dancer as they went through a series of movements. Sure, when I originally wrote the idea down, I thought that I would be photographing a ballerina or potentially a ballroom dancer. However, after watching so many seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, I knew that I would want to photograph a contemporary dancer. It was just my luck that I was able to work with Jeremy, a dancer trained in ballet, and capture him working through several movements that felt contemporary to me.
Overall, I am definitely happy with the images that Jeremy and I created during the photo shoot. Sure, I may have gotten a little overwhelmed by the feels as I watched Jeremy effortlessly and gracefully moved from pose to pose; I may have even let a few tears escape as I moved by the overall beauty of Jeremy's movements.
Of course, I am hoping to work with Jeremy again in the near future in order to create some additional magical images. Here's hoping that I have another opportunity to work with such a talented man!
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Additionally, I also had the opportunity to work with a male model in January. I definitely enjoyed the experience and had fun trying out some new techniques with him. Some of those new ideas worked well, but others didn't work so well. However, it was definitely fun experimenting with different ideas during the photo shoot and just trying new things. And, of course, it's given me some additional ideas for concepts to potentially try in the future. Nonetheless, in looking through the images during the import process, I definitely saw several images that I'm wanting to work on from the photo shoot. I really can't wait to start the editing process on those images and eventually share my favorite ones with you guys.
On top of that, I am taking a photography course, Color II, at the local community college. I was attempting to take an architecture photography course, but I don't think it's going to make. In reality, I only took Color II because I needed a lab course to go along with the camera course, but I'm probably going to stick with the Color II course since I already paid for it and the fact that's a prerequisite for some additional courses. Plus, it will be nice to get some additional in-person instruction on Photoshop and Capture One. So yeah, that's definitely taking up some of my time during the evenings.
I'm also working on a 52 Week Photography Project focusing on architecture photography. Every week, I'm attempting to photograph, edit, and post an image of a different piece of architecture each week. I've been focusing on architecture around Austin since I live here, but will also be including architecture from some of the different places that I'll travel to throughout the year. Since I'll be heading to Ft. Worth and Houston in two weeks, I'll definitely be adding some images from one of those cities. So yeah, it's definitely an interesting project and one that I hope that I can complete. Those images are posted on my website focusing on my architecture photography: http://www.reyescastillophotography.com.
So yeah, I'm definitely happy that photography is starting to become a more integral part of my life, especially as I'm starting to balance it a little better in relation to my full-time job. I'm definitely happy that I'm able to devote more time to it and work on a variety of different projects with male models as well as architecture. It's even gotten to the point where I think that I might be able to take some additional photography courses at the local community college and potentially go through the entire degree plan. So yeah, that's definitely going to be cool since it will only help me with the different projects that I'm working on in my spare time.
Jeremy
For now, let's talk about the photo shoot that I did with Jeremy. He was the fourth model that I photographed in December, and definitely proved to be one of my favorite ones. I absolutely loved his confidence and laid-back attitude throughout the shoot. We talked about a variety of things throughout the shoot and established an easy rapport throughout it.
One of the cool things about Jeremy is the fact that he is a trained dancer. I definitely loved working with him as we went through a series of dance poses during the shoot. However, I'm going to post those images as a separate series since I had so many to choose from and wanted to highlight them separately. Still, it was definitely one of my dreams to actually photograph a dancer and I fulfilled it with Jeremy. Of course, I'm still wanting to photograph some other dancers since I love watching them go through the different movements and moving their bodies in a way that seems seamless.
Street Clothes
As you guys know, I like to photograph the various models in the clothing that they wore to the photo shoot. When Jeremy arrived to the photo shoot, I knew that I wanted to photograph him in the burnt orange sweats that he wore. I loved how casual they looked on him but also highlighted his body somewhat. So yeah, I definitely knew that I was going to him pose in the sweats to start the photo shoot.
I definitely love the image below. Of course, I love the lighting and how it plays across his body. I definitely think it's interesting as it crosses his face to create some interesting highlights and shadows. It definitely helps to accentuate his facial expression as well.
In addition to the lighting, I love the pose in the image. I love that he's looking straight at the camera, but the majority of his body is posed as a profile shot. It definitely helps to highlight the muscles in his chest and slope of his shoulders and upper back. The slight twist of his hips definitely helps to add some depth to the image as well and the placement of his right arm. Overall, the image is definitely one of my favorite ones from the series.
Underwear
As you guys know, I tend to photograph guys posing in a variety of underwear. The photo shoot with Jeremy was no different. However, there are two images that I wanted to highlight from portion of the shoot since I couldn't decide which one was my favorite between the two of them. Of course, Jeremy was wearing Papi boxer briefs in both images.
In the image below, I had Jeremy pose in a pair of yellow Papi boxer briefs. I definitely loved the way they looked on him and how they highlighted the lines of his body. However, in the image below, I loved the teasing element associated with Jeremy pulling down the right side of the boxer briefs to create an interesting diagonal at his hips. I think it creates a point of interest in the image that helps to drive the viewer's eye to his left arm and back up to his face.
In addition to the briefs and the diagonal created, I love the lighting in the image. I love how it caresses the planes of his body and how the left side of the image becomes darker with the shadows. I also love how those shadows are created at various points of his body to show his muscle definition, such as the lines at abs, chest, and near his hips. Yeah, like all photographers, I am obsessed with lighting and how it accentuates the subject matter - Jeremy's body in this case.
As I mentioned above, Jeremy is also posing in a pair of Papi boxer briefs in the second image that I wanted to highlight under this section. However, instead of the solid color such as the bright yellow of the boxer briefs above, I definitely knew that I wanted to have Jeremy pose in these bright green boxer briefs with an intense pattern. From the first moment that I saw those green Papi boxer briefs, I knew that I was going to have a male model pose in them. Of course, I knew that I was going to have that image in black and white due to the strong pattern in the boxer briefs. I'm definitely happy that the image came out like I had envisioned when I first saw those boxer briefs.
In addition to the Papi boxer briefs, I like Jeremy's pose in the image. As with the first image, I do like the mostly profile pose. I like how it highlights his chest and back and how they lead down to his narrow waist. Of course, I do like the subtle hint of the curves encased in the boxer briefs and how they lead down to his thighs. It's definitely a good pose to highlight Jeremy's body. And, of course, I love the fact that Jeremy's looking down over his shoulder. To me, all of the elements helps to create an interesting image that I wanted to highlight in the blog entry.
I will note that I'm planning a separate gallery and blog entry that will highlight another set of images of Jeremy posing in a pair of briefs. That set of images has been separated out due to the number that I ended up liking from that short series. That series will be posted separately with a blog entry to highlight my favorites from that short series.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
As I mentioned, I'm breaking up this photo shoot into three pieces. The image below is my favorite image from this portion of the photo shoot. Once again, I like the lighting in the image, but it really is the pose and facial expression that makes it my favorite. Yes, Jeremy is completely nude in the image, but I love how comfortable and at ease he looks in the image. I think his facial expression definitely conveys that feeling.
I definitely love the pose in the image. I love how the various lines intersect such as his left leg leading up from the corner of the image before being intersected by his arm. I also love how his line of sight is pointed directly at his right knee to help tie in the various lines. To me, it's definitely an interesting composition due to all of the intersecting lines created by his limbs. Between the lighting, the pose, and the overall feeling of the image, it's definitely easy to see why this image is one of my overall favorites from my entire catalog.
Closing
Working with Jeremy was definitely an honor. I know that I don't usually say that about my various photo shoots, but working with Jeremy definitely was a intense experience. As I mentioned before, I decided to break up the photo shoot into three different segments because each one felt like it could be a stand alone segment. I definitely love several of the images that came out from this portion of the shoot, especially the ones highlighted in this blog entry. And I definitely love the image highlighted as my favorite image from the shoot.
However, I can't wait to start sharing the images from the other two portions of this shoot. I'll be working on posting the next portion of the shoot in the upcoming couple of days. I think it should definitely be cool to say the least.
If you want to check out some of the other images highlighted from this portion of the photo shoot, check out the gallery at http://www.reyjphotography.com/jeremy.
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography/.
And, if you're interested in setting up a photo shoot, feel free to email me at [email protected].
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In looking back on 2015, it definitely proved to be an interesting year. While I didn't get to photograph a lot of male models this year (I found myself focusing more on architecture photography), I did surprise myself with the work that I went into updating the website and clearing a backlog of images. Sure, there were a couple of months that went by without an update, but overall I'm glad that I was able to start posting images on a somewhat irregular basis. Overall, I'm happy with the way that 2015 turned out in regards to my photography.
However, I'm also looking to make 2016 a better year. At the moment, I'm still trying to plan out what I want to do, but I'm starting to firm up some of those ideas and starting to make them a reality! I'm definitely looking forward to working with a some old friends as well as working with some new guys on some photo shoots next year. Hopefully, I'll be able to share them with you guys a little more quickly as well. So yeah, here's looking to a great 2016!
But for now, let's take a look back on my December 2013 photo shoot with D.A..
D.A.
I worked with D.A. directly after the photo shoot with Romance. During that month, I was trying to get as many photo shoots completed after feeling uncreative due to a long semester of grad school. Of course, it definitely lead to the backlog of images that I'm still trying to work through. Nonetheless, I definitely enjoyed working with D.A. on the photo shoot, even though we didn't finish the photo shoot until close to 2:00 am.
D.A. was definitely an interesting guy to work with throughout the shoot. He didn't really make a lot of small talk with me, but that might have been due to the late hour of the photo shoot. However, I knew that we were going to creating some interesting images due to his overall look, his professionalism, and his entirely calm nature throughout the photo shoot. Plus, I knew that I would be able to get some awesome black and white images with him. I'm glad that I wasn't disappointed.
The image below is definitely one of my favorite images from the beginning of the shoot. As you guys know, I do like to start the shoot by taking photos of the model wearing the clothes that they wore before moving on. While the image below was a quick capture as he was pulling off his jeans in order to pose in his boxers, I knew that I wanted to capture the instance of him pulling off his jeans. I ended up liking the image because it feels like it was a moment captured instead of being a posed image. Of course, I like that the image was captured right when D.A. had looked up and made eye contact with the camera and the viewer. Like I said, I like the image because it feels like a moment captured in time.
Of course, I am definitely happy with how well the image looks in black and white. I love the gradation of the tones as the light sweeps across his body to create the various highlights and shadows. I particularly like how the light is playing across his face, specifically on the right side of his face. Plus, the rich tones of his skin definitely translated well in the black and white image. Like I said, it's definitely one of my favorite images from the photo shoot.
Portraits
One of the things that I loved about D.A. was his facial structure. I definitely knew that I wanted to create several portraits of D.A. as we worked throughout the photo shoot. And I definitely knew that I wanted to attempt to get a profile image of him given his facial structure. As such, I am happy with the way the image below turned out.
As I mentioned, I really like D.A.'s profile from the slope of his forehead down over his nose and back down over his lips and chin. To me, it's visually appealing and looks nice set against the backdrop. Additionally, I love how the light highlighted his cheekbone, jawline, and his ear. For some weird reason, I really like how the light and shadows are playing within the structure of his ear. It's interesting to see how the the different areas are defined in highlights and shadows.
Finally, I love how the light is creating interesting shadows and highlights across his face and neck and down his back. As I mentioned before, D.A. had a rich skin tone that looked great when done in black and white. Those skin tones are helped by the light creating an interesting light pattern highlighting the muscles across his back. Like I said, I really love how the light turned out in the image below.
In addition to the portrait above, I also ended up loving the image below. I love the image below for similar reasons as the one above. However, I think the top reason why I love the image below is the pose. I love how he's looking away from the camera towards the light. As I said above, I really do like D.A.'s facial structure. In addition to the tilt and direction of his head, I also love the placement of the hands over the back of the chair. To me, it creates an relaxed feeling while still having elegance due to his the serious facial expression and position of his head. It's definitely one of my favorite portraits within my catalog.
Underwear
As usual, after photographing D.A. in the clothes that he wore to the shoot and then in just his boxers, I moved on to photograph him in a variety of underwear. After photographing him in his Hanes boxers, I had D.A. model a pair of light pink Go Softwear briefs. I thought that they would contrast nicely against his skin tones while fitting him nicely. I'm definitely happy with the way he filled out the briefs and how the image turned out overall.
Additionally, I love the pose in the image. I knew that I wanted to get a profile shot given how D.A. filled out the briefs, but I also knew that I wanted to add some dimension as well. As such, I had him turn his shoulders a little to create some additional visual depth. In addition to the slight turn of his shoulders, I also like how his arm looked draped across his chest. It helps to add some weight to the image in terms of how the shadows deepened as less light reached his elbow.
And, of course, I love the tilt and slight turn of his head in the image. Throughout the shoot, D.A. had a serious expression on his face most of the time. I definitely loved that about him, since it conveyed a sense of professionalism but also suited his demeanor. However, I love the facial expression in the image. There's a small hint of amusement and coyness, but it could be that I'm reading too much into the image. Still, the facial expression definitely adds to the overall reason why I love and chose to highlight the image.
In addition to the Go Softwear, I also knew that I wanted to photograph D.A. modeling a pair of dark pink N2N briefs. After seeing how D.A. filled out the Go Softwear briefs, I knew that I wanted to get him to try on the N2N briefs. I'm definitely happy with how he looked in the briefs. Like the previous ones, I love how the color contrasted against his body, especially when I converted the image into black and white. The lighter tones definitely contrasts nicely against the dark tones of his lower stomach as well as his thighs.
In addition to how well D.A. looks in the briefs, I also like the pose in the image. D.A. was definitely on the lean side, but I loved how the image shows off his abs and the definition in his chest. It's definitely helped along through the highlights, midtones, and shadows created by the light as it caressed his body. Moving beyond the muscle definition in his chest and abs, I love the placement of his hands at his hips with his thumbs hidden behind his waist. With the shadows created at his hands, it contrasts nicely against the lighter tones at his hips and waist. Overall, I love the pose and how the light traveled across his body to create the interesting highlights, midtones, and shadows.
Nudes
And, of course, I did photograph D.A. in the nude. The image below is my favorite nude from D.A. photo shoot. As I've been saying through the blog entry, D.A. has these rich skin tones that look exquisite when the image was converted to black and white. In addition to his skin tones, I love the muscle definition through his lean body. Both of those characteristics are definitely present in the image below. I definitely love how the light accentuates the muscles in his shoulders and back as well as the dimples that appear at his lower back.
Additional, I love the pose. Within the gallery, there are some frontal nude shots of D.A., but I definitely thought this image and pose were more interesting and deserving to be highlighted in the blog post. The pose definitely shows off his physique well. I love how the lines taper down from his wide shoulders to his narrow waist before falling off as they descend down his thighs. I also love the placement of the hand and how it's cast in shadow. It creates some additional visual weight on the left side of the image to help balance out the image. Of course, I am in love with the lighting and how it proceeds to place the left side of his body in shadow. The image is definitely one of my favorite images from my entire catalog.
Favorite Image From The Photo Shoot
Sometimes I find it difficult to choose a favorite image from a photo shoot. However, I knew instantly which image was my favorite as I was working through the editing process. When I saw the image below, even in its RAW form, I already envisioned what it would look like in black and white and knew that it would be one of my favorite images overall. So yeah, it was definitely easy to select the image below as my favorite image from the photo shoot.
As you guys know, I am a fan of split lighting since it creates some awesome highlights and shadows. As you can see in the image, the back side of his body is shrouded in shadows with a tiny edge of light gracing his lower back and the curve of his cheek. In addition, I absolutely love the gradation of the tones as the midtones transition into the shadows at his side. And, of course, I love how the shadowed areas of his body contrasts and stands out against the lighter gray tones of the chair in the background. Yeah, I am definitely a fan of black and white images with dramatic lighting.
In addition to the lighting used in the image, I also love the pose. Granted, it definitely focuses on a certain aspect of D.A.'s anatomy, I do love how the lines flow from his lower back into the curve of the cheek and down into his thigh. It's also, to a certain degree, mimicked in the line descending from his stomach and down into the front of his thigh. In addition to that, I love how the line of his forearm is mimicking the outer line of the chair. It's definitely an interesting pose that I have used in the past and will continue to use in the future, but it definitely takes on another dimension in the image below. Well, it definitely adds to the visual interest and helps to create the overall image that is my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
Overall, I loved working with D.A. throughout the photo shoot. Even though the photo shoot took place late at night, he brought his "A Game" and was a professional throughout it. As you guys can see, he definitely has an amazing physique and rich skin tones that helped to create some gorgeous black and white images, at least to me. I would definitely recommend D.A. as a model to work with and I hope to work with him in future projects in 2016 and beyond.
For additional images from the photo shoot, please visit: http://www.reyjphotography.com/da.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected].
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Romance
Continuing on with the photo shoots from 2013, I'm now at the photo shoot with Romance. I will say that it was an interesting experience working with him. Initially, I was interested in working with him because of his interest in martial arts and the fact that he had been part of a dance troop. Given those experiences, I thought that it would be easy to get him into various poses since both activities made him aware of positioning and movement in general. So yeah, I was definitely excited to be working with him.
