EnriqueHey guys! Another month down and it looks like April is following March in its footsteps. It's definitely been a busy month at work and hasn't really given me a lot of time to work on any photography projects. I am hoping that it slows down for a bit, but I never know with my current job. Still, I have been able to post some images on the website as well as my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography/). Additionally, I'm trying to set up a photo shoot for this month, but it seems like work is getting in the way of it. Still, I have high hopes for it. However, let's get to the photo shoot that I did with Enrique in December 2013.
Enrique
As you guys may remember, I photographed eight models in eight separate shoots in the span of a week in December 2013. Enrique was the fifth model that I worked with during that week. When he first submitted his images, I was definitely attracted to his facial features, particularly his eyes. When I first saw his images, I instantly knew that I wanted to photograph him because of those features. For me, I definitely loved how the images turned out with his serious facial expression.
Street Clothes
As with all of my shoots, I like photographing the model in the clothes they wear to the shoot. In this instance, I loved how Enrique looked in his black bottom down shirt, black jeans, and cross. With the white backdrop, the dark clothes definitely helped to make him stand out. Even more so, I loved how the black shirt looked on him and how the buttons caught the light, as seen in the image below. I will say that this is one of the looks that I like on guys quite a bit because it dresses up a pair of jeans quite nicely. Plus, a button down shirt is pretty versatile in that unbuttoning a few buttons can change the look completely. So yeah, I love using these shirts during photo shoots.
In addition to the clothing, I like the stance in the image. While it's not terribly exciting, I like how casual it looks and is somewhat iconic of the typical young man. There is a sense of defiance within his body language, especially with the tilt of the head and the somewhat bewildered look on his face. However, he's not backing down from the challenge. Like I said, it's a somewhat typical stance of the young man.
Additionally, I love the placement of his hands. During one of my photography classes, I photographed another guy in a similar stance. However, when I asked my lab instructor what he thought of the image, he noted that placement of the hands made it seem like I was directing the viewer's eyes towards his crotch. When I asked my camera instructor what he thought about the pose, including the comments made, he just laughed and said that most young guys wanted to have attention directed there. Nonetheless, I still like having a guy pose with his thumbs within the pockets of his jeans and his fingers splayed across his upper thighs. Though, I am a little more careful of the finger placement though. In this image, I love how Enrique's long fingers are splayed down across his thighs and curl slightly. It adds a interesting visual element without distracting from the overall image.
Finally, I love the lighting in the image. As usual, I went with a split lighting pattern while having another light to slightly open up the shadows on the left side of the image. However, I do like the dramatic lighting and how it spreads across his face and body to creating an interesting lighting pattern. I love how it picks the details of the veins in his forearms and hands as well as highlight his cheekbones. Yeah, I absolutely love the light in the image below. With everything combined, it's definitely easy to see why the image is one of my favorites from the photo shoot.
Underwear
Of course, I definitely wanted to photograph Enrique in a variety of underwear. Usually, I would photograph the model wearing just the underwear; however, I absolutely loved how he look in the black button down shirt and wanted to continue dressing up some of the images. As I mentioned above, I love how versatile a button down shirt can be. By unbuttoning the top three buttons, it creates a different overall look as the viewer gets a hint at the skin below the material. I've always liked that hint of a tease of what lies hidden beneath the fabric.
I also unbuttoned the last button at the bottom of the shirt in order to create a wider opening. I definitely wanted to create an element that would frame the bulge within Enrique's briefs as well as direct the viewer's attention towards it. While the opening isn't completely in alignment, the edge of the fabric definitely helps to direct the viewer's eyes to an interesting element within the image.
In most images highlighted under this category, I usually highlight the underwear since that is all the model is wearing in the image. In this image, the underwear is definitely interesting in the outline seen through the cotton and how it's highlighted by the black edge of his shirt. However, I love how Enrique's thumbs are trapped within the waistband of the briefs and are brining it down. It's more evident on the right side of the image, but it's there on the left side as well. He's just mere moments from pulling them completely off, but the moment captured definitely has a sexual appeal to it as well. Sometimes, it's all about the anticipation.
Half Nude
And sometimes it's all about the tease. Usually, I would be highlighting my favorite nude from the photo shoot, but I really liked how Enrique looked in that button down shirt. There are several images in the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot (http://reyjphotography.com/enrique) without the modesty of his hand; however, I decided to highlight the image below as my favorite.
