Warrior Dave
Well, I figured that it was time for another blog entry. Of course, I'm twitching in pain at the moment....I hate back pain. It started on last Wednesday afternoon and is still continuing. It's not as bad on Thursday and Friday, but it's still annoying as hell. Hopefully, it will get better by Wednesday since I have to travel to San Antonio for a work-related conference. Still, I'm definitely feeling some twinges as I sit hear writing this entry.
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