Of course, reality did not exactly meet expectations. Romance did know how to work his body and hit various movements and positions, but I found myself getting a little frustrated because the positioning wasn't exactly what I was expected or wanted. I kept having to pull him back from poses that I thought were too feminine for a male model to be in. It wasn't exactly blatant, but it was minor things like the positioning of his hands or the turn of the his body that had me cringing and redirecting him into a slightly different pose.
In addition to having to be a little more direct in terms of posing, I also had to pull Romance back from positions that were a little too sexually blatant. I don't generally get guys to get into "sexy" positions; I tend to let it happen and focus more on the just capturing moments that I find interesting and working on images that have an appeal to me. I'm not exactly looking for a guy to pose sexily. However, with Romance, I found myself having to pull him back from getting into too sexually charged poses. Throughout the photo shoot, I kept calling him a "sex kitten" in my head and sighing each time that he would hit a position. Sometimes the positions worked, but most of the time I would try and redirect him back from them.
So yeah, it was definitely interesting to work with Romance. Of course, I definitely was able to pull out several images to highlight from the photo shoot.
Style and Attitude
As I mentioned previously, I definitely find it interesting to see how guys will come dressed to the photo shoots. When Romance showed up, he was wearing a white button down shirt, black vest, and black slacks. And sunglasses, at night. Yeah, I was definitely intrigued. More importantly, I definitely noticed that Romance was projecting a certain sense of style and attitude that would definitely translate over into the images. As such, I wanted to capture some of that attitude, which I think I did in the image below. You can definitely see the attitude and defiance in the position of his head as well as in his facial expression.
And, of course, I definitely took the opportunity to do a black and white image with a splash of color. As I mentioned before, Romance had come into the photo shoot dressed up. But what stood out for me, besides the attitude, was that bright red tie. When I was editing this image and converted it to black and white, I definitely knew that I was going to create a version of this with the red popping out. I'm definitely happy with how the image turned out.
As I mentioned earlier, Romance definitely came to the photo shoot with some sexually charged poses. While I was somewhat frustrated with them during the shoot, I did find that some of them worked really well and translated well into the images. I definitely love the image below. While there is a sexual element to the image below, it's really the pose that I love in the image. I love the positioning of his left hand against his neck and the slight turn of his head. In addition, I like the somewhat relaxed facial expression. Overall, I thought the pose worked and looked good without being too sexually driven.
Underwear
As usual, I photographed Romance wearing a variety of underwear throughout the photo shoot. During the photo shoot with Brent (http://www.reyjphotography.com/brent), I had photographed him in a pair of blue striped C-IN2 briefs. For Romance, I decided to photograph him a different pair of C-IN2 briefs that were predominately red. Of course, I knew that I was going to convert the image into black and white and hoped that it would turn out well. I was definitely happy with the way that the briefs turned in the various shades of gray. The pattern of the briefs definitely highlight the contours of his lower body as well as looking good visually.
I am happy with how the image turned out overall. I do like the profile pose with the slight turn of his shoulders. I like how how his shoulders mimic his lower body and creates a sense of repetition, but that may be me reading into the image. But I do love how the lines of his body tends to lead the eye upward - from his right arm and the position of his right thigh to his left hand across his chest leading to his right shoulder. I think the pose definitely highlights his physique overall while leading the eye upwards to his face.
In addition to the pose and briefs, I also like the lighting in the image. While not as dramatic as some of the lighting that I have used in the past, I do like the tonality that was produced by it. I like how it fades into the shadows on the right side of his body and seems to anchor the image. I also like how it creates the highlights and mid tones across his face while also highlighting some of the details. Like I said, overall, I like the image and was easy to see why I choose to highlight the image.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
There were definitely several images that I could have selected as my overall favorite image from the photo shoot. However, there was one that definitely stood out from the rest. I know that some people are not interested in black and white images with pops of color, but I am partial to them. As such, I was definitely drawn to the image below for the overall pose and the use of the tie as a prop, but also for the color treatment.
As I said, I do like the overall pose. As I mentioned earlier, I had to rein in Romance from getting into positions that I thought were too sexually charged. However, I think the image below actually works. Again, I like the details from the tucked in button down into his slacks to the highlights on his belt and chain. Of course, I love the tilt of his head as well as facial expression. It definitely adds to the sensual nature of the pose and the use of the tie as a prop.
However, it's the tie being pulled across his face that takes center stage. I love how it covers one of his eyes and creates a diagonal across his face. On a side note, I do love that you can see the interesting details of his eye lashes. While I think it would have still been an interesting image without the color splash, I definitely think that add the red creates a stunning visual counterpoint. To me, it helps to anchor and add some weight to the image. Additionally, it adds to the sexual nature of the image since red is often considered the color of passion. For me, overall, it helped to create an interesting image that became my overall favorite from the photo shoot.
Overall, I liked working with Romance throughout the shoot. Sure, there were times that I was rolling my eyes or sighing internally, but I definitely think that we produced some really interesting images. I would definitely be willing to work with him in future photo shoots, even knowing that I would have to rein him back or lead him into slightly different poses. Nonetheless, Romance was definitely fun to work with and I can see myself working with him on a different project.
For additional images from the photo shoot, check them out at http://www.reyjphotography.com/romance.
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Brent
Brent was the first model that I worked with in December 2013. He was definitely an interesting guy as we talked about green energy and how he wanted to get into that sector. Listening to him definitely was interesting, especially when he got passionate about the different technologies that were available and how it could be applied. However, it was definitely over my head since I don't really follow the green energy movement beyond generalities about solar, wind, and hydro-based energy. Still, it was cool to get a crash course on the sector.
However, we really connected on mutual love for 90s alternative music. We traded stories back and forth about the bands that we loved and the different concerts that we had seen, with me gushing about how I had recently seen Weezer and Bush in an intimate venue within the last couple of years. We were also listening to Girl Talk's "Night Ripper" album during the photo shoot and pointing out the various song clips that we liked in each song. Like I said previously, music is definitely a topic that has gotten models to open up and feel more comfortable with each other, especially when we start getting in how some of those things tied into important moments within our lives. Like I said, it's definitely a connecting factor and gives me a chance to build a rapport with them on a slightly deeper level.
Preppy Look
It's always interesting to see how the model will come dressed to the shoot. I've had some come in sweats and a t-shirt while others have come in a suit. Like I said, it's interesting to see how the model will come dressed. I will say that I was happy with the clothes that Brent wore to the shoot. I am a fan of the preppy look - button down shirts and sweaters, especially if it's layered. To me, it's definitely a classic look that looks good on a lot of models. Plus, it also allows me to get them to use the various layers in different photos. In Brent's case, I absolutely loved the way that he looked in his dark jeans, gray sweater, and stripped button down.
I will say that I love the straightforwardness of the image below. It's a simple image, but I absolutely Brent's expression in the image. Yes, I love how the clothes play a significant part in the image, but it's his expression that really makes the image. Or rather, I love how his eyes look in the image and draws my attention right to them. It's also helped along by the lighting used in the image. When all of it is combined, it's definitely one of my favorite images from the photo shoot and was quickly selected as a highlight from the photo shoot.
Underwear
The image below is definitely one of my overall favorites from the photo shoot. As usual with my photo shoots, I photographed Brent modeling a variety of name-brand underwear throughout the shoot. However, I ended up loving how he looked in the pair of C-IN2 briefs that he's wearing in the image. However, it's his expression that made me love the image. I love how his head is tilted down and to the side, which created an interesting lighting pattern across his face. However, it's the slightly amused expression on his face that absolutely drew me in. I love the small smile playing on his lips, but I absolutely adore the look and highlights within his eyes. Taken together, it was easy for me to fall in love with the image.
In addition to the C-IN2 briefs, I also liked how Brent looked in these blue Go Soft Wear briefs. While the briefs are not necessarily the focus in the image below, I decided to include this image in this section. Overall, I like the pose in this image. Of course, Brent has an amazing body, but the definition in his abs and pecs is definitely highlighted in the image below. But it's the overall pose that I like in the image below. Yes, I like the slight twist of his torso, but I love how it's accentuated by his right arm as my eyes trail down his long fingers. I also like how the downward tilt of his head and eyes leads the viewer's eyes to his right arm and down his torso. To me, that definitely made the image interesting and one that I wanted to highlight in this blog entry.
Nude
In addition to photographing Brent in a variety of underwear, I also photographed him in the nude. The image below is definitely my favorite from the series. I love the lighting in the image and how it creates interesting highlights and shadows across his body. I will say that I like the highlight that crosses down his face, including the bridge of his nose and his lips. Yeah, I do love the dramatic lighting in this image.
In addition to the lighting, I like the pose. I like that it's not a true profile shot due to the subtle turn of his body that is evident by his upper and lower back. However, the pose does serve to highlight the curve starting at his upper back, down into his waist, and further downward. In addition to the pose, I also like how his body profile is in contrast to the bed and bench through the dark tones of the headboard and bench and the lighter tones of the bedspread and pillows. In addition to the tonal changes, I also like the depth of field that helps create that separation between Brent's body and the background. It's definitely one of the reasons on why I was attracted to this image.
Finally, I love the expression on his face. To me, there is feeling of seriousness being conveyed. That is helped along with the downward tilt of his head as well as the lighting streaming across his face. Yeah, I definitely like the perception of seriousness that is conveyed in the image. Like I said before, it's definitely my favorite from the series of nudes done with Brent.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
My favorite image from the photo shoot, shown below, actually comes from the beginning of the photo shoot. From the very beginning of the photo shoot, I found myself completely comfortable with Brent and, I would like to believe, he with me. Take that sense of comfort, I love how you can get a sense of Brent's comfort within his own skin. Not only that, but he was also comfortable stripping down to his briefs and didn't make any apologies about them not being name brand. There is definitely very alluring about someone just being completely at ease within their body.
In addition to the comfort radiating from Brent, I absolutely love his expression. I love the seriousness that is presence in his facial expression. Additionally, I love the intensity and brightness of his eyes. The positioning of the light definitely help to highlight his eyes as well as highlighting his features. Overall, it's easy to see why this image was my overall favorite from the entire photo shoot.
Overall, I loved working with Brent throughout the photo shoot. I love how seriously he approached the shoot and how well he took direction. Again, I definitely love how comfortable he was within his own skin as well as posing in the variety of underwear and in the nude. If the opportunity arose again, I would definitely love to work with Brent again on a future photo shoot.
Additional images from the photo shoot can be found at www.reyjphotography.com/brent.
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Joey
At the time, Joey was a local area model; he has since moved to the West Coast. He was the last model that I photographed in October 2015, and allowed me to end the month on a high note! It's not always that you cross paths with someone that can relate with your past. It's not often that I cross paths with someone who grew up in Indiana and made the move to Texas. So I was instantly delighted and felt kinship with Joey when I found out that he grew up there and went to the college on the campus that hosted my high school. When I mentioned a place that I frequented during my junior and senior years of high school, he instantly knew where I was talking about and regaled me with stories of funny things that happened in those locations during his time on the campus. It definitely made for that rapport to be easily built, but then again Joey did have a friendly personality that instantly had me talking and laughing like we were old friends.
As the shoot went on, he entertained me with stories about the horrible roommates that he had on campus and the crazy adventures he got up to. Needless to say, he had me laughing throughout the entire shoot as well as sharing my own adventures during those two years of high school. It's funny, because I was so focused on his storytelling that I wasn't aware of the time passing by so quickly.
I think that's why I like the image below so much. To me, it captures the essence of his personality - from the easy, genuine smile to the twinkle in his eyes. During my time with him, he was just a happy, easy-going guy that easily found an audience for his story telling.
But it also shows the his uniqueness. It's not often that I come across anyone that proudly sports a facial tattoo, especially one that comes from comic books. But to be honest, that facial tattoo was the primary reason that I wanted to work with him. I know that a lot of photographers could be put off by it, but to me it made him a lot more interesting since I wanted to know what made him get the tattoo. Plus, I wanted to photograph him because his look was completely unique to me - he's the only model to date that I have photographed who sported so many tattoos. It was awe inspiring to have the opportunity to photograph such a unique model.
Portraits
In addition to the three nudes, I also love how several of the portraits came out from the photo shoot. The first one that I wanted to highlight is the one below. While the majority of his face is cast in shadow created by his raised arms, I love how the light was able to highlight the left side of his face and even create a catchlight in his left eye. While not your traditional portrait, I definitely think that it was an interesting and one of the first that ended up catching my attention during the editing process. Nonetheless, it's definitely one of my favorite portraits from the photo shoot with Joey.
In addition to the one above, I also ended up loving the image below. I definitely love the lighting in the image as well as the overall placement and pose. However, I like that it captures a bit of his personality. I love that you can see the twinkles in his eyes as well as the laugh lines around the edges of his eyes. I also love that it captured his easy-going smile in mid-laugh. Yeah, it's just an image that I find myself smiling at each time that I come across it in my catalog. And, of course, it's currently the image that I have highlight when you first come to my page. This image is definitely one of my favorite images from my entire catalog.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
However, my absolute favorite image from the entire photo shoot is the one below. When I originally finished editing the images back in April 2015, I had exported the final image in color. I will say that the image looks good in color, especially since his blue eyes captures the light in a stunning manner. However, when I was looking at the images to highlight in the blog entry, I decided that I needed to see how the image would look in black and white. And I am glad that I did take the opportunity.
For me, some of the details get lost through the presence of colors, especially given the vibrancy of some of the colors found in his tattoos. In the black and white image below, I am able to marvel at all of the minute details that would have been lost otherwise. From the highlights on the ear plug and nose ring to the details of each hair of his beard to the dazzling detail of his eye. For me, all of those details would have been lost with the presence of color. But it's all of those details, the position his head and shoulders, and the lighting that come together to make this image an interesting portrait in my opinion. And of course, it's easy to see why this image is my favorite from the photo shoot with Joey.
Overall, I loved worked with Joey throughout the shoot! He was definitely fun and easy-going throughout. Plus, it felt like I was working with a friend (though I have never photographed any of my friends in similar states of undress - but there's always future chances, I guess) as we connected about our experiences in Indiana. I am definitely glad that I was provided the opportunity to work with and photography such an interesting and unique individual and definitely wished that I had the opportunity to work with him again before he moved to California. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I was able to come across him in my life and had the opportunity to create some stunning images with him.
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Travis Younger
Moving in chronological order, Travis Younger was the third model that I photographed in October 2013. Coming on the heels of the photo shoot with Adam, I definitely had high hopes that this photo shoot would run more smoothly.
Travis turned out to be an interesting model to work with throughout the shoot. I wasn't really expecting his big personality, but I should have expected it to a certain degree. Travis originally comes from Southern California before moving to Austin, which explains why I got a surfer vibe off of him. On top of that, he's a guitarist in a local band and is somewhat use to be at the center of attention. So yeah, I shouldn't haven't been too surprised by his friendly nature and the "big voice" that came out of nowhere. On top of that, I found out that he had done some modeling for several of the art classes at the local university and wasn't shy about taking off of his clothes and being stared at for extended periods of time. Of course, these experiences definitely helped to make the shoot go a lot smoother since he's used to getting attention.
I'm going to approach this blog entry with describing my favorite images from the first round of editing, which was completed in September 2014, and then in the second round that was completed in October 2015. Yeah, when I was looking back through my catalog of images, I noticed that I had finished editing only half of the images that I liked from the photo shoot. Imagine my embarrassment when I was getting ready to post a blog entry only to notice that I had not completed the work! Well, that was fixed over the course of the last week as I finished editing an additional set of images from the shoot. Of course, those second round of images have now been posted in the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot with Travis Younger (http://www.reyjphotography.com/travisyounger).
Editing Phase 1
As I mentioned before, I was initially drawn to Travis due to his surfer looks: golden tan, blond hair, and lean body. I love how the image below is able to capture that overall look. I will admit that I am one that will usually favor black and white images over color ones, but there are times that I will present full color images (not just black and white images with a pop of color) if I feel there is something interesting that needs to be presented in color. For me, that certainly is the fact that Travis had gorgeous golden hair, if somewhat unkept, that instantly drew my attention during the editing phase. I love how the strands show the varying shades and how individual strands glisten in the light.
In addition to that detail, I loved the overall feel of the image. Every once in a while, I will be able to capture an image that I won't completely know how to describe how it makes me feel. I will just know that I like the image and feel a connection to that single moment. It's not exactly a sense of peace, but it's definitely a sense of calmness and some sensuality. For me, this image represents a moment that I was able to capture and share with anyone willing to share my vision. The image is definitely one of my favorite images from my overall catalog because of the feelings invoked.
Portrait
In addition to the image above, I also love the portrait below. Of course, I love the details that I was able to highlight in black and white from the freckles dotting across his nose and cheeks to the individual scruffy hairs on his chin to the intensity of his eyes. Actually, it's Travis's eyes that really capture my attention in the image. They just seem to radiate with life. Yeah, when combined with the small smile gracing his lips, it's easy to understand why I wanted to show case the portrait below in this blog entry.