As I mentioned above, sometimes it's all about the anticipation of seeing your lover for the first time. At other times, it's all about teasing or being teased by your lover. In the image below, I loved that that Enrique is only wearing the black button down shirt and is nude from the waist down. However, his hand is providing some modesty by covering himself in an effort to tease the viewer. For me, I absolutely love the placement of his hands. I like how his left hand is gripping his right shoulder which helps to lead the viewer's eye down his right arm to his right hand.
And, of course, I love the lighting in the image. As with the image above, I love how the light highlights some of the details within the image. For instance, I love how it highlights the veins in his hands, particularly the right one, and the muscles in his forearms. I also love the highlights on the buttons of his shirt and cross. Yeah, it definitely easy to love the lighting in image when it's combined with the subject matter and the pose.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
My favorite image from the photo shoot turned out to be a portrait. Fun fact: when I captured the image below, Enrique was nude from the waist below. Yeah, that's an interesting snippet from the photo shoot. However, I loved his facial expression in the image and wanted to capture it in a portrait. To me, there's a sadness within his facial expression that first caught my attention when he submitted his images for consideration. When I saw that look in his images, I definitely knew that I wanted to capture it.
Of course, I love the lighting in the image. I love how the light highlights the left side of his face and tappers off towards his right. However, I was using a light on the right side of him to open up those shadows on the right side of his body. It definitely helped to pick up the details within his hair, the piercing in his ear, and the details of his skin. For me, it's definitely the lighting that makes the image my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
I absolutely loved working with Enrique throughout the photo shoot. While I mentioned that I loved the sad look in facial features, Enrique was anything but sad throughout the shoot. He was definitely on the serious side, but I was able to easily engage him in conversation as I learned about his life. Of course, I absolutely loved photographing him in his black button down shirt and how it created an interesting look for me to work with throughout the shoot, especially when I paired the shirt with different pairs of briefs and boxer briefs. Overall, I'm definitely happy with the images that we created throughout the shoot and the fact that I was finally able to share them with all of you.
And, of course, I'm definitely hoping to work with Enrique in a future photo shoot!
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at: http://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography/.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, feel free to email me at [email protected]. DancerHey Guys!
I can't believe that February came and went and March is following in its footsteps. It's definitely been a busy couple of months. I traveled across part of Texas in February - went to Ft. Worth and Houston within the span of a week. It was a work-related trip, but I definitely took some time to work with a male model in Houston and was happy with the images that came out of the photo shoot. I'm still in the process of editing those images, but I definitely like what I'm seeing on the computer screen.
Of course, I'm also trying to line up some additional photo shoots with some male models in the next couple of months. I've got one tentatively scheduled in San Antonio next month and am definitely looking forward to working with him. I'm also looking to schedule a couple of additional shoots here in Austin before summer rolls around, but we'll see how successful I am in that venture. Overall, I'm definitely happy with the progression with my photography work, especially as I'm trying to balance it against a full time job.
Dancer Series - Jeremy
As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, Jeremy is a trained dancer and has worked with a dance company. When I found this out, I definitely changed my idea for the photo shoot and asked him to be prepared to do through several dance moves during the shoot. I was definitely anticipating this portion of the photo shoot and hoped that the images would look as beautiful as Jeremy's precise movements from pose to pose.
Composure
In addition to the carefully orchestrated movements, I also love how Jeremy was able to hit a pose and make it look elegant and powerful. For me, that is why I love the image below. I absolutely love the lines created by his body, particularly his legs and arms, but I absolutely love the sense of power that is evident in his shoulders and the serious facial expression. I also think that the image clearly captures Jeremy's confidence as well as how comfortable he is in how body. For me, this is one of my favorite portraits that I have captured.
Along the same lines as the image above, I love the image below for similar reasons. Again, I love the lines that his legs make as well as the those in his arms. Additionally, I love the additional depth that is evident through the position of his legs as well as the twist of his hips. To me, it definitely is a dynamic pose that captures the beautiful lines of Jeremy's body.
As with the image above, I also love the seriousness of his facial expression as he gazes to the right side of the image. Of course, I was drawn to Jeremy's strong profile from the slope of his nose to the strong jawline. His facial features in combination with the lighting creates a dynamic lighting pattern as it transitions from highlights to the shadows around his jawline. As with the image above, I absolutely love the image below and count it amongst my favorite images that I have had the opportunity to capture.
Movement
I am always amazed watching dancers gracefully move from one pose to the next. As we were going through the photo shoot, I found myself in awe of Jeremy's body and strength as he transitioned from one movement to the next. For me, the image below captures that sense of movement while also capturing his strength and precision. In the image, you can see that he is holding his body weight with his fists. What is not shown were the slow extensions of his legs and the act of pulling them back towards his body in slow and precise movements while holding his entire body weight on just his fists. However, you do not see any signs of stress in his facial expression indicating that he did not have any difficulty with the movement. To me, that simple demonstration of power was amazing. Of course, I am absolutely happy that I was able to capture part of that transition in the image below.
