Emiliano
Hey guys! I'm hoping that the start of 2017 is treating all of you well! For me, there are currently some trying folks in my life, but I'm making an effort to be happy and not let things get to me. Given that, I am spending more time focusing on the positives and attempting to do right by certain folks. Nonetheless, I still have some high hopes for the upcoming year, especially when it comes to photography.
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]!