Editing Phase 2
As I mentioned earlier, I had stopped editing the series in the middle. It is interesting to note the differences in the editing styles between Phase 1 and Phase 2. During the second round, I edited the majority of the images with the intention to present them as black and white images. More interesting, I was drawn to the images that had some dramatic flair associated with the lighting. The two images below are examples of my attraction to dramatic lighting.
Dramatic Lighting
When I going through the images last week, I knew that I definitely wanted to showcase the image below. I absolutely love the pose with his arms clasped behind his head while his hips are cocked towards the right. I just love the outline that it creates, especially near his waist and up his back through his arms. It's further made interesting with the lighting as it wraps around his body and delves from highlights to shadows. Plus, there are some highlights that pop up along his shoulder blades and arms that creates a sense of intrigue. Finally, I love how the light is captured and highlights the individual strands of hair at the base of his neck. For me, when I saw the image, I instantly saw it in black and white and knew that it would accentuate the details that I had honed in. I'm definitely glad that it came out as well as I envisioned it.
The other image that I definitely wanted to focus on was the one below. Again, I love the overall lighting in the image as it wraps Travis's body in highlights before descending into shadows. And of course, I like how it is highlighted in a black and white image. But more importantly, I like the posing in this one. When I work with models, I tend to be fluid and like for the models to get into poses that seem natural and comfortable for them. Of course, there are times when I will feel the need to direct them into certain poses or stop them and finesse the pose to improve it somehow (in my eyes at least). However, Travis's experience with modeling for art classes at the local university definitely helped him get into poses that showed off his body in a flattering way.
Given that, I definitely love the pose below. I love the turn of his head, the placement of his hand across his hip, and the position of his leg. It definitely feels slightly classical and wouldn't be out of place in Renaissance sculptures, but maybe that's me reading into it. Either way, I'm happy with the overall pose and how the light drapes across his body. Plus, there's definitely a sense of comfort that is radiating from his facial expression. When it's all combined, I think it created a stronger and interesting image overall. It's definitely one of my favorites from the second phase of editing.
Bodyscape
During the photo shoot with Travis, I also wanted to try capturing some bodyscapes. One of the photographers from the photography meet-up group that I belonged to seemed to focus on creating gorgeous bodyscape images. The image below is one of my first attempts to intention capture a bodyscape image. I definitely wanted to have a dynamic image without it necessarily being completely erotic. I think the image below definitely has the erotic feel to it without really stepping over the line. Then again, art is always subjective. Either way, I like the attention on his hand, the casual placement of his leg, and how the light highlights the individual strands of hair across his body. To me, it definitely makes for an interesting black and white image. Interestingly enough, this has become of my favorite images from the series.
Playfulness
The other aspect that I wanted to highlight from the photo shoot was the playfulness that erupted every once in a while. I tend to have music, usually something that the model likes, playing in the background. It definitely helps to make the shoot a little more fun and helps to be a conversation started as we talk about musical tastes. During the photo shoot with Travis, I selected a playlist on Pandora that focused on classic rock with a lot of guitar riffs. Of course, there would be moments that Travis would break out into air guitar solos when a great song came on. While some photographers would get annoyed with that, I loved it because it brought a playful aspect to my photography. I loved being able to capture that playful moment and combine with it my black and white vision to create a cool image, like the one below.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
And of course, the image below is my favorite from the series. Like the one above, it capture Travis as he was doing an awesome air guitar solo, if only in his head. It was just a flitting moment, but it was one shared between us. I liked the capture pose with his hips cocked towards the right, his hands held in classic air guitar position, and his head turned slightly. I love the interesting curl of his lips as well as the squinting of his eyes. More importantly, I loved how the light highlighted his body and hair. Like I said, I love it when all of the elements come together to create an interesting image, especially when the image speaks to me and becomes one of my favorites.
I loved working with Travis during the photo shoot. Like I said, I was a little underprepared for his big personality, but it definitely helped to make the photo shoot go smoothly and allowed us to bond over classic rock! I definitely love how the images came out, especially when you can see the progression of my vision from the first round of editing to the second round. If the opportunity ever arose again, I would definitely love to work with Travis again on another photo shoot.
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Nonetheless, I got a few interesting shots from the short time we worked together. When I first saw his portfolio, I was definitely drawn to his skater look. Of course, I found out that the images in his portfolio were outdated and that he was more stunning, and intense, in person. The image below is a pretty straightforward portrait, as most of my images are. However, it does highlight one my favorite aspects about Adam. As I mentioned, he is definitely stunning, but it's his eyes that draw me in. Additionally, I love how his hair is framing and focusing attention on his face, and particularly on his eyes.
The image below is one of the last images that I captured of Adam during the photo shoot. It's definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot, limited as they are. For some reason, I look at the image and see Adam's vulnerability. I do like the fact that you can see his eyes in the image and how he's looking downward instead of focusing on the camera. Additionally, I like how the diagonal line made by the waistband of his boxer briefs intersects with the line created at his hip. Overall, I like the image quite a bit and wish that the photo shoot had continued a little longer so that I could capture some additional images like the below.
Finally, we come to my favorite image from the photo shoot. As you guys know, I love focusing on a model's eyes in my images. When I first saw Adam's eyes, I fell in love with that feature and knew that I was going to attempt to highlight them in my images. I was able to capture the image below prior to becoming uncomfortable with the situation. I absolutely love the colors and the unique pattern that makes up his eyes. Furthermore, I love the intensity within his stare and how slightly unnerving it is. Nonetheless, this image is my absolutely favorite from the photo with him.
I will admit that looking back at the images from the photo shoot with Adam, it definitely makes me want to reach out to him again and see if he would be willing to do a full photo shoot with me. I do believe that I mishandled the situation and made it awkward because I grew increasingly uncomfortable with him as the shoot progressed. However, there are some things that I'm willing to overlook if I am able to photograph a beautiful subject and get some amazing images. I definitely think that I would be able to get some great images of Adam if the opportunity ever arose again.
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On top of that, I've been trying to figure out how to best approach my recreation assignment. I'm supposed to recreate this image of the Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas campus. I've got the angle down and the time of day; however, I was unlucky on the day that I went (Sunday) because only some of the lights came on instead of each floor being lit up. On top of that, I figured out that I need to take multiple shots with different points of focus if I want to get a nice sharp building. So yeah, I'm planning on going back on tomorrow evening or possible Friday in order to get a final image to submit for my Saturday course. Either that or I submit the image that I have, explain what I learn, and do a resubmission. Either way, I've learned quite a bit during this first assignment and will apply those learnings to future assignments. So that's definitely cool. You can see my first attempts (plus some other shots) at the recreation at http://reyjphotography.com/p647371739.
Kai
As I've mentioned in the past, Kai is definitely one of my favorite models to work with. His boy next door looks and attitude just puts me at ease and creates a friendly atmosphere. The first time that I've worked with him, he was excited about the shoot and the ideas that I've wanted to work on with him. The October 2013 photo shoot was the first time that I was going to work with Nathan without the photography meet-up group. I was definitely excited about the prospect and the ideas that I wanted to work on with him. I was even more excited about the fact that Kai was excited to work with me. So yeah, I think that we built on each other's excitement to create a fun photo shoot and create some fun images.
Burlesque, But Not Really
I had originally wanted to do some burlesque shoots with Kai. For me, that meant that I wanted to photograph him wearing some slacks, a white wife beater, a vest, a hat, and posing with a cane. Of course, there would be different combinations as we worked throughout that portion of the shoot. However, as I started thinking about it, I'm not really sure that I was prepared to do a burlesque photo shoot and probably wasn't as prepared as I should have been or my ideas fully formulated. Still, I went into the shoot knowing that I wanted to photograph Kai modeling what I envisioned to be a burlesque - I totally blame the movie Burlesque for that. However, even knowing that my ideas were not truly burlesque in nature, I was still happy with the images that I was able to get during that portion of the shoot. Of course, I did learn that I hated working with crappy kit muslin because the creases were a pain to take out. Nonetheless, I was able to salvage two of my favorite images from that portion of the shoot.
As you guys know, I'm a fan of black and white images and will quickly move to convert color images into black and white if it looks like it would turn awesome. For my two favorite images from this portion of the shoot, I definitely knew that I was going to convert them into black and white based on the dramatic lighting that I was using. In the image below, I loved the way that the shadows are playing across his face, particularly around his eye and the left side of his face. More importantly, I love how the light was captured in his eye and the single highlight there. Couple the lighting with the slightly amused expression on his face, and I knew that I had an awesome image. I will say that his is definitely one of my favorite images from my catalog as a whole.
In addition to the image above, I was happy that I was able to salvage this image as well. Again, I love how the light is playing across his body before tapering off into the shadows. As I mentioned before, this is one of my ideas of a burlesque performer. I love how the wife beater brings attention to his shoulder blades and how the suspenders help to drive the focus up to Kai's silhouetted face. Furthermore, I love how the light is playing across his face. There's just enough light to see some of the details of his eye and eyebrow and his somber expression. Again, I was definitely happy that I was able to create this image with him and highlight here.
Lifestyle
From what I had termed burlesque, we moved into some lifestyle shots. For me, these become more lifestyle time of images because he's not photographed against a plain background, such as seamless paper or some fabric background. They capture Kai lounging on a couch, reclining on a bed, or standing in front of window. However, they all have Kai posing in various styles of underwear that highlight his body well. Nonetheless, there's a sense of casualness in the images that this could occur at any given moment.
I absolutely love the image below. I can easily see Kai doing this in his own home while he's watching sports on TV. I love how the pose showcases his arms extremely well and draws attention to his chest and stomach. However, it's the overall feeling of casualness that really captures my attention.
In addition to the image above, I also liked how the image below turned out. While I like how the white boxers fit Kai, for the image below, I wanted to have him lounging in a pair of white briefs. I like how they contrast nicely against his skin and how they fit him overall. Furthermore, I love how I was able to create a sense that the image was taken later in the day than it actually was. It definitely feels like Kai was turning in for the night. Like I said, it definitely feels like the image below is something that could actually occur in his everyday life.
And of course, I definitely love the way the image below turned out. There's definitely a sense of casualness emanating from Kai's pose with his arm resting behind his head while the other one is resting on his stomach. And, yes, while the briefs add a sexual element to the image. In addition to the pose and the briefs, I love how the light is hitting his body. This is definitely one of my favorite images of Kai.
However, it's the image below that is my absolute favorite image from the shoot. In addition to black and white images, I love black and white images with a pop of color. Some may hate it, but I love how it turns out. I definitely knew that I was eventually going to use that effect when I saw how brilliant the pink of the briefs was. And, of course, the opportunity arose when I was working with Kai. When I saw how well Kai looked in the briefs, I knew that would be looking for the perfect image to use the effect on. I like how the color contrasts with the grays throughout the image and how it seems to act as a weight to anchor the bottom half of the image without being overwhelming. However, the color effect is just one element of the overall image that I love.
I don't usually work with natural light, especially in outdoor situations. I like being able to control the lighting situation and moving strobes around as needed. It's definitely easier for me to create the lighting effects I want if I have control over the light itself. However, there are times when I can work with a model in front of a large window and get some natural light images that way. The hotel that I was shooting Kai in had a window that let in a lot of natural light. It was definitely too good of an opportunity not to capitalize on. I absolutely love how the light highlights his chest, abs, and body overall. It's just some beautiful light to work with and I'm glad that I had the opportunity with Kai.
Finally, I love the pose and the expression on his face. With all three of those elements coming together, it was definitely easy to work on the image and highlight it. It's also my overall favorite images of Kai to date!
I absolutely love working with Kai. In addition to his boy next door looks and amazing body, he has an awesome personality that makes it easy to work with him. I'm definitely looking forward to working with him on another photo shoot and hope to do so soon.
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So yeah, I'm enrolled in an Architecture Photography course as well as an Advance Imaging Lab. I'm okay with the Advance Imaging Lab because it's basically a lab that allows me to work on images as well as get some printing done. Of course, the prof threw us for a loop by indicating that we will be learning some different printing techniques (potentially on metal as well as different types of paper and varnishes) and working on putting together a portfolio. I really wasn't expecting that and only thought that I would have to show up when I needed help with PhotoShop or needed to print for my Architecture Photography course. I'm not opposed to the idea and actually welcome the notion of creating a portfolio, but I was expecting to only show up a couple of times during the course. Still, the idea of a portfolio sounds interesting.
I will say that I'm a little intimated by the Architecture Photography course. I will say that I've only been interested in photographing buildings and other structures because they looked interesting. And those images have only been snapshots - no real thought going into composition or lighting. However, I wanted to push my boundaries and thought this would be a good idea. However, I will say that I hate working outdoors for the most part, especially due to my inability to control the elements.
However, I'm becoming more interested in architecture photography because of of Daniel Cheong. I follow his Facebook page religiously (https://www.facebook.com/danielcheongphotography) as well as his website (http://www.danielcheongphotography.com/). I really started paying attention to him after seeing his images of Dubai. He just captures these amazing images of Dubai rising from the desert and how it is affected by the elements by the nearby Arabian Gulf. I absolutely love the images of the skyscrapers sheathed in fog as well as sweeping panoramas of the city. His photography definitely makes me want to visit the city and witness its glory in person. Of course, I'm not planning on becoming an architecture photographer, but Mr. Cheong's photography definitely makes me want to learn the techniques and pay a little closer attention to the details of the buildings surrounding me on my various trips. Anyway, I think that everyone should be exposed to Mr. Cheong's photography and, hopefully, be amazed by his images as I have.
So yeah, I have a lot of hope for the Architecture Photography course. Like I said, I'm a little intimated by it, but intimidation can be a good motivator to push beyond my boundaries.
Ram
So moving on to the real reason that most of you guys are here, Ram was the last model that I photographed during the long weekend in San Antonio. As I stated in the past, prior to the trip, I went on Model Mayhem to scope out models working out of San Antonio and began reaching out to them. As I was looking about portfolios, I came across Ram's and knew that I wanted to work with him immediately. He had previously done a photo shoot with Men of Olympia, a San Antonio-based photographer, and had these amazing outdoor shots posted on his port. Unfortunately, Ram has removed his port from Model Mayhem and the images that I saw are not part of Men of Olympia's current portfolio (you can see his other work at http://www.modelmayhem.com/2271430).
Like I said, I was instantly drawn to Ram because he had a different look from the guys that I've photographed before. While several of the guys that I worked with in the past had muscular bodies, Ram had a body builder's body without the excessive veins popping out. Furthermore, his overall look just screamed alpha male to me. There was just an intensity in his eyes, confidence in his body, and sense of power that radiated from images. His shaved head and goatee definitely helped in making the easy decision to reach out to him.
So yeah, I had a preconceived notion about Ram when I reached out to him and worked through the details of confirming the shoot. Well, sometimes reality doesn't always match up with this image that you've built up. Ram definitely looked the same in real life as in his images, but his personality was a definite surprise. I guess I was preparing myself to work with someone aggressive and maybe a little domineering based on his physical appearance, but instead I was working with a guy that had a great sense of humor and an easy-going attitude that put me at ease from the start of the shoot. Ram was definitely an amazing person and I was humbled by the opportunity to actually work with him.
I love the image below for many reasons. During the first half-hour to an hour, I like to just get to know the model as well as give them the opportunity to get to know me and get use to my shooting style. During that time, I like to photograph them in the clothes that they are wearing to the shoot and then have them slowly removing articles of clothing. Yeah, you can read all kinds of symbolism into that, but it works for me and the models that I work with. So yeah, the image below is from that portion of the photo shoot.
It's a pretty straight forward shot, but still one of my favorites from the shoot. It definitely shows off Ram's muscular body and his tattoos. Plus, I like the fact that there's a sense of a tease going on with Ram pulling down his shorts low enough to show off the brilliant white of his boxer briefs. I love how that white contrasts highly against his tan skin as well as the red of his shorts. It's definitely one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Portrait
And, of course, I definitely had to get some portraits with Ram. As I'm looking back through the images and while I was editing them, I noticed a difference between the images that I had taken and those from Men of Olympia. While his images show more of the harder side of Ram, I tend to think that my images show a softer side to him. I don't really know how to properly put it into words, but when I look at the portrait below, I tend to think that captured Ram's kindness. I like his soft smile and how his eyes turned out the image as well as how the light highlighted his skin tones.
On a side note, I liked what ended up happening in the background. I mentioned that the hotel that I was staying had this awesome wrought iron bed. I loved the details in the headboard and foot board. In the image below, I love the depth of field and how the details of the headboard are blurred out. That's definitely cool, but I love the happy accident that occurred with the shadows from the strobes. I loved how the strobes created a shadow on the wall behind and is almost perfectly centered between the actual wrought iron details. Like I said, that was definitely a happy accident, but it created an awesome pattern in the background.
Nude
I did capture a series of nudes with Ram and have included some of them in the gallery highlighting the photo shoot. I end up liking the image mostly for the expression on his face. It's not a typical expression that I end up capturing in my images, but it's just a moment. A moment of what, I'm not entirely sure of. And I think that why I like the image; it makes me stop and wonder what was going on at that moment to create this expression. Hell, I was the photographer and I don't really know.