As with the images above, I am absolutely happy with the lighting in the image. I like the transition of the highlights to shadows are the light drops off towards the lower part of his body. However, I do love that the light is able to create highlights, midtones, and shadows in his black tights. Additionally, I love the shadows on the floor that were created by his body and crossed legs. Yeah, I'm definitely happy with the overall image and the movement that was captured within it.
Underwear
As you guys know, I tend to capture the model posing in a variety of underwear throughout the shoot. In the previous gallery and blog entry, I highlighted several images of Jeremy posing Papi boxer briefs and others. However, when I was setting up the shoot and bouncing ideas with him, he asked me if I wanted him to bring the dancer's pouch that he wore while dancing. Of course, I jumped on the chance without really having a clear picture of what a dancer's pouch was, but I was definitely happy that I had him bring it.
I love the image below for the slight tease that Jeremy is presenting. I love the casual display of the dancer's pouch as well as his upper thigh as Jeremy pulls down the left side of his tights. Of course, I love how the light highlights the creases in the dancer's pouch and helps to lead the viewer's eye further down. In addition to this small creases, I love how the light tapers off from the highlights on the right side of the image and descends into shadows as the viewer's eyes moves to the left.
However, I love the pose even more. I like the placement of his arms and hands as he lowers the left side of his tights. Of course, I love how the light picks up several of the details, such as the veins on his hands and the muscle definition in his forearms. I also like how they are serving as leading lines directing the viewer's eyes to different parts of the image. Additionally, I love how the lighting pattern falls across his arms, and body in general, as well as how his hands stand out against the black tights and the white background.
Finally, I love the positioning of his head. I love how he's not making eye contact with the viewer and gives the impression that this is a private moment. I love how the tilt of his head helps to reinforce the leading lines and helps to direct the viewer's attention to his left forearm and then down to the bottom of the image. On top of that, I love Jeremy's gentle facial expression. It helps to strengthen the calming feel of the image as well as show how comfortable Jeremy is with his body. With all of these elements combined, it's definitely easy to see why the image below is one of my favorite images from the photo shoot.
Favorite Image From The Photo Shoot
I already listed my favorite image from the photo shoot in the previous blog entry. However, since I'm treating this part of the photo shoot as a separate entry, I'm also going to identify my favorite image from this part of the photo shoot. For me, it was easy to actually chose the image below to highlight as my favorite from this portion of the shoot.
As I have been indicating throughout the shoot, there is definitely a sense of power and grace within Jeremy's body that easily seen as he moves from one pose to another. For me, I love the strength that is displayed in the pose as he reclines back with his only support coming from his legs. There are no telling signs that indicates that Jeremy is stressed in holding the pose.
In addition that casual display of strength, I also love how elegant the pose appears. I liked the placement of his open hand across his chest and how it gives a subtle hint of movement. I also like the subtle turn of his shoulders as it helps to create some additional visual depth in the image. I also love the placement of his left hand and arm as it directs the viewer's eye to the lower part of his body. Finally, I absolutely love Jeremy's facial expression and the calmness reflected in it. All of the elements, in combination with the lighting, definitely helps to establish the image as one my overall favorite images in my catalog.
Closing
There are several items on my photography bucket list that I want to accomplish. One of those was to have the opportunity to photograph a dancer as they went through a series of movements. Sure, when I originally wrote the idea down, I thought that I would be photographing a ballerina or potentially a ballroom dancer. However, after watching so many seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, I knew that I would want to photograph a contemporary dancer. It was just my luck that I was able to work with Jeremy, a dancer trained in ballet, and capture him working through several movements that felt contemporary to me.
Overall, I am definitely happy with the images that Jeremy and I created during the photo shoot. Sure, I may have gotten a little overwhelmed by the feels as I watched Jeremy effortlessly and gracefully moved from pose to pose; I may have even let a few tears escape as I moved by the overall beauty of Jeremy's movements.
Of course, I am hoping to work with Jeremy again in the near future in order to create some additional magical images. Here's hoping that I have another opportunity to work with such a talented man!
JeremyHey guys! I can't believe that January has already come and gone! Time definitely seems like it's flying. Of course, photography has definitely been a big part of my spare time lately, which is awesome! Recently, I've been working on editing some images from a few photo shoots from 2014 and 2015. Those edits are coming along well and I'll eventually be posting some of my favorite images from those photo shoots when the time comes.
