Doing a reset today, shaking the etch-a-sketch. I put together a quick new moodboard of stuff that is resonating with me right now, and I’m going to study them here for a bit.
CANDID CANDID CANDID! I’m really feeling like candid-style shots are my thing, I love a photo that feels like capturing a moment. I need to develop some in-shoot strategies for capturing candid shots.
I feel compelled by this photograph. It resonates. The trick is having some idea of why. There’s nothing obvious; the set is simple, the composition and lighting are common. The subject is a normal-looking nude woman. So the magic must be in the details. The way she’s holding a knife and staring at it, that’s creating some intrigue, it’s unusual. The way she’s sitting, it has a casual feel with her leg crossed, but has some tension with her hand gripping the arm of the chair. It’s just a portrait, but it feels like something more too.
Props.
This is a major element for me. I’m beginning to realize how they add visual dimension to a portrait, and offer a complex of creative options. Below is a list of props I’d like to start using.
- disco ball
- sheer bolts of cloth and interesting fabrics, scarves
- masks of all sorts
- mannequins
- flowers
- various viscous liquids
Poses.
Dancing.
Locations.
- Record store
- Bar
- Photo booth
- Union Station
- Neighborhood metro station
- Cafe – shots with subject inside, shots through window from outside with subject inside
- Subject behind a window
- Poles, lamp posts, sign posts etc.
- Graffiti art walls
- Classic cars