On top of that, I like the implied nudity and the fact that he's holding his boxers in front of him with the illusion of modesty. On top of that, I love the fact that I was able to capture the details in his hands. There's definitely a sense of strength in his hands with the pronounced veins. Yeah, I definitely ended up liking the pose and how it demonstrates Ram's muscle definition. Plus, I like that his body is turned slight away from the camera and off centered. To me, it makes for an more interesting image.
Underwear
I knew that I was definitely going to photograph Ram posing in a variety of underwear. However, I also like to let the model choose what underwear they want to model in. Sure, I have some control over it by picking out pieces that I think they will look good in, but I also like to give them the choice and get further buy in from them. As such, I have several pieces for him to model in beyond the white boxer briefs that he wore to the shoot. For both of us, we were definitely drawn to the Empirio Armani purple checkered briefs. I definitely am drawn to color and think that certain models can definitely pull off the color. I'm definitely happy that Ram was one of those.
I definitely love the image below. I like the expression on his face and how there's a sense of amusement and a subtle smirk gracing his features. I also like the intensity of his eyes in the image. However, it's definitely the pose that captured my attention while I was photographing him, when I was working on the images, and then again when I was selecting images to highlight in the blog entry. There's a sense of provocativeness in the pose that is further highlighted with the placement of his left hand. However, there's a sense of confidence and a comfortableness, which I think was helped by the rapport that we developed throughout the shoot.
On top of that, I like what is going on the left side of the background. The placement of the light definitely worked some wonders with the shadows cast on the wall behind the bed. Don't get me wrong, I like how the shadows are cast on the right side of the image, but it's definitely the left side that is more interesting to me. Again, that's all a happy accident since I was more focused on lighting Ram in an appealing way. Still, I'm happy with happy accidents when they create something interesting and work with the image.
And the image below is my second favorite image from the entire shoot with Ram. Taken during the same series as the image above, I love how this position and turn of Ram's head created some interesting shadows and highlights. For me, it's just one of those images that I love how it all came together.
Overall Favorite
Now, we come to my overall favorite image from the photo shoot. As you guys know, I've been fascinated with shower images since I captured the two images of Porter Wescott (http://reyjphotography.com/porterwescott/e331fe61 and http://reyjphotography.com/porterwescott/e6acccb2) and have sought to capture some of that magic again. While the image below is not the same as those two images, I definitely love the image below and rate on par with those two images. To me, it's definitely a moment of time. I love how the water is interacting with Ram's body as it cascades down his head and face, how drops and streams are falling from his eye lashes, and, finally, how it makes his chest glisten and capture the highlights from the light. But, I definitely love how the water seems to be dancing on the right side of the image as it cascades off his hand. I guess it's that sense of movement created by the water that I love in the image; well, that and the expression on Ram's face. Like I said, it's definitely my favorite image from the photo shoot with Ram and is one my overall favorite images in my catalog.
Overall, I like how the photo shoot with Ram turned out. It was definitely a fun shoot to end my long weekend in San Antonio and actually helped to settle me. I originally went to San Antonio because I was stressed out from work and school and just needed a creative outlet. I'm definitely glad that I was able to work with four amazing guys in San Antonio and center myself enough to get back into the grind of things. Of course, working with Ram at the end of the weekend was definitely a delight. He would definitely be one of those models that I would love to work with again if the opportunity ever arose again.
New
So, I was definitely excited to finally get through this photo shoot. On my Model Mayhem page (http://www.modelmayhem.com/2478044), I had posted images from all of my photo shoots since I started. Once I decided that I was going to set up my own web page, I wanted to hold off on actually posted any additional images on there. So yeah, I'm excited about finally being able to share images from my October and December 2013 photo shoots. Yeah, I'm excited about finally sharing and posting some of the best images from the twelve remaining photo shoots from 2013. On top of that, I'm hoping to get images posted from the 14 photo shoots from 2014 and the single photo shoot that I've done so far in 2015. Who knows, maybe I'll get to the point of being somewhat current and posting images within the same year that the photo shoot occurred! Ha! That's the dream! Of course, if you been following my Instagram account, http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography, you been getting teasers from my current project. But the dream is still to have images edited and posted on my website as soon as possible.
On top of that, I think I'm going to start writing a series of blog entries on my endeavors with the Architecture Photography course. I figure I'll base those specifically on assignments with a quick background on the project, the resulting image, and then then maybe some critiques received from my prof and classmates. Got to keep myself honest somehow.... It should be cool. But yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to it.
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Well, happy belated new year! I meant to have a entry uploaded long before now, but I've been busy with work. I have a feeling that it's not going to let up anything in the next five months, but I'm definitely making an effort to work photography into my schedule. Of course, that's going to take the form of me taking a photography class this semester. It's going to be interesting since I haven't really focused on photographing architecture and interiors; so yeah, I'm hoping to learn some new skills and get some interesting images throughout the semester. I'll definitely be posting some of the better images here as separate entries and in a gallery specifically for the subject matter.
In addition to the architecture photography course, I'm signed up to take an advance imaging lab. Yeah, it's going to be good to have a dedicated course to work on the images from my architecture course, but I'm also hoping to work on some composite images during my free time in that course. I'm definitely hoping to do some stuff similar to "Game Face". On top of that, I'm just looking forward to having time dedicated to working on images since I've been coming home from work exhausted and just wanting to read and look at images on the iPad instead of editing my own images. So yeah, I'm hoping that this course will help me get back into editing my backlog of images and creating some interesting, artistic images. That would definitely be cool.
So yeah, that's what I've got going on in my life right now - a busy time at work for the next five months at least, but will definitely extend beyond then. Plus, the two photography courses this semester. Unfortunately grad school is put on hold because of work restrictions, but I'm hoping that the two photography courses won't be impacted by work. Here's hoping.
Michael
Anyway, I've been looking forward to writing an entry on the photo session with Michael. As I mentioned in the last two entries, I was taking a long weekend trip down to San Antonio and wanted to work with a couple of San Antonio models while there. As part of my preparation, I started looking at Model Mayhem for San Antonio models that caught my attention and that I would be willing to work with. I was first attracted to Mikey's look when I viewed his portfolio on Model Mayhem. I have to admit that the skater look definitely was one of the primary reasons that I wanted to work with him. Of course, I definitely made sure to include an aspect of the photo shoot that made that connection, which means that I asked him to pose with his skate board. However, we definitely went beyond the skater look as I honed on his eyes and started focusing on portraits of Michael.
Portraits
As I mentioned, as I worked with Michael throughout the photo shoot, I found myself focusing on portraits. When I work with models, it definitely helps if I can find something about the model to fall in love with. It could be their personality or it could be a physical feature. If I can make that connection, then I find myself working harder to highlight that feature in the best possible light. As such, I found myself mesmerized and falling in love with Michael's eyes. It was definitely easy for me to transition into capturing portraits with a focus.
I love the image below for multiple reasons. While I originally thought the hat was weird, it actually turned out to be an interesting prop in the images. I ended up liking how the faux fur contrasts against his skin and the plaid fabric of the rest of the hat. Like I said, I actually ended up liking it in the image below. It's probably because, to me, it adds an editorial feeling to the image and looks like something that I would have seen in a magazine. Of course, Michael's look definitely adds to that editorial feeling. I love that he's looking off into the distance and not focused on the camera. Like I said, it actually took me by surprise when this image became one of my favorites, but, in retrospect, it is actually easy to pick out the individual elements that I love about the image and how they come together to create an interesting image.
And in contrast to the image above, I loved the image below because of the feeling of intimacy that is captured in the image. I love how the back lighting is highlighting the individual strains of hair as well as highlighting the different colors. Those little details will definitely catch my attention, but it's only a starting point for me. As I mentioned, I love the back lighting in the image, but I also love how the light is being reflected into his face, especially in how it is picked up in the catch lights in his eyes. But I also love how the light is playing across his body, including his shoulder and arms. But more importantly, I love the overall feeling of the image. Like I said before, the expression on his face and the overall pose suggests a sense of intimacy. If I didn't know better, I could believe that it's a private moment between two lovers in the middle of the day. It's because of that sense of intimacy that this image has become one of my favorites.
As I mentioned before, throughout the shoot, I found myself falling in love with Michael's eyes and overall facial structure. That's one of the reasons why I chose the image below to highlight. His eyes are definitely one of the features that captures my attention when I look at the image. I love the fact that he's not looking directly at the camera and looking off into the distance. Yeah, it's definitely one of several portraits of Michael that captures and holds my attention for several moments as I take in the details of the image before honing in on his eyes.
As I mentioned in a previous entry, I was staying a hotel near the San Antonio Riverwalk. One of the features that I liked in the hotel suite was the wrought iron bed frame. It definitely lent itself as good prop for the shoots, including the one with Michael. I love the image below because of the framing that I was able to do with one of the wrought iron design elements from the bed's foot board. I love that I was able to use to capture his head within the element and that I could mimic it with the tilt of Michael's head. While some may not like it, I am actually pleased with how the wrought iron detail added an interesting element to the image.
And finally, we come to my favorite portrait from the photo shoot with Michael. I love Michael's off centered positioning and the attention focused on his eyes. Of course, I love how brilliant his eyes look in the image, including the hair hanging over his right eye and how it is acting as a frame for his right iris. Actually, I love the sweep of his hair towards to right side of his face; it creates an interesting detail for me. In addition to the strains of hair crossing his face, I found myself interested in the freckles that peppered his nose and the area just below his eye. And of course, the facial hair definitely helps to make an awesome overall look. I definitely find it interesting that I find myself thinking how mature Michael looks in the image and how it compares to the energetic and playful personality that I encountered during the shoot. Either way, this portrait has definitely become one of my absolute favorites to date.
Underwear
Lately, I've been focusing on photographing guys posing in underwear and in the nude. The image below is my favorite from the underwear series that I did with Michael.
The image below was taken towards the beginning of the photo shoot. As I work with models, I like to start the photo shoot by photographing them in what they wear to the shoot before taking off each piece of clothing. It gives me an opportunity to get to know them, find out how comfortable they are with the overall shoot, and gives them a chance to get to know and become comfortable with me. Some guys respond well to it; some would rather get down to business and not worry about that connection. As part of that process, I like to photograph them in the underwear that they are wearing. It's definitely been interesting to see that. I have found that some guys don't really care what they wear to the shoot while others come in designer underwear purchased specifically for the shoot. Of course, I get other guys that come to shoot not wearing any underwear because they don't want to have lines from the waistbands showing up on their skin. Like I said, it's definitely an interesting side note for me.
As I was saying, the image below was taken towards the beginning of the shoot. He came to the shoot wearing typical skater clothes and was wearing Hanes boxers underneath. I can't say that it gave me a lot of insight to him, but at least they were somewhat flattering on his physique. However, I love the image below for several other reasons besides the underwear that we wore to the shoot. It's a simple pose, but shows off his body very well. Like I said, Michael, to me, is your typical skater with a lean body, which is different from several of the guys that I have photographed before. However, there's definitely an appeal there that is further helped by his facial features and his mesmerizing eyes.
For me, his facial features and expression catches my attention each time that I look at this series and come across the image. Again, it's the seriousness and maturity that is etched across his face that makes me stops each time. Of course, I do love the how the light highlights his skin tones and how you can see the details of the freckles on his nose and just under his eyes. But again, I come back to the expression and the sense of confidence that he is emoting. I'm not really sure how else to explain or whether I am able to exactly pinpoint why I love the image, but I just know that I'm happy with the way that the image came out and the feeling that is captured in it.
Nudes
And, of course, I had to include a black and white image in here somewhere. As you guys know, I am a lover of black and white images. Not just my own, but all black and white images. So yeah, if I see an opportunity to convert an image into black and white and do it well, then, yeah, I'm going to take that opportunity. As such, when I started working on the image below in Lightroom, I knew that I was going to convert it into black and white.
Let me start by saying that I love the pose in this image. I love how you can follow the curve of his thigh into his ass and on up into his waist and back before getting lost in his hair. In addition to that flow, I love that his hips are slight turned and gives the hint of the shape of both cheeks. I have found myself attempting to capture something similar with several of the models that I have worked with with varying degrees of success. However, I am definitely glad that it turned out well with Michael.
In addition to those lines, I am glad that I was able to move Michael's arm into a position that would mimic the line segments created by his thigh as well as the line segments created by his back and chest. For some reason, I like seeing that repetition done well in images, and especially when I can create it effectively in mine. I think that this image did it well without being heavy handed about it.
Finally, I love the look on Michael's face. Again, the seriousness in his expression is primarily what captures my attention after working with him. However, it's the tilt and subtle turn of his head providing a glimpse of his right eye that I love. And, of course, I love his stare. But yeah, I love the absolute seriousness in his expression. This image has definitely become one of my favorites and has become one that I love highlighting whenever I can.
Angles
One of the things that I've been interested in has been interesting angles. During my Intermediate Photography course, we were tasked with a photography scavenger hunt. One those items was the photograph this piece of art hanging in the building. When I went looking for it, I was interested in photographing the textures and how the art was curling up. When we were getting individual critiques on the images, my professor told me that he liked the image and was the first time that he had seen captured this way. I didn't go out of my way to intentionally capture it completely different since I didn't know what had been done previously; however, I did go out of my way to capture the piece of art in a way that spoke to me. And that meant that I looked for an interesting angle that would capture the ripples. In the end, he asked if he could use the image in future classes as examples of good images stemming from the scavenger hunt assignment.
However, that image helped to reinforce my desire to use different angles in my work. Granted, I can't always achieve good results from the experiments, but I have captured or created some interesting images by thinking different about angles. It may not always be the image that is shifted into a different angle, but it could be something simple like the tilt of a model's face and eyes.
That was what I was going with in the image below. I love the tilt of Michael's head as he looks upwards. There is absolutely no eye connection with camera, which is one of the reasons that I love the piece. I know that it's been done before, but this is one of the first times that I captured that pose myself. On top of that, I like the way that light worked out as it highlighted his skin tones. Plus, the details captured, such as the freckles and the individual strains of his facial hair, worked to create an interesting image. Of course, for me it all started with the pose and the angle and tile of his head.
It's similar thing with the image below. I love the close-up on Michael's face and all of the detail captured from the freckles to the intensity of his eyes to the individual stains of hair. However, it's the angle created by his eyes that really capture my attention in the image below. Again, there's no direct connection with the camera and there's a sense of curiosity in what Michael is staring at in the distance. On top of that, there's a sense of melancholy in the image. Again, that's completely subjective, but there's definitely a sense of emotion in the image. Finally, I love how the light worked well in the image and created some intense highlights and some interesting shadows. Again, this has become one of my favorite images because of the intimacy as well as the evoked sense of melancholy.
And finally, we come to one my favorite images overall from my collection. It's definitely not your traditional image, but I absolutely loved how the tilt of image turned out. Other than that, I don't really have a lot to say about the image. I just knew when I saw that image that I absolutely loved and continue to love it because of the unique angle as well as Michael's himself. I'm just happy that it turned out as well as I imagined.
Working with Michael was a delight. He's definitely one of the models that I will want to work with again if the opportunity ever arose again. His mesmerizing eyes definitely captured my attention and helped to focus my attention on portraits throughout the shoot, but his personality and easy going attitude defintiely made the shoot a fun one.
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Of course, since I did not have a personal connection with Bryant, I approached the shoot as an experiment. The hotel that I was staying at had a these awesome plantation style shutters on the four windows in the bedroom. I could use the shutters to direct, to a certain extent, the light where I wanted it to go as well as how much natural light flooded the bedroom. The great thing about Bryant's shoot was that it was held in the afternoon and had plenty of light to work with for some natural light portraits.
The image below capitalized on the natural light streaming in through one of the windows. I rarely use natural light in my images since I like to work in the studio since I live in Texas and hate being outdoors in the heat. However, I absolutely love photographing models in front of windows and using natural light when I can. However, each time that I attempt to do natural light portraits, it seems like I have to reteach myself on the settings and how to work the light in my favor - not as easy as studio lights when I can just move the light sources. However, I love the feel of natural light portraits and how flattering they can be.
In regards to the image below, I absolutely love the way that light is hitting Bryant's face. It definitely is creating some interesting shadows as the light falls away and the shadows creep in. Of course, I'm definitely drawn to the catch lights in his eyes; they are part of the reason why I stop at this image each time that I look through the catalog of Bryant's images. Finally, I love how the plantation shutters create an interesting backdrop for Bryant to stand against. I will have to admit that seeing these shutters have made me want to have them in my future home. Nonetheless, I absolutely love the way that the image turned out given how rarely I tend to use natural light in my images.
I have found myself being drawn to quite a few portrait-style images in these blog entries. Of course, it's because I'm drawn to a model's eyes and seeing the world reflected back at me. That's definitely the reason why I love the image below. I'm captivated by the fact that I can see detail of the two windows reflected in Bryant's eyes.
In addition to Bryant's eyes, I like the subtle turn and tilt of his head. I believe that I have mentioned that I love the connection between the viewer and the model when their eyes meet the camera, but there's definitely a more interesting connection when the model is looking away from the camera. It evokes some curiosity in determining what has captured the model's attention. And if we're lucky, then we can see it through a reflection in the model's eye. For me, those images are some of the more interesting ones that I have come across. That's one of the reason why I absolutely love the image below.
