A Dramatic Eye for Portraiture

Now-a-days technology has made it possible for anyone to take a good picture. Click, view, share, it truly has become that simple. The instant feed back tells the photographer if it's a keeper or if it ends up in the digital trash can. And while the monitor on the back of you camera can tell you if your image is technically sound, it can't tell you what to do to make it better - that you'll have to figure out all on your own.

As a portrait photographer we are often times challenged by our own lack of creativity. We at times fall into ruts from which we are hard pressed to dig ourselves out of. But dig out we must if we are going to make a name for ourselves and maintain our credibility. How do we do this? We search books, magazines, websites and blogs looking for inspiration, the spark that takes us to the next level. Perhaps we add a piece of equipment to our arsenal that helps us see differently, or we study the creative works of those whom we aspire to be like. It's what the late landscape photographer Galen Rowell called "cognitive recogition." We fill our brians with images that we can draw from when see something similar and then we build on it.

Before taking the image above I had been viewing the amazing works of Greg Norman. I left his sight feeling inspired - if not driven - to convert my new found wealth of cognitive imagery to artistic reality. So I called my brother, who's quite the ham, and told him of my idea. We set up in his room against a heavily plastered wall and started firing away. As the shoot progressed I introduced a plant into the setup with one main light shooting through it in order to cast the shadows on the wall. When my brother began to see the results he excitedly ran into his closet and began pulling different shirts, hats, and vests out. (He likes to travel and collect such things) The vest he was wearing looked cool but it needed something more, so we grabbed one of his wifes scarfs and wrapped it around his neck much like a cowboy would. The shot was really coming together at this point but I felt that we needed just a little bit more, that something that would give us a Han Soloish feel. We tryed some sunglasses but they just were'nt cutting it. Then he showed me the goggle style sun glasses he had. Every thing just fell into place at that point and after a little PS work this was the final product. Of all the pictures I've seen of my brother, this one truly captures his personallity - Adventurer/World Traveler.

Tech Data: Canon EOS 5D, 24-70 2.8L, 1 - 500ws Travelite with barn doors, 1 leafy plant.