Mark MonroeHey guys! It's been a busy week for me since I traveled down to San Antonio to attend a work-related conference. It's always nice to get out of the city and just have a change of environments. It also helps that I was staying on the Riverwalk and had excellent views of the towering hotels, the Tower of the Americas, and excellent night views of the city. It was definitely a fun trip and an awesome conference. Plus, I had enough time to do a hotel-based photo shoot with a great guy! So yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to working on those images and eventually sharing them with you guys. Nonetheless, I was ready to come back home. Sure, I love traveling and seeing new things, but I was itching to get back to my apartment and Austin by the end of the trip. So yeah, that's definitely a good sign that the apartment is starting to feel more like home with each day that passes.
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
Warrior DaveWell, 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.
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
Levi Michaels and Texan GuyAs I work with male models, I really shouldn't be surprised by the brief encounters and touches to other worlds. Nonetheless, it amazes me everything that I see a model pop up unexpectedly in other industries. That was the case with Levi Michaels. Still, it's kind of cool knowing that I worked with him before he became better known, even if it was only for a few hours.
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 Porter WescottHey guys! It's been a while since I last posted an entry, but I've been busy conducting some photo shoots this month as well as trying to get somewhat settled in the new place. Yeah, I know that I moved into the new place back in the middle of September, but I'm horrible about moving out and unpacking my stuff. Hell, I still quite a bit of my stuff packed in boxes and stashed in corners throughout my apartment. Yeah, I didn't finished my stuff from the old place until the first weekend of October. Horrible I know. It definitely makes me want to stay in this apartment forever...well, at least until I finish my graduate degree and figure out the next step in my journey.
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 JerryHey guys,
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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