Of course, it definitely helped if the model brought something to the table as well. When I went down to San Antonio, I went with the intention of photographing Bryant as a boxer. Yeah, I had purchased a boxer costume for Halloween one year and wanted to get some additional mileage out of it. So, when I saw Bryant's image, I knew that I wanted to photograph him as a boxer. What I didn't know at the time was that Bryant was an amateur boxer and knew quite a few techniques that he was willing to go through during the shoot. So that was definitely one of the highlights from the photo shoot.
I love the two images below because of the intensity of Bryant's stance and boxing pose. The poses are definitely cool in the sense that I haven't captured anything like them before. I believe that I've mentioned that in previous blog entries - I'm always interested in working with models that can bring something different to my portfolio, especially if it's unique posing. It's definitely one of the reasons why I become more ecstatic as I worked with Bryant during the boxing series. Plus, there's a sense of authenticity in the poses since he knew what he was doing as he throwing jabs and hooks as he did his shadow boxing. It was definitely cool to say the least.
These images also helped when I needed to decide on a subject for my composite project for one of the photography courses. The first concept was relatively easy to decide on since I went into the class with the idea firmly planted in my head. However, the second concept had escaped me until I couldn't wait any longer. However, I knew that I wanted to work with these images and create a shadow boxing image. You can see the three source images and composite at http://reyjphotography.com/rightcross.
On the surface, it looks like I took the easy way out and only did a merging of the three images and played with the opacity. That's probably one of the reasons why the image didn't make it into the print show that semester - or at least, I'm choosing to believe that was the reason why it didn't make it into the print show. But when I was presenting the image to my class for critiquing, I think my prof and classmates where taken aback to see what I had actually done by choosing different parts of the images and blending them together to create something new. Of course, I used some transformation to move body parts into new positions or turn them a little more to fit the overall look. There was some blending of different body parts. And of course, there was the different opacity levels as I worked to bring parts of some of the images forward while regulating others to the background. Plus, I loved that I was able to use Bryant's cross tattoo and place it on his right hand and call the image "Right Cross". Yeah, I'm cheesy like that.
I was a little bummed that it didn't get into the print show, but the images are judge based on their 5 second presentation. If it doesn't capture the panel's attention within those 5 seconds, then it doesn't make it into the print show. That's why I had a love-hate relationship with the print show. However, I am proud of this image because of the technical work that went into it and the fact that I was able to take my prof and classmates aback when I started explaining my process for creating the composite from my source images. That was definitely awesome to say the least.
However, I did have one image make it into the print show that semester. I will admit that I'm not that big of a fan of composite images. I went into the class knowing that I was taking it because it was a core requirement for the degree plan and not because I wanted to learn to make composite images. Okay, I also wanted to learn how to use PhotoShop so that I can make black and white images with color splashes a little easier. What can I say - I like that look.
However, I am a fan of comic books, specifically the X-men, as well as sci-fi/fantasy movies. So when I heard that I needed to make two composite images, I automatically knew what my first composite image was going to be. Plus, I had several source images that I knew would be perfect for the idea floating around in my head. In addition to some burnt tree bark from Bastrop State Park and a stormy sky taken from Mt. Bonnell, I used the image below as the base image from my first composite. The source images can be seen at http://reyjphotography.com/gameface.
When I finished the shoot with Bryant, this was one of the first images that I worked on. During photo shoots, there are times when I know that an image will be absolutely special and become of my favorites from the shoot. It's definitely instinctual when I'm capturing the image and then seeing it on the view screen. I had that feeling when I first captured the image below.
As you guys know, I like some drama in my images and usually capture it through lighting. And yes, I think the lighting in this image definitely adds to the overall dramatic effect of this image, but the majority of it is coming from Bryant himself. For me, I love the intensity of his eyes as he's staring down the camera. There's definitely a primal feel to the image, but maybe that's just me reading into the image. However, I absolutely love the overall image and how the different components (lighting, model, pose, expression) all came together to create an interesting image. As such, this gave me a great base image for my first composite image.
I am actually proud on how this composite came out. Overall, it didn't take me that long to create the overall effect of the image - a couple of class periods. However, I spent quite a bit of time refining the image and moving the textured bark across his face to create the overall look I wanted. Yeah, I spent quite a bit of time moving the bark around to getting an interesting pattern as well as maintaining his features (lips, nose, cheekbones, and eyebrow ridges). Actually, I'm damn proud on how I was able to use the texture of the bark to create some interesting patterns across his face; it just took some transformation modifications, different leveling for each side of his face, and then making minute adjustments here and there.
I have to admit that this is one of my favorite images from my catalog. Yeah, I know that composites are generally not one of my favorite types of images, but the fact that I was able to make an image that had a supernatural or mutant feel to it was pretty cool. Of course, I was happy that the image made it into the print show that semester. Plus, my prof thought that the image was interesting and cool. It's funny because as I was getting frustrated with the image, my prof came over and gave me encouragement on the image. Then he told me that he could see me just using PhotoShop to create interesting artwork like this instead of the typical, boring composites. So that was cool.
My favorite image from the photo shoot turned out to be one that focused on Bryant's face. It's not that surprising given how my last few blog entries have been as well as the images that I have been highlighting. Anyway, I did a series of Bryant in the shower because I wanted to create something similar to the images of Porter. Plus, I like the repeating tiles in the shower of the hotel that I was staying at. I was happy that I was able to get an awesome shot from the series and that it became my favorite from the shoot.
I do like his facial expression in the image and the fact that he is not looking directly at the camera. I also like how the lighting pattern plays out across his face. The shadows falling just on the right side of his nose but stopping before reaching his eye is definitely cool. On top of that, I like how the water drops pick up the light and creates some interesting highlights around his face. It's always interesting to work with models and water.
Again, I love being able to capture details in my images. While I love the lighting and pose, I absolutely love the fact that I was able to capture the water drops on his face as well as the the ones in his goatee. I go love how the light plays across the texture of his skin along his forehead as well as his lips. I'm always interesting in seeing those details in images instead of seeing skin completely smoothed out.
Overall, I love how the images from the photo shoot with Bryant turned out. The shoot itself was a little different from the ones that I've done before in the sense that there wasn't a lot of conversation flowing between myself and Bryant. However, that allowed me to take a different stance with the photo shoot and just experiment with different things. For one, it allowed me to play with natural light and not worry about trying to get the most of the shoot. I'm definitely happy with the way those natural light images came out. And, the shoot also allowed me to be critical on some of the shots that I was capturing, which in turned became the basis for my composite images in the fall semester. So yeah, I definitely think the photo shoot turned out great even if I didn't feel a personal connection with the model this time.
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First off, I gained enough confidence in myself to actually proceed with holding my own photo shoots with models. Sure, being part of the photography meet-up group was awesome in the sense that I was able to bounce ideas off of more experience photographers as well as working with various models through the shoots. However, I felt that I needed to do my own thing if I wanted to bring to life several ideas and images floating around my head. In order to make that happen, I definitely needed to strike out on my own and attempt to work with models that captured my attention.
Of course, by making the decision to strike out on my own, that meant that I also needed to invest my photography infrastructure and equipment. Yeah, it was definitely an eye opener to see how much money I was spending on lighting equipment and stands and figuring out what I wanted to use a backdrops. Plus, I needed to figure out where I was going to hold shoots. So yeah, 2013 was definitely a change for me and an evolution in how I approached photography. It was definitely an important year for me.
My first opportunity to actually to conduct my own photo shoot came in June 2013. During the first half of the year, I was focused on grad school, doing well in my classes, and working. However, by the time that June rolled around, I was feeling burnt out and needing a creative outlet to recharge. As such, I decided that I needed to head down to San Antonio for a long weekend and was going to hold a couple of photo shoots in the hotel suite that I was staying in. It was definitely cool to say the least.
For the long weekend, I ended up staying at a hotel a couple of blocks from the Riverwalk. The hotel was definitely charming with a older, Cuban feeling to it with some cool retro furnishings. It definitely made for a good backdrop for the shoots and allowed me to capture some different images throughout the four shoots that I did that long weekend. As such, it was a great opening to 2013 and my approach towards photography.
My first photo shoot in 2013 was with Don Edwin, a San Antonio-based model. I loved working with Don throughout the shoot. He had an easy-going attitude throughout the shoot. He definitely has an awesome body and a stunning looks, but his personality and attitude definitely made the shoot fun and go by quickly. Actually, we were only scheduled to do a three hour shoot before his shift as a bartender, but we ended up going for four and half hours when he found out that bar was closed for the night. So that was definitely awesome as I got some awesome images during that additional hour and a half.
For the shoot, I wanted to focus on photographing Don modeling various underwear. He humored me as I photographed him posing in boxer briefs, briefs, jockstraps, and some racier underwear styles. In the gallery dedicated to the shoot with Don, there are several images of him posing in the various underwear. As I mentioned before, Don has an awesome body and definitely filled out the underwear he was modeling. Actually, I'll be highlighting one of the underwear series later on in this entry.
However, some of my favorite images from the shoot were some of the portraits that I was able to capture at various points. The image below came from within the first thirty minutes of the shoot and has become one of my favorites. I love the relaxed posed as he lies on the table with his head pillowed on his arm. I like the way that his right arm cross across his chest and leads the viewers eyes down to his face, particularly his eyes. Furthermore, I love the intensity of his eyes as they are staring off into the distance instead of looking at the camera. To me, it's a simple pose, but there is something about the image that makes me pause and wonder what he was looking at. On top of that, I love the way the light is captured in his curls, eyes, and skin and how the light brings out his rich skin tones. When all of those elements are taken together, it's easy to say why I like this image.
I love this image for similar reasons as the one above. However, whereas the other image has a relaxed feeling to it, I love this image because of the sense of defiance portrayed in his expression and the intensity of his eyes. At least, I'm choosing to read that expression as defiance. Once again, I love his skin tones and how the lighting enhances them. And while on the subject of lighting, I do love the lighting pattern. I am definitely fan of dramatic lighting and how it creates interesting highlights and shadows. As such, I love the effects of the Rembrandt lighting on his face, especially as it transitions from highlights to shadows along his nose. The image is definitely one of the better and more interesting portraits that I've captured.
And, as promised, below are my favorite two images from one of the underwear series from the shoot. As I mentioned earlier, the hotel that I was staying at had some interesting furnishing that made it an awesome backdrop for several images. For this portion of the shoot, I decided to use the sitting area with the red vinyl chair, hanging artwork, and the retro fridge as background elements. On top of that, I had Don posing in these interesting briefs that had a zipper. Like I said, Don humored me as I had him modeling some racier types of underwear.
I love the image below for the relaxed pose and the contemplative expression on Don's face. It sort feels like a moment of time, even if it's totally fabricated. Like I said, I like posing and figuring out how to present the model's body in the best like. Sure, I try to work organically and let the models getting into various poses on their own, but occasionally I will see something interesting and work with the model to get into poses that will create an interesting image. This is definitely an example, in my opinion, that highlights Don's body in a positive light.
I love the lighting in this - the Rembrandt lighting pattern on his face and how it plays across his body. I even love the shadows cast from his body and the refrigerator on the wall. And once again, I will say that I love Don's rich skin tones. Of course, I am none thinking about converting some of these images into black and white to see how amazing they would look. Yeah, I am definitely a fan of black and white images - including black and white images with a splash of color.
Finally, I love the background props in these images. Lately, I've been working with models and just photographing them against white or black seamless paper, which is cool, but there is definitely something to be said about having interesting props to photograph with models. I think that's probably one of the reasons why I liked photographing models in some hotels that had interesting furnishings. For me, using these retro feeling furnishings at the hotel definitely made for interesting images. Like I said, I definitely loved the chair in all of its red vinyl glory, but there's also something to be said about the small retro refrigerator that was also in the sitting room. So yeah, I definitely loved how to props looked in the image.
This is the second image from that underwear series that I ended up loving. It's definitely similar to the image above, which make sense. However, I love the way the lighting pattern changed on his face with the turn of his head. Still, it highlights the serious expression on Don's face and the intensity of his eyes. Yeah, I absolutely love the lighting in these two images.
On top of that, I like the depth of field used in the images. I love how the refrigerator in the background on the left side of the image is completely blurred out while Don's body and the edge of the red vinyl chair are completely in focused. Details like that definitely capture my attention and helps to bring my attention to main subject matter of the image. As such, I'm glad that I was able to do that in this image.
Finally, I love the fact that the image is not your typical straight-forward shot. I absolutely love that it's in an angle and has a somewhat unusual sense of perception. I have tried to do something similar in other images, but didn't look natural or was thrown off by something in the image. However, in my opinion, it completely works in this image. I think it's because I was able to photograph it with Don's eyes serving as a plane that I could center on. Either way, the different perspective is one of the reasons why I stop at this image each time and have fallen in love with the image.
Finally, we come to my favorite image from the photo shoot. It was captured at the very end of the extended photo shoot. As such, we were both tired since we were finishing the photo shoot around 1 am. Nonetheless, Don was a trooper and worked with me through the very end.
Once again, I love the lighting in the image. I love that he's completely facing the light while I'm off center from it. As such, I was able to capture the amazing shadows at the edges of his body as the light tapered off. It definitely added some interesting contrast, which definitely made the image more dramatic. What can I say, I love some drama in my images.
On top of that, I love the pose. Of course, I love the tease that Don's providing with the careful placement of the white mesh shorts. Actually, I love the line created by the shorts quite a bit and how it serves to stop the line created by his right him as it leads diagonally down to the shorts before it's halted by the shorts and leads the viewer's eye towards the bottom of the image. Again, it's those details that make images for me. And I'm ecstatic that I was able to pull them off in my images.
For my first solo shoot, I definitely am amazed that I was able to pull it off successfully, in my eyes, and create some amazing images with Don. It definitely helped that we were able to mesh our styles together and work together to pull off the visions that I had floating around in my mind. Either way, I'm definitely happy with several of the results that stemmed from the shoot, as I've highlighted throughout the blog entry. And finally, this shoot definitely gave me the confidence to continue with holding my own shoots, working independently with models, and moving with confidence as I tried to make concepts and ideas a reality. It definitely gave me great hope that 2013 would be an awesome year in terms of photography.
- Reyj
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As such, I'm drawn to musicians and the beauty that they are able to create. In high school, there was this guy that used to live across from me, but everybody thought he was douchebag. It's funny because I think I was one of the few juniors in our wing that he actually liked and made a point of hanging out with him, which left everyone else confused. However, he played the violin and would often practice in his bedroom, which was right across the hall from me. It was ridiculous how many hours I spent sitting on the floor outside of my bedroom listening to him playing piece after piece on his violin. Each time that I hear the sounds of a violin, I am taken back to my junior year of high school and listening to Jacob practice.
Music. It's one of the reasons why I went to college in Seattle and the reason why I came back to Austin after graduating. It's why I make a point to take in as many small venue concerts here in Austin. It's part of the reason why I occasionally wonder the streets of South Congress for the opportunity to listen and photograph street musicians. It's definitely the reason why I jumped on the opportunity to work with and photograph Tomas Christzen.
Working with the photography meet-up group, I decided to participate in the November 2012 photo shoot with Tomas based on his image. Of course, the theme of the photo shoot was "Mountain Man" based on his overall appearance, particularly his beard. However, once I found out that he was a musician and had brought his acoustic guitar, I completely abandoned the "Mountain Man" theme and focused on photographing him in his element. It definitely a good decision based on the images that I was able to get with him and his guitar.
There was an aura of moodiness throughout the photo shoot, which definitely played to my favor towards the end of the shoot. It was further highlighted by the fact that Tomas was comfortable in his own skin and didn't particularly care about what others thought about him. Throughout the shoot, I wanted to capture that attitude and moodiness as well as the beauty that I saw within Tomas. Given that focus, I think that's why I favored portrait-like images and music photography-like images from this photo shoot. It definitely helped that I told Tomas that I wanted him to think of the shoot as something for Rolling Stone. Not sure if I captured all of my images in that style, but I'm definitely happy with the way the images came out.
As I mentioned, I love the portraits that came from this photo shoot. It helps that Tomas is absolutely stunning with his gorgeous blue eyes and that copper hair. For me, I love the image for several reasons. First off, I love the fact that the focus of the image is on his gorgeous blue eyes. Each time that I look the series, I'm continuously taken aback by the intensity of his eyes. In addition to his eyes, I love the expression on his face and the hint of vulnerability. It definitely helps to connect the viewer to the image a little better in my opinion. Finally, I love the tilt of the head and the fact that it has a shallow depth of field. Overall, this is one of my favorite portraits from 2012.
A man and his guitar. This was one of the first images that I worked on from the series. When I captured the image of his impromptu performance during the photo shoot, I knew that I had captured a cool image, especially since I was able to capture his entire body and the width of the guitar. I also love the fact that it's an implied nude, but still has a sensuality to the image. His focus on the guitar, the fact that he lost in his world of music, and isn't paying attention to the camera definitely illustrates the fact that I was able to capture a moment in time. For me, it's always amazing to be able to capture these moments, to find the beauty within it, and be able to share it with the world. Given that, I knew that this specific image was going to be amazing.