Additionally, I also had the opportunity to work with a male model in January. I definitely enjoyed the experience and had fun trying out some new techniques with him. Some of those new ideas worked well, but others didn't work so well. However, it was definitely fun experimenting with different ideas during the photo shoot and just trying new things. And, of course, it's given me some additional ideas for concepts to potentially try in the future. Nonetheless, in looking through the images during the import process, I definitely saw several images that I'm wanting to work on from the photo shoot. I really can't wait to start the editing process on those images and eventually share my favorite ones with you guys.
On top of that, I am taking a photography course, Color II, at the local community college. I was attempting to take an architecture photography course, but I don't think it's going to make. In reality, I only took Color II because I needed a lab course to go along with the camera course, but I'm probably going to stick with the Color II course since I already paid for it and the fact that's a prerequisite for some additional courses. Plus, it will be nice to get some additional in-person instruction on Photoshop and Capture One. So yeah, that's definitely taking up some of my time during the evenings.
I'm also working on a 52 Week Photography Project focusing on architecture photography. Every week, I'm attempting to photograph, edit, and post an image of a different piece of architecture each week. I've been focusing on architecture around Austin since I live here, but will also be including architecture from some of the different places that I'll travel to throughout the year. Since I'll be heading to Ft. Worth and Houston in two weeks, I'll definitely be adding some images from one of those cities. So yeah, it's definitely an interesting project and one that I hope that I can complete. Those images are posted on my website focusing on my architecture photography: http://www.reyescastillophotography.com.
So yeah, I'm definitely happy that photography is starting to become a more integral part of my life, especially as I'm starting to balance it a little better in relation to my full-time job. I'm definitely happy that I'm able to devote more time to it and work on a variety of different projects with male models as well as architecture. It's even gotten to the point where I think that I might be able to take some additional photography courses at the local community college and potentially go through the entire degree plan. So yeah, that's definitely going to be cool since it will only help me with the different projects that I'm working on in my spare time.
Jeremy
For now, let's talk about the photo shoot that I did with Jeremy. He was the fourth model that I photographed in December, and definitely proved to be one of my favorite ones. I absolutely loved his confidence and laid-back attitude throughout the shoot. We talked about a variety of things throughout the shoot and established an easy rapport throughout it.
One of the cool things about Jeremy is the fact that he is a trained dancer. I definitely loved working with him as we went through a series of dance poses during the shoot. However, I'm going to post those images as a separate series since I had so many to choose from and wanted to highlight them separately. Still, it was definitely one of my dreams to actually photograph a dancer and I fulfilled it with Jeremy. Of course, I'm still wanting to photograph some other dancers since I love watching them go through the different movements and moving their bodies in a way that seems seamless.
Street Clothes
As you guys know, I like to photograph the various models in the clothing that they wore to the photo shoot. When Jeremy arrived to the photo shoot, I knew that I wanted to photograph him in the burnt orange sweats that he wore. I loved how casual they looked on him but also highlighted his body somewhat. So yeah, I definitely knew that I was going to him pose in the sweats to start the photo shoot.
I definitely love the image below. Of course, I love the lighting and how it plays across his body. I definitely think it's interesting as it crosses his face to create some interesting highlights and shadows. It definitely helps to accentuate his facial expression as well.
In addition to the lighting, I love the pose in the image. I love that he's looking straight at the camera, but the majority of his body is posed as a profile shot. It definitely helps to highlight the muscles in his chest and slope of his shoulders and upper back. The slight twist of his hips definitely helps to add some depth to the image as well and the placement of his right arm. Overall, the image is definitely one of my favorite ones from the series.
Underwear
As you guys know, I tend to photograph guys posing in a variety of underwear. The photo shoot with Jeremy was no different. However, there are two images that I wanted to highlight from portion of the shoot since I couldn't decide which one was my favorite between the two of them. Of course, Jeremy was wearing Papi boxer briefs in both images.
In the image below, I had Jeremy pose in a pair of yellow Papi boxer briefs. I definitely loved the way they looked on him and how they highlighted the lines of his body. However, in the image below, I loved the teasing element associated with Jeremy pulling down the right side of the boxer briefs to create an interesting diagonal at his hips. I think it creates a point of interest in the image that helps to drive the viewer's eye to his left arm and back up to his face.
In addition to the briefs and the diagonal created, I love the lighting in the image. I love how it caresses the planes of his body and how the left side of the image becomes darker with the shadows. I also love how those shadows are created at various points of his body to show his muscle definition, such as the lines at abs, chest, and near his hips. Yeah, like all photographers, I am obsessed with lighting and how it accentuates the subject matter - Jeremy's body in this case.
