Coffee break?

This shot is made during an advertising campaign shoot in Studio SOTA 96, with a lovely Brazilian model, Thais.

Model and photographer relationship is interesting.  It is interesting because the result of the image is heavily depended on the chemistry between the model and photography, which often they meet the first time on the spot, to produce work! And within a very short time, the two needs to becoming good friends, trust each other, rely on each other and help each other.  There is no real time to get familiarization, at least not by conventional means. So I often talk to my models, and between shoots – usually change of costume, make up, hair, accessories, or simply a coffee break.   Often times I also shoot a little more! To get them do whatever they prefer or I prefer, not really to get the pictures needed for the job, but often resulted better finished picture for the job. This one is such a shot.  Made with a Phase One P65+ on Hasselblad H2.

Clarity

The explosion of Internet gives ways for virtually unlimited ways of presenting image works, with no end in sight.  The rise of social network has quickly rolls on everything in its way, the popularity overtaking old school marketing strategy and defines what is better and who to stay.

But has photography as an art being challenged? May be not.  Given its history, photography is still relatively new to society, what was considered good often became a very dated point of view. And in particular, like Karl von Clausewitz quoted: “Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.”

For example the black and white images, for example for the so-called lomography, and to add grains to perfect, clarity, sharp images, continue to happen in a time of best camera and lens ever made with all the digital editing tools. 

About Black and white

In a recent interview I made with Steve McCurry about his legendary last roll of Kodachrome, I asked Steve about his assessment about color image versus black and white and Steve replied, “….. Our world is colored so I took the image as they are….. *April 2011 issue of Chinese Photography

Indeed, photography as a media of art came very late in human history, in 1822 by Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.  Due to technical and media development limitations, image could only be produced in black and white.  Whereas artworks predated early day photography were mostly in color, from the wall painting in the caves, Egyptian painting, the whole history of fine art paintings – except the Chinese water-ink painting which is the real fine art dedicated to black and white. But Western art has always been colorful. So sometimes it is confusing because modern day digital photographers, not all but quite many, vowed to go back to the true fine art while true fine art were in color before photography made them in black and white.

Anyway, this is not a post of saying which is better, certainly not to say which is wrong.  I think it just does not matter.

The Move!

One of the challenges of still image is often that the photographer does not want the image to look still, particular for fashion image.  And there are lots of approaches.  One can use a powerful air blower for the hair, dress (skirt – for some), jump, boxing and so on.  Or sometimes taking an image in a transition, so the image subtly suggests a movement, its past and where it is going to, like this one.

Stars and the night sky

Woman have always had a fetish for everything glitzy and shiny and Sonja Henie, a Norwegian Olympian said it well – “Jewelry takes people’s minds off your wrinkles” is particular true for women. And therefore a jewelry shot without a woman is like taking picture of night sky without stars.

Dance with water

This is a shot made for Physio Radiance Paris.  Water is an interesting subject and one that signifies life, and an indispensible element in cosmetics. 

Water as a subject is interesting to shoot because water is everyday experience, you can’t do wrong, but to create a final image with the right form of water that combine well with another object – in the case here the brush aluminum cosmetic canister, is somewhat a challenge – requiring right movement of water, right angle of the product and right light shaping on both the water and product to have the separate object works in harmony, like dancing.

Reality

It is an awful truth that often nice images were done for the benefits of the viewer than the actual crews involved in the production, except for the commercial rewards.  However, the process can be entertaining itself but could mix with lots of hardships.

Shooting in desert is no fun business, not only it is hot from the top – the sun, but more so from the bottom – the sand.  The model could present herself enjoying the environment but the fact that desert is not a residential choice tells the truth, and sometimes it is just difficult to even keep the eyes open.

Similar to fashion works that a striking poses are often physical demanding and all the while maintain the facial expression request from the photographer.

Is the picture telling lies?  Not really.  It is just reality.
Shot in Taklamakan Desert, China.