Lawrence
Hey guys! It’s been a while since I last posted an entry or gallery, but work has been eating up my time again. Like usual, work has been crazy since my team has been helping to roll out a new system. However, my team pulled together and accomplished our part in the rollout, even with limited staffing resources. So yeah, it felt like a great achievement, even if it ate up my free time.
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]!