As I mentioned above, Jeremy is also posing in a pair of Papi boxer briefs in the second image that I wanted to highlight under this section. However, instead of the solid color such as the bright yellow of the boxer briefs above, I definitely knew that I wanted to have Jeremy pose in these bright green boxer briefs with an intense pattern. From the first moment that I saw those green Papi boxer briefs, I knew that I was going to have a male model pose in them. Of course, I knew that I was going to have that image in black and white due to the strong pattern in the boxer briefs. I'm definitely happy that the image came out like I had envisioned when I first saw those boxer briefs.
In addition to the Papi boxer briefs, I like Jeremy's pose in the image. As with the first image, I do like the mostly profile pose. I like how it highlights his chest and back and how they lead down to his narrow waist. Of course, I do like the subtle hint of the curves encased in the boxer briefs and how they lead down to his thighs. It's definitely a good pose to highlight Jeremy's body. And, of course, I love the fact that Jeremy's looking down over his shoulder. To me, all of the elements helps to create an interesting image that I wanted to highlight in the blog entry.
I will note that I'm planning a separate gallery and blog entry that will highlight another set of images of Jeremy posing in a pair of briefs. That set of images has been separated out due to the number that I ended up liking from that short series. That series will be posted separately with a blog entry to highlight my favorites from that short series.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
As I mentioned, I'm breaking up this photo shoot into three pieces. The image below is my favorite image from this portion of the photo shoot. Once again, I like the lighting in the image, but it really is the pose and facial expression that makes it my favorite. Yes, Jeremy is completely nude in the image, but I love how comfortable and at ease he looks in the image. I think his facial expression definitely conveys that feeling.
I definitely love the pose in the image. I love how the various lines intersect such as his left leg leading up from the corner of the image before being intersected by his arm. I also love how his line of sight is pointed directly at his right knee to help tie in the various lines. To me, it's definitely an interesting composition due to all of the intersecting lines created by his limbs. Between the lighting, the pose, and the overall feeling of the image, it's definitely easy to see why this image is one of my overall favorites from my entire catalog.
Closing
Working with Jeremy was definitely an honor. I know that I don't usually say that about my various photo shoots, but working with Jeremy definitely was a intense experience. As I mentioned before, I decided to break up the photo shoot into three different segments because each one felt like it could be a stand alone segment. I definitely love several of the images that came out from this portion of the shoot, especially the ones highlighted in this blog entry. And I definitely love the image highlighted as my favorite image from the shoot.
However, I can't wait to start sharing the images from the other two portions of this shoot. I'll be working on posting the next portion of the shoot in the upcoming couple of days. I think it should definitely be cool to say the least.
If you want to check out some of the other images highlighted from this portion of the photo shoot, check out the gallery at http://www.reyjphotography.com/jeremy.
If you want, you can also check out my Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/reyj.photography/.
And, if you're interested in setting up a photo shoot, feel free to email me at [email protected]. D.A.Hey guys! I can't believe that 2015 came to an end! And, of course, I'm still posting galleries and blog entries on photo shoots that occurred in 2013. I'm seriously starting to wonder if I'll ever catch up and be current! Nonetheless, I definitely want to thank you guys for sticking with me and continuing to look at my images through the galleries as well as reading the blog entries about my thoughts on the photo shoots themselves. It definitely means a lot to me, especially when I get emails from you guys about wanting to work with me because of the images posted or just shooting me short emails about how you like my work. It really does mean a lot to me!
In looking back on 2015, it definitely proved to be an interesting year. While I didn't get to photograph a lot of male models this year (I found myself focusing more on architecture photography), I did surprise myself with the work that I went into updating the website and clearing a backlog of images. Sure, there were a couple of months that went by without an update, but overall I'm glad that I was able to start posting images on a somewhat irregular basis. Overall, I'm happy with the way that 2015 turned out in regards to my photography.
However, I'm also looking to make 2016 a better year. At the moment, I'm still trying to plan out what I want to do, but I'm starting to firm up some of those ideas and starting to make them a reality! I'm definitely looking forward to working with a some old friends as well as working with some new guys on some photo shoots next year. Hopefully, I'll be able to share them with you guys a little more quickly as well. So yeah, here's looking to a great 2016!
But for now, let's take a look back on my December 2013 photo shoot with D.A..
D.A.