Of course, I was looking to create some different images from the other photographers participating in the meet-up group. As I mentioned earlier, I definitely wanted to go towards the music photography style throughout the shoot. Hell, I told Tomas that I wanted him to think about Rolling Stone while I was working with him. I think the next couple of images definitely illustrate that desire and I think that I was able to capture them beautifully.
The image below is definitely in the running for my overall favorite image from the photo shoot. For a while, I had a similar image floating around in my head, but never had the opportunity to create it in real life. When the opportunity presented itself in Tomas, I definitely knew that I had to do everything in my power to get that image. As such, I was grateful when I got home and saw that the image came out extremely well, especially with the depth of field and selective focus on his face. I love the fact that I have such crisp details in his face, in the individual strands of hair and the scruff of his beard, and the intensity of his eye. Of course, I did have to do some work on the guitar because I wanted it to be smooth and not contain a lot of detail. Overall, I love how the curve of the body of guitar complements his facial structure and the subtle reflection on the side. There are so many different elements in this image that I absolutely love and am happy that I was able to do the image in my head justice. Like I said, this is one of my absolute favorite images from the series.
And of course, since I had one with Tomas posed with the body of the guitar, I had to get one with the neck of the guitar in opposition to his face. The image is definitely interesting, but I tend to favor the prior image. However, I do love the fact that Tomas' expression seems to indicate that he's only humoring me, which he was. As always, I love the detail, particularly the intensity of his eye and how the hairs near the top of his beard captures the light. Those little details are definitely one of the reasons that I like this image overall.
And of course, I had to finish off the series of Tomas using the various pieces of the guitar to as a counter point and to frame his face. The image below actually came from the end of the photo shoot when I realized that I still needed one shot to complete the series. It's actually interesting to see the images side by side. To me, at least, I can tell that Tomas is more weary in the image below than the two proceeding images, but it's understandable since this is coming in at the end of a three hour photo shoot. Of course, it's highlighted by the fly away hair as well. However, I love the the juxtaposition of the guitar head against his face and the how it draws attention to his eye. Yeah, it was definitely awesome to have a complete set of the images and being able to see the transition between all three of them.
Emotions. I sometimes feel that genuine emotions are hard to capture in images, especially working with adults. This is further exacerbated by the type of shoots that I engage in since I tend to focus on the male nude. However, there are times when the model just wears their emotions. As I mentioned earlier, the photo shoot with Tomas was definitely one of the moodier shoots that I've participated in, which allowed me to capture some amazing portraits in my opinion.
The image below wasn't one that I normally include as a top image from the shoot, but I recently have come to love the image. There are certain elements that I love about the image, such as the way that the individual strains of hair captures the light, the tilt and subtle turn of his head, and those long eye lashes. However, as you probably guessed it, I'm in love with the expression on his face. To me, the image has a somber feel to it. As a viewer, I wonder what is going through his mind and what has caused that expression to appear on his face. Even though Tomas isn't making eye contact with the viewer, there's still a connection with the viewer that begs to be explored. All of this because of the somber feeling cast over the image. Like I said, there's definitely something interesting going on in the image and it took me a while to realize it, but it's definitely growing to be one of the images that I highlight from the series.
One of the things that I liked doing with this photo shoot was trying new poses. That's one of the things that I look for when I hire models to work with. If they can bring something interesting to the photo shoot, then there's a strong chance that I will want to work with them. Of course, that's just something that I started looking for in this past year, especially when I started branching out and holding my own photo shoots. However, I have to say that I am lucky to be able to think on my feet and draw on countless of images that I seen in magazines, movies, and just walking down the street.
As such, I love Tomas' pose in the image below. For this portion of the shoot, I was photographing him sitting in chair and capturing some typical images of him sitting. However, it was when I asked him to bring his leg up that I started becoming more interested and invested in the images. Of course, this is my favorite from that portion of the shoot. I love the entire pose and the sense of vulnerability that it exudes. Maybe it's the tilt of the head, the fact that he's got his arms wrapped around his legs, or the expression on his face, but I absolutely feel in love with the image when I finished working on it.
On top of the pose and the overall feeling of the image, I love the lighting in this image. I love how the light highlights the various strains of hair and emphasizes the copper tones. On top of that, I love how the lights is captured on the hairs on his arm and how it creates some stuffing highlights along his bicep. And of course, I absolutely love how the light plays across his face, casting half of it in shadows while highlight his blue eye. Like I said before, I absolutely love it when all aspects of image comes together to create a stunning image.
That's also the case here. I love how all of the different elements came together to create the portrait below. Of course, I'll give you three guesses on why I love the image, and none of those guesses count unless you said Tomas' gorgeous blue eyes. Yeah, I love the overall image from the light capturing the different shades of copper through his hair to the lighting pattern playing across his face. However, it's the eyes in this image that capture my attention each and every time I see it.
There's definitely a little bit of a rocker vide in Tomas. It could be from his "don't give a damn" attitude or the tattoos donning various parts of his body. However, this image is one of those images that I, for some reason, equate with the rocker vibe. I don't know why, but I always equate this image with grunge rock and Kurt Cobain. Not sure if I've seen an similar image (tilt of the head and the general pose) of Kurt Cobain, but that correlation has been stuck in my head since I first edited the image. Either way, it's one of the images that stands out for me because of the general pose and the intensity of his eyes. As such, I knew that I was definitely going to highlight it in this blog entry.
And finally, the last three images are going back to my idea that I wanted to create some "Rolling Stone" like images. I think at one point, I wanted to be a photographer for the magazine just so that I could photograph musicians in their elements, do concert and music festival photography, and work with up and coming bands before they made it big. Again, that's part of the reason why I moved down here to Austin in order to partake in the music scene, do street photography during SXSW and ACL, and have the opportunity to work with musicians. It hasn't worked out how I thought, but I've definitely taken the opportunities as they presented themselves.
I will say that the image below is a contender for my overall favorite image from the photo shoot. I love everythign about this image - from the pose, to the lighting, to the use of the guitar, to his crazy fly-away hair. Of course, I definitely find myself looking at the details throughout the image. Yeah, this image is definitely one of the top contenders for being my favorite overall image from the shoot.
However, if I were pressed, I would have to say that the image below would be my favorite image from the shoot. As I've said throughout the entry, I love being able to capture real moments in time. The image below is definitely an unguarded moment of time. I captured the image at the end of the three hour shoot and was trying to bolster Tomas' energy. However, he was exhausted by the end of the shoot and just drained of energy. It was at that moment that I was able to capture the image below. That feeling and mood is indicated throughout every aspect of the image - from the defeated pose, to position of his hand as he starts to run it through his hair, to the expression on his face. There's definitely a part of me that feels guilty for highlighting this image as my favorite from the photo shoot, but these are the images that I love being able to capture. This is a true moment in time that I was lucky to be able to capture.
I know that I do photography as hobby, an expensive one at that, but it's worth it when I am able to capture moments like these. I don't know if I have the skill and vision to make it as a professional photographer, but I am happy to be able to do it as a hobby and have experiences like this one. And I know that I always find something amazing about each shoot that I've participated in or held on my own, but the photo shoot with Tomas is definitely one that is dear to my heart. On top of that, I love that I was able to highlight some, what I think are, amazing portraits as well as some images that could have potentially be found in a music magazine - maybe. Either way, I am proud of the images that I was able to create with Tomas and am grateful to have had that experience.
Furthermore, I am happy that this series has been highlighted in various blogs throughout the internet. Of course, one of my favorite entries was written and hosted at http://favoritehunks.blogspot.ca/2013/08/the-rules-of-attraction-tomas-by-reyj.html?zx=8a40a3800ffe6842. Check it out and see what Tye thought about my images. Either way, it's still cool that my images were highlighted. It definitely makes me feel great that someone out there actually likes my images. That's definitely gratifying as a photographer.
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Being part of the photography meet-up definitely helped to build my confidence in myself and the images that I was creating. It definitely helped that I was able to work with several photographers and learn from them as well as supplementing what I was learning through the courses that I was taking. It definitely helped me out with the practical skills since I was setting up lighting and backdrop equipment as well as working with models. The group also helped with constructive criticism in letting me know what worked and what didn't necessarily work. Plus, they listened when I wanted to try out some ideas that fit within the theme, such as the neoclassical art poses during the previous photo shoot with Dave.
Of course, I definitely enjoyed the simpler shoots. Don't get me wrong; I loved the theme shoots since it gave me some boundaries to work within. But there's something awesome about going into a photo shoot without a plan and just seeing what develops throughout the shoot. That's exactly what happened during the photo shoot with Mark Monroe. The theme, or title, of the photo shoot was simple: "The Male Model". That's it. Yeah, it's a little scary going in without a plan, but it was also exhilarating because I was free to create whatever images I wanted with Mark. Plus, there's a part of me that enjoys the simpler shoots - me, the model, some clothing, and a backdrop. There's definitely a sense of freedom that comes with it as well as a sense of control. For me, these are some of the best shoots since it allows for a deeper connection with the model.
Mark was definitely easy to work with throughout the shoot. He had an easy-going attitude and a desire to create some awesome images with the photographer, namely me. Of course, throughout the shoot, I just kept thinking that he was so young - not that I'm old, but life definitely has a way of making 32 years far older than an early twenty-year-old. Still, we definitely were able to form a connection and have fun throughout the shoot. Plus, it helped that he reminded me of my college roommate in terms of personality and somewhat in the looks department. So yeah, right from the beginning, I felt completely at ease around Mark and just looked forward to the shoot.
As I said, it was definitely easy to work with Mark throughout the shoot. Like I've said previously, if I can find something appealing about the model, whether it's his personality or looks, then I find myself falling a little in love/lust with him and work harder to show that appeal to the rest of the world. With Mark, it was definitely easy to find his appeal and share what I saw with the world. Of course, it helps that Mark had an amazing physique that he's been working on since he was 13 years old. That hard work is definitely evident in the images chosen for the blog entry and uploaded in the album focusing on the shoot.
I chose the image below to start off the photo portion of the blog entry. As I previously mentioned, Mark has an amazing body and it is highlighted extremely well in the image. I love the attention on and the definition of his chest and abs. Attention is further drawn to that aspect of his body through the subtle curve of his sides and the fact that his weight is rested predominately on one leg. For some reason, I also love the fact that he's staring directly at the camera, but there's not a hint of a smile. It all serious business. Of course, I also love the fact that Mark's modeling his own black Calvin Klein briefs in the image. They're not form fitting as I usually have models wear, but the fact that they are his own briefs has a certain appeal to them. What can I say, there's something alluring about the fact that the waistband of his briefs are an angle that runs counter to the line at his hip. Like I've said before, it's the little details that I tend to focus on and find them making the image interesting.
I definitely love photographing hot guys in various underwear that highlight their bodies. As I mentioned, Mark definitely worked hard to create his amazing physique. Since he was pretty athletic, I decided that I wanted to photograph him posing in a white jockstrap. I do have some additional images of Mark posing in the jockstrap, but the image below is definitely my favorite from that portion of the shoot. Yeah, Mark definitely has a nice bubble butt that is framed nicely by the straps of the white jockstrap. However, it's the overall pose that I love in the image. Again, I love the curves of his his side and how it leaves the viewer's eye either up into his left arm and back down to his right side and eventually back towards his bubble butt. For me, it's really the position of his arms that proves interesting in the image and how it directs the viewer's eye to either of his sides. Like I said, it's definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot.
Of course, what photo shoot wouldn't be complete without some temptation. I'm actually somewhat impressed that I was able to capture the entirety of Mark's body in the image. I mean, seriously, all of his limbs are shown in the image without being cropped. Like I said, that definitely impressed me considering that Mark is significantly taller. Nonetheless, I love the overall feel of the image. I love the use of negative space in the image and the overall pose. However, it's the simple props in the image that makes it interesting. Sure, it's a somewhat religious theme harking back to Adam and temptation, but it's definitely an interesting image. Who know that an apple and a strategically place leaf will create some drama. Like I said, it's a simple image, but it's giving me further ideas. Now that I'm looking at the image again, I'm tempted to do a composite image with this as the centerpiece. Like I said, the image is nothing but temptation.
This image is definitely one of my overall favorite images from the shoot. I love the image below for several reasons. First off, I love Mark's pose. Again, the curves of his body definitely is alluring since it's not your typical static pose. On top of that, I love the position of his arms and how the muscles are tense, especially in his left arm as demonstrated by his bicep. It does help that the pose is doing amazing work to highlight his abs, chest, and the veins leading do into his black Calvin Klein briefs. I also love the fact that he's not looking at the camera and is creating a sense of drama in the image, which is further accentuated by the lighting. Finally, I love that he's framed against the door frame with the glass helping to create an interesting contrast to his body. To me, this is definitely one of my better images because its different enough to make me pause as I'm looking through my catalog.
Normally, I'm not one to favor images that don't show the model's face in the image. Sure, there have been a couple of images here and there that don't show the entirety of the model's head or face, but there is usually some aspect represented in my images. However, this image always makes me pause and has quickly become one of my favorite images, even if it doesn't show Mark's face. For me, it's the composition and pose that makes the image stand out. It's a simple image of Mark taking off a beige sweater; however', it's a amazing image that highlights Mark's body. I love how his broad shoulders lead down to a trim waist before tapering down into his thighs. Yes, he still has an amazing bubble butt and it's highlighted in the image, but I always focus on his shoulders and following the lines down. Like I said, it's a simple image, but it still proves to be captivating. Even now, I still find myself enthralled with the image.
And this is the second image that I love from the beige sweater series. As I noted above, Mark is not looking at the camera and creating a connection with the viewer, but it still captures my attention whenever I look through the images from this shoot. The pose is definitely eye catching with the curves and muscle definition catching my attention first. However, it's the contrast of the sweater that really makes the image interesting to me. I absolutely love the way that it cuts across his lower body and informs the viewer that he's completely nude beyond the sweater. However, it though it gives a hint of modesty, but it's still erotic with the hint of "v" made by his hips and thighs. That simple placement of the sweater definitely creates an erotic feel to the image.
On top of the strategic placement of the sweater, I love the lighting used in the image. As you guys know, I love dramatic lighting. In this image, I absolutely love the split lighting used and how the light drapes across his body. All photographers love playing with lighting and using it create some amazing images. While I still consider myself an amateur in the grand scheme of things, there are times when I feel awesome in how I use lighting. In this image, I love how the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows highlight his muscles, especially in his chest and abs. Of course, I love the overall effect of the split lighting as it creates highlights on the right side of his body before tapering off into shadows on his left side. I do love dramatic lighting and the use of the split lighting pattern.
And on top of dramatic lighting, particularly the split lighting pattern, I am an absolute fan of black and white images. But you guys know that already given the number of black and white images that I tend to highlight - at least, I think I tend to highlight more black and white images than color images. I should probably go back and check that out.... Either way, I absolutely love black and white images and tend to convert many images to black and white if I think it will be awesome. That's the case with the image below.
Again, I love the use of lighting to highlight the muscle definition in Mark's abs and chest. On top of the muscle definition, I think it's interesting to see how the light highlights the veins in his arms, upper chest, and lower abs. Of course, I love how his left side is in shadow. Actually, I love the overall shadows in the image, including the ones draping across his left shoulder and across his face. Furthermore, I love how the shadows lead down towards his waist. Of course, that's where I decided to crop the image, but I absolutely love the overall feel of the image, including the chosen crop and black and white handling. As you can probably tell, this image is absolutely one of my favorite images from the shoot as well as my overall catalog of images.
As you can see throughout the images highlighted in this blog entry, Mark was extremely seriously throughout the shoot and wanted to ensure that we were getting some amazing images throughout the shoot. However, the one thing that I noticed throughout the shoot was that I was getting a very limited number of images of Mark smiling. That's part of the reason why I'm drawn to the image below. You can see a hint of a smile playing across his lips and his amusement at the fact that the scarf is acting as a head wrap. However, I love the fact that scarf frames his face and actually draws the viewer's attention to his eyes. Yes, his chin, lips, tip of his nose, and his brow are highlighted with the light, but the catch lights in his eyes commands the viewer's attention. It is for those reasons that I chose to highlight the image and count it as one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Overall, I think the photo shoot with Mark Monroe was a success. Like I've said before, I absolutely love going into a photo shoot without a concrete plan and being amazed at the images that I'm able to create on a spur of the moment. I know that I say this about every photo shoot that I do, but I am proud of the images that I created with Mark. Several of these rank among my favorite images from my entire catalog. Of course, I love several of them because of the simplicity of the images, in terms of props and what not, but also how captivating they are due to dramatic lighting, the strategic placement of props, or the stunning poses that highlighted Mark's amazing body. It definitely helped that I was comfortable with Mark from the very beginning, since he reminded me of my college roommate, and that I was able to find an aspect of his personality and physique to fall in love with for the duration of the shoot. That definitely helped me to create some amazing images.
