Brady
Hey guys! Well, 2017 is proving to be an interesting year again. I have come to the realization that work is always going to be crazy and unpredictable. As usual, something unexpected happened and I’m feeling a little stressed because of limited resources. However, my team is pulling together and accomplishing our projects, even with limited staffing resources.
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]!