I worked with D.A. directly after the photo shoot with Romance. During that month, I was trying to get as many photo shoots completed after feeling uncreative due to a long semester of grad school. Of course, it definitely lead to the backlog of images that I'm still trying to work through. Nonetheless, I definitely enjoyed working with D.A. on the photo shoot, even though we didn't finish the photo shoot until close to 2:00 am.
D.A. was definitely an interesting guy to work with throughout the shoot. He didn't really make a lot of small talk with me, but that might have been due to the late hour of the photo shoot. However, I knew that we were going to creating some interesting images due to his overall look, his professionalism, and his entirely calm nature throughout the photo shoot. Plus, I knew that I would be able to get some awesome black and white images with him. I'm glad that I wasn't disappointed.
The image below is definitely one of my favorite images from the beginning of the shoot. As you guys know, I do like to start the shoot by taking photos of the model wearing the clothes that they wore before moving on. While the image below was a quick capture as he was pulling off his jeans in order to pose in his boxers, I knew that I wanted to capture the instance of him pulling off his jeans. I ended up liking the image because it feels like it was a moment captured instead of being a posed image. Of course, I like that the image was captured right when D.A. had looked up and made eye contact with the camera and the viewer. Like I said, I like the image because it feels like a moment captured in time.
Of course, I am definitely happy with how well the image looks in black and white. I love the gradation of the tones as the light sweeps across his body to create the various highlights and shadows. I particularly like how the light is playing across his face, specifically on the right side of his face. Plus, the rich tones of his skin definitely translated well in the black and white image. Like I said, it's definitely one of my favorite images from the photo shoot.
Portraits
One of the things that I loved about D.A. was his facial structure. I definitely knew that I wanted to create several portraits of D.A. as we worked throughout the photo shoot. And I definitely knew that I wanted to attempt to get a profile image of him given his facial structure. As such, I am happy with the way the image below turned out.
As I mentioned, I really like D.A.'s profile from the slope of his forehead down over his nose and back down over his lips and chin. To me, it's visually appealing and looks nice set against the backdrop. Additionally, I love how the light highlighted his cheekbone, jawline, and his ear. For some weird reason, I really like how the light and shadows are playing within the structure of his ear. It's interesting to see how the the different areas are defined in highlights and shadows.
Finally, I love how the light is creating interesting shadows and highlights across his face and neck and down his back. As I mentioned before, D.A. had a rich skin tone that looked great when done in black and white. Those skin tones are helped by the light creating an interesting light pattern highlighting the muscles across his back. Like I said, I really love how the light turned out in the image below.
In addition to the portrait above, I also ended up loving the image below. I love the image below for similar reasons as the one above. However, I think the top reason why I love the image below is the pose. I love how he's looking away from the camera towards the light. As I said above, I really do like D.A.'s facial structure. In addition to the tilt and direction of his head, I also love the placement of the hands over the back of the chair. To me, it creates an relaxed feeling while still having elegance due to his the serious facial expression and position of his head. It's definitely one of my favorite portraits within my catalog.
Underwear
As usual, after photographing D.A. in the clothes that he wore to the shoot and then in just his boxers, I moved on to photograph him in a variety of underwear. After photographing him in his Hanes boxers, I had D.A. model a pair of light pink Go Softwear briefs. I thought that they would contrast nicely against his skin tones while fitting him nicely. I'm definitely happy with the way he filled out the briefs and how the image turned out overall.
Additionally, I love the pose in the image. I knew that I wanted to get a profile shot given how D.A. filled out the briefs, but I also knew that I wanted to add some dimension as well. As such, I had him turn his shoulders a little to create some additional visual depth. In addition to the slight turn of his shoulders, I also like how his arm looked draped across his chest. It helps to add some weight to the image in terms of how the shadows deepened as less light reached his elbow.
And, of course, I love the tilt and slight turn of his head in the image. Throughout the shoot, D.A. had a serious expression on his face most of the time. I definitely loved that about him, since it conveyed a sense of professionalism but also suited his demeanor. However, I love the facial expression in the image. There's a small hint of amusement and coyness, but it could be that I'm reading too much into the image. Still, the facial expression definitely adds to the overall reason why I love and chose to highlight the image.
In addition to the Go Softwear, I also knew that I wanted to photograph D.A. modeling a pair of dark pink N2N briefs. After seeing how D.A. filled out the Go Softwear briefs, I knew that I wanted to get him to try on the N2N briefs. I'm definitely happy with how he looked in the briefs. Like the previous ones, I love how the color contrasted against his body, especially when I converted the image into black and white. The lighter tones definitely contrasts nicely against the dark tones of his lower stomach as well as his thighs.