I would definitely recommend working with Mark. Unfortunately for me, he's since moved from Texas to another state. However, if the opportunity ever presented itself, I would gladly work with Mark again and would recommend him to other photographers. He was definitely easy going with an amazing personality, but also serious about the photo shoot and willing to work with photographers to create some amazing images.
- Reyj
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So, for the next photo shoot that I participated in with the meet-up group, I was able to work with Dave Brett again. Like the first shoot with him, Dave proved to be an awesome model as we went throughout the various photography ideas for the shoot. The overall theme of the shoot was the "Warrior Spirit." It definitely allowed me to to work through various interpretations of the theme from barbaric, to Roman, to Neoclassical reinterpretations, and finally to a modern take on warriors. Looking back on the shoot, it definitely was one of the best photo shoots that I participated in since I was able to present my ideas and make them a reality.
As a photographer, I sometimes find myself stepping back from the action and get an intense feeling that something special, maybe even awesome, is occurring before my eyes. During this group shoot, I sat down for a bit and was reviewing the image that would eventually become "Warrior Stare" (the image below). I was playing with the limited cropping ability in camera and stunned myself with the capture. Once the shoot was done, I found myself racing home to work specifically on that image. Once I was done editing it, I took a step back and still felt the intense feeling from the warrior's yell. Like I said, I often find myself stopping at the image and staring for a few minutes as I'm taken back to that moment. While some folks have commented on the image, it doesn't gather the attention that some of the full-on nudes do on my Model Mayhem page. It doesn't matter though; I'm happy with the way the image came out and do my part to show it off to others.
The theme of the shoot was photographing the "Warrior Spirit." "Warrior Stare" is definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot to the point of actually rushing home and working on that image right away. However, there are several other images from the shoot that rank pretty highly in terms of being on my list of favorite images. The image below is definitely one of those images. I loved the using the shield and spear as props throughout the shoot; it definitely added to the overall "Warrior Spirit" theme, especially with the costume. However, for me, the image is is really made with Dave's rugged, masculine looks as well as the intensity of his expression. These aspects, including the pose and lighting, came together beautifully to create an awesome image in my opinion.
In addition to the image above, I was able to also capture an amazing image below. I definitely love the fact that it focuses on his torso with just a hint of his chin and the helmet. The lighting definitely helps to emphasis his physique as well as the costume. Like I said, it's definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot.
Still going with the full "Warrior Spirit" theme, I decided that I needed to get an image of Dave completely nude with just the spear and shield. From that portion of the series, the image below is definitely one of my favorites. As usual, I loved the pose depicted in the image and the intensity of the stare as he looks off into the distance. Furthermore, I love the fact that shield actually "shields" his nudity, but there's still a hint of it.
Dave has a Model Mayhem page (http://www.modelmayhem.com/1332923). If you are ever looking to working with professional model, definitely think about working with Dave. He's simply amazing.
- Reyj
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As you can guess, I was still occasionally participating in some of the meet-up group photo shoots, including this one that occurred in May 2012. The theme of the photo shoot focused on Fairy Tales, including Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, and Jack and the Beanstock. Yeah, I definitely thought that it sounded interesting and I definitely wanted to participate in the shoot. However, the reality of it didn't exactly live up to the expectations. It wasn't for the lack of props or the models, but I couldn't really connect to the theme and seemed to be going through the motions. I think the shoot would have been better if I had an end game in sight, but sadly that was not the case.
However, there were a couple of images that I thought came out well. During the Jack and the Beanstock portion of the shoot, I was able to capture the image below of Levi. I definitely love the distant stare and how the green stands out against his skin and hair. Of course, this is one of those images that I want to go back and work on since I've learned how to work in PhotoShop. I can see myself taking out the black background and replacing it with a blue sky with clouds. Additionally, I might try to make the "beanstock" a little more realistic looking. But overall, I'm happy with the way that the image turned out because of Levi's stare off into the distance. For me, that makes the image interesting - the intense stare and the somewhat defiant tilt of his head.
Of course, I was definitely more interested in moving away from the theme and taking some "behind the scene" images as props were taken down and replaced with others. The image below is definitely one of those images. As the others were working with Adam, the second model, I took one of the lights and shined it at Levi while he was reclining on the bed. I definitely want to say that the image below was one of the first that I took of a model posing in a bedroom-like setting. Yeah, as I'm writing up this blog entry, I'm totally realizing that we should have done Sleeping Beauty given the ornateness of the bed. Oh well....hindsight.
Anyway, there are several reasons why I love the image below. First off, I love the split lighting used to light Levi's body. As you can tell, the light is coming from just behind his shoulder and gently wraps around his face. I also love the subtle catch lights in his eyes. In addition to the lighting, I love the fact that I was able to capture some good depth of field and exactly where I wanted it. As you can see, I was crouched at the foot of the bed. However, I didn't want to have a lot of detail in the foreground or the background. Using a smaller aperture, I was able to just get his face in focus with some clarity while the rest of the image is softer and not in focus.
In addition to those elements, I also like the simple pose. It's definitely a carefree pose that I've seen countless times as I was growing up and have done myself. Okay, I haven't done the same pose while completely nude. It's definitely a carefree type of pose. Of course, I loved the fact that his feet are rubbing against each other and the slope of his arch leads the viewer's eye to his and down to the rest of his body. Overall, I love the image and have to say that it's my favorite image from the series.
During the shoot, I also had the privilege to work with Adam, also known as TexanGuy on his Model Mayhem page. I have to say that I was a little more enraptured with his quite personality than Levi's. Nothing against Levi, but I tend to find myself drawn to the quieter, somewhat shy guys. Adam definitely fit that bill during the shoot. However, he definitely exuded a quiet confidence that drew me as much as Levi's blue eyes.
I definitely love the image below. Levi has that defiant, bordering on arrogant, look, which translates well into a princely behavior. The contrast between the fact that Levi's body is shielded by the maroon cloak while Adam's body is exposed is the primarily reason why I love the image. The definition in Adam's body is definitely amazing, especially in the lines around his hips and the highlighted muscles in in his upper thighs. It's definitely a somewhat simple image, but it's one of that I like overall.
This photo shoot was the first one when I was working with two models at the same time. It was a little weird for me in the sense that I tend to like focusing on just one model during a shoot and trying to establish a connection with them throughout the shoot. I did find myself working harder to get a connection with both of them, but then I realized that I just needed them to have a connection with each other, and potentially some chemistry. The last three images in this entry shows my attempt at capturing some of the connection and playfulness between Levi and Adam. In the first image, I love the fact that Adam is focused on Levi instead of looking at the camera. I love the fact that Adam seems more relaxed in the image and seems to be more comfortable with the intimacy.
The second image definitely feels more like a couple's image. However, I'm still drawn to the fact that Adam is more relaxed than Levi. Furthermore, I'm drawn to Adam's smile and eyes. Like I said, I think that I developed more of a rapport with Adam than Levi, which led me to capture Adam's finer qualities a little easier. Nonetheless, I love the image and how it turned out overall.
In the final image below, I think I was able to capture some of the chemistry between Adam and Levi. I definitely love this image of Levi more than the other two because it doesn't feel as strained. I definitely loved the fact that they are focused on each other more than the camera and seem to be sharing a moment between themselves. And that's one of the reasons why I love photography. I love being able to capture those fleeting moments and sharing them.
I'm definitely proud of this image since it conveys an overall feeling of sensuality. To me, it's demonstrated in the twists of their heads and the placement of Adam's hands on Levi's body. Yes, there is a feeling of eroticism with Adam's fingers dipping into the waistband of Levi's Calvins, but it's drowned out by the sheer look on their faces. For a moment there, I really thought that they were going to kiss, but alas that did not happen. However, the image definitely gives the impression that a kiss between lovers was inevitable. Like I said, I'm proud of this image for what it shows and making the viewer wonder what will happen next. Of course, it's my image and I could be reading into it; but if it makes me, the photographer, wonder, then I'm assuming that it's raising similar questions in other viewers. And to me, that is awesome.
There is a part of me that wants to photograph some additional couples, but I'm not sure if that's my style. Like I said, this photo shoot was my first one photographing more than one model at a time. Furthermore, it was my first photo shoot photographing two gay guys that could act like there was chemistry between them - maybe there was. However, this has been my own photo shoot that involved more than one model as well as have a sensuality component to it. I am, however, open to the thought of photographing couples in something similar, but I think I'm going to have to become more comfortable in capturing those moments. Nonetheless, I am proud of the images that I was able to capture with Adam and Levi.
I would definitely recommend working with Adam. He has a quiet personality that definitely made it easy to work with during the shoot. His Model Mayhem page can be found at http://www.modelmayhem.com/2596088.
Levi Michaels was definitely fun to work with throughout the shoot. Sadly, he's now living in New York City. However, if you have the opportunity to work with him, I would definitely recommend it. His Model Mayhem page can be found at http://www.modelmayhem.com/2474816.
-Reyj
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However, one of the first things that I actually ended up doing was getting my photography equipment moved from the old place into the new place and designating an area of my place for photo shoots. So far, it's worked out great. Since moving into the new place, I've held five photo shoots and have one more scheduled for next weekend. I've definitely been amazed with the images that I've created with several of those models. I'm hoping to actually get them edited in Lightroom and manipulated in PhotoShop. I really can't wait to share them with you guys. Hopefully, you'll like them as much as I do.
Anyway, as you have already guessed, this entry is going to focus on the photo shoot with Porter Wescott. As you probably guessed, I did this photo shoot while working with the photography meet-up group here in Austin. Let me start off by saying that, at the time of the photo shoot, I was unaware that I would be working with him. Sure, I had seen his name and picture when I decided to participate in the shoot. So yeah, I was definitely lucky and probably would have been more nervous if I had made the connection before the photo shoot. Nevertheless, Porter was awesome to work with throughout the shoot. He was down-to-earth and completely charmed me with his personality. Sure, he's good looking and has a nice body, but I definitely was won over by his easy-going attitude and easy laugh. Not going to lie...I may have fallen a little in love with him throughout the shoot, but it's a good thing since it gave me a better connection with him and helped me to capture his appealing qualities more easily.
So the photo shoot occurred in March 2012 and was my fifth photo shoot overall. Of course, the meet-up group organizer had a theme for the shoot, which focused on the locker room and its eroticism. It was definitely easy to draw inspiration for the shoot even after all of these years past my freshman gym class. As such, the shoot included props like a baseball bat and helmet, jockstraps, some soccer netting, and a change of setting to do some shower shoots. Yeah, this was my first time shooting a model in a shower setting! Yeah, it was definitely interesting and exciting to be doing something different from your typical white seamless paper set-up! I've definitely tried to incorporate some shower images in my shoots, but I think the ones with Porter are definitely my favorite ones. More about that later.
Porter definitely is gorgeous. For me, I absolutely loved his scruff look. He definitely is good looking when he's clean shaven, but his scruffy look makes him look more of a bad boy that is always up for mischief. Of course, his body is amazing and looks great in the image below. As I mentioned earlier, the baseball player themed was used throughout the shoot. As such, I was able to capture this image of Porter sporting a Papi jockstrap and holding the baseball bat. For me, the lighting and the pose definitely make the image. I'm definitely a fan of split lighting and the way the light tapers off as it wraps around his body.
However, it's the pose that I absolutely love. I love profile shots because they show off the model's body better. I love being able to capture the curve of the model's back into his trim waist before it slopes back out over his ass and down into his legs. Porter definitely doesn't disappoint in that area and definitely did the pose justice in my mind. It's further emphasized by the diagonals of the jockstrap with waistband and leg strap framing his ass perfectly and also helping to guide the viewer's eye to his hand and the bat. The amazing this is that it's a simple pose and overall shot, but looks amazing. This image is one of my favorite images in my catalog and definitely one of my favorites from the shoot.
For me, posing and lighting definitely go a great way in creating an amazing image. It definitely helps that Porter is good-looking, but I tend to focus on the overall image. Between 1835 and 1836, Hippolyte Flandrin painted the Study (Young Male Nude Seated besides the Sea) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Study_%28Flandrin%29). As the name implies, it's a young nude male sitting besides the sea with his knees drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped around them, and his head leaning against his knees. To me, this image is iconic and the pose burned into my mind ever since I first saw the image in an art history textbook. It is definitely one of my dreams to eventually get to Paris and see the actual painting hanging the Louvre.
As such, I definitely took the opportunity to recreate the pose with Porter. Yeah, I don't have a sea as the backdrop, but I want to say that the image came out well. It doesn't mimic the painting completely, but I love the fact that Porter's actually looking at the camera and has the hints of a knowing smile. It definitely helps to connect the viewer to image the image a little better than if I had truly mimicked the painting. Overall, I love the image and it ranks highly in my catalog of images.
As I probably mentioned before, I am definitely a fan of black and white images with a pop of color. A while back, I came across these set of images of Carlos Villar that was done by David Wagner, a photographer based in Los Angeles. Wagner LA (http://www.modelmayhem.com/1693912) is definitely an amazing photographer and has created some truly amazing work in fashion as well as his work with male models. But there was a image from the shoot with Carlos Villar that captured my interested and buried itself deeply in my thoughts. The series with Carlos Villar focuses on him posing as a boxer and wearing athletic clothing throughout the shoot (http://www.beautifulmag.com/beautiful/2010/12/thats-what-friends-are-for.html). However, it's that first image that caught my attention and wouldn't leave my mind until I was able to recreate it somehow.
Of course, the opportunity came with Porter. It's not the exact same pose as the one that Wagner photographer, but it's definitely my homage to his work. Porter definitely did an amazing job with the pose and I love the way that it shows off his abs. I definitely love the tension ins both of his arms with the muscles outlined nicely in his left arm and the veins standing out in his right one. However, as much as I love the pose and the handling of the black and white tones, I keep coming back to the yellow jockstrap. Of course, the jockstrap that he was posing in wasn't that bright yellow, but to keep with the homage to Wagner, I painting it yellow in Lightroom. Like I said, I'm a sucker for black and white images with pops of color and have done quite a few since the shoot with Porter. However, I don't think that I'm done with the pose yet. That pose will probably make another appearance in a future shoot now that I've written about it. Overall, I love the image and think that it came out great.
Several of the photographers in the meet-up loved photographing models playing with various pieces of fabric. Of course, I've seen some amazing images with fabric in the past, but it never struck me as something that I needed to do. However, working with the other photographers have led me to incorporating fabric into shoots when I can. Of course, it means that I need to invest in some interesting fabric if I'm going to use them in future shoots.
Of course, I definitely took the opportunity to photograph Porter swirling some metallic fabric around his body. Of course, I love the pose in the image. It definitely shows Porter's body extremely well, especially the curves of his ass as the slope from his lean waist. On top of that, I love the turn of his shoulders to show his left pec as well as the muscles in his upper back and how it's mimicked in his the angle of his head. Like I said, it's an amazing pose that highlights his body extremely well.
As amazing as his body is in the image, to me, it's the fabric that creates the image. For instance, I love the fact that I was able to change the color of the fabric without screwing up the golden tones of his body. Yeah, the fabric started off as metallic blue. So yeah, I'm definitely happy that I was able to transfer the color within Lightroom from metallic blue to metallic purple. To me, it just has a better contrast against his body in terms of color. In addition to the color, I love the way that the light bounces off of the metallic fabric and creates some awesome looking highlights and shadows. Furthermore, I also am amazed on portions of the fabric seems like liquid, especially on the upper portions of the fabric. Overall, the fabric added another dimension as it flowed around his body and acted as a foil to his skin. It definitely added an element that made me fall in love with the image.
Overall, I am happy with the images that I captured during the photo shoot with Porter and enhanced through various editing techniques. I definitely was able to push my skills a little further and learn some new tricks throughout the entire process. Of course, it's always a pleasure to work with good looking models, but Porter was simply amazing to work with. Like I said, I definitely feel a little in love with him throughout the shoot, especially during the shower shots. Furthermore, I was able to create some amazing images that I am proud to call my own and have gained some attention through various blogs and websites, including visitors to my own Model Mayhem page. Like I said, this photo shoot definitely gave me enough confidence to believe that I am a good photographer and have something interesting, and maybe amazing, to show the world.
Porter does have a Model Mayhem page if you're interested in working with him: http://www.modelmayhem.com/1842555. Check out his work there!
-Reyj
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Well, I decided that it was time to post another entry today regarding one of my previous photo shoots. Back in February 2012, I had the opportunity to attend another meet-up group photo shoot. The theme for this photo shoot was Hell, which I thought was hilarious since the model, Jerry, had the Star of David tattoo on his side. For some reason or another, the organizer thought that the tattoo was a pentagram and told Jerry that. It ended up cracking the both of us up to no end. The theme actually got dropped pretty quickly, which actually worked out in my favor since I didn't really know what I was going to do during the shoot - other than getting a couple of red gels on the lights and try to simulate hell's fire. Either way, the shoot definitely evolved pass the hell theme and just became a regular shoot.