In addition to how well D.A. looks in the briefs, I also like the pose in the image. D.A. was definitely on the lean side, but I loved how the image shows off his abs and the definition in his chest. It's definitely helped along through the highlights, midtones, and shadows created by the light as it caressed his body. Moving beyond the muscle definition in his chest and abs, I love the placement of his hands at his hips with his thumbs hidden behind his waist. With the shadows created at his hands, it contrasts nicely against the lighter tones at his hips and waist. Overall, I love the pose and how the light traveled across his body to create the interesting highlights, midtones, and shadows.
Nudes
And, of course, I did photograph D.A. in the nude. The image below is my favorite nude from D.A. photo shoot. As I've been saying through the blog entry, D.A. has these rich skin tones that look exquisite when the image was converted to black and white. In addition to his skin tones, I love the muscle definition through his lean body. Both of those characteristics are definitely present in the image below. I definitely love how the light accentuates the muscles in his shoulders and back as well as the dimples that appear at his lower back.
Additional, I love the pose. Within the gallery, there are some frontal nude shots of D.A., but I definitely thought this image and pose were more interesting and deserving to be highlighted in the blog post. The pose definitely shows off his physique well. I love how the lines taper down from his wide shoulders to his narrow waist before falling off as they descend down his thighs. I also love the placement of the hand and how it's cast in shadow. It creates some additional visual weight on the left side of the image to help balance out the image. Of course, I am in love with the lighting and how it proceeds to place the left side of his body in shadow. The image is definitely one of my favorite images from my entire catalog.
Favorite Image From The Photo Shoot
Sometimes I find it difficult to choose a favorite image from a photo shoot. However, I knew instantly which image was my favorite as I was working through the editing process. When I saw the image below, even in its RAW form, I already envisioned what it would look like in black and white and knew that it would be one of my favorite images overall. So yeah, it was definitely easy to select the image below as my favorite image from the photo shoot.
As you guys know, I am a fan of split lighting since it creates some awesome highlights and shadows. As you can see in the image, the back side of his body is shrouded in shadows with a tiny edge of light gracing his lower back and the curve of his cheek. In addition, I absolutely love the gradation of the tones as the midtones transition into the shadows at his side. And, of course, I love how the shadowed areas of his body contrasts and stands out against the lighter gray tones of the chair in the background. Yeah, I am definitely a fan of black and white images with dramatic lighting.
In addition to the lighting used in the image, I also love the pose. Granted, it definitely focuses on a certain aspect of D.A.'s anatomy, I do love how the lines flow from his lower back into the curve of the cheek and down into his thigh. It's also, to a certain degree, mimicked in the line descending from his stomach and down into the front of his thigh. In addition to that, I love how the line of his forearm is mimicking the outer line of the chair. It's definitely an interesting pose that I have used in the past and will continue to use in the future, but it definitely takes on another dimension in the image below. Well, it definitely adds to the visual interest and helps to create the overall image that is my favorite from the photo shoot.
Closing
Overall, I loved working with D.A. throughout the photo shoot. Even though the photo shoot took place late at night, he brought his "A Game" and was a professional throughout it. As you guys can see, he definitely has an amazing physique and rich skin tones that helped to create some gorgeous black and white images, at least to me. I would definitely recommend D.A. as a model to work with and I hope to work with him in future projects in 2016 and beyond.
For additional images from the photo shoot, please visit: http://www.reyjphotography.com/da.
If you are interested in setting up a photo shoot, please feel free to contact me at: [email protected].
RomanceHey guys! Thanks for continuing to check out my photography and the various blog entries about past the photo shoots.
Romance
Continuing on with the photo shoots from 2013, I'm now at the photo shoot with Romance. I will say that it was an interesting experience working with him. Initially, I was interested in working with him because of his interest in martial arts and the fact that he had been part of a dance troop. Given those experiences, I thought that it would be easy to get him into various poses since both activities made him aware of positioning and movement in general. So yeah, I was definitely excited to be working with him.
Of course, reality did not exactly meet expectations. Romance did know how to work his body and hit various movements and positions, but I found myself getting a little frustrated because the positioning wasn't exactly what I was expected or wanted. I kept having to pull him back from poses that I thought were too feminine for a male model to be in. It wasn't exactly blatant, but it was minor things like the positioning of his hands or the turn of the his body that had me cringing and redirecting him into a slightly different pose.
In addition to having to be a little more direct in terms of posing, I also had to pull Romance back from positions that were a little too sexually blatant. I don't generally get guys to get into "sexy" positions; I tend to let it happen and focus more on the just capturing moments that I find interesting and working on images that have an appeal to me. I'm not exactly looking for a guy to pose sexily. However, with Romance, I found myself having to pull him back from getting into too sexually charged poses. Throughout the photo shoot, I kept calling him a "sex kitten" in my head and sighing each time that he would hit a position. Sometimes the positions worked, but most of the time I would try and redirect him back from them.
So yeah, it was definitely interesting to work with Romance. Of course, I definitely was able to pull out several images to highlight from the photo shoot.
Style and Attitude
As I mentioned previously, I definitely find it interesting to see how guys will come dressed to the photo shoots. When Romance showed up, he was wearing a white button down shirt, black vest, and black slacks. And sunglasses, at night. Yeah, I was definitely intrigued. More importantly, I definitely noticed that Romance was projecting a certain sense of style and attitude that would definitely translate over into the images. As such, I wanted to capture some of that attitude, which I think I did in the image below. You can definitely see the attitude and defiance in the position of his head as well as in his facial expression.
And, of course, I definitely took the opportunity to do a black and white image with a splash of color. As I mentioned before, Romance had come into the photo shoot dressed up. But what stood out for me, besides the attitude, was that bright red tie. When I was editing this image and converted it to black and white, I definitely knew that I was going to create a version of this with the red popping out. I'm definitely happy with how the image turned out.
As I mentioned earlier, Romance definitely came to the photo shoot with some sexually charged poses. While I was somewhat frustrated with them during the shoot, I did find that some of them worked really well and translated well into the images. I definitely love the image below. While there is a sexual element to the image below, it's really the pose that I love in the image. I love the positioning of his left hand against his neck and the slight turn of his head. In addition, I like the somewhat relaxed facial expression. Overall, I thought the pose worked and looked good without being too sexually driven.
Underwear
As usual, I photographed Romance wearing a variety of underwear throughout the photo shoot. During the photo shoot with Brent (http://www.reyjphotography.com/brent), I had photographed him in a pair of blue striped C-IN2 briefs. For Romance, I decided to photograph him a different pair of C-IN2 briefs that were predominately red. Of course, I knew that I was going to convert the image into black and white and hoped that it would turn out well. I was definitely happy with the way that the briefs turned in the various shades of gray. The pattern of the briefs definitely highlight the contours of his lower body as well as looking good visually.
I am happy with how the image turned out overall. I do like the profile pose with the slight turn of his shoulders. I like how how his shoulders mimic his lower body and creates a sense of repetition, but that may be me reading into the image. But I do love how the lines of his body tends to lead the eye upward - from his right arm and the position of his right thigh to his left hand across his chest leading to his right shoulder. I think the pose definitely highlights his physique overall while leading the eye upwards to his face.
In addition to the pose and briefs, I also like the lighting in the image. While not as dramatic as some of the lighting that I have used in the past, I do like the tonality that was produced by it. I like how it fades into the shadows on the right side of his body and seems to anchor the image. I also like how it creates the highlights and mid tones across his face while also highlighting some of the details. Like I said, overall, I like the image and was easy to see why I choose to highlight the image.
Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot
There were definitely several images that I could have selected as my overall favorite image from the photo shoot. However, there was one that definitely stood out from the rest. I know that some people are not interested in black and white images with pops of color, but I am partial to them. As such, I was definitely drawn to the image below for the overall pose and the use of the tie as a prop, but also for the color treatment.
As I said, I do like the overall pose. As I mentioned earlier, I had to rein in Romance from getting into positions that I thought were too sexually charged. However, I think the image below actually works. Again, I like the details from the tucked in button down into his slacks to the highlights on his belt and chain. Of course, I love the tilt of his head as well as facial expression. It definitely adds to the sensual nature of the pose and the use of the tie as a prop.
However, it's the tie being pulled across his face that takes center stage. I love how it covers one of his eyes and creates a diagonal across his face. On a side note, I do love that you can see the interesting details of his eye lashes. While I think it would have still been an interesting image without the color splash, I definitely think that add the red creates a stunning visual counterpoint. To me, it helps to anchor and add some weight to the image. Additionally, it adds to the sexual nature of the image since red is often considered the color of passion. For me, overall, it helped to create an interesting image that became my overall favorite from the photo shoot.
Overall, I liked working with Romance throughout the shoot. Sure, there were times that I was rolling my eyes or sighing internally, but I definitely think that we produced some really interesting images. I would definitely be willing to work with him in future photo shoots, even knowing that I would have to rein him back or lead him into slightly different poses. Nonetheless, Romance was definitely fun to work with and I can see myself working with him on a different project.
For additional images from the photo shoot, check them out at http://www.reyjphotography.com/romance.
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