I definitely have to say that Jerry was a great model. He definitely had an air of masculinity to him and seemed to ooze aggression throughout the shoot. Sure, I was a little taken aback by his straightforwardness and overall attitude, but it definitely worked when he posed confidently throughout the shoot. Some guys are just completely comfortable in their skin and Jerry definitely knew that he was sexy and desirable to both sexes. Of course, it definitely helped that he had an awesome body and wasn't afraid to show it off for the camera.
The image below was definitely one of my favorite from the shoot. I love the pose with his arms framing his face and his weight placed on one leg. I absolutely love the position of his hips and the curve that his thigh, hip, torso, and arm make. But more importantly, I love the lighting in the image. Sure, his left arm is blocking the light coming from the right, but I love the way that it drapes across his body as it goes through the various gradients across his body. Additionally, I love the catch lights in his eyes and how it attracts the viewer's attention from the very beginning. Overall, I favor the image because of the masculinity that is on display and the confidence that the pose exudes. It's definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot.
Of course, as you guys have pretty guess, I am partial to black and white images. Moreover, I love black and white images with a pop of color. When I first took this image, I didn't really know how I was going to make this work since I hadn't gotten into using PhotoShop and was limited to Lightroom for my classes. However, where there's a will; there's a way. So after talking with my professor and looking at some tutorials online, I decided that the best way for me to do this in Lightroom was to carefully desaturate his body and hope that I wouldn't get into the areas that I wanted to pop with color. So yeah, it didn't take too long once I finished editing the color version of the image and then working on increasing the pop in the metallic fabric.
Like I said, I absolutely love the contrast between the gray tones of his body and the metallic gleam of the fabric. It's further helped by the long-nosed mask. To me, it definitely is one of my more artistic images in terms of composition and handling. Of course, it's one of my absolute favorite images in my overall collection. I even went as far as refining and printing the image on large scale paper in order to have the print hanging on my wall. At least, it's printed. I'm still working on getting it hung in the new place, but it will be happening soon.
I'm definitely glad that I was able to participate in this photo shoot and have the opportunity to work with Jerry. The amazing thing was that this was Jerry's first shoot. He walked in like he owned the place and definitely gave an amazing performance throughout the entire shoot. Sure, his attitude and air of aggression was a little intimidating at first, but I definitely move beyond that as the shoot progressed and was able to get several amazing images from the shoot. As I said throughout the entry, three of the images from this photo shoot have become my favorites from my entire catalog.
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Another quick post because I still don't want to go read for grad school.
So, I was scheduled to have two photo shoots today, but they both fell through for various reasons. That's definitely the nature of the game, but I had gone through the effort of setting up the backdrop (seamless black paper) and the lighting equipment. Well, it's almost fortunately that they both fell through since I was rushing through things and was not really prepared for the shoots. At least both of them asked to be rescheduled with one for Tuesday, September 30th, and the other for mid October.
However, I had the backdrop and lighting equipment set-up. So, I decided to play around with some quick self-portraits and light editing to finish them up. The details on my eyes was fun to do, even though it feel weird to do some editing on my own portraits. Yeah, I was trying to decide if I wanted to remove any freckles or other blemishes that my eyes starting zeroing in. It definitely is a weird feeling to say the least. Either way, I decided to do very basic editing on the two images - mostly to removing some blemishes.
I do have to say that I ended up liking the image below. That image was a complete accident since I was just firing my camera to make sure that the wireless trigger for the lights were actually working. Found out that it was, but one of my lights was not working. Probably because I blew it out last December. So yeah, I figure that the smoke coming from the back of the light probably means that it's dead. I've already got an order in to replace that light, which is definitely good. I'm not sure when I'll get it, but I'll make do with one light for the shoots that I've got scheduled during the first couple of weeks in October.
But during that testing, I got a pretty interesting self portrait. So, I'm a sucker for black and white images and dramatic lighting. This sort of has both of them going on in there. It's definitely got some interesting lighting going on. I absolutely love the fact that I've got some light on my left eye and cheek (on the right side below) while the rest of it is in shadow. I love the expression on my face - I can't tell if I'm seriously thinking abut something (which I know I wasn't) or if I was staring intently at something (which I wasn't). It's definitely one of my better self-portraits that occurred by a happy accident.
As I mentioned before, I was working with a photography meet-up group here in Austin to get some practice working with male models and becoming more comfortable in a studio set-up. By the time that February rolled around, I had already done two photo shoots. Both of them were pretty cool and the models were awesome to work with. So it made sense for me to continue participating in the meet-up group activities, including the first shoot in February.
I think I tend to like the simple images the best. The image below definitely shows off one of Toner91's assets. Yeah, I had to make that joke. Yeah, I'm a little on the corny side, but deal with it. Anyway, I like the image for the simplicity of how Toner91 modeling an Andrew Christian jockstrap. I definitely love the pose with the arm leading the viewer to Toner91's face. But I also love the slight turn of his hips to show his narrow waist and leading down to his ass. The framing done by his other arm helps to accentuate the view as well as mimicking the stance of his leg. In addition to that, his direct confident gaze at the viewer adds another element to the image. Like I said, there are times when everything lines up and creates an awesome image in my eye. This one is definitely one of those images that I stop and look it when I'm scrolling through my catalog.
The photo shoot, Architecture and the Male Model, was definitely one of my favorite photo shoots with the meet-up group. Then again, I found something interesting and unique from each photo shoot that I've participating in. It definitely helps that Toner91 had an easy going personality and was fun to work with. There were times during the shoot when he didn't know what pose to get into and would do a little jig will laughing. It's little things like that that definitely made the photo shoot fun.
I'm definitely hoping to work with Toner91 again in the future. Yes, he has an great body, but he's also got an amazing and personable attitude that definitely puts people at ease. I would definitely recommend working with him if you get a chance. His Model Mayhem page is at http://www.modelmayhem.com/2475263.
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In preparation for the photo shoot, I went and purchased a couple of interesting looking masks from Costume World (http://www.costumeworld.com/) on Burnet World here in Austin. That's actually a pretty dangerous store for me since I like costumes and props. You can rent some of the items there and they have a wide selection of costumes. Plus, they have a pretty good selection of masks there as well. It's definitely one of those stores that I hit before and after Halloween as I'm looking for interesting to photograph models in or for something to be used as a prop. Anyway, before the shoot, I ended up purchasing this gorgeous black and gold mask with Venetian swirls and music sheets. When I first saw it, I knew that I would have to purchase it. As such, I knew that I was definitely going to use it during the photo shoot.
Dave was the model for the photo shoot and did an awesome job. He's done several photo shoots for the Meet-Up group and was definitely easy to work with throughout the shoot. It does help that Dave is classically handsome with strong facial features and a muscular body gained from hours of working out. But what is really amazing is his good attitude and professionalism when it comes to photo shoots. Plus, he knew what poses to get into in order to show off his amazing body in the best light.
The image below is one of my favorite images from the start of the shoot. Like I said, Dave needed very little direction from me, which was definitely a bonus. Additionally, Dave definitely looked great as he just modeled a pair of plain white Calvin Klein briefs, but it definitely helps that he fills them out nicely. However, it's the pose and the placement of his arms that definitely draw my attention before being lead to his gorgeous eyes. The scruff definitely increases his sexual appeal.
The second image from the set that I ended up liking was the image below. This was definitely my first dive into the use of props, especially one as interesting as a broken umbrella. I have another photographer to thank for that suggestion. It definitely help to lend an air of surrealism (?) to the image. It definitely helps to tie in the demon red, long-nosed mask and the black wrap into a somewhat cohesive image. It's amazing how a single prop can change the overall feel of an image and turn it into one of my favorites.
Overall, I think the photo shoot with the Meet-up group turned out really well. I got some amazing images with Dave and used some interesting and unique props during the photo shoot. Working with Dave gave me further insight to working with male models and may have spoiled me by knowing which poses to get into to highlight his body in the best light. Of course, his professionalism and gorgeous classical looks definitely helped to make the photo shoot a success. It wasn't the last time that I worked with Dave and I have plans to eventually work with him in the near future.
Dave has a Model Mayhem page (http://www.modelmayhem.com/1332923). If you are ever looking to working with professional model, definitely think about working with Dave. He's simply amazing.
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I was definitely drawn in by Kai's demeanor and personality. Yes, he was definitely attractive and had those gorgeous boy next door looks, but it was definitely his personality that won me over during the session. As I said, I was nervous throughout the shoot, but Kai's easy going and laid-back attitude helped calm my nerves throughout the shoot. Sure, it was my first shoot working with an actual model, but some of the images that I got with Kai have become some of my favorite images.
Kai #17 shows the feature that I've found myself drawn to quite often. He has these intense blue eyes that always catch my attention. However, I'm a fan of black and white images and often find myself working in that color space. However, it caught me by surprise how intense Kai's blue eyes look in black and white images. When I'm scrolling through images and move between a color image and its black and white equivalent, I am always surprise by his eyes. And each time, I find myself stopping at the image and studying it again to find what I love about the image. And each time, I end up at his eyes.
Kai 17Kai staring off in the distance.
The theme of the photo shoot was photographing the Athletic Male. When I was in high school, the jocks always were popular and had everyone's attention and affection. I definitely lusted after several of the jocks in my class and had a secret thrill whenever I had gym class. Of course, I was also terrified at the same time of being found out. However, my terror could not stop me from sending subtle, and probably not really all that subtle, glances at the jocks around me in various states of undress. Of course, not many of them wore jockstraps in gym class. Nonetheless, I have always made the connection between jocks and jockstraps. As such, I definitely planned on photographing the model wearing a jockstrap.
Kai definitely fits the description as demonstrated by his physique. However, for me, the athletic male was always defined by his attire, namely the jockstrap. Kai definitely filled out his jockstrap very well and it lent to the erotic feeling of the photo shoot's theme. As I said, since high school, the athletic male has always had a muscular physique and been sexualized by the jockstrap. And I, following in the shutter clicks of many before me, photographed a gorgeous male model wearing nothing but a jockstrap. Kai definitely did not disappoint as he pulled on the jockstrap and began following my instructions and getting into various poses that highlighted his muscular physique.
Kai 21Kai posing in a jockstrap.
However, again, I was caught off guard by one of the images that I took for Kai. The image below shows Kai wearing a jockstrap and a white tank top. The pose definitely shows off the muscles in his arms and his chest/back as well as his trim waist. The image definitely has a sense of sexuality in it, but at the same time there is a sense of vulnerability within the expression. I may have taken this image when he was caught unaware or I may have directed him into the pose - the details escape me since the shoot happened over two years ago, but I know that the image is one of my favorites because of that perceived vulnerability.
Kai 10Kai posing in a white tank top and white jockstrap.
The other image that I have come to love from this series has been a recent fine. I was looking through the images a couple of months ago and stumbled across the image below. I originally worked the image, but didn't do anything further with it. However, looking at the image again, I had the urge to edit the image a little further since there was something that was catching my eye. Actually, it was Kai's eye that had caught mine again. I wasn't fully impressed with the full color image, but there was something missing when I converted to black and white. However, I found my happy median when I did a slight desaturated color wash on the image. Once I did that, I found that the image popped. Furthermore, it has been one of the images from the series that has become one of my favorites.
When all was said and done, I think that my first real photo shoot was a success. As you can see from the gallery focus on Kai, I had several images that I deemed as a success. There have been several images from the shoot that have become my favorite images and have been highlighted in this blog entry. Furthermore, I have worked with Kai on another occasion and have plans to work with him again this year. In the near future, I'll be submitting images from the last photo shoot with Kai and highlight those images that have become my favorite from that photo shoot.
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However, I'm currently in the process of moving. Yeah, talk about stressing out about the whole moving process. The good thing is that I will be moving into Austin proper instead of living in the suburbs. Of course, North Austin is not downtown or South Austin, but I'll take my two bedroom North Austin apartment.
Of course, I love the fact that I'll be living in the city proper. It's a great city and has a lot to offer to its residents. I love the music scene and the smaller venues peppered around the city. I've had the opportunities to see Weezer, Fitz and the Tantrums, Bush, and so many other bands in small venues. Of course, I've also seen Kings of Leon at the Frank Erwin Center as well as Nsync back in the day. I've wandered around South Congress listening and photographing numerous street musicians as I meandered around. Like I said, the music scene in the city is one of the reasons why I moved back after graduating from college.
Since I've been back, I've had a fascination with photographing the city at night. I'm fascinated with light trails and being able to capture them. During my second stint living in the city, I'm hoping to go out to various parts of the city and capture more of them. there's just something awesome about being able to capture light and movement that fascinates me. The image below was captured on Cesar Chavez in downtown Austin. I hope to capture more images like this once I get settled in my apartment. That would definitely be awesome.
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During one of the assignments, each of us were required to bring in a model for some Advanced Portraits. The previous week, we worked on some basic portraits and getting an understanding of the different lighting styles. But more importantly, I was learning how to actually set-up lighting equipment to get the desired effect. In addition to those skills, I was also getting some additional exposure to working with models and giving them directions. Of course, it helped that I was working with a model that had modeling experience.
For the assignment, I brought in Shane as my model. Previously, I had set-up an account on Model Mayhem and scope out some of the Austin-based male models and came across Shane's online Model Mayhem portfolio. His portfolio definitely had several images that caught my eye, particularly the image of the gas mask image. It's one of those images that have always stuck out for me. Of course, it was that image that made me want to work with him in some fashion. So when I needed to bring in a model, my mind automatically jumped to Shane and, fortunately for me, he agreed to work with me on the project.
For the shoot, I wanted to do a high-key shoot that was in line with GQ. Yeah, I remember telling Shane to think GQ, but to also bring his cowboy hat. From the GQ portion of the shoot, I love the image below. I love the intensity of his stare as well as the lighting. Of course, I am partial to black and white photography and decided to convert the image. Like I said, it's one of my favorite images from the series with him.
Shane 3Reyj Photography Shane ATX 3
In addition to the GQ look, I asked him to bring some jeans and a plain t-shirt. Shane is definitely a good looking guy, but there is something appealing about his boy next door looks and the classic American look. The funny thing is that my lab professor didn't care too much of the image - he kept focusing on Shane's hands and their location - so I didn't submit it as my image for my camera class. However, when I ended up showing my camera professor later in the semester, he loved the image and thought that it should have been the one to be submitted. I knew I should have went with my gut. When I worked on the image, I knew that it was a pretty good image, but I second guessed myself after the comments. Nonetheless, this image of Shane is one of my absolute favorites.
Shane 4Reyj Photography Shane ATX 4
Finally, the image of Shane in his cowboy hat is something special. I love the attitude in the image with the cock of his head, the defiance in his eyes, and the split lighting going on. Of course, it did offer me some learnings since I was cloning out white fluff from his cowboy hat and t-shirt - next time, I'm grabbing some masking tape and seeing if I can get them out before I start shooting. However, when I showed the image to some my fellow student photographers, they kept saying that it could be an image that you would see on a country CD and that it was pretty awesome. I don't know if it's that good, but it's one of my favorite images in my catalog.
Shane 6Reyj Photography Shane ATX 6
I definitely loved working with Shane during the project. I'm glad that he was one of the first models that I worked with given his personality and his experience working as a model. He needed very little direction and knew how to work the camera. He actually gave me the confidence to continuing working with male models and take some risks in the future. I would definitely recommend working with him and hope to work with him again in the future.
Shane's Model Mayhem page and portfolio can be found at: http://www.modelmayhem.com/376583. Check him out; you won't be disappointed.
- Rey
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I am an Austin-based photographer and have been passionate about photography for as long as I can remember. I love the subject matter that I work with and continue to work on improving my skills as a photographer. As an artist, I tend to focus on the male form. I love being able to capture the strength of a model while also showing the world the aesthetic quality that has captured my eye. I do tend to focus on the male nude form, but have also branched out to do fashion photography as well as portraits. Nonetheless, each image captured is a moment in time that I have fallen in love with and am sharing with the world.
Given that I'm working through the mechanics of setting up my own webpage, I thought that I would start with some images that I took in 2011. During that time, I was taking my first structured photography course. It was definitely an eye-opener since I started learning how to operate my camera properly instead of just messing around with the features. Of course, I started off with some creative light images.
When I was a kid, I always looked forward to county fairs and carnivals rolling through town. I loved the smell of funnel cakes and other county fair food. But it was the lights from the carnival rides that drew my attention. I always remember begging my parents to drive by the carnivals each night just so that I could see the lights and the excitement. Yeah, I was happy just to see the lights from a distance.
Now that I'm in my thirties, I still have the same sense of awe and excitement as the carnival season rolls around. While I don't have the same desire to ride the rides, I do love having the ability to capture the lights and motion. The image below of the Scrambler was captured during the 2011 Hogeye Festival in Elgin, Texas. I love this image because of the sense of motion, the brightness of the lights, and the moment that it represents.
Reyj Photography - Scrambler LightsReyj Photography - Scrambler Lights
As I work through the mechanics of the website, I'll be including additional posts with a variety of my work. Some of it is creative like the image above. Other works will feature the male nude. If all goes well, I'll include a blog post on each series of images that I upload as I try to convey my thought process during the photo shoot and why I chose specific images to share. However, all of the work that I publish on my website and through its associated blog will represent my vision as an artist